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

USSExplorer · Jul 14, 2022

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

WARNING!
This chapter has some disturbing details in it. Mainly these are in the scenes from Cam's POV (the 1st and 4th/5th) and near the end of the final scene. Hopefully, none of this is disturbing enough to force you to skip a scene, but if it is, I'm sorry.
This is (likely) as far as I'll go in ANP regarding descriptive violence.
END OF WARNING

Current date: 3 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Fallen Apprentice 3
...

As my senses slowly filtered back into my conscious mind, one crystal-clear thing speared through my brain: pain.

My nerves felt like they had been put through a shredder several times, raw and bloody, making it impossible to concentrate. It felt like the Force was gone for a moment before I realised it was still there, but I was unable to focus on it as pain surged through my body, preventing me from concentrating on my connection long enough to use the Force.

As the pain grew worse, I screamed. The sound echoed around the room I was in, though with only a handful of background lights from various consoles, it was hard to make out anything about where I currently was.

At that moment I noticed that the usual parts of the HUD generated by the Interface were gone. I mentally commanded my Inventory to open, hoping it would respond and I could escape, only for a sharp, violent stab of pain to shoot through my mind. Once I'd grunted my way through that, I realised the Interface had failed to respond. Somehow whatever was blocking my connection to the Force was also cutting me off entirely from the Interface. Meaning that, somehow, I was in a place more steeped in the Dark Side than the Bando Gora base on Kidriff.

Kriff, that was not an encouraging thought.

I took a few deep breaths, trying to centre myself, though that proved hard as more random bursts of pain echoed through my head. For that, I realised that someone had placed a mask over my face. It covered everything but my eyes and as I realised it was the source of these seemingly random bursts of pain, another burst thrust into my skull.

These impromptu blasts of pain were generating a buzzing in my mind, which, I suspected, was what was disrupting my Force and Interface connections. With that painfully understood, I turned my head, taking in where I was.

My limbs were restrained by machinery. From what I could tell, most were held by some form of cuffs that, if the cables heading into the darkness behind me were any sort of indication, allowed the controller to manipulate my body. Though over my hands, covering my fingers, was more intricate machinery. Unless I missed my guess, which was possible as the random bursts of variable strength shocks were making it hard to think straight, those would allow the controller to force my hands open and closed. The other thing that stood out was that, bar a pair of undergarments to cover my modesty, I was naked.

A surge of anger grew as I realised that apart from my clothing and gear, someone had removed my necklace. However as angry as I became, the static shocks around my head only grew stronger, seemingly delighting in my anger and feeding from it.

"Aargh!" I grunted out as this mask made it hard to even use my fury at my predicament as the cold, sterile air in the room took on a sinister sensation.

Drawing on training from my former life, I took slow, deep breaths while doing my best to ignore the jolts of agony rattling around my skull. It was abundantly clear that I'd been captured and the Bando Gora intended to torture me, which was not a comforting realisation. Back on Earth, I was trained to delay any torture I had to face if captured. Resisting was a fallacy that existed only in the movies as everyone broke eventually. The key was keeping yourself sane and useful enough that your captors didn't kill or break you before you could be rescued.

Though a cold shiver rippled up my spine as I wondered just what kind of horrors were used for torture in this galaxy. Dooku and Fay had gone over how a Force user might be tortured, but they'd not been overly detailed, for good reason I imagined, thus I was going in all but blind about what fresh, deranged horrors I would have to endure.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, and my mind began to accept the chaotic slashes of torment, I spotted two tables about two-thirds of the way from me to the far wall. On one I saw my belongings, including my cloak, lightsaber and necklace. For a brief moment, I tried to summon them to me with the Force, only for an immense surge of pain to slam into my mind from multiple directions.

I grit my teeth, not wanting to give anyone who could be listening the satisfaction of hearing me cry out in agony, until the pain subsided. It seemed that I'd grown so used to using the Force that I'd tried to use it automatically even when I knew the dangers of doing so. Fucking wonderful.

Putting aside any ideas of escape, at least until I learnt where the kriff I was and how to overcome whatever the shab this mask was doing to screw with my Force and Interface connections, I looked at the other table. That was covered by a tarp, but the vague shapes I could make out of whatever was under the tarp filled me with a growing sense of dread. Some of those…. looked similar to some of the more barbaric torture instruments I'd seen on Earth.

This day was just getting better and better.

An ominous hiss came from my right, and I turned my head to see a door that looked to be about a metre above the floor open. Light flooded into the room, making me wince and as I adjusted to the light, I saw that there was a short flight of stairs down to the floor, on which was a tall, athletic-looking Human female standing on the first step. I closed my eyes as the lights in the room turned on, and when I'd recovered the woman had stepped down into the room, allowing me to get a good look at her.

Her hair was short, spiky and white while her eyes burned yellow with the unmistakable corruption of the Dark Side of the Force, though what drew my attention, and earned a chuckle from the woman, was her body; specifically her clothing. Around her neck, she wore a collar of spikes that, unless the light was playing tricks on me, dug into her throat. Her clothing, such as it was, appeared to be barely more than a leotard made of black leather. Each arm was covered in similar material from her elbows down to her hands. Around her waist, covering the gap between her legs, was a long, probably intentionally tattered skirt that left her thighs exposed and from her knees down, she wore skin-tight black coverings that merged seamlessly into her boots, though what drew my attention the most was her belt, where two curved hilt lightsabers rested.

I bit back a snide comment about her appearance as I took in Komari Vosa in all her corrupted glory, as she sauntered toward me. Her boots made clicking sounds on the cold, metallic floor of my cell as she approached.

One hand reached towards me, and I pulled my head back. A smile came to her face as she stepped closer and reached up to grasp hold of my chin. "I'm glad to see my agents didn't rough you up too badly when they brought you to me," she remarked as she turned my head from side to side, almost as if she was trying to examine my face even though I was wearing the strange mask. Her voice was deep, almost purring as she spoke. In another time and place, I might have found it seductive. Instead, it brought the image of a predator playing with its food to my mind. "I must admit," she continued, "that when I learnt that my former Master had taken a new Padawan, I was furious," she turned my head, so I had no choice but to look her right in the eyes. "That he could cast me aside so easily drove me to levels of rage I didn't know I had. Yet, that was the moment that my eyes opened to the power of the Force when one bent it to their will." Her hand slid down to my neck, letting her fingers touch my skin for the first time. "It also helped me see a way for me to strike back at my former master and a plan developed as I watched you rampage through my forces on Kidriff." She licked her lips and gave me a sinister, almost deranged smile. "You have such rage, such power, and he wastes it by training you as a Jedi…" she remarked, her hand now sliding over my exposed shoulder and down to my bicep.

I kept my mouth shut—it was hard, a quiver of insults was just begging to be let loose, but my raw nerves were a sharp reminder of my situation. But by the Force, it was hard not to comment on her disturbing actions so far!

Her lips pulled into a grin, an amused tincture to it. There was nothing funny about the current situation but I wasn't about to argue with the asylum escapee.

Her fingers slithered over my arm and traced the scar inflicted by my verd'goten. "I see you've kept scars from a previous battle." She leaned in closer. "How positively unlike a Jedi, but oh so intriguing. I do hope you tell me how you got them one day."

Her grin grew longer and sharper as her fingers danced ever lower. "I sense such strength, such power in you," she whispered, her fingers reaching my waistband. My hand burned as I clenched my fist—my knuckles close to bursting. Vosa pulled back with a soft chuckle.

Even without her touch, I could feel her attention on me, her gaze making my skin crawl as it wandered between my legs. Insane or not, it didn't take a genius to figure out where her head was at. "I've watched your fight with my forces several times since your capture." She paused as her tongue ran over her lips. "Such carnage, such barely restrained aggression," she inhaled, long and deep, "it was intoxicating." Her smile slipped as her eyes locked with mine, her face turned stern as if she were scolding a child. "Now, don't be confused. I am unhappy that you killed so many of my followers, especially several of my most loyal fighters. For that, you will be punished. But the way you killed them gave me new ideas about what to do with you, which is why you are here, in this lovely location." She chuckled at her joke, though it was hard to ignore the deranged crackle that lingered in her laugh.

I let some of the tension in my body ease as she took another step back. "While your fight on Kidriff was impressive, I'm afraid to say those with you aren't as fortunate to be under my tender mercy. It's such a shame that for all your power, for all the desire, you were unable to help them."

"What did you do?" I managed to snarl out, my worry for Bo and Aayla mixing with my anger toward Vosa's behaviour pushing me to ask.

"The Twi'lek fell easily, overwhelmed by the most basic of my followers. The Mandalorian at least fought as her people do; though in the end, it wasn't enough." She chuckled to herself. "Before she succumbed to her injuries, my followers enjoyed… repaying her for the deaths of their cohorts." My anger flared, and new, powerful bursts of pain surged into my mind from the mask, though this time it seemed as if that only fueled my rage further.

Vosa chuckled and shook her head. "Why are you angry with me? I wasn't the one who had you attack one of my bases, nor allowed Padawans, children at that, to be separated from the proper Jedi while in a place steeped in the Dark Side of the Force." She stepped closer, her face twisting from her anger. "That was your Master!" She viciously snapped, her anger for Dooku akin to a bonfire. Was Dooku aware of this? Was he even prepared? Oh, this wasn't going to be good, not at all.

She paused and blinked, almost as if she were surprised by the venom in her own voice. She muttered something to herself that I didn't catch, turned on her heel, and stalked away. My eyes wandered to the sway of her hips. She snickered but didn't comment.

She stopped once she reached the table on which my belongings were displayed, her fingers grazing over the armour I'd been wearing during the battle on Kidriff. "I must say, I never expected him to allow a Padawan to wear armour, especially not that of a Mandalorian," she remarked as her fingers brushed over my gauntlets. For a moment, I had a faint hope she'd accidentally activate something on them, but it didn't happen. "I assume this was to hide your true nature; make it seem that your master was nothing more than a noble slumming it with guards and a slave girl. Smart, but given that I was laying out the trap for him for months in advance, ultimately pointless." Her smile returned, taking on that sensual look that would be enticing if she wasn't drunk on her own madness. "While I'm… unhappy that he evaded my trap, I think you'll be a far more useful prize."

Her hand closed around the sheath of my beskad, and her smile twisted, exposing some teeth. She pulled the blade from the sheath and held it up to the light. "Hmm, actual beskar like the gauntlets. Most unexpected," she remarked before running her tongue down the edge of the blade while maintaining eye contact with me. I saw a faint smear of red as she pulled her tongue back, but that only seemed to bring a dangerous smile to her eyes. "The violence you unleashed with this blade was… stimulating."

I bit my tongue. I wanted to comment on her insanity, but the logical part of my mind just barely won out, and I didn't. That she enjoyed the chaos I'd unleashed on Kidriff spoke to her lack of sanity and I knew that antagonising her would only make what was to come so, so much worse. Yet, a part of me that I didn't wish to acknowledge right now, did enjoy the battle. How the Force had all but sung to me as I killed my enemy had been intoxicating, which was a real hint of the dangers the Dark Side possessed to some who ended up in battle as much as I did. And, in a brief moment of clarity before the shocks returned, gave me an insight into how the Jedi never saw the betrayal of their troopers coming, or at least part of a reason as to why.

"Once your training is complete, we're going to have so much fun…" she commented with a giggle that sent a shiver through me. Not only was she deranged and drunk on the Dark Side, but it was becoming increasingly clear that she had more planned for me than simply breaking me to torment Dooku.

She re-sheathed my beskad, then let her fingers graze over my cloak, then onto my lightsaber. "Hmm, a curved hilt. I see your master's style of combat has rubbed off on you," she stated, as she powered up the blade. "And a blade soaked in darkness that roars for blood as it ignites, how delightful." She depowered it and then placed the hilt back on the table. "Can you not see you're deluding yourself by pretending to be a Jedi? You are meant for more than confining yourself to their irrational ways."

'Says the psychotic, deranged, off her Force-damned meds', I thought. My control was slipping, it was taking a real effort to keep myself from mouthing off like an idiot. However, that slipped as her fingers moved towards my necklace.

I didn't even realize I snarled until her eyes snapped to me, having heard it, and her smile twisted sinisterly. "Does this have some special meaning, hmm? Perhaps a gift from the Mandalorian?" She inquired, trying to needle me with her false narrative about Bo's fate, which I didn't accept for even one moment. I had to hold onto the hope they'd made it out of the base.

Her eyes closed and she inhaled deeply. "Ah, a gift from your master." Her eyes opened and returned to me. "No doubt for your thirteenth." She lifted the necklace, using her other hand to caress the heart of the fire gem at its centre. "His presence flows strongly through this, along with another." She tilted her head. "Your mother perhaps?" I didn't reply, not wanting her to have another avenue with which to torment me, and she waved her free hand dismissively. "No matter. Neither of them can help you now."

She started to move, keeping the necklace in her hands until she was at the edge of the table nearest the door. "I think I'll keep this safe for you," she remarked as she slid the necklace over her head. It rested awkwardly around her neck, catching randomly in the strange, self-harming collar she wore, yet it had the desired effect as I felt my rage flare, thunder, at her wearing that and a growl slipped past my lips.

"Are you fucking insane?" I spat at her, my anger overloading my rational mind for a moment. Her smile froze, and I felt a sudden spike in pressure against my chest. I struggled to inhale, as something began crushing my chest. I saw her free hand constricting letting me know she was using the Force against me.

Her other hand picked up my lightsaber, and as I continued to struggle as the Force crushed my chest, she stepped closer with my blade in hand. She lifted that hand to my cheek, letting a few fingertips stroke my cheek as I slowly struggled to not react to her efforts in preventing me from breathing.

Before I even realised it, my head whipped to one side as she struck me across my face with the hilt of my blade. Once more, my anger spiked as she dared to use my weapon against me, though that seemed to amuse her, and as she stepped back, the pressure on my chest suddenly stopped.

I gulped in air, trying to get oxygen back into my blood, even as her eyes twinkled in delight. "That was such an impolite thing to say," she remarked as I continued to gulp down air. The fingers of her hilt-holding hand returned to my cheek, and I barely suppressed a flinch. Yet, instead of striking me, she brushed the area she'd just hit gently, almost as if she was ashamed that she'd had to hurt me. "I hope you'll refrain from such words. I am a lady after all." Her fingers slid over my lips, almost teasing them to open as her smile turned in a way that, in any other situation, would've been arousing. "Though I am curious to learn more about that word you used. 'Fucking.' It sounds like something we could both enjoy."

For a moment I considered headbutting her, but with the pain in my chest still lingering, I resisted the urge. Further enraging the mad woman with a lightsaber against my face was not a smart move if I wished to keep living.

She removed her hand and once more, stepped back. Having some distance between us was reassuring, even if she didn't need to worry about striking me down from afar. So long as I was cut off from the Force, unarmed and restrained, it would only take her the briefest of efforts to end me.

"I know you are confused about the truth, but in time you will understand," she commented as she ignited my lightsaber once more. That had me relieved that I'd still not managed to attune the Mantle of the Force to me – attuning anything that was attuned to others was insanely hard to do even when the crystal was resisting my efforts to attune it – nor did it improve my Mechanics: Lightsaber skill to the point where I could add a fourth crystal to the hilt. Having this bitch with access to that would be beyond dangerous so it was a relief that with my Inventory cut off along with the rest of the Interface, nothing inside could be accessed by anyone.

She lifted the blade, showering our faces in the dark light with a bright core of my blade. Somehow that made her look even more unhinged, which was an impressive feat since she was clearly several components short of a hyperdrive.

"A blade of this colour is not the mark of a Jedi," she commented, seemingly entranced by the strange way the white edging and black core reacted to each other. "No, this is a weapon of one free of their shackles, of one who yearns for combat. I can feel it and I know you can too," she added as her eyes found mine once again.

However, before she could say anything, the door to my cell hissed open, which drew our attention. Three men entered, though calling them that felt wrong. All three had blackened, deformed skin with the lead male wearing a skull mask akin to those of the men I'd killed just before I'd been captured. The two without masks stopped at the table displaying my belongings while the masked man continued to the carp-covered table.

The two unmasked men began collecting my belongings, though one of them dropped one of my vambraces. It bounced off the table and then fell to the floor. Thankfully, or un-thankfully I supposed, none of the built-in features activated; though since none were lethal, I doubted any would've helped me even if they had activated accidentally.

Quicker than I could follow, Vosa covered the distance between her and the cultist who'd dropped my vambrace. A black blur sped at her, followed by the man's body slumping to the ground as his head was removed from his shoulders.

"Do not damage his equipment!" Vosa snarled at the remaining cultists. They stood their ground, either not scared of her outburst (unlikely) or trained not to react (probable). "Yes, priestess," he intoned in a voice devoid of any feeling, making him sound like nothing more than a droid wearing the flesh of a man. The hope of turning a cultist to my side abruptly died in my chest and was just as sharply replaced by the worry of what was going to happen if I didn't break out soon.

Vosa turned back to me, her face softer than I'd seen so far. She walked forwards and used her free hand to turn my chin so that we were looking into each other's eyes. "I'm sorry for disrespecting your possessions." Her voice which had been smouldering and dusky earlier, was just as soft, barely above a whisper, "While the process to ensure their loyalty is effective, it does leave them as not much more than mindless drones." She leaned closer, and while I tried to pull my head back, her grip was far too tight to allow me to escape. Her lips pressed against mine, sending all sorts of fucked up signals about her to my brain. "I know that won't happen to you," she commented after pulling back, that same soft, almost caring smile on her face. "Your mind is strong, like mine. The power inside you will protect you from the worst, but you need to prepare what I must do for you to be free of the shackles of the Jedi and their delusions."

I bit back another burst of thoughts about her sanity as I wondered just who I'd pissed off to be left in the hands of such an unhinged woman. Though those thoughts were driven from my mind as I hissed in pain as something burned across my chest.

Vosa's smile took on a sinister twist as she lifted my lightsaber between our faces. "However," her voice had regained its predatory purr, "you need to understand that disobedience and disruption to my cause will not be tolerated."

Thankfully, she didn't strike me again with my blade, instead pivoting and walking over to the tarped table and the masked man. I glared at her, wanting nothing more than to break free of my restraints, take my blade and make her pay for burning me with it. This bitch was beyond insane and needed to be put down.

"Do what you must," Vosa said loud enough that I could hear, "but I want his mind and body as intact as possible, and do not touch the mask." She explained to the masked man. "Even after several sessions, if you do, he will kill you without thought."

"Yes, priestess," the masked man replied with a small bow as I found myself agreeing with her assessment of what I'd do with the mask removed.

Vosa turned back to face me, her smile twitching as she caught my glare at the masked man. "Do not fear what is to come. It will be painful, incredibly so. But it is needed to free your mind, as mine was, from the lies that were forced into it by the Jedi."

She sauntered towards the door. Another cultist scurried out of her way as they entered to either collect my things or to take out the body. I imagined making her head burst, making it break, making it cave in, making it do any number of things once I got out these motherfucking shackles off me. I glared at the back of her head plotting out ways in which I'd make her pay for this once I got free of these motherfucking shackles.

A dramatic lifting of the tarp drew my attention back to the masked man, and I gulped hard as I saw what had been revealed on that table. While many of the… instruments were foreign to me, enough looked familiar to things I'd seen in my former life, that I was left in little doubt of what I was about to endure.

As the masked man picked up a disturbing knife with a strange, hooked end to the blade, I reviewed everything I knew about resisting and delaying torture. Silently, I prayed to the Force that Dooku, Bo, Fay or anyone would find me before I broke.

I muffled a sigh of relief as the man lowered the knife back carefully to the table, only to inhale sharply as he picked up a hypo-syringe.

This… was going to fucking hurt.
… …

… …

Dooku felt the tiredness of the last week combined with his age weigh on him as he sunk into the chair in his room on the Ne'tra Sartr. Normally, he would've sat with a touch more grace and refinement, but after the week he'd had, it was just about understandable that while alone, he allowed some of his standards to slip.

It had been a week since the debacle on Kidriff, and since the capture – he knew Cameron was still alive as he could still sense him within the Force, though it was hard to do so – he had struggled to sleep. Meditation had offered some relief, but after five days without any true rest, he could feel himself slowly losing some of his control and refinement.

He'd gone over the mission multiple times, both with Knight Vos and by himself, and every time the same result was returned. The moment they'd entered the base, and he'd sensed something off within the Force, he should have aborted. Komari Vosa was not only alive, but he was sure that she was now a member of the Bando Gora and had been the one to ensure he learnt of the operation on Kidriff. To say it was a trap was obvious in hindsight but reviewing how he'd learnt the information each step of the way revealed several dozen errors in judgement he'd made that the Bando Gora and Komari had exploited to arrange their trap. A trap that had resulted in the capture of his current Padawan, and potential successor.

Again, he knew that Cameron was alive, but the faint hints of suffering and rage coming to him through their bond during his meditations had Dooku certain that the Bando Gora were torturing the young man in an attempt to turn him as they'd done to Komari. That was causing Dooku much internal turmoil, though apart from the tuk'ata, he doubted any onboard were aware as he refused to be drawn into open discussions about Cameron.

Vos displayed no particular concern about Cameron's situation, save for how it was affecting his Padawan, but Dooku had no issues with that. The Kiffar Jedi had limited interaction or connection to Cameron but was, if Dooku tried his best to ignore the unamusing sense of humour the Jedi Knight possessed, refreshingly blunt in his assessment of the many ills of the galaxy and Republic. If not for the current situation, and for him seemingly being loyal to the Order, Dooku would consider recruiting him and his Padawan into the Coalition. Still, while Vos appeared the least concerned about Cameron's status, from what Dooku knew of the Jedi Knight's records, it was probable that Vos had suffered the most of those who'd returned to the Ne'tra Sartr as Master Tholme had spoken to him on occasion about Vos' personal demons and tendencies to resort to violence as a first resort.

Vos' Padawan had been suffering acute feelings of guilt and inadequacy since Kidriff. She blamed herself for Cameron's capture, however, Dooku did not. Yes, she had clear failings in her lightsaber style, but Dooku attributed that to the failing of Vos, just as he placed the blame for Cameron's capture purely on his own shoulders.

Miss Kryze had been, rather predictably, irritable to the point that Dooku had been forced to lock her in her quarters three times after her behaviour became a distraction to him. Up until Kidriff, Dooku had been accepting of the comradery growing between the girl and Cameron, even if he felt the developing emotional attachment was a weakness Cameron did not need. For the last of her lockdowns, Miss Kryze had chosen to stay in Cameron's quarters, which, in a strange way, made sense to Dooku. The Mandalorian was behaving little better than a beast in heat, so her wanting to spend that time in Cameron's quarters, and around the tuk'ata – which only ever tolerated the girl in those quarters – was a clear indication of her attachment to his Padawan.

The tuk'ata had been the one who'd taken Cameron's capture the worst; or at least, was the most vocal about it. For three nights it had whined away in Cameron's room and refused to leave until Miss Kryze had all but dragged the beast – which was now about a third the size of a fully-growth Kath hound – from the room so she could clean it. Since then, Miss Kryze had spent her nights in Cameron's quarters for which Dooku was grateful as it ended the beast's whining. Ideally, the situation with those two wouldn't grow worse, otherwise, Dooku would be forced to take more drastic action to keep them in line. Though once Cameron was rescued, Dooku would need to speak with him about this attachment he was developing with the girl. Hopefully, that would be soon, as the longer it took them to locate and free Cameron, the worse the moods of everyone onboard, himself included, would get.

The console in front of him beeped, and Dooku steeled himself for the conversation to come. A moment of resignation occurred before he opened the commlink, which resulted in a small hologram of Master Fay appearing.

"Dooku," Fay said simply. That she kept to his wishes and stuck to his family name was encouraging – she was not worthy of using his given name even like this, not that he was particularly fond of it – the lack of customary warmth in her tone, replaced by a faint hint of disappointment, made clear her opinions on what had happened.

"Master Fay," he replied, using her title as a sign of respect; one she hadn't used with him, "I assume it is safe to say you received my message." He respected the Sephi Jedi, yet over the last few years he had come to realise that, even if she was less blinded to the failings of the Jedi and Republic than Yoda, she still placed too much faith in the Code and was just as stuck in her ways as the Grandmaster. Thankfully, it appeared that Cameron was not only beginning to see this failing in Fay but was also understanding that the Republic wasn't just corrupt, but potentially beyond saving.

"Yes, though I will refrain from commenting on how my warnings were accurate," Fay responded, and Dooku was barely able to keep his annoyance in check. She had warned of the dangers of going after the Bando Gora, but she had also chosen to not participate in this operation and had even tried to persuade Cameron to leave with her. In hindsight, she had been proven correct about her fears, but to partially reference that decision was, in his mind, a petty manoeuvre for a Jedi Master as esteemed and educated as her to make. "Has there been any progress on locating where Cameron has been taken?"

Dooku delayed his reply while he let the building irritation at her comment and tone settle. "Very little. The records Knight Vos and I were able to procure from the base before we withdrew are encrypted. While Cameron's droid is attempting to slice said encryption, I am not expecting a quick result as it is not a task suited for protocol droids."

"Understandable. That droid is millennia out of date," Fay remarked which made Dooku mentally sneer at the elder Jedi. Either she was far better at hiding what she knew, or she truly did not realise what that droid actually was. Any half-way intelligent being would have perused the Archives regarding Revan for references to droids. From that, it was easy for anyone – something he knew as he'd done so as soon as he was able to establish a secure remote connection to them – to discover that the only droid linked to the former Jedi and Sith matched the one found in the vault on planet Ordo was an assassin droid.

Now, Dooku would concede that there was a chance that Fay was aware of the droid's true purpose and simply did not wish to discuss it over an open channel. However, Dooku felt that was unlikely. Fay was far too rigid in her interpretation of the Code to allow any member of the Order to own a droid with the reputation of HK-47; certainly not her own Padawan and one they both believed had an important role to play in the coming darkness. Dooku was slightly conflicted regarding the droid himself. He saw nothing wrong with Cameron making use of the droid to learn more about Revan – something Dooku would admit to being curious about as well – but he hoped his Padawan didn't begin to use the droid as a crutch, or for its designated purpose. At least while it was so heavily connected to him.

"Indeed. Though given the familial connection Cameron shares with its creator, I suspect it will devote all the processing power it possesses until the encryption has been sliced." Dooku agreed, which drew a slight raising of one brow from Fay. "Yes, I am aware my… opinion of droids is well known. That said, this droid has a strong sense of programmed loyalty to Revan, and thus Cameron, which makes its existence slightly more tolerable than most droids." Again, he left out what he knew about the true purpose of HK-47. If Fay either didn't know or wouldn't bring it up, he certainly wouldn't.

"Yes, that is certainly true, however, I will place my faith in the Force," Fay responded and Dooku felt his lips begin to curl in disgust. Returning to the Temple and all but begging for help from the very Order that showed no care that Komari had been captured years ago offended Dooku's sensibilities. "I understand your concerns, regarding the direction the Order has taken over the last few centuries. However, our best chance of recovering Cameron may well lie in support from the Archives and Senate records concerning the Bando Gora. Once we have located their main base, which I believe we both suspect is where they've taken Cameron, I have no doubt the High Council will authorise a strike team to help us secure Cameron's freedom."

Dooku's knuckles tightened. He'd already searched the Archives and Senate records – along with various sources he knew of – for information regarding the Bando Gora while Cameron had been studying on Mandalore. Some he had acted on, others he had dismissed as nothing more than a rumour but all of it was stored on a datapad that was within easy reach of him at this very moment. For Fay to suggest that either he hadn't already searched those records, or that his searches had been imprecise was… degrading. As for asking the High Council for help: well, that was a fool's wager in his mind. While not all of the Council were distrustful of Cameron, he knew there were enough dissenters to cause the Council to hide behind their vaunted 'trust in the Will of the Force' to avoid taking up responsibility for a member of the Order. Which was precisely why Dooku had rejected the idea each time he'd weighed it in his thoughts.

"While I am… doubtful of either of those avenues of pursuit bringing success, ignoring potential leads or support would be foolhardy," he slowly replied as he realised his silence from processing Fay's apparent disrespect had stretched a moment too long. Though he would never comment on it directly. "While you do that, I, along with Knight Vos and the others will continue to search for more… local clues as to where my former Padawan has taken my current one." He added, intentionally referring to Cameron as his asset and not one he – possibly regretted – sharing with Fay.

Yet, as he thought of Cameron as an asset, Dooku wondered if that was an accurate description of how to regard the young man. It was becoming clearer to him that Cameron's role in his thinking was shifting. He was certainly not a threat to him, Dooku was sure of that, but he was becoming something more than an asset for Dooku to use to further his plans.

While Cameron still had years of learning and training to go, Dooku was coming to regard the young man as his masterpiece; even potentially, his heir. In just six years Cameron had turned from a powerful but ill-disciplined boy into a focused and driven young man who was worth more to Dooku than almost any other asset. One that, if he was forced to, Dooku could see himself sacrificing himself for if it meant the continuation of their work. Now, there were a few others that Dooku would consider doing that for, but none had become such an important resource as quickly as Cameron had. Nor did any other hold the true potential to become his successor when time finally caught up to Dooku; though that wouldn't be for decades yet if he had his way.

Once, Dooku had felt Qui-Gon could be that successor. However, his former Padawan had fallen from the path Dooku had set out for him. Now, Dooku wasn't unhappy about this as not only were such things beneath him, but he understood that few had the drive and conviction to do what was needed. That being said, Qui-Gon was one of those rare assets that Dooku would consider giving his life to protect, though only in the direst of circumstances.

Yet with Cameron, Dooku felt he wouldn't fall from the path, nor shy away from doing what he must, though at present Dooku expected Cameron would hesitate, perhaps for too long, before taking the correct course of action when presented with the opportunity. With more time, Dooku felt he could remove that flaw and have, for the first time, one he would consider worthy of his mantle should the Force decide his time had come before he was ready. Yet, when the day came that Dooku felt Cameron was ready to succeed him, Dooku would be at a loss as the young man would no longer be an asset, but something Dooku had never dealt with before.

"There is logic in that," Fay commented, forcing Dooku to refocus on his fellow Jedi Master. "However, before I return to Coruscant, I wish to hear from you regarding how the mission went."

Dooku's irritation towards his fellow Jedi grew. "Did you not read the extremely concise report I sent you?" He asked, that irritation seeping into his tone.

Fay gave him that smile of hers that suggested she either knew something another didn't, or she found the one she was speaking to beneath her but was unwilling to simply dismiss them as Dooku would and he found it extremely vexing. While he respected her for what she had accomplished over her long career with the Order, he was not some simple-minded being, nor an untrained Padawan. He was of the noble house of Dooku of Serenno, a highly revered Jedi Master and someone so far above the rabble of the galaxy that most should feel honoured to simply be in his presence. Unlike Fay, he did not, and would not, slum it to help that same rabble; that was the work of those with a lower purpose in life, not one chosen by the Force to stand above others.

"I did, but I find discussing a problem often helps to highlight mistakes that can be missed by written reports. Plus, it will allow me to prepare for any counterargument the Council might bring up against providing us support for rescuing Cameron."

That statement left Dooku conflicted. Logically, her reasoning was sound, and he would not deny that an outside perspective could, sometimes, offer insight that was otherwise missed. However, he doubted she would or could offer any suggestions regarding the mission that he had not already discovered. On the other hand, he was of the strong opinion that the High Council would provide no support. Some members, including Master Windu, had reservations about Cameron being trained as a Jedi, and if they had sensed the moments before he was captured where Cameron embraced the Dark Side, Dooku was left with no doubt they would use that to prove their point that Cameron was undeniably destined to fall to the Dark Side like his ancestor (a fallacy that showed to Dooku just how much fear ruled the High Council even if they would never admit it) and consider him a lost cause.

That sort of thinking, and the Council's unwillingness even when they knew better – led by Yoda's flagrant and contemptible inability to act on the decadent rot of corruption that festered at the Republic's core – to stray from their narrow-minded approach to their views, was what was convincing Dooku more and more that, to enact the changes he felt were needed for the galaxy, he would need to leave the narrow-minded Jedi Orders restraints behind. However, he was unwilling to do that until Cameron had passed his trials and reached the rank of Knight; even if Dooku had to knight the young man himself without the permission of the Council.

Now, there were a few small areas where he still agreed with the High Council, such as restricting certain abilities that the Sith were known to have employed, though he felt study should be allowed; but for him, that list was far, far shorter than the Council's and Dooku felt those abilities could be employed safely by a master such as himself.
"Very well," he reluctantly acquiesced, "however, I will maintain my belief that seeking the Council's aid is an exercise in futility and patience unworthy of my time until convinced otherwise."

Fay's smile grew, which only increased Dooku's irritation. "Thankfully, patience is one of my stronger attributes," she remarked, which was something Dooku would not deny. The Sephi Jedi had a seemingly insurmountable source of patience that surpassed any being Dooku had ever encountered, with perhaps the exception of Grandmaster Yoda, though that patience was one of the reasons he felt she was as blind to many of the failings of the Order as Yoda.

"Where should we begin?" He asked slowly, drawing on his strained reservoirs of patience.

"I believe from the beginning of how you discovered the base on Kidriff would be the logical choice," she replied. Dooku hammered down a sense of being spoken to like an Initiate and, agreeing with her suggestion, began to recount every lead that had led to the debacle on Kidriff.

… …

… …

With a grunt, Aayla blocked the blade thrusting towards her face with her lightsaber. The blade, while not being her beskad, was still able to hold up against a lightsaber on low power, and its wielder pushed forward.

Aayla's blade moved back towards her, and she shifted her stance, trying to guide the blade away from her. However, her opponent was ready for this and used their blade to guide the lightsaber away from Aayla. That left her open to a stiff elbow to the jaw.

Aayla stumbled back, bringing one hand up to her face while the other unsteadily tried to keep her lightsaber in place to defend.

"Do better," Bo-Katan said as she kept up her attack. Aayla twisted her arm, bringing her blade around to defend against a low strike from Bo's sword. A flick of Bo-Katan's wrist shifted things so that she could use her weapon to force Aayla's lightsaber down, and with the Twi'lek now exposed, Bo-Katan fired off a blast from her free vambrace.

"Ah!" Aayla was knocked back, her grip on her lightsaber failing and it clattered to the ground moments before she did. Before she could recover, the sword was at her throat close enough that she could feel the coldness of the metal on her skin.

"You're dead. Again."

The simple statement from Bo-Katan infuriated Aayla and she slapped the floor hard with her hand.

"Not good enough!" She slapped it again. "Never good enough!"

Her eyes closed and her mind, as it had been doing for the last two and a bit weeks, focused on how badly she'd let everyone down. Because of her failings, her weakness, Cam had been captured by a Dark Side cult when they'd entered that kriffing place on Kidriff. While she knew he wasn't dead, it was her fault he was in their hands; that her failings as a Jedi had cost Cam his freedom.

"Then get better. Preferably before we next go into battle."

Aayla looked at Bo, seeing the Mandalorian standing over her. She couldn't see the Human's face since Bo-Katan was wearing her helmet – as she'd done whenever not in her own or Cam's quarters since his capture – but the irritation and annoyance radiating from the other girl left Aayla in little doubt that Bo-Katan felt the same as her that everything that had gone wrong was her fault.

There was a moment where Aayla felt the growing anger within and considered using it to lash out at the Mandalorian. To give into the whispers of her darker emotions and strike her down. Yet even as she felt the Force shift in anticipation of her doing so, she rejected that desire. It wasn't the Jedi way.

"Emotion, yet peace." Her eyes closed once more as she recited the older form of the Code Serra had taught to her and the others in Dragon Clan; the one Cam had revealed to Serra back when they'd all just been Initiates. "Ignorance, yet knowledge."

"Di'kute Jetii." Aayla ignored Bo-Katan's remark, keeping her focus on calming her emotions and regaining control over them. She let her stronger emotions slide away into the Force, letting it take her burdens from her. Once she felt more centred, she chose to respond to the Mandalorian's remark.

"We're not stupid. We just choose to control our emotions and not let them get the better of us."

There was a pause as the armoured helmet of Bo-Katan stared down at her which ended when the Mandalorian shook her head.

"Still stupid," Bo-Katan commented as she walked to the far side of the small training room on the Ne'tra Sartr. "Much like your fighting."

"Says the battle-mad Mandalorian!" Aayla blinked, wondering where that burst of anger had come from. "S-sorry." She added as she began to stand.

"Don't be sorry, be better." Was Bo-Katan's retort as she reached the far side of the room and then turned back to face the Twi'lek. "Right now, you're useless."

"Like on Kidriff." The words slipped from Aayla's lips before she even realised it and she felt another wave of regret for all the things she had done, and those she hadn't, wash over her.

"For the love…" Aayla looked at the Mandalorian who shook her head once before continuing. "Yes, you got injured on the mission, and because of that and other events – most of which were outside your control – we lost Cam." Aayla closed her eyes at hearing Bo-Katan blaming her as she fought to keep down another larger wave of self-doubt and pity from washing over her. Master Vos had told her to let go of her feelings on the matter and move on, but it was so hard to do. "That means you've got two choices. Get better for when we find him or keep dragging your feet around this ship and stay useless."

"It's my fault he's gone." The words slipped from her mouth freely.

A wave of anger radiated from the Human. "He's not gone! He's just captured, and we'll get him back!" The emotion in Bo-Katan's tone slipped through the vocal modulator in her helmet with ease. For not the first time since joining the crew of the Ne'tra Sartr, Aayla wondered if there was more going on between the Mandalorian and Cam than either was willing to admit. "Now get up and help with that or get the shab out of my way!"

Aayla's eyes narrowed at the challenge and, after slapping down the urge to crawl into a hole, she dragged herself to her feet, summoning her lightsaber to her hand. Determination to prove to herself that she wasn't the weak and useless thing the Mandalorian thought she was surged through her, as did a tremor of annoyance that she wasn't as close to Cam as Bo-Katan was. He was her friend first, Force-dammit!

A grunt from Bo-Katan was the only response the Human gave before she surged forward. Aayla leaned to one side, avoiding a blaster bolt aimed at her head, and then rushed forward to meet the Human.

That voice in her mind that agreed with the Mandalorian was still there, but Aayla was determined to prove them both wrong. She might not be strong enough now, but she would be one day.

… …

… …

Something brushed against the fingers on my left hand, but my mind was focused on the pain flooding into it from my lower back. There, the horned man was removing yet another section of my skin from my body as slowly as he could.

I crushed my eyes closed and ground my teeth together, trying desperately to not let even a whimper escape and grant him some satisfaction that his deranged efforts were working. Thanks to the injection I was given before every one of these sessions I'd endured that heightened my senses as if the Force was empowering me, I could feel every millimetre of movement of the blade across my skin, though I said a silent prayer of thanks that he was, for now, focusing on my back where there were far fewer nerves than other places on my body.

The blade pulled back, granting me a momentary respite, though I knew what was to come was going to be even worse. The seconds ticked by as this bastard likely savoured in making my terror at what he was about to do grow. I steeled myself as best I could, praying that, for the first time in over three dozen sessions, he wouldn't do anything to the loose flap of skin that was dangling from my body.

A sharp, incredible surge of pain shot through me as he pulled at the flap of skin, ripping it from my body. I groaned as the white-hot pain overwhelmed my other senses, and felt my teeth slip away from each other. Still, I managed to once more not give in, not let a wail of anguish slide from my lips. Though it was getting harder and harder to maintain my control.

My head drooped as the burst of anguish ended, only to be lifted as the motherfucker responsible for my suffering used one hand to show me the section of my body that he'd removed.

"Yes, we're almost there. I can see it in your eyes. You're almost ready to begin the next stage of your healing."

A desire to rip him limb from limb with the Force bounced around my head impotently as with this damn mask - and whatever else was involved - blocking my connection to both the Force and the Interface, I could do nothing to him. Insults flooded through my mind, demanding to be let out at this bastard, but none escaped my mouth. At first, words had, but he seemed to revel in the curses I sent his way, in every language I knew from both my lives. As such, I'd stopped responding, stopped giving him the satisfaction. Yet I knew that now, even if I wanted to, I couldn't. The ache that constantly ebbed and flowed around my skull had drained me of a will to retort, though not yet of my desire to resist.

"Soon, very soon now, you will see the light. Just as countless others have done under my care."

As he walked back towards his table of horrors, I felt the tension in my body slip and slumped in my restraints. Time in here had no meaning with no clocks to focus on, no Interface to use, or a rhythm to when my torturer came or how long he stayed. All I knew is the number of sessions was closing in on forty.

With the Interface down, I couldn't get to my Inventory to escape. Though even considering that drew another burst of pain from the mask I was wearing; the timing, location, strength, and duration of each burst was impossible to predict. Yet I knew it was still working as, for as much as I chose not to focus on them, I remembered every single moment of my torture, and how unlike anything I was prepared for it was.

Training in my former life to slowly provide non-essential information to survive until rescue was utterly useless here. There was no interrogation, no question from my tormenter. Just the pain of every single thing he did to make me suffer.

The strip of skin he'd torn from my back, having dripped a trail of blood as he walked that mingled with the hundreds of previous trials, was tossed into a bin near the table. A bin that, as far as I knew, hadn't been emptied since these sessions had begun. Once the smell had made me dry heave, but after however long I'd been here, I'd simply moved beyond it. There were far, far worse things to try not to focus on.

With careful consideration, the masked man returned the knife he'd been using on me to its place on the table. A gentle touch made sure it was aligned correctly. That this bastard was meticulous was, along with him being fucking insane, one of the few things I'd learnt during the sessions.

My breath caught in my throat as his fingers danced over a wickedly curved device. Unsummoned memories flashed across my mind as every instance he'd used danced through my thoughts. I sighed in relief as his fingers kept moving only for me to go rigidly still as his fingers brushed another instrument.

That thing… my mind froze as the memories of feeling that thing being used against me overwhelmed my brain. Feelings of the incredible, indescribable pain that the device had brought returned to my body. I felt myself shiver as his eyes met mine.

A malevolent smile twisted into existence behind his mask. "Yes, this is the one." His grip closed on the instrument and as he started to move, I began to struggle. My fists clenched so tightly that I could feel my nails drawing blood as my feet thrashed around, preventing anyone from predicting their location. Yet I knew it was all in vain. Without access to the Force or the Interface, I couldn't break free of the restraints and was forced to flail around feebly.

He approached, that deranged, disturbed visage on his face making the mask look like a demon from the darkest depths of hell somehow growing more sinister with each step.

"Still you resist." The words slid from his mouth, as he lifted the device, letting the light bounce off it, displaying it for me in all its terrifying glory. "Impressive, but in the end pointless." His free hand tapped against a small vambrace he wore.

The cuffs over my wrists and fingers whirred horribly into life and I felt my hand being prised open. I fought against it with all my might, yet without the Force, I knew I couldn't stop it. These had been activated after the second session. I'd closed my fists so tightly that even him cutting them so profusely that they turned scarlet hadn't resulted in me opening them. Every time he came close to me with that thing, I fought to keep my hands closed, and every time I failed.

My arms were manipulated by the machine holding me in place, forcing my dominant left hand down. He moved this tool closer to my hand. I braced for what was to come. My eyes followed morbidly as his tool crept closer, moving towards the underside of my nail. I tried to control my breathing and pulse, as I knew that just made things seem to slow down, but with memories of every other time I'd experienced this flying around my brain, time still seemed to slow down, dragging out the rapidly surging terror inside me.

A faint hiss as something was pressed against my other arm had my head snap around. His free hand was pulling back, a hypo-syringe in it.

I hissed as the lights in the room became too bright and closed my eyes. I could hear his breathing as it slid past his teeth, the rapid beat of his heart as he stood close to me and the faint sounds of the various machines in the room. All things that a moment before I couldn't detect.

I inhaled sharply as a tingle shot up that arm. He'd blown gently on it, yet it had felt as if it'd suddenly been exposed to an arctic blast. My eyes widened as I realised, he'd give me another shot of whatever the fuck was heightening my senses. I opened my mouth to swear at him.

Which was when I felt the device in his hand surge forward, forcing my nail away from my finger violently.

I couldn't control myself as a scream escaped from my lips and my mind shut down.

… …

… …

I awoke to a relaxing tingle from my arm and smelt the familiar scent of bacta. As I groaned, a hand touched my mask, stroking from my ear to chin. I leaned into the touch, savouring any comfort after another session in this hellhole.

"It's alright, he's stopped for now." The voice was soft and gentle. I blinked to clear another pain-induced blackout and recover my bearings, then remembered where I was and saw who was comforting me.

Vosa's voice was so at odds with the fact she was the one responsible for my being tortured, yet it made perfect sense. She wanted to break me, to have me suffer Stockholm Syndrome – or whatever it was called in this galaxy – and while I knew that was her goal, a part of me didn't care; instead finding solace in the small sliver of comfort she offered to me now.

Ever since my first blackout from the torture, which was also the first time I'd given that arsehole the pleasure of hearing me scream, she'd been here when I woke. Thirteen times since when I'd passed out from the pain, times she'd been here. If I didn't scream, if I didn't pass out, she wasn't here, and neither was any bacta provided for my wounds. Or at least never any that I knew about. Plus, if I wanted her to keep applying bacta to my wounds, there was something she wanted from me.

"Thank you."

The words came out in a voice barely above a whisper and I was annoyed that I offered them so freely, but the relief given by the bacta helped so much they slipped from my lips so easily now that I, even though I knew why she wanted them, I let them come freely.

Vosa gave me a small smile, one that like others when she'd brought me relief, was devoid of the deranged insanity she enjoyed. "I'm sorry you have to go through this," her hand lifted a small bacta patch and placed it on my side where I'd lost a strip of skin in my most recent session, "but, as I did, you need to see through the lies of the Jedi; to understand the truth of what the Order and the High Council truly want." I hissed slightly at the cold feeling of the patch touching my skin, a lingering aftereffect of the serum the masked man loved injecting me with. "Their desire to control the fates of others, while showing no care for those they are meant to protect. Their need to deny us the freedoms to live, to choose, to enjoy what we want and experience the pleasure life has to offer." Her fingers slid from the patch, brushing against my skin for a moment before she pulled them back. "I know you're starting to feel the same way, you've admitted as much to me, but the veil they're holding over your eyes hasn't yet been fully withdrawn."

She reached down and picked up another patch, yet held it on her lap, unwilling to apply it. I knew what she wanted here, so I held my tongue. Her smile slipped slightly, and one hand came forward, rubbing against another section of my body where my skin had been removed. I hissed loudly as fresh pain mixed with residual torments.

"Please." The words came out in a strained, wheezing voice, and while I hated myself for giving in so easily, after a dozen sessions where I'd needed the bacta before and sometimes not gotten it, I was willing to bend to her whim. A flash of cold shot through the same section of my body before the patch started to do its job, numbing the nerves in that area and healing the wound.

Vosa's smile returned to its former comforting level. She reached down beside her stool and picked up a small spray. This was the first time in thirteen visits where I didn't flinch at her lifting the spray, as I'd learnt to trust that she was only trying to help.

The spray sent a gentle blast of pressurized bacta over other wounds from the masked man; ones too small or awkwardly placed to take a bacta patch. The trail of cool, cold relief slid along the underside of my arm, into the armpit then onto my cheek. Blessed relief from the lingering aftereffects of my torture spread through my body as she continued to apply the spray.

I hissed as the cold blast caught my genitals; the masked man had started to inflict pain near them in the last few sessions. When Vosa had first appeared after my torment-induced blackout, I'd been uneasy about being suspended naked near her, yet she'd made no comment on it. Nor had she in any subsequent visit. Thank the Force. Still, having her hands so close to that area, even if it was to help numb the pain that constantly afflicted my body, was unsettling.

"I know your mind is conflicted," she began as she used the spray around my knees. "What you're enduring will be fuelling your rage; even now I can see it in your eyes. Yet, you need that rage to break free of their lies. To understand the truth that this galaxy, like the Jedi Order, is nothing more than bright lights designed to deceive you. To hide the truth that the true order of life is not civility, but chaos; of carnage as those with the strength to act take what they want, what they desire." At this, the spray reached the end of its journey at my ankles and she dropped it back into the small bag it had come from. Vosa leaned forward, her eyes strangely no longer the sickly yellow one would expect of someone drunk on the Dark Side. For a moment I thought she was going to kiss me even while I was wearing the mask, which left me seriously conflicted, yet her lips moved past my lips and cheeks without stopping as a faint hint of vanilla caught my attention.

"I can see you're almost there. You are near the moment when your shackles, your chains, will be broken. When you will understand the truth." Her words ticked my ear as she whispered them to me before pulling back. Her eyes found mine and her lips twitched. "When that moment comes, you'll truly be free to use your power," a hand came to rest on my knee, "and we can revel in our shared freedom."

I stayed quiet, trying to not long for the end of these sessions, even as she reached down into the bag and pulled out a small tube. Slowly, she squeezed out some bacta gel onto her hands and then slid them onto mine. Her fingers drifted around mine as I sighed in relief as the worst pain I'd been enduring slowly eased as the gel slipped under my fingernails; healing the fresh wounds made by the masked man.

As much as I didn't want to, her soft touch, combined with the relief offered by the gel, had me slide my fingers around hers. Not because I desired the closeness, or at least that's what I kept telling myself, but because I wanted the gel to reach everywhere; to ease the torment that lingered in my hands.

In the last session, the masked man hadn't gone after my toes. Nearly six dozen sessions had passed, and each one brought new sources of pain as the masked man showed more and more of his sick depravity so, while he hadn't yet targeted my groin, I knew it was only a matter of time. And time was something I knew I was running out of. While exact dates were impossible to determine in this room without my Interface working, it felt as though I'd been here for months and still there was no hint of a rescue.

Eventually, the continual torment from my fingers eased and she pulled her fingers back, depriving me once more of physical contact. Our eyes met once again before she turned her attention to her bag. Once she was sure her supplies were back inside, she stood. A gesture had the stool float away to a far corner, removing it as something I might use to escape with.

"I wish you understood already, I truly do. But you don't." She shook her head after sighing softly, before heading for the door from my cell.

My eyes were drawn to her retreating figure, particularly the saunter in her steps. As the door hissed open, she stopped and turned back to face me. Her smile had shifted from one of compassion to amusement and, unless my mind was playing tricks on me, desire.

"Once you are ready, you can try to claim what you want." She left the room after that, my mind falling deeper into thoughts about what I wanted from her.

Eventually, I shook my head, chasing away the images flooding my mind, and I sighed in annoyance. When she'd first started hinting about wanting more than just breaking me, I'd ignored it as a seduction/recruitment technique. Yet, after so many sessions ending with those hints, my mind was starting to indulge my darker fantasies. This was what she wanted, I was sure of it, yet it was growing harder and harder to deny that, at least a part of me, didn't want the same. To take what I wanted from her and others and bend them to my will. After each session, the desire to give in to those impulses and let go was growing stronger and stronger.

I closed my eyes and retreated inward, trying to find my calm centre. It took time to find, but I did find that small, calm area. As had been the case since the first session, it was getting harder and harder to reach it, which was a hint I was slowly losing my ability to resist the torture, but I sighed in relief at still being able to find it.

Now just to stay there for as long as possible and ignore whatever torment I was placed through. Be it the masked man, random sounds and alternating light levels, immense bursts of electricity surging through my body, or any of the other deranged ways they were trying to break me.

… …

… …

Gar stepped into the small makeshift armoury that they'd created on the Ne'tra Sartr. The operation would begin in a few hours, and he wanted to go have one final check of his equipment.

The room wasn't anywhere as fully stocked as it should be for a Mandalorian vessel, but given that Shan travelled with two Jetii Masters – and was technically a Jetii himself – it made some sense. In one corner he saw Kryze's stored weaponry, and his mind turned to the red-haired female.

He knew that she, like Osto, was unhappy that he'd been placed in charge of this operation by her father, Duke Adonai, but like a good warrior, she didn't voice that displeasure during any briefings. The confirmation he had on that had come from Rook, who'd spent a fair amount of time with the younger female after they'd boarded this vessel.

The few details Rook had revealed while they relaxed in their quarters – at least when Rook wasn't dragging him into their bunk to relieve her tension – had resulted in them discussing why Duke Adonai had sent his youngest child with Shan.

It had become widely known that the duke had placed Bo-Katan above Satine in seniority for clan leadership – a decision Gar and Rook both agreed with as the elder Kryze daughter was, in Gar's eyes, a failure as Mando'ade; she still had yet to complete her verd'goten, instead choosing to follow the way of those hut'uune who called themselves 'New Mandalorians' – so it would have made sense to keep her close and train her up for the role. While the duke had an elder son, the man hadn't been the same since losing his wife and child, something Gar could understand as the few times he'd seen Rook injured in battle he'd struggled to maintain focus on the mission. If he lost her…

Gar shook his head to clear that thought from it and picked up his DH-17 rifle. With practised ease, he placed it on a table and began stripping the weapon one last time before they entered combat.

Returning to his thoughts, his mind considered the words of his mother. Long before the civil war, Nia had been active in providing locations of former Death Watch locations to Dukes Adonai and Torrhen - though as everyone had expected, those bases had been abandoned the moment Nia Vizsla had left the group - but it was her explanation of why Adonai had sent his youngest with Shan that stuck in Gar's mind.

According to her, Adonai had done this for two reasons. The first was in the hopes that Bo-Katan would learn some understanding of the larger picture of how command outside of small units worked. On this, Gar agreed as while a capable warrior and skilled leader of squads, he'd never heard nor seen any hint that Bo-Katan held the ability to think on a grander scale. Now, Gar knew he wasn't the greatest that way, preferring to work with platoon-sized units, but he knew enough to be able to at least glimpse the larger picture. Bo-Katan didn't, and while Gar didn't know for certain that Shan did, the young man showed more understanding of the political side of command; more so than Gar who despised dealing with clan politics. Give him a battlefield and an enemy to fight and kill every day of the month.

Gar's mother had offered a second suggestion as to why Adonai had sent his daughter – and all but de facto heir – with Shan; that Adonai hoped that something would develop between his daughter and Shan. Gar had dismissed this loudly, stating that he'd never heard of Bo-Katan showing any interest in men. Nia and Rook had shared a look and a laugh before Rook had said 'you still have much to learn'. He'd frowned at her words even as she'd explained that while Bo-Katan did prefer females over males, Rook knew Bo wasn't against entering a relationship with one; just that, like Rook, she had high standards for any potential partner to meet.

Apart from the swell of satisfaction he felt upon hearing that he met Rook's standards – and vowing to himself to keep meeting them – Gar had taken the words on board, but not given them any further thought until they were summoned by Dukes Adonai and Torrhen and learnt of this mission. Discovering he was to be placed in command ahead of Osto – Torrhen's heir – and Bo-Katan had been a surprise, but after coming on board the Ne'tra Sartr it had become clear that it was the right call. Ordo was distracted, and rightfully so, by personal matters while Bo-Katan was… unbalanced.

As unit commander, he wanted the matter handled, and Rook had taken it upon herself to do so, proving once more why they worked so well together, inside and out of combat. Gar knew he lacked many of the social niceties required for even a blunt society like theirs, whereas Rook could intermingle with others that put some diplomats to shame.

From Bo-Katan's recordings of the battle on Kidriff and her stories of the other battles, it was clear that not only did she hold Shan in high regard as a combatant, but that she felt he was wasted with the Jedi; an opinion that Gar agreed with. Yes, Gar would never forgive Shan for killing his father – even if the man had been difficult to live with, he had still been his father – but he could have died honourably and that was all any true Mandalorian could hope for. The Jetii had given his father a way out but his father had squandered that and died because of it. From that, analysing how Shan behaved while studying on Mandalore, and watching his actions first-hand at the battle of Keldabe, Gar had learnt that Shan would offer a way to avoid combat but would not shy away from what needed to be done if the offer was rejected.

To Gar, this meant Shan was a warrior at heart, unlike most Jetii, and it was only a matter of time until a split between the young man and the Order occurred. If Adonai saw this earlier, then sending his daughter with Shan – ignoring the potential for any personal developments – made logical, and tactical long-term sense. As did his assigning this unit to help in securing Shan's freedom from the criminal cult that had captured him.

Now, when Gar had first learnt that Shan had been captured, he'd been… disappointed. Shan was a solid warrior, a little too nice around the edges – which Gar blamed on the Jetii – but there was the potential for something great there. However, reviewing Bo-Katan's recording of the fight on Kidriff had Gar re-evaluating that opinion. The Bando Gora were known as a dangerous cult that sometimes deployed Force users and Shan, from Gar's interpretation of the recording, had led the cultists away to allow Bo-Katan and the Jedi trainee – who should never have been on the mission in the first place, but at least the Twi'lek understood this and had withdrawn from this operation, earning her some small respect from Gar – to escape.

Learning that the Jetii wouldn't send a team to help free one of their own had infuriated the entire team when Adonai revealed it. With time to consider that, Adonai sending even a single unit would not only prove to Shan that the Mando'ade had his back – as they should as Clan Shan was allied to Houses Kryze and Ordo – but that the Jetii didn't. It might not be enough for now, but Gar felt it would only hasten the, in his opinion, inevitable split between Shan and the Jetii.

The sound of the door opening drew Gar's attention and he saw Rook step inside. Since they were alone, he gave her a smile, which made her face brighten up in ways that always made his heart beat just a little bit faster. A galaxy without her in it was one he didn't wish to face.

"Great minds think alike I see."

Gar grunted out a single laugh at her comment. "Yes. Though that isn't the only thing great about you."

Rook giggled, and Gar's pulse quickened further. "And people say you don't know how to talk to others." Gar knew that but didn't care. Outside of his family, the only one that mattered to him was Rook. "What's on your mind? Besides me, of course." That was accompanied by a wink that, for a moment, had Gar considering forgetting the final checks on his weaponry and taking Rook back to their quarters.

"The mission." Rook rolled her eyes even as Gar finished reassembling his rifle. "Specifically, Shan and Kryze."

Rook grinned in a way that Gar was always glad wasn't aimed at him; at least when outside their quarters. "Hah! Told you!"

He lifted his rifle and moved to place it back in the rack. "I don't think there is anything between them, not beyond comradery," Rook came up alongside and collected her rifle, a DLT-20A in place of her preferred Valken-38x, as he unholstered his backup pistol, "however, I believe my mother's words have the potential to be accurate."

Rook shook her head at her lover's – and, if he'd just take the hints, more – words. He was always concise and to the point, even in the bedroom; well, except when she did that thing. "Hah! I knew I was right!"

Gar didn't say anything in reply, choosing instead to move over to the table he'd just come from. Rook followed, though took the table next to him and laid her rifle down upon it.

"So you think there's a chance for them?"

She didn't need to see Gar to know he'd shrugged at her question. "So long as Shan remains with the Jetii, no. Though I have my doubts about him staying with them."

"Oh?" Rook had her own opinions on Cameron, but Gar had never been keen to reveal his before, so she'd rather draw those out now and see if she agreed with them.

"Shan is… focused on doing what he thinks is right. As seen in the ijaat'ikaanir. Most Jetii, I think, would've simply left instead of choosing an honour duel. That, and how he fought in the battle of Keldabe make it clear he will do what he must. Other Jetii do as the Republic wishes."

"And if he did leave?" She pulled the lower block from her rifle as she asked the question, exposing the inner workings of the weapon.

"Then the chance exists, though I believe my cousin would also be interested."

Rook snorted in amusement at that. "Ain't that the truth." Naz Vizsla had never been subtle in her opinions, whether that be about the match her father had arranged for her with Kote Wrajud – that match was beyond jare'la, as was the idea of arranged marriages for Mando'ade, but it wasn't her clan so not her business – or her like of Cameron. Much to that other Jedi's dislike.

When the pair had arrived on Mandalore, Rook, like Gar and others, had dismissed them as a bad idea by those di'kute in Sundari to try and make inroads into the minds of those who followed the old ways. Later Rook had learnt that wasn't the case, and like many, she'd come to see the pair as not just worthy adversaries, but fellow Mando'ade. Yet of the two, it had always been Cameron who stood out.

The girl was a fine warrior, even if she had a long way to go, but Cameron was leagues beyond her. Hearing he was a direct descendent of Naast be Me'suums had made her laugh, thinking it was nothing more than a lie to convince others to like him. There was no way anyone born now could claim direct descent from someone who'd lived nearly four thousand years ago. Yet, when she and others had questioned Bo and Naz Vizsla about it, both confirmed the story. That had truly brought Cameron Shan to Gar's and Rook's attention.

His actions on Mandalore, leading up to and including the battle of Keldabe, showed he was a warrior at heart, and when he'd finally left the sector, mere days after the outbreak of the latest civil war to engulf her people since the Dral'Han, Rook, just like Gar and many others, was angry that he didn't stay to fight. While she shared Gar's anger about not gaining a chance to fight beside him in battle – something made worse by hearing Bo's retellings of the various skirmishes they'd gotten into over the last year – she was more infuriated that he'd seemingly run from the fight.

She, along with many others, had seen him technically fight during the battle of Keldabe, but that had been more a case of him arriving to save their arses from the chaos Death Watch had unleashed. At first, Gar had been incensed to miss out on the true fight, but after Rook had worked out her frustrations with him that evening – and the following four – he'd settled down. Still, that annoyance at Cameron leaving was something she saw in her lover, and even now, when he talked about Cameron maybe leaving the Order, she could still hear it in his tone.

Nia Vizsla's idea that Duke Adonai wanted to match up his youngest – and, unless Rook missed her guess, the future leader of Clan Kryze – with Cameron made perfect sense to her the moment she heard it. Unlike many she knew that Bo wasn't against the idea of taking a male lover; just that unlike her, Bo had found the choices lacking. Or she had until Cameron had come along.

Now, Rook knew that perhaps nothing would come of it, but even if the friendship that Bo proclaimed was all there was between them was the extent of it, then Rook hoped that would be enough for what she wanted; and what Gar was now admitting he could see. Cameron leaving the Jedi and joining the Mando'ade fully.

One of her earliest dreams had been to see her people reunited under a new Mand'alor; something not seen since the Dral'Han nearly eight hundred years ago. At first, in her infancy, she had thought that leader would be her. Later that hope had transferred to Gar, but she'd come to realise that neither of them had what it took to lead their people. For a while, she wondered if Duke Adonai, or even Pre Vizsla, could pull that off, yet the former was too badly tainted by his association with the – and she could still barely say their name without wanting to find a member of their group and kill them – New Mandalorians while the latter was once more stained by his family's connection to Death Watch. Thus, she'd begun to transfer that idea onto Cameron.

While she wasn't the most romantic or nostalgic person, the idea that a direct descendant of Naast be Me'suums, the man who broke the clans over Malachor V, would one day arrive to rebuild them… Yes, it was stupidly poetic – and a touch silly – but the idea rekindled a hope for her people that she'd almost lost during the battle of Keldabe. And if that path was found by Cameron becoming close to Bo, Rook would do all she could to encourage it. Though not without having her fun while doing so.

Honestly, teasing the redhead about how close she'd become to Cameron since they'd come on board was unbelievably easy. Bo became so flustered about the idea that, no matter how much Bo protested they were just, and only would be, friends, Rook was convinced something would happen between them.

The door to the armoury opened, snapping Rook from a plan for how next to needle Bo about her feelings, and in walked the large frame of Osto Ordo. Until this mission Rook hadn't fought directly beside the heir to Clan Ordo, but the reports she'd seen had him listed as a very capable fighter, if a touch aggressive. Though that was a comment she was sure could be levelled at most Mando'ade.

He gave them a nod in acknowledgement, which they returned, before moving over to where his weaponry was stored. The large Z-6 rotary cannon he used was too heavy for Rook – and frankly didn't suit her skill set as she preferred to use her scope and take out targets in a more efficient manner – but for the hulking figure Ordo, it was a perfect weapon. As was the beskad he carried as a close-in weapon. While it was closer to what most beskads were than Bo's - which was closer to a vibrosword in length than a short sword - it was heavier, being something that Rook would need two hands to hold properly, but she'd seen recordings of him using it against members of House Varaud and knew he was skilled in its use.

Silence fell over the room as the trio checked over the weapons. Once Rook was finished, she looked at Gar and licked her lips. They still had a few hours until they entered combat and while her weapons were primed, she had some excess energy to bleed off and knew it helped Gar focus if his needs were sated. Plus, it's not like she wanted or needed to go over the very limited intel they had on the base they were about to assault. And while there was the chance her having some fun would irritate Bo, Rook wanted that as it might make Bo slip up and reveal things to Cameron once they found him.

Osto watched the doors to the armoury close as Kast led Saxon out. The woman was far less subtle than she thought and Osto was glad that he had his helmet on to block out the sounds the woman would undoubtedly be making in a short time.

To be clear, he had no issue with them fucking, but every time they did, Osto's mind turned to home and his wife, Bryn. Being dragged away from the war and his pregnant wife by his father had angered him, as did this belief that his parents held about Alor Cameron. Manda, even calling him that felt wrong to Osto as the boy had chosen the Jetii over the Mando'ade, but Clan Shan stood beside Clan Ordo, thus Osto was forced to regard the boy as a chieftain.

Now Bryn wasn't due for another month, but being taken away from the birth of his first child to help a Jetii wasn't sitting right with Osto. Even a Jetii descendent of Naast be Me'suums who had, for the first time in nearly four thousand years, opened the vault created by Te Taylir Mand'alor. Of course, the fact Osto's parents wouldn't tell him what was in the vault, bar the beskar that they'd used to make full armour for him and Bryn as wedding gifts, also fed into Osto's dislike of this mission. If Alor Cameron was so impressive, why had he allowed a backwater cult to capture him? And why had he fled from the sector on the eve of the war?

These, to Osto, were not the actions of a clan leader. Yet both his parents and Duke Adonai allowed this, with the head of Clan Kryze sending his youngest child away with the Jetii.

Now perhaps there was something more in the vault of Te Taylir Mand'alor that involved Alor Cameron, but until he knew what it was, Osto didn't feel the Jetii was worthy of the effort to rescue him. And even if he knew what was in the vault, Osto doubted Alor Cameron was worth the effort. He was just a laandur Jetii.

… …

… …

Inside a large hollowed-out cavern, members of the Bando Gora cult went about their business. Most had patches of skin that had turned black due to strange rituals used by the cult, with those with their entire bodies turned black wearing the skulls of dead animals as masks. Crates were being moved between various ships in the cavern, ready for their latest shipment of contraband for delivery to their other outposts dotted around the galaxy.
They moved about freely, unconcerned about detection. If any threat came towards their base, the sentries would alert command and they'd rush to engage those foolish enough to attack them. Yet even though no warning had come, a strange, unnatural groan began to emanate from the massive hangar doors. As the groaning grew louder, more and more cultists turned to look at the doors. The masked men started to bark orders, making the few already armed cultists move closer while demanding word from the sentries, sending the rest to arm themselves and alert the leaders within the base.

The cultists obeyed the commands without question, their minds having been broken to understand that failure to obey meant incredible pain or death, and quickly small teams of cultists formed around anything that would offer cover.

The large metallic rods of the doors that linked them together and kept what was inside safe began to buckle, and a moment later they gave way. The doors were ripped from their hinges, flying inwards.

Chaos reigned as the doors smashed through some hastily arranged defensive positions, sending bodies and supplies flying, with one door embedding itself in a ship with such force that the ship, once it's skidding was stopped by slamming into the ship next to it, all but broke in two. The other door sent sparks flying as it scraped around the cavern's floor. It sliced through a large tube, spilling the liquid inside on the cavern's floor. The door continued, generating more chaos before smashing into a large pile of crates near the back of the cavern. The contents of those crates and splinters of others that had exploded as the door struck them, showered the area nearby, leaving several cultists on the ground, unmoving from the shards that had impaled them.

"Turn off that full hose!" one of the few remaining masked men near the door shouted, pointing at the tube and the rapidly growing pool of dark, foul-smelling liquid. "Re-order the de-fuliugk."

The man's words ended in a strange sound as he was suddenly pulled back by an unseen force. He slammed into the floor near the entrance of the cavern, bouncing twice, the second with a sickening crack. As he crossed the barrier signalling the entrance to the cavern, a blade of blue ignited and sliced through the man. The various parts of the now-dead man bounced past the blade and its wielder, drawing the attention of every cultist in the hanger as another blade ignited beside the first.

"Was that truly necessary?" Dooku asked as he and Vos walked into the cavern. He didn't care in the slightest that the cultist was dead, he just felt that dismembering as Vos had was a waste of time and effort.

"No, but it did make a nice statement." Vos' reply was accompanied by a smile as he brought his blade up, deflecting the first bolt of blaster fire to come their way back at its sender. "And we want them to concentrate on us, right?"

Dooku sighed, barely moving to avoid one bolt then dismissively flicking his blade to send another bolt away. "While that is true, we do not wish to eliminate the threat too quickly, lest the others are discovered before they achieve their objective." His words were accompanied by a thundering eruption of light, sound and heat as the bolt he'd deflected struck the pool, igniting the fuel explosively. The flames shot into the tube, exploding it rapidly before reaching the container the fuel had come from.

The resulting explosion engulfed three nearby ships and another pile of crates. While the crates and their contents were obliterated, the ships were made to survive the rigours of space combat. As such neither was destroyed, though both were pushed away. Their landing struts buckled, and they slid across the deck, slamming into other ships, random vehicles, and cultists.

"Says the man who just took out half the bay," Vos replied with a chuckle even as he moved forward to engage a cultist who'd chosen to rush them with a vibroblade. His lightsaber sliced through the weapon with ease, and the cultist dropped to the ground a split-second later, a deep, smoking gouge a good fifteen centimetres deep having been burnt into his chest from the plasma of Vos' lightsaber.

Dooku suppressed a sigh. The result of him deflecting that bolt hadn't been intended, and it left him with no easy retort to the Kiffar Jedi's remark. Still, the shockwave of the explosion should have triggered alarms throughout the base. If all went to plan, this could still be used to their advantage; particularly if they could draw Komari to them before the insertion team located and freed Cameron.

… …

… …

At another location in the Bando Gora, far from where the two Jedi were creating havoc among the defenders, a section of a wall connecting one part of the complex with another imploded. Rubble showered the corridor, killing two unfortunate cultists who'd been nearby in a deadly rain of rock and permacrete.

Through the dust that engulfed the hole came a massive, heavily armoured man. His armour, distinctive to any in the know, was a darker shade of blue highlighted with black and a light brown. Ordo's helmet, along with the heavy Z-6 rotary cannon in his arms swivelled as he surveyed the destruction caused by the explosive entry, almost as if looking for a target to unleash a symphony of plasma upon.

In the corridor, he swept his weapon around in silence, but within the secured battlenet communication system he shared with his teammates, his voice came through sharp and clear. "Entrance secure. Hostiles down." With that, he stepped forward, turning to guard one direction of the corridor. Through the hole behind him came three other heavily armed and armoured figures. To many the sight of a single battle-ready Mandalorian would be concerning, to say nothing of a small unit of four. Saxon and Kast stepped through, their rifles moving in time with their helmets as they secured the breach point. Kast took up a position covering the direction Ordo hadn't while Saxon stepped to the far side of the corridor and, assured the location was momentarily secure, lowered his rifle to check on a small hologram being generated by his vambrace.

Behind them came another female, shorter than any of the others. She had two pistols in hand with a blade of rippling metal attached to her back. "About haran time." The last member of the strike team, Bo-Katan, muttered into the battlenet. For two months she'd been searching for her friend and now, with the help of her fellow Mandalorians – though she was still angered her father hadn't sent more than just these three even if she understood the war against House Varaud and Death Watch was active on several fronts – she'd now be able to rescue Cam.

She glanced down at the two bodies caught in the Mandalorians' explosive entrance and while glad they'd died painfully, wished she could've been the one to end their pitiful existences.

"You know the mission Kryze. The Jedi draw the attention of these… people, while we breach and locate the target." Ordo's words echoed through the battlenet carrying a faint hint of annoyance; something he'd had since his father had ordered him to help with this mission and taken him away from his pregnant wife and the war.

"Move," Saxon ordered, once more taking control of his ad-hoc unit. As one, even with the friction between Bo-Katan and the tall member, they moved. Rook a step behind to cover their flank.

Bo-Katan was unable to get out a response as six cultists charged toward them. Thanks to their battlenet and the combined sensors of their armour, the Mandalorians knew they were coming. Not a single cultist fired off a bolt as four were cut down with ease by Ordo's rotary cannon while Bo-Katan and Rook took out the other two with accurate shots to the skulls.

"Nar'sheb, Ordo." The words came from Bo-Katan only after the potential threat was dealt with. "I know what the mission is. Better than any of you." Her anger carried through their comms with ease.

"Mission first," Gar ordered as they continued moving down the corridor. "HVT is eight levels down. The nearest shaft is one hundred metres south-south-east." His words were accompanied by updated markers on the battlenet. A flashing black circle indicated their target while the shaft was marked by a grey line from their current location towards it, bending where their sensors could detect the layout of the base. Not all of the base could be detected, but Bo-Katan was aware that it was far more than on Kidriff, though whether that was due to less interference or the combined processing power of four Mandalorian armours, she didn't know nor particularly care.

Bo-Katan wanted to respond once more that nothing was going on with Cam, but this wasn't the time or place to do that. As Gar said, the mission came first.

As expected, the corner brought forth no new hostiles though Bo-Katan did note that the walls had shifted from smooth duracrete to a stone suggesting it was more a natural tunnel than a corridor. Once Ordo was about five metres past the turn, the familiar faint hiss of a door opening flagged an alert in the battlenet which had already detected movement behind that side of the tunnel. Rook stayed on rear watch while Bo-Katan and Saxon moved forward. With no cover available in this section of the corridor, using Ordo was the only option. Since all of them were in full beskar armour, they could all easily tank blaster fire, but any cover was better than none, even if it was provided by one of their own.

The Mandalorians were already firing before the first cultist was even halfway into the tunnel, the timing arranged for them by the battlenet. However, neither of the first two cultists fell as both were carrying large, portable blast shields. Those easily deflected the incoming fire, though the volume raining down on them forced both cultists to stop not long after emerging and planting their shields on the ground for support.

Even while they were doing that the Mandalorians were shifting targets. The battlenet had highlighted that the two rear cultists were armed with heavy ordinance. Return fire from the two cultists with standard weaponry bounced harmlessly off the beskar armour, though Bo-Katan used this moment to shift. Sliding fully behind Ordo, she pulled a small cylindrical object from her belt, pivoted and bounced it off the ceiling towards the cultists.

As it landed behind the blast shields, Rook fired a bolt from her modified rifle. The blast caught one of the two cultists between the eyes, making their bodies jerk back as they died a quick death. This was followed by the object Bo-Katan had thrown exploding, showering the remaining five cultists in shrapnel. Both blast shields fell forward as their wielders were blown over by the concussive force of the explosion. This was all the opening the Mandalorians needed, and before a single cultist could recover – for those that weren't killed outright by the blast – they all lay dead on the floor.

Their weapons still smoking, the Mandalorians moved. Saxon swung his rifle into the room the cultist had come from. Seeing it empty but with a computer station, he stepped inside. Bo-Katan and Ordo assumed defensive positions outside as Rook followed her unit commander and lover inside.

Once the room was declared clear of traps, Rook moved to one side while Gar sat at the terminal.

About a minute later, a beep from the battlenet alerted Rook to new data being integrated and a second later the layout of the Bando Gora base appeared around them and the locations of Cameron and the shaft leading down. Gar then stood up even as Rook read that Cameron was being held in cells marked for 'conversion'. That didn't sound encouraging but did explain why the young man had been captured instead of killed two months ago.

Plotting out the quickest route to reach Cameron, Rook spotted three chokepoints where an ambush would likely take place. She highlighted them with glances, her helmet rotating and twisting the map based on her eye movements, then uploaded them to the battlenet. Those points became marked purple, as did one she'd missed – much to her displeasure – as Gar moved towards the still open door, Rook on his heels.

"These two may require more than brute force," Gar spoke through the battlenet as they moved out as a unit. Two of the purple locations pulsed and Rook agreed with her lover's assessment.

"I doubt that. These cultists are unworthy of our time and effort." Rook resisted an urge to roll her eyes at Ordo's behaviour. He'd been like this since they'd left the Mandalore sector and while she understood his agitation with leaving – the man's wife was due to give birth soon – it was becoming a bore to have him be so dismissive of the mission, or the need to rescue Cameron Shan.

"Did you even listen to the briefing, mir'sheb? Their leader has issues with Master Dooku and has sent her best after him and Knight Vos." Bo's anger with Osto's dismissal was greater than earlier flare-ups between the two, and Rook suspected that was due to how close they were to rescuing Cameron. "That was the shabyr plan!"

"Which is why I wished to go with the Jetii. At least there I might face a worthy foe." Rook was glad her helmet was on as it hid her rolling her eyes at the behaviour of the children of the two dukes.

"Focus," was the only word Gar said, but it ended the argument before it became a problem.

"Understood." Was Osto's response to the order while Bo grunted; the other girl's irritation easy for Rook to pick out over their shared comms.

The first flagged ambush location went as Rook had expected. The cultists attempted their ambush, but her team simply mowed them down and kept going without issue. So far she had to agree with Osto that what defenders they'd run into weren't a challenge, but she knew that would change the deeper they went and the closer they got to Cameron.

As they approached the elevator shaft that Gar marked when they'd breached the base, Gar was already contemplating possible ambush strategies the Bando Gora would use to deny them control of the elevator and develop tactics to counter those. His issues with the lack of intel regarding the base had been overcome by accessing the terminal after the first counterattack, though the latter was still an issue; even with the recordings of Kryze's engagement with these cultists on Kidriff. From the battlenet, they were getting warnings regarding movement, but it was nowhere near as easy to detect the cultists as he'd hoped for, yet still more than Kryze had managed during the battle where their target had been captured.

Gar checked the vitals of Kryze through the battlenet while he once again wondered if she was aware of her weakness regarding their target, but he put it out of his mind as the battlenet bleeped an alert. The second possible ambush location – the elevator entrance – was approaching and the sensors had detected movement. He looked at the map and quickly worked out the most likely approach the ambushers would take, then tapped out commands to his team on his vambrace. The team shifted formation; he moved up alongside Ordo, Rook behind them with Kryze fell back. The youngest member of his unit was likely unhappy with this, but at least she was keeping her emotions in check for now and not commenting.

Rounding the final corner before the elevator allowed the battlenet to use visual sensors to highlight their opponents. Eight cultists were arrayed in front of them; the lead four were using portable barricades with slits for blasters to fire out of while the latter four were standing behind crates that looked to have been hastily stacked. All eight were armed with blasters, though none were considered to have enough concussive power to knock over one of his unit while the entire group was spread out just enough that it would take at least three grenades to take them all out, which meant they'd observed the earlier battles. Without the battlenet Gar would've ordered his unit to move forward, cutting through the defences as their armour tanked the weapons of the cultists. With it, Gar knew there were groups on both sides, waiting to swarm in from doors just past the corner once they'd advanced past them.

Ordo stepped forward, his cannon coming to life and showering the passage with bolts of plasma. The cultists, having only managed to get off a few shots before Ordo moved, were forced to seek cover. While the barricades would survive against blaster bolts, the sheer number Ordo's cannon was spitting at them made them rock like a tree in a gentle breeze. The crates fared far worse with several exploding as they buckled under the volume of fire.

With the enemy forced to take cover, Gar extended his arm and shot two rockets in quick succession from his vambrace. They sailed high, not intending to strike a barricade, only to explode once they were over the cultist's positions. The passage was engulfed in a blinding light and searing sonic blast, but the helmets of the Mandalorians were both designed to counter that and prepared as this was always Gar's plan. As the eight cultists struggled to even keep their weapons in hand, the foursome advanced.

This had the doors at the sides of the passage open up, disgorging the ambushing force, yet Rook and Kryze were ready. Rook shot the lead cultist from the left door in his knees, then the next in the leg. The pair fell to the floor in a tangle, dragging down the two right behind them. Those two were dead before they landed on the lead two. The last two from that door tried to stay back and use the doorway as cover, however, Rook was ready for this. A flick of her wrist bounced a grenade through the doorway with the explosion engulfing the two taking cover. As they were blown forward, Rook shot them once each in the head, then made sure the first two targets were dead.

Kryze killed her first two cultists with a trio of shots to the head of each. As those bodies fell to the ground, she stepped forward, pistols blazing and gunned down the next two. The last two had the same idea as the two from the left door and stayed inside, yet the concussive force of Rook's grenade knocked them back into their starting room. Kryze followed them, holstering one pistol and then ripping her beskad from its magnetic clip. The cultists had barely managed to stabilize their balance before the blade was on them in a silver blur and the two fell to the ground, dead from their wounds while blood dripped from the tip of Kryze's blade.

When Kryze stepped back into the tunnel, the eight cultists who'd been blocking their way were all down. Three of the four barricades were knocked over – with one on top of a body – while the third had been driven into the gut of a cultist, making it now soaked red from the man's blood. The crates were gone, having been destroyed and what remained of them was now embedded in the four cultists who'd used them as cover.

As a relative silence returned to the tunnel, Gar nodded towards the elevator. Nothing was said around the bodies, yet the command had been given over their secured comms. Ordo stepped forward, being mindful of his footing as he moved through the attempted ambush with the others following behind. Once they reached the doors to the elevator, Gar examined the controls. No signs of tampering or traps came up with a scan, but he wasn't taking any chances.

All four stepped back with Rook and Ordo picking up two of the downed barricades and Gar aiming his other vambrace at the controls. A small dart shot out, striking the button to summon the car inside the shaft. The unit waited patiently, expecting to see a warning on the battlenet about an approaching group of cultists in the car, or something else that could be a threat. However, the car arrived normally, pinging loudly to tell the floor that it had arrived. The doors opened showing an empty car, but the unit didn't move until the doors closed.

Even though everything seemed safe, Gar was taking no chances. He moved past Ordo and resummoned the car, this time pressing the button himself. He then, after scanning the car's interior, tapped the button to send it to a level one below where Shan was being held. He stepped back, letting the doors close, then tracked the descent of the elevator through the battlenet. Once it was out of range, and the display over the elevator doors stated it had arrived, he grunted. The cultists had seemingly not moved to rig the doors, car or shaft to prevent their operation from continuing. A basic flaw that Gar was happy to make use of.

"Ordo, open the doors." The large man stepped around the barricade he'd been taking semi-cover behind. He handed his canon to Gar, then pulled a vibroknife from his belt. It took about a minute for him to force a big enough gap between the protective doors for the shaft that he could get his fingers in, but once that was done, he pulled the doors open, the motors that controlled them whining in protest at his actions. With them forced open, Rook and Kryze placed two discarded blaster rifles from the cultists into the frame, having removed the power cells first. Ordo stood back and while the doors tried to close, the blasters prevented them from doing so by jamming into the gap on the floor the doors slid along.

With that done, Gar stepped to the edge. Once he was sure the battlenet wasn't detecting anything untoward, he leaned forward and scanned upwards. Nothing stood out in the levels above, nor below when he scanned that way; save for the car waiting on the floor below Shan's level.

Gar then turned to the doors and located the small sensors that kept the doors from closing on anyone between them. He placed small adhesive strips over them so that even if the blaster slipped and fell the door should stay open.

"Kast, maintain this location." Rook nodded and turned back, moved the two barricades together and knelt behind them, her helmet and rifle moving in unison to survey the path they'd come down.

Gar leapt into the shaft, his jet pack engaging on command, then slowly floated down. Ordo and Kryze followed behind and Gar noted a spike in Kryze's dopamine and endorphin levels. Rook would've seen that too and would no doubt use it to tease the other woman once the mission was over. But that was then, this was now and until it became a problem, Gar would not comment on the matter.

Gar, Ordo and Kryze touched down as quietly as possible on the roof of the car and Gar turned to the door to the detention level. The battlenet – slightly weaker as Rook was several hundred metres away – was pinging over a dozen contacts on the other side with more nearby. This was the location Gar had expected the heaviest resistance, though he would've preferred to have been wrong in this case.

Gar considered having Ordo once more force open the door. There was little that could damage beskar, but enough strikes could cause the wearer issues from the concussive effects. Plus, exposing the heir to one of the most powerful clans wasn't a prudent choice. "Blow it."

Kryze gave an amused grunt then stepped forward. She pulled a thermal detonator from her belt, adhered it to the doors then tapped at the very small display on the device. With that done, the three lifted off and moved halfway back to where Rook was maintaining their evac route. A nod to Kryze had her tap at her vambrace.

There was very little blowback into the shaft as the thermal detonator had been programmed to direct its charge into the door, which had been sent into the cultists waiting to ambush them in the room outside. There were no groans or howls of pain, but Gar had expected that. The briefing had explained how the Bando Gora cultists were able to go beyond their pain thresholds and had been proven true by the cultists they'd already taken care of.

Gar floated down only for streaks of blaster fire to slam into the shaft through whatever remained of the doorway. Using his onboard computer, Gar quickly calculated there were six to nine active hostiles. The uncertainty came from the fact several bolts were coming from locations that could be manned by one individual moving around to generate confusion. Working on the safer assumption that there were at least nine hostiles inside the room, Gar slung his rifle over his back, letting it rest on the top of his jetpack, before unclipping two grenades from his belt.

While he could guess the rough trajectory he needed, the battlenet helped him determine the optimal angle for getting both grenades into the room to cause maximum carnage. The combined shockwave of the grenades echoed into the shaft, though even before it passed them, Gar was leading his unit down. He landed on the elevator car and surveyed the destruction. Bodies were strewn around the room with streaks and smears of blood showing which limbs belonged to which bodies. Three targets were highlighted as still moving but all three had gone still by the time Kryze and Ordo landed beside him.

Gar took the lead and they stepped into the room, their weapons sweeping the area to ensure all hostiles were done. With that done, Gar moved to what remained of the central station. Shan's location was about thirty metres due east of them, but the doors blocked their movement.

"Kast, move."

From the schematics Gar had downloaded earlier, they all knew the two other doors led to other parts of the base, one being the hangar where the Jedi were likely still engaged with the Bando Gora the other towards the barracks and what the map indicated was a worship chamber.

Gar tried to access the console, though as expected, it had been destroyed. "Breach." He said to Kryze through their comms. She nodded and pulled another thermal detonator on the door. The unit moved back to the shaft, meeting up with Kast who'd obeyed his order to descend, and took positions to the side of the doors to avoid any backdraft. Another explosion rocked the room they'd just vacated and as soon as the shockwave had gone, Gar re-entered.

The blast doors had been breached enough that someone could go through them, with what hadn't been vapourised in the explosion showering the corridor in debris. The bloody remains of two cultists were splattered around the walls, reminding Gar of one of those strange artworks that were popular in Sundari before the civil war.

"Kryze, Kast, secure the target. Ordo, blast doors."

The unit split with Gar and Ordo covering the two passageways that connected to this room while the two women entered through the destroyed doorway to the cells. Gar pulled the lever to activate the blast doors only to grunt in annoyance when they failed to deploy. Knowing the objective wasn't to continue down this passageway, he shot the controls for the regular doors. While that wouldn't stop anyone from entering it would delay them, hopefully giving his unit and target enough time to withdraw safely.

He looked over at Ordo to see that not only had those blast doors not deployed, but the regular doors had been jarred open by the damage done to the room. Understanding that was the likelier point of egress, he moved over to help cover that door. Though not before rigging the door he's temporarily disabled with motion-activated grenades.

While the men took up defendable positions, Bo let Rook into the cellblock. Each side had a row of doors, sunken slightly that to reach any you had to walk down a handful of stairs with the controls for the door locks located at the entrance to the corridor. While Bo moved towards the cell they knew Cam was in, Rook activated the controls for that cell. Thankfully they hadn't been damaged when the outer doors had been breached, and the cell door opened with a faint hiss right as Bo took the first step down.

A glance at a barely working monitor confirmed that others were being held here, and while Rook felt for them, the mission was to extract Cam.

"Tion'shab?" The whispered curse from Bo had Rook moving forward. Bo had stopped barely a step into the cell which didn't speak well of Cam's condition, though she was moving quickly towards Cam by the time Rook reached the stairs. Blaster fire echoed from the control room along with a notice over the battlenet that Gar and Ordo were engaged, but any thoughts about that left Rook's mind as she caught sight of Cam from the door.

"Osik!" Rook's curse joined with Bo's earlier one as she processed what she was seeing. Cam was wearing what looked like a simple grey mask that covered everything but his eyes, yet it was disturbing the sensors in Rook's helmet. Yet her focus was quickly on the rest of him. There were multiple cuts all over his body to varying degrees of freshness with the newest ones being where strips of skin were missing. That included two on his forearms and one, downright disturbingly, on his exposed dick. Some of his fingernails had been forcibly pulled back or twisted and if not for Bo's position Rook suspected she'd see the same for his toenails.

A quickly filling pool of anger developed inside Rook as she realised that whoever had done this wasn't doing it to extract information but to inflict pain; possibly even gaining some enjoyment from Cam's torment. A desire to find this person and teach them why one didn't attack a Mando'ade, not unless they wished to experience the might of her people coming down on their head, flashed in her mind. However, she capped that pool, pushed the desire to one side, and focused on what needed to be done.

As Bo started yanking at the cables suspending Cam in the air, she stepped forward and shifted her rifle to one hand while the other pulled a small bag from her belt. A moment later Bo yanked her beskad from its sheath and slashed through the cables. Cam fell and Bo was only able to catch him by dropping her beskad, ignoring the clatter as it bounced on the cold, metal floor.

"Cam? Cam?!" Bo's words drew no response from the young man as she sank to her knees with him in her arms before she began tugging at the mask Cam was wearing. When it didn't move easily, she started yanking harder.

"Come on Cam, wake up!" The desperation in Bo's voice was easy for Rook to hear, yet this wasn't the time to tease her about it even as Bo continued pulling and twisting the mask.

Rook moved closer; her rifle already slung to the side as she pulled bacta patches from a pouch on her belt and started applying them to the larger wounds. Bo, who had finally managed to tear off the mask covering Cam's face, gasped in shock at how pale his face was.

"Cam?" Bo's despair grew massively, and, while Rook understood why, she kept her focus on applying bacta patches to the places that needed them the most. Bo pulled her helmet off, dropped it at her feet then cupped Cam's face in her gauntlets. "Look at me!"

Cam's eyes fluttered open, though Rook noted they were unfocused and heavy. Which made sense if he was retreating inward to survive what he'd been subjected to. Bo lifted his chin, trying to get him to look at, focus on, her.

He blinked, the fog in his mind seeming to clear. "B-bo?" Rook felt her breath hitch at both how ragged his words were and the despondency in his tone, yet Bo either didn't hear it or didn't care. She pulled his face closer to hers.

"Yeah. I'm here." If Rook didn't think something was going on between them before, she certainly did a moment later as Cam lunged forward, his lips slamming into Bo's. A faint squeak of surprise or shock escaped from Bo even as Rook was taken aback at the desire in the kiss. Cam's hands lifted slowly, weakly, as Bo's own hands slid towards Cam's hair. Yet before they could reach that, Cam pulled back and broke the kiss.

"Th-thank, you. K-Knew y-y-you'd c-come." His scratchy voice was barely above a whisper, but Rook heard the faint embers of hope in it before he rested his forehead against Bo's. Rook gave them a moment, though making sure to keep a recording of this to tease Bo with at a later date before she coughed.

Bo jerked back as if shot. Her hands removed themselves so fast from Cam's face that it drooped low as if unable to support itself for a second. When Bo turned to her, Rook saw that Bo's eyes were wide with shock, which brought a badly needed smile to Rook's face.

"Kast, sitrep." Gar's voice through the commlink ended her amusement even as Bo returned her focus to Cam.

"Target located, though he's… in a bad way." She sent a copy of Cam's vitals – minus visual imagery – over the battlenet even as Bo's eyes wandered over Cam's body. While Rook was very happy with Gar, she was impressed with how well-developed Cam was becoming. He still had several years of growth to go, but he was well on the way to becoming a very large and imposing male, even if he looked to be slightly malnourished side after months of torture.

"Tell Kryze to get him ready for transport, then get out here." A readout of the combat taking place nearby made it clear that while Gar and Ordo could hold their positions if the enemy kept massing, they'd soon be overrun.

"Understood." A glance inside her helmet opened the external mic. "Time to move. Gar and Osto are heavily engaged." The explanation was given as she stood, sliding her rifle back into her hands. "Use the patches quickly."

Bo nodded at her words and reached for the bag. Rook turned to leave only to pause as a hand touched her knee. She turned back to see Cam looking up at her, his eyes drifting from her armour to her helmet.

"Th-a-nk you Ro-ok." As she nodded to him, after realising he'd recognized her from her personal sigil, she lifted the lid on her pooled anger. A quick check of her rifle assured her she didn't need to reload and as she stepped from the cell, she was glad there were so many cultists around as she had a lot of rage to work through.

… …

… …

A/N: To handle a concern that came up on the server, Cam has not been broken, he's just very out of it after 2+months of torture.

And for those of you who feel the Interface is more powerful than the Force, I have to say at no point has that ever been the case. TPTB most certainly are, but the Interface they gave Cam (which - and I cannot stress this enough - is a LITE Gamer-style system) is not. The fact it was a lite system was, I felt, made clear at the beginning when many common Gamer-style powers weren't available/had to be purchased and further demonstrated when Revan's Force Ghost could generate a quest that the system had to accept that TPTB then decided to keep hidden for their amusement.

That said, I do recognise that the system/Interface elements have been lacking a bit so far in this book and will try to remedy it going forward.

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

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

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Jul 17, 2022

LuciferBael, one of the backroom team, has had a commissioned piece of artwork done for Cam from becoming a Padawan up until the end of the Mandalorian arcs. There is further artwork done until Naboo, but not revealing that just yet to avoid spoilers.

USSExplorer · Aug 14, 2022

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

MILD WARNING
Cam's not in a great headspace at the start, so if he runs into certain people in the base, he may react in a very violent manner.

Current date: 3 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Fallen Apprentice 4
...

Osto grunted in annoyance as he took cover behind the remains of a computer station. While the blaster bolts peppering the station couldn't pierce his armour, the sheer volume of them was enough that it was better to take cover and wait than stand and fire back. Mainly as while his armour would mostly keep him safe, his rotary cannon wouldn't be so lucky, and he'd rather not have another weapon blow up in his hands, once was embarrassing enough for a lifetime.

Through the battlenet, he knew Saxon was also taking cover, though the younger squad leader was behind a support pillar that, from what Osto's sensors were telling him, wasn't going to survive much longer against the amount of plasma being slammed into it. That was going to be a problem if the rest of their unit took much longer to secure the target.

"Kast, sitrep." Saxon's statement into the comms let Osto know that the squad leader realised how precarious his cover was becoming.

"Target located, though he's…potentially incapacitated worse than was projected." Kast's reply came slow which wasn't a good sign. While Osto wasn't fond of the woman's constant commenting – and teasing of the Kryze woman, though there Osto did agree that there was more to her relationship with Alor Cameron than she was willing to admit – he'd found her to be a solid, if unspectacular warrior. Something that he'd expected, given the reports from previous unit commanders from the war. To hear her hesitate on the target's condition had Osto re-evaluating the need for alternate extraction plans.

"Tell Kryze to get him ready for transport, then get out here."

"Understood."

Saxon's instructions left little room for countering, but Osto thought Kast sounded unhappy about having to obey. However, he knew she would as he'd seen her service record and knew she would follow Saxon's commands.

A warning from his helmet sensors made Osto move and a second later something smashed into the console he'd been using for cover. At his size, scrambling from one cover to the next was never easy, but he quickly reached a new location with only a dozen or so bolts impacting his armour. His eyes widened as the sensors reported that a crate had not only hit his former cover but ripped most of the console apart. While he'd have survived such an impact in his armour, he'd have likely been trapped in the rubble and all but out of the fight. However, what concerned Osto the most was that while he could've lifted that crate – even without any assistance from his armour – he doubted he could've thrown it as far or as powerfully as it had been.

"Force users on the field."

That helped Osto realise how the crate was thrown so far and so quickly. A glance towards Saxon showed he'd shifted cover as well. The support column he'd been using was still standing but was far too damaged to provide any protection and Saxon was now ducking down behind the remains of another station within the room. That station was sparking massively and the sounds of metal groaning against an invisible force carried to Osto's helmet. Still, even if they were facing off against Force users, they were Mandalorians. The greater the fight, the higher the honour it brought.

As his helmet helped plot the angle for his throw, he unclipped a grenade from his belt. One finger depressed the arming mechanism before he pulled his arm back and launched the grenade at the optimal location. "Grenade!" His voice called out as the round object left his hand. He tracked the object's path with his sensors and while the throw wasn't perfect, after a year of real combat he had enough training under fire to be close enough that it bounced where he wanted.

He smiled as the grenade left his visual sensors, though his smile fell as the grenade stopped mid-roll before it started moving back towards him. He braced as it exploded and while his armour protected him from the sonic eruption, the pressurised wave it released sent debris flying around the room.

Grunting in annoyance, Osto shifted, getting ready to slide out from cover and let his cannon take care of the Force user only for a bolt to fly past his helmet. Unlike the previous bolts, this one hadn't come from where the cultists were, and the battlenet confirmed his suspicion that Kast had re-entered the room.

"Target secure. Extraction route?" Kryze's voice suddenly filled the unit comms. To Osto she sounded off yet the data coming from her armour didn't suggest anything was wrong, barring perhaps an elevated heart rate.

"Clear for now. Force users are on the field." Saxon paused as he ducked back into cover after firing off a few bolts from his rifle. "Can Shan fight?"

While Osto was annoyed at the idea they needed help from the person they'd been sent to extract, he understood that the best chance against one Force user was another. Alor Cameron was still a Jetii, and prone to the typical soft-hearted sentimentality of their group – something Osto had seen during his many reviews of the battle of Mandalmotors tower – but Osto couldn't deny the prowess of Alor Cameron. The man had killed a beast as close as one could get to the legendary mythosaur for his verd'goten and defeated and killed Ebrn Awaud – someone Osto knew from experience was a very skilled fighter – in two-on-one combat.

"No. They…" Kryze's voice raised about an octave and from the battlenet, Osto knew she'd had spikes in chemicals linked to her fear and rage.

"He was heavily tortured." Kast supplied, saving Kryze who sounded unwilling to give details. Osto was now all but sure that Kryze felt something for Alor Cameron. His father had hinted at that being why Duke Adonai had sent his daughter with the Jetii, but until this moment, Osto hadn't been certain of it. Still, until Alor Cameron left the Jetii – something his father felt was more likely than not – then nothing could come of it. Di'kute Jetii and their rules on marriage and relationships.

Saxon grunted into the comms as part of his cover exploded. "Fine. Kryze, on your mark, get him to the elevator. The rest of us will cover you then execute a staggered withdrawal." Osto accepted the plan as the best choice to take, even if it lacked originality.

The comms went silent, which was to be expected. The next time Kryze spoke the plan would be enacted. Taking the moment before carnage was unleashed, Osto switched over the charge pack for his cannon. While the current one was still at forty per cent power, he'd had it drilled into him – through live-fire training and combat – that a full clip was always better. A quick scan of his armour by the inbuilt systems assured him that no part of it was in danger of failing, and while expected, he'd always verify before moving. He was not going to make the mistake he did on Vorpa'ya ever again.

"Execute."

At Kryze's word, Osto swung out from his cover, his cannon spinning into life and unleashing a torrent of blaster fire towards the nearest grouping of cultists. Bolts of plasma rained into the corridor, and Osto took satisfaction when three targets fell in the first two seconds. Through the battlenet, he saw another four hostiles vanish even as Kryze moved slowly behind him. The vitals shared via the battlenet regarding Alor Cameron were… less than ideal, but with medical help the young warrior would survive this ordeal.

"Where are you going?" the words came from the corridor that Osto wasn't firing into. "The Priestess still has need of you." Osto felt a shiver rattle up his spine, as if it had suddenly grown harder to breathe, yet none of his internal sensors showed any change in atmospheric conditions.

A strange groan came from the column Osto had been using as cover, as if something was trying to pull it at the seams. Yet nothing was currently touching it.

"Cam!"

The pained scream from Kryze caught Osto's attention and without lessening his rate of fire, Osto turned his head. The boy was naked, and while the signs of his torture were clear for Osto to see, the young man seemed unconcerned. Even before his sensors began to date the various scars that dotted the young man's body, Osto's attention was drawn to Alor Cameron's eyes. They were ablaze with rage and malice and Osto thought for a moment he saw a hint of yellow within them.

Alor Cameron was stalking forward towards the other corridor, yet not a single incoming bolt was striking him. Osto realised that the younger man was using the Force to somehow guide the bolts to miss; either that, or that the cultists were such osik shots that they were missing worse than a child when they first picked up a blaster. The younger man's knuckles were white with drops of blood dripping down, leaving a trail to mark his slow, enraged path.

The air grew even more restrictive and Osto had to gulp deeply to draw in a full breath as Alor Cameron's pace picked up. The lights in the room and corridors began to flicker then spark before they shattered almost all at once, bathing everything in darkness. Thanks to his helmet, Osto could still see what was going on, though there were strange lines of interference crackling around the images being relayed to him. In that interference, Alor Cameron seemed to fade away, as if merging into the darkness that now engulfed the battlefield, only becoming visible for a moment as a bolt passed by.

A warning from his sensors drew his attention back to the corridor he was still firing into. There, two crates had started levitating into the air with each having someone nearby. Assuming those were the enemy Force users, Osto started shifting his aim, however before he could bring his cannon to bear, both crates started to shake and then exploded.

Shards of remains were sent flying. The two suspected Force users were hammered by the shards so badly that, as several limbs were ripped off, they reminded Osto of images he'd seen of a pack of Kath hounds tearing apart their prey. One piece made the chest of a cultist cave inward before erupting from the man's back with such force that Osto's sensors detected the man's heart and lung skewered on the piece.

In less than a second Osto had gone from facing around a dozen cultists to two. Correction, one. Yet even as the last embers of life left that cultist, Osto was drawn back to Alor Cameron. The young man had surged forward, moving so fast that without his sensors, Osto would've been unable to follow the movement. A second later the young man was out of sight, and Osto was forced to track the younger man's actions through the battlenet.

Alor Cameron had passed Saxon's location before the unit leader could stop him, and Osto felt his eyes widen as the young man struck a cultist with such force that the far larger and older man's head spun a full ninety degrees. The sickening sound of a neck being fractured filled Osto's ears, yet Alor Cameron was far from done.

He drove an elbow into the chest of another cultist, caving it in from the force and soaking Alor Cameron's arm in blood and guts. A flick of his wrist sent two more cultists flying upwards, impaling them on the shattered remains of the ceiling lights before the bodies seemed to crunch inward as if still being pushed upwards. That caused blood to fall on the corridor like rain, through which Alor Cameron continued to move.

"The priestsghb!" The words came from the same voice that had set off the young man, yet they fell into frantic garbles as Alor Cameron raised a hand towards the speaker. Osto felt his breath hitch as the battlenet sensors flickered around the outstretched hand. The strange flickering lurched from the fingers on that hand towards the man who'd spoken, engulfing him in blackness. Though it didn't mute him, and a disturbing, twisted scream echoed from the same lips that moments before had caused Alor Cameron to snap.

The flickering blackness danced around the man as he fell to the ground, slashing, crushing and seemingly terrorising the man whose face was contorted in pain and fear; which was more unnerving to Osto than his sensors not understanding what was happening. Osto was briefed that these cultists were trained to resist pain and were all but immune to feeling fear, yet there was one spasming on the ground so terrified that no sound escaped his mouth.

A moment later the interference dissipated, and the charred, blackened remains of the man's body twitched. Yet Osto didn't need the battlenet sensors to tell him the man was dead, or soon would be. No being could survive… whatever that was.

Suddenly the downed, charred cultist reached out a hand for Alor Cameron, yet the hand stopped mid-thrust. The battlenet reported the hand started to shake then Osto gulped hard as the hand began to rip itself apart. The bones splintered, cracked, and rippled open the flesh around them. The cultist managed a barely perceivable groan, though Osto felt he would've screamed if he could've, before the hand bent back at an unnatural angle then imploded as if trapped in a trash compactor.

The man's arm began to vibrate before the same pattern that had all but obliterated the hand started to travel up the arm. Bones fractured and then pierced the skin, bending themselves and what remained of the arm in abnormal ways. The shoulder soon followed before the process jumped to the legs.
"Me'shab."

The faint curse carried over the comms and while it took Osto a second to realise that it was Kast that had spoken, he couldn't find the urge to warn her about such comments in battle. What they'd just seen… he didn't know what had happened, but by Manda, it was unnerving. He knew Force users were powerful and capable of many dangerous things, but this… this was unlike anything he'd ever come across.

Osto was broken from his disturbed fascination as the battlenet reported Kryze approaching Alor Cameron. Her heart rate was elevated – much as Osto suspected his was – and according to her internal sensors, she was both excited and disturbed by Alor Cameron's actions. As she placed a hand on Alor Cameron's shoulder, Osto realised that the charred man was probably the man who'd tortured the young man, though to make a Force user so enraged that they'd do this…

Then and there, Osto determined two things. One, the galaxy was better off with that man being dead and two, whatever it took, he would do his utmost to never have to see Alor Cameron so enraged again.

"Cam." The all but whispered word came through the comm as Kryze spoke to Alor Cameron, yet Osto watched as the charred man's legs were subjected to the same destruction as his arm had suffered. "Cam!" The second call from Kryze was louder and accompanied by a shake on the young man's shoulder, but the revenge didn't stop and Osto watched as the charred man's legs were reduced to nothing more than fine paste. "CAM!" The third calling of his name was shouted, and she spun him around to face her.
…
A sharp intake of breath came from Bo-Katan as she came helmet-to-eye with Cam. Where before his eyes had been pained, now there was just rage. Pure, unbridled rage. From what she saw, she thought he would attack her, and she felt herself bracing for the attack to come.

She knew the others were watching through the battlenet and hoped Cam didn't attack as, in this state, he'd rip through them all like they were nothing more than cloth. Her eyes flicked to the various wounds that littered his chest, arms and stomach. How they marred the lines of muscle that he'd started developing during their training sessions, though entropy from his captivity was evident throughout his body and she saw that the scars from his verd'goten hadn't been damaged by the torment he's suffered over the last few months. A glance at the rapidly dying man on the floor made her snarl, and if not for concern it would make matters worse, she'd have shot him then and there in the chest. Possibly until her power cell ran dry.

The blinking of his eyes as they ran over her helmet drew her full attention back to Cam. Seeing the fury in them start to fade, she took a risk. Slowly, making it clear she wasn't trying to attack him, she moved her hands to her helmet and removed it. When her unaided eyes found his, the rage had retreated. It wasn't gone but instead pushed aside, as if her face was enough to help him regain control once more.

"Bo." The words came out in a breathless whisper. She ignored the way her heart seemed to jump at hearing the need in his tone and stepped closer, catching his body as it fell as if the strings holding it had been cut.

"I'm here." Slowly she sank to a knee, bringing him to the ground with her. Once he was resting on the ground, though without her support she doubted he'd be able to even sit, she spoke. "That… man. Was he…" words failed her as she tried to ask her question. Thankfully Cam understood and gave a weak, tired nod.

Before she knew what she was doing, she'd unholstered a pistol. The trigger stayed depressed as she emptied the power cell into the body, not caring as her bolts began to strike the ground under and behind it, until all that remained of the man's head was a melting pile of goop.

"He's dead." She said softly as she re-holstered her blaster. "Though if we don't get moving, we'll join him."

Cam blinked several times, and slowly he seemed to regain control over himself. "Right." He pulled free from her grip, something she wasn't going to think about, and pushed himself to his feet. "We need…" he stumbled and leaned on the wall of the corridor for support.

She stood with him, doing her best to ignore the fresh blood seeping from various wounds on his body and how that was making her feel. They had a mission to complete, and that was all that mattered. Still, she wanted to make sure he was…

"Shan, can you walk?" the voice of Gar broke her thought train as he came close. From the battlenet, she learnt that Rook and Ordo were holding the central room so they could withdraw through the elevator shaft. Cam looked at Gar, as if seeing him for the first time, then nodded slowly. "Good. We've got an extraction route ready. Follow…"

"No!" Cam's voice was firm, a total mismatch to his condition. "We're not leaving this place," he continued as he pushed himself from the wall and stood as straight as he could. A wide grin spread on his face, one that excited Bo as it promised violence and destruction. "Not until I find the bitch that did this and burn her temple to the ground."

"That's not-" Ordo's comment was cut off as Cam's head snapped towards the much older and taller man. The rage that Bo had thought gone rushed back, almost as if daring Ordo to continue. At that moment Bo knew that whatever he wanted to do, she was going to help. She needed to help.

"I. Don't. Care." Each of Cam's words was full of passion. He pivoted away from them and stumbled. Bo reached for him, but he stepped forward and kept his balance without her help. "This place is going down." He stared into the corridor, and Bo wondered if he was using the Force to locate Master Dooku and whomever this Priestess was. Hopefully before he killed her, he'd let Bo have a piece of flesh. A moment later he moved towards the charred man's body, or what remained of it after Bo had unloaded her power cell into it.

He stepped over the body without glancing at it, then a gesture had a door open; one that the battlenet had indicated was sealed. Cam stepped inside, and after a signal in the battlenet from Gar, Bo followed. She stepped over what remained of the charred body and entered the small room. The only light source came from a computer console in the far corner. Bo stepped towards that as Cam leaned over a table on the other side. The console showed the insides of the various cells, which confirmed that about half a dozen contained other beings.

She moved closer and accessed her gauntlet computer. With that she interfaced with the console. While the files on it were downloaded – she needed to learn what had happened to Cam and she felt Master Dooku would want to as well – she worked to unlock those cells.

"What's your plan?" The question came from Gar who had stepped into the room behind her.

"Do you have a layout of this place?"

"Yes. We downloaded a schematic on our way to free you." A blinking light on her gauntlet let her know the files on the console had been downloaded and after unlocking the remaining cell doors and releasing the other prisoners from their restraints, she turned around. Cam had found his clothing and was slowly pulling a shirt over his head. While she couldn't see his face, the slow, careful way he was moving made it clear he was feeling pain from his wounds.

Once the shirt was on, Cam looked over at Gar who was displaying a holographic map of the base. His eyes scanned it for a long moment before he spoke. "Take Rook with you to the power core. Find a way to rig an explosion that'll take this place out." As he explained he picked up his lightsaber, clipped it to his belt then collected his beskad. Bo watched as Cam ran one hand slowly over the sheathed blade, almost as if he was savouring having it back in his possession. As he slipped it back onto his belt, Bo saw a patch of red on his lower back. While the wound had reopened, Cam was ignoring the pain.
"We can do that, but what about you?"

Bo felt a shiver of excitement run up her spine at the smirk that came to Cam's face at Gar's question. Whatever he was going to do would be violent and she couldn't wait to see what it was.

… …

"I'm going to kill the bitch that did this to me." I knew I shouldn't smile thinking about what I wanted to do to Vosa, but I did. With my Force connection weakened by the sith mask, and my Player Points still too low to engage Player's Mind - though why I could access the Interface here but I couldn't on Kidriff was an issue for another time - I wasn't able to cut off my emotions. Then again, I knew I was drawing the Dark Side of the Force, and what I planned to do to Vosa, to keep myself going, so activating Player's Mind would've been a problem.

A wave of excitement mixed with hints of desire echoed through the Force from Bo, but I ignored that. Kissing her as I had, while done to help me focus my thoughts enough to stay in control, would likely have confused the young woman. Later, once we were out of this place, I'd talk to her about it and explain my reasoning.

I felt a burning fury over what had happened to me and a desire for revenge bubbling away inside, but I needed to keep control. At least long enough to reach that bitch and fry her from the inside out. Yes, I knew this was the Dark Side mixing with my emotions, but after however long I'd been here, the need for vengeance was about the only thing that had stopped me from breaking and serving Vosa.

My fingers found the hilts of my lightsaber and beskad, and the familiar sensations of both helped me centre myself for a moment, but that was lost as I remembered Vosa had my necklace. I felt the Force swirling around me in anticipation of the chaos that was about to be unleashed, and while I knew that was dangerous to use, I was struggling to care.

"Main generators are two levels down." Gar's voice broke me from focusing on the whirling inferno of rage of the Force around me and I glanced back at his vambrace and the map it was projecting. "Our primary exit is here." A point several levels above us blinked, which was followed by a second blinking light on our level. "The Jedi are engaged here to provide a distraction for our insertion." I closed my eyes as I started to reach into the Force. "They are aware of us securing you and awaiting a signal to withdraw."

Gar's words drifted away as I sunk into the Force. There was no denying the Dark Side was strong here; the eddies and currents of pain, torment and fury cried out for me to use them to achieve my goal, and while I wasn't against doing so, I was more interested in finding a familiar presence in the base. It didn't take me long to brush up against Dooku's mind; the cold, almost unfeeling nature of his thoughts was easy to pick out in the maelstrom of violence that was the Dark Side. Nearby I sensed Vos; who seemed to be brushing against the darkness and drawing some power from it, yet it was the third presence I sensed that instantly had my attention.

Vosa was close to Vos – at a guess, I suspected the two were engaged in a duel – with Dooku close but not involved. The darkness seemed to almost dance around Vosa, savouring her carnage, yet I didn't let myself focus on that. No, I wanted to know where she was, and how easily I could get to her.

I gripped the hilts of my weapons tightly, drawing what control I could from them to avoid doing something stupid. For an instant, I considered teleporting, but the hidden depths of the Dark Side, and memories of what had happened when I'd tried to do that on Kidriff, were enough for me to retain enough sanity to not attempt it.

I opened my eyes and struggling to push aside images from the Force of what I'd do to Vosa once I got her, I looked at the two Mandalorians. "Once the charges are set, signal Dooku and withdraw. If you don't hear from us in thirty, blow this place to hell."

Without waiting for a reply, I pulled the Force to me. The world seemed to slow down as I rushed forward, faster than most beings could hope to track, and drew on the promises of the Force to empower my actions. The Force bent to my will, and as I moved down the corridor, I saw a group of cultists blocking my way.

The Force sang for me to remove them, to make them pay, but my focus was on Vosa. I barely paid attention as my saber sang in my hand leaving smoking corpses in my wake. The Force seemed to sing in delight at what it was sensing, but all I cared about was finding Vosa, and fucking her up for what she'd done to me.

… …

… …

Some distance away from Cam and the Mandalorians, two lightsaber-wielding figures were moving around each other; the large cathedral-like chamber they were in was already bearing signs of the opening salvos of their combat. Both moved with such grace that most beings would consider it beautiful, if not for the fact each wished to kill the other.

A shrill laugh came from Komari Vosa as one of her blood-red blades swatted aside the downward swing of Quinlan Vos's green blade. She pivoted with ease, avoiding a follow-up thrust from Vos, then, after trapping his blade against the floor, sending him tumbling away was a blast of Force energy.

She continued to laugh as Vos flung himself back to his feet. "I expected more from a Jedi!" Vos surged forward, the Force allowing him to move faster than most could imagine, but Vosa was more than his equal, and as to a normal eye, Vos became nothing more than a green blur, Vosa parried his blade away with centimetres to spare, contemptuous laughter erupting from her throat.

"So aggressive! How unlike a Jedi!" The comment was accompanied by another chuckle as she pushed Vos's blade aside with almost contemptible ease then a flick of her wrist sent the tip of her blade searing across his pectoral. "Though just as predictable."

Vos snarled in anger and drove his free hand forward. The fist caught Vosa on her forearm, though while it was enough to force her back, it didn't make her lose the grip on the lightsaber in that hand. Yet, instead of being annoyed at being struck, Vosa threw her head back – taking her eyes off her opponent – and laughed loudly.

Vos seized the opportunity and came at her, his blade going through the motions of Sai Tok, yet before it could do more than heat her arm as it got close, Vosa leapt. The Force allowed her to vault high into the air and she landed with the gentleness expected of a Force user on a nearby table; sending a rippling wave of Force energy outward.

"And now you strike a lady? How far have the Jedi fallen?" Once more she laughed as if it were the funniest thing to her, while Vos and many objects in the room were sent tumbling away.

Vos grunted as he landed, having used the Force himself to control his tumble so he landed on his feet, sinking to a squatting position to launch himself back towards Vosa. However, before he could, Vosa was upon him.

Her blades moved chaotically, and while he could see some of the grace of Makashi in her movements, there were holes that, if he were just a bit faster, he could exploit. His blade swept up blocking both the thrust as well as the downward strike. That brought her blades off centre before his other hand shifted forward to release a force push.

Vosa stumbled back, her blades disengaging from his. Seeing an opportunity, Vos surged forward, his blade already moving up to, if not end her, then at least remove one of her arms. Yet, just before his blade reached her skin, her arm moved. He felt the barriers that all Force users held around themselves crumple a millisecond before he was sent hurtling back by the Force as it bent to Vosa's command.

Again, he called the Force to him and used it to alter his trajectory. He landed in a crouched position, and glided back about a metre, sending some chairs scattering as he slid through them, before stopping. He looked up to see Vosa standing still, her blades at her side in positions that had little defensive use and a wide, deranged toothy smile on her face.

"Come now Jedi, surely you can do better than that!" Vosa's taunt echoed around the chamber. "Even the boy you've come all this way to try and rescue fought with more passion!" Vosa's eyes seemed to sparkle with dark energy. "Though seeing your performance now, I understand why the Twi'lek was so lacking on Kidriff. Once I'm through with you, I'll have to find where you stashed her and educate her properly."

Vos snarled again, his protective instincts regarding Aayla flaring at the threat Vosa had levelled towards his Padawan. He rushed forward, the Force enhancing his every step. The air seemed to ripple as he pulled more and more of the Force into him, channelling it into his attack; seemingly unconcerned for the moment about the dangers of the Dark Side as it vibrated throughout this place.

Vosa surged forward to meet him, her deranged smile growing as her blades trailed behind like two fiery wings. Hysterical laughter echoed through the chamber as they both leapt high into the air, the Force propelling them far above what most beings could naturally achieve.

Vos gritted his teeth as his blade clashed against Vosa's. He started to twist, planning to run the green plasma down her blade and remove her fingers only for a hot, blinding pain to sear across his midsection. Vosa landed with grace and skill even the most highly skilled dancers would envy, her blades twirling as she pivoted with incredible control. Vos, however, clattered to the floor. His lightsaber ripped from his grip as he bounced across the floor and then slammed back-first into a wall. A hand shot to his stomach, feeling the tender flesh where Vosa had cut him. It wasn't deep, but it was painful and would limit his movement going forward.

"Pathetic!" Vosa hissed, her tone dripping with disgust. "Unworthy of a Jedi." Vos ignored the words and summoned his lightsaber to him. One hand stayed over his stomach as he forced himself upright and readied for Vosa's next attack.

Vosa stalked towards him, her blades lazily scorching the ground as she approached. Vos shifted his stance. With his wound, his preferred Ataru would be difficult, thus he slid into a simple Soresu opening stance. Master Tholme had taught him the basics, which he hoped would be enough to give him a chance against the deranged dual-wielding lunatic Makashi practitioner stalking approaching him.

His blade moved, the Force warning him of the danger well before one of Vosa's blades thrust towards him. It was knocked aside with contemptuous ease, and the sting of pain from his stomach was ignored as he drew on the Force to negate his pain. Another lunge, almost lackadaisical, was pushed aside, as was a third attack. Vos wondered what Vosa was up to as she had shown far more skill just moments before.

"Sloppy." The single word dripped with contempt though Vos couldn't dwell on it as the Force warned him of yet another attack. He shifted his stance, knocking the low thrust aside, then flicked his wrist, hoping to catch Vosa across the face. Sadly, Vosa knew it was coming and his blade sailed millimetres from her nose, only slicing a few loose strands of hair from near her brow.

Before he could correct his stance and resume his defence, one of Vosa's blades slammed into his just above the hilt. It slid down, and after forcing Vos to remove a hand or lose it, the red blade burnt through the durasteel hilt of the green blade, extinguishing it.

Vos moved as best he could to avoid Vosa's other blade as it sped towards him, intent on bisecting him from head to waist. However the blade still found its mark and he hissed in pain as a burnt gorge, half a metre long and deep enough to expose the bones of his ribcage formed on his chest.

He fell back, leaning on the wall behind him to keep his balance, trying not to look at the psychotic pleasure covering Vosa's face. He knew he'd lost, that he'd failed both Padawan Shan and Aayla, and as Vosa stepped closer, the light of her twin blades gave her a strange, almost deranged beauty, which was an odd thought for one about to die. He could only hope that Master Dooku would avenge him.

Vosa felt her opponent's fear; could taste the realisation that he'd lost, and she revelled in it as she stepped closer, ready to pounce. Her blades were poised to strike, to snuff out this pathetic Jedi's life. She let the moment stretch, savouring every second of the slowly building anticipation. Wanting to enjoy this moment before she returned to her…

"VOSA!"

She faltered, both her blades sliding forward and burning new, deep marks on the Jedi's torso, then turned. At the far end of the chamber, dressed in simple clothing was her newest, and soon-to-be greatest, disciple. At his side, the black blade which called to the darkness within her bathed him in eerie flickering shadows and light, which was repeated faintly on his other side by the reflection of the lightsaber's light on the metal beskar blade.

She closed her eyes and could almost taste the Dark Side flowing around him. He wasn't shying away from it like the wastrel in front of her. No, he was drawing it into him, demanding its obedience. Yet for all the power radiating from him in the Force, Vosa could tell he hadn't yet committed fully to the truth. Hadn't entirely embraced the limitless potential of the Dark Side once it was subjugated to one's will.

She stepped forward, savouring the delicious rage radiating from the boy, only for her face to erupt in surprise. Barely able to realise it before it happened, her defensive barriers were ripped asunder, and she was sent hurtling to one side. In mid-air, she bent the Force to her will and landed in a crouch. Anger flared as she gazed back at the barely living Jedi who'd attacked her, breaking her enjoyment of Shan's rage. She stood, and stalked forward, planning to finish the Jedi once and for all, only for the Force to whisper to her a warning.

Faster than she'd expected, Shan was upon her. Her blade closest to him came up in a hasty block, though she had to grit her teeth at the power behind the strike. He'd closed on her faster than she'd seen him move before and struck with more force than the pathetic Jedi Knight had managed. The metal blade thrust forward, but she avoided it with a half-pivot then leapt away, generating distance between her and Shan.

The signs of his education over the last two or so months were seeping through his clothing in places, staining the dull brown of the clothes a dark, sinister black, yet what caught Vosa's attention were two things. First, as she easily avoided a wild, if powerful, swing, there was little to no form to Shan's attacks. Though that was to be expected as he hadn't yet learnt how to channel the delicious power the Force granted once you brought it to heel.

The second was his eyes. They were still that alluring amber-green, but Vosa saw brief moments where faint dots of red or yellow flickered in the depths. It impressed Vosa that even in his weakened state, the boy was fighting against grasping for the true nature of the Force. She smiled and licked her lips. All it would take is some gentle, targeted prodding and he would be hers.

"Such poor form." The words glided from her lips as she arrogantly swatted aside a flurry of rapid, powerful yet uncontrolled attacks. "What would Master Dooku say?"

She drank the anger that flowed from him at her mocking, though any enjoyment of it was lost as she felt the Force shift before she – and many other things including the downed Jedi – were sent tumbling away as a massive burst of Force energy rippled outwards from Shan. When her tumble stopped, she found herself at the base of the stairs that led to the main doors of the chamber. The pain she'd felt from the attack pleased her, invigorated her, as did the raw, untapped power she sensed in the young man.

Shan rushed towards her screaming in rage, not stopping to check on the downed – but still living, if just barely – Jedi. His blades were raised, ready to attack with overwhelming power, but it was horribly telegraphed and Vosa could already judge how he would attack. As the metal blade came towards her, she leapt, pushed off the rapidly moving blade, and executed a perfect spin and pivot in mid-air; landing with a grace a galactic gymnast would never be able to achieve right in front of the doors.

Shan's beskad had cut through the air while his lightsaber had left a long, deep glowing gash in the stairs. Later, once she'd resecured him, one of her minions would have to repair that – and the other damage done to this room – but for now, it was a minor inconvenience.

Shan charged up the stairs, still blinded by his rage and Vosa grinned widely in delight. The young man would be her perfect follower and consort. With his power attached to her own, she'd be able to strike out against the Pykes and Black Suns, and make that Zabrak on Cog Seven pay for toying with her. She'd…

Her ecstasy at imagining what she'd do with Shan under her control ended as an old yet familiar presence came to her senses. She evaded an attack from Shan, smacking aside his blades with ease before sending him crashing back down the stairs even as a figure marched through the chamber from the far end. Her former master, still as calm and controlled as ever, was nearing. Vosa snarled as she felt a flicker of concern from Dooku towards Shan; something he'd never shown for her in all her years worshipping him.

For a moment she considered facing him, but a grunt from Shan dispelled her of that notion. Against Dooku alone, she knew she'd need all her focus to survive, but with an unstable and insanely powerful Shan around, she wouldn't survive. No, it was better to fall back, and take her prize with her. Better to finish his education first, then they could strike down Dooku together; breaking him mentally and physically as his former apprentices defeated him.

"Is that all you have to offer, child? Wild swings and unfocused rage?" She tutted dramatically even as a flick of a finger sent the large doors behind her swinging open. "I expected so much more from you."

As she hoped, Shan snarled and leapt at her. She flipped back, somersaulting down the corridor and out of the chamber, laughing maniacally as Shan chased after her, his blades swinging frantically in his attempts to strike her down.

As Shan stepped through the doors, Dooku stepped into the chamber from the far side. He'd been sensing the rage of his Padawan for a while now, but seeing the blind fury in the young man's movements saddened him. He rushed through the chamber, avoiding the chaos that had been unleashed here, only to stop as he felt Vos in the Force. Turning he saw the younger Jedi hunched over an upturned chair, small groans sliding from his lips.

Vos was clearly in bad shape, and as the younger Jedi rolled onto his back – eliciting a longer, deeper groan – Dooku saw the extent of the injuries. Vosa had, as Dooku expected, been far too competent a combatant for Vos. Wounds littered the younger man's chest. The most severe were the twin cuts that had raked Vos's stomach. It was clear to Dooku that if Vos was not given immediate treatment, his fellow Jedi would join with the force earlier than he would wish for.

There was a moment when Dooku considered just leaving Vos to his fate. If the younger Jedi had listened to him earlier and not rushed off from the hangar, he likely wouldn't now be lying on the ground close to death and he was worth far less in Dooku's assessment than Cameron. However, with more time to consider it, Dooku saw an opportunity. One that would allow him to test Cameron and determine just how skilled the young man had truly become. It was a risky move, and one that Master Fay and other Jedi would disapprove of if they understood his reasoning, but they were simply too weak and narrow-minded to push the newer generation of Jedi as was needed.

There was no doubt that Cameron had suffered greatly during his time under Vosa's "tender" care, and while Dooku had felt the Dark Side moving around Cameron, he hadn't fallen to it irrevocably. Chasing Vosa would further that risk, but, and putting aside a desire Dooku had to help Komari recover from her time with – and leading – the Bando Gora, it would act as an excellent moment to examine how Cameron behaved while enraged beyond reason. No matter which choice Cameron made, killing Vosa to soothe himself or sparing her, would teach him something vital about his padawan.

All in all, this was a suitable challenge for the man Dooku felt would be able to continue his story when, however far away it may be, his time to hand the reins over to another came.

Settling on his choice, Dooku knelt beside Vos. The Force was difficult to use for healing, something made worse due to Dooku's lack of inclination towards the ability, but Dooku was able to convince the Force to do as he wished and channelled it into the Kiffar's body. For many even attempting to use the Force to heal in a place as badly twisted by the Dark Side would be impossible, but Dooku had long ago steeled his mind against the worst elements of what the Dark Side could do and had no issue with bending the errant behaviour of the energy field to his will.

"Master Dooku." The voice came from somewhere to his right, and without stopping his channelling of the Force into Vos, the aged master turned to see two of the Mandalorian strike team; Mister Ordo and Miss Kryze. Both had their helmets on, yet Dooku could sense a faint hint of annoyance from the first and strong concern from the latter. "Where's Cam?"

The question came from Miss Kryze and held very distant hints of fear and yearning. Dooku was aware of the blossoming interest the young lady held in Cameron, and Cameron held towards her in turn, even if they weren't acknowledging it. Still, he would have to ensure nothing came of it. Distractions such as that ran the risk of making Cameron stray from the path Dooku wanted him to follow; not to mention it would limit the fallout when dealing with the High Council regarding Cameron's adventures over the last few years.

"He has engaged Vosa. They exited through the large doors to my left." His attention had already returned to Vos before he replied as the matter of what the Mandalorians did was barely worth his time. He respected them, yes, but they were little better than the best of the normal elements of the galaxy, and thus far beneath one such as him.

A violent ripple in the Force came from the direction of Cameron – Dooku was tracking his Padawan's movements through the Force as best he could while trying to stabilise Vos's life – but it wasn't a surprise to the wise Jedi master. He had a decent idea of the torture Cameron would've endured at the Bando Gora's hands, so if there were no hints of anger within him, Dooku would've been far more concerned than he presently was. Still, once the duel was over, Dooku would ensure Cameron received a long discussion on how to temper and focus that rage. The last thing Dooku desired was for the High Council and the other fools in the Order to decide Cameron was a danger to the galaxy and seal him away somewhere like the Prism.

Miss Kryze had started moving even before Dooku had finished. The Ordo heir moved to follow, only to stop. Dooku sensed something near his shoulder and looked to see the armoured hand of the large man there, a small pile of bacta patches in it.

While the Force could do a far more efficient job of healing a sentient, Dooku was not going to turn down the help; particularly since healing was not one of his specialities. Giving the large, armoured man a nod of thanks, Dooku took the patches then Mister Ordo.

"Master Dooku. Shan gave orders for this base to be destroyed. I suggest you remove your fellow Jetii as soon as you are able." Mister Ordo's tone was polite but curt; something Dooku appreciated. After a year of being around Miss Kryze, he had almost forgotten that not all Mandalorians were as outspoken as her. "We'll do what we can to help Shan, then rendezvous at the Ne'tra Sartr."

Dooku gave the man another nod. "Very well, but try to take Vosa alive. She may have information critical to an investigation I am working on with my Padawan."

After giving Dooku a look that radiated confusion, Ordo moved off after that and while Dooku doubted the pair of warriors would be of any help to Cameron against Komari, he would rather they were doing that than bothering him as he worked to stabilise Vos. He picked up the first patch and placed it over one of the smaller burns on Vos's body. Komari, for all her failings over the last few years, was just as skilled with a lightsaber as he remembered, though it did appear she'd taken her time removing Vos from the fight.

A small, emotional part of him wanted to stand and head after the Mandalorians. The only one that mattered was Cameron. However, Dooku had made his choice to use this moment as an educational situation and he would stick to it. Now just to ensure Vos was stable enough to be withdrawn from the field before they were either discovered by a distracting force of cultists or the entire complex came down around them.

… …

… …

My lightsaber whipped around, powered by my rage-fuelled muscles, trying to decapitate the blasted banshee that was the source of all my suffering. However, just like most of my previous attacks, she dodged it with ease and laughed in my face. My vision blurred, focusing only on her, and I lunged and thrust my beskad forward, however, she leapt high, avoiding the sharpened edges of the weapon, twisted and came down about five metres away from me.

"Far too slow young one." Her voice teased as the deranged smirk that never left her face tormented my failings. "Come now, you can do better."

I flew at her, making the Force do as I wanted and speed me forward as much as it could. "I'll show you better!" My voice dripped with venom as I closed the distance between us in an instant. My lightsaber cut low, trying to cleave her in half while I readied my beskad to remove her head.

Vosa slid back, my blade coming teasingly close to her only to miss and slice through a support column for the walkway we were on. Vosa stumbled, her smirk slipping for a second. I thrust my beskad forward, aiming for her eye even as I reversed my lightsaber to bring it back towards her midsection.

I felt a thrill of excitement and a desire for more as the very tip of my blade caught her cheek. The wound wasn't deep, but the red of her blood stood out like a shining beacon against her ghostly white skin.

Yet. Instead of being angry, my blow only increased her joy. She laughed even as I was forced back by a blast of Force energy. As I regained my stance, she lifted a finger to her cheek, examined the blood then licked her finger clean. "That's more like it!" I didn't know if that was meant to encourage or torment me, but all I wanted was to kill her and remove that infuriating voice from the galaxy forever. "Can you taste the power? The excitement? Can you?!" Her final words dripped with anticipation.

The Force whispered warnings, but I kept my focus lasered in on Vosa, only for something to slam into my back. I stumbled forward. Pain seared up my arm but I held my beskad tight. The pain faded, merging into the rage burning brightly in my chest and searing my veins, driven by my desire, my need, to gut this woman and make her pay for everything that had happened to me.

I lunged, both blades seeking her chest. She deflected them easily with a single red blade then drove her elbow into my head.

Again, I stumbled backwards, my back hitting the railing of the walkway. I struggled to stop myself from falling, from losing distance towards my goal, only for the Force to send me tumbling over the railing. The Force rallied around me, but quickly enough before I fell to the ground below. I heard something metallic clatter against the floor, and as I stood up, I realised I'd lost my grip on my beskad. I stepped towards it, only to pause as another demented laugh took all my attention

"Oh, I hope that didn't break." Vosa landed on the floor nearby, though not close enough I could instantly attack her. "Is it important?" I snarled and turned towards her, both hands now gripping my lightsaber tightly. "Oh, it is. Well, you can tell me about it once we're finished."

She flicked her wrist and a door behind her slid open. Fury at seeing my quarry escape burned through my veins. No way was this bitch getting away. I surged forward, only to be met by another round of demented laughter.

Grasping my lightsaber in both hands, I roared at her and swung it round with the desire to remove her head, but my blade found nothing but air as she somersaulted back. I kept swinging as I chased her, even as we passed through the door. Every swing was a miss, and as the smell of burnt metal filled my nostrils, each miss added more fuel to the fire of my fury, as did the continual, enraging laughter of the bitch I wanted, needed to kill.

I kept up my assault but she evaded with contemptuous ease. Now not even using her blades to defend herself. Time slipped away as did everything around us. All that mattered was landing a strike, then two, then more until every single inch of her pasty white body was charred from my anger. I would have my vengeance!

I almost fell over as, for the first time that I could remember, she stopped dodging my attacks. Instead, one of her lightsabers flared to life and swatted aside my latest falling avalanche. The blade blurred and I felt a niggling pain surge from my left side. I ignored it. Nothing mattered but taking this deranged bitch down.

Her smile grew wider, seeming to split her face. My next attack was again blocked before a searing pain flared on my right thigh. Another attack, another wave of pain, this time from my right shoulder. They didn't matter. All that mattered was her, and impaling her; watching her life drain into the darkness of my blade.

"Yes! That's it!" She sang almost deliriously. "Savour it! Feel it coursing through your veins, bending to your will. Come at me. Embrace me!"

"Fuck you!" My shouted curse was accompanied by a swing that missed and made me stumble forward. Something metal smacked against my skull, but it didn't bother me. The pain, the rage, was making me faster, stronger. They were making me more able to kill this whore!

Vosa's blade thrust forward, and I moved to smash it away. However, she shifted her wrist and stepped into my guard, and the hilt came down hard on my forearm. Pain vibrated up my arm and my grip slackened, but I didn't, I wouldn't lose my weapon. Furiously, I slammed that forearm towards her, then savoured the groan of unexpected pain that slipped from her lips as my attack found paydirt.

I couldn't enjoy the moment though as a new burst of pain from my other wrist made me hiss. Something hard slammed into the other hand and I felt my lightsaber slide from my grasp. My blood boiling at her taking the instrument of her death from me, I leapt forward.

She moved to avoid it, but as I flew past I managed to get one arm to slide over her chest. That was enough to alter my movement, and as I spun in the air my other arm swung around her neck. My hands found each other and I yanked them towards me.

A pained gasp came from her, making my blood sing, as my clasped hands dug into her throat. She stumbled back even as I latched my legs, caught the back of her knees and continued to yank back with my hands. As she fell, I twisted to one side. I smiled viciously as she hit the ground face-first, and before she could recover, my legs slid around her waist and I tightened the chokehold I had on her.

She rolled and I slammed into the hard ground, but I wasn't going to let go. We bounced down something, sharp edges jagging into various parts of my body, but I used those flares of agony to fuel my grip.

An elbow slammed down on my knee even as something hit my head hard. My legs unlocked and she slid her arms under them, yet I kept the choke as tight as I could. Our roll ended with her on her knees, I tried to plant my feet to gain more leverage, but she swiped at them and as I slipped, she stood.

My chokehold slipped, but I didn't let go even when she rushed forward. I felt the Force move around us and then blare a warning at me. I couldn't react though as Vosa turned mid-run and I was slammed shoulder-first into a wall. My hold broke, one of her hands grabbed a wrist and I was slammed once more into the wall. I slumped to the floor, my body groaning in protest at the abuse it had just taken on top of the eruptions of pain I'd been feeling since I'd been freed.

A foot slammed into my gut, driving what little air was within my lungs from them, and I doubled over in pain.

"Such aggression, such passion." I couldn't see her face, but I could hear the contempt beneath the teasing in her tone. "How unbecoming of a Jedi." I pushed myself forward, trying to leap at her feet, but she avoided my pathetic attack with a simple hop back.

Her infuriating, mocking laugh echoed in my ears. My blood boiled; my vision blurred. I snarled, planted my hands on the ground, and then pounced. She leapt back, soaring over a table I'd missed. I roared at her escaping my clutches once more.

Suddenly I was lifted off my feet. My back exploded in agony as I was slammed back into the wall.

"And still you want to fight. How utterly delightful." Her voice fuelled my rage and I looked up at her, finding nothing but her in the room. "Still, I think we need to end this little dance and leave. Our former master is approaching, and your education is not yet complete."

A wail in the Force demanded I not let her leave and I howled. The Force rushed towards me, having no choice but to submit to me, before erupting out in a wave of pure hate.

I lost sight of Vosa as the table between us was shattered. She reappeared a moment later as the shards enveloped her. She hissed in pain as splinters and shards of wood embedded themselves in her skin. The hiss of pain was greater than anything I'd ever heard before, making my heart beat faster in delight.

The smile that had been on her face since I'd started trying to kill her slipped, replaced by a sneer. "That… will require discipline." Her snarled comment only made me smirk at her.

The force shifted, moving around her, as behind her, with my laser-focused vision easing as I savoured her pain, I saw two figures approaching. Something felt familiar about them, or at least the shorter one.

A quick shake of my head cleared more of my Vosa-centric rage or at least disrupted it enough that I realised the two figures were Mandalorians, with Bo leading the larger warrior. Bo's pistols were drawn, aiming in my general direction, though I had to assume they were for Vosa and not me.

Vosa started to turn, likely having seen my shifted focus, just as Bo opened fire. Blaster bolts raced towards Vosa, who lifted a hand. Likely she was going to use the Force to deflect them. In that moment, with my brain able to process just a little close to normal, I saw a chance.

A flick of my hand sent the remains of the table flying back at Vosa. She easily blocked it with the Force and glared at me in annoyance. However, as I'd hoped, that left her distracted and the first of Bo's bolts slammed into her shoulder.

Vosa was sent spinning, crashing into the floor. A wave of ecstasy raced through me as her head bounced hard off the ground; though that was replaced with a renewal of my rage at not being the one who'd caused her that pain. She was mine to hurt, mine to maim, mine to kill.

And it seemed as if I'd get that chance as while seemingly stunned, Vosa started to rise. Bo unleashed another volley of blaster fire at her, with several rounds slamming into the former Jedi and it was at that point I noticed the bolts were blue instead of yellow, meaning Bo was stunning Vosa instead of outright killing her. A part of me was confused by this even as my emotions soared in delight that Bo was granting me the honour of the kill.

Vosa, unable to block all the bolts in time, was driven to the ground in a heap.

I stepped forward, wanting to finish off Vosa before she could recover, only to stumble and fall to the ground on a heap. I groaned as pain erupted throughout my body, where once it had pushed me on, it now was bringing me down.

Bo slid to a stop nearby, a forearm running over me as the lights on her vambrace's computer illuminated her helmet. "You ois'kovid! You've ripped open most of your wounds!" Her tone was a mix of anger and worry and her diagnosis was confirmed as more and more of my body wailed in anguish from the fight I'd just had.

I glanced over at Vosa. The large Mandalorian was cautiously approaching her unmoving body with his rotary cannon aimed her way, making me chuckle. Though that only resulted in new ripples of torment surging through my body. "Better tha…" My words trailed off, and the well of fury within me was reignited, as I saw Vosa's chest rise and fall.

I snarled, enraged that she was still alive, and pulled myself forward; all but crawling towards that bitch. I felt a hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off. All that mattered was killing the monster responsible for what I'd endured.

I lifted a hand, feeling the Force contract around her throat even as my fingers shook; unable to stay still at the rage and pain fighting for control of my limbs. Delight flooded my mind as I saw her faintly gasp, trying desperately to draw in air, and then her body spasmed.

I tightened my hold, crushing her larynx and destroying her throat. A high unlike any I'd ever experienced surged through me as I felt her life slowly ebb away under my actions.

This bitch was going to die by…

… …

… …

I jerked awake.

Air flooded into my lungs, forced there by a mask of some kind over my eyes. My movements were slow as I felt something pushing against my skin. For a moment I struggled, worried I was once more imprisoned by the Bando Gora and that crazed bitch, but as I opened my eyes and saw I was in a greenish liquid of some form, and felt the Force touching my mind, I relaxed.

Quickly I realised I was all but naked in a tank of what I assumed was bacta. Even with a mask over my mouth and eyes, I could taste the familiar sweetly sour flavour of the almost wonder chemical. How I'd gotten here wasn't entirely clear, though I felt safe in assuming that Dooku, Bo, and the others had carried me from the Bando Gora base before it'd been destroyed.

Whatever was outside the tank was distorted through the thick liquid, similar to looking through a stained glass window. There were some lights and the room appeared to be well-lit and coloured white. A shifting shadow accompanied a familiar sensation as my mind touched that of Fenrir's. Reaching out into the Force, I felt other familiar presences. Dooku and Bo were nearby, as were Gar, Rook, and the fourth Mandalorian – or at least I assumed it was him given the mind I was sensing felt similar to the other Mandalorians – and just beyond that were others.

I frowned as I felt Anakin close by. That suggested that either we were on the Lokella station – which felt like a strange choice – or he'd sensed what had happened and come to wherever I was. Without any other strong Force presences nearby, I was fairly certain I wasn't at the Temple, which with Anakin nearby, was a major relief.

I reached out to Dooku, letting him know I was awake, and he responded that I should heal up and relax in the bacta tank. Once the medics were certain I was healed, they'd let me out and he promised we'd talk. That made me realise that I needed to review my escape, but before I did that, I dealt with a quest completion notice in the Interface.

Quest Completed!
Fallen Apprentice [ƍ] [֍] [¤]
Objectives:
:a: Locate and capture Hean Castim [Yes]
:b: Secure slaver base in the Tantajoc system [Yes]
:c: And locate details of major Bando Gora operation [Yes]
:d: Either secure Bando Gora operation on Kidriff [No]
Or determine the fate of Komari Vosa [Yes]
:e: Either discover a way to escape capture by the Bando Gora [No]
Or survive until a successful rescue attempt [Yes]
:f: Either kill Komari Vosa in combat [No]
Or capture, or help to capture, Komari Vosa [Yes]
Rewards/Penalties:
:a: 1000XP [+100XP]
:b: 20XP for each freed slave: 3480XP [+348XP]
A Force-sensitive animal as a bonded companion
Increased Reputation with the newly free slaves
Increased Reputation with the Lokella (for asking them to take in the freed slaves)
:c: Location of a major Bando Gora operation
2000XP [+200XP]
:d: Capture by the Bando Gora, and the issues that brings with it
1000XP [+100XP]
:e: A very minor loss of Reputation with any who comes to save you.
:f: A massive increase in reputation with Dooku
Test of friendship/loyalty passed with Dooku.
3000XP [+300XP]
...

I was relieved to finally have the quest linked to Komari Vosa completed. When it had first appeared, it had simply been about discovering Vosa's fate, but as each part of the mission had occurred, the quest had evolved and expanded. The interface had explained that this was due to it being the first mission quest chain since the Interface had updated several years ago. In hindsight that was true as every quest until this chain of events had been either self-defined or a reaction to current events.

Having one objective of the quest finished only to open new objectives had been irritating, but it made some sense. It reminded me of operations in my former life where events downrange had forced the initial operational plan to change. They hadn't been common, but they had happened from time to time.

Regarding the quest, the 11,528XP I'd gained was impressive, especially once added to the few thousand more I'd gained from combat since starting this mission, but with me now being level 27, it was only around forty per cent of the XP needed to level up. The mission had been far more dangerous, in the end, than any I'd done so far, and the rewards proved that, but it was countered by the fact each level needed 2000XP more than the last level. Or it would until I reached level 40 when the step up would increase to 3000XP.

There were a few other smaller notices. Those covered Force Fury and Negate Pain both levelling up by around half a dozen levels. That made perfect sense as I'd been drawing on the Dark Side to keep going and ignoring the pain that had flooded my body the moment my rage-induced focus on Vosa had slipped.

As I floated in the bacta tank, I wondered why Player's Mind had failed so spectacularly on Kidriff and why the mask – I felt the bacta ripple around me as I shivered just thinking about that thing – had managed to entirely block the Interface. Then there was the fact that once I was freed, I could use the Interface even though it had explained that the Bando Gora was a Dark Side Nexus. All of this made little to no sense, especially when the Interface was a higher power than the Force.

Untrue.
We are a higher power than the Force, capable of interacting with and altering the multiverse in ways the Force cannot.
The Interface is not us, and is, in terms your mind would understand, beneath the Force in the power hierarchy.
We thought this was made clear when your ancestor, the being once known as Revan, generated a quest within the Interface. However, it appears that you have misplaced that memory.

I frowned at the first message from TPTB in months even as I pulled the memory they were talking about to the forefront of my mind. Revan, or at least his Force Ghost, had generated a quest for me, one that was entirely hidden as to what I had to do to complete it, or what would happen if I didn't. Still, Player's Mind was meant to protect me from outside influences.

It was and does.
However, we have found with previous winners of the Multiversal Lottery that having abilities that leave a user immune to the worst elements of their chosen universe is… unamusing.
As such, with each system update that occurs the, for lack of a better term, training wheels offered by certain special abilities, are weakened, if not removed outright. This is why the Dark Side can interfere with the system, provided you aren't doing something.
Though if any unique ability is removed, you will be reimbursed the cost to spend on another ability.
This ensures that a; your adventures continue to bring us amusement and b; you do not become overly reliant on abilities that separate you from others in your universe.
This is also why, during the last system update, Player's Body was altered to allow you to bleed and experience sensations.
While this does eliminate much of what Player's Body does, the perk still allows you to endure far more damage than you could otherwise. However, if you are unhappy with the changes to this and Player's Mind, options to alter them - at no extra cost - or remove one of them entirely - for a recycled Perk Point - shall occur when you reach level 30 or turn 18 cycles; whichever comes first.

That… that wasn't in the creation section before I was inserted into the galaxy.

We have found that revealing the overpowered bonuses gifted at character creation would be weakened, resulting in previous winners of the Multiversal Lottery choosing worlds that… limited our enjoyment of their adventures.
While this action may upset or anger you, we remind you that your very existence was a quirk of chance that you knew nothing about and that we sit above all.

I gulped, or tried to, at the words. Even though there was no aggression in them, the warning was easy to pick out.

Yet, as I quickly returned to the events that happened after I'd been freed, particularly my fight – and that was being generous – with Vosa, it was easy to see why the Interface had been drained of power when my Force connection hadn't been with this new information. I didn't like it, but there was little I could do about it. Still, it would've been nice to have some forewarning that this would happen.

Consider this forewarning for what is still to come.
However, do note that there are no other significant changes to any Player Power beyond the aforementioned weakening of Player's Mind and Player's Body.
At least not until the next system update.
…
Until then, remember to live and enjoy your life.
We will be watching.

The messages faded from the Interface as I considered their words. There was a large part of me that was furious at things changing in a way that I hadn't realised. Yet, after reviewing the Revan incident, and the system update when I was eleven, I could see how the Interface had never quite worked the way I'd believed. How subtle changes could be applied and, as much as if galled me, why TPTB had done what they'd done.

But couldn't they have revealed this in a situation where I didn't have to endure two months of torture at the hands of those deranged motherfuckers beforehand?

As a new wave of rage rose inside, I closed my eyes and took slow deep breaths. I had enough issues rattling around my head that adding to them with anger at TPTB for their choices wasn't worth it. For example what I'd done to my actual torturer… I shivered in revulsion. Not just in my actions, but in how it'd made me feel then, and if I was being honest with myself, still did.

For that act alone, there was a chance the High Council would not only remove me from the Order but try to imprison me in a place like the Citadel. If they didn't, then I'd be under a lot more observation and, if they'd taken any of the recommendations Fay had suggested for Jon Savos, I'd have sessions with a psychiatrist.

Putting that to one side, along with everything connected to my torture at the hands of the Bando Gora – which was only possible by activating Player's Mind – I focused on reviewing my fight with Vosa. The first thing that stuck out was that I had really drawn on my anger towards her to keep me going, so perhaps that was why the Interface had worked in the base. Something to consider for another time. The second was the sheer sloppiness of how I'd fought, not least losing both my beskad and lightsaber. Dooku, once he learnt of that, would likely ream me out over it, though it was nothing to the self-flagellation I was going to do as I reviewed the fight over and over again. Not being disarmed at all was one of the things Makashi stressed the most. Though calling it a fight was being generous as it was very easy to see that it hadn't been much of one. Instead, being more a case of her manipulating me to keep me unbalanced.

Unsurprisingly, I'd been enraged when I'd found her and she'd exploited that to keep me on edge, just as the voice of my torturer had made me desire his death. If not for Bo – and there was another issue I'd have to deal with later – I'm not sure how cognisant I'd have been after brutalising that bastard.

Still, I'd had some control when I'd left the prison complex, though that shattered the moment I found Vosa, and from then on, my actions were a shitshow of mistakes. Vosa had done her best to keep me unbalanced – in her shoe's I'd have done the same – and had clearly not taken the fight seriously. At least not until near the end.

The more I reviewed my memories, the more it became obvious that she'd been leading me away from everyone else, especially Dooku. While that was undoubtedly so she could find a moment to recapture me, I suspected it was also because she feared facing her former master; knowing that she wasn't anywhere near his level. While our fight wasn't a great indication of her skill, from what little I saw, I felt that, had I been in control and peak condition, I likely could have bested her and killed her if I so wished. Whereas Dooku would've wiped the floor with her.

Instead, I'd been a mess. Trying to use Makashi while enraged ruined everything that made the form so effective against other lightsaber combatants. There were a few moments where, if I squinted, I had Djem-So, but those were few and far between, and certainly not enough to suggest I'd been doing so consciously.

Another option might've been to engage Player's Mind once that shabyir mask had been removed, but with my PP depleted by said mask, and me drawing on my rage to keep myself going, that wouldn't have worked. Certainly not when I'd lost control and any semblance of clear thinking had deserted me. My Force connection had been disrupted by the mask, but not enough that once it was removed I could no longer use the Force; though most of that had been me bending it to my desires and not working in unison with it.

I sighed into the mask and felt the bacta around me shift slightly. Once I was out of this tank, Dooku was going to make me go over every action I'd taken from when Bo had freed me, and none of it was going to make me look good. I could already hear the disapproval in his tone as he ripped my pathetic form to shreds and offered barbed comments on my lack of focus and recklessness.

I didn't disagree though and realising that I was going to be stuck in this tank for a while yet, I set about preparing not just a review of my fight for him, but comments on how I'd fucked up. Even if he didn't directly challenge me about various moments in the fight, or ask me for my opinions, I knew that I needed to be prepared as if he would.

Plus, it would help keep my mind off Bo, and how comforting and enjoyable that kiss had been.

… …

… …

"I am curious how you would answer that." Dooku's words threw my question back in my face, which was something I'd expected, and drew a snort of amusement from me.

Currently, we were sitting in quarters the Lokella had set aside for me whenever I visited the station – and which were slightly larger than the quarters given to Dooku, Fay or others, but that was neither here nor there – as I recuperated from my ordeal at the hands of the Bando Gora.

Since waking up in the tank I'd had about a week to prepare for this talk, though Dooku had at least given me a day out of the tank to regain my balance before he'd arrived and made clear we would be discussing everything since my capture. With us sitting at the small table in my quarters, Fenrir had decided to use my bed and was currently stretched out as he snoozed; his legs occasionally twitching as he dreamed.

One thing had stuck out to me in what Dooku had explained and that regarded the Jedi, and to say I was pissed at the lack of help offered by the Jedi High Council would be like saying Hutts are a repugnant species. I could easily imagine the 'Will of the Force' bullshit they'd spewed to Fay when she'd spoken with them. Yet, once I'd cooled down a little and considered it, there was some logic to it. If one squinted and looked at things from their point of view through a damaged telescope. Probably after inhaling dozens of death sticks and ingesting a lethal amount of spice.

Comparing their behaviour to that of Dukes Adonai and Torrhen, who'd each sent a child of their own along with Gar and Rook while involved in the middle of a civil war made me seriously question why I was sticking it out with the Order. Or it would've if not for the person sitting opposite me had made clear that the fact that the greatest known source of knowledge on the Force existed in the Temple on Coruscant; and that many of those sources would become available to me once I was knighted. Of course, that had me planning to spend time completing the Just Don't Get Caught quest as quickly as possible while doing as many training quests as I could. Punishment from the High Council allowing. It also made me wonder if Dooku was planning something more than just getting me access to places like the holocron vaults, but even if he was prepping to rob the temple blind, I didn't care and after this shitshow, I was more than willing to help him when the time was right.

When our discussion had reached the rescue mission, I was both disappointed and relieved that Fay hadn't been present. Dooku and Vos had launched their attack while my other master was still on-route as they didn't wish the intel they'd uncovered to dry up. If Fay had been there, I doubted I'd have been brought to the Lokella for treatment and instead taken directly to the Temple. And that was saying nothing of how willingly I'd embraced the Dark Side while fighting Vosa or how that conversation with her and the High Council would still have to take place as there was little doubt in my mind that I could avoid those talks any better than I was avoiding this "review" with Dooku.

I'd been a little upset that Aayla had stayed on the Ne'tra Sartr, but I understood her motives. From what Dooku had revealed, the young Twi'lek had been struggling with self-doubt since my capture. I didn't blame her for what happened or the choices she'd made as recognising your weaknesses was something I considered a sign of maturity. Still, I'd have to talk with her the next time we spoke to let her know it hadn't been her fault for my capture, though when that'd be I couldn't say as she'd taken Vos back to the Temple after my rescue.

Once we'd reached the review of my release by Bo – and Dooku hadn't commented, bar the raising of a single eyebrow, on my reveal that I'd kissed her as a way to centre my thoughts – and the others he'd been probing me about why I'd made the choices I had, and what I'd have done better. He'd then stated that he'd seen me engage Vosa but chosen to heal Vos instead of moving to help. I'd asked why that was, which was what drew his challenging response.

"Somehow, I just knew you were going to say that." My comment generated a faint sense of amusement from Dooku.

"Then I assume you have considered the possible reasons why I chose the path I did?" He took a sip of his blossom wine after asking. I felt my eyebrow twitch in annoyance. It irked me that I was stuck on a restorative diet arranged by the Lokella's chief physician for at least another few days.

I leaned back in my chair and brought my ideas to the forefront of my mind. "The most obvious would be that you were unaware that I'd engaged Vosa, however, you were too close to have failed to sense me engaging Vosa," I spoke slowly, taking my time to lay out both the possibility and the reason why I'd discounted it. This was a habit I'd picked up from Dooku and merged with my former life's training on how to carry out post-operation debriefs. Dooku rolled his fingers in a gesture for me to explain.

"Once that mask," I took a breath to calm myself. A faint shiver had run across my skin at even mentioning the mask as Dooku had explained it was a Sith creation that was used to break Jedi in millennia gone by disrupting their connection to the Force. How the Bando Gora had gotten a hold of such a thing was unknown, but they had and while the mask hadn't been destroyed – Dooku mentioned a short time ago that he had a use for it – I doubted I'd be comfortable around it for a very long time. Or any mask for that matter as Eidetic Memory would likely work against me and force me to relive the sensations of that mask every time I tried to wear another. "Once the mask was removed, I was able to sense you and Vos. It was hard to be sure of where, with how corrupted the Force was in that place, but I knew you were in the facility." I took another moment as the first cold, twisted feeling of reaching into the Force in the Bando Gora base came to mind. "When I engaged Vosa I knew you were very close by, perhaps even just a room or two away. If I could sense that in my… unbalanced state, then you'd have known I'd engaged her. Which defeated my initial reason."

"I then considered that maybe Knight Vos's injuries were more severe than I'd realised, but there again I saw an issue. Even if Knight Vos was gravely wounded, but could be saved, I feel that you'd place more importance on my safety than his." Dooku's brow rose as I explained my reasoning. "I'm not trying to be arrogant, Master. I simply feel that to you, I have greater worth."

"That is indeed true, though I had not realised I had become so easy to decipher."

I chuckled at Dooku's faux annoyance. "You're not, Master. After several years around you, I think I'm beginning to develop an understanding of how you think. Not an entire picture mind you, but perhaps just the edges which is enough, I hope, to make educated guesses about your reasoning."

Dooku raised his cup in what I assumed was a form of acceptance of my explanation, and thus I returned to going through my thought process. "With those two obvious reasons out of the way, I admit I struggled for some time to come up with another that made sense." I took a moment and sipped at the cup of water on the table in front of me. My throat was a touch sore from all the talking I was doing, but I wasn't willing to stop until I knew why he'd done what he did. "One idea I rejected was that perhaps you hoped Vosa would kill Bo. I suspect both you and Master Fay feel I've grown too close to her over the last year. However, I rejected that as the political fallout from her dying while under our care would be more… disruptive than allowing our friendship to continue. Losing Duke Adonai as an ally, with what we know about the future, would be a political mistake I don't think you'd want to make."

"In regard to both the suggestion and why you rejected it, your logic is impeccable." I felt the faintest ripple of pride coming from Dooku as he spoke. "While I admit I was… confused by your decision to train for a year with the Mandalorians, in hindsight, I can see the logic in the move. Inside a year you've done something that few Jedi in history have managed and gained powerful factions within their people as allies. With the Sith on the move in the shadows, the logic in bringing the other major faction historically opposed to the Jedi and Republic that has been a consistent galactic power since almost the founding of the Old Republic to our side is undeniable. A brave, and unexpected move that will no doubt have importance for what is to come." I couldn't help but smile at him not only for approving of my thought processes but of my training on Mandalore as well. I knew he'd accepted it from the beginning, but to have that confirmed, and earn his praise for the move, was nice to hear. "Were there any other reasons you considered for why I may have not moved to help you against Komari as quickly as I could have?"

"There are a couple, but the only one that made the most sense, however strange to most people it would be, was that you stayed with Vos not because of how gravely injured he was, but because you wished to test me against Vosa. To see how well I'd handle a skilled lightsaber combatant for real while suffering from… weaknesses." While Dooku came across as cold and calculating to many, there was more to him than being a borderline sociopath. He stared at me intently, the wine all but forgotten, and I wondered if I had perhaps gone too far.

"And if that was my intention, how would you feel about my actions?"

The question from Dooku came after at least half a minute of silence, yet I'd expected him to reply with a question. Him challenging me and wanting me to determine how and why events had happened was a common feature of his behaviour towards me over the last few years. At his core, Dooku was entirely reasonable and pragmatic, if you had some understanding of his approach to life, which was something I felt I was developing from training under him for over five years and knowing a little about why he'd become the way he had been as Darth Tyrannus.

"When I first considered it, I was furious." So furious in fact that I'd had to activate Player's Mind to regain control of myself, though once I did I wondered why there's been no damage to the bacta tank as had happened with Vader when he had first been encased in his armour. "The idea that after six years of training, you'd be willing to risk my life by letting me engage the person responsible for… what happened… yeah it was probably a good thing I was in a bacta tank," I spoke slowly, taking time to lay out my words as I tried not to relive anything of my time under Vosa's tender mercies. "However, with me being stuck in the bacta, I had time to move past that – or at least, put it to one side – and consider your logic for such a decision."

I paused and drank some more water to quell the irritation in my throat. "Even though it'd been years since you'd trained Vosa, you'd have a solid understanding of her base style and Force abilities. From that, you could extrapolate the likelihood of how easily, if at all, I could defeat Vosa, meaning that you felt that we were at least relative in power, so it wasn't like you were setting me against insurmountable odds. Then, assuming I did win, the next challenge was to see if I'd kill her. Regardless of how either the duel or the moment where I could, potentially, have the chance to kill Vosa played out, you had a useful, if not unique, moment to test me."

My piece said, I leaned back in my chair, and ignored the phantom pain that came from my extremities. I knew I was healed, that the physical scars of what had been done to me were gone, but the mental ones were going to be there for a long, long time.

For the second time in a few minutes, silence reigned in my quarters as I waited for Dooku's response. He lifted his wine and took a long, controlled sip that felt, to me, as if it was designed to see how I'd react to him delaying his reply.

"It appears that I have become predictable, or at least to you, my Padawan, in ways I hadn't expected nor calculated for." The faintest of twitches from his lips made it clear he wasn't annoyed about this. "Your hypothesis about why I remained with Knight Vos, beyond his wounds being severe, was correct. As is your logic as to why I did so. Though it appears that you have missed two pieces of reasoning I had in that, while Master Fay and I have taught you implicitly about the dangers of the Dark Side, you hadn't, until then, experienced those dangers. I believe it is safe to say you now have a greater understanding of its insidious nature if one is not properly prepared for the encounter. Also, knowing what I do of Komari's training and yours, I felt that, if you so wished, you would be able to defeat her, if not kill her outright. However, with you unbalanced, I felt the chances of that were lower than ideal."

"Yes, Master."

He glanced over at the door as if to reassure himself it was still closed. "While I am disappointed that you were not able to overcome the lure of the Dark Side enough to defeat Komari in single combat, I am satisfied that you have both learnt the lesson regarding the Dark Side and were responsible enough to not lose complete awareness of your surroundings. Distracting Komari long enough for Miss Kryze to wound her was, if not how I had hoped the duel would end, an acceptable alternative. For now." There was no warning in his tone, but I knew it was one. While a small part of me hoped to never be in a similar situation again, the majority of my mind knew that was unlikely to happen. "I am also grateful that, when the moment came, you resisted the urge to eliminate Komari permanently."

I sighed and looked down, embarrassed about the truth. "Master, that wasn't the case. When I saw her on the floor and still alive, I wanted to kill her. I tried to, but I lost consciousness before I could." That action, more than anything about the battle with Vosa, was the thing that I was most disappointed about. I understood and accepted that killing in cold blood was sometimes warranted but doing so because of a personal need for revenge and taking joy in trying to do so was, to me, a sign of emotional weakness and instability that was only partially mitigated by the circumstances of my emotional state at the time.

Dooku leaned back in his chair and stroked his beard. The chair creaked with the movement though it failed to disturb Fenrir who was, going by the wagging of his tail, enjoying whatever he was dreaming about. Thank the Force the spikes on the tail weren't yet sharp or my bedsheets would be ruined. "While I am disappointed that you attempted to kill Komari, particularly in such a manner, the fact you are willing to admit to this failing is encouraging. Force willing, you will never be placed in such a position again, but should that still happen, I expect the lesson to have been learned and that you will not repeat such a failure."

"Yes, Master." I considered explaining why I'd wanted to kill Vosa, only to stop. Dooku likely could already guess why, and even if he didn't, I doubted he cared enough to listen to me essentially whine about what had happened to me. Instead, I turned my attention to another issue. "What will be done with her?"

I knew Vosa was still alive as I could sense her faintly, though I was unable to get a lock on her on the Minimap. Either she was far further away than I could sense with Detection or, and this was my preferred option, she was currently being forced to wear the same mask she'd forced me to wear.

"Currently Komari is secured aboard this station. The Lokella have the disruption field in that room turned up to its fullest." Dooku paused and I sensed some trepidation from him. "They've also placed the mask used against you on her."

As Dooku paused to finish off the last of his wine, I couldn't keep a small smile from my face at hearing that. Vosa deserved that and more for what she'd done to me. "Once you're cleared to leave, we will be returning, with Master Fay – who will be arriving in a few days – to the Jedi Temple." His brow creased as he continued. "There are some, including members of the High Council, who disapprove of my decision to move against the Bando Gora without sanction. That may well have played into why no help was offered to Master Fay when she requested additional resources to locate and free you." I frowned at hearing once more about the stubbornness and, in my opinion, self-centred arrogance of the High Council. "On that, we agree." Dooku had clearly understood why my mood had suddenly soured. "While I expect them to attempt to discipline me over this mission, a move that is outside their rights to enact, for them to deny aid in locating a Jedi they consider…" He paused and took several long, deep breaths to calm himself. "That is an issue for me to handle, not one that you need to be burdened with. What is your concern is the fate of Komari Vosa."

"I plan to request the High Council's help in rehabilitating her. However, I doubt that they will do so. More likely they will demand she be imprisoned for her actions and left there for the rest of her life." To be honest, I couldn't bring myself to disagree with the Council on that. "As such, Komari will remain secured on the Ne'tra Sartr until after our inevitable meeting with the High Council. While I would prefer to have her remain somewhere more secure, leaving her here is a danger I will not place on the Lokella." That I could agree with, especially as Anakin was on the station. "If, as I suspect, the Council fails to offer support, I will be taking a leave of absence from the Order. Komari's fall is her failing, however, I feel my inaction in determining her fate after Baltizaar is my failing. As such, I will be rectifying that."

I tried to keep my anger at that plan off my face, but even if I did succeed, Dooku must've sensed it as he gave me a pointed look. "I can understand your feelings on the matter and the concern you may have that I'm abandoning your training. That is simply untrue. I will be handing responsibility for your training over to Master Fay. This was an idea that Master Fay and I had regarding your training when we initially took you as our Padawan."

"Yes, Master." It was obvious that I wasn't happy about this, though I was honest enough to admit that my dislike of this plan was more to do with losing Dooku as a mentor for a year than him attempting to rehabilitate Vosa. While I doubted that would be possible to a degree that I could accept – never mind the High Council – I understood Dooku's reasoning and sense of guilt over Vosa's fate. Of course, that wouldn't stop me from killing her if Dooku failed in helping her and she became a threat once more.

Dooku considered my face for a moment before he spoke again. "While I understand your reluctance over this, I am grateful you are willing to trust my judgement. I am fully aware that Komari may be beyond saving, at least as far as being a Jedi is concerned, but I feel she still has a role to play in what is to come." A finger traced the rim of his now empty glass of wine. "Since you are showing remarkable clarity of thought today, I wonder if you understand why I brought you to the Lokella instead of seeking support from the Order or the Mandalorians?"

The abrupt change of topic caught me off guard and I blinked several times. Once over my initial shock, I considered the question as I felt my finger tap my chin. "For the Jedi, I'd imagine it had something to do with not wanting them to see they were right about your initial mission. Returning with me badly wounded would've lent credence to those who felt you'd acted rashly in moving against the Bando Gora; or more as they probably already feel my capture was a justification of their decision. There's also the fact that I need time to process what, and how, I did what I did. Given that Grandmaster Yoda sensed my moment of weakness on Tatooine, the risk that any… stench," I frowned as I felt that word was wrong, but at the moment, I couldn't come up with a better one, "of the Dark Side was still upon me from what I did in the Bando Gora base was too great a risk to take. Plus, if you'd arrived with me in a coma and Vosa in chains, the slim chance they might help you with her rehabilitation," I paused and took a breath to brush off the ripple of anger I felt at even offering Vosa such a chance, "would be gone."

Dooku nodded and I sensed some pride from him. "And Mandalore?"

I wasn't as sure there, though I did have an idea. "Political, possibly."

"How so?"

While there was a part of me that wanted to roll my eyes at Dooku for turning everything linked to my rescue into a teaching moment, I felt I understood why he was doing it. It was another test; one designed to show I could understand my weaknesses and the reasoning behind the actions of others. Both he and Fay treated me as a young man instead of the boy I physically was, so this was a logical way to go about that, while also teaching me to analyse the world around me. While I was comfortable with combat post-operation debriefs from my former life, learning how to apply that logic to economic, sociological, and political situations was a skill I suspected I would need in the future.

"Mandalorian culture places a great deal of importance on physical ability. If I'd returned to the sector, even after months of torture, unconscious and unable to defend myself, it could be considered a sign of weakness." Right now, I was simply thinking aloud as I hadn't placed much thought into why Dooku hadn't taken me to the Mandalorians as, outside of his issues with them, I didn't think there would be. Thinking it through now though was revealing other possible reasons. "After spending a year training beside them and earning a reputation as both a clan leader and warrior, all in preparation for what is to come, then me arriving back in-system unable to even defend myself would likely damage that reputation."

As I waited for Dooku to reply I considered that what I'd just told him was likely not entirely true. From my time on Mandalore, I felt that they'd be fine with a warrior returning home badly injured; so long as their opponent was either captured or killed in the process. A moment after that thought, Dooku gave me a rare smile. "Indeed. If you had ended the battle in any condition that allowed you to walk under your own power, even with a crutch, I would have taken young Ordo up on the offer to have you recuperate on Mandalore." The smile faded though I could easily sense his pride. "I'm pleased to see that while your body has been invalidated, your mind has remained as sharp and that you are beginning to understand the implications of both your actions and that of others, based on the actions you take." He stood, picking up the empty cup as he did. "That said, once the medical staff are content that you have physically healed from your ordeal, I feel it would be prudent to increase the veracity of your training. Both as a Jedi and in understanding how the galaxy truly works; from the shining, decadent lights of Coruscant to the lowest backwater world with any importance."

I nodded in acceptance. Even while I doubted that I'd enjoy either set of lessons, I knew they would be of great help as I stepped out of the shadow of my masters and started to affect the galaxy directly. Though at least the political lessons would be less physically painful than my lightsaber and Force training.

"Before I leave, I would like to offer my thanks." That caught me off guard as Dooku rarely offered thanks, saving it for those he felt truly derived it. "By capturing Komari Vosa, even if it wasn't your intention, you have allowed me to rectify an… error in judgement. Much as you did when we were on Mandalore." His eyes narrowed and I felt the faintest of brushes against my mind from the Force. "If I did not know you better, and how some of these events were not done by you intentionally, I would suspect you were doing this deliberately to ingratiate yourself with me."

"I…" I paused almost as soon as I started to reply as, on some level, I was doing these things to gain his support and trust. And not just because I had a quest linked to preventing him from becoming Darth Tyrannus – with said quest having had another objective added and completed. Strangely I had grown to enjoy my time training with Dooku. It was never fun or easy, but there was something in the man that, outside of his similar feelings about the state of the galaxy, I felt a kinship with.

"I am not accusing you of manipulating me on purpose, only that through you, The Force is guiding me to places and people from my past where I have wondered about my choices." Dooku's words were delivered in his usual stoic tone, but I felt there was an honesty and curiosity behind them. As if he was wondering why the Force was guiding his hand in these matters. "With that being said, I feel I have taken up enough of your time. There are others onboard who wish to speak with you, even some that do not realise it, and I would be remiss in my duty as your master to monopolise your time."

"Yes, Master." A smirk crept onto my face at Dooku's strange attempt at a joke; or at least what I was taking as one. Many of our sessions together, be they lightsaber training, meditation, or discussions such as this, often ran longer than planned and not once had he ever seemed to consider others when ending such a session.

He walked from my room, cup in hand, leaving me alone in my thoughts. However, before I could review the meeting I'd just had, Fenrir stirred in my bed and turned his head toward the door as a familiar presence, one mixed with worry and excitement, approached.

The door opened and a small, soft missile tipped with a golden-brown warhead shot into the room, slamming into me with enough force to make my chair slide into the edge of my bed. I felt Fenrir move behind me, though there was no sense he was going to attack Anakin; those playful sessions when we'd helped transport the newly freed slaves from Tantajoc had helped the pup grow to see Anakin was not a threat.

"Anakin!" The exasperated cry of Shmi drew my eyes to the door to see her following her son into my room. "Let him go! His wounds are still fresh and such rash actions might reopen them."

Anakin all but leapt away from me, glancing down at his hands as if they were suddenly weapons. "S-sorry, I just-" I cut him off by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's fine," I spoke with a smile to help reassure him. "The docs have cleared me to move around, though I'm still stuck in this room for at least another day or so, just to be on the safe side."

He nodded and slipped into the seat Dooku had just vacated. "I know. Um, I mean, wh-hat happened?" He leaned forward one hand absently moving to pat Fenrir who'd slipped off the bed and was now on the floor under the table. "A-about a week ago I thought I sensed something weird in a dream. Like I wanted to hurt someone badly. Master Dooku said that might be because we share a connection in the Force but he didn't explain what that means, or what happened."

I struggled to keep a frown from my face at hearing that Anakin had experienced even some of what I'd been going through. Our bond was considered low by the Interface, but with our strength of connection to the Force, that seemed to be enough for him to sense echoes of what I'd felt. I was concerned as having Anakin even indirectly brush up against the Dark Side while so young and untrained wasn't a path I wanted to be anywhere near, never mind travel down. Plus there was also the concern that if Anakin had felt it, then others with whom I shared bonds with, had as well.

"It means that, in the 'eyes' of the Force, we're friends." I didn't want to go into too much detail, both because it would fly over Anakin's head and it may well concern Shmi and make her reluctant to let Anakin be trained once he was old enough for me to do so without the Council being able to stop me. "As for what happened… We were searching for clues about Master Dooku's Padawan before me. Clues that led us to a criminal cult that, rather unexpectedly, that former Padawan led. The cult… they'd changed her, made her evil, and she'd grown powerful enough to take control of them." I didn't like labelling anyone as out and out evil, but the Bando Gora and Komari Vosa were worthy of that title in my eyes. I knew I was biased, but after what I'd endured, I didn't give a fuck if that was wrong. "During our investigation, I was captured. Vosa, that was the Padawan's name, and you are not to go anywhere near her cell, am I clear?" I shifted subject and tone as a random thought of Anakin being curious about Vosa and trying to meet her flashed through my mind. Anakin nodded, though I doubted he understood my worry and I looked over at Shmi. Her face was marred by a heavy frown even as she nodded, letting me know she'd do all she could to ensure Anakin never got near Vosa. I also made a mental note to talk with Dooku and Baalta about that.

"Vosa, she wanted to change me, make me like her to hurt Master Dooku. I resisted but…" I paused and looked away, not wanting him to see the pain I knew was reflected in my eyes. "I was close to breaking before Bo, Master Dooku and the others found me." I turned back once I felt I was able to hide the pain from his sight. "After I was free, I… well, I lost it. I wanted to do things to Vosa that I shouldn't and that resulted in me making another mistake. One that almost meant she could steal me away again."

I lifted my arms, letting him see the various lighter lines all over them from the various wounds I'd taken well under Vosa's tender mercy. The bacta had healed all of them, which was fine by me as I didn't need physical scars of what had happened; the mental ones were going to be far more than enough.

"So Vosa is a better fighter than you?"

I shook my head as I looked at the boy, wondering why that was the first thing he took from my story. "Yes, and no. With how I was when I attacked her, I was never going to win. Something I only realised after I woke up in the bacta tank. However, having played the fight over in my head, I feel I could take her if I fought her on a more even footing." Perhaps I was being arrogant, but nothing I'd seen in my review of my duel with her suggested I couldn't take her, and Dooku had felt the same as he'd allowed me to go after her without his support.

I leaned forward, wanting to make sure what I said next struck home. "The fact that she could take me down, even if I was not my usual self, is why you aren't to go anywhere near her. If she could do that to me, I hate to imagine what she'd do to you. I-I'd never forgive myself if what happened to me happened to you." Yes, I was playing on his and his mother's emotions, but I felt the point needed to be enforced as firmly as it could.

Anakin gulped hard. "I-um, I won't go there. I promise."

"Good." I turned to Shmi as she spoke. "I know you like to learn Ani, but on this, I agree with Cameron and Master Dooku. There are… dangers in the galaxy that even a Jedi can struggle with. I-I know you want to be a Jedi like Cameron one day, but I… I don't want to lose you."

I silently wondered how things were going to play out for them now. I'd taken them from Tatooine, so Shmi dying to Tusken raiders was highly unlikely to happen, but as Yoda had said, the future was always in motion.

"You won't! I'm going to be the best Jedi ever! Nothing will ever hurt you!" I couldn't help but smile at his childish bravado. It seemed that the need to save people still ran true within him, even if he was no longer a slave. Though I'd have to make sure to focus that desire better, otherwise he would still be at risk of falling under the sway of someone like Darth Sidious. "Hey Cam, what's up with Bo?"

"Huh?" Yes, my reply lacked intelligence, but that had come at me out of Wild Space.

"Bo's not left the Sartr since you arrived." Anakin paused and frowned as if thinking hard about something. "I've only seen her at meals, and she always takes her food back to the ship."

I glanced at Shmi for confirmation and got it with a nod. Sighing, I looked back at Anakin. "Um, something happened during the mission. I did something and, well, I don't think Bo approved." I rubbed the back of my head as I explained and tried to keep things vague enough that Shmi didn't pick up on what I'd done. No need to start rumours among the Lokella that Bo and I were together. "I'll-uh, speak with her when I can."

"Good. It's no fun having you both here and no one to play with." Of course, that was Anakin's reasoning for asking, I thought as I chuckled at his childish logic. Though it did once more show his need to help and protect others, even if he didn't understand what was wrong or why.

Suddenly an idea came to me; one that would both distract Anakin from thinking more about my situation with Bo and help further unlock some of his talents. "Hmm, you like building things, right?"

"Yeah. I'm trying to make a droid to help everyone around here. Mainly with medical stuff for when they rescue other slaves, but also to help defend them." My brow rose at hearing that, but it was a good idea.

"Huh. Well, if you're busy with that, I doubt you'd want to go over the schematics to the Ne'tra Sartr." I leaned back as if pulling the offer from the table.

"What? No! I want that!" Anakin shouted, all but leaping across the table at me, before a cough from Shmi made him settle back in his chair. "Um, I mean, yeah, I'd like that."

I chuckled at the behaviour. "Then I'll ask Dooku to download a copy for you."

"Wizard!" He turned to Shmi, a large grin surging across his face. "Did you hear that mum?"

"I did." Shmi glanced my way before shifting her stance. "Now, I believe Cameron needs to rest, and I think someone has classes to attend."

Anakin's joy at getting access to the schematics fell in an instant. "Yes, mum." He slid from the chair, though not before smiling at me. "Thanks. And I'm glad you're ok."

"Me too, kid. Me too." I leaned forward and ruffled his hair, making him scowl, then watched the Skywalkers leave.

Fenrir came over, rubbing up against my leg for attention. As I reached down to pet him, I wondered about this droid Anakin was designing. It wouldn't be a protocol droid – Thank the Force – but I was curious what he could do with better resources. As much as I detested C3PO, Anakin had built him from scrap. That was a skill worth developing, hence why I was giving him access to the Sartr's plans. It was a good ship, great in many ways, but I felt it could be better, so what better way to see if that was true than giving the plans to a boy with an insane ability with technology to see what he could improve? Force, if he could improve it, I might have to ask him for help with HK's when I redesigned his combat frame. The current design I had was… lacking. Though imagining how annoyed it would make HK if I put him on something not much beyond a B1 battle droid made me chuckle.

However, that amusement fell as my mind shifted to Bo. I'd kissed her as I needed something physical to focus on as my connection to the Force was restored, and while it wasn't how I'd have made that connection if I'd been more rational, it's what I'd done on an instinctual level. What made things worse, beyond the fact Bo had no genuine interest in me, was that I'd enjoyed the kiss and, even though I'd caught her by surprise, she hadn't resisted or complained.

I sighed and ran my free hand over my face. This was a kriffing mess that I wasn't looking forward to cleaning up.

… …

… …

Fay walked as quickly as she dared without it seeming to others that she was in a hurry. Dooku had met her when she'd arrived on Mtael's Gift, though the name that normally brought a smile to her face didn't. As they'd walked he went over certain details of both Cameron's capture and rescue that she'd wanted clarified after their numerous holocalls.

While she understood his need to not reveal full details over the Holonet, even if she felt it was another sign of his growing paranoia regarding the Order and the lurking Sith presence, she disliked being in the dark on matters such as this.

Her mind had sensed Cameron's with ease the moment her transport exited hyperspace, but the Padawan seemed reserved, almost as if there was something he was hiding from her. She'd pressed Dooku on this, but he'd been reluctant to reveal anything about what the issue might be. Still, she knew from the Force that it wasn't anything bad.

Several members of the Lokella paused and nodded to her as she walked past. The mark of respect meant little to her as them being free was the will of the Force and not something she was responsible for, but she allowed it as it brought them comfort.

As she approached Cameron's quarters, she sensed something… unusual in the Force. There was another being in the room with him, one with a strong connection to the Force. No, not another being but an animal of some kind, one that resonated powerfully within the Force.

She glanced at Dooku who was walking a step behind her and to her right, but his face gave away nothing. Nor was there any hint of concern or danger from him within the Force; though she felt she sensed some amusement coming from him. How unusual.

Her curiosity regarding this animal was minor when compared to her need to see Cameron was well with her own eyes, yet it did make her speed increase just a touch.

She walked forward as the doors to Cameron's quarters opened. "Cameron, it is good to…" Her words failed as she spotted the relatively small black mass that was sprawled out over the Padawan's legs as he lay on the bed. It took her mind a few seconds to realise just what she was looking at and once she did, she turned and gave Dooku a pointed glare.

The Human stood calmly, unmoved by any annoyance he could sense from her, but that feeling of amusement from him had grown far stronger upon her reaction.

"Master?"

Cameron's voice had her turn back to face him; her face removing any hint of shock and dislike it had held as she did. "I'm well Cameron, I was just not expecting to find you had collected a new… companion."

Cameron smiled and scratched the Tuk'ata – Fay was fully aware of what it was, having encountered the species before. "Yeah, Fenrir takes some getting used to, but he's a giant softy." Yet, to find that her Padawan, one with destiny in the Force, had found a beast forever linked to the Sith due to their initial creation during his ordeal… The idea bothered her far more than it should've. Yet, as she watched the young beast roll over and expose its belly to her Padawan, Fay couldn't bring herself to be annoyed at their newest travelling companion.

"And when and where did you discover… Fenrir?" The name sounded strange, and she couldn't place where it came from. There was something in it though, something that hinted at danger, and she'd have to use the Jedi Archives to search for mentions of the word to confirm her theory.

"We found him in the Tantajoc system," Cameron replied sheepishly, which was confusing to Fay. "I-um, accidentally may have formed a bond with him when we met, but he was just so frightened that I wanted to help him feel better." That explained Cameron's behaviour, though not Master Dooku's.

She turned to her fellow Jedi Master and raised an eyebrow. His reply was nothing more than a shrug, but it was enough to confirm that he'd intentionally withheld this fact to surprise her.

While there was nothing inherently wrong with that, it did mean she now felt a need to… return the favour.

… …

… …

"How's the loading going?"

Bo didn't turn at my question, though even with the armour on, I could see her tense. "Supplies are loaded and we're ready to leave whenever you are." With that statement, she stalked towards the landing ramp of the Ne'tra Sartr and I sighed. While I understood her reasoning for being so stiff with me, I wasn't even close to happy about it.

It had been about a week since I'd come out of the bacta tank and three days since I'd talked to Bo about that kiss. I'd explained that I'd done it purely to help centre myself after being freed of the mask – and I'd barely managed to suppress a full-body shiver at even thinking about that thing – and apologised for how I'd kissed her and overstepping our friendship by taking advantage of her in the moment. I considered trying to explain that I'd needed the grounding to calm the incessant voices in my head demanding I kill everyone on the Bando Gora base for what had been done to me, but that was not something I wanted to dump on her. I wasn't going to use it as an excuse, no matter how true it was.

An awkward silence that stretched into minutes had developed as I'd waited for her response. I'd sensed a growing pool of anger from her. However, instead of punching me as I'd expected her to do – at a minimum – she'd just asked why we hadn't gone to Mandalore as it was far closer to Bogdan – the system the Bando Gora base was in – than the Lokella system; especially as there were better and more readily available medical facilities under the control of her father.

I'd explained what I'd suggested to Dooku about why he'd brought me here, even if I didn't entirely agree with his thinking. That had drawn a snort from Bo followed by a shake of her head. She'd bluntly told me that we'd misread the culture – and she seemed annoyed at me more than Dooku about this – as to the Mando'ade, there was no shame in coming back from a battle gravely wounded. So long as the warrior fought well and with honour, which she assured me I had even if I'd been more aggressive than she'd expected, and that the warrior learnt from their injuries, then there was no dishonour involved.

Before I could comment on that – and the more I considered it the more it made perfect sense – she turned and walked away and since then, had been blunt and standoffish with me. Not once had she stayed in a training area of the station to spar with me, and when both of us were in the firing range and she realised it, she left. Then again, given what Observe had revealed - when I'd used it on her as she'd walked away after I'd given my explanation - it was hardly a surprise. Bo was, rather unexpectedly, confused about how my kiss had made her feel, felt I'd abused her in kissing her how I had and wasn't happy about me not talking about the kiss as anything more than a way to re-centre myself.

Honestly, I didn't want to even bring up how the kiss made us both feel, mainly because I'd prefer to not deal with such things, but I realised we'd need to talk about that before we reached Coruscant, and give her a fuller explanation of why I'd done what I'd done. Hopefully, she'd be able to move on from it, and lose the confusion she was experiencing. From there, I could work on restoring any trust she'd lost in me - though it was hard to tell exactly how much her opinion of me had fallen as Reputation was only ever a range and not exact figures - and we could return to how things used to be.

The only time she had been more civil was whenever Anakin was around. There, she'd done her best to act normal, but I knew Anakin knew something was up. Thankfully, he never brought it up when all three of us were together, though he did ask a few times privately if things were going to go back to how they had been between me and Bo.

I told him they would, but it would take time. What I'd not mentioned to him was that, with me and Bo going back to Coruscant, that time would likely be extended. Bo had made it clear that while she would still be travelling with us, she'd be staying on the Sartr with HK – who I was not going to bring anywhere near the Temple with the shitstorm I was about to walk into, no matter how much he professed to want to see how skilled the current era of Jedi were – instead of residing as a guest of the Jedi.

Having the pair stay on the ship was probably for the best as the idea of an irritated Mandalorian running around the Temple was a recipe for disaster. Plus, the more Bo avoided the temple the less likely it was that Serra or anyone else learnt about my kiss with Bo. Yes, it hadn't been a romantic gesture, and yes things between me and Serra were far more comfortable, but it was far safer to avoid stirring the pot in that regard; particularly as it had been the drug-induced visions of Serra that had tricked me into falling for Vosa's trap in the first place.

Yet even if Bo wasn't in the Temple, the odds of her avoiding trouble on Coruscant were slim. The surface of the ecumenopolis was generally safe and orderly, once you headed down a few dozen levels, things became a lot murkier and more dangerous. Or so I'd heard as I'd not had the chance to explore there personally. And there was no way that Bo wouldn't head down there the first chance she got. If she got into any real trouble – unlikely so long as she didn't go too far down – then I'd likely have to go and help her, which would just give the Council further ammunition to use against me.

I sighed and shook my head before looking up at the ceiling of the landing bay. I had to be overreacting, hadn't I? I mean, how much trouble could one Mandalorian get into on the capital world of the Republic?

I put those concerns aside and looked up to a walkway that overlooked the bay. I already knew Anakin was standing there and saw that his mother, Baalta and other members of the Lokella ruling council had gathered to see us off. Even without the Force, it was easy to tell Anakin wasn't happy about me leaving again so soon after waking up, but he'd been so enamoured with the Sartr's schematics that I think he wasn't as put out as he was the last time we left. Force, he'd already found a way to improve the Sartr's power efficiency by two per cent. It wasn't much, but both Bo and HK had been impressed with the change. HK was still a little sceptical of Anakin being of much worth, but that might just be because Anakin was still a child.

If there were more upgrades to come when I next spoke with Anakin, I'd see about having them sent to Duke Adonai, for a small commission for Anakin of course. Beyond improving our friendship, it was a logical step to take in improving the forces of the best military ally I had.

… …

… …
A/N: with that, we reach the end of the Fallen Apprentice arc with a return to the Temple on the horizon.
Also, as stated in the last chapter, I realise the flaw in seemingly not having the Interface/System used almost at all. This chapter sees its return, in what I plan in the more limited role I plan for it going forward.
... ...
As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own and you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse

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USSExplorer

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Sep 16, 2022

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

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

Current date: 3 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Facing the Council 1
… …

I look around, taking in the gently rolling green hills and clear blue skies, and relax in the warm light of a sun sitting about halfway up from the horizon.

"Cam." I turn at hearing the familiar voice coming from somewhere to my right. "Cam, where are you?"

The air shifts as I move, reacting to my presence. I move forward, heading towards the voice, but when I reach the peak of the nearest hill, I fail to see the speaker, though I note that clouds are gathering on the horizon.

The familiar hum of a lightsaber powering up comes from my left, yet when I look that way, I fail to see anyone or thing. The hum of a second lightsaber comes from further to my left, yet still I see nothing.

"Cam. I've missed you dearly." The voice drifted on the wind even as the lightsabers buzz around me. "Where did you go?"

I pivot, looking around for who was speaking. I knew the voice, yet still, I fail to see anyone as the clouds spread across the horizon, cutting the sky off from the ground with a thin white line.

"I'm looking for you, Cam."

I spin around, still unable to see who was talking, even as the ring of white grew stronger; clouds rolling towards my location. A breeze kicks up, cooling the air.

I move down the hill only to stop when my foot clips something. I look down and see a vambrace, immediately recognizing it as one of Bo's. The breeze grows stronger, drawing more heat from the air as the clouds start to blot out the sun.

"Where are you, Cam? Why are you hiding from me?" There's a shift in the voice, taking on an almost unhealthy tint. The hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand up. An urge to get away from the speaker drives me forward. "Don't go. You'll miss all the fun."

I demand my legs carry me away, but with each step, they seem to sink into the ground, as if the grass beneath me has turned into quicksand.

"There you are." A shiver rockets down my spine, almost paralysing me with fear. A second later I am frozen as a familiar, twisted laugh echoes around me. "I have you now."

In the blink of my eye, the world around me shifts. Gone are the green hills and dark clouds. I find myself lying on a hard surface, my arms and legs pulled away from me.

I strain to free myself, but my limbs are bound too tightly.

A sinister beam of red appears at the foot of my bed, followed by a second. A figure, a female, is silhouetted against the red. I go still as the figure steps closer and her face, once elegant and beautiful but now pale, twisted with yellow eyes framed by white hair, looks down at me.

"Finally, I've found you once more," Vosa says with a smile that is both caring and deranged at the same time. I struggle with greater ferocity against my restraints, but they refuse to move.

One of her hands touches my leg, her lightsaber still active, and I freeze. It feels as if lightning has shot through me as she traces her fingers carefully upwards. "You left before we could finish our training." She continues to smile, making her look both more attractive and insane.

Her fingers kept drifting upwards, the heat from her blade adding to the sensation, only for her fingers to drift outward as they reached my waist. Any relief I gain from that vanishes as she lifts a leg and then straddles me just above my knees.

She leans forward, both lightsaber-wielding hands coming toward my face. The heat from both almost burns my cheeks as all I can see is her face illuminated by the red glow of her blades. "We're going to have so much fun." She drags out the word 'so', then leans forward, licking the scar on my chest from my verd'goten.

She wiggles her hips upward, and then giggles as she stops over my groin. "See, your body wants this even if your mind is not yet ready."

The lightsabers depower, sending me into darkness. The only sensation comes from Vosa as she rocks herself from side to side. I feel her fingers touch my stomach and then slide down. "Time to finish your training." They hook under the rim of my underwear. "This is going to be so much fun."

… …

I shot up in my bed, my heart beating so hard it felt as if it would leap from my chest. My eyes darted around the room, looking for the source of that… nightmare. Nothing came into focus as the room seemed to spin in time with the frantic thumping of my heart.

I could feel my blood rushing through my veins, looking for a way to escape as my heart pushed it around at insane speeds. As the world came into focus, I reached for a cup beside my bed, only to knock it over, spilling the water all over the table. My hands were shaking as if from a high fever.

My breaths were quick and shallow, yet I felt as if I was struggling to breathe. My mind struggled to process what I'd just experienced even as I felt something shift at the foot of my bed. It took me a moment to remember Fenrir was there, and another to recall that during my captivity he'd grown from the size of a poodle to a German Shepherd; and according to Fay, he'd keep growing quickly until reaching close to his full height – potentially on-par with a Kath hound – by the time he was three.

I felt his presence, young and unfocused, within my mind; a feature of bonding with him. He was confused, and frightened, likely because of how I'd awoken. I reached out a still wildly vibrating hand, wanting to comfort him and myself even as my heart rattled around my chest. I needed to…

Calm flooded my mind as I regained enough awareness to engage Player's Mind. The terror that'd been wrenching at my soul was banished in an instant along with every emotional link to the dream I'd just experienced. I rebuked myself for trying to sleep without Player's Mind, but in the days since we'd left the Lokella system, I'd become reliant on it to avoid having episodes where my thoughts turned back to my time under Vosa's control, and I needed to stop doing that.

Logically, I knew I was suffering from some form of PTSD. I'd seen and experienced it in my former life. But that dream was… something else entirely. While it confirmed my choice to not sleep even with Player's Mind active as the right choice, I'd been ordered to rest by Fay as we were less than a day out from Coruscant and she wanted me rested and centred before we faced the High Council. I'd taken the chance that I'd be able to manage a night of sleep without the strange power active, but after … that, I knew I'd been wrong.

Both my masters had commented on the fact that my mind seemed unusually tranquil since we'd left the Lokella system, which meant they could sense when Player's Mind was engaged. That made perfect sense as not only had they known me for years, but both were highly skilled and experienced members of the Order. Still, suspecting I wouldn't be able to keep Player's Mind active while speaking with the Council, especially as Fay had explained they'd wish to observe me within the Force to see how my brushes with the Dark Side had affected me, I'd thought trying to sleep without it would work. Given the chronometer in the room saying it was barely past midnight and I'd gone to sleep around ten-thirty, it was safe to say the idea hadn't worked.

Fenrir pushed against my arm, then slumped against my leg – with far more weight than I'd expected – and my hand drifted to his head, scratching him just behind the ears. Hopefully, neither of my masters had been woken or disturbed by my dream, though I knew I'd have to discuss it with them come the morning. And Force was I not looking forward to that. As much as I'd try to avoid mentioning the more… provocative elements of the dream, both would likely pick up on it. While I might not be embarrassed about them knowing, as I was far from a normal teen, I was concerned about how Bo would react to it if she overheard us. Especially since at first, I'd thought the voice I'd heard was either her or Serra.

I'd spoken to Bo again about the kiss, and tried to further smooth things over, but she'd been distant, which made sense. Her learning that I'd had a dream like this, and thought perhaps the voice might've been hers, would not in any way help her deal with my kissing her and her reactions to it. Observe was still saying she was confused about what I'd done and about me in general, but at least she didn't seem to think I'd taken advantage of her.

A part of me did wonder if pursuing things with Bo would be worthwhile as, while I'd told Serra and myself that I didn't want to start anything until we were older and more mature, Bo was already physically older than me and lightyears beyond Serra in mental maturity. Then there was the fact she was a redhead; something I'd always had a weakness for. However, I'd promised Serra that we could revisit our feelings once we were older, so getting involved with Bo before then felt as if I was discarding Serra for Bo…

I shook my head. Nope, I wasn't going to think about this issue for now; even when I was putting the emotions behind it to one side with Player's Mind. And certainly not after just dreaming about Vosa in a highly provocative manner. I needed to talk with a shrink, or whatever the Jedi equivalent was, and neither Fay nor Dooku would likely have any interest in dealing with this. That was fine with me as discussing such things with either of them just felt all sorts of wrong. Now, I'd been talking with Fay every day since she'd arrived in the Lokella station, but she'd made sure we didn't go into too much detail as the wounds were still very fresh in my mind, and while those talks had been awkward as fuck, it was still far better than doing so with Dooku would ever be.

Still, I knew that at some point reasonably soon, I was going to have to sit down with Bo and determine what her feelings toward me were, if I wanted to act on them, and how to handle how I felt about Serra as well. Honestly, I'd considered not telling her about me kissing Bo but quickly dismissed the idea as that would only make things worse if she ever learnt about it at a later date if we were to grow closer.

Hopefully, Serra would understand why I'd kissed Bo when I had and would get over her anger about it quickly enough that it didn't damage our friendship as, when it came right down to it, Serra was my closest and best friend – in or out of the Order – and I needed that connection; which had surprised me a touch when I'd realised it.

I sighed and leaned back in bed. Fenrir pushed against my side as my hand started scratching him under his front leg. With Player's Mind active, I knew I wouldn't have another dream like I'd just had, yet even with my emotions suppressed, I was still concerned I would. Illogical, but entirely human. Plus, there was the fact that sleeping with Player's Mind active wasn't a long-term solution, but hopefully, that would be something I could work on once back at the Temple with Jedi trained to help those with mental problems.

… …

… …

"While we understand that this base was a trap, one soaked in the Dark Side due to the Bando Gora's actions beforehand, we are curious what drove you to race off toward these voices?" Windu's question was pointed but I was able to avoid flinching under his gaze as while he was a scary motherfucker, I'd faced review boards for actions in combat before. However, the fact that the High Council wished to review every action I'd taken since first setting foot on Mandalore over two years ago was, in Dooku's opinion, a highly unusual one to be taken regarding a Padawan. He'd stated that such matters were generally handled by the Council of First Knowledge and Yoda had explained, in that strange speech pattern of his, that I was an unusual Padawan, and the High Council reserved the right to review the actions of any member of the Order; from the smallest youngling to the wisest master.

So far, we'd reviewed my time on Mandalore - with a heavy focus on why I'd chosen to go there for training -, my decisions leading up to and during the honour duel, and the completion of my Verd'goten. Their opinions on all three could probably have been predicted by the aforementioned younglings for their dogmatism. And though I could feel that Dooku was about as impressed with their responses as I was, and Fay being more disappointed than frustrated, all of us were able to weather the - what I felt was unjust - scrutiny with a calm exterior.

Strangely, they had not had many issues with the attack on the slaver base in the Tantajoc system, nor with my bonding with Fenrir, save that I was possibly too young to establish a bond with such a potentially dangerous creature. Still, Plo Koon and Yarel Poof were interested in studying the effect of the bond on both me and Fenrir while Micah Giiett had wondered if my choosing to learn with the Mandalorians was in preparation for what specialization I'd follow once I was knighted.

After I'd given my reasoning for each action, they'd gone quiet. If not for the fact that both Fay and Dooku had informed me they'd likely do this beforehand I'd have been unnerved. Force, even knowing it was going to happen was still unsettling. The High Council debated issues telepathically so they could project a unified voice when making decisions, but I'd noticed that on a few decisions, they'd taken longer to reach consensus than others. Still, while an approach I wasn't used to, it was no different than when senior officers had dismissed me and my unit from the room so they could discuss issues regarding a mission privately. Hell, if the officers could've, I was sure they'd have loved to do it telepathically to simply unnerve those they were reviewing.

"I… I don't truly know, Master Windu," I said in response to his question. "I'd love to say I did so because I thought my friends were somehow both on the planet and in danger, but I should've known better. Master Dooku warned us about the dangers we'd face inside before we breached, but even with the Dark Side swirling around us and trying to breach my mental defences, I should've tried to sense them instead of running in half-cocked." I'd already gone over this twice before – once in my head and once with Dooku – yet it was only getting worse with time. Yes, hindsight was a bitch, but even ignoring me underestimating the Dark Side, which Dooku had suggested I'd done out of arrogance, the sheer number of stupid arsed mistakes I'd made on Kidriff was frankly insulting. And that's saying nothing about me not using Player's Mind or my other unique powers.

"Mistakes you made on Kidriff, no one here doubts. Yet learnt from them, have you not?" I lowered my head at Yoda's words of wisdom. "And suffered for your mistakes, no one here doubts. A more pressing issue to us, that is."

"Indeed." I turned to Ki-Adi-Mundi as he spoke. "Regardless of how this council feels regarding your actions before encountering the Bando Gora, we are glad you are back with us. The… trials you faced under Komari Vosa's care," the Cerean's gaze shifted to Dooku for a moment, "are ones many would struggle to survive; never mind overcome and return to us afterwards."

"While we are impressed with the strength of your mental barriers," my focus turned to Oppo Rancisis as he spoke, and I was glad Player's Mind was active as it diluted any issues that I had with staring at the massive snake-like Jedi master, "and fully understand why you have them so powerfully raised, we require you to lower them. Yes, you have returned to the Order after your ordeal, but there is little doubt your mind and connection to the Force will have been altered by this event."

"To be clear, we aren't targeting you due to your age or the strength of your connection to the Force, Padawan. If what you'd endured happened to a member of this council, we would ask the same of them. The need to examine how this affected your connection to the Force, and how you are coping are things we need to know. For your wellbeing more so than our curiosity." I gave Sifo-Dyas a nod in understanding and thanks for his explanation as, for a moment, I had been concerned I was being targeted due to how elements of the council felt about me.

Both Dooku and Fay had made it clear that this was going to happen, but that didn't make me feel any better about letting the High Council examine my connection to the Force or read any surface thoughts I was having. I knew they'd never be able to see the future knowledge I had – as neither Fay nor Dooku had seen it during the numerous sessions where we spent time telepathically linked – but my plans for how to handle what was to come were things I'd rather not have them see. Out of context, it'd look like I was preparing for war on the Republic, which while possibly true, wasn't my motivation. Then there was them sensing anything I might feel regarding Vosa and how I still had a desire to kill her as brutally as possible, or my conflicted feelings regarding Serra, Bo, and a few others.

To counter this, as I lowered Player's Mind, I focused on random thoughts. Wondering how people I didn't have a stronger connection to were doing, what was going on in the Senate and other random bullshit. If they sensed that, they'd know I was hiding things, but I hoped they'd think I was just trying to not relive my trauma once more.

Almost as soon as Player's Mind went down, I felt the familiar sensation of the mind of another brushing up against mine; though this time, the mind was not one I instantly knew. Nor was it alone. There was an urge to slap away the gentle brushing probes, but I chose not to. Instead, I closed my eyes and let them touch my mind with theirs. I had no idea how long this was going to take and the idea of staring at the apparent vacant eyes of the High Council as they examined me wasn't something I wanted to do; not after dealing with it from Fay and Dooku when they'd examined me before we'd arrived back on Coruscant.

After some time – though I had no way of knowing without glancing down at my chronometer which I suspected wouldn't go over well with the High Council – I felt the various presences pull back, and I opened my eyes to see the council was still stationary. More than likely, they were going over what they'd sensed from their examination. To avoid having to watch them have their mental conference, I turned my attention to the view of Coruscant through the windows that lined the council chambers.

"Has his mind always been so… distant?" My head snapped back to the council at Yaddle's question, wondering what she meant by that. A nod from Fay to my right made my brow crease.

"Yes. It is something that Master Dooku and I have spoken at length about." My frown deepened as my mind tried to understand what they were implying. Was there something wrong with my connection to the Force, something that had been there for as long as the pair had been training me? "At first, we suspected it was a residual effect of how he arrived in our time, yet when it continued to exist even after several years, we realised it was caused by something else. Master Dooku has some theories on why his mind seems remote within the Force, and how he interacts with the Force, but that is, perhaps, a conversation for another time and place."

By now, my brow likely looked like a cracked eggshell with how pronounced my frown had become. Had I been using the Force wrong ever since I'd been reborn? Was that why I felt distant to the other Jedi or was there something else at play here? Could it be because I wasn't originally born into this universe, but inserted by powers beyond anyone's comprehension, or was it a result of having to use the Force through the Interface?

"That is true, and I for one would be interested in Master Dooku's theories." Windu's words and Dooku's nodding acceptance of them drew me from my thoughts, though I knew I'd return to them later. "However, I feel you're correct, Master Fay, regarding this strange connection not being relevant to today's topics of discussion."

"Agree with you Master Windu, I do. Though concerns about this unusual connection, I have." Yoda's eyes drifted over me as if looking at me like something was both fundamentally wrong and incredibly fascinating at the same time. "Easy to observe, it is, how affected by events, you have been. What you endured, none should." Yoda's head shook as he spoke, remorse clear in his voice as I sensed his grief as he released it into the Force. "Holding up, you appear to be. But observation, we recommend." His eyes shifted to my right. "Master Fay, trained in the mental arts you are, yes?"

"It has been some time since I've used that training, but I remember my lessons well, Master." A ripple in the Force passed between the two, possibly linking back to a long-shared memory regarding Fay's time as a Padawan or young Jedi Knight. Yet under that, there was a faint taste of pain, as if the memory also brought up memories Fay would rather not face.

"Good, good." Yoda tapped his small hand on the side of his chair. "To assist you, a healer we will assign. Work with them, you will. Help Padawan Shan, together you shall."

"Padawan," I shifted focus to Windu as he spoke to me, "from what we can see, your mind has held up remarkably well for what you've faced. The hardships you faced… we can sense echoes of them from you, and while your connection to the Force doesn't appear to be unbalanced, and as such, even ignoring your actions that predate your torment, we recommend you remain within the Temple's walls for some time."

"Yes, Master Windu." While the idea of being locked up in the Temple wasn't the most appealing, I understood why they wanted me to stay and agreed with them entirely. What I'd gone through with Vosa needed time to recover from or at least time to allow me to return to my training outside the temple without the risk that I'd suffer a fatal relapse over what I'd endured. Then there was the fact I'd touched the Dark Side of the Force three times since I'd last been in the Temple, and each time the amount of time using the Dark Side and desire to draw upon it had been greater. All in all, it was both the medically, spiritually, and tactically logical course of action to take.

Windu nodded before turning to Saesse Tiin. I followed his gaze. When I'd first met this Jedi up close and, in the flesh, he had reminded me heavily of a demon. I knew that wasn't the case, but deeply ingrained teachings from my former life were still within, and I'd reacted to them. Now, that feeling, while still present, was far less noticeable.

"Padawan, from the reports we've read, you admit to not only changing the plan for your rescue to destroy the Bando Gora base – a worthy choice – but that you also wished to go after Komari Vosa." He leaned forward, making it seem as if he was a monster toying with his food (namely me) before he ate it. "An admirable choice to make, especially given the circumstances of your situation.

Being reminded of what that forced the images to come flooding back into my mind. I took several deep breaths, seeking to drive away the memories as I felt a hand come to rest on my shoulder. It left a moment later, but it was enough to help me push those memories out of my thoughts. They were replaced by my fight – and calling it that was being generous – with Vosa. Seeing her face once more, twisted with that deranged smile as she taunted me, brought up the anger within me once more. However, I knew this was going to happen, and after a few sessions with Fay, I was able to, if not let go of that anger, then push it aside for a time. Which is what I did now.

Even as I did that, I felt a gentle brush against my mind and turned to Fay. She smiled down at me, though it was easy to see the concern behind the smile.

"Do you need a moment, Padawan?"

I shook my head. "No, Master Giiett. I'm just… not at a point where going over my actions doesn't cause me to once more feel anger. Though now some of it is directed inward at how foolish I was to engage her. I was too weak and disoriented to stand a chance against her, yet seeing her again after being freed… I rushed in and, if not for the help of the Mandalorians, would've likely been recaptured by Vosa."

"Great horror, you have faced. While demons still plague your mind, to stand here today, great strength it shows."

"Thank you, Master Yoda." I took another deep breath, trying to find a centre of calm in my mind; though when my thoughts drifted to Bo and Serra, I swiftly moved away. I didn't need the council thinking I was feeling anything like that when speaking about Vosa. Especially not with the nightmare I'd had on the way to Coruscant still rattling around in my mind. Fucking Eidetic Memory was working against me on this.

"I, I don't deny that when I fought her, I wanted her dead. Nor that I still feel that urge, even if I'm not sure if I'd act on it if given the chance. Yet, as strange as it sounds, the very fact I wanted her dead is likely why she was more interested in recapturing me than killing me. She wanted to break me, to turn me to the Dark Side as a way to hurt Master Dooku. By forcing me to keep fighting her, to keep trying to rather pathetically fight her, she felt I would fall, and she would win."

"And did she?"

"No, Master Koon, she didn't. In the end, after Bo-Katan Kryze had stunned her, I had a moment where I could've killed her, but I didn't." My eyes sought out each member of the council as I spoke, making sure they believed the half-truth I was telling. It was a simple trick to use to convince people of your sincerity, but one they might not expect from me, which was likely why Dooku insisted I do it. I felt some of the council as they brushed against my mind with the Force. They were looking for the truth in my words, and they'd find them so long as I didn't focus on the bits I was leaving out. "I did use the Force to ensure she stayed down, but I didn't kill her when I had the chance."

Silence once more fell over the chamber as the council conferred with each other telepathically. I wanted to speak with my masters, but even doing so mentally would be sensed by the council and might make them wonder if I was hiding something, and what it was. As the silence stretched onward, I once again looked out over the gleaming surface of Coruscant. It was such a shame that underneath the shiny surface, where the Senate and Jedi Temple were, corruption ran rampant.

"While there are elements of what you've just said that we are concerned about and will be discussing further with your masters over the coming weeks, we have reached a judgement on how to proceed." Windu's word snapped my attention back to the chamber. "While your usage of the Dark Side is extremely troubling – especially as it isn't the only instance where you've shown a susceptibility to the Dark Side – the fact you stand here now to not only explain your actions but to receive our judgement speaks highly of your mental strength. Many Jedi more senior than you would struggle to survive what you did. The fact that your presence within the Force, however muted, isn't corrupted by the Dark Side is a testament to your strength of will and the training given to you by your masters. That said, you have willingly used the Dark Side, and that is something we cannot overlook, no matter how… understandable the circumstances were."

As I worked out that I wasn't going to be killed or thrown in a dark cell for the rest of my days, I released a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. Yet any hope I had that I'd get off lightly vanished with the fractional upturn of Windu's mouth. "As we, like your masters, are concerned about your mental state, and also wish to ensure you're not placed in another situation in the near future, we have decided that beyond simply seeing a Jedi healer along with Master Fay, you will be confined to the temple for no less than five months for observation." I wanted to groan, but I knew it could've been so much worse. "During this time, when not meditating on what has happened, you will assist Jedi Instructors in the teaching of the Code to Younglings and Initiates. Also, while you are still allowed to continue practising your velocities and maintain your lightsaber, you are not permitted to spar with any other member of the Jedi. This also extends to teaching elementary velocities and moves to other Jedi, regardless of if your masters feel you are sufficiently versed in those forms of combat or not."

"I… Yes, Master." The punishment wasn't the worst but being banned from any type of combat training was irritating. Still, I wasn't stupid enough to complain about it, even if I suspected a few of my friends might.

"Do you have anything you wish to ask the council before we move on from this matter?"

"Yes, Master Rancisis, I do," I replied after taking a moment to consider things. "When I was captured, Master Fay returned to seek help from the Order, yet none was given. While I know I'm not privy to your reasoning, I… I want to know why the only help that came was from Knight Vos and a squad of Mandalorians." I tried to keep my anger at them for not providing more help under control, but it was hard. Dooku had hinted heavily that he was as perturbed by it as I was, and I suspected if I was already a knight that he'd had left the Order over this. Hell, if not for his words about there being benefits to being a Knight, I may well have left already. And even then, it was still a close-run thing.

"The Council sent a team of Jedi after the Bando Gora once before. It did not end well." Giiett explained slowly, his eyes not meeting mine initially. "When Master Fay sought our help, we were reluctant to risk another such disaster. Plus, with the mission being a rescue and not a confrontation, we felt a team of Master Fay, Dooku and Knight Vos would be sufficient to achieve the desired outcome." A small smile came to his lips as he finally met my eyes. "It seems we were right in our judgement, even if the exact outcome was not one that we'd foreseen."

I wasn't going to thank him for revealing that little, but it was still more than I'd expected. "I see." Within the Force, I felt a sliver of remorse from him and a few others, including strangely Windu, but that was it. Still, at least it hadn't been a simple 'will of the Force' bullshit speech about why they'd done nothing.

"Now, Master Dooku, after reading over your report, we are led to believe that the former Padawan, Komari Vosa, is being held in a location you deem secure?"

"Yes. While I had considered bringing her here with us, I felt it better for the state of my current Padawan to leave my former Padawan in another location. One that has the facilities to restrain a Force user when called upon." I fought to keep a smirk off my face at that. Vosa was back with the Lokella, stuck in the training room that disrupted Force connections while secured in a cell and with the very mask she'd used on me secured over her skull. "I wish to request that I be allowed to attempt to rehabilitate her." While his words were, as usual, clear and controlled, I could sense some faint discomfort or displeasure coming from him.

Yoda leaned forward in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he focused intently on Dooku. "Your fault, you believe her fate to be?"

Another faint ripple of either discomfort or displeasure drifted through the Force. "Yes, Master Yoda. While I feel her infatuation with me was a valid reason for her to be removed as my Padawan, I fear not assigning her to another, and not helping her complete her training to become a Jedi was a mistake on the part of the Order. That decision is what led her to seek, and for this council to approve, a role on the task force to Baltizaar."

Dooku had already discussed his plans with me and Fay, and while I understood his reasoning for wanting to help Vosa, a large part of me would prefer if the Council simply chose to have her pay for what she'd done to me. Still, it was odd to see him concerned about anyone, and didn't fully fit with his personality; not unless he had an ulterior motive for doing this. However, I'd failed to determine what that was and when I'd asked him directly, he'd refused to reveal anything. That annoyed me heavily until I'd used Player's Mind to take the emotion out of my thinking and come at the problem logically. Working from what I knew of Dooku and his plans, I felt there was a decent chance he wanted to help Vosa to prepare for what was to come and possibly even find a use for Vosa. While I felt this made some sense, I'd not brought it up with Dooku and certainly wasn't going to with Fay as I knew she'd never approve even if my idea was without merit.

"From you, unusual it is, for regret to show. Yet wisdom, I find in your words." The diminutive, but deceptively powerful Grandmaster leaned back in his chair. "However, grave her crimes were, punishment, she must face."

"The Bando Gora has been a thorn in the Republic's side for decades. One that evolved into a problem of the Order in more recent times. That the one responsible for their recent growth in power and influence was a former Padawan of ours is troubling as it could be seen by some as a sign the Republic has grown weak. However, with her capture and the destruction of their main base of operations, we feel the immediate threat posed by the Bando Gora has been neutralized." Windu had taken up the point from Yoda with ease, and that was something that, the longer this meeting dragged on the more apparent it became. The two seemed to work in tandem, shifting control of a conversation to not only keep me on my toes but, I suspected, give the impression the High Council was in lockstep over their decisions and the reasoning behind them. Yet, from the subtle glances and shifts in postures from others – mainly Sifo-Dyas and Giiett – I wondered how complete the apparent unity of the council was. "As such, while this council agrees that rehabilitation should be attempted, it can only take place after she has stood trial before a Republic court and been sentenced for her crimes, and only then if we feel that there is any regret within her regarding her actions."

The urge to snort in disbelief was strong, but I managed to resist. It would be a cold day on Mustafar before Vosa, in her current state, would express guilt for what she'd done. Force, even after years of rehabilitation I doubted she would. It was almost as if the council was simply giving Dooku an empty platitude as they washed their hands of her; likely preferring if she was executed for her crimes so they could move on with pretending all was right in the galaxy. Of course, Dooku had expected this – as had Fay, though she had held out some hope the council might see reason – but seeing it play out was still a sight to behold.

"This is the will of the Council?" Dooku's tone gave no hint to how he felt about their ruling, but I didn't even need to sense his feelings to know he was both angered at their decision, and unsurprised to be proven correct.

"It is."

"Very well." A lesser man might've ranted at the council over this; cursing them openly at their foolishness, but I knew Dooku wouldn't do so. Though I'd have paid him every credit I had – currently a little south of three hundred million according to the publicist who wished to speak with Fay and me about a proposition he'd received – to see him do so.

"Your disappointment in our ruling, we understand. However, face punishment for her crimes, Komari Vosa must. Our logic on this matter, you must agree with. Know this, your current Padawan does."

"Yes, Master Yoda." Dooku lowered his head in acceptance, but I already knew he had plans for this happening, even if I wasn't fully aware of them to spare me from having to lie to the council once he enacted them. Plus, this was another moment when it became clear where Qui-Gon Jinn got his tendency to go against the council from. "With your permission, I will speak with those holding her to arrange a transfer."

Windu stared at Dooku intently, almost as if he was looking into his soul, in a way I'd seen him stare at me before. For a moment I wondered if Windu could sense what Dooku was planning. Windu's brow twitched, near the same place it had when he'd stared at me before he leaned back in his chair and crossed his fingers under his chin. "Very well. I will have the Temple Guard expect your call by the end of the day."

For the umpteenth time today, silence fell over the chamber before I saw Fay and Dooku turn. Realising the meeting was over – though not having been given a hint of that by the council – I followed a split second later, cutting off Windu from staring at me as I did.

The walk through the antechamber was made in silence, though once we were on the elevator heading down, Fay spoke. "The council was far more lenient than I'd expected. Not so much regarding Komari Vosa, but toward their restrictions on Cameron."

"Indeed, though their insistence that he cannot have any martial training feels misguided. And as for their insistence that a healer is present while you help him through his trauma… They are close to overstepping their boundaries." A frown marred Dooku's face in a rare display of emotion. "As for Komari, it is as I expected."

"Then you will commence with your plan?"

Dooku nodded at Fay and then looked at me. "I understand your feelings regarding Komari are strong, and that you may feel I am abandoning you to help her. However, I need you to trust my judgement on this matter. I do not have the same connection to her that I do to you; not then and certainly not now. That said, I feel she can play a role in coming events far greater than rotting away in a Jedi-controlled prison." He turned and gazed out of the elevator, taking in the sight of the temple as we ascended towards the roof. "Therefore, before the council is aware, I will be departing the temple and returning to the ShaDo system," even if I couldn't do anything about it, I hated that name, "to remove Komari to a more… remote location away from the council's prying eyes."

"Yes, master." A part of me was angry that he was going to abandon me here to head off with her, but I did trust him. Or at least as much as I could without being sure he wasn't going to become Darth Tyrannus. "I understand, though I'm not happy about it."

The corners of Dooku's lips lifted upwards. It wasn't a smile, but the beginnings of one, which was an unusual sight on his face. "I am glad that you can see past your, entirely valid and reasonable, dislike of Komari to trust me. I did not want to part with you thinking I was abandoning you."

"I know you're not, master. And while I don't think she can be redeemed; may the Force be with you."

"It's good to see you're already starting to let go of your feelings regarding Miss Vosa, Cameron. It is a good first step on your path to recovery." I turned to Fay as she spoke, and while she wasn't smiling, there was warmth in her expression. "Something that we'll continue over the next few months."

"I feel the healer assigned to help will report their findings to the council."

"Yes, I feel the same," Fay replied to Dooku's comment. "To force you, no pun intended, into a personal situation like this is highly unusual. One that I agree comes close to overstepping their influence on how a Jedi trains their Padawan. Still, additional help should never be turned away; not unless the offer comes from one you cannot trust even slightly to work for a common good." She paused and fixed her gaze upon me. "With that in mind, I think it would be best if, during our sessions, we avoid mentioning our friends within the Order. At least more than we would naturally do so." The slight stress she applied to the word 'friends' made it clear she was referring to the Coalition, though that only consisted of a handful of other Jedi.

"Of course, master." Of the members, only Sifo-Dyas could be compromised if his name was revealed. And he was the one I'd least like to reveal as having a potential ally on the high Council wasn't something I was willing to lose. Certainly not before I was knighted when I could move more freely around the galaxy and Dooku could reveal what exactly he was planning regarding the holocron vault and the archives.

I frowned as my thoughts turned back to the just-finished meeting. "Um, why does Master Windu get that twitch on his forehead? The one right here," I touched my forehead in the same spot. "He gets it whenever he stares at me intently; as he did today with Master Dooku."

My masters shared a look before Fay replied. "Much like Knight Vos, Master Windu has a very rare Force ability. Though Knight Vos can use psychometry, Master Windu's ability is far more… esoteric. With the Force, he can see, let's say cracks, in anything he focuses on. Be it an object like a sealed door or window, an event and its ramifications or even within another sentient being and how one action might affect their future. While other Jedi do have this ability, Master Windu's ease with it is something I've heard of no other Jedi being able to do throughout my entire life. He can locate and if he chooses to, exploit the faintest weakness in anything; even allowing him to determine a threat before it develops into one. Or that is at least how I understand the power."

"I have seen Shatterpoint in action, and while Master Fay's words are vague, they are accurate as to what the ability is capable of." I felt my jaw fall as Dooku added a confirmation to Fay's words.

"That's… just… wow." A new notification in the Interface drew my attention and while I wanted to open it, I knew doing that in front of my masters – and my likely emotional response – would concern them. Thus instead, my mind wandered back to a clip of Windu using the Force during the Battle of Ryloth. There, Windu had used the Force to shatter the permaglass cockpit of an AT-TE. Up until now, I just thought he had that much control of telekinesis that he was able to shatter it without harming the vehicle's driver. Now, however, I wondered if it was this power that allowed him to know exactly where and with how much force to shatter it safely.

"Indeed. Master Windu is not averse to using the power on individuals when he is unsure of the path to follow or doubts the veracity of a being's words. While he should use that knowledge to follow the will of the Force, I believe he chooses at times not to; but that is simply a personal feeling and not a proven fact." Even though his voice was calm, I could easily sense Dooku's unease about the ability, and frankly, I quickly understood why. The potential to use such a power and not abuse it wasn't something I think most people could handle. Then there was the issue that, if misunderstood, there was the chance Windu could fail to see something in the same way a Force user might misinterpret a vision. "He has, I suspect, used the ability on you multiple times already, but based on what Master Sifo-Dyas and others have stated about their visions, I am fairly certain he cannot see the path you are following. Though knowing Master Windu as I do, there is a high probability that this is why he often appears antagonistic towards you. And armed with this new knowledge, you may one day be able to predict his behaviour."

"While I don't think you should be looking to manipulate a senior member of the Order, Cameron, Master Dooku's point is valid." I turned to Fay as she spoke. "Also, while I'm sure you are curious about Shatterpoint, since you have failed to show any inclination toward the ability to date, I don't think you ever could use it to the extent Master Windu does. Nor should we concern ourselves with that ability during your training."

"Yes, Master." Though based on the notification that was waiting for me, I suspected Fay was off base about this. Yet with both masters watching me, I'd have to wait a little longer to confirm my feeling.

A gentle ping was followed by the doors opening, and we stepped out onto one of the upper floors of the Temple. Dooku took a few steps away and then turned to face us. "I leave our Padawan in your care, Master Fay. Hopefully, while I am engaged with my project, he can avoid finding trouble within the walls of the temple."

Fay chuckled, filling the air with that sweet, musical laugh of hers. "I think we both know that is unlikely, Master Dooku. The Force does seem to have a plan for Cameron that often leaves us exasperated with his actions. Still, may the Force be with you during your work."

Dooku bowed slightly. "And with both of you." With that he turned and walked away, heading, I assumed, towards either an exit or the hanger. We stood there and watched until he turned a corner before Fay spoke to me.

"Come along Cameron. While I know you don't wish to stay here any longer than necessary, I believe there may be a few people who will be glad of our return. Plus, it will do you good to spend time around Jedi your age for once."

"Yes, Master." I slipped into step beside her. I knew she was jesting, but a part of me did wonder if she was concerned about the growing closeness between myself and Bo; and how that might affect my future within the Order. Fay might understand the Mandalorian culture, and may even be seen by many as one, but she didn't want me to be influenced by their philosophies. Though with me now stuck in the temple, the odds of getting to see Bo outside of holocalls were slim. Hopefully, she wouldn't grow too bored stuck on the Ne'tra Sartr with just HK for company.

On second thought, I probably should be more concerned with HK convincing Bo that a good way to pass the time was to burn down the Senate or something.

Putting that amusing but concerning thought from my mind, but not before noting to try and find a way to have HK not egg-on Bo, I opened the Interface's notification.

Force Power Discovered!
Shatterpoint
This is the ability to use the Force to see the faults within whatever they focus on. Be that an object, a living being, a style of combat, or even at its most powerful, how an event can affect the course of those involved in it. Both directly and indirectly
...
WARNING!
As you don't have a natural affinity for this ability, nor have taken a perk to gain such an affinity, several restrictions are in place.
XP gains for this power are reduced by a factor of 15 and you will be unable to take the ability above Professional: 1 without the relevant perk.
Said perk will be available from level 30 onwards.
...

Yeah, after Fay's description that's about what I expected. The wording and the issues with the power were almost word for word the same as for Psychometry; bar the fact the penalty factor was fifteen instead of ten. This was in keeping with certain Force Powers requiring an innate ability to use, yet the Interface allowed me to slide around those restrictions, to a degree, which while not ideal, was better than never being able to use those powers. Plus, when the description was added to Fay's words, this seemed like a very impressive and useful power; one that, in the right hands, could be game-breaking. Pun intended. And with me being stuck in the temple for the next half a year, it might be worth training up.

While getting it to Professional:1 would certainly not get me close to the level Windu could use it, I expected at even that level it would be extremely useful. And if I spent the perk point, then I'd have a power that, once trained up, could, in theory, allow me to see paths within visions that were the most beneficial to what I wanted to achieve. Of course, there was the possibility that at level 30 I'd discover more useful perks, but that was just something I'd have to deal with when I reached the level.

"Cam!" The shout of my name drew my thoughts from Shatterpoint – though I knew I'd return to it later – and I turned right just in time to intercept a younger brown mass as it slammed into me. From the horns poking out of the black hair and the familiar sense I got from the child in the Force I quickly worked out it was Tedra. Something confirmed as a young-looking Jedi walked over with a group of Initiates behind him. The group were whispering to each other while staring at Tedra and me.

"Hello, Tedra. It's been a while." As I spoke, I ran my hand over her hair, making sure to avoid the horns.

"Initiate Zill," Tedra pulled back from the hug as Fay spoke to look up at her, "it is good to see you again. How are your studies going?"

Tedra bowed her head to Fay before answering. "Master Fay. It's ok, I guess. The classes can be a bit boring, and I don't like being told what to do." The Jedi that was the one escorting her group came closer even as Fay commented.

"To become a good Jedi, you must understand the fundamentals of the Force, Initiate. And while we understand why you dislike having to follow their orders, your minders are only trying to look out for you."

"I know," Tedra all but whined, "but what's outside the Temple is just so cool."

I frowned even as I saw most of her clanmates had shifted their focus to Fay. "Tedra, are you…"

"Initiate Zill!" The loud, slightly exasperated tone of the approaching Jedi cut me off from asking if Tedra was sneaking out of the temple and made me develop an instant dislike for him. "You shouldn't be bothering senior Jedi!"

"She wasn't bothering anyone," I shot back. The Human male's eyes shifted to me, before widening a touch though they widened even further when he looked at Fay. "After all, we were the ones to find and bring her to the Order."

"M-Master Fay, I'm sorry if the Initiate caused you any bother." This Jedi choosing to ignore me further soured my opinion of him. "While she is gifted with the Force, she is far more... rumbustious than most Initiates."

"As my Padawan stated, Initiate Zill was not bothering us. That said, I'm not surprised she is having issues settling into the Jedi way of life." Fay's tone was light, but the slight tightening at the corners of her lips let me know she wasn't impressed with this Jedi. Likely from his decision to ignore me. "As you appear to be her clan's minder, I assume you were briefed on the fact that before we found her, she had grown up a slave?"

The other Jedi blinked a few times before he looked down at Tedra as if seeing her for the first time. "I did not. The origins of new Younglings and Initiates are not something generally revealed to those who chose to teach them. The Council feels that way we won't judge them on where and how they came to us. Or that is at least the case with most cases." He paused and looked my way, which made me smirk. It wasn't every day that the Jedi got a new Initiate who was technically older than even Grandmaster Yoda. Quickly, his gaze shifted back to Tedra. "I have only been assigned to Soaring Hawkbat Clan for a few months, but that piece of information does explain her… rougher edges."

"Nothing wrong with being rough around the edges."

Fay chuckled once at my retort. "No there isn't. However, it means it takes longer for what is underneath to be polished into a corusca gem." That made me chuckle even as she directed her focus to the other Jedi. "Which is why we will be staying in the Temple for at least half a year. Something I suspect Initiate Zill will be glad to hear."

I lowered my head, understanding both the compliment and note of caution in her words, though any retort was cut off by Tedra, who with a squeal of delight, hugged me once again.

Once I'd eased her off, I looked down at her and ruffled her hair. "I'll talk with you later, but for now I think you should re-join your clanmates." She smiled then, after giving Fay a nod, did as I suggested and walked over to the group.

"I take it this is your first time working with Initiates?" Fay's question drew my attention from Tedra – who was quickly engulfed by her clanmates so they could question her – to the clan-minder.

"Yes, Master Fay. After passing my Trials of Knighthood at the turn of the year, I felt that spending time giving back to the Order by helping the next generation would be a good way to spend my time until I felt ready to venture out into the wider galaxy." He smirked as he looked back at his clan. "Perhaps I might even find my first Padawan among the Initiates." He paused and his eyes widened a fraction. "Ah, forgive me." He lowered his head to both of us. "I'm Cheenn Eislard and while I'd love to speak with you about Initiate Zill's past, I need to escort the clan to their next class."

"Of course, Knight Eislard. Though when time allows, could you send me a copy of the clan's schedule so I might arrange a time for us to catch up with Initiate Zill in greater detail."

Eislard nodded. "Of course, Master Fay. Good day to both of you." After nods from us, he turned and walked away, gathering up the members of the Initiate clan, though the group seemed to still be focused on Tedra as he led them away.

"An unexpected, but not unwelcome, encounter." Fay's remark drew my attention and I saw she'd taken a few steps away from me. "And apart from having to remember to send a message to Miss Iradel on Mtael's Gift," I groaned at hearing the name for the Lokella's station, which made Fay's smile grow, "to let her know how Initiate Zill is doing, I wonder if we might run into others who would be glad to see you return. Some more so than others."

"Master," I groaned out, knowing full well she was once more teasing me about my friendship with Serra. While Dooku was less than thrilled about how close I was to my fellow Padawan, Fay took it as an easy way to needle me for her amusement. Not that I minded all that much when, as was often the case, her musical laughter filled the corridor.

… …

… …

"So how long are you back for this time?"

I looked up from my breakfast – a bowl of fruits grown by the agricorp, some bread, a meat broth and a glass of blue milk – to look over the table at Darihd. When I'd arrived in this mess hall for breakfast, I hadn't expected to see anyone I'd wanted to speak with, but not long after I'd sat down, he came over and joined me; though the other Padawans were keeping their distance without being far enough away that they couldn't listen in.

"Council mandated at least five months, though I'm not complaining," I dipped the bread into the broth, "I need the time to… refocus."

"Yeah, Aayla told us some details about what happened when she arrived back at the temple a few weeks ago with Knight Vos. Plus, Master Sifo-Dyas mentioned you'd gone through an ordeal." After taking a bite of the now broth-laden bread, instead of my thoughts – once more – drifting back to my ordeal, they turned to the previous evening.

When Fay and I had arrived at the nearest training area, I'd seen Aayla sparring with Vhiblul Soddid, an Ithorian former member of Dragon Clan who was a few years younger than me, and the last time I'd been in the temple, hadn't yet been taken as a Padawan. I'd moved closer while observing Aayla had adapted a few Makashi velocities into her style and noted that Vhiblul preferred Niman, though was very, very limited in what she could do with the form. I could see various mistakes both were making, and if the High Council hadn't banned me from doing so, I'd have pointed out and suggested corrections to them. Yet, before I could reach their sparring circle, Aayla ended the bout with an overly elaborate aerial move. Vos had approached right after and quickly led Aayla away.

After speaking with Vhiblul and discovering she'd been taken by a Jedi Librarian as a Padawan, Fay suggested that Vos had taken Aayla away quickly as they may have another assignment they needed to begin. While that was plausible, I wondered if Vos might've done it over some residual anger towards me for his near-death experience at Vosa's hand.

Until Darihd sat down this morning, Aayla and Vhiblul were the only two people I'd run into that I'd consider friends.

"That's certainly one way to describe it," I muttered before taking another bite of my bread. I couldn't tell what type of meat was in the broth, but it tasted like pork. While exact details of what'd happened to me would eventually spread around the Temple – after all, the only thing quicker than hyperspace were rumours and gossip – the longer it took to spread the less chance there was people would look at me funnily or, Force forbid, ask me about what I'd gone through.

"Right, right." Darihd quietened down and took a bite from the steak on his plate. As I continued to dip my bread into the broth, I wondered just how it had happened that, out of all my friends, the only male was Darihd. While I'd spent considerable time with Mirali Redi, Raun Wott and Andeeld Krhul – the male members of my team at the Institute on Mandalore – I considered them more teammates than friends. Hell, the male Mandalorian I was closest to was Gar, which since I'd killed his father, was all kinds of fucked up.

"So," I looked up from my tray – having finished the broth and just picked up a Corellian apple – to see Darihd looking over at me, "you know Serra's not here, right?"

"Huh." After that lovely reply, I closed my eyes and reached out with the Force. Using Detection within the Temple was just asking to make the minimap look like a smudge of bright light, but even through all that I failed to sense her. Not in the Temple, the surrounding district, or anywhere even on the planet. I'd not bothered searching for her, or anyone else, last night as I figured I'd just run into them as I spent time in the Temple, so hearing she wasn't here was a surprise.

"Yeah. Master Drallig was given a mission by the High Council about a week ago. Right after Aayla returned now that I think about it." Darihd paused and took a sip of his milk, which unlike mine was green instead of blue. "According to Sia-Lan, Master Drallig hasn't taken a mission off Coruscant in almost a decade. Force, he hasn't even taken one on the planet since before he became Battlemaster.

"Is that so." Even as I replied, my mind was playing what Darihd had said, and I quickly suspected the High Council had given Drallig the mission to ensure that Serra wasn't here when I returned. While that meant Bo and I had more time to unpack my kissing her, it also meant that the person I trusted the most within the Order wasn't here to help me when I needed them the most. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I felt it unlikely the Council had given them the mission to ensure I couldn't meet Serra as acting that petty was beneath them.

"Yeah. Also, Serra mentioned that you did the Mandalorian trial of adulthood." He leaned closer and I saw a few of the Padawans at nearby tables seemingly perk up at his words. "What did you hunt?"

I put my thoughts on Serra's absence and what it meant, to one side as I smiled at Darihd. "Dar, you could ask for a week, I doubt you'd even get close to getting the answer." He leaned closer and movement to my left drew my attention. Three Padawans at another table – one Human, one Duros and one Sullustan – had stopped eating and were now looking our way. As were, I suspected, other Padawans at other tables.

While the Jedi discouraged betting pools, I knew that some did exist among the Initiates and Padawans over chores that needed doing and, as the smile on my face grew wider, I wondered if any of them had gotten close with their guess as to what I'd killed. And how the general Order would react when they learnt I'd killed a Greater Krayt Dragon with nothing more than a knife.

"Was it a rancor?" I chuckled as I took a big bite out of my apple, then shook my head. "A gundark?"

I chucked again even as I chewed. This was going to be fun, and how I wished Belfarr had still been a member of the High Council when this came up so I could see his face as he tried to process everything. That would almost make up for having had to deal with his obnoxious behaviour.

Darihd leaned back and tapped one of his montrals. While it was silly to watch, it was nice, for once, just relax and enjoy the moment. All thoughts of what had and will happen were banished, for the time being.

… …

… …

I shifted around, for the umpteenth time, on the soft cushion seat I was resting on. It was one of the standard cushion seats in the temple that were used but, as had been the case since I'd returned to the temple, I was finding myself unable to sit comfortably enough to meditate for more than a few minutes at a time.

I opened my eyes to see Fay and Jedi Healer Stass Allie sitting on their cushions nearby. Both looked comfortable and deep in meditation, which allowed me to focus on Stass. She was the healer assigned to me by the High Council and from what the Jedi records revealed was that apart from being a member of the Circle of Healers, was one of the youngest to ever be granted that honour having been added to the Circle not long after being knighted. Stass was, according to her and Fay, well versed in helping with psychological issues and had been the one to help Bultar Swan recover from her ordeal several years ago; though they still spoke a few times a month when Bultar needed to.

While I was still reluctant to have her around since Yaddle had been the one to introduce us and Fay trusted the diminutive Jedi, I was willing to let Stass help me; or at least more so than if it had been some random Jedi assigned by the High Council. Though even there I might not have been too concerned as while the Jedi had to listen to the High Council, healers had a code that, while not identical to the Hippocratic Oath, was similar enough that most of what I'd revealed in our sessions wouldn't be passed on to the council; not unless it threatened the very Order as a whole.

And while I disliked having to spend eight or nine sessions – varying from thirty minutes to two hours – each day with Fay and Stass, I'd take them over my classes any chance I could. Those were, unsurprisingly, so fucking boring it was ridiculous. Plus, the Council always had someone monitoring my classes to ensure I didn't stray far – if at all – from the interpretations the High Council pushed. That, when combined with my lack of interest in teaching the classes, meant I was barely getting one-third of the XP I should. Haran, even when I did try and enjoy the classes, I could barely get the XP rewards above forty per cent of normal.

Once more I moved in the seat, though this time it made a faint noise which was enough to make both female Jedi open their eyes. Neither said anything, but after a month of this it was clear to me both were concerned at my struggles to meditate properly; never mind releasing my feelings over what the Bando Gora had done to me into the Force. And while I'd love to be able to do that too, Eidetic Memory was making it all but impossible to do so.

Slowly Fay moved to stand, a faint frown marring her face. "Perhaps we should try something different. Stand up."

After I'd stood, and Stass had joined us, Fay lifted all three seats to the corner of the room with the Force. "Even before what happened, it was obvious to Master Dooku and me that you struggle to find a calm centre when meditating. Or at least fail to sink into the Force as deeply as someone with the strength of connection you have should. After a month of sessions, it has become obvious to me that even the limited centring you could manage with even levitating meditation has decreased dramatically. You can no longer sink into the eddies of the Force to release your burden into it. Therefore, I wish to try something that, for most Padawans, would not be considered."

"Ok." Nothing Fay said wasn't true as, outside of the boost to regenerating my FP, I just didn't get as much relaxation or the ability to centre myself out of meditating as other Jedi did. Sinking into the Force was harder than Fay, Dooku and others had said it should be, and while I could touch the Force it always felt as if there was something in the way. For the longest time I hadn't given that much thought, but since learning that I was distant within the Force to others, it had been something that had been on my thoughts a lot. Or at least when I wasn't experiencing disorientating flashbacks to my imprisonment.

The most recent time had been when in one of the temple's elevators. The regular passing of lights as we descended triggered a memory where that motherfucking bastard had tortured me using light patterns and whenever I gave an answer he didn't like – which was all the fucking time – he'd electroshock me at best. If I didn't know he was dead and gone, I'd have happily spent years hunting him down to show him my gratitude for what he'd done. Force, there were moments where I wondered if I could raise him from the dead simply to kill him all over again.

I was drawn from my darker thoughts, and the worried frown Stass sent my way, by Fay stepping into the middle of the now cleared room and beginning to move. I was transfixed as she glided around the room with a grace that would make every dancer on Earth green with envy. The way she twisted, twirled and turned made it clear that even at over seven hundred years old, she was incredibly limber. My mind, as much as I didn't want it to, wandered as I watched her move, and from the way Stass' eyes widened, I suspected she too was enamoured with Fay's display as even in simple Jedi robes, it was easy to see how flexible and trained Fay's body was.

For a moment I thought she was channelling Niman into her movements, but that might simply have been my imagination as almost all the gyrations she performed weren't in any way linked to a lightsaber form. Other elements of this dance, from which I was slowly feeling my body react, reminded me of non-aggressive martial arts like Judo and Aikido, which made sense given Fay's preference to avoid combat where possible. At about the same time, I started to feel a shift in the Force, as it seemed to react to her movements and joined in with her. The sense of calm clarity and sereneness that began to radiate from Fay was awe-inspiring as it felt as if she had sunk so far into the Force that she and it were now of one heart and mind: moving together in perfect synchronicity.

Just as quickly as she'd started, she stopped. While her breathing was measured, her cheeks had darkened slightly, yet far less than I'd expected, and it was the only hint she'd done such a complicated and incredible dance.

"I, uh, um…" I mumbled out words, trying to clear my thoughts of a growing desire after seeing her dance – and calling it that felt like an insult – and the lovely shade of pink her face had turned. Fay smiled, seemingly amused by my reaction and I felt my knees tremble in response.

"That was a variant of Alchaka, a more advanced form of moving meditation that is normally only taught once a Jedi has been knighted. However, in your case, I feel it might be of more use than standard meditation practices."

"While the Circle of Healers and the High Council may not approve of this, I bow to your experience in how best to help your Padawan, Master Fay." As Stass spoke, I wondered why such a form of meditation wasn't taught to Padawans.

"In its purest form, Alchaka is when one strong in the Force allows themselves to sink deeply into the Force. This is done by performing a series of highly complex and energetic movements such that, as the movements are completed the mind of the practitioner relaxes unconsciously and allows the Force to guide, help and move with them. The movements often, but not always, have their basis in a form of martial combat and while some can achieve this state with a lightsaber, it is generally not encouraged as then the Jedi subconsciously expects to begin meditating while using their blade." From what Fay was saying, it seemed I had it wrong about her using some Niman in her moves. Still, the moves she did do, even before hearing her explain more about Alchaka, were clearly from a combat form meaning she was still able to fight without the Force if the need ever arose.

"It is also a highly personal matter; one often not shown even to your Padawan or master." I lowered my head, letting her know I understood that what I'd seen was a highly private thing and that I was grateful for the demonstration. "However, you have always been someone who learns better by doing, be it learning to use the Force in a certain way or developing a more common skill. A fact I often lament on when worrying that you've yet to understand the deeper intricacies of the Force when asking it for help." Stass smiled at that comment, while I accepted it simply. Even before my rebirth, I'd always been more hands-on in how I learnt so having that magnified by the Interface wasn't the worst event. "What I just demonstrated for you was… a very slowed-down snippet of the routine I often commit to when using Alchaka," I felt my brow rise at hearing she'd been going slow for my benefit as what I'd seen had been anything but slow or easy. "Now, while Healer Allie is right that the Council may not approve of me teaching this to you now - especially since they've banned you from any form of combat training - since Alchaka is a form of meditation, there is little they can do about me teaching it to you." A small smile crept onto my face; one mirrored by my master.

She stepped back, giving me the centre of the room, and Stass followed suit. "As I suspect the Mandalorian combat styles of Beskar'rev and Beskar'pel are the ones you're most comfortable with, I want you to start with those. Take it slow to ensure that you don't push too hard and to allow you to open your mind to the Force as you move."

I did as she suggested, however instead of adopting a Mandalorian stance, I took an elementary Judo one. It was far more reactionary than those used by the Mandalorian martial arts, but I'd found in sparring with Bo that it gave me time to adapt to her attacks and develop counters without relying too heavily on the Force. Plus Judo, and the bits and pieces of other Earth-based martial arts, were unknown to Bo making them useful for surprising her as I adapted them into my fighting style.

"Stop!" I'd barely begun to move before Fay called out. "Don't think about your movements. This is not a class where you are learning from or teaching others. Let yourself go and relax. The Force will, I hope, first begin to move with you; flowing around you as if the wind is responding to your touch. Once you feel that, increase your speed until you find a rhythm where you feel both you and the Force are in tune."

"I'd also suggest closing your eyes," Stass offered. "Many who meditate this way find it easier to remove the visual distraction of their actions and focus inward."

I took a breath before closing my eyes and sliding back into an opening stance. As Fay had instructed, I moved slowly, mapping out my actions in my mind instead of watching where my limbs were. I knew I had room to move around, but not wanting to risk it, I kept things simple and stayed in the centre of the room. The movements, from both my lives, came easily to me, yet as I moved, I failed to sense any change in the Force around me.

"That's better. Just keep going, open your mind and trust in yourself and the Force."

Fay's words, while predictable, were helpful as almost any support was better than none. I continued to essentially shadow-fight while trying to make my moves more instinctual instead of methodical. Slowly I could feel myself merging various combat styles into new movements while not actively thinking about doing so.

Time seemed to slow – or I'd been this way for ages but had lost track of time, though that was unlikely with how the Interface helped my mind focus – until eventually, I felt something shift nearby. Instinctively, I knew it wasn't Fay or Stass moving, yet I couldn't quite grasp what it was. Whatever was there was faint, as if standing on the other side of a door or outside a window, and as I continued, I felt whatever it was begin to mirror my movements.

I swore I felt something brush against me like a gentle breeze, but nothing was there. Or like water cascading over a raincoat that I was wearing. It wasn't guiding my actions, but neither was it following. Instead, it, and I realised it was the Force, was moving with me. Not in perfect sync as I could still sense the slight delay in its reaction, but it was still there and trying to move with me. While the Force was remote, I still felt an incredible warmth and comforting feeling wrap around me.

Thoughts of where I was, and what I was doing, drifted away as I focused on the Force as it mirrored my actions. For the first time in months, if not ever, I truly felt myself connect with the Force without any concerns or negative emotions getting in the way. The faint yet all-encompassing feeling of being enveloped in something far grander, ancient, yet more benign, was incredible. Without even trying, I could sense Fay and Stass as they mediated nearby. I could faintly perceive other Jedi within the Temple as they went about their daily business. Some flickered in the Force more brightly than others, though all sparked within its eddies. All in all, this was an incredibly awe-inspiring feeling that, while still feeling that I could sink further into the Force, was more comforting than anything I'd ever felt before.

Eventually, after Force knew how long, I started slowing my movements; letting The Force withdraw from me. The process was slow, gentle, almost as if it didn't want to pull back but understood it needed to. As if it was a friend reluctantly saying goodbye but knowing we'd meet again.

When I opened my eyes, breathing only slightly heavier than I'd been before I started, I saw that Fay and Stass were stationary on their seats, meditating deeply. That gave me time to open a new notice in the Interface.

Force Power Discovered!
Alchaka
An advanced form of Force Serenity that is achieved while carrying out other activities.
...

I was a little surprised to see that come up as a Force Power, but after checking the base regeneration rate – and discovering the power had levelled up seven times already – I realised that once maxed out it would likely grant a greater FP regen rate than what Serenity provided. Putting that aside, I looked at my chronometer and inhaled sharply. A little over six hours had passed since I'd started my meditation. While I'd half expected it due to the level-ups Alchaka had gained, it was still shocking as it hadn't felt as if that much time had passed.

My breathing, while faster than normal, wasn't too deep and my heart rate was barely beyond where it would be after a light jog. What I did notice was that I felt more refreshed and centred than I'd been in… possibly ever. It was almost as if today, for the first time, I'd sunk into the Force far enough that I'd started gaining the more esoteric benefits it provided to other Jedi. And yet, I felt there was still further and deeper I could go; if whatever was preventing the Force from coming closer was removed. All in all, it was incredible.

"It is indeed." I pivoted to see Fay had broken from her trance. She was looking up at me with a large smile that only enhanced her elegance. "While simple meditation, be it sitting, moving or levitation, is calming and grants one a sense of being part of a larger whole, it is nothing compared to the sense of fullness and completeness that mastering Alchaka grants. This is why it is one of the most fundamental skills taught to full Jedi since the days of the Je'daii Order on Typhon."

"Master Fay is correct, though I must admit I hadn't considered the benefits of teaching it to more mature Padawans after an ordeal. Nor how effective it might be in helping one handle the issues that arise from such ordeals." Stass added as she and Fay stood then she glanced at her wrist. "However, while today has clearly been beneficial as we can both sense your calmness, this is but the beginning of your recovery, not the end. I expect you back here tomorrow bright and early for our first session." I nodded in understanding, which earned me a smile before she turned to face Fay. "That said, if his process of releasing his emotions linked to Komari Vosa into the Force continues as successfully as they have today, I suspect we will soon be able to decrease the number of daily sessions required."

"Thank you, Healer Allie." I bowed as I spoke and chose not to focus on her bringing up Vosa. I knew it was an intentional move to see how I'd react and while I was nowhere near ready to forgive – and truthfully, I likely never would no matter how much the Jedi wanted me to let go of my feelings regarding Vosa – I couldn't deny that this was the first session that felt as if something had changed for the better.

"There is nothing to thank me for, Cameron. The suggestion regarding Alchaka was Master Fay's, which is hardly a surprise because, as you would suspect, she does know you far better than I do. Even if we spent every waking moment together for the rest of the year, I feel that would still be the case." She chuckled at her joke as I slapped aside thoughts that started conjuring in my mind. Stass was in her late twenties and while the strange hat and skin flaps that fell from it were off-putting, she was a remarkably attractive woman. "Now, if you'll excuse me. My Padawan is likely wondering why I missed dinner." I chuckled at that even as Fay lowered her head.

"Yes, I'm sure they'll be confused. Until tomorrow, Healer Allie."

"Master Fay, Padawan."

"Healer."

Even as I watched Stass leave, my mind was already playing over what I'd experienced today. The kind of connection to the Force that I'd experienced, while something that both my masters hinted at was normal for all Force users, was a first for me. Yet, even though my connection felt far… cleaner and clearer, there was no denying the Force still felt more isolated than it should be. Perhaps this again linked to what the High Council had said about my presence within the Force seeming dulled.

I shook my head. I'd spent enough time over the last month mulling on that throwaway comment and didn't feel like dwelling on it today. Instead, I was curious if, for the first time since arriving at the Temple, I would be able to sleep without Player's Mind and not be subjected to the horrors that haunted my nightmares.

… …

… …

Bo-Katan was glad her helmet was on as she walked down the darkened street on a level about sixty below the surface of Coruscant. Seeing people huddling on the streets, begging for a few credits while roving groups of scum wandered around demanding protection money from the various merchants that worked down here continually made her want to find her sister and drag her down here. This level of decay and poverty, on the capital world of her vaunted Republic, showed Bo-Katan just how flawed the ideals those dar'manda worshipped were.

Still, at least Satine was beginning to change. Yes, she was still a peace-loving fool, but from the few talks the two sisters had had, Bo-Katan was seeing the blinders that Satine had been wearing were slipping. Satine still believed in the ideals of the Republic, of peace, but she now seemed to understand that there were flaws in the system; something that if Bo-Katan had mentioned to Satine before she'd left for Coruscant over two years ago would've resulted in the two having to be separated by their father or brother. Now, while their words were still heated, Bo-Katan didn't feel a major urge to smack her sister around the head until the stupid leaked out. And, as much as it irked Bo-Katan, she had Master Fay to thank for that.

It was the ageless Jedi who had arranged the dinner between the sisters a few weeks after Cam had been locked in the Jedi Temple, though the Jedi had chosen not to tell Bo-Katan who else was coming. Still, she could admit that the Jedi's heart had been in the right place and, as much as she still didn't believe it, she'd continued having dinner around once a week with her sister. Honestly, she wasn't sure who was more shocked at this, her, Satine, or their father when the topic had been brought up in a holocall with him.

A group of four Duros approached her, all armed with weapons and Bo-Katan grunted in amusement. Surely, they weren't going to try and…

"Oi! Mandalorian. Take off that armour or we'll gut you like a bantha."

Bo-Katan chuckled in disbelief. While she was going to enjoy what was about to happen, she figured this would stop happening after that incident on level forty-four when she'd left nine humans lying in a pile of their own blood and bile after they threatened to have their way with her.

"Did you hear…"

The lead Duros' words were cut off by Bo-Katan as she shot him between the eyes. The other three joined him before any could get off a retaliatory shot. She looked around, expecting and hoping there were others as, while this was annoying, it was a better way to spend her time than sitting around the Ne'tra Sartr. As much as she liked that ship, and privately hoped her father would have one made for her once she returned home, there were only so many times she could take comments on her biological nature from that blasted droid. While HK was a trove of stories, his need to put down every being – barring Revan and Cam – drove her nuts. Hence the various wanderings into Coruscant's lower levels and the revelations about how skin-deep the Republic's ideals truly were.

Seeing no further threats, Bo-Katan stepped over the four Duros. While she was within her rights to take their credits and weapons, the latter would be, if the previous groups were anything to go by, barely worth a dozen credits between them while she doubted there were a hundred credits between all four of them.

Of course, once it became clear to the locals that she wasn't going to loot the bodies, nearly a dozen beings surged forward to do so. Before she turned the corner, about a hundred paces later, she glanced back to see the Duros had been stripped over everything bar their undergarments; something she was grateful for as she had shab-all interest in seeing naked Duros; male or female. While there were some alien species that she found attractive – like the green-skinned Twi'lek girl she'd taken to a hotel a few nights ago who could do amazing things with her tongue – most were physically repugnant to her.

The same could be said for most human males who had tried to get into her armour whenever she visited a cantina. Most looked like they'd just crawled out of a spice mine and the few that didn't… They didn't measure up. Now that's not to say there weren't a few that looked and talked the right way, but whenever a man came toward her and tried to start something, her mind was always comparing them to Cam. And not a single one had come close to measuring up, even if a few had come close to doing enough to persuade her to take them somewhere. Still, after nearly three months on this world, and comparing every male to Cam, Bo-Katan had slowly come around to the idea that not only was Cam an acceptable male for her to pursue if she had to but that she wanted to scratch the itch to see if he was worth the amount of time her mind thought about him.

What was making it hard to do that was the fact Cam was a prisoner within the Jedi Temple. Oh, he and Fay might not say he was, but the fact the Jedi's High Council wasn't letting him leave their temple left Bo in no doubt that he was. And as much as she felt they should be able to help him deal with what he'd gone through, rage constantly burned within her from being cut off from the one friend she had on the planet. Still, the up-side was that, until she'd let the issue settle – not die as she would never trust the Jedi as they were nothing more than lapdogs of the Republic Senate – she'd spent days watching beings coming and going from the temple. Haran, she still did. And because of that, she had over three dozen plans with varying likelihoods of success, for breaking into the temple and extracting Cam. And even if things were fine for Cam inside the temple currently, who was to say the situation wouldn't change and she'd need a way to get to him?

Watching the temple had, beyond being a good way to pass the time on this shabla world, also let her observe Jedi and see how well the Force made them aware of a threat. While she wasn't a sniper on par with Rook, she'd easily lined up shots on numerous Jedi from various angles, even going so far as to disengage her rifle's safety. Only two dozen had reacted to her targeting them and four of them were listed in public records as either current or former members of their vaunted High Council. On a few evenings when she'd reconned the temple, she'd spotted a young Zabrak sneaking in and out of the Temple. While Bo-Katan hadn't found the exact way the youngster was exiting the temple, the fact they could do semi-regularly implied the security was far laxer than Bo-Katan had expected.

Putting those thoughts aside and fighting off an urge to shoot a public news display as it talked about the good work the Senate was doing for the people of the Republic, Bo-Katan slipped through the door of a new cantina. This one was called The False Corn, which while a very stupid name, wasn't the worst she'd seen over the last few months.

Glad that her helmet filters were working optimally, she looked around the place. Within seconds she'd spotted what looked to be two tables where trading of illegal substances was taking place and another where it looked like a Twi'lek female was being bought for a night. And just like every other night she'd come to a level below twenty, she'd yet to see any sight of planetary security beyond a few droids that never left the docking entrances to the level.

She moved over to an empty alcove and kept scanning the room. Most of the patrons were armed, but she knew she could take all of them; though maybe not all at once. She stopped watching as a blue-skinned Twi'lek that looked about her age approached. After ordering a drink, one she had little interest in drinking, Bo-Katan watched the Twi'lek saunter away. She knew she was doing it on purpose, but Bo-Katan didn't particularly care choosing to simply enjoy the show.

The Twi'lek returned and placed a mug on her table, along with a glass filled with a green liquid. Her helmet sensors quickly determined it was an Alderaanain brandy and nothing else, but why the drink had been brought over, Bo-Katan didn't know.

"From the Human at the bar." Bo-Katan looked past the Twi'lek, though her eyes enjoyed drifting over the large breasts the female had, to see a red-haired male looking her way. The man lifted his glass, which made her roll her eyes. Yes, the man was fairly attractive, and with the red hair and faint green eyes, in a dark room, she might mistake him for Cam, but the smarmy grin on his face instantly made her blood run cold. Haran, she felt more of a need to simply shoot him instead of even talking to him.

She slid the glass back to the bartender. "Not my type. Of drink or lover." The Twi'lek's brow rose as Bo-Katan tilted her head to make it clear what she preferred.

Sadly, the Twi'lek didn't do anything about Bo-Katan's desire, nor did she take the glass when she left. Bo-Katan sighed as she once more watched the Twi'lek leave then groaned as the red-haired human begin to approach.

Not reading the air, the male slid into the seat next to her, one hand coming to rest on her armoured thigh. "I don't think...ugh, AARGH!!" whatever he planned to say was cut off as Bo-Katan grabbed the offending hand, twisted it back before slamming it onto the table, and then with her other hand, drove a knife through the palm; jamming it into the table.

"Sooran shab!" she growled as she stood, ignoring the man's cries of anguish. Her blood sang for her to do more to him, to make him suffer, but she wasn't going to kill over such an offence, though he was lucky that was all she did for daring to touch her.

The movement of chairs in the cantina drew her attention away from the wailing hodar, and she saw about a dozen beings had stood; most moving their hands to their blasters. She tensed, wondering which of them would do anything about her actions; silently hoping someone would.

At least then, this evening wouldn't be a complete waste of time.

… …

… …

"What? You really did that?" Sia-Lan's face, like that of the others around us, was a mix of shock and awe at hearing what I'd killed for my verd'goten and how. After listening to Her, Darihd and others try and fail for months to guess what I'd killed, I'd finally shown mercy on them.

"Aye. I…" My voice trailed off as, somewhere else in the canteen, I heard a female laugh.

Instantly my mind was drawn back to Vosa; hearing her laugh echo around my head and I found myself back in that room, restrained and naked as she sauntered towards me.

"Have you missed me?" her fingers came up and caressed my cheek. "I've thought of nothing else but seeing you again, watching you see the truth about the Jedi, and then us ruling the galaxy." She leaned forward until I could feel her breath on my ears. "All you have to do is admit that the Jedi, the Republic is wrong, flawed, and all this will end. Then we can celebrate our future together."

I shivered, fighting to ignore the way her body felt against mine as she pressed against me as the cold air in the room blew over my naked body.

This wasn't real, it wasn't.

A hand slid over my stomach, flicking my nipples. "Are you there yet? Can you see the truth," her voice whispered huskily into my ear. "Or is further incentive required?"

From the shadows he appeared, the Sith-cursed hypo-syringe in one hand and a long, thin and disturbingly twisted knife in the other.

I found renewed strength to fight, yet my chains only grew tighter. He moved closer, a deranged grin plastered inhumanly to his face.

"The Priestess needs you to be ready." His voice dripped with fanaticism as I felt the knife graze against my knee, drawing blood. "To have you see the light and embrace the true path."

I stayed still, scared to make things worse as the knife slowly crept upwards, a thin red line trailing in its wake.

I tensed, fearful of what was to…

"Cam? Cam!" I felt myself being shaken hard and blinked. My terror, my helplessness, faded as Player's Mind filtered my emotions from my mind and I found myself looking at the scared faces of Sia-Lan and Darihd.

"I," I licked my lips, finding them strangely dry. "I'm fine. Just a memory I'd rather not relive." My response was blunt, lacking any real emotion, but that was precisely why I'd somehow engaged Player's Mind. This wasn't the first time I'd suffered a flashback like this - Force, it was the ninety-sixth time since I'd come back to the Temple - but every time I'd eventually managed to engage my unique ability to cut off the fear rampaging through my body.

I knew it was dangerous to keep relying on Player's Mind like this, but I had no other choice. I… I wasn't ready to truly face what had happened to me. I needed the enforced calm the power brought.

"You sure?"

I forced a smile onto my face. "Yeah. Where was I?" I didn't need them asking about what was wrong, so returning to the story was the logical course of action.
… …

… …
I lifted my head from the datapad I was reading – this one covering the events that led to the formation of the Trade Federation and how they'd developed a near total monopoly on Outer Rim trade – and looked toward the door of my quarters as it buzzed.

A quick use of Detection confirmed it wasn't Fay nor any of the several dozen Padawans and Knights that I shared a connection with. Curious as to why anyone would come to my room at such a late hour – it was a little past twenty-two hundred – I lowered my book and spoke. "Enter."

Knight Cheenn Eislard stepped in. While he moved calmly, the way his eyes searched my quarters before his shoulders slumped let me know something was wrong; most like regarding Tedra.

"Knight Eislard, how can I help you?" Even as I spoke, I started to reach out with Detection.

"Padawan, I was wondering if you'd spoken to Initiate Zill today?" His tone is measured but because I'm already reaching out through the Force, I can easily sense his worry. One I'm beginning to share when I fail to sense Tedra within the Temple.

"No. I last spoke to her a few days ago over lunch." My reply is honest as having a meal with Tedra at least once a month had been a feature of the last three months while I'd been stuck in the temple. Though what I left out, for now, was the fact Tedra had been regaling me with how she'd found another way to slip out of the Temple. While she'd only done that a handful of times – that I knew of – the fact she was missing and not in the temple had me concerned that something had happened to her during her latest jaunt.

"Ah. I'd been hoping…" he trailed off mid-sentence then with a loud sigh, shook his head. "Initia… Tedra missed her morning classes and after discovering no one had seen her since last night, the temple was searched but no sign of her has been found. She's disappeared a few times before, but after learning about her past from you and Master Fay, I've been willing to overlook that. At least until now. With her missing for nearly a day now, I'm growing anxious that something's happened to her."

As he spoke, I finally sensed Tedra through the Force. I could tell exactly where she was, only that she was somewhere westward of me, and on a lower level. From the stories Bo had told me when we'd spoken, that set off kinds of red flags in my head, and with barely a thought, I pulled my communicator to me.

As it flew towards me, I reviewed everything Tedra had told me. Not just about how she'd slipped out of the temple, but of any issues she'd had with her clanmates – nothing too major beyond a few comments regarding her 'heritage' – her teachers – just that they were all boring and, in Tedra's words, had a stick so far up their arse you could see them when they spoke – or just in general. Nothing stood out that would make me think she'd run away from good from the Order, but it wasn't a possibility I couldn't discount.

"Hey, Cam. Just to check and say I've gone out for some air. Should be back soon though." Tedra's voice filled the room after I pulled up a message that'd come in last night, but I hadn't noticed as with me being in the temple, I barely needed to check the communicator. While Tedra had messaged me every time she'd vanished, I'd rarely heard the message before she was back and meeting up with me, so checking it wasn't a high priority. Clearly, that had been a mistake. "I'll be back by lunch, just in case the overlord comes asking."

Normally I would've chuckled at hearing her nickname for Eislard as she did enjoy using it when venting, but given the current situation, I had no desire to laugh. And the new notice in my Interface only confirmed that.

Quest Alert!
Initiate Lost [֍]
Tedra Zill, the initiate you brought to the Jedi, is missing.
Rating: C
Objectives:
Locate Tedra Zill and return her to the Jedi Temple alive and well.
Rewards:
900XP
Small to average increases in reputation with members of the Jedi Order
An average to large increase in reputation with Tedra Zill
Failure:
The possibility of injury to Tedra Zill
The possibility Tedra Zill will not return to the Jedi Order
The possibility Tedra Zill may die due to your failure
Accept?
Yes/No
...

"What did she mean by 'gone out for some air'?" Eislard's question prevented me from thinking about the new quest, but the fact one of the penalties for failure was the risk of Tedra dying was going to bounce around my head until I found her. I paused and took a few deep, calming breaths to prevent any worry from rising in me; or for it to mix with my issues that liked to pop up when I was stressed or unbalanced.

Once I was calmer, I ignored Eislard's question and opened a channel with my communicator.

"Yes?"

"Master, there's a problem with Tedra." Even though I couldn't see her, I knew that alone would've made Fay stop whatever she was doing. "Knight Eislard is here and after searching the temple for a day, there's no sign of Tedra. She said something about going out for air, so I suspect she's found a way to slip outside the temple as I know she often finds it restricting to stay inside the walls.

There was a moment's pause before Fay replied. "Yes, that is a concern. Is it safe to assume that the areas where Initiates can and can't go have been searched?"

"Yes, Master Fay. The Temple guards have already searched the gardens, classrooms, training halls and even the holocron vault for her." As Eislard answered I was glad that Fay didn't ask how I was so certain Tedra had left the temple over an open line. Though I knew that once the situation was resolved, there'd be a long discussion about this as while Fay knew Tedra was slipping outside the temple, she'd chosen not to report it as a favour to me. "After searching everywhere and reviewing the security logs, the last sign of her was just past twenty-three hundred last night."

"Very well. I will head to the hangar and secure a flyer. Knight Eislard, please meet me there."

"Yes, Master Fay." The Jedi Knight turned and walked quickly from the room, not even bothering to acknowledge me in the process. The moment the doors closed; Fay spoke again.

"Cameron, while I understand that you wish to be involved in the search, with the High Council restricting you to the temple, you can't. If you walk towards any entrance or the hanger, the Temple Guard will likely block your exit and escort you back to your quarters. As such, there is no way you can visibly leave the temple."

I smirked as while Fay had made it clear I couldn't leave a normal way, she'd made no reference to the fact I could phase through walls or teleport outside, which had to be intentional. "I understand, Master."

"Good. I will keep you updated on the search. However, it might be wise to contact Miss Kryze. She has likely spent time exploring the area near and beneath the Temple over the last few months and may have an idea of where Initiate Zill has gone."

"Yes, Master. And may the Force be with you."

Even as the commlink signalled the channel had been closed, I was moving. I clipped my lightsaber to my belt before my room faded into a sea of silver.

… …

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

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

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

USSExplorer · Sep 16, 2022

As an extra, here's how we broke down the various High Council's opinions on each matter regarding Cam.
When they spoke, they presented a unified front, but they aren't all of one mind s this gives a little insight into the factions in the council.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/...ouid=107847517360486927422&rtpof=true&sd=true

Council Member	Going to/Training with Mandalorians	Honour Duel	The Verd'gotens	Cam's moment of DS usage on Tatooine	Beginnings of Civil War/Cams actions in that battle	Fenrir	Dooku going after BG w/o sanction	Cam's capture/torture	Vosa's fate
Yoda	Disapprove	Disapprove	Disapprove	Disapprove	Disapprove	OK with?	Disapprove	Pity/concern	Imprison
Mace Windu	Generally ok with the training	Approve	Disapprove (bc it means Cam became a Mandalorian)	Disapprove	Approve	Unclear	Disapprove as Dooku didn't have HC/Republic sanction	Impressed with Cam's withstanding it (mostly ?)	Would maybe support rehabilitation, but only after examining her with the Force
Oppo Rancisis	Disapprove	Approve	Disapprove	Disapprove	Disapprove	Cautious but willing to see how things go	Disapprove	Pity/concern. Needs to be examined in the Force (which they'd be doing while he's there)	Imprison
Saesee Tiin	Approve	Disapprove	Disapprove	Disapprove	Cautious approval	Cautious but willing to see how things go	Agree, though would've preferred for Dooku to get support first	Pity/concern. Needs to be examined in the Force (which they'd be doing while he's there)	Execute after trial
Plo Koon	Approve	Neutral (approves Cam seeking justice, not in the way it was done)	Neutral	Neutral	Approve	Neutral (may wish to study the bond in a scientific way)	Disapproves of the initial assault (mainly due to lack of backup), but approves of Dooku doing everything to save his Padawan.	Concern	Jedi trial, with imprisonment in a Jedi prison at a minimum (with later attempts at rehab)
Yarel Poof	Disapprove	Disapprove, because it wasn't handled diplomatically and Cam's actions within it	Disapprove	Disapprove	Disapprove of how Cam approached the battle. Should've used subtley/deception not combat	Neutral. A potential target for seeing how Mind Tricks work on such a creature	Comfortable with the investigation, but not the assault on Kidriff	Pity/concern	Rehabilitate if possible, if not imprisonment for life
Adi Gallia	Neutral	General approval, just not the ending	Disapproval based on the possible implications until knows why Cam did it.	Disapprove	Neutral	Neutral	Investigation Neutral, maybe an issue with Kidriff	Pity/concern	Rehabilitate
Sifo-Dyas	Approve	Approve	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral	Approve	Impressed with Cam's mental Fortitude	Rehabilitate (only bc friendship with Dooku?)
Micah Giiett	Approve?	Approve	Neutral	Disapprove	Approve	Neutral, but it's a DS creature so…	Approve as a Sentinel?	Impressed with Cam's mental fortitude	Execution, if not imprisonment in Jedi facility
Yaddle	slight disapproval	Disapprove	Disapprove, to a degree (understand its part of Mando culture, but Jedi shouldn't do)	Disapprove	Neutral (disapprove of joining the fighting, not saving Damask)	Neutral (might lean slightly to approving, if Cam was older/not just been tortured)	Disapprove	Simply glad Cam is alive and, for the most part, well. Wants to make sure he's mentally stable over the coming months.	Rehabilitate (Think this fits her character)
Even Piell	Approve	Approve	Disapprove	Disapprove	Approve	Execute	Neutral	Impressed with Cam's withstanding it (mostly)	Execute after a "trial"
Ki-Adi-Mundi	Neutral	Neutral (approves Cam seeking justice, not in the way it was done)	Disapprove	Worried, but more concerned about the torture/making sure Cam doesn't fall	Approve	Execute	Light approval but would've preferred Dooku had HC/Republic sanction	Glad Cam is well and, seemingly, but knows it'll leave a hint of darkness within (due to his former master)	Execute
General consensus	Cautious approval	Approve of the duel itself, not Cam's actions at the end	Disapprove, though accept Dooku's reasoning that having political influence among a potential threat could be useful in the future	Disapprove, but wrapped up with Cam's mental state after the BG treatment	Cautious approval, though would prefer the Cam had simply extracted the VIP instead of inserting himself into the battle.	Cautious/concerned due to Cam's young age/recent brushes with the DS	SLight disapproval of Dooku going after the BG directly. fine with investigation though	Concern about Cam's state or mind/Force connection.	Trial followed by imprisonment and/or rehabilitation (though most doubt that would work)

USSExplorer · Oct 16, 2022

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

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

Current date: 3 years until the Invasion of Naboo

This wasn't how this was meant to go.

That thought echoed around Tedra's head as she scurried into the room. Around her were various crates, some opened, some not and some half-and-half. None, however, were going to be of any use to her in this situation.

She felt the Force shift around her, drawing her attention to one corner. Having learnt to trust in the Force, she scrambled forward. The crates in this corner were all too small for her to hide in, but just behind them was a half-open vent of some form. Far too small for most to enter, but for Tedra, it would be doable if a little tight.

Ripples in the Force alerted her to the threat incoming and, trying not to dislodge the crates too much – and thus give up where she'd hidden – she slid behind them. Once given some cover, she closed her eyes and reached out through the Force until she sensed the vent's cover. Slowly she willed it to pull back. As she heard the metal groan, she opened her eyes to see the gap in the vent was now wide enough that she could scamper through, which she did.

No sooner had she slipped into the vent and pulled the cover back into place than ripples of warnings within the Force turned into waves. The Rodians chasing her, the same ones that had been on her tail since she'd first run into them hours ago, were close.

Making sure to be silent and drawing the Force around her to hide within its eddies, she offered a silent prayer to not suffer the same fate as Aasuk had years before she'd been freed by Cam and sent to the Jedi. Her Togruta friend had managed to get free of his control collar – she never learnt how – and ran down an unused corridor of the station to hide. It hadn't taken the Weequays hunting him to track him down, however, instead of recapturing him, the Weequays threw a grenade down the corridor, using her friend as a message to the other slaves.

In the tight space of the vent, she could hear – and see on the surface mere centimetres from her face – the speed of her breathing. She'd been running nonstop for Force-knew how long, but she knew she needed to calm herself. If not because it was what Knight Eislard and her other instructors said, but because the sound of her breathing might alert the Rodians to her hiding hole.

Using the exercises that the Jedi had taught her and trusting herself to be able to do so under pressure, she slowed her breathing. Her fear slipped into the Force, as she'd been trained to do, letting her truly feel for the first time how effective the meditative techniques were. Her mind drifted into the Force, letting it move through and protect her.

"Where'd she go?" The scratchy voice of one Rodian – the one who'd first mentioned there was a bounty on young Jedi after another one spotted her – echoed into the vent from the room. It broke her concentration, but she stopped herself from vocally reacting. Growing up as a slave taught her the value of knowing when to not react.

"No clue." There was a moment's silence before the second Rodian spoke again. "Right, split up. You three search in here. Spos, take some men down that corridor. I'll head the other way with the rest."

The sounds of footsteps spreading out echoed in the vent. Tedra reached out with the Force, sensing those nearby. The excitement radiating from them angered her, but she knew that she needed to stay in control, and stay alert. Most of the Rodian had left but four, no five, stayed. As they spread out in the room, Tedra pulled the Force tightly around herself begging it to muffle any sound she made. As she slowly moved deeper into the vent, having sensed a path out through it, her mind played over how this had happened.

She'd been slipping out of the Temple for months now, and while she was sure Knight Eislard and the others knew what she was doing, they didn't bother to stop her. Which was a relief. As much as she loved learning to use the Force, the constant boring lectures on the dangers of holding on to your emotions infuriated her. Holding onto the hope of freedom, and if not that, then the chance to strike back at the slavers was one of the few things that had kept Tedra and the other slaves going. At least until Cam had turned up.

She'd jumped at the chance to learn the same things her saviour knew, even potentially more as she'd discovered he'd joined the Jedi at an older age than her. But after less than a month at the Temple, she'd grown bored and a growing sense that she'd not gained her freedom, but instead just changed overlords festered in her mind. Several talks with Master Fay – one of Cam's teachers – had dispelled that idea, but she'd grown restless in the Temple, thus why she'd started sneaking out not long after being made an Initiate.

While having Cam back in the Temple was great, she knew something had happened to him. She could sense that something had changed him, and while he and Master Fay danced around the topic, she saw moments in his eyes that reminded her of older slaves whose hope had been shattered. She'd tried to get him to open up to her, after all, she understood the galaxy was far from the rosy picture her Jedi instructors insisted it was, but Cam, to her annoyance, wouldn't talk with her about it, though he did share some of his adventures.

Hearing Cam talk happily about the red-haired Mandalorian he'd been travelling with had hurt her. She didn't quite understand why, but it had, and while she'd let go of that pain as her instructors had taught her, her dislike of this Mandalorian hadn't faded. And she was sure this was the one she'd seen watching her when she'd slipped out of the temple over the last few months. Including last night when she'd slipped away.

As normal, she'd slipped onto the roof of one of the various cargo vessels that descended into the depth of the planet. The surface was too shiny, too clean, and too nice for her and she'd found the lower levels far more to her liking. However, just as the transport she'd been catching a lift upon had passed the twentieth level, the Force had called out a warning. A moment later one of the vessel's engines exploded. She'd leapt from the vessel, planning to use another as a step-stone to a nearby ledge. Yet as her feet had touched down on the ledge, it had shifted, and she'd slid down the edge of the massive shaft that led into the depths of the planet.

She didn't remember exactly what had happened, as her last clear memory was slamming onto the top of something orange, but when she'd woken, she'd been down so deep the entrance to the shaft was nothing more than a prick of light in the metal sky above. Nothing was broken, thank the Force, but most of her body hurt.

Hoping to find a way to either get back to the surface, or failing that, contact the Temple, she'd instead run into this group of Rodians and been running for her life since they found out she was a Jedi.

The sound of metal scraping on metal broke her chain of thought. The vent was too narrow to let her look back, but she knew it'd come from the room she was scurrying away from. Thankfully, she'd already turned the corner in the vent so even if one of the Rodians looked inside, they'd not be able to spot her.

A glance at her bracer made her curse silently. The commlink on it had broken during her fall and while she might be able to repair it with some time, that was one thing she didn't have. According to the chronometer, she'd been gone from the Temple for almost a whole day, so she knew people would be looking for her. However, the odds that anyone would look…

She gasped in shock as she felt a powerful wave ripple through the Force. For a split second, she thought it was a dire warning and tensed, but then she relaxed. Instinctively she knew who that was: Cam. He knew she was missing and was scouring the Force on the planet to find her. She knew he was powerful, she'd felt it every time she'd been near him since he's returned to the Temple, but to be able to feel his presence in the Force when she was Force-knew how far from the Temple…

For the first time in hours, the faint hope in her that she'd escape this level unharmed – or at least, no more harmed than she currently was – grew. The embers that had existed before sparked into life and filled her with a renewed drive to keep going, to keep safe until help, until Cam, arrived.

And then, she thought with a smile that would've gotten her in trouble with Knight Eislard, those Rodians were going to get what they deserved. Something strange surged through her, giving her power and renewed strength, at the thought of Cam killing the Rodians.

It wasn't the Force, yet it was. Though wondering what it was, she knew, was something best left for once she was safely away from this place. Preferably back in the Temple with Cam.

… …

… …

"I knew things down here were bad, but this…" My words trailed off as we looked around the low level – it didn't have an official number on the landing platform, like the last few we'd passed, but we were easily over twenty-seven hundred down – we'd just arrived at. The Force indicated that this was the one Tedra was on, but I silently hoped – against both the Force and the Interface being accurate – it wasn't, and she was hundreds of levels above us as this place…

"I've seen worse." Bo's comment, while not reassuring, wasn't surprising. With me being stuck inside the Temple since we'd returned to Coruscant – and I knew that restriction was going to grow for this, but so long as Tedra came back safe and sound it'd be worth it – Bo had needed ways to blow off steam. Hell, she'd happily told me about every fight she'd gotten into while I'd been stuck in the Temple and frankly, I was getting jealous. If I could just spar it might be ok but being banned from that was sucking almost all the fun out of being in the Temple. To say nothing of not being able to abuse Training Superiority for XP. "You sure she's down this far?"

"More or less," I replied while grimacing at the smell that invaded my senses. While Tedra was still beyond the range of my minimap – which was something I might upgrade the next time I got a Perk Point – given her elevation was only a few degrees below ours, I felt safe saying that she was on this level or the one below.

I cursed in annoyance as my foot splashed into a puddle of what was clearly not water. No doubt once we'd found Tedra and were back in the Temple I'd have to wash my robes at least a dozen times just to get rid of the smell. That had me cursing once again that I didn't have a hermetically-sealed suit of armour like Bo. Instead, I only had my vambraces, my dragon-skin cloak, and a pair of grenades that I'd taken from the Ne'tra Sartr beyond standard Jedi fare. I'd left my beskad on the off chance we ran into other Jedi before I got back to the Temple, but what I'd kill for was a helmet that could filter the revolting smell that swirled around us. Or I would've if I hadn't activated Breath Control to limit what I breathed in.

"Come on." I sighed at enjoying semi-fresh and unpolluted air for the first time in about an hour, even as I cursed myself for not using the Force Power earlier on.

"Hey." We'd only taken a few steps from the speeder that had brought us to this level before a slightly chubby human had stood up and slid into my way. "You paid the level entrance fee?" My eyes narrowed as I took in his dress. He was wearing some very light armour over his chest, but like the rest of his clothing it was worn, and nowhere did I see any sigil for Coruscant security. Behind him were nine males: four humans, three Twi'leks, a Zabrak and a Duros. All of their eyes were on us, though most were for Bo and not me.

"You're the authorities for this shab-hole?" Even as I asked that. I sensed desire and excitement coming from the group as their eyes drifted over Bo. I used Observe on half of them, including the leader, which confirmed that not only were they having thoughts about her that I wanted to rip them apart for, but they were all members of a gang that, I assumed, ran this level.

"Yeah," the man stepped closer, one hand on the pistol at his waist while his eyes lingered on Bo's armoured chest. "Yough…" Whatever bullshit he was going to spew was cut off as I sent him flying into his cohorts with a flick of my fingers. He slammed into two of them, sending all three to the floor in a tumble, even as the rest shifted,

Before any could get a shot off though, three were knocked back, smoking craters on their faces indicating Bo had shot them dead. The other four were lifted off their feet and slammed into a wall with a crunching thud before slumping to the group in a broken heap.

A groan from the downed leader and the two men he'd hit had Bo aiming her blasters. "Leave the leader." Even as bolts slammed into the two others, I lifted the leader into the air, drawing a new groan from him.

"I'm looking for a young Zabrak girl," I explained as he floated helplessly toward me. "About ten cycles old with reddish-brown hair and possibly wearing robes like mine."

The man's eyes drifted around slowly, unable to focus on anything, suggesting he might have a mild concussion." Y-you're a Je-Jedi?" His voice lacked the bravado he'd shown earlier on.

"Given you're floating in the air, I'd say you could get on that." He blinked at my retort even as I felt Bo's amusement in the Force.

"Wh-why should I help you?" He asked, recovering some of his confidence. "We own this level and you Jedi don't care about anyone outside your shiny surface tower."

I pulled him closer until he was within striking range. "For your sake, it had better stay that way." I closed my fingers into a fist, and he started struggling. If he could, I had no doubt he'd reached for his throat as the Force slowly crushed his windpipe. After letting him squirm for a short while, I released the pressure. "Now, about the girl." He gasped heavily as I spoke.

"Y-you can't do anything to me! I know how your lot works!" He frantically called out in a raspy voice.

Even as I slammed him into the deck, taking pleasure in seeing him splash down in a puddle of crud, I growled and stepped forward. "Fine." My hand extended toward him. "You will tell me where the girl is," I commanded as I used Force Compulsion. I felt it slam into and then wash over his mind with ease. I knew Fay wouldn't have been happy with how aggressive I was in my application of the Force, but this arsehole was pissing me off. Everything about his body language – and a quick reapplication of Observe – confirmed he knew something about Tedra, so I felt no need to be subtle.

His eyes glazed over for a moment before he replied. "I will tell you where the girl is." He blinked though retained the glazed look. "I haven't seen anyone matching that description, but I know the Blue Rakghouls are searching for a Zabrak elsewhere on the level."

I bit off a string of curses at his lack of help and chose instead to slam him into the wall where the rest of his squad had hit.

"Cam," Bo began as the body slumped to join the rest, but I was already striding forward. Tedra was on this level, and it appeared others were hunting her.

"I'm fine." I snapped back, only to stop as I felt my anger surge. Memories of what I'd endured under Vosa's care once more slammed into my mind and if I hadn't stopped, I'd have likely stumbled into a wall. I closed my eyes and sunk inward. I was in control of myself, not my rage. While my emotions could be focused, they obeyed me, not the other way around.

I pulled up thoughts of how I felt when using Alchaka, focusing on the calmness and patience I felt when my mind drifted into the Force. Tedra didn't have the time for me to carry out the meditative technique now, so the memories of how it felt would have to be enough. And they were as I felt my anger settle, returning to the gentle waves on a pond that it'd been before we'd reached this level.

"Sorry. I'm just concerned about Tedra." I said as I looked at Bo as she stood beside me. "And it seems I've still got anger issues to work through," I added with a chuckle.

Bo placed a hand on my shoulder. "Well duh. Still, osi'kovide like these are good for blowing off steam if nothing else." Even with the armour in the way, I knew she was thinking about how she'd done similar things to pass the time over the last few months. Hopefully without breaking any planetary laws in the process.

"Aye, though I think I might need to blow off more steam before we find Tedra."

Bo chuckled. "Here's hoping. This lot wasn't even worth the cost of gas."

That made me chuckle. Bo looking for a fight was nothing new, she was a Mandalorian after all, but the more rational part of my mind hoped that there wouldn't be too many more moments like this. While they'd be good for centring myself, I'd rather get Tedra back to the Temple before anyone was aware I'd slipped out.

… …

… …

I barely gave the Duros I'd just tossed off a ledge a second thought as I surveyed the open area Bo and I were in. Nearby, Bo was gunning the last of the group that thought ambushing a Jedi and a Mandalorian was a good idea, though my attention was instantly on something else.

Tedra had finally, after nearly six hours and, including this short interaction, five skirmishes of varying size, come into range of the minimap.

"That way, less than a klick." I pointed down a side passage, away from where we'd planned to go but from where the dozen or so reinforcements for this ambush had come. Of course, said reinforcements were littering the floor, killed by a combination of blaster bolts, lightsaber cuts, or broken bodies as I slammed them into anything around us.

I took a step toward the passage only to stop as I heard Bo crouch. Turning back, I saw her searching the pockets of the two she'd just gunned down. While I wasn't happy about her searching the bodies, mainly as I felt it generally slowed us down, Bo had pointed out that there was a chance we'd gain some intel from these morons, and that'd been proven true after our second skirmish.

However, discovering that Tedra was being actively hunted by the Blue Rakghouls gang hadn't done much for my control. Which, given the various dismembered bodies and limbs lying around me, hadn't been a good thing for the gang members we'd encountered. The group before this ambush had been a team of twelve that had been directly hunting Tedra and I'd taken great pleasure in turning them into my prey. Knowing that tempering my anger was a failure waiting to happen, I'd adapted Djem So into my attacks, and channelled my rage into the attacks when we'd encountered the hunting party. Fay would no doubt complain if she ever learnt about this, as would the High Council, but I was fine with it as it gave me a way to bleed off some of the simmering lake of rage within me. These animals were hunting a friend, so they deserved everything they got in retaliation.

However, my rage wasn't as strong during this ambush, mainly as, with me worried about slipping back into a rage-induced berserker mode, I'd activated Player's Mind after the hunting party were eliminated. Yes, it prevented me from drawing on my emotions to fight harder and faster, but the risk of losing control and suffering another incident was too great when Tedra's life was on the line.

"Fine. Shebs'palone barely had anything worth taking." Bo stood and slid a pile of credits into her pouch, which was likely another thing the Jedi wouldn't like, but I didn't see an issue with it. If these beings were foolish enough to attack a Jedi and Mandalorian – even when the odds were six to one in their favour- then they didn't deserve to live. Hell, we'd likely done the gene pools of their species a favour by removing them.

Heading down the passage, I opened my mind and reached out through the Force, finding the bond I wanted with practised ease. [We're near, Tedra. Stay safe.] I'd sent a few telepathic messages to her though this one, like the rest, didn't bring a verbal response. Only a wave of relief and desperation that was stronger than any before it. As the Force helped push me forward faster than most could hope to manage, I looked at my minimap.

Tedra was moving almost perpendicular to us, however, what drew my attention – and made me glad Player's Mind was active – was the group of about a dozen other beings that seemed to be following her. It didn't take much to determine that they were another team from the Blue Rakghouls –a group that I planned to crush brutally in future – were closing in on her.

"She's got company." My words echoed in the empty corridor as I vaulted with ease over a pile of smashed crates. By the placement of the crates, it might've been Tedra's work, but it could just have easily been another sign of how badly rundown this level was.

"Stealth or shock and awe?"

I chuckled at Bo's response even as I noted she didn't question my statement of Tedra's location or situation. Before my capture – images flashed through my mind but Player's Mind nullified any emotional reaction before it could incapacitate me – I'd sensed a great deal of hesitation from Bo regarding my orders, even if she never voiced it during a mission. Now, I didn't sense any of that, just a resolve to find Tedra and get out of this shithole of a level. Now, things between us still needed to be sorted out, but I wasn't willing to use Observe on her while we were outside the wire. That would just lead to distractions that could be deadly.

"By ear." I shot back as while sliding around more debris, I pulled my hand to one side. The Force dragged a door in my path open at the same time the group chasing Tedra closed on her. A shout of pain from somewhere ahead of us and through the Force made me growl before my anger was brought under control by the Interface. "Brutal," I called out, changing my mind.

There was no reply from Bo, and less than a minute later the voices drifted into range.

"Come out, come out, little Jedi. No need to draw this out any longer." Laughter from multiple distant sources accompanied that. "We don't want to hurt you too much. The bounty's worth more for you alive." The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed around us. "Ah, there you are."

Tedra screamed as I rounded a corner and saw the opening to the area that she had to be in. Two Rodian were standing there, their blasters low and their backs to us. I pushed myself harder, accelerating as fast as I could with the Force.

My lightsaber roared to life, drawing their attention, but before they could turn enough to see Bo or me, I was upon them. The one on my right side lost the upper part of his skull as my lightsaber sliced clean through it while the second was slammed into the wall next to the door with a blast of force energy that ended in a sickening crack.

The chaos I was unleashing drew the attention of others in the room, not least Tedra whose relief and hope brightened up the force in this dank and darkly lit area. I moved forward, my lightsaber moving as fast as I was, and I slid to a stop no more than ten metres from Tedra and two Rodians standing over her.

"If you're looking for a Jedi, then I think I will suffice." I snarled as the remains of four more Rodians slumped to the floor: the deadly effectiveness of my lightsaber made clear I wasn't in the mood to play nice. Tedra was backed up close to an exposed opening that led into some sort of shaft. Given the gases rising from the opening, whatever was in there was either very hot or very dangerous. Possibly even both.

Even as the two Rodians in front of me looked at me, I heard and saw bolts of yellow fly. Within seconds every Rodian in the room that I hadn't killed or was in front of me fell under Bo's brutally efficient fire.

One of the Rodians near Tedra grabbed her, making her scream. I stepped forward as the other approached, pulling a vibroblade from his waist. With Player's Mind active I didn't instantly dismiss the weapon as there was no way the Rodian didn't know such a blade was no match for a lightsaber: not under normal conditions.

Even as I pondered what this Rodian had up their sleeve, I saw the other pull Tedra to them and lift a blaster toward her head. That was enough for me, and as Tedra tried to shuffle away from it, I moved. My blade thrust like lightning towards the Rodian. And as it brought its blade up to parry, a twist of my wrist was enough to slide the tip of my blade around the offending blade. Yet, as my lightsaber brushed the Rodian's forearm, it flickered out.

Realising the alien was wearing cortosis gauntlets and with its block turning into an attack as it saw my blade die, I adapted. The attack was well-timed and accurate. Or it would've been if the Force wasn't moving me so fast its eyes were likely struggling to track me. With contemptuous ease, I shifted my weight so that the blade missed me while tossing up my extinguished lightsaber.

As I closed on the overgrown bug, my hands gripped its wrists, and then with the Force increasing my strength, I crushed the joints. Even as the beginnings of a cry of pain slipped from the Rodian's lips, I was turning, my grip still secure. With no chance to react, the alien was lifted off its feet and then, as I completed a full rotation, slammed face-first into a support beam with enough velocity that the head caved in and its brain smeared across the post even as I casually caught my lightsaber in my left hand.

"Cam!" Tedra called out, seemingly more relieved to see me than disturbed by what I'd just done. As I looked her way, I saw the Rodian was affected as its eyes somehow looked as if they were going to grow larger than its very punchable head. He stepped back, pulling Tedra with it even as it held the blaster close to Tedra's skull.

"S-stay b-back!" the Rodian stammered out as I took a step closer. This made it take another step back, only to stop as it reached the opening. If not for the Force, the gases and steam seeping out would've made it hard for me to fully see.

"Let her go and I might let you live." While my emotions were kept in check by Player's Mind, I knew some of it had seeped into my words as the Rodian pushed the blaster into Tedra's skull. "Maybe."

Part of me was disappointed that Tedra didn't just use the Force to break free, but given she'd been running from these fucking arseholes for almost a day, and was undoubtedly tired and hungry, I was willing to cut her some slack. Didn't mean I wasn't going to explain her faults once we were back in the Temple.

"W-why sh-ould I trust you?" Its voice was barely held together, and fear was radiating from the alien so much that I was glad I was blocking off my emotions as, even with them suppressed, I found its reaction enjoyable.

"You don't really have a choice." I shot back as my free hand indicated the remains of his compatriot's brain dripping off the wall. I took another step closer.

"DON'T!" It called out and it jammed the blaster into her skull. As Tedra whimpered my resolve to handle this subtlety ended.

My fingers on my free hand twirled before closing into a fist. At the same time, the Rodian's eyes somehow widened further before its arm jerked back strangely. A moment later the blaster, and the hand holding it, started to compact.

"Aargh!" The alien grunted even as it struggled to process what was happening. I watched in enjoyment as its eyes shot from the bloody remains of its ruined hand, and the remains of the blaster within, to me. Finally, it understood it was outclassed.

Yet before I could finish it off, Tedra slipped free, turned, and thrust her arms forward. The Force reacted to her demands and the alien was lifted off its feet and sent sailing through the opening.

"AGH!" it screamed as it sailed into oblivion. Tedra turned back to me, relief at being saved, mixing with the shock of what she'd endured and just done on her face. I started to move toward her only to feel the Force react and warn me of danger.

Before I could understand what, Tedra's eyes widened before she was suddenly jerked into the opening.

"GAH!"

"Tedra!" I moved forward, the Force surging through me, and reached for her. However, my hand found nothing but air as her scream of terror echoed in the gas. The heat of the steam tingled over my skin until I shifted the Force to block it out even as I stared helplessly into the thick pea-soup fog that filled the shaft into which Tedra had just fallen. Not wanting to lose her when I'd almost had her, and seeing no other option, I stepped through the opening even as I slid my lightsaber into my Inventory instead of the magnetic clip on my belt. Without knowing one hundred per cent what was in the fog, I felt safer with my blade in my Inventory.

Hot, thick air slammed into my face as I fell, making it impossible to see. I closed my eyes, opened my mind and reached out through the Force. As shaft, the gas and everything else came into focus within the Force, I was drawn back to memories of my former life, and every single jump I'd done – both in training and combat.

Almost instantly after opening myself to the Force, I sensed Tedra no more than ten metres below me. Her screams echoed in the Force as if I was standing right next to her. Further below her, I sensed the Rodian, its fear and terror bringing a flash of joy to my heart; though that was quickly stymied by Player's Mind, as was the rush of fury as I sensed a connection between it and Tedra.

She hadn't fallen but been pulled by the fucking bug in an attempt to take her with it.

Glad my fury wasn't going to cloud my judgement, nor let me dwell on the emotions of a few jumps that had gone wrong in my former life, I pulled my arms to my side and let myself accelerate as I fell.

With the Force guiding me, and a decade of experience to call upon from my former life, I reached Tedra in seconds. "Cam!" Her voice barely carried over the roar of the gases around us even as I slid an arm around her waist. Quickly I found the cable the alien had fired at her and ripped it and a small patch of her robes off before tossing it away. My vambrace vibrated, meaning Bo was trying to reach me – had she jumped after us? – but my focus was on slowing our fall.

Levitation activated and our descent slowed to a crawl. However, even with the power having reached its maximum potential within the Interface, it wasn't enough to stop us from falling. The gases around us slowed down, making it possible to hear Tedra's whimpers of fear as she clung tightly to my chest.

Reaching out through the Force I searched for details on the shaft. How far did it go down and where were any exits located? The Force wasn't clear with what it supplied, but I could tell this shaft went down deep, perhaps to the very lowest level on Coruscant, and there were no openings, or even potential ones, coming up any time soon.

Fucking wonderful.

My vambrace vibrated again and moving it slowly to not disrupt my concentration – nor have Tedra do so by reaching to my movement – I shifted my free arm to my face. A gentle application of the Force had the channel open. "Where are you?" I all but shouted into the link, hoping Bo would understand and reply in kind.

"About a metre above you." Her reply was loud, yet it was still a struggle to hear it over the sounds echoing around the shaft. I looked up and, while it wasn't clear, managed to see the faint outline of a darker figure in the gas with red flames surrounding their lower half. "I had to make sure the gases wouldn't ignite before following."

"Thank you. For both checking and coming." Yeah, she'd shown more sense than I had in the situation as while I knew the gas wasn't poisonous – thanks to the Interface failing to say I was being poisoned – I'd still leapt without having a plan. In my old life, that shit got you killed, but in this galaxy that just seemed to be the Jedi way. A nasty habit I'd have to be mindful of in future. "Any idea how we can get out of here?"

The shadow shifted around, and I assumed Bo was using the scanners in her armour to check. At the same time, Tedra moved around, finding a more comfortable way to grip me painfully tight. The movement wasn't enough to make me lose control of our slowed descent, but it did force me to pay more attention to controlling the Force around us.

"Hard to tell. The gases are shabyriir the sensors, but it looks like there's some sort of ledge about twenty metres below and to your right."

I reached out through the Force, confirming there was something there that should be able to take our weight; or at the very least, stop us from falling when combined with Levitation. "Got it."

It didn't take long to reach the ledge, which would barely be big enough for Tedra and me to share. After a few experimental pushes against it with my feet while Levitation was active, I eased Tedra onto it. A quick check of my belt confirmed both grenades were still there and, with Tedra's eyes blocked by them being jammed against my stomach and Bo still above us, I subtly pulled my lightsaber from my Inventory and reattached it to my belt; making sure the fastening was as secure as it could be.

"H-how are we getting out?" Tedra shouted, though, against the roaring of the rising gases, it was barely louder than a whisper. I smiled in reassurance before reaching out with the Force. "Bo, any way out of here?"

Even as I asked that the Force was indicating the area on the other side of the shaft wall was safe. Or at least safer than remaining in the shaft.

"Sensors have an opening on the other side of the wall, but can't tell if it's empty. Or much of anything other than it should have breathable air."

Bo's scan confirmed what the Force had told me. "Good enough for me." Carefully, not wanting to slip and fall or lose my lightsaber to the shaft, I unclipped the weapon and ignited the blade. Before cutting, I erected a Force barrier around Tedra, me and the ledge. One strong enough to block out the gases rising around us. There was a risk any cut would cause a backlash, which would be very dangerous and not something I wanted to chance.

With the barrier active, I sunk my blade into the wall, and then as the metal melted from the heat of the plasma blade, I slowly sliced open a hole large enough for all three of us to walk through.

While I still didn't know what was on the other side, it had to be better than staying in this shaft and hoping to find another way out.

… …

… …

Four hours later, and after several run-ins with Cthons – creatures I hadn't seen since discovering the Sith shrine deep under the Jedi Temple not long after becoming a Padawan – later, I was growing royally pissed with Coruscant. The surface may look clean, shiny, and safe, but after spending half a day wandering the lower levels, it was abundantly clear the planet was none of those things, at least not for the overwhelming majority of the populace. Which had me considering if this was why there'd been no issue with the Republic transitioning into the Empire.

I was also glad that Player's Mind was active as, not long after entering this tunnel system Force knew how far under the surface of the planet, I'd heard my torturer's voice drift from a dark corner of a side tunnel we hadn't taken. If not for Player's Mind, I knew I'd have suffered another moment and while I knew now that wouldn't have been an issue, the fact it could happen seemingly at random was an ongoing concern.

Yet, while I was glad that I had the special power to fall back on, it was infuriating – or would've been if the power didn't nullify my emotions rapidly – that the only way I was getting through this 'rescue' was by relying on it.

I'd long since reached out through the Force to Fay to let her know we'd found Tedra. While she wasn't happy that I had gone out to find her - suggesting she was near another Jedi - she was relieved I hadn't gone alone and that Tedra was with us. Still, it could be hours until we either found a way upward or she found a suitable way down that would bring her close to our location.

From using the Force and examining the readings from Bo's sensors, I knew we were in a tunnel system that seemed to go on for miles, yet there was no hint of how we could ascend or where to go to do that. Haran, if not for being able to use Force Sight – and teaching Tedra the basics of how to use the Force to see in the dark, which was a little awkward as how the Interface handled the Force was different from how other Force users interacted with it – we'd have been relying entirely on the lights from Bo's armour for sight, and that could've become an issue. While her armour still had several days of power left, I'd rather not drain any more than needed on the chance we ended up staying down here for that long.

"I hate this shabuiryr planet." Bo's cursing had been a regular feature of our treks. This one was brought on by her boot sinking into a pool of what, I hoped, was just dirty water. The smell would've likely made us all retch if not for us having armour or the Force to block it out, but I knew that the first thing I was doing when I got back to the Temple was tossing my robes in an incinerator, then taking a shower for about a week.

"Me too." Tedra's tone while despondent was far more hopeful than it's been just after we'd escaped the shaft. Most of that, I suspected, came from the fact Bo had reluctantly agreed to let Tedra carry one of her blaster pistols. She hadn't been happy about it, but after our first run-in with Cthon, she'd been more accepting of the need for every member of our team to be armed.

Hell, she'd even given Tedra some pointers in a far gentler way than I'd expected after that run-in, and it had helped greatly since Tedra's accuracy was impressive; even knowing she was drawing on the Force to help her. It had reached a point that after the third encounter, Bo had extended the same offer she'd given Anakin that if the Jedi thing – as she put it – didn't work out, Tedra could join her clan.

Tedra had seemingly been confused by the offer, though she had said that so long as I was a Jedi she would be one as well. Bo had given me a glance at that as amusement radiated from her through our bond. I knew that once we were out of here, and my time in the Temple was through, she was going to tease the ever-loving fuck out of me about that. While I'd not enjoy it, simply getting out of here and into a shower would make it liveable. Hell, the idea of a shower was one of the things that were keeping me going which I'm sure was true for Bo as…

My foot slipped on something, but I managed to not lose my balance. Bo glanced back at me, but I waved her off. I didn't need her to look my way, not when my mind had imagined what she'd look like coming out of a shower. While Player's Mind had slammed the door on that burst of emotions, it still had me cursing once more the fact I had to endure being a teenager – and all the shite that brought – all over again.

We walked past two more intersections that led into darkness but didn't take either. While there was nothing I could sense down either, the Force seemed to be guiding us forward with faint golden halos highlighting our current path that I could see with Force Sight. Of course, those same golden halos had drawn us into four groups of increasing sizes of Cthons so I was beginning to suspect the Force was finding ways that'd test us as a group.

Tedra stopped mid-step and sensing confusion from her, I turned and saw her frowning.

"Tedra?"

She blinked and shook her head, almost as if she forgot for a moment that I was there. "I, I think I sensed something… different." I turned back to look where we were going, spotting Bo having stopped with her blaster scanning the darkness in front of us, and then reached out with Detection, Force Sight, and Sense Force.

"I'm not feeling anything." Yet as I said that I realised that there was something strange going on. Just down the left tunnel of the intersection we were maybe a hundred metres from, there was an unusual section of… nothingness. The Force couldn't sense anything in there; be it the walls, faint flickers of power in long-forgotten cables or plant life that had overgrown the ground. "Ok, that's odd."

"What is it?"

I ignored Bo's question and glared into the darkness, trying to work out what could cause such a strange emptiness in the Force. There were some records in the Archives of creatures and objects that could restrict or outright block a Jedi from sensing them through the Force. However, none of them should be down this far under the surface of Coruscant. "There's nothing in the tunnel to our left. As in the Force isn't sensing anything. Not even the walls." As I explained that to Bo, I ignited my lightsaber. Bo's posture shifted instantly. Her blaster and the vambrace on her free hand moved with her helmet scanning the darkness for whatever threat could be out there. "Tedra, stay behind me."

I didn't wait for a response before I moved to Bo's side. Just before I reached her, my foot clipped against something hard. A minute ago, I'd have just ignored that as the remains of a durasteel plate from when these tunnels had been used, but now I was more alert. A glance down was followed by a closer look. While my eyes could see an oddly shaped grey block of what looked like duracrete, the Force couldn't sense it, meaning it wasn't. Worse was that, now that I knew what to look for, I sensed similar small patches of the duracrete-like substance leading into the darkness, angling toward the left tunnel at the intersection.

Once I reached Bo's side, I tapped her shoulder. Since I wasn't hooked into her battlenet, I fell back on training to let her know I was present. Without responding she moved forward, cautiously approaching the intersection. As she took up a position at the edge of the left tunnel, I drifted toward the right tunnel – ignoring the faint golden glow coming from it – to allow me to provide support with the Force or the grenades and grant me a clean line of attack if I needed to surge forward.

She slid out, her blaster sweeping into the tunnel, only for me to sense shock from her, followed by excitement. That was all I needed to know there was something there, yet before I could get a clear sight of what it was, Bo leapt back, and a blob came flying out of the tunnel. As it flew past me and slammed into the wall, I noted it was the same grey colour as the marking on the floor and was essentially invisible to the Force.

Blaster fire erupted from Bo in response, though that only elicited a roar that made me lift my hands to my ears as the walls vibrated. Slowly, once I'd adapted to the roar, I moved forward enough to see something, large, armoured and covered in a shell-like skin skitter in the tunnel, moving toward us. I had a bad feeling about whatever that was; one that only got worse once I Observed it.

Level: 75
Species: Taozin
Health: 99%
Age: 1053 years
Force Potential: None
Threat Potential: Extreme
This taozin is angered at being disturbed but is also hungry.
...

I'd barely processed what Observe told me before another blob of grey goo shot out from the beast; this time, toward me. As I leaned back, avoiding it and silently cursing that of all creatures we could run into this deep under the surface of Coruscant was one that wasn't detectable within the Force, I realised that here and now, taking it on wasn't an option. Another globule of goo came at me and even as I avoided that, I brought up my lightsaber and let the tip hit the goo. I was relieved that the goo dissolved, as it meant the weapon wasn't useless in this fight.

Massive mandibles, larger than me, illuminated by the lights on Bo's helmet – which she'd turned on, I assumed, to get a better look at the beast – lunged forward. They would've grabbed and crushed Bo if not for her engaging her jetpack and flying up and back from the attack.

Even as that was happening, my mind was racing to pull up whatever I knew about taozins. Apart from the Archives being wrong that the beasts were extinct, the biggest things I could recall were that the beasts were both blind to sensing through the Force – something I already knew – and immune to directed Force attacks. Plus, being illustrated worryingly well by Bo's ineffectual blaster fire, they were mostly impervious to directed energy attacks; be that from blasters or a lightsaber.

That had me making a note to thank Fay for making me read up on creatures that were in some way or another immune to the Force.

Wanting to buy Bo time to keep getting away, I flicked my wrist and hurled a boulder bigger than Tedra at the beast. That had the desired effect, though as it turned its large, soulless black eyes toward me, I had flashbacks to the Great Krayt Dragon. Before the taozin could do anything in retaliation, Bo opened fire again, redrawing its attention to her even as she swept around near the roof of the tunnel intersection.

"Bo, that's a taozin! We need to get out of here!" even as I shouted, one hand closed around a grenade. I doubted that would kill it, but hopefully, the explosion would give us time to get away.

"We can kill it!" Bo shot back after dodging to one side to avoid another globule of goo.

"It's all but impervious to blasters and lightsabers!" I responded even as I depressed the grenade's trigger. "We've got little room to manoeuvre, plus the mission is Tedra." My arm slid back, drawing on memories from my old life and time training on Mandalore. "Also, grenade!"

I could feel Bo's annoyance even as she flew low and toward me, letting the grenade sail over her, bounce off the top of the taozin then, as I'd used the Force to ensure it happened, detonated directly above the beast's massive, armoured head.

Bo touched down and stumbled as the shockwave of the explosive reached us, sending dust and debris everywhere. A flick of my wrist moved most of the dust down the tunnel we'd come from, letting us see the entrance to the taozin's lair had come down hard.

"Did that kill it?" Tedra's meek question – which came from behind me as she'd shifted over before I'd throw the grenade – was answered by a horrible, twisted, high-pitched shriek. Even as the Force helped nullify some of the pain in my ears, I kept my hands still, readying myself for more combat. A moment later, the rubble started to shift.

Two long, dark mandibles crashed out of the chaos, followed by the black soulless eyes that locked onto me and promised a very slow and painful death if the taozin caught me. Even as I slipped one hand into Tedra's I was using the light from Bo's helmet to examine the beast. The head and hide were covered by plates that worked as armour like a beetle's while in the gaps between them, the light diffused in the freakishly transparent body of the monster. I gulped as the remains of something vaguely humanoid were caught by the light as it floated around inside.

"Run!" I called as I turned, pulled Tedra with me, and set off the tunnel we'd shifted toward during the fight. Thankfully, the one that had been marked by the Force with a faint golden halo. Even with Player's Mind active, I could feel fear spiking inside me, though the strange power instantly cut it off. While that kept me calm and able to think clearly, it did limit my body as fear made me think and move faster.

With the Force being unable to directly sense the movements of the taozin behind us, nor any globule of goo it shot in our direction, I was forced to improvise. I slipped my lightsaber onto my belt and then every piece of debris or junk that was at least as big as my head was sent flying back. I honestly wasn't concerned if any were hitting the beast, or hurting it, being more mindful of creating blocks to any attacks it launched at me and Tedra. To my left, Bo was flying backwards, her blaster firing almost continuously while she added in shots and flame from her vambrace. Tedra was struggling to keep up, her shorter legs and her fear meant I was often having to lift her along to prevent her from falling.

As I yanked Tedra one more time, almost lifting her into my chest, through the Force I saw a Y-intersection coming up; with a faint golden light illuminating the leftward passage. Even as I shifted toward that side, with Force Sight I noticed that the first support beam into that tunnel was damaged. Not enough that it would fall soon, but enough that, with the right concussive force, it would shatter and, I hoped, bring down the entire roof with it.

"Left!" I called even as I carried out some quick mental calculations. After being sure of the numbers, I opened the Inventory and pulled two explosive grenades from a stack of fifteen that I'd gained back on the ship during my mission posing as Palpatine's nephew. With the Force, I activated their concurrent detonation mode and pushed them toward the beam. Before they'd even reached their target points, two more were close behind along with the one from my waist. As all five latched onto the beam at various points – and through the chaos of this run I was impressed I was able to use the Force like this under such a difficult situation – I pulled one final grenade from the Inventory.

"Bo!" I called out, hoping to get her attention. Waving the grenade in my hand so she saw it, I pushed it forward. "Twenty seconds!" Even as the last grenade flew towards the centre of the support beam, where it was weakest, Bo turned and accelerated down the left tunnel. Pushing a nagging concern that her sensors might've detected me throwing all six grenades out of my mind, I picked Tedra up and, pushing Force Speed and Bullet-Time to their maximum, took off after her.

It didn't take me long to pass her, which was when the taozin gave off another roar, and while I wasn't willing to risk a backward glance to confirm, I suspected the beast was trying to keep up with us.

I raced under the weakened beam with about ten seconds to spare, Bo a second further back, but neither of us slowed down. Even if what I had planned didn't kill the taozin, this entire section of tunnel was going to come down hard and fast.

As my mental count neared zero, I established a barrier behind us. Unlike at other times, I couldn't devote my full attention to it, so there was a fair chance it wouldn't stop all the debris that was about to come our way from reaching us, but it should stop most of it.

As I reached zero in my head, the tunnel behind us was engulfed in an explosion as the last grenade set off the others. I was sent flying and pulled the Force around me as my arms wrapped around Tedra as she screamed. We bounced several times along the ground with harsh pain erupting from my back. My right leg caught on something and twisted awkwardly before, thankfully, slipping clear.

As my tumble started to come under control, I ignored the pain in my leg as I slid to a stop. Slowly, even before the dust had settled, I extracted myself from Tedra's death grip and then, painfully, stood. Pain from my leg was intense, but the Interface let me know it was only a bruised ankle I was dealing with and not a break, which was a relief. The Force had done enough to reinforce my body that the impact that would've broken my ankle in most cases, only left me with a nasty bruise that was easy to heal with the Force. The same was true of the various cuts and scrapes on the rest of my body, including a cut on the back of my head that, incredibly, hadn't given me a concussion.

The faint roar of my lightsaber echoed in the dust-filled area as I reached forward with Force Sight and Detection to see if there was any movement from where we'd come from. The entire section of the tunnel, and at a rough estimate, about twenty more metres had come down, yet within the blocked passage I could still sense the strange null space that indicated the taozin. A glance at my stat screen showed only a minor increase in XP, confirming, rather worryingly, that the beast wasn't dead; just trapped.

Bo walked unsteadily toward me, and even as her blaster aimed at the cave-in, her free hand slapped my shoulder hard. "Shabyr jagkc'kovid! You almost killed us!" Her anger came through the helmet's speaker so clearly, that I didn't need the Force to confirm it.

"You're welcome." Even as I replied, I kept my focus on the rubble looking for any sign the taozin was trying to escape. Bo chuckled at my words before taking a cautious step toward the rubble.

"Is it dead?" I looked back at Tedra, seeing her shaking as the aftereffects of our run-in with the taozin caught up with her. I reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder, sending feelings of comfort and safety to her through our weak Force bond.

"I hope so but it'd be better if we're far away from here if it isn't, and manages to get out of that any time soon."

She blinked several times, and I felt her heart rate slowly drop. Eventually, she gave me a nod and I turned to walk away, only to pause as Bo was still looking at the rubble. "Bo?"

"Yeah, just checking something with my sensors." I hid any concern that she might've detected me using more than one grenade as, even if she had, she wouldn't bring it up until we were safe and – I hoped – alone.

Even as I used Nullify Pain on the wounds that I couldn't heal easily with Force Heal, I gave the rubble one last look and offered a silent prayer to the Force that it was done messing with me. At least for today.

… …

… …

It took us just over five hours to not only find a passageway that led upward but eventually reach a point where we could be collected by Fay in a speeder. I knew we were no longer under the Senate district – somehow having moved over the equivalent of three surface districts during our travels. That meant that while I could sense her coming closer with another Jedi – likely Knight Eislard – this unexpectedly long adventure wasn't quite over.

Thank the Force.

After the taozin, the Force had taken pity on us or at least decided we'd been tested enough for today, as we didn't run into any other combat situations. While I and Tedra were glad for that, as time wore on with nothing to do but walk, Bo had grown agitated.

"Ahh…" I sighed contently as I was able to breathe in the air without needing the Force to filter out Force-knew what crud was in it. I knew it wasn't that clean, but it was still nice to be able to inhale relatively clean air.

I turned my head at the hiss of Bo's helmet and as she lifted it over her head, I saw her hair was matted to her skull. The armour offered temperature control to ensure the warrior didn't become uncomfortable, but wearing it constantly for nearly a full day couldn't stop sweat from building up. "How long until Master Fay gets here?" Her face wrinkled as she ran on hand through her hair.

I closed my eyes to look at the minimap, thus not making it obvious I was doing so. Fay was outside its range, but I knew she was closing fast. "Not long. Maybe no more than a few minutes." I replied as I opened my eyes to see Bo looking at me. "What?"

"Nothing." Bo turned and looked over at Tedra who was sitting quietly off to the side, digging into a ration pack that I'd purchased once we'd reached the edges of civilization. I'd had to use Observe to ensure they were safe to eat, but once that was sure, I'd happily purchased a half-dozen for us. Bo's were stored in her belt while Tedra was now eating my second pack. "How's she doing?"

Looking at Tedra, I began to answer even as Bo stepped toward me. "About as well a..ugf!"

My words were cut off by Bo grabbing my head, then before I could ask what she was doing, she'd rammed her lips against mine. Even as I processed that she was kissing me, I tasted her sweat as her tongue slammed against my teeth, seeking a way inward. One of her armoured arms slid around my arm, pulling me against her even as my arms started to respond.

I leaned forward and let my tongue slip from my mouth, yet as our tongues touched, she pulled back, leaving me flailing around. As I stood there, mouth wide and tongue hanging out, she smirked and slipped her helmet on.

"W-what?" I mumbled out even as I took a step toward her, my body acting faster than my mind could process. She gave me a gentle shove. I stumbled back, once more caught off-guard.

By the time I'd stopped myself, Bo was airborne and rising into the shaft that led to the surface. I blinked as she flew upward, my mind processing what she'd just done, then realised I didn't know why and thus I used Observe.

Rigel's Grace
Model: B-5 Light Freighter
Condition: 76% (numerous minor issues)
Value: 14,000 credits
...

"Son of a Bitch!" Bo had moved behind a lowering freighter and Observe had worked on that, and not the now-hidden female Mandalorian. I kept looking upward, hoping she'd come back into sight, but either she was actively trying to keep hidden, or the Force was helping her do so.

"What was that about?" I turned back to face Tedra, her face mirroring the confusion and anger emanating from her within the Force.

"I… I don't know." Even as I answered, my mind started replaying the kiss. That had certainly been more than a friendly 'thank Force that's over' sort of kiss but hadn't quite been an 'I want you' kiss.

Did… did that mean Bo had sorted out her feelings for me and decided to pursue something, or was this just a way for her to pay me back for my kissing her back in the Bando Gora base?

I blinked as I realised that, then I'd not know the truth until I either drew the answer from her verbally over the comms – unlikely – or was able to use Observe on her. Meaning I'd spend the next few months hopelessly wondering what, if anything, the kiss had meant.

"Fuck!" I snarled under my breath.

Like I didn't have enough issues to deal with.

… …

… …

"And why, after being told implicitly to stay, when you sensed where Initiate Zill was, did you decide to disobey the orders of your master and this council and head off alone to locate her?"

Windu was leaning forward in his council seat, looking intently at me while eight other members of the council – some also present, while others were here via holocall – did the same. Yoda along with three other members was off at the Senate building and had left control of the council on this matter in the hands of Windu. Which had me fearing my punishment would become much, much worse once everything was said and done.

Bo had, without me knowing, sent a copy of our adventures to Fay, which had me concerned about how aggressive I'd been in dealing with the gang members hunting Tedra. However, either the worst parts had been cut out by Bo or the Council wasn't concerned about them. Or, Force forbid, they were saving commenting on those moments until the end of the meeting.

Still, the recording had backed up Tedra and my recounting, especially our run-in with a supposedly extinct beast. While killing the taozin had been a hidden condition of the quest to save Tedra, I'd only discovered that once the mission was over. However, I now had a simple quest – Bestial Revenge – that revolved around killing the taozin either alone or as a member of a strike team.

Now though, I was at the part of the debriefing where I had to explain my actions.

"Well, as the council is well aware from the recordings provided, I wasn't alone." It likely didn't help my case that I was being snarky to them, but the way Windu just discounted Bo's presence on the mission irked me; and not just because her kiss was still bouncing around my head a day later. "And as to why I went. Tedra is only in the Temple because of me." I saw Piell's brow rise in annoyance, but I continued before he could make any comment on my arrogance. "Along with Master Dooku, I was the one who found her, and without sounding arrogant, it was the Force that guided me to her, and it was me that convinced her to join the Order," Piell grumbled, likely at me cutting off his planned comment which amused me. The short Jedi Master had never cared for me, so irritating him was almost as much fun as irritating Windu. "While I don't have much attachment to her, she was, and is, still my responsibility. Not so much regarding her teaching, but in making sure she's safe and comfortable at the Temple. As for why I went without telling anyone," I gave Fay – who was standing at my right shoulder – an apologetic shrug. "While I know Master Fay would've believed me when I said I knew roughly where Tedra was, I also knew she'd pass the information onto the team tasked with locating her and then they'd likely dismiss my information," I smirked as I focused on Windu. "Thus, I decided to do what I knew was right. To find her and bring her back, and then deal with the fallout once she was safe."

I could've been more apologetic in my explanation, but I simply didn't feel like it. Fay had told me no members of either the High Council or the Council of First Knowledge – the one responsible for the training and safety of Initiates among other things – had joined the search team. Fay had explained that while she didn't agree with that, she understood their logic in that the fate of one Initiate was better handled by those who knew her best. This was what infuriated me as I was one of those people, but the councils didn't ask for my help.

"Which is why we're all here." The remark had come from Saesee Tiin, and while I wanted to retort, I chose instead to keep my attention on Windu. The Council leader's face gave nothing away as he stared at me, a vein on his head throbbing as he did so. When I compared that to what I knew now about his ability with Shatterpoint – my version of the power was only, after months of effort, at Adept:75 – I knew the throb in his forehead was him using the power intently as if searching for how a decision regarding an event or person would alter the future. Still, even sure he was using the power on me, I failed to sense any shift in the Force between or around us.

Windu chose that moment to lean forward, interlocking his fingers together before resting his chin on them. His eyes looked into mine as he searched for, I assumed, proof that I was being truthful.

"First off, I wish to make clear that I, and the council in general, am impressed with how you handled matters in the lower levels." He began after what felt like an hour of him examining me but had only been five minutes of silent judging. "Far too often, Padawans struggle to reconcile what they might see on the lower levels of the planet with how the Temple and upper levels are. Many fail to understand that even on a world as important and powerful as Coruscant, there can exist hardships that are only meant to occur on the very edges of civilised space." I held my tongue about commenting on why the Jedi wouldn't do something about the issue if they knew it existed as I could already work out some of the reasons. Not enough Jedi to make a difference, not the focus of the Jedi, and a violation of some form of oath to the Senate were the three I felt would be the most likely to be given and while I already had counters for those, getting into an argument with the council over such things when awaiting judgement for my actions was a foolish thing to do.

"Second, while we are less than enthused with how you approached your encounters in the lower levels, specifically those with other sentients, on a personal level, I have no issue with it. Any being that would actively target a member of our Order, particularly an Initiate deserves to be punished for such an action in the harshest possible terms." I felt my brow rise at that. While I knew he was more martially inclined when it came to threats to the Jedi than most, I hadn't expected him to all but grant his blessing with how violently I'd taken down the various gang members we'd run into. I'd have to remember that in the future if I faced a similar situation.

"Third, ignoring the shared disbelief of this council that a taozin not only still exists but lives on the lowest levels of this very planet," Windu glanced at Rancisis, earning a nod about something from the snake-like Jedi. "We are impressed by your ability to not only recognize what it was but realise that you were in over your head and that your self-appointed mission was to get Initiate Zill to safety to priority displays growth in your decision-making and the understanding that sometimes withdrawing from combat is the correct course of action." His lips twitched upward. "That said, your usage of explosives over an indirect application of the Force was atypical of a Jedi. Which certainly fits your character."

I blinked as I realised Windu was seemingly cracking a joke at my expense. None of the Council laughed, though I caught the hologrammatic form of Plo Koon covering his breathing mask.

The twitch on Windu's face morphed into a small smile, which might be the first time he's ever smiled around me. "We can sense your surprise at our opinions, which does make sense. You are far from a normal Jedi, showing a tendency to rush head-on into situations that, while reminding many of us of our younger days, have the potential to be far more dangerous than most Padawans would encounter. I will also add that, if our roles were reversed, I would likely have taken similar actions to those you did; with the understanding that they would bring with them a punishment for violating the instructions of this council."

Windu paused here and looked at each of the other council members who were present. Most didn't seem to respond to his look, but Rancisis and Tiin both gave fractional nods. Windu then returned his attention to me. "In the end though, you have disobeyed the Council. As such, the time you are to remain within the walls of this temple is increased by two months, along with you having to continue educating the Initiates." I fought to keep my shoulders from slumping as while two months wasn't the worst, having to continue to teach Jedi ideals that I didn't entirely agree with wasn't something I was looking forward to. "However, once the initial time for you to remain within the temple has lapsed, we feel it would be beneficial, for both you and the Initiates, if you moved to assist Master Bondara in training the future of our Order in the most basic of lightsaber techniques." I blinked in shock at hearing that which drew a snort of amusement from the man. "None here deny that you have an impressive ability with not only learning the various velocities of the lightsaber forms but that you can easily and quickly help others improve their ability as well. To not harness that while you are within the temple would be a waste of resources."

"On a personal level, I hope it might grant you some insight into what path you wish to commit to once your time training with Master Fay and Dooku has ended." That came from Tiin, much to my shock. "The improvements in the styles of several of your fellow Padawans have been noticed by the temple's lightsaber instructors and anything that helps prepare them for the dangers in the galaxy shouldn't be discouraged."

"I, um, yes, Master Tiin." I looked back at Windu. "Thank you, Master Windu." I lowered my head in acceptance as while there were a few things I was confused about regarding their decision; I didn't want to deal with them directly; not when doing so would mean spending more time here but also might make them change their minds.

For the first time that I could remember, Windu laughed. It was a deep sound that seemed to reverberate within the walls of the chamber. "It's refreshingly rare to hear a Padawan offer thanks to the council when we pass judgement on their actions." Without taking my eyes off Windu, I saw and sensed the amusement from the other Jedi present and assumed those present by holocall also found it funny.

Windu turned his attention to the other members of the Council, and I turned to leave. "Padawan." I paused and looked over at the hologram of Plo Koon. "Once I have returned to the temple, I wish to speak with you about this criminal gang, the Blue Rakghouls I believe you named them. While there are sadly many such gangs on the lower levels, few are bold enough to hunt Jedi; even Initiates. Such a thing requires further investigation."

"Of course, Master Koon. I'll be at your service once you've returned." I smiled. "My Council-given assignments notwithstanding." Plo laughed at that.

"Indeed. Now on you go. Your punishments await, and I will contact Master Fay once I have returned so that I and a team of Jedi Investigators can speak with you."

I gave him a bow before walking toward the entrance to the High Council chamber. Fay was already waiting for me there. While she appeared her usual serene self, I could sense some unease coming from her. I didn't ask about it as we walked through the antechamber, only doing so once we were alone in the descending elevator.

"Master?" My question was open-ended as just letting her know I knew something was off with her was enough.

"It's nothing Cameron." She looked out the elevator, taking in the gleaming lights of the capital of the Republic as night set upon it. "At least nothing unexpected." A sigh escaped her lips before she shifted her gaze to me. "While I'm relieved that Initiate Zill is back safe inside the temple walls, something I felt assured of once I realised you had moved to find her," a small smile came to her face, brightening it up immensely, "unlike Master Windu, I'm unsettled by your aggressive approach to finding her."

"The Bando Gora?" I offered, instantly regretting it as sights, sounds, and feelings from my time under Vosa's care shot through my mind. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. Since I'd brought the topic up, I knew this was going to happen. I considered using Player's Mind, but after months of Jedi therapy, I felt I had some control over these incidents. It took me time, but eventually, I was able to push the memories back into my mind and bring my heart rate under control.

A hand came to rest on my shoulder, and I opened my eyes to see Fay looking at me carefully. "Yes, them." She replied once I felt I was back in control.

I sighed and, unable to meet her eyes, looked out over the planet. "My thoughts did once or twice… turn," I spoke slowly to allow myself to stay in control. "However, those weren't when engaging hostiles. There, my only thought was getting through the roadblocks and getting to Tedra." I turned my gaze back to my master. "The… moments came at seemingly random times, though I've since realised they were mainly at points where I was moving through unknown dark locations."

Fay squeezed my shoulder slightly. "That is to be expected, and we will cover it more in our sessions with Healer Allie." I nodded once in understanding. A part of me would rather not speak about my problems, but the more mature – and more significant – part knew that only led to problems further down the road. "For now, I wish to ask how you felt when you killed in pursuit of Tedra."

I took a breath and let my mind drift back to those moments. "I won't deny I was angry at them, especially after I learnt they were hunting her. But I didn't enjoy killing them, Master. Nor do I regret ending their lives."

Fay's eyes stayed locked on mine for a long moment. "No, I didn't suspect you would. While where they came from has to be considered, they chose to join a group that willingly hunted Jedi. That is something I cannot and will not accept. Their fates were determined by the Force the moment they made that choice. That said, it isn't them I am concerned about but you." She moved closer, stepping inside my personal space. "The role of a Jedi isn't to act as judge, jury, and executioner. We follow the will of the Force; letting it guide us where we need to be. It won't tell us how to handle a given situation, that is on us, but how we do so, has an effect. Both on us and upon the Force as it experiences mortal life through us."

"What," I paused and licked my lips, finding them strangely dry. "What if the will of the Force, or how we interpret it, disagrees with the rules of something like the Republic?"

Fay's lips turned upward as if she was amused by my question. "The Force always comes first. The Republic, as influential and long-lived as it has been in its various forms, is only a fleeting thing in comparison to the Force. Normally the rules of the Republic align with the will of the Force, however in those moments where they don't, trust in yourself and the Force over words decided upon my mortal beings."

"Yes, Master."

As the elevator pinged, letting us know we'd reached our level, Fay smiled at me. "Now come along. Tedra was released by the healers and if we hurry, we should be able to check in on her before her next lesson begins."

"Yes, Master."

… …

… …

I waited for the holocall to connect, then after a gentle ping, watched as the holographic shape of Dooku formed. "Master." I didn't bow, though I did lower my head in a gesture of respect.

"Padawan." His reply was formal, as I'd expect of him with no hint of concern about me nor familiarity as the call, even if being routed through a reserved Jedi channel, wasn't secure. "I have been informed of your recent excursion." There was a moment's silence where I waited to see if he was going to offer a comment. When none came, I knew he wanted me to explain my actions and what had happened in clear and concise terms. As I did that, I was once more reminded of a post-mission briefing from my old life; right down to reporting to someone with an aristocratic air.

Since I'd expected him to ask about this, as I spoke I sent a secured – with private encryption – data packet to him. After speaking, I fell silent and waited; watching his face for reactions as he reviewed certain parts of the recording Bo had provided to the Jedi to confirm what we'd encountered.

"Since Master Fay and the High Council have already offered their judgements on your actions, I will restrict myself from being overly elaborate in mine." I felt my lips twitch at that. If Dooku did give his opinions, they'd likely be very detailed and contain multiple subtle comments on the failings of the High Council. "While I disagree with your choice to head out looking for Initiate Zill, I understand your logic. Taking Miss Kryze along wouldn't have been my preferred choice, but I cannot deny her fighting style compliments yours fairly well." That almost sounded like he approved of her being around me, but that was probably my mind drifting back to her kissing me and wondering where it could lead. "How you dealt with the various… threats you encountered, while lacking in grace, were efficient and effective. Any beings lacking the mental capacity to understand a Force user is more than a match for a hundred common thugs, are better off fed into the recycling systems." I choked down my laughter. Dooku wasn't a directly funny person, but moments like that always made me struggle to not laugh; something he never liked me doing. "Encountering a taozin and escaping as you did, while not with the common Jedi approach was successful. Overall, there is little I would complain about in your actions, though I will send a full report on ways to improve your approaches to each situation in a few days."

"Yes, Master." I knew he'd do that and while I'd already reviewed events in my head several times, it was always wise to get an outside perspective on matters. I was surprised he hadn't offered a comment on me moving to help Tedra, but that might've been because he felt I saw her as an asset that I wasn't willing to lose just yet.

"I will also be sending some recommendations to Masters Sifo-Dyas and Bondara regarding your training while I'm not present." To many, it might've been a surprise he wasn't sending them to Fay, but the growing rift between them on how to handle certain matters was obvious to me. "You handled yourself well and kept command of your companions decently. However, I feel training to use the Force under stressful situations would help you learn to better integrate more external applications of the Force into your combat style."

"Yes, Master." When I'd looked back on the various combat situations, it was clear that I relied heavily on my lightsaber and getting in close to fight. Since using the Force to boost myself was something that felt easier to do, and it fit my preferred way to fight, that made sense. Though I'd already spotted moments where using some Telekinesis or another Force power would've made a battle shorter. Then there was the taozin.

Against that, a Barrier would've been useless while my lightsaber would've struggled to do much damage. I'd used some debris around me as improvised weaponry before turning to grenades. While that'd worked out, when I'd examined the fight last night, I'd seen moments where using a Force power would've produced the desired results with less effort or risk in exposing my Inventory: something I still didn't know if Bo had clicked to.

"How is… your project going?" I'd rather not ask about that bitch, but not doing so would suggest to him – and Fay as he would relay the information – that I was struggling to move on; or at least at a rate they'd deem sufficient for my healing. Once more, when bringing up Vosa or the Bando Gora, I had to close my eyes and take several deep breaths to recenter myself. And to not focus on the fact the next time I saw her, I planned to kick her arse from here to Tatooine and back before smacking her with a lightsaber to the face.

"It is going about as well as I'd expected. The patient," I was glad he was avoiding her name, "is, unsurprisingly, not overly interested in doing much more than detailing how she wishes to hurt me. While the High Council and you would likely consider this proof she is beyond redemption, I feel she can still be of use for… future events."

I nodded in reply as giving words to my thoughts or revenge wouldn't do me any good. Plus, while I didn't want to admit it, there was wisdom in Dooku's words. That bitch would have contacts in the galactic underworld and while I had little interest in interacting with that element, to ignore it completely with the chaos to come was downright stupid.

"If there is nothing else you wish to discuss, I will end the call and speak to you again in a month." Dooku's words drew my thoughts – thankfully – away from that bitch.

We'd spoken each month since I'd arrived back in the Temple and every call had been short. Dooku wasn't one for idle chit-chat and I had only a passing interest in what he was currently doing.

"Yes, Master." The hologram vanished as the call ended after a simple nod as Dooku felt no need to waste time on common pleasantries.

With that, I stood and after taking a moment to put a cap on my feelings regarding Vosa and everything I'd endured – not because it was how I was dealing with the memories but because it allowed me to deal with other things without my emotions being constantly out of whack – I looked up at the chronometer. I had about twenty minutes until I was due in the classroom for my next lecture on the Jedi Code.

While I was even less enthused about teaching this class than I'd been months ago, given I only had a few more classes left before shifting to teaching lightsaber basics, I was willing to endure it. Yet, even though those classes were guaranteed to be more enjoyable – both for me and my students – I knew I'd be watched carefully by Master Bondara and others. It was an open secret in the Temple that I'd been captured by a Dark Side Cult, so many were on edge around me. Plus, from Windu's words, I felt the Council hoped I'd be interested in becoming a Jedi Instructor once I was Knighted. Not only would it keep me – they likely hoped – out of trouble but would have me be under their direct supervision.

Which is why it'd never happen. Oh, I'd enjoy teaching others how to fight – with Anakin being the first person I planned to teach even if I was still uncertain about taking him as my Padawan – but staying in the Temple with what I knew was coming was akin to giving up and awaiting my death.

If I was going to fail – which I understood was possible with how powerful Sidious would become – then I was going down fighting while causing him as much chaos as possible.

… …

… …

"Stop!"

At my command, the two Initiates that were sparring with training lightsabers – Tedra and a Twi'lek boy named Dadr Iveq – stopped and depowered their blades. However, since this wasn't the first time they'd sparred under my watch, they stayed in the circle but backed off a few steps.

I stepped into the sparring circle, moving toward Dadr first. I came up behind him and then slid my fingers over his on the hilt. "You're gripping it too tightly." My fingers gently pulled at his as I spoke. "A lightsaber is not a mining hammer, but a part of you. Like when you move, the joint – where you hold the hilt – should stay loose and flexible; able to respond easily to your mind's commands." I moved his arms around, letting him – I hoped – feel how the blade was moving in his new, looser grip. "Feel yourself within the blade, make it a part of you, and the movements will come more naturally without having to fight against yourself."

Satisfied he at least had an inkling of what I was saying, I released my grip on his blade and stepped back before moving over to Tedra. "As for you, you shouldn't be trying to simply smack his lightsaber away. While that works, against anyone with greater strength or skill it simply leaves you open to some rather basic counters as you over-commit." Tedra nodded along with my words, drawing a sigh from me. "Tedra, you hear what I'm saying but you're not thinking about them. Listen to what I'm implying and learn. While being stronger than an opponent has its uses, it isn't the be-all and end-all of lightsaber combat. The ability to control your blade, adapt on the fly, and then apply power is more useful than going for strong attacks every time, and it helps you last longer in a fight. Your lightsaber is a precision tool, not a blunt object."

"While not how I would've phrased it, Padawan Shan is correct." I turned to see Anoon Bondara approach. Master Bondara was serving as Battlemaster temporarily while Master Drallig and Serra were off-planet, which made sense as until he took a Padawan himself about a year before I arrived, Master Bondara had been the Jedi Battlemaster. "You're both advanced for your level of teaching, however, there are still numerous basic flaws that you need to overcome. As Padawan Shan has just pointed out." As he finished, the adult Twi'lek smiled at me, finding some amusement in my assessment.

"Yes, Master Bondara." Tedra and Dadr replied as one, with both bowing slightly as they spoke. That made Bondara's smile grow.

"Good, now return to your starting positions and try again." As the pair turned away, Bondara indicated for us to leave the sparring circle with a simple hand gesture. "When I was first informed of your assignment here, I must admit I was confused." He began as we left the circle. "Oh, don't get me wrong, you're easily the most skilled of your generation, surpassing a good number of Knights as well, but allowing a Padawan with serious holes in their style to instruct Initiates is a highly unusual decision." He paused and looked at the two Initiates. "Begin." That had the pair moving toward each other again. "And then there were the rather poor reports of your performance in teaching basic Jedi tenants. However, after observing you teach in the circles for the last few weeks, and seeing how at ease you are – both in this place and with the Initiates – it's clear the Council was wise to assign you here."

I shrugged in response as Tedra, finally listening to me, guided Dadr's mechanical attack away with something less than full strength. "I find peace when using my lightsaber; be that sparring or working my way through velocities." Dadr reacted quickly to Tedra's defensive stroke and came in again, this time his blade not seeming as stuck to his hands as before. "It seems to rub off when I give pointers to others."

Bondara laughed softly. "I am not surprised you find peace with your blade. Most of the more martially inclined Jedi do, though few seem to have such a mechanical perfection to their actions." While that wasn't an insult, I knew it was a comment on the issue with my style that I'd realised a little over a year ago and had been working to overcome ever since. "Still, it is reassuring to find one so young who understands the tranquillity that comes when moving with your blade and allowing the Force to flow with you. Doubly so that such a student is willing to radiate that feeling when instructing others."

I lowered my head in thanks for the praise. While I'd only been working under his command for a few weeks, I'd found him to be a firm but fair person. Both as an instructor and senior figure. Though with Initiates he generally preferred a gentle word over a pointed comment to get his meaning across. "It's just a shame that you can't seem to avoid getting into trouble that needs a lightsaber to solve." I chuckled at that, with so many Jedi being standoffish, if not downright withdrawn around me, it was refreshing to be treated as just another member of the Order.

"As I've said many times before, to both my masters and others, I don't go looking for trouble."

Bondara laughed once more. "No, like any true servant of the Force, you end up just when and where it needs you to be. Which does, for many of us, mean finding ourselves in volatile situations." That made me laugh.

"That's one way to describe it, Master Bondara." I looked back at the circle to see Dadr shift his stance. That made Tedra's attack miss, leaving her open to a quick counter. While it didn't land, it did grant Dadr the initiative. "Though I do hope that my next voyage outside the Temple will be slightly less… troublesome. Preferably without me having to run into creatures that are all but immune to the Force."

Bondara laughed once again and clapped me solidly on the shoulder. "You say that now, but it's in such moments when we're under the greatest stress, that our true selves reveal themselves. And they help us understand more of the Force's designs on an instinctual level." he turned me gently, so we were looking at each other and not the ongoing training spar. "Over the last few years, you've faced far more than most Padawans and Knights would ever expect to." The serious expression he wore slipped as a grin returned to his face. "Even with the Force to guide you, for many, it's a miracle you've come through everything as relatively unscarred as you are." I did consider commenting that most of my scars were now internal, but I understood he meant things could've been far, far worse. "Yet, even with everything you're dealing with, when a friend was in danger, you didn't hesitate to help them. Even disobeying the High Council in the process." He leaned closer as his voice dropped lower. "Something any true Jedi would do; including many who now sit on said council."

"I… Thank you, master." Hearing such words from someone as high up and respected in the Order was both unexpected and reassuring. Far too often all I got from senior members of the Order were subtle glances or faint simmering of dislike and distrust regarding me and my choices. To have someone as well-connected and respected within the Order offer words of encouragement and praise was a breath of fresh air. Plus, it showed that while, in my opinion, and that of both my masters to varying degrees, the High Council and Order had strayed from the true ideals of the Jedi, there were still good and noble people within it. Ones that didn't act as puppets of the Senate or High Council.

… …

… …

"Are you sure you don't wish me to accompany you to the Senator's office?"

I looked up at Fay and shook my head as we walked through the Senate Rotunda. Having Fay in the room would just make Palpatine less willing to attempt to 'play nice' with me. "No, Master. While I'd rather be anywhere but here," that got a small twitch from her lips, "I doubt Senator Palpatine wishes to speak about anything planet-shattering with me. More than likely, as his message to you hinted at, he's just heard some rumours about me and wishes to make sure I'm alright." Well, as all right as I can be when I'm about to dance around a meeting with a Sith Lord without letting on how much I'm still dealing with while trying to determine how much of his spiel is intended to turn me against the Jedi Order.

While I'd have preferred to simply ignore his request, doing so now, when I'd never done so before – though he'd not tried to speak to me since before I'd headed to Mandalore – risked making him think I was pulling away from him. Right now, I felt it was better to keep the Sith Lord at arm's length than outright ignoring him.

"Plus, I know you dislike being here even more than I do."

That had the twitch on Fay's lips turn into a smile. "That is true, though Master Dooku and I had thought you felt the same. Particularly regarding how adamantly you insisted that we not even consider bringing the Senator into our little coalition."

"I still believe that Master. What we're doing is not the concern of politicians, not when there might be an undue influence on people in this building from another group." I refused to say 'Sith' out loud as with everyone believing them to be extinct – if they even think about them – I felt safer just not bringing them up in such a public place. "That said, ignoring a Senator that I have a friendship with might raise eyebrows within these walls." And raise questions, though not the ones Fay likely believed would be asked.

"Very well," Fay looked away from me for a moment. "While you are speaking with your friend," the subtle stress she places on the last word makes it clear she doesn't see Palpatine as anything of the sort, "I will seek out Master Yaddle. She is currently in the building and has asked me for help regarding a matter on the very edge of the Outer Rim." She turned back to me. "Once you've finished your meeting, contact me and I'll likely meet you here unless my conversation with Master Yaddle takes far longer than I expect."

"Yes, master." I lowered my head slightly as Fay took a step away. She only got a few steps before she stopped and turned back.

"While you are walking to the Senator's office, perhaps you'll give more thought to Representative Shokvo's offer. While I am reluctant for you to accept it, I can see the benefits of agreeing to the contract. However, in the end, since the work is yours, the choice is also." I smiled at her and then watched as she walked toward the side of the Rotunda.

As I walk forward, my sight drifts to the various large statues that line the entrance to the Senate building. They were all for former chancellors of the Republic – mainly from before the New Sith Wars – and included many Jedi Masters as a member of the Order almost entirely held the position during those wars.

Ignoring the help desk as I know my way to Palpatine's office and ducking to one side to avoid what looks like a primary school excursion, I move toward the stairs. Taking them would not only mean that I'd have more time to prepare for meeting the Sith Lord, but I can do as Fay suggested and think over the offer brought to me this morning.

Bulb Shokvo was a Neimoidian who was my manager with the publishing company handling the distribution of the Lord of the Rings trilogy throughout the Republic and beyond. Once he'd gotten over the fact the writer of the trilogy was a child, which had drawn laughter from both Fay and me, the meeting had gone remarkably well. Apart from discovering that my account now totalled a little north of six hundred and fifty million credits from the sales of holonovels – and that was with all the credits Fay and Dooku had removed to help the Lokella get on their feet and purchase vessels and other equipment for their defence – the company had been approached with several offers. Most weren't worth much time to consider and had already been rejected by my publishers – things like appearing on various planets in the Republic – but one particular group of offers did need discussing.

The publishers had been approached by various production companies about turning my 'work' into holo-movies. That had caught me a little off-guard as while I'd considered it might happen, I hadn't expected to be offered so soon; nor that some of the companies – including Typhoondream Productions and the Corellian Creative Company, who were two of the biggest holo-movie/drama creators in the Republic – were actively competing for the rights. Even if I took the offer that required the lowest level of input from me, I should, according to Shokvo's projections, net northward of a billion credits. The ones from the major studios – which would require my input to varying degrees at certain times, allow me the chance to be on-set during production and attend the premieres (either publicised as the author or not) – would take longer to reach the screen, but had the potential to earn me four to five times as much, at the outside. Though they'd take longer to make and thus longer for me to start earning royalties.

Even before the meeting had finished this morning, I knew I was going to take one of the offers, but I'd not given it much thought until Fay brought it back up in the Rotunda as my mind had been laser-focused on Palpatine. Basically, the offers for the holo-movie series came down to how quickly I wanted the money, how involved I could be and the like. I knew I wouldn't be spending years on Coruscant, so it might well be hard to contact me for consultations, but that shouldn't be an issue once the producers, directors and other staff learnt I was a Jedi; though I doubted I'd reveal my age to them until much further along in the production process.

As I finished the long climb up the stairs to the floor containing Palpatine's office, I sent a message to Shokvo – who now had a direct method of contacting me, much to Fay's chagrin – to begin negotiating with the major companies and let them know I was a Jedi. The money would take longer to get, but with the insanity to come I knew I'd need every credit I could get my hands on; legally acquired or not. A reply came from Shokvo just as I came into view of the waiting area outside the Senator's office confirming that he'd get onto the companies and not to expect any further news until most of the details had been finalised; at least not unless they wanted to change the stories significantly.

It seemed there was some sort of meet and greet going on as several people were standing around talking, though the only one I recognized was Janus Greejatus. As the man spoke with a human female with some of the worst fashion sense I'd ever seen, I moved closer. His eyes narrowed almost imperceivably when he saw me approaching, only to relax and offer a seemingly genuine smile. A quick use of Observe confirmed the smile was genuine – and that he's only gone up a single level while becoming even less of a threat since I'd last met him – as he was relieved to see it was me rather than another Jedi. Quickly he extracted himself from talking to the heinously dressed woman and moved toward me.

His hand extended as he spoke. "Padawan Shan, a pleasure to see you again." As I shook his hand I wondered why his voice was far higher than needed. The noise around us didn't require him to talk only a little below a shout to me. "The Senator is excited to speak to the breaker of the Bando Gora once again."

I returned his smile even as I realised his game and slammed on Player's Mind to avoid any issues with bringing up the Bando Gora. "Thank you, though I'm not sure I deserve such a title. The reason the Bando Gora were defeated was my masters and some allies helping me escape from the clutches of their deranged leader." I matched his volume even as those around us started to listen in. No way did I want to help Palpatine use my accomplishments to boost his reputation; or at least not so much that it looked like I was trying to actively sabotage him.

"Yes, and we are all glad you have recovered from your ordeal." Janus broke the handshake and placed his hand on my shoulder. "However, from the reports given to the Senate, it was made clear that you were the one who defeated their leader in combat; and a fallen Jedi no less." I heard someone gasp quietly behind me. "An impressive feat for any, to say nothing of one wounded from the Bando Gora's attention. The Senator is most relieved that his nephew is making a full recovery."

"That was for one mission only," I blurt out quickly as having my name linked to Palpatine's, while potentially useful now, will be a fucking chain around my neck with what's to come. Doubly so if the rumour gets out that I'm somehow related to him. "And as for my imprisonment, their leader was using me as bait for her former master." If this man decided to go further, then I'd have proof he knew more than he should.

"Ah. Well, it's still impressive you were able to defeat their leader even after being in captivity for months." He glanced around, likely seeing if everyone else was paying attention. Which I knew they were. "Still, I think I've taken up too much of your time and the Senator did say to bring in immediately unless he was meeting with the Supreme Chancellor." I smile at his humour, then fall into step just behind him – disabling Player's Mind as having it active around Palpatine might risk him thinking I was on to him as if the Jedi High Council could sense it, the Sith Lord certainly could – as he leads me through the waiting area and away from the inevitable whispers that are about to start regarding my connection to Palpatine. As we moved, I made note of anyone that looked important, which was, unsurprisingly, most of them, and used Observe judiciously. None of the names stood out but having them in my head will help if they ever came forward as one of Palpatine's political inner circle.

As we walked down the corridor to Palpatine's office, I saw various statues, paintings, and other expensive-looking ornaments lining the walls. Some appeared to be from Naboo, but all had Humans front and centre in their imagery. I used Observe on some of them – not wanting to completely deplete my PP before entering a room with a Sith Lord – but nothing came back as Dark-Side aligned. As Janus paused, I looked away from the displays and noted he was moving toward a side door and not the main office.

"Apologies for the interruption Senator," he began as I followed him through an automatically opening door into what appeared to be a lounge area that connected to both the corridor and the office. "You asked me to bring Padawan Shan to you directly once he arrived." I turned my attention to Palpatine as he sat on a sofa on one side of a large table. The sofa nearest me had three humans sitting on it, and all had their backs to me.

Palpatine's eyes brightened as he saw me, and he broke off his conversation with whoever was in the room and stood. "Yes, yes. Thank you, Janus." Janus bowed and walked backwards, cutting me off from the door as the Sith Lord that he worked for approached. Palpatine was smiling though there was concern in his eyes as he reached me. "Cameron, my boy. It's a pleasure to see you again." One hand gripped mine in a handshake while the other clasped my elbow, preventing me from escaping. "I've been worried sick since I heard about your ordeal." There'd been a moment where I thought he might hug me, but thankfully he stopped by just gripping my elbow as getting a hug from a Sith Lord would've been very close to the craziest thing that's happened to me since I'd been reborn in this galaxy.

Even as my mind started to analyse his movements, tone and word choices – a necessary evil of meeting one of the galaxy's hidden Big Bads – I used Observe on him.

Sheev Palpatine [Darth Sidious]
Race: Human
Level: 48
Health: 100%
Age: 47
Force Potential: Very High
Threat Potential: Extreme
Reputation: Neutral [LOCKED]
Affiliation Loyalty: Himself (100%) Order of the Sith Lords (63%)
Emotional State: Contemplative/Intrigued/Calculating
While giving off an external image of concern regarding your recent incidents, internally he is curious to see how it has affected your Force presence and state of mind.
He hopes to use recent events to further gain your trust while moving you into his plans as a possible future apprentice.
Though he knows he must be careful about how he does this, as his master has also developed an interest in you.
...

While the details about his thinking weren't unexpected, the fact he's gone up a level in three years was. Assuming the requirements for him to increase levels were similar to mine, then he'd done enough to earn up to about half as much XP as I had over the last three years. Which was kriffing scary. As was learning that both he and Plagueis had designs on making me into a Sith. I'd suspected that would be the case, but confirmation, while useful, was terrifying.

"Senator," I replied as we shook hands, putting aside my concerns about his growth in the last three years even as his smile slipped, letting the faux concern take over his face.

"I believe we've been over this, Cameron." The words didn't carry any venom even as we ended the shake at the same time.

I lowered my head in acquiescence. "Of course, uncle." That brought the smile back and seemed to banish some of his apparent concern. Though in my mind I was once more forced to confront the insanity that, for the time being at least, I had to refer to a Sith Lord as my uncle.

A gentle cough from the other occupants of the room – specifically the oldest-looking of the three going by the greying hair – seemed to break Palpatine out of his thoughts. "Ah, where are my manners..." He turned, his hand on my elbow allowing him to guide me gently, in a non-threatening manner, to his side as the three seated figures rose. There was something familiar about all of them, though it was strongest with the middle-aged of the trio (one older man and two younger). "Cameron, allow me to introduce you to another member of the Senate, Ramin Tarkin of the Seswenna sector and his cousins; Wilhuff and Gideon." It took a lot of effort to not tense up too much at meeting the man responsible for the Empire's plans of terror. I knew Palpatine would've felt me tense up a touch, but I had to hope that he'd think it was just at meeting another Senator as I'd reacted when he'd given the family name. "Ramin, this is the remarkable young man I've mentioned to you before; Jedi Padawan Cameron Shan."

As Ramin moved around the sofa, his cousins just behind him, I took a moment to use Observe on them. That way Palpatine would, just like Plagueis, not realise I'd used the power to learn the truth about them, and believe it was an odd application of the Force that I used on most people. Plus, it would remove Sidious' interest in Serra because, as things were now, she stood even less chance of escaping the Sith if they wanted her than I did, but at least I knew what I was facing.

Ramin Tarkin
Race: Human
Level: 28
Health: 98% (Minor infection: healing)
Age: 46
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Tarkin Family (95%), Militarist Faction (88%), Core Faction (71%)
Emotional State: Curious/Intrigued/Amused
Having heard of your exploits from Sheev Palpatine and read several reports that were sent to the Senate by the Jedi Order, Ramin is interested in getting to know you better.
While generally not a fan of the Jedi, he is impressed with what he'd read about you and how you approach matters.
He is also amused to see Sheev Palpatine show a genuine liking for someone younger than Ramin's cousins or children.
...
Wilhuff Tarkin
Race: Human
Level: 22
Health: 100%
Age: 27
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Tarkin Family (87%), Republic Outland Regions Security Force (54%)
Emotional State: Curious
Wilhuff, while generally dismissive of the Jedi due to how they do little to ensure the security of the Republic, is curious about you.
His cousin has spoken highly of Sheev Palpatine and Wilhuff can see potential in an alliance between his family and Palpatine. Since the Senator from Naboo holds you in high regard, that makes you a person of interest in Wilhuff's mind.
...
Gideon Tarkin
Race: Human
Level: 18
Health: 100%
Age: 20
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Minimal
Reputation: Disliked
Affiliation Loyalty: Tarkin Family (92%), Republic Outland Regions Security Force (67%)
Emotional State: Bored/Dismissive
Unlike his brother and cousin, Gideon has little interest in political games. He understands their purpose but prefers to lead soldiers into battle.
As you're a member of the Jedi Order – a group he holds in poor regard for how little they do to help enforce security across the Outer Rim – he has little interest in dealing with you but will do so simply to keep up appearances.
...

While I wasn't sure how useful most of that was going to be for the future, it did give me a starting point with the three members of the Tarkin family. Ramin seemed to be a candidate who would support Sheev when the Sith Lord moved to become Chancellor while the only thing I wanted from Wilhuff was to kill him. I didn't have a quest for that currently – mainly as I was avoiding adding 'hit quests' to the current pile – but he was in a list of people that I wanted to remove before the Clone Wars got into full swing. Gideon, on the other hand, seemed the most likely one of the family for me to manipulate: if I wanted to go down that route.

Ramin's face had lit up during the introductions – something that made sense when the details revealed by Observe were added in – and moved quickly, though not too quickly, around the sofa. His face, now that I had a name to fit it, had similar features to Wilhuff, though they lacked the coldness that came to typify the more famous member of his family. "Ah, a pleasure indeed." He said as his hand sought mine out. "Sheev here has spoken of you often to myself and others; singing your praises openly to such a degree that we often wondered just who this young Jedi he was so proud of was. After reading the reports regarding the fall of the Bando Gora organisation," I felt my heart quicken once more at having them mentioned, "I grew even more curious about you."

I smiled as we shook hands. "As I told Sen… my uncle's assistant outside, I wasn't of great help in taking down the Bando Gora given I was their captive for several months." There was nothing from Palpatine in the Force when I said that – as I'd expected – but I knew he would be listening to every mention I gave of my time there with great interest. Along with seeing and sensing how I reacted to having to discuss the subject. "It was a result of my masters and allies rescuing me that resulted in the Bando Gora being dismantled." Which I wasn't entirely sure was true. There would be operations that would've survived the destruction of the main base and the capture of their leader.

Ramin's brow rose as I once more corrected the facts surrounding events. He glanced at Palpatine, who gave a subtle nod, then turned back to me grinning. "Sheev said you wouldn't claim the credit." He laughed and patted my arm. "Still, it was because of you that Komari Vosa was captured," I fought to keep the whispers of her voice from my mind. "Your uncle," he laughed at that, "and I sit on an oversight committee that was informed of her capture." While I felt I'd managed to keep my concern about her being brought up under control, I'd failed when learning that Palpatine knew of her capture without having to spy on the Order.

"I wasn't aware such things were revealed to the Senate." I'd considered not asking about that, but not doing so might seem odd to Palpatine. Force, did I hate politics even if I knew it was needed.

"Normally it wouldn't be," I turned to look at Palpatine as he explained, "however, Miss Vosa was the leader of a growing threat to Republic interests in the Mid and Outer Rim. As such, the Jedi High Council deemed it worthy to inform us of it."

"Shame they don't do that about other things." Ramin's words made it clear that he wasn't happy about how secretive the Jedi were, which would be an easy avenue for Palpatine to exploit. Meaning, if he wasn't already on it for being related to Wilhuff Tarkin, the man had just joined a growing list of people to remove if possible before the Clone Wars began.

"Cameron, did you know that the Tarkin family practices a rite of passage similar to the Mandalorian trial you completed around two years ago?" I blinked at Palpatine, which made him smile. "They, and other families on Eriadu, have their children survive in the wild for several days to prove they are ready to become adults."

I felt my brow rise as I looked at Ramin, who nodded. "That's true, though I've never heard of a Jedi joining the Mandalorian clans."

"I don't know how many have done so in history, but a friend of mine completed her verd'goten – the name of the trial – the year before I did." I paused and glanced at Palpatine. "Though I wasn't aware my status as a member of the Mandalorians was public knowledge."

Palpatine's laugh was a soft one, reminding me of a grandfather humouring his grandson. "You may not realise it, but your name is already being whispered in the halls of this building and elsewhere. The descendent of Revan reborn coming to prominence as the gears of this mighty Republic begin to creak under the weight of avarice and threats," I slapped myself mentally to not comment that he and other Sith were responsible for a lot of that, "is an event many have started speaking about. Then hearing you spent time with the very people your ancestor famously fought to defend the Republic from," he paused and laughed. "Is it so strange that your name is quickly earning its place alongside that of Masters Windu and Yoda with people in important positions?"

"Or that some wish to attach their names to yours?" That came from Ramin as he gave Palpatine a sideways glance. It was clear that Ramin was aware of what Palpatine was doing in using my name, and while I was far from thrilled about it, if the roles were reversed, I'd have likely done the same.

"If I may be so bold," my head snapped round as Wilhuff, his voice frighteningly similar to what I remembered from A New Hope though lacking some of the gravitas it'd gain with age, spoke. "What exactly was it that you killed?"

"I'm surprised that hasn't been revealed along with me spending time with the Mandalorians." Palpatine shrugged as I looked at him.

"I've heard rumours from the Mandalorian Representative to the Senate, but they won't go into details about what exactly you killed." He shrugged and then started to move toward the sofas. "Apparently, telling outsiders isn't something they are inclined to do." He smiled as he picked up his cup. "Though given what I know of your skill and courage, I have no doubt it was a kill worthy of their songs."

I stared at him as he sipped his drink – some sort of wine I suspected – and wondered what his ploy here was. He had to know about my kill as Plagueis knew and keeping it hidden from outsiders wasn't something the Mandalorians would do. At least not to the point of actively avoiding the topic like he was implying. Still, seeing no reason to not indulge his plans to have me grow closer to the Tarkins – it would make removing them later easier if they trusted me enough to let me get close – decided to play along. "I certainly think it was, uncle. My cloak here was made from the beast's skin." I rolled my shoulders, drawing everyone's attention to the dark leather. "I don't suppose you've heard of the Greater Krayt Dragon?"

In a wonderful bit of acting, Palpatine's cup slipped from his grasp and fell, shattering on the floor as all four men looked at me. "My word." He muttered at the same time the youngest Tarkin, Gideon, responded.

"Karking hell!" I chuckled at the comment as Gideon blinked. "How?"

I bit off the urge to laugh at the reaction of the four men, even if one was such a good fake that if I didn't know it was a lie I'd have bought it, and instead allowed a large smile to spread on my face. "With nothing but a beskar knife." The reactions from all of them grew more incredulous and even I was taken in by Palpatine's acting.

"Th-that is a story I must hear." Ramin managed to get out before he placed a hand on my shoulder and gently pulled me toward the sofas. "Come sit with us, young warrior, and regale us with the tale of your hunt."

… …

… …

As I stepped onto the Ne'tra Sartr my thoughts were on one thing. Or more importantly, one person. It had been several months since Bo had rather passionately kissed me and since then, whenever I'd tried to bring the topic up when we spoke, she'd either closed the channel without replying or changed the topic as if I'd never spoken. At first that had irritated me, but with time to think on it, I'd begun to suspect she'd been doing it to pay me back for how she'd had to process me kissing her in the Bando Gora base. The instant I saw her, walking through the central area of the ship, I ended any doubt by getting her attention with a whistle and then using Observe.

Bo-Katan Kryze
Race: Human
Level: 22
Health: 100%
Age: 16
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Medium
Reputation: Trusted Confident/Desired
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (81%) Duke Adonai (71%) Clan Shan (48%)
Emotional: Relieved/Interested/Curious
Bo-Katan is glad to be finally leaving Coruscant. While the planet had brought some excitement, it was too fake and crowded for her liking.
She's curious about learning where you'll be heading next, though that pales in comparison to seeing if your interest in her matches hers in you.
...

While that didn't settle why she'd avoided the topic, it did make clear she expected something to happen between us. And while I'd promised myself that I'd not get involved with anyone until I was seventeen, I'd come to realise how silly that idea was. Yes, starting anything with Bo without having had the chance to speak with Serra – who still hadn't returned from whatever mission the Council had sent her and Master Drallig on – and clearing the air there was a risk. But the more I thought about Bo, and considered how comfortable we were with each other, the more I felt I wanted to see where things might head. Having the Interface confirm that she desired me, which was a new feature that either kicked in because of her age, mine or both, was another hint that I needed to stop procrastinating about relationships and begin to enjoy my life.

FINALLY!

I ignored the snide message from TPTB, and put aside thoughts of where things might head with Bo as she left the common area and I walked toward my quarters. Instead, I thought about how I wanted to spend the time as we travelled.

While I'd not had much time to myself over the last half-year in the Temple, I'd managed to get to the minimum requirements for the Just Don't Get Caught quest, which meant that was no longer hanging over me the way the You Can't Hurt me quest was. Still, if worst came to worst, I had enough banked Skill Points that if I was still massively short of the requirements by the time the quest was due to expire, I could just drop them in that and complete the quest.

I'd gotten Shatterpoint to Professional:1, which was as far as I could go without spending a Perk Point I didn't currently have, but the power had been a massive disappointment. I could look intently at an object with the Force, be it anything from a door to the Ne'tra Sartr itself and spot flaws and weaknesses in them. While that might be useful in some cases, in most I could circumvent having to spend minutes searching for weaknesses by using another more developed power. Or I could take a more brute-force approach to removing an obstacle. And because I'd spent so much time dragging that power up to where I could, I'd not managed to get any other Power – bar Restore Stamina, which had been only a handful of levels short of maxing before my capture – maxed out. Though that was also because I'd all but reached the point where subtle Force Powers had been maxed and using the less subtle ones would, in most cases, result in unwanted attention and discussions with senior members of the Order if I'd been caught.

Plus, there was the fact I needed to focus heavily on recovering from my ordeal, which I had as I felt I could now discuss the Bando Gora and Vosa without needing to take a moment to centre myself. I knew I'd still have moments of weakness – as was the case with any PTSD case – but Healer Allie felt I was more than ready to once more venture out into the galaxy and let the Force guide my path. Her words, not mine.

Still, my Teaching skill had shot up while those skills I could train without too much effort (such as Athletics, Swimming, and most of my social and technical skills) had improved. While none had been at a point where I could generate a training quest to earn some easy XP from them when I'd first arrived at the Temple, a few had reached levels where I could take training quests which were possible to complete before my initial sentence was completed.

After placing the few belongings I'd brought with me from the Temple in my quarters, I returned and moved through the common area toward a small brief room near the cockpit. While we still had about an hour before we'd depart, Fay wanted to talk very briefly about where we'd be heading.

"Master." I offered as I entered the room to see her and Bo waiting for me. I slid into a seat of my own, close but not too close to Bo. I might not want to string her along, but until we discussed things properly, nothing prevented me from subtly teasing her about our shared feelings.

"So where are we heading?" The question came from Bo after she'd given me a hard, sideward look. I suspected she expected me to act awkward around her as I shouldn't know how she was feeling, but no one ever said the war of the sexes was a fair battle.

"For a while now, the High Council has been hearing rumours of semi-organic ships floating around the edges of galactic society. They suspect such vessels would have a strong connection to the Force and have tasked several Jedi, along with elements of the Antarian Rangers, that's a group that works with the Jedi from time to time on the fringes of Republic space," she offered that at the confused look Bo gave, "with searching for the world these ships might come from." As she spoke, I sensed amusement and excitement radiating from her. The amusement was aimed at me and Bo while the excitement seemed to do with our mission. "I've heard rumours from some old friends out on the very edges of known space of a world that, apart from being seemingly alive, is claimed to be a nexus within the Force. While it's unlikely that these rumours are true, they are worth investigating."

"How long's it going to take to get there?"

Fay smiled at me. "According to your droid, about a week to reach the closest known hyperspace route. From there, we'll likely have to purchase maps for how to reach the planet. If it's as isolated as my friends say, then it could take another week, perhaps two, to reach the planet." I whistled softly at that. Most places in the galaxy didn't take long to get to. Even going to and from the Lokella system only took a week and a bit from here, and that was because the routes near the system were sparsely used. If it would take weeks to travel the last few legs – when we'd probably only be travelling within a sector – it was an indication of just how remote this planet was.

As I considered this planet, I felt… not a disturbance in the Force, but more of a gentle ripple. It was faint, almost as if coming to me from a great distance. Yet, as I tried to reach out for it, I felt as if I sensed… anticipation. Which was odd.

I lifted my head, wanting to speak with Fay only to see she and Bo had left the room. It seemed that while I'd been trying to pin down what I'd sensed in the Force the pair had left.

Deciding to do the same, I walked into the corridor. I turned as I spotted Bo in the common area and moved to speak with her, thinking it would be helpful to get everything out in the open before we left. However, after glancing my way, she slipped into the training room we'd created over a year ago – which was just a converted cargo hold – and locked the door.

I chuckled gently and shook my head. If that's how she wanted to play, then so be it. We had a few weeks before we reached wherever it was that we were heading, so I had time to play with.

Plus, two could play this game.

… …

… …
A/N: For those who know their EU lore, yes, the next arc involves that rogue planet.

...

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

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

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Nov 16, 2022

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

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

Current date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo

The Living Planet 1
...

I watched as the stars streaked by while the Ne'tra Sartr travelled through hyperspace toward the Outer Rim in the galactic north. It'd been about two and a half days since we'd left the Temple and we still had another day or so before we reached the first shift away from a major hyperspace lane. While there was little for me to do directly beyond monitoring a few key systems, it did count – very slightly – toward my Astrogation skill.

Plus, there was the fact that I was finally away from the Temple and back out in the galaxy aboard my ship. Yes, I knew it wasn't legally mine, but that didn't stop me from regarding the Sartr as such. Fay, while allowing me to consider the ship mine, had reminded me that the vessel was just an object and not to grow too attached to it, but after two-plus years – on and off – of flying it, it was hard not to consider it mine.

As my mind returned to the Temple, I frowned as my mind lingered again on not getting to talk with Serra. She'd contacted me yesterday and to say she wasn't happy that I'd been back at the Temple when she'd not been, having arrived back hours after I left, would be a slight understatement. While we both accepted that as Padawans of the Order we couldn't control where we went and when it was annoying how closely we'd missed each other. Because we were speaking over Holonet, I didn't bring up my kisses with Bo, though I suspected she'd learn about it from Tedra if they spoke. That conversation needed to take place in person as, whatever the future held for us, Serra was one of, if not my only, best friend. She deserved the truth to be given face-to-face.

A soft growl followed by something pushing gently against my calf turned my thoughts from Serra to the other living being I was sharing the cockpit with. One hand drifted from the controls and began scratching Fenrir behind his ear. As he leaned into it, I chuckled at how fast he was still growing. Lying down next to my seat made him easy to pet and when we both stood, he reached my stomach. Force, I suspected that before Naboo he'd be the same height, if not taller than me at the shoulders and easily a dozen feet from head to the base of his tail.

As he pushed his head into my hand, I could sense his comfort at my touch which reminded me of how happy he'd been when we'd returned to the Sartr. He'd been irritable in the Temple, though thank the Force he hadn't tried to attack, or eat, anyone there. Though there had been the one time when he'd chased Master Poof because the High Council member had tried a mind trick on Fenrir, and he'd not taken it well. While no harm had been done – Master Poof had laughed the entire incident off – it hadn't helped Fenrir settle in the Temple. While Master Koon and a few others had spent time around Fenrir – with me also present – that was more about understanding (or trying to) the bond I shared with the tuk'ata. I wasn't told by them what they were interested in, but Fay suspected they simply wished to be certain the mind of an animal, and one created by Dark Side magic, wasn't affecting my thoughts. That had amused me, as had the rumour regarding Yoda.

About a month after arriving back in the Temple, the grapevine – because even the Jedi had one – was rife with stories of Yoda being seen riding around the Temple late at night on the back of a great black beast. I knew the rumours were false as I'd never sensed anything from Fenrir to suggest he was running around late at night and because Yoda was wary of the tuk'ata. That said, I didn't say anything to discourage the rumours as I couldn't deny the idea of imagining Yoda riding Fenrir around was too funny to shoot down.

Through the bond, I sensed a hint of agitation from Fenrir and watched as his legs twitched. "Easy there, boy. Another day or so and we'll stop somewhere so you can stretch your legs." He whined happily. "But no eating people, not unless they start it." I knew he couldn't laugh, but the sound that came from him sounded like a demonic chuckle. "If you're good, I'll see about finding you a steak or some Ewok jerky." That had made his long tail swish around, smacking off an empty chair behind me.

"Observation: Master, you are too attached to that beast. Suggestion: Perhaps it would be wise to remove him as a weakness."

Fenrir's growl as he bristled against my hand was accompanied by my glare at the droid's head. "Fenrir is closer to me than you, HK. If I had to choose, I'd choose him over you and if you choose to make such comments again, I may just forget to lift your head to a higher shelf in a few months so you're out of his reach." HK's optical receptors did a fair imitation of a blink even as Fenrir's growl shifted into a strange, dark chuckle. Or at least that's how it sounded to me when mixed with his amusement through the Force.

"Clarification: Perhaps I will reserve my opinion until I observe the beast in combat. Supplication: When will you construct me at least a rudimentary combat frame, Master? While being connected to this warship and having access to the weapon systems is an acceptable temporary substitute, I find the inability to observe a meatbag's reaction as the life drains from them disconcerting."

I chuckled at that as letting HK have access to the Sartr's systems had been something neither Fay nor Dooku was happy about. "Provided this mission goes well," I swear Fenrir just snorted at me for that, "then we'll check in with Anakin and see what we can do. Though do keep in mind that this would be a mark-one body. I plan to upgrade you as I get better at doing so and find more suitable materials and components for you." I paused as a recurring thought came to mind. "Unless, of course, you'd be happy with us grabbing the nearest Trade Federation droid and sticking you onto that?"

"Mockery: Yes master, I wish to be attached to the body of such a poorly designed and built walking target. Please, oh please, make it happen." I laughed, even knowing that response or something similar was coming. When I'd first threatened HK with that fate and shown him what a B1 looked like, he'd been mortified. Bo and I had laughed for almost a full day about it. Since then though he'd come to realise we were only teasing him and chose to reply mockingly to every quasi-threat Bo and I made.

"Don't ever change, HK."

"Observation: But master, if I don't change how will I grow more effective at rending meatbags limb from limb?"

I laughed loudly at that. "Fine but getting more dangerous is the only way you can change." I managed to get out between laughs.

"Exclamation: But of course, master. I can almost see the faces of the Jedi when I'm restored to my full glory and allowed to educate them in the folly of trusting only in the Force."

… …

… …

I leaned to one side, letting Bo's fist sail past my ear. My right arm moved, rotating around to push her attacking arm into her body then my left elbow flew in, landing a clean blow to her solar plexus.

"Oof!" The groan followed my strike landing as the air was driven from her lungs. She stumbled back, trying to gather some distance, but my right fist flashed out to harry her. While it didn't land, it drove her further back and made sure she couldn't regroup.

Since in this spar I was more interested in restraining her than beating her down – as I wanted to work on the methods Jedi used to physically control a situation even if it wasn't a combat form in its own right – I grabbed her right arm: the one that had missed my head mere moments ago, and was still out of position slightly.

My right hand latched around her wrist like an iron claw while my left hand gripped her just above the elbow. I twisted it forcing her to contort to avoid a dislocation.

As this happened, I lifted her arm, forcing her lurching body down to a knee. However, she shifted her momentum and rolled to one side. That dragged me forward as I wasn't willing to release my hold and I felt the muscles in her arm tense at how awkwardly they were being twisted. Still, my movement had left me exposed and she was quick to take advantage.

The heel of her boot crashed against the side of my shin, and I grunted in annoyance as I was forced to alter my grip to retain control. But that was just enough to allow her to twist and bring her other hand up in a strike at my eyes, unwilling to risk my sight I released the hold and shifted back.

As I stumbled back, slightly off balance, she was on the move. The arm I'd had restrained shifted to grab my forward leg behind the knee as she yanked up to take out my leg. As I fell though I grabbed hold of her enough that she came down with me.

I grunted as my head hit the mat hard, then winced as her knee slammed down into my gut. Whether the hit was intentional or not, it gave her an advantage she took. Her fist slammed into the side of my skull. With Physical Enhancement active, though purely in a defensive capacity as Bo tended to be overly aggressive, the hit didn't do any major damage though it did ring my head without drawing a notice from the Interface.

Her other fist flew in, but I had the wherewithal to shift my head with the blow, making it glance off. I kept my sideward movement going as her fist slid over my face, brought my hands up to pull her head into my shoulder, and pulled her over with me. When I'd stopped rolling, I had her pinned to the ground, her arm twisted and locked against her back in such a way that she had no escape.

She wriggled around frantically, trying to escape. Wanting to end this spar, I pulled back on her locked arm, making her grunt in pain, and shifted one arm so it slid under hers and across the front of her throat before linking it with my other hand and pulling back. This movement lifted her as my forearm pushed into her throat. Using this leverage, I lifted her into the air. While we were close in height, the position I had her in meant she was trapped save for her legs which flailed around.

She swung them wildly, hoping to do enough to make me release the hold. A few blows did sting, with one making me stumble as she caught the side of my knee, but I held on and kept yanking, driving my forearm into her throat. With her not having a way out and me leaning back further to prevent even her tiptoes from touching the ground before I trapped her legs with mine, she was forced to tap a hand in submission.

Instantly I released my hold and then took a few rapid steps back. While Bo normally wouldn't lash out at losing, she had done so enough that I felt safer with some distance. I'd rather not get a heel to the groin again.

She coughed slightly and fell to a knee, one hand coming up to massage her throat. She then turned and glared at me, and if we had time, I knew she'd want an instant rematch. After so long travelling and fighting together I knew how she thought and moved, and she was the same with me. Plus, since we'd left Coruscant our flirting/teasing had increased with the sparring room being the one place where it often got more… touchy. While I wasn't complaining about that, I'd rather not have Fay walk in on us again as having my master come in as Bo and I were rolling around with my hands on her breasts and hers on my arse was not a moment I'd like to relive. At least not with a witness.

Recently though, I had noticed that Fay was appearing around me more than before the mission against the Bando Gora. While to most it might not stick out heavily, since I could easily review my memories with perfect clarity, it was easy to see Fay's observations of me had increased by around thirty per cent. Possibly she was just doing it to keep an eye on my mental state, as even though we'd left the Temple and Healer Allie felt I was ready to move on I still suffered the occasional flashback or freeze-up moment. However, I felt it was more to do with how close Bo and I had become since my capture. The flirting had increased, yes, but there was also far more interest in Bo's eyes toward me. If she wasn't Mando'ade, I'd think she was worried about me, but since she was, and I'd used Observe on her, I knew it was because she wanted to take things further.

"Haar'chak!" Bo's snarl of anger drew my attention back to her; or at least away from the possibilities of where she and I were heading. She'd turned to face me and lowered her hand enough that I could see that while her throat was red, it wasn't damaged. With that confirmed, I felt a touch more confident.

"I win. Again." Teasing someone so soon after a spar normally wouldn't be a smart idea, but Bo was far from a normal person; never mind a normal female. She glared at me with eyes that promised vengeance the next time we sparred though they softened a second later as she got a wicked smirk and her eyes glanced downward.

"Aye. But I've got to ask, if that's not a lightsaber in your pocket, what was it?"

My eyes darted down, seeing the tent that'd formed in my trousers. As my mouth did what I assumed was a fair impression of a fish and heat built up in my cheeks, Bo started laughing.

Bo started tilting her head and turned away. She started walking toward the bench where we stored our gear, though Bo didn't have much there bar her blasters as she'd come to the sparring room in nothing but the skin-tight black combat suit that she wore under her armour. I knew she had other clothing in her quarters as I'd seen her in the odd piece here and there when not in full armour, but since we'd left the Temple, she'd only ever worn this suit.

As she walked, she started to stretch, and twist. While I knew what she was doing, it was all but impossible for my eyes to wander over her very firm frame and wonder what she'd look like without the suit.

"At least now, I'm sure." My eyes shot up to her face to see she was looking back at me from the door, a large grin on her face. "Hmm, I wonder if you can wield that weapon as well as you do your Jetii one."

Any hope of a comeback was lost, not that I had one ready, as she slipped through the open door, and it sealed behind her. Even with the door closed, my mind replayed her exit over. There was no doubt she was over-emphasizing her arse with the sway of her hips, but I for one wasn't going to complain. I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to resist her teasing – which always went further than mine – and had to fight to stop myself from racing after her to prove my worth, as she put it, with my other weapon.

… …

… …

"You wished to speak with me, Master?"

Fay looked up from the datapad she was holding as I entered her quarters and asked my question. With a nod, she indicated a cushion on the floor next to her. "Please, sit." I sat, ignoring the pad as it wasn't likely linked to why she wished to speak. Fay's emotions were calm in the Force, yet I sensed some trepidation simmering away beneath the surface. "Do you know why I wish to speak with you?"

"No, Master." That wasn't entirely true. Fay had seen Bo and me flirting around the ship multiple times since we'd left Coruscant, and there was the incident on Sernpidal. Some stupid fuck on the street had grabbed Bo and loudly commented about wanting to get her out of her armour and into his bed. Bo had, as expected, gone ballistic and left the dumb fool in a pile of his own piss after breaking most of the bones in his arms and legs, but I was sure Fay had sensed my reaction. While I'd not done anything directly against the man, I'd struggled to not lash out with the Force. I knew Bo would beat the ever-loving shit out of the fool, but that hadn't been enough to calm my anger at his words. Only after Bo had finished brutalising him, and then pulled me away, did my anger begin to subside.

Currently, we were a day out of Sernpidal, and Bo was monitoring the ship as we carried out the fifth of nine hyperspace jumps needed to reach Zonama Sekot. That meant this was a perfect time for Fay to bring up my reaction to Bo being insulted, how close we'd become, and where things were heading.

Fay gave me one of her more enigmatic smiles. "While your ability to deceive has improved considerably – an ability I'm uncertain is becoming of a Jedi – the ripples your emotions are sending in the Force make it all for nought. To say nothing of the odd thoughts I've sensed from you regarding our travelling companion."

I lowered my head as I didn't want her to see my face. While the Force bond we shared meant I could sense her emotions even when she hid them, the opposite was true, and I lacked the skill, control, and grace she had with sensing things through the Force. "Yes, Master."

Fay chuckled at my behaviour and used a hand to lift my head back so she could see my eyes. "Now, before I begin to speak on the matter, do remember that I, like most Jedi, see nothing wrong with… indulging in the pleasures of the flesh. That said, due to the connection every Jedi shares with the Force, and the whirlwind of emotions that physical connections with another can cause, there is always a concern. Something especially true for you due to the strength of your connection to the Force, and your age." I opened my mouth to reply, only to stop as she lifted the hand from my chin and made the stop gesture. "Yes, I'm more than aware that you are far more mature than any Padawan your age, and possibly most Jedi a decade older than you. There is also the fact you recently suffered a highly traumatic event; one that Miss Kryze was responsible for saving you from."

She lowered her hand as a faint hint of concern came to her face. "There is also the issue that both you and Miss Kryze are Mando'ade. While the High Council likely feel you still place the Order before that title, I know that isn't the case. I've sensed the confusion in you over your split loyalties whenever reports of civilian deaths in the Mandalore sector are mentioned on the Holonet. And then there's the fact that the Mandalorians seemingly did more to rescue you from the Bando Gora than the Order did." I nodded in reply as I didn't want to let some of the residual anger I carried about the High Council's choice slip out. "Returning to your status as, not just Mando'ade, but a clan chief. Getting involved with the daughter, and potential heir, of one of the most powerful Mandalorian houses, creates… issues. Thankfully, Miss Kryze is far less traditionally minded, regarding relationships, than many of her people."

That was an understatement. It hadn't come up during my time on Mandalore, but as I grew closer to Bo, I'd started researching Mandalorian customs on dating. Discovering that most Mandalorians didn't have multiple partners before marriage, instead choosing to get married and have children by their early twenties at the latest, was a shock. Now, it made sense with their combat-oriented culture – as you never knew when one might fall in battle – but it was still a little odd to fit that besides such an advanced society. But that was likely me applying Earth norms to the situation.

"That said, she is still Mando'ade, and an important figure in their society." Fay continued. "And an ally of yours. While I don't believe it was his primary reason for sending Miss Kryze with us, I and Master Dooku – along with others we suspect – believe he hoped something might develop between the two of you. Something that he could, if he so wished, use to increase his standing among his people and place you in a dangerous situation of having to choose between the Jedi and the Mandalorians." Fay paused to give me time to process that. I had wondered if Adonai hoped something might happen between Bo and me, but until the last few months, I hadn't considered it anything more than a wild theory. Now… yeah, it did make a lot more sense.

"And of course, that brings us back to your status as a member of the Jedi Order, and how many perceive you within it." Fay sighed and it sounded remorseful as if she was remembering something from her past. "While the Order has no issues with a Jedi seeking… companionship, they are concerned when a Jedi develops a relationship with another being. Particularly if that relationship is long-term and has a deep connection between the Jedi and their partner." Fay paused there and glanced down at her pad. I was curious about what was on it, but I felt trying to look would be interfering with a private issue. "Any relationship carries a risk of turning nasty if things deteriorate between the partners, and with Jedi being connected to and able to wield the Force, the High Council is adamant that relationships are a path that can lead to the Dark Side. This has been the reason for many Jedi falling, and why long-term relationships, marriage, and offspring are greatly discouraged within the Order as a whole."

"I, um." I paused and licked my lips as I gathered my thoughts. "I understand what you're saying, Master. And the concerns the High Council has. Or at least, I think I do." Truthfully, I could see why they were worried – Anakin being a prime example - but I felt that I was missing something about why this fear existed within the Order. "But I'm not sure Bo wishes anything long-term from me, regardless of how close we are. And I'm all but certain she has no interest in settling down and raising a family." I chuckled weakly at the end as the idea of Bo as a mother just felt off.

Fay laughed softly. "On that, we agree and it's why I haven't asked Duke Adonai to recall his daughter since your rescue from the Bando Gora. Also, regarding the High Council's opinion on relationships, I don't hold the same opinion. So long as both beings enter a relationship understanding that a Jedi has different commitments and ideals to the other, and they are mature enough to understand this, then a relationship shouldn't be a detriment to the Jedi. Indeed, I feel such connections help us see a side of the Force that many Jedi fail to acknowledge has the potential to help us grow into better sentients and Jedi." I nodded in agreement even if I suspected I once more didn't fully understand the point. "With that said, I wish to be clear that if something does develop between you and Miss Kryze, I want both of you to understand the issues it may bring. I believe you are both mature enough to see this already, but as your Master, and her minder, I feel the matter does need to be touched upon."

"Yes, Master." I hoped that would be where she'd end it as, after having one discussion on relationships with Dooku – something I'd happily purge from my memory if I could – I didn't want to have another with Fay.

"Good, then I wish you and Miss Kryze enjoyment in any future coupling." I felt my cheeks heat up at her words, which drew a soft, musical laugh from Fay. "Also, since there are likely to be certain issues that may arise between you, I need you to understand that my door is always open to talk. For both of you. And that if your feelings for Miss Kryze, or anyone else cause you issues," I knew she was thinking of Serra at that moment, "then I am always here to listen and offer advice."

"Yes, Master. And thank you." I didn't plan on ever taking up the offer, but it was one I was happy to have. While I had far more experience regarding women than probably any other male my age, I knew that what I knew would barely make me a trainee in understanding females. Which was certainly the case when speaking with an over seven-hundred-year woman as graceful – and likely experienced – as Fay. Plus, there was the fact she, unlike any other Jedi I suspected, understood Mandalorian culture and the peculiarities of their society. Since she was seen as a member of a clan – though I still didn't know which one – if there was anyone who knew how to balance the two worlds, it would be her.

As I stepped out of Fay's quarters, I gulped hard. While I wasn't yet willing to start anything with Bo, I knew it was only a matter of time. With Fay's cautious approval, it meant the last roadblock I could hide behind was gone. Or at least the last one that would work at any rate. My idea of waiting until I was seventeen to start anything had, at the time, seemed weak and now it was barely any better than a bad joke.

Somehow, I knew things were about to get a lot more interesting once we reached Zonama Sekot and I saw where things with Bo were headed.

… …

… …

The Ne'tra Sartr shifted from hyperspace to real space with a familiar vibration running through it. After so long piloting her, I knew without even checking the instruments that everything was working as expected as the sub-light engines engaged and pushed us forward. I'd heard hundreds of stories about ships getting lost in hyperspace, or worse, but so far, the Sartr had come through for us every time.

With everything showing green, I shifted my focus to the sensors and got my first look at Zonama Sekot. The planet itself was about the size of Coruscant, yet as I looked over the readings, I frowned. Everything about the planet made it clear it was more than capable of supporting life, but something about the arrangement of the land mass was off.

"I've never seen a planet with its hemispheres so evenly split between north and south." Fay's comment clued me to what was off about the planet. The northern pole was a beacon of white against the lush green of the northern hemisphere, which, if the reading were correct, was all jungle. The equator was marked by various mountains, lakes and small seas that served to separate the northern jungle from the southern forest – though it was hard to see them under the heavy cloud cover. And at the southern tip of the land, storm clouds could be seen spinning around.

All in all, it looked like too perfectly divided a world to be natural, yet not strict enough in its divides to be artificial. The gentle niggle I felt within the Force as I concentrated on the planet only added to the sense of mystery that lay in front of us. Though it would have to wait until we were on the planet.

"Observation: There appears to be a distinct lack of orbital platforms of any kind. Even elementary communication relays are missing. Evaluation: Oh, how wonderful. A planet lacking in any hint of technology or superior mechanical forms. Why must we visit such a disgusting planet, Master?"

I ignored HK's question, bar a smile that he couldn't see, and checked the scanners. There was nothing in orbit, not even a natural satellite. That meant, unless there was some form of ground communication setup, we'd be flying blind on where to head and land. That was going to be a pain, though as we reached high orbit, a signal came from the planet.

"Your vessel is unrecognised and unregistered." The voice coming through the speakers was in Basic, but there was an odd accent to it that I didn't recognize. "Explain why you have entered the orbit of our planet?"

I bit back a remark about being here to rob the planet blind and steal all their women – after all my ship was called the Black Pearl in Basic – and another regarding the male's rudeness. Instead, I looked over at Fay. She was far more diplomatic than me, to say nothing of Bo or HK and was in charge of this mission.

"Greetings. I am Jedi Master Fay aboard the Ne'tra Sartr. I and my crew have journeyed here on behalf of my Order regarding rumours of a world with an incredibly strong connection to the Force. Even from orbit, I can sense this world has such a connection. With your permission, I'd like to land and with my crew, speak to your leaders and learn more about your world."

There was a long pause which allowed me to analyse Fay's approach. She was being honest regarding the main objective of our mission, and who we were. Yet she was avoiding the secondary goal of locating the world making unique starships that were said to be some of the fastest in the galaxy and potentially had some sort of connection with the Force.

"You are not here to complete a purchase?" My brow rose at that, and I shared a look with Fay. It seemed the person she was speaking to had just revealed this planet was the one our secondary objective was aimed at. It was an odd mistake to make, but as I had learnt early on in my former life, never correct an opponent when they're making a mistake.

"We would be interested in browsing and potentially purchasing your wares; however, we are unsure of what exactly your world offers." I caught Bo rolling her eyes at Fay's coy response. "Hmm, I believe I have heard rumours of a world beyond the Outer Rim that is renowned for making starships of incredible speeds while being secretive about their location. While it is unlikely your world is the one that I have heard of, we would be interested in landing and speaking with your leaders about what we may purchase."

Again, there was a long pause, though it stretched on far longer than the last one. As it did, I reached out through the Force. The planet was well within the range of Detection and Sense Force and I wanted an idea of what exactly was on the planet and if it was a Force Nexus like Fay had suspected.

I inhaled sharply at what I sensed. Instead of picking up hints of every being on the planet, and possibly some of the creatures, I was instead assaulted by one massive, overreaching Force presence that overwhelmed the minimap and made it impossible to learn anything about what was on the planet. The planet had to be populated by the strength of the Force coming from the planet itself meant I couldn't sense anything else. I pulled back, shocked and confused at what I'd sensed only to feel a tendril in the Force reach out from the planet. That should be impossible, but I was sensing it right now and felt something massively powerful, yet incredibly gentle brush against my mental barriers. I frowned as the probe pulled back as, unless I missed something, the tendril had felt far less mature than something the age of a planet should.

"Cameron?" I turned to Fay as she said my name. Her expression was calm, but I felt some confusion and concern from her.

"Your vessel has been registered and granted landing permission." The controller's voice cut me off from explaining what I'd sensed to Fay. "Transmitting landing coordinates now. A representative will meet you upon arrival." The channel snapped closed a second after I confirmed receipt of the coordinates.

"Why land there?" I muttered as the landing zone was marked on the image of the planet. While we weren't landing at the literal North Pole of the planet, we would be touching down inside the northern glacial region, far from, as far as the scanners could tell, any sign of civilization. That was strange as every other landing we'd made on a planet had been either at the edge of a city or near the equatorial region.

"Perhaps some local custom about not wanting to contaminate their culture with alien vessels," Fay's reasoning had some logic to it, but I felt there was more to this world than met the eye. "Since we don't wish to anger our hosts, follow the instructions, and guide us down. However, before we meet their representative, I wish to know what it was you sensed."

"Yes, Master." Even as I spoke my fingers were flying over the controls. After years at the helm, it only took me a touch here and there to guide the ship into the atmosphere of the planet. Yet, as the upper reaches of the ozone layer brushed against our atmospheric shields, I felt my heartbeat increase as a shiver shot up my spine.

The Force was off around this world, yet I couldn't tell how or why. Only that something was waiting to happen.

… …

… …

The landing zone on Zonama Sekot was an odd experience. The actual area to land was a long, narrow stretch of plateau nearly a thousand metres long but barely twenty at its widest. Yet, instead of the snow and blizzards that one would expect from such a northern landing site, the area was, while not warm, far from bitingly cold with no hint of snow or strong winds on the horizon. Either the area was kept clear by the locals – unlikely as the only buildings were a pair of domed structures that didn't appear likely to house cleaning droids or flyers – or the area wasn't as buffeted by cold weather as I'd have expected.

Still, it took me two attempts to get the Ne'tra Sartr down safely as the vessel wasn't an ideal fit for the landing area being both longer and wider than the landing area.

After stepping out into the cool air, which reminded me of Scotland from a lifetime ago, we were greeted by a tall female in a sealed suit. Observe gave me her name and species – Ferroan – but since she never offered her name, I never referred to her by it. She gave Fenrir a look that suggested she didn't trust him, which did make sense as he was approaching the size of a young Kath hound in size and still, according to Fay, had a good bit of growth still to go.

As the representative had stared at us, I'd thought about what I knew of her species. Ferroans were, unsurprisingly, from a planet called Ferros in the Outer Rim. Funnily enough, that world wasn't too far from Telos V, but seeing her here was a little surprising. Her species were known to be very independent and generally kept to their home system. Thus, seeing one so far from there was unexpected, though I was basing my knowledge on what I'd read in the Jedi Archives, and knowing how flawed they were about the Mandalorian sector, I now took anything I read there with a pinch of salt.

For a moment, as she glared and tried to look threatening – a foolish idea against a Mandalorian, a tuk'ata and two Jedi – I thought we were about to be thrown off the planet. Yet suddenly, as a breeze had blown over us, she'd looked away and tilted her head. When she looked back her body language had softened, and she'd led us to the nearest dome and an atmospheric transport inside it.

As we entered the transport, I looked out over the planet. Ever since we'd entered the lower atmosphere, I'd had this feeling like something was off. It put me on edge and after speaking telepathically with Fay, and sensing Fenrir's agitation, I realised I wasn't the only one sensing it. Hell, even Bo was tenser than she'd normally be in an unknown location, which was saying something. Because of this, Fay had suggested we leave Fenrir on the Sartr. He hadn't been happy about it, but it did make sense as I wasn't sure how he'd react to other people while being agitated. It'd take the promise of bringing him with us once we knew the planet was safe and the promise of bringing him back something to eat that convinced him to go. Though the image of him giving me puppy dog eyes as he whimpered to not be sent back had Bo and me laughing as we flew over the planet.

Generally, the flight had been done in silence. Fay had tried to engage our escort in conversation, but the Ferroan chose to respond with either short, three- or four-word replies, or say our questions would be answered when we arrived. As we'd flown, I'd spent most of the time looking out a small window in the transport, which was barely large enough to accommodate all four of us. Nothing about the planet stood out as off with the jungle we soared over seeming perfectly normal, though what did stand out was that, apart from the domes at the landing area, I couldn't see anything that hinted at a colony.

Normally, I'd have used Detection to locate population centres, but with the planet giving off an insanely strong Force echo, that was impossible. I'd thought that once we'd landed things would get better, but the opposite had happened. Flying low over the planet meant I was engulfed in the presence. Outside of our escort and the pilot – who was locked away in the cockpit – I couldn't sense anything. Not even animals in the jungle below. It was like I was drowning inside a Force signature of such immense size and power that the Interface couldn't figure out a way to compensate. Or perhaps couldn't.

My mind drifted back to the problems the Interface had experienced with the Dark Side and the Bando Gora. I had a working theory that the reason I'd lost access to it entirely in the trap but was able to use it to a degree in the Bando Gora base was due to the Dark Side. Or more accurately, the fact that in the base I'd been relying on the Dark Side to keep me focused and active. However, that wasn't a theory I was willing to test as it'd mean willingly finding another place engulfed in the Dark Side and entering it. Not something I planned to do any time soon if I could help it.

As the transport slowed and angled to port, I turned my attention back to the viewport. We were approaching a small settlement. The buildings were mixed around the trees and, after using Enhance Sense to get a better look, I saw they were made predominantly of organic materials.

As we exited the transport and walked onto a wooden floor, a tall Ferroan approached. "Greetings and welcome to Zonama Sekot, a planet of considerable beauty and firm tradition. My name is Gann." As he finished, Gann lowered his head, though given he was Ferroan like our escort, it did little to counter the height disparity. Unlike our escort, Gann appeared far more comfortable around off-worlders – something Observe confirmed – and wore clothing more akin to Jedi robes. Though his robes were black which worked well against the blue tone of his skin that Ferroans were known for.

Fay returned the bow. "Thank you for allowing us to visit your planet." She began after the bow." I am Jedi Master Fay. This is my Padawan Cameron Shan and our travelling companion, Bo-Katan Kryze." As she spoke, she indicated each of us with her hand, and then as Gann frowned, she smiled. "I take it you are unfamiliar with the term. In a more common vernacular, Cameron is my student in understanding the mysteries of the Force."

Gann's face lit up and he smiled. "Ah. I too have a son. A special student for me. There are many sons and daughters here. That is what we call our students. Regardless of who they were born to, we are all mothers, fathers and teachers to them." He paused and gestured with his hand, which drew my attention to where we were standing.

The transport had already taken off behind us and it allowed me to see that the platform was entirely open to the elements. Yet the wooden floor appeared undamaged by rain or wind. Though as I looked at it, I saw that the edges of the platform rested on branches from a dozen or so massive tree trunks. Each was wider than a Redwood and as I used Sense Force only on them, I felt the branches running under the platform and interlocking. Yet, as I sensed that I came to a startling realisation.

While I'd thought the Force presence that I'd been feeling from orbit was simply the planet, I now realised it wasn't. I could feel that same signature in the trees, branches and even the platform. Everything was connected. The tree trunks hadn't been cut in any way, instead, they'd been grown for this very purpose by the planet. I reached out a little further and sensed the Force flowing through other nearby flora and the same signature in the Force.

The entire planet, or at least the flora, was connected in one giant system. A symbiotic setup, that if it extended to the fauna, suggested the planet was one giant connected circle of life.

"If you will follow me, I will lead you into Middle Distance." Gann's voice drew my senses back to my immediate surroundings. "This is our first home on Zonama Sekot where we settled around nineteen Ferroan years ago. That is about fifty-five standard years." He smiled in a way that reminded me of Fay. "Though time doesn't have quite the same meaning here as it does in our homeworld. Or any other world within the Republic."

I wanted to keep pushing out through the Force, to experience more of this incredibly connected ecosphere, but I knew focusing on Gann and the here and now was more important. I could, if all went well, explore this planet – both physically and through the Force – later. So long as our meeting with him and the other leaders of the planet went well.

"That is an unusual way to speak about a planet. Does time pass differently here?"

Gann chuckled, and in a move that made me smirk, gave Fay a taste of her own medicine. He fixed her with one of her trademarked 'I know something you don't' smiles. "Zonama Sekot has a unique approach to letting time pass. At times I feel as if I've lived my entire life here, yet at other times, I feel as if only an hour or a day has passed since I first arrived with the other settlers." A gentle breeze passed over us and Gann got the same faraway look as our escort had before she took us to the transport. "Forgive me. Explaining how our world works, and what it involves, to outsiders reminds me once more of the wonders of Sekot."

"There is little to forgive. This world is strong in the Force, so much so that Cameron and I sensed it from orbit." Fay smiled at Gann, and then I sensed a small thrill surge through her as she closed her eyes for a moment before continuing. "To live in a place with such a beautifully balanced Force connection would make any, even those not attuned to the Force, feel a sense of connectivity to the universe that most people would never experience nor understand."

"Yes, yes. How true." He paused and blinked before tilting his head as if suddenly realising something. "Ah, forgive me. I thought you, like all off-world visitors, we're here to purchase a starship and not just experience the glory of Sekot."

"While experiencing and studying, unobtrusively, this world's connection to the Force, we would be interested in purchasing a ship. Particularly if, as I suspect, this is the world famed for the creation of semi-organic ships of almost unrivalled speed and beauty." Fay glanced my way for a moment, which confused me before she continued. "Perhaps we might speak with your leaders, if they are amenable, to see if that can be arranged. Then, with your permission, we might depart to acquire the funds we would need for such a vessel."

Gann stopped walking and stared at Fay. It was almost as if he was trying to weigh her words. A moment later, after another gentle breeze, he smiled. "Yes, Sekot wishes this. Please, follow me."

… …

… …

Meeting the Magister had been odd. His residence was far from Middle Distance, being in the mountains near the equator and it reminded me of a cross between an Earth castle and Vader's palace on Mustafar. The whole place wasn't in keeping with anything else we'd seen on the world, which also applied to the Magister.

Seon Hal – which I only knew thanks to Observe – had been cold when we'd first met. He'd wanted nothing to do with us and I knew why this was because of Observe. His father, the first Magister Leor Hal, had been kicked from the Jedi Order, and Seon still held resentment that the Jedi had expelled his father and rejected his concept of Potentium.

Neither Fay nor I knew what Potentium was, and Fay was able to slowly convince the Magister to allow us to not only stay but once he was sure we weren't here to enforce Jedi beliefs on the Sekotans, would allow us to purchase a starship.

When he'd revealed the approximate cost to us, I'd choked on my water. Which I suspect he intentionally timed. It would cost upwards of a hundred million credits for the most basic of ships and the price couldn't be paid with Republic Credit chits. Obviously, we didn't have that much with us – well, I might've been able to come close with the gems in my Inventory but that would mean revealing its existence – so, after getting permission to stay on Zonama Sekot and purchase a starship in time, we'd headed back to the Sartr.

Since the world wasn't connected to the Holonet, we were forced to fly back to Sernpidal for Fay to contact the Order. Originally, we'd planned to head back – and I'd been looking forward to that as it'd let me talk with Serra – but the High Council had another idea. After transmitting their files on the Potentium concept and the expelled members of the group – with a few less-than-subtle hints from Yoda that this belief system was wrong – we'd closed the connection and returned to the planet. Unlike the first journey, which had taken nearly two weeks, this one took a third of that as I knew where we were going, the hyperspace coordinates were in the databanks and HK, Bo and I had managed to shave some distance off the jumps.

Now, two weeks later we were just awaiting the arrival of the couriers: a group called the Antarian Rangers. During this time, I'd reviewed what the Council sent about Potentium and spoken with Gann and a few other random locals about the concept. While there were some parts of the concept that I felt were interesting – particularly that no Force ability was inherently evil, but that it was how they were used that determined if they were Dark or Light – overall I found the philosophy flawed. I knew from the Interface and had experienced it first-hand, that Dark Side powers worked best when empowered by negative emotions. Plus, their idea that because there was no Dark Side, the Jedi didn't have a purpose was off. Even if the current Order, in my opinion, and that of others, wasn't holding to the ideals of the Jedi, the Jedi weren't just there to guard against the Dark Side but to ensure that evil, in general, didn't take a hold of the galaxy.

After two weeks Bo was getting a touch angsty as, after our first outdoor spar, we'd been asked to not do so. Apparently, the planet didn't enjoy getting blown to pieces as Bo tried to eviscerate me with grenades. Fay had apologised for us, and we'd been forced to confine our spars to either no weapons when outdoors or return to the Sartr to use them on stun settings.

Fenrir, when not disappearing into the jungle when I turned away, was enjoying the attention the locals gave him. While none dared come too close – bar children who were held back by their parents – the locals gave him food to eat, and he seemed to enjoy the planet almost as much as Fay did.

My master had spent time meditating heavily in the jungle – sometimes with Fenrir nearby almost as if he was keeping a watch over her – and had come to believe that the planet was far more than just a Force Nexus. I suspected the same, but the locals were, I felt, being intentionally vague about if the planet had some kind of sentience to it. I hadn't meditated as deeply as Fay did as I preferred now to use Alchaka to relax and centre myself. Apart from it offering a greater FP and Stamina regeneration rate – though since it wasn't maxed yet, it was still lower than a maxed-out Force Trance – and being able to move while relaxing felt better to me. Fay had accepted this readily, likely feeling it was better for me after what I'd gone through. That was probably true as since we'd arrived, I'd not suffered a single flashback or nightmare related to my time with the Bando Gora. Hell, even thinking about it didn't bring the memories instantly to the front of my thoughts.

Bo though was growing increasingly curious about what I got up to in the jungle when I was alone, often suggesting I was going there to relieve myself after our dates, which weren't dates. Well not entirely. They'd started as us reconning Middle Distance but had grown into more relaxed and leisurely outings and while things hadn't gone any further than that, I found myself enjoying them far more than anything else that filled my days. If we had to wait much longer for the Rangers to get here, then I doubted I'd be able to avoid taking things with her to the next stage.

Today though, I was in the Ne'tra Sartr. It wasn't to spar with Bo but to check in with HK and give the ship another check. With nothing wrong with my starship, I'd spent the last few hours talking with HK. Most of that time had been him recounting more stories of his travels with Revan and their companions. It always amused me when he sounded almost remorseful about T3-M4, and I couldn't wait until I could introduce him to R2-D2. The sheer chaos those two could unleash always made me chuckle with Bo commenting I sounded like I was going mad whenever she heard me.

I had enough from HK and my memories to have the basics of my next work, Knights of the Old Republic, plotted out and had written down the first part of the first book of the trilogy. Or possibly a quadrilogy if I included some of HK's more amusing anecdotes that weren't covered in the game. Still, the first book would be ready for release, all things being equal, by the time we left Zonama Sekot at best, the end of the year at worst.

"Statement: Master, unless there is another group of meatbags inbound to this backwater world, it appears the meatbags you have been waiting for have arrived."

I lifted my head from my datapad, slid it into my Inventory – by way of making it look like I was placing it inside my robes – and then turned to the controls. The light indicating an incoming hail was blinking and I opened the channel. "This is Cameron Shan aboard the Ne'tra Sartr. Who am I speaking to?"

"Padawan Shan," the simple fact the responding voice knew my rank hinted he was a Ranger. "This is Ranger Lieutenant Kekda Zarkos of the Longstrider. I have some cargo to transfer to you and Master Fay." The voice was male and, unless I was misjudging it, the speaker sounded happy. "Should we land near your ship?"

"I'll contact Master Fay, but I'd advise you to not land just yet. The locals are a mite touchy about uninvited guests."

There was a pause before Zarkos chuckled. "Yes, we've just received a hail from the planet. A rather rude fellow, that one."

"Aye, he is." I smiled as I replied. "Give me a bit and I'll get back to you."

"Understood. Longstrider out."

As the channel closed, I pulled out my communicator from my belt. While it normally wouldn't have the range to reach Middle Distance, I'd modified them – with help from Bo and HK – to allow greater range at the expense of shorter battery life.

With the Ranger here we'd finally do something beyond sitting around and hopefully learn about the locally produced starships. I might not have Anakin's love for technology, but I couldn't deny I was looking forward to learning more about that. And this planet as I felt there was a connection between the ships produced her and the Force signature of the planet.

… …

… …

It was several hours later that, with Fay and Bo having arrived at the landing area, a heavily modified freighter touched down. I couldn't be sure about its exact designation, but from the general shape, it looked to have originally been something from the Corellian Engineering Corporation. As the ship landed with far more ease than I'd managed with the Ne'tra Sartr – no, I wasn't bitter about that – I wondered why a Ranger would need such a large ship for a single person.

A reason was semi-confirmed when, about a minute later, three beings walked down the ramp. The lead figure was a Togruta male, one hand rested on his waist, not far from a blaster, while a large vibroblade – though one not as long as my beskad – hung at his other side. Behind him came a Pantoran female who held a blaster rifle in a relaxed grip – Irone Mucho according to Observe – and a Cathar male, who drew most of my attention. Observe gave me his name – Simvyl – and gave the reason why his head was moving around rapidly behind wide eyes. He was excited to meet Jedi on his very first mission.

"Jedi Master Fay," the Togrutan spoke, confirming he was the one I'd talked with via the comms, "I'm Lieutenant Kekda Zarkos." He paused to lower his head. "With me are Ranger Irone Mucho and Ranger Trainee Simvyl." I already had their names and other details from Observe, but it was nice to have them in the open so I didn't slip up and say a name I shouldn't know. Yet through all this, my focus was on Simvyl. Apart from being a trainee and excited, he was a Cathar, and I wasn't sure if the animosity they held toward the Mandalorians still existed.

"What's she doing here!?" Simvyl all but hissed as his fur stood up slightly when he saw Bo in full armour. His hand raced toward his blaster. It stopped mid-way as I gripped it with the Force and stepped between him and Bo.

"She's with me," I replied bluntly to draw his attention to me. If he attacked Bo, I didn't think she'd have any issue defeating him. Apart from the disparity in levels – twenty-two to eighteen in Bo's favour – Bo had spent years sparring against a Jedi so taking on someone not at that level, when combined with her previous training, all but assured me of Bo's victory. However, since the Rangers were allied with the Order, it was better if conflict was avoided. "I know your people have historical issues with hers, but she wasn't one of those who decimated your world millennia ago. Either stow your misplaced anger or get back on your ship and kriff off!"

I could sense surprise from both Fay and Bo through my bonds with them – along with a tingle of excitement from Bo – but my focus was on Simvyl. If he kept trying to slip free of my Force grip, I planned to lift him and dump him unceremoniously back on his ship.

"You'll have to forgive Simvyl," Zarkos spoke as he stepped between me and the snarling Cathar, "he is young and new to our organisation. And still has some way to go in learning to curb his preconceptions." Mucho glared and Simvyl, which did have him settle down a bit, though not enough that I released my grip on him. "His presence is why there are three of us to escort your cargo instead of the expected two. Though I am surprised to find a Mandalorian travelling with Jedi, particularly when their sector is in the waning stages of another civil war." The question was clear to hear – as was a challenge about why Bo wasn't fighting at home – even as Mucho slid an arm around Simvyl's waist and, none too gently, pulled him backwards.

Before Fay could respond a loud, aggressive growl came from the Ne'tra Sartr and I felt Fenrir's anger as he stalked down the ramp. He'd likely sensed my irritation at Simvyl's behaviour – and possibly Bo's spike in anger as she was closer to him than anyone but me – and decided to make his existence known.

"Easy there, Fenrir," I slid a hand toward him even as my eyes stayed on Simvyl. "Just someone making a fool of themselves and threatening our friend," Fenrir growled once more as he stalked across the landing area, his eyes narrowing toward the Cathar.

"And looking for an early grave," Bo added. That generated a spike in Simvyl's anger, though it was quickly dissipated by Mucho pulling him back bluntly and Fenrir growling at him once more.

Before he reached my side, I heard his crest spikes – which were starting to get dangerously sharp – scratching against Bo's armour before I felt him lean into my arm. I knew it was coming and he wasn't trying to knock me over, so I didn't stumble, but even a gentle rub made it clear how strong he was. Simvyl's attention was now on Fenrir, which was logical since the tuk'ata was between him and Bo, but nothing further occurred as Mucho pulled him back to their ship.

"I, uh, don't believe I've ever seen such a beast before." Zarkos' voice once more broke the tense situation in the landing area even as I sensed our regular escort approaching. Likely the tense situation was a concern since it was because of us that the Rangers were here.

"Fenrir is a tuk'ata. My Padawan saved him from poachers about a year ago, when he was barely a pup, and they've formed a very strong bond." Fay's voice drifted over the landing area, managing to diffuse the tension with practised ease. "While most Jedi don't form such bonds with creatures," Fenrir snarled at that, but Fay ignored him, "they do occur. And with tuk'ata being creatures with a strong connection to the Force," a moment of amusement drifted across my bond with Bo, "it wasn't surprising the bond formed."

"As for our companion. This is Bo-Katan Kryze. She is travelling with us as her father, Duke Adonai Kryze," Zarkos' brow rose, meaning he knew the name, "requested we ensure her safety at the start of the war. My Padawan and I have a friendship with the duke and were more than willing to acquiesce to his request."

"I see." Zarkos' tone made it clear he didn't; at least not fully. "Returning to business. The Jedi Council requested we transport a not inconsiderable sum of wealth to you and, provided you and the locals are amenable, stay to ensure the safety of both you and the finances."

I smirked at the idea the three of us needed guards on Zonama Sekot as the locals were the most laid-back and peaceful lot I'd met so far in this galaxy. That said, I could understand the Council's decision about extra manpower since the price of a starship from this world was insane.

"That is acceptable to me. However, I will first have to speak with our local contacts to see if you are permitted to leave the landing area. They are a … reclusive collective with very private and personal beliefs." On cue, the door to the nearest dome opened and out walked our regular escort, once more clad in clothing that hid her features. "And as the Force would have it, we may determine that right now."

We turned as one to face the oncoming Ferroan. There was a brief burst of concern from her, which was normal whenever she saw Fenrir, but there was no outward display of it as she strode toward us.

… …

… …

It hadn't taken much for our escort to allow the Rangers to stay, though only one could travel to Middle Distance. It would then be up to Gann, if not the Magister if the others could come as well. Mucho was the one who travelled with us on the first trip as I suspected Zarkos wished to discipline Simvyl about his behaviour.

Fenrir was also coming along as even if he couldn't feed in the jungle around Middle Distance – not because the locals prohibited it, but because Fenrir strangely chose to not kill on his hunts – he enjoyed running free. I'd sensed he felt at peace on the planet, which was another hint there was far more to this place than met the eye, and Fay had commented on his better disposition – relative to normal – since we'd arrived.

I was growing more and more certain that, if not alive in a sense I'd understand, the planet had some form of communal consciousness. Fay, while reluctant to accept my hypothesis, didn't dismiss it. We both felt there was something special and different about Sekot, and not just because of the ships they produced.

That discussion was placed once more to the side – though I knew we'd revisit it within a day as it dominated our conversations – as we arrived back in Middle Distance. Unlike the previous times, the place was far more inviting and alive. Whereas before there'd only be a handful of people here and there, now it seemed as if the entire city had come out to party.

"It is the first day of a new client celebration," Gann explained just after we arrived, and Fay asked about the atmosphere though my attention was on the skies. Around us flew airships that merged organic and mechanical technology. Each was coloured differently but the sounds of singing, laughing and general enjoyment vibrated around us. From somewhere in the distance, music from strange, enchanting instruments drifted on the wind. "Whenever it is time to develop a new vessel, we consider it a time to celebrate the gifts Sekot has given us." His smile grew even wider; to the point that I wondered if it didn't hurt to smile that much. "As you also already have Sekot's blessing, it is truly a special celebration as we wonder about what kind of vessel will be grown."

A young girl suddenly burst out of the crowds and made a beeline for us. She looked familiar, though since it was hard to tell with Ferroans as they all looked similar enough that I hadn't yet learnt to differentiate them within the Force, I used Observe to be sure. That confirmed it was who I'd thought it was; Jabitha Hal, the daughter of the Magister.

"Gann!" She called out, getting our host's attention.

"Jabitha!" He replied as he turned and saw her. "I didn't expect you here today." She ran into his arms, and it allowed me to once more see that while she was close to Anakin's age, she was considerably taller. At a guess, at least a head. Her arms slid up his arms, and he repeated the gesture, in what I'd come to realise was a Ferroan greeting. I'd been greeted a few times that way, though it was a little too personal for me to be comfortable with.

Happiness radiated off Jabitha in spades, and not just in the Force. "When I heard the Jedi had been chosen for bonding, I begged my father to let me come." She explained once the greeting was over. "I can barely remember the last bonding and I wanted to be a part of these celebrations." She turned and lowered her head as she saw Fay. "Master Jedi."

"Hello again, Jabitha." Fay's tone was lighter than normal and when I looked at her, she had a large, radiant smile plastered to her face. Just like I was, she was being affected by the joy and energy of the locals, though with her it seemed to make her look even younger and more graceful than her ethereal grace already did.

"Oh! Who's this?" Before I could stop her, the girl moved toward Fenrir and leaned down. He growled at her closeness, but it wasn't as strong as he normally growled at newcomers. My brow shot up though when he allowed her to pet his fur where the spinal spikes met his body.

"Fenrir, though he's normally not this docile toward new people," I explained slowly as I reached through my bond with him. He was calm and relaxed, far more so than usual. Apparently, the atmosphere that both Fay and I were sensing was also influencing him. "I think he's enjoying the party atmosphere."

"Isn't everyone?" Jabitha's innocent smile made mine grow a little. With all this happiness around us, it was becoming harder and harder to not be influenced by it. "Are you excited about the bonding?"

"Bonding?" That was the third time in a few minutes I'd heard that come up. It was an odd word to choose when referring to having a ship built. Though since we were talking about something semi-organic, perhaps there was some kind of mental imprinting on the vessel. Similar, but certainly not as expansive, as what I shared with Fenrir.

"Perhaps it's better we allow those responsible for the process to explain it, hmm?" Gann's words cut off Jabitha from revealing what was going on. While that made sense, it made me concerned that there was something they weren't telling us, possibly because they didn't want us to know until it was too late. "Now, perhaps you should run along and find your brothers and sisters. The growers are undoubtedly waiting for our new clients."

Well, if the word 'bonding' didn't suggest something different with the process, then 'growers' certainly did. Again, the wording made sense since we were talking about semi-organic starships. Yet as I followed along in the group behind Gann as he led us to a local flyer – which was a merging of organic and mechanical technologies – my mind was starting to wander to what an organic ship in this galaxy would look like.

… …

… …

A few hours later the airship we were travelling on – which was a bigger one than Gann had first planned on taking as there were five of us with him – arrived at a place Gann called Far Distance. Like Middle Distance, that was an odd name for a settlement, but it likely had meaning to the locals.

"This way." The speaker was Sheekla Farrs who had joined us on the airship to talk to us a little about what we would be going through. Like Gann, she was coy about details, but it was clear that to the Sekotans, the creation of every ship held an almost religious significance. She led us into a crowd that had gathered, though that quickly parted. Whether that was because they knew to let clients through, or because Fenrir was not comfortable with so many people so close by, it was hard to say.

Soon we reached a large structure that, like almost everything else on the planet, was semi-organic. The doors weren't though. The glint from the sunlight as it reflected off the dark, almost black stone drew our attention. As did the fact they looked to be about twice the height of an average Ferroan, coming in at four metres or so.

"Your companions must remain here." Bo and Fenrir didn't look or sound happy about that, though it was harder to tell with Bo – at least if not using the Force – as she was in full armour as normal. Zarkos was far more relaxed, taking his leave from Fay.

I walked up to Bo. "Don't worry. I doubt this'll take long enough for you to find someone better to take to bed." I moved quickly out of her reach, just barely avoiding a roundhouse punch aimed at my head. I then scratched Fenrir behind the ear. "Make sure he doesn't get into trouble or eat anything strange. Or anyone."

I didn't wait for a reply before moving to catch up with Fay and Sheekla – Gann had stayed behind – as the large stone doors opened with a slightly ominous groan.

"How much longer will this dance continue?" Fay asked softly as we walked behind Sheekla. Both her tone and the smile on her face made it clear that she wasn't angry about the way Bo and I were moving around each other. Haran, I suspected she was enjoying watching us torment each other to see who would snap first.

"I doubt it'll be much longer." As I replied, my eyes drifted to take in the architecture of the new building. Again, it bore similar markings to others but something about this place seemed to resonate within the Force. "I just don't know ho…. What the kriff?" My topic of conversation shifted suddenly as Sheekla opened a door near the centre of this new building and I saw what was inside.

The room was lit by what I assumed was an overhead window or two, but it was the strange creatures moving around inside that had caused my exclamation. At first, I'd thought the scurrying mass of movement was from a pile of insects – which would be a good reason to back the fuck out of getting this ship – but a second look confirmed they weren't. though if that was a good thing was up to debate.

Thousands, if not tens of thousands of… round things about the size of my head were skittering around. Each had legs that reminded me of crabs and the bodies and legs were covered in spikes. It seemed as if those spikes allowed them to move, but their movement patterns were so random, almost chaotic, that it was almost impossible to predict the behaviour of the swarm. Never mind an individual… thing.

"These are the seed partners. From them, we will grow your ship." Sheekla replied as she gestured us into the room. "Please enter and allow them to see you."

I looked over at Fay, my reluctance to enter the room clear to her as she gave me an encouraging nod. She then stepped into the room, showing no fear. As Sheekla looked at me I realised that while I didn't want to enter, I would, and after a resigned sigh, followed my master inside.

The door closed ominously behind us, which did little to ease the tension in the air. Or at least the tension I was feeling.

"How refreshingly unusual." Fay's comment, while odd, did make some sense. She was radiating amusement, curiosity and some wonder within the Force; though it was far easier to sense that as we stood in the room surrounded by the deformed spiked-balls. "I can't remember how many years it's been since I experienced something this unique." Her voice had taken on an almost child-like wonder as her eyes took in the sight of the wriggling mass of spiked things jittering around.

"Master?"

Fay turned and looked at me. Her smile, one full of joy and innocence, grew wider as she took in my expression. "You must learn to embrace the strangeness when the Force shows it to us, Cameron." She swept out her arm toward the mass of balls around us. "These seed-partners are alive; can you not sense them through the Force? They mean no harm, and while their appearance could be considered concerning," far too mild a word for my liking, "they are simply curious about us and, I assume by their name, wish to partner with us."

I frowned as I wondered exactly how these beachball-sized spiked monstrosities would 'partner' with us – a few concerning ideas developing quickly in my mind – before I followed my master deeper into the chamber.

We walked into the centre of the room, into a depressed bowl that was built into the floor. The seed-partners skittered around the edges, but none entered this bowl, and once we were inside it, our path back to the door was lost in the sea of spiked insanity. Realising that something was meant to happen here, Fay and I stood back-to-back and waited.

Watching the seed-partners move around and trying not to focus on their spikes and how sharp they looked was awkward. Though my attention was soon off the sprawling mass and on three that broke from the others and almost chaotically, moved toward me. Two of them shifted down the wall, scurrying over others while the third skittered between others on the ground.

As they approached, and then stopped at the edge of the depressed bowl I was standing in, I sensed something odd from them within the Force. As others began to join them, the sensation grew stronger.

"How interesting." I glanced over my shoulder to see several more at the edge of the bowl on Fay's side. "It is almost as if they are judging us as some beasts would. As if trying to determine if we are worthy of their company."

"And what happens if we're not?" I asked as I saw that more were moving down from the walls and tried to not focus on the fact nearly a dozen spiked-balls were now surrounding us.

Suddenly the air shifted and a strong, tangy breeze that reminded me of the sea filled the room. The mass of spiked-balls on the wall shifted. Before there'd been perhaps a few predictable patterns to their movements but now it appeared entirely chaotic. The pattern was repeated by the balls on the floor even as the ones on the walls started piling up, apparently joining together, and reaching out from the sides for some pre-determined point in the air over our heads. The scent shifted, now reminding me of a meadow of freshly sprung flowers.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," I muttered as the roof of the dome seemed to shrink in as the seed-partners reached out en masse toward the centre of the room. They all began to shake, and my hand drifted toward my lightsaber.

"Relax Cameron. They mean us no harm." Fay's words stilled my hand, but I kept it close to my weapon just in case. I knew that against this many targets it'd be all but useless, but just having my fingers graze the hilt settled some of my nerves.

I hissed in pain and looked down. One of the balls had shuffled up to me while my attention was on those above and latched rather painfully onto my leg. Its spikes were digging into my skin and while the cut didn't feel very deep – nor was it costing me any HP – it hurt like a dozen wasp stings. Before I could reach down and pull it free, noise from above drew my attention back that way.

My eyes widened in terror as the mass on the walls seemed to lose cohesion. As they started to fall, I raised my arms to cover my face and dropped to a knee. As the mass of seed-partners fell, the smell of newly blossomed flowers grew stronger, and darkness enveloped me.

… …

… …

When the darkness receded, I felt pain rippling throughout my body. As if every nerve was on fire and being electrocuted at the same time. Yet through it all, I sensed an incredible wave of joy and delight vibrating within the Force. However, before I could draw in that happiness and let it drown out the pain, something struck my face. And again, this time harder.

"Wha?" The word that slipped from my mouth was slow, distorted. Almost as if I was drunk. I opened my eyes, fighting off the mother of all headaches, and blinked as light flooded my eyes. Something brushed against my hand. Fenrir. I knew instantly as the strength of our bond shone through the strange almost overwhelming wave of joy rippling through the Force.

"He's fine." I turned my head to the voice. Bo was standing over me, her helmet under one arm. A gentle growl from Fenrir followed her words, but it hurt my ears. Wanting to numb the pain, or at least be able to think without being distracted by it or the all-consuming joy, I activated Player's Mind and Control Pain. That combo was enough for me to get back to where I should've been.

I shifted my arm to try and push myself up, only for someone's hand to hold me down. "You must take it easy. The Seed-partners…" Sheekla's voice trailed as if she was unsure how to finish her sentence.

"Let's just say they took a liking to you," Bo finished for her with a snort of amusement. She gestured behind her and as my focus shifted there, my eyes widened in shock. Master Fay was moving around cautiously as four of the spiked-balls kept a firm grip on her. One on each leg and arm. No, there were six which I only realised as she turned to face me, and I saw one was attached to her stomach while the last one was buried between her breasts. Yet instead of being unsettled by events, Fay was smiling widely with a look of wonder and enjoyment radiating from her within the Force. Though it wasn't the source of the overwhelming delight I was sensing.

Two young Ferroan girls were hovering nearby, but from their eye movements, they were more concerned about the seed-partners than Fay.

"Six?" I muttered before I pushed myself up onto my elbows. I wanted to see how many of these spiked menaces were attached to me. My eyes threatened to leap out of their sockets as I took in the ones stuck to me. "EIGHT!?!" I counted two on my chest, one on each arm and two per leg.

My shout of disbelief made Bo laugh. "Twelve," she got out and my head snapped to her. "There's one more on the inside of each of your knees and near your feet." She tapped her hand against the side of her helmet. "I'll be sure to remind you about this later on."

That made me groan though I avoided sinking back onto whatever I was resting on. Hopefully, the Sekotans didn't realise that Bo was recording everything with her helmet's sensors. Both because I was sure many would want to see proof of how many seed-partners Fay and I had gained and because they might well see a recording of this as sacrilegious. Much like when Gann had insisted that Bo and the Rangers leave most of their weaponry back with the ships. Yet they'd made no move to insist Bo remove her vambraces, which had a more dangerous and varied payload than her blaster pistols.

"Th-" I looked at Sheekla as she licked her lips. "This is unheard of. Most clients only bond with three, or occasionally four seed-partners. Before today the record was six bonds." She glanced over at Fay. "A record you both have broken."

Bo laughed once more and ruffled my hair, much to my annoyance. "Aye. Cam here does love doing things others think impossible. Might be why we like him so much." I was going to comment on her openly saying she liked me, though I let it slide as she'd done far more than just hint that she liked me when we flirted. Yet I was cut off by Fay as she wobbled closer.

"Can you sense them?" she lifted one arm slowly, bringing a seed-partner into prominence. Ignoring the one between her breasts that all but dared me to look there, I shifted my attention to the seed-partner on my right arm. I closed my eyes, and then pushed past the irritating pain the little fuckers were generating. I gasped as I realised that the strange, almost all-engulfing pleasure flooding the Force was coming from the seed-partners.

"Th-they like us and want to… join with us?" my words came out slow as I tried to make sense of the alien sensations radiating out of the seed-partners with their excitement. They were stronger than most things I felt in the Force, being on par with Fenrir when I physically touched him, and their message, which was alien to my mind, was easy enough to sense. At least now that I was listening for it.

"Yes." Fay's smile somehow grew, and she giggled like a schoolgirl. I felt my eyes widen at her behaviour. "Forgive me. Apart from this being the first fully new experience I've had in centuries, the bliss emanating from my seed-partners is… distracting."

"Uh, it's, um, fine." My reply was mumbled. Her behaviour was amusing as hell, and I could, I thought, understand why something like this would be so enjoyable for her. Turning my attention from her, I realised we were no longer in the domed room full of the seed-partners. I didn't think we'd left that building, but we'd clearly been moved.

Three young Ferroan girls, one of which was Jabitha, came close. Jabitha offered me a glass of water while the other two seemed more concerned about the seed-partners. As I sipped the water, making sure to not gulp it down in case I coughed, my fingers sunk into the covering of the sofa. That was when I realised that it wasn't a sofa, but some sort of organically grown bush designed to take the weight of a sentient. The soft, grass-like texture of it gave as my fingers sunk into the leaves, releasing a pleasant scent into the room.

"So, um, what's next?" I asked Sheekla once Jabitha had taken the glass back. "Because, if you say we have to keep these… seed-partners stuck to us for several days, I might just want a refund." Even as I said that though, I knew it wouldn't come to that. This connection I now shared with my seed-partners was something I wouldn't willingly dismiss. Yes, it was alien and fucking strange, but for the first time, I felt connected to someone far more than just myself. As if I was finally understanding the depths of connection one could have within the Force. And that was saying nothing of wanting to see just what a ship that potentially shared that bond with me might be capable of.

Sheekla opened her mouth to respond, only to stop as I heard doors open. That was followed by several gasps.

"Great is the Potentium, great the life of Sekot."

"All serve and are served, and all join the Potentium."

Those phrases, and others, drifted into the room. I turned my head toward them and groaned as I saw the doors that had opened had exposed us to the gathered crowds of Far Distance. I felt and heard Fenrir growl toward the masses as he sensed my irritation and joined it. If these people were so in awe of someone being covered in spiked seed-partners, they could go through the process themselves.

Gann pushed his way through the crowd and into the room, which helped me pick out the only Togruta in the crowd. Zarkos was amused by what he saw, though his eyes were still scanning the room for potential threats. As he reached us, Gann pulled Sheekla to one side and engaged her in a hushed but animated conversation.

"One day we'll go somewhere, and you'll find a way to not make the locals interested."

I chuckled at Bo's comment and saw she had a large smile on her face as she enjoyed teasing me. "I promise the next world we visit you can cause the commotion. Just don't blow up anything important to the locals." I leaned back on the grass bed. "Though until then, I think I'll need some help getting around. Possibly even a massage before bed."

I wasn't sure why I chose to suddenly flirt with her. Perhaps the pleasure from the seed partners was seeping into me even through Player's Mind, or perhaps I was just bored. But whatever the reason, it seemed she was fine with it. One hand came to rest on her hip as she smirked down at me.

"Oh? And what, pray tell, would be in this for me?" her eyes drifted over my chest, though that might just be because one of the seed-partners there had started purring.

"That depends. What would you want?" I asked, ignoring the fact the damn seed-partners seemed to be enjoying our flirting.

Bo's smile got positively predatory. She placed a hand on my chest, being careful to avoid the seed-partners, and then let her fingers drift down. "I'm sur…"

"Forgive us," Gann's voice cut Bo off and we both glared at him furiously, "b-but we must confer with the growers and the Magister." Right then and there, I wasn't sure who wanted to kill him more. I felt we both realised that given a minute more, we would've taken things to a new level. "The attendants will escort you to somewhere where you can rest and relax. They will also help persuade your partners to release their hold." Thank the fucking Force. "However, I must ask you to move carefully to get there and allow the seed-partners to remain close to you until it is time to meet the growers. To do otherwise could affect the creation of your ship."

"Which will be incredible," Sheekla added in a low voice filled with awe. Gann glanced at her, some annoyance on his face, but chose not to comment.

"Of course. I for one am more than happy to put up with this minor discomfort for as long as needed. The joy radiating from them is so pure and innocent that I wouldn't wish to destroy it." Fay's reply came through the wide smile that hadn't left her face since I'd woken up. It was almost as if she was drunk on the pleasure the seed partners were providing. "It is an experience unlike anything I've felt in over seven hundred years."

Gann smiled at her, though his eyes widened a fair bit when she revealed her age. "Yes. While few of our people have a connection to the Force that a Jedi would, we understand the joy a bonding brings. That you are the first Jedi to form such a bond is a blessing from Sekot. A wonder of Potentium."

Sheekla nodded vigorously before the two moved toward the opened door and the crowds beyond. As Jabitha and the other two girls came over to me, and slowly helped me off the grass sofa, my mind once more turned to this concept of Potentium. The High Council's files on it had suggested it was heavily flawed, but seeing how important it was to the Sekotans, and with likely little to do over the coming days, I resolved to speak with Gann, Sheekla, and others about it. If nothing else, it would be a nice way to pass the time while we waited for our ship to be grown.

Though the sooner we were away from the awe-filled faces of the crowd, the better I'd be. Hearing them whisper and chant about the glory of Sekot and Potentium while I moved gingerly trying to ignore the pain and not dislodge a seed partner was fucking irritating.

… …

… …

Sleep that night was hard. While the seed partners weren't still attached to me – thank the Force – they were very, very needy things. All of them had to stay on the bed with me, and whenever one moved around, it disturbed the others resulting in the room being filled with soft, strange whining. And that was saying nothing of when one fell from the bed and all but moaned at being so far away from me.

The Sekotans wouldn't allow anyone to stay in the room with me. That was a blessing in disguise as the next morning I suspected that if Fenrir had been here, he'd have ripped all the seed partners to shreds for annoying him.

After a rough night's sleep – the lack of rest easily countered by meditating for an hour – and then speaking with Gann and Sheekla, we found ourselves in another airship. This one was far bigger to accommodate the number of seed partners – which Sheekla had confirmed would be used directly in growing our ship – but was still coloured red and black like everything to do with clients.

At the landing platform, there was a myriad of other airships floating around, along with crowds lining the streets from our dwelling to the airship. Everyone was singing, dancing, and praising Sekot and Potentium for the honour we were experiencing for having so many seed partners. Bo, Fenrir, and Zarkos had stayed behind as, in Sheekla's words, they weren't clients and thus not allowed to be involved in the design process. Or any of the process, but up until now, they'd generally been allowed to accompany us part of the way. Fenrir and Bo had, expectedly, not been happy about this, but had stayed behind. The idea of having Fenrir in an enclosed area with eighteen seed partners felt like a good way to end up with none by the time we got to the designer.

Soon enough we reached another point in Far Distance – though this was located on the outskirts of the community – and landed. According to Sheekla, we'd be meeting her mate, Shappa. He was the lead designer for new Sekotan ships and after hearing about how many seed partners Fay and I had, had struggled to sleep at all as ideas for ships came to him.

We walked for a few minutes until we arrived at a small building that, like much of Far Distance, appeared to have been grown for its purpose. The door was wood with imperfect glass inlaid to let light inside. Somehow the flaws in the glass made the building seem even more alive. Before entering though, Gann and Sheekla herded the seed partners into a nearby building. According to Sheekla, Shappa hated having them in his workplace as they caused havoc, and after having to deal with the little blighters for the last day, I could agree.

"We have arrived," Sheekla called out as she pushed the door open. Inside a tall Ferroan with slowly greying hair turned and stood up. He wasn't as tall as his wife, being about Fay's height, was missing his right arm from below the elbow, and was thin enough that I could see the bones in his arms. Yet Observe revealed he was in good health if a little tired. I turned my attention to the room and the nicest way I could describe it was as a mess. Yet Shappa didn't seem concerned, meaning he likely had some form of organised chaos system in play.

"I hadn't realised that designing a starship was such a dangerous occupation." Fay's comment was a touch blunt, but Shappa obviously didn't mind as he laughed in response.

"Not designing. Here I help forge and shape a new vessel for the Jentari." He paused and moved around what remained of his right arm. "Though sometimes that requires a cost I'm more than willing to pay. Art cannot be denied." He paused again as he looked at us. "You are paying while your son will fly?"

Fay smiled. "While we will both be flying the ship, Cameron will be the primary pilot."

Shappa nodded. "Yes, of course. Of course." He glanced passed us. "And you have left the seed partners elsewhere. Good. As much joy as shaping a craft from them brings, dealing with them here is a dangerous thing. Little things enjoy destroying and eating anything they can get their hooks into. From my flimsi to the throw disks scattered around. Something that would be even more problematic with your seed partners." He chuckled and shook his head. "Eighteen is a new record, but the beauty that will come from them…" He paused once more and gestured toward his desk. "Would you like to see what's possible?"

I nodded and then followed him toward the desk. Various sheets of plastic – ones that reminded me of paper from books – and storage devices that looked antiquated dotted the mess. On the few sheets that I could make out, designs for ships in a massive range of shapes and styles were viewable. He flicked his hand over the table and a holographic display sparked into life. The designs were now easier to see, changing every five seconds or so. All looked strange and unappealing until one caught my eye.

I opened my mouth to get him to stop, but he had already pulled the image closer, letting me get a better look at it. It was hard to tell length from an image, but I didn't think it was as long as the Ne'tra Sartr, coming in at around forty metres and it had a very aerodynamic feel to it. Honestly, there was a lot about the design that reminded me of a modern fighter jet from Earth before I died. Oh, the wings were part of the fuselage, and the tail fins weren't as pronounced, but the overall design felt more Earth-based than Star Wars based. Everything about it just called to me.

"Yes, an unusual design. For a long time I've wanted to try designing something like this, but for most this isn't possible as they only have a handful of seed partners." His voice was full of joy and for a moment I thought he was sighing. "But with your collection, it should be doable. No seed wants to be this complicated, yet I think they and the Jentari can be convinced to try for you." A gesture from him had the vessel rotate around its y-axis.

"It's beautiful," I muttered as I took in the sleek lines that ran from the nose to the tips of the wings. There were slots where I could imagine missiles would launch from, though that was never going to happen. Gann had been quite clear that their ships were never armed, relying on their speed, manoeuvrability and shields to avoid conflict. Which made them sound like the perfect vessel for Jedi like Fay who did their utmost to avoid battle.

"Can you and the Jentari grow something this complicated?"

Shappa scoffed at his wife's comment, looking as if she'd just killed his dog or something. "You doubt my skill my darling?" The smirk on his face made it clear he wasn't angry. "Though normally no. As I just said, most clients lack the number of seed partners to even consider something like this. But for the Jedi… This will be Sekot's finest work. A true masterpiece for the galaxy to marvel at."

"He says that to everyone," Sheekla warned, trying to temper our expectations.

"Yes, but this time I mean it." Shappa spun in his chair and handed the sheet of plastic paper to Fay. As she took it, allowing her to examine the details of the ship, he looked at me. "Can you draft? Draw?" he explained as I frowned in confusion at his words.

I nodded slowly. "I've studied some starfighter designs, but I'm not an expert or anything." I was cautious to reply as I didn't want my lack of understanding to hamper the ship he was creating. Plus, even though I did have good levels in what I considered relevant skills, I didn't have the spark of genius that someone like Anakin had for this.

Shappa's smile grew. "That is fine. Even a basic understanding can help with creating something to your liking." He handed me a strange-looking headset. "It will allow you to help input your ideas to the model directly." I took it from him slowly, turning it over in my hands to get a feel for it. "I have a third if you also wish to join." He offered to Fay as I placed the headset on. She smiled but didn't move to take the extra headset, so he turned back to me and the hologram.

"Now, let us see what we can create. Let us dream in the air, letting our actions guide our hands as if," he glanced down at my waist and chuckled "as if we were wielding lightsabers." His energy was infectious, and I focused on the hologram. "It will be like magic, young Cameron Shan."

… …

… …

I sighed contently as I walked beside Fay through the forest near Middle Distance. It'd been ten days since we'd spoken with Shappa about the design of our new vessel and nine since we'd taken the seed partners to the Jentari. According to Shappa, it normally only took about this long to complete a ship, but given the complexity of the design, and the number of seed partners in ours, he felt it could take up to three times as long. As odd as it was, I found myself missing those annoying little spiked balls, yet since then, I'd felt a stronger connection to the planet and the life on it. "This planet is… different from what I expected, Master. It's like the Force flows freely here with wisdom only possible from age, yet there's this odd youthfulness to the place that just makes everything feel… amazing." I was no longer in any doubt that the planet was alive, in a sense, and shared some odd form of consciousness between the fauna and flora that covered the world. It wasn't sentient in the sense of being like most lifeforms in the galaxy, but there was no denying it was a lifeform of its own.

"Indeed. While I've encountered Force Nexuses before, even a few that cover significant parts of a planet, I've never felt a world where the entire surface is so strong in the Force." As she spoke and we walked, one of her hands drifted along a vine that was wrapped around a tree. "The only world that might be similar to this would be Tython, but given no one has stepped foot there in millennia, I couldn't say for sure."

I stayed silent as I pondered that. Tython was the original homeworld of the Je'daii, the group from which the Jedi Order had sprouted, but the route there had been lost sometime before the New Sith Wars a millennia ago. That wasn't surprising as the world was in the Deep Core where hyperspace navigation was a nightmare.

About ten metres in front of us, Fenrir leapt out from behind a tree. He was chasing an insect that reminded me of a butterfly – something he'd done several times – but would never catch it. Since they seemed to be connected to the planet's Force signature, they seemed to be aware of Fenrir's movements before they took place. Still, Fenrir had fun chasing them and it helped him improve his hunting techniques. Though I didn't mention the reason why I allowed it to Fay. Bo was back in Middle Distance as she preferred to stay near the city in case there was an emergency. Though Fay suspected the real reason was that Bo was uncomfortable with being on Zonama Sekot. While Bo's Force connection was low, it was clear to both Fay and me that Bo was being affected by the planet, though not to the level we were.

What she was interested in was the new ship being grown for me and Fay. While the idea of an organic ship didn't sit well with her – to say nothing of an unarmed one – she was impressed by the suggested capabilities of it that Shappa had detailed on the flimsi – the plastic sheets – he'd given me. Apart from having, at least, a 1.0-rated hyperspace engine, Shappa assured me that the ship would put many starfighters to shame with how manoeuvrable it would be. Though there was also the fact I felt Bo was hoping my getting this ship meant she'd get to take the Ne'tra Sartr with her when she finally returned to Mandalore.

Since, officially, the ship was a loan from Duke Adonai, I'd always feared that when Bo left he'd recall the ship. If the ship being grown for me on this world was even close to Shappa's speculation, then I'd feel better about that happening. Though I'd still miss the Sartr as she was the first ship I'd ever considered mine.

Since we'd been stuck on this world for nearly a month now, the last information we had on the war had come with the Rangers. According to what they'd heard, the civil war was entering its final stages. Death Watch was officially gone, though I suspected Pre had syphoned off the elements loyal to him to somewhere safe. Duke Anzur was severely weakened and most analysts suggested he could hold out against Dukes Adonai and Torrhen for no more than a few months. While Clan Awaud was in a better state, they'd also not been as heavily involved in the war as some had feared. In my opinion, that was because Chief Nam's anger was directed at me for killing his son; honourably I felt, even if he'd been a member of Death Watch. Since I wasn't active in the war, he'd been less aggressive than feared.

The Rangers were around as well. One always stayed with their ship – which made me feel better about the Ne'tra Sartr being protected – while the other two wandered Middle Distance. Simvyl had, finally, started accepting Bo's presence. He wasn't happy about it, but he'd matured enough to keep his distaste for her off his face. Though I'd seen him send a few disgusted looks my way when Bo and I had wandered around together and been standing far closer than simple friends would be. Yet when Bo wasn't around, I'd found the Cathar to be generally enjoyable company. He was always curious about the Jedi and had questions ready for when we spoke. Though after ten days of this, I was starting to tire of it. And of Bo's need to tease me about finding another follower on a world so distant from the Core.

Fenrir stopped chasing the butterfly suddenly just before my commlink beeped. Opening it, even as Fenrir's ears pulled back and he tensed, I was greeted by a holo of Bo with her helmet on.

"HK's reporting a small armada of ships just entered the orbit of the planet." I felt the Force shift around us, taking on a cooler feeling as if warning us of a developing threat. "The Sartr's sensors can't match them with any known craft, and they didn't show up until they were almost upon us." That made me frown as while the long-range scanners on the Sartr weren't on-par with a cruiser's, they were impressive enough to detect an approaching ship up to a quarter of a solar system away. "While the locals don't seem to know or care, the largest ship in the armada has entered the atmosphere and should reach the Magister's location in a few minutes."

Fay's brow creased as the Force continued to shift around us. "Understood." I reached out with Detection but focused my attention upward. Yet nothing was showing up on it to indicate people were in orbit. Now that might be because the planet's Force signature was fucking with the power and my minimap still, but this felt more than that. I mean, I was able to pick out Bo and the two Rangers in Middle Distance and a few locals I knew with ease so why wouldn't I be able to sense over a thousand beings in orbit? "We're about ten klicks from the settlement. Meet us and the landing site and we'll head back to the Sartr if need be."

Bo nodded and then closed the link. Fenrir stalked toward me, rubbing against my arm as if reminding me he was ready. I could sense his caution about something changing, and that danger was near, but also a desire to hunt, to fight and to kill.

"Perhaps it is simply another group coming to purchase a ship similar to us," Fay offered, though her tone didn't inspire confidence. "That said, it is odd they are heading directly for the Magister, or why they've come with a small fleet."

"Might just be a paranoid individual." I didn't buy my own reasoning, and as we started walking back to Middle Distance my mind was already formulating battle plans. I needed to get back to the Ne'tra Sartr, and not just so I could grab my beskad. Fay wasn't as comfortable as Dooku with me wearing it, which was fine while we were guests on this planet. However, with the odds that something was about to happen, I'd feel better having it at my side. Along with a dozen or so grenades for both myself and Bo.

… …

… …

Less than two hours later, after a run back to Middle Distance using the Force to speed us and then a conversation with Gann about the newcomers, I found myself in the atmospheric transport. Gann had been concerned we were leaving without collecting our ship, but after assuring him we simply needed to return to our ship on the chance the newcomers were less than friendly, and promising to not start anything, he summoned the transport and its pilot. Bo, Fay, Fenrir, Zarkos, and Simvyl were with me as we raced back to the northern landing area. The pilot was not happy about Bo harassing him to go through faster. Even with the door to the cockpit locked from their side, it wasn't stopping Bo from giving them reminders – by banging on the door – to get moving.

"Do you think they are here to fight?" Zarkos asked Fay as they sat at the back of the transport. In the seat in front of me, Simvyl was tapping his fingers against his knee, and I could sense his growing impatience and excitement.

"I cannot say it is certain, however, the Force is disturbed since the arrival of these ships," Fay replied as I started to stand. "Something is about to happen, that much is certain, but what exactly it is unknown. I hope it is a situation that can be resolved peacefully, but this world is important enough that I feel that, if we must, we will defend it against any aggressors." Hearing Fay being so willing to consider a forceful response would normally seem odd, but we both knew this world was something unique and should be defended if needed. Though I would likely be far more aggressive in how I defended it.

"My Rangers and I are at your command, Master Fay." I couldn't see his face, but I was sure Zarkos was being earnest. Everything about him labelled him as a firm believer in what the Jedi stood for. Plus, from the way he moved and all but expected danger around every corner – even in a safe location like Middle Distance – I knew he could back his words up. Having more operatives if combat did break out was going to be important as I felt few, if any, of the locals would fight unless things became very dire.

"Hey," I began as I slipped into the seat next to Simvyl, "you ok there?"

He looked up at me, blinked and stopped tapping his knee. "Y-yeah," the tapping resumed, "it's just I, um, I've never gone into combat as a Ranger." Yeah, he was clearly excited to get into a fight, which was fine. Though if that eagerness made him do something stupid, it could cost us lives.

My thoughts returned to my former life and how I'd felt on each first. First military patrol, first combat operation, and first deployment as a member of the SAS. Each time I'd been excited, though by the last I'd learnt how to channel that to avoid making a mistake. "Just keep your wits about you, trust your training, in your Lieutenant and the rest of us, and if push comes to shove, your instincts. And above all, don't do something stupid."

His yellow eyes found mine as the tapping stopped. "That doesn't sound like something a Jedi would say."

Bo's chuckle drew our attention. "Cam is about as far from a normal Jetii as you can get. Thank Manda." I could sense Simvyl tense at having Bo talk to him, but he wisely chose to bite his tongue. There was potentially a greater threat to deal with than rehashing ancient history. "Plus, he's got a knack for finding trouble." She gave me a smile that sent a pleasant shiver through my bones. "Might be why I keep him around."

"And here I thought I was the one keeping you around," I shot back before turning to Simvyl. "Plus, I'd argue there are Jedi far more unorthodox than me," not that any came to mind at that moment since Anakin wasn't yet a Jedi, "she isn't wrong about my luck for finding myself in… tense situations."

"How do you handle those?"

I laughed as a memory came into my mind. "Aggressive negotiations." He frowned in confusion. "That's a negotiation that requires a lightsaber," I explained as I tapped the hilt of my main blade. Simvyl laughed at that, as did Bo, which might be the first time they'd shared a joke.

Suddenly, my commlink beeped.

"Statement: Master, it appears the newcomers did not have a fruitful meeting with the meatbag leader of this world. Sensors have an explosion at the Magister's residence while the rest of the fleet is entering the upper atmosphere." There was a pause during which Bo and Zarkos both checked their blasters. "Addendum: Four smaller vessels have broken from the main fleet and are heading toward the landing area. Oh, how I rue not yet having a body with which to greet these meatbags and eviscerate them. Correction: One of those vessels has altered course and is heading toward you master."

Again, I reached out with Detection. I could sense the rippling power of the planet below and, just about, everyone in Middle Distance. Yet what I couldn't sense were our approaching attackers. That was downright odd. "Get airborne and engage as best you can," I ordered HK. Since he was connected to the ship's systems, he'd be able to fly the Sartr. It wasn't ideal, but it was why I'd made sure he was connected before we'd first gone to Middle Distance.

Before I could add anything else I was tossed to one side as the transport banked hard. I grabbed a seat and held on as the vessel started to weave violently. Even as everyone else did their best to stay seated – with Simvyl doing the best due to his better reflexes as a Cathar – I realised the pilot was taking evasive manoeuvres. I couldn't tell if we'd been fired upon, but the pilot was not taking any chances, plus during my tumble, the link to HK had closed.

The transport suddenly shuddered as if hit by the hand of an angry god, and I saw smoke through a viewport. "We're going down!" Another glance out the viewport showed the treetops closing quickly. "Brace! Brace! Brace!"

… …

… …

"Well that was fun," I muttered as I stepped through the broken remains of the transport's door. Once out I turned back and took in the damage to the transport. Both engines were gone as was most of the cockpit. The only reason we'd not joined the pilot in death was that somehow, as I'd fought to not bounce around the cockpit, I'd managed to grab the transport with the Force and stabilise our descent. Not enough to set us down gently, but enough that we could walk away from the crash without injuries. Well, bar the dead pilot.

"It's about to get better," Bo commented as she stepped through the doorframe. The actual door was about five metres from me, where it'd landed after I'd Force Crushed the thing and then tossed it clear of the wreckage. "Their ship landed nearby."

I reached out with Detection for the third time since these newcomers had turned up, and once more sensed nothing.

Except, as I concentrated, I realised that I was sensing something. Or more accurately, like the taozin back then, I was sensing a null zone within the Force. Given its size and bearing, it was likely the ship that had shot us down and had, as Bo stated, landed just outside the range of my minimap.

It wasn't possible to judge the size of the null zone because of this, but thinking back to just before the crash, that null zone had shot past us close enough that it appeared on the minimap. From that I could get a rough size of the vessel, placing it a little smaller than the Ne'tra Sartr. So, assuming a pilot remained on the ship, we'd be facing up to ten opponents.

"How far to the Sartr?" I knew it was far to the northwest, but beyond that, I couldn't say for sure. As I waited for Bo's reply, I helped Fay step out of the transport. Her robes were ripped around the edges, but otherwise, she seemed fine.

"About a hundred klicks." That wasn't ideal as the terrain would get rugged the closer we got to the landing area, slowing us down considerably. "Though I can't contact HK." That drew my attention as HK should've gotten the Sartr airborne before we'd crashed.

I opened my comm, pushing down my concern that I'd lost my droid. "HK, you there? HK?" All that greeted me was static. The ship's communications might have been damaged, but that would take an impressively accurate shot. I looked up, but the only clear spot in the canopy was from where we'd crash through.

Before I could focus on the fact HK might be lost, I sensed Fenrir tense. A low growl rumbled from him as he stared off toward where the enemy vessel had landed. Within the Force, I felt his need to strike back, to assert his dominance – and that of his pack – over those who'd dare attack us. And frankly, I agreed with the sentiment. "We've got incoming." My words were followed by a faint growl as my lightsaber ignited with a faint roar. I wished I had my beskad, or even my secondary lightsaber, as a backup, but both were on the Sartr.

At my warning everyone readied themselves. Blasters from Bo and the Rangers began to sweep the jungle in the area that Fenrir was growling toward while Fay moved to the other side of them. That would place the Force users on the flanks, which might give us a tactical advantage, though I couldn't say if that was Fay's logic for making the move.

Rustles in the bushes drew my attention and I readjusted my grip on my saber. Taking a moment, I checked my minimap and saw eleven faint null zones moving quickly but carefully toward us. Either these beings could naturally block the Force in a similar way to the Taozin, or they'd developed technology to counter it. Neither was particularly comforting.

I watched cautiously as the first of the group emerged from the forest. It, like those with them, was around two metres in height, and everything about them looked and felt off. Apart from the lack of Force presence, they were just different enough from anything I knew to make me concerned.

Each had sloped foreheads with small ridges upon them. Those led down to their eyes, and while there were two, under each was a small, blue mark. Two of the eight – the final member of their group was a beast of some form that was about two-thirds Fenrir's height – had pointed ears like Fay while the rest had more humanoid ears. Some had hair pulled back in ponytails while the rest didn't but all wore strange, angular armour. The more I focused on that, the more I realised that it looked organic; or at least, like nothing I'd ever seen before.

The lead figure, who was one of two to wear grey instead of yellow armour, stepped forward. Like the others, he held a strange staff in his hand that ended with an ornamental-looking snake carving. Yet, as he stepped forward, the staff started moving and I realised that the weapon was a snake, or at least something similar in appearance that these aliens used as a weapon.

The leader spoke, its voice guttural, strange and in a language that I'd never heard before. [Master?]

[I have never heard that language before.] Fay's reply didn't fill me with any optimism that we could learn why they'd attacked us. However, that was fine with me, as I was more than willing to extract that information from them after I beat the living shab out of them. Curious about them, and wanting an idea of what we were facing, I used Observe on the leader.

Znig Blei
Race: Yuuzhan Vong
Level: 23
Health: 100%
Age: 42
Force Potential: None
Threat Potential: Very High
Reputation: Hatred
Affiliation: Yuuzhan Vong (100%), Supreme Overlord Zho Krazhmir (100%)
Emotional State: Angry/Curious/Excited
Zing is angry to see intruders on this possible new Yuuzhan'tar.
However, they are curious to see this galaxy's warriors in action and excited to have the honour of killing you.
…

My brow rose at seeing this alien, this Vong, had no connection to the Force. That explained why I couldn't sense them normally. Curious about this, I Observed the rest of them and discovered the entire team, including their mutt which was a fero xyn – whatever the fuck that was – held no connection to the Force.

Either this was due to some technology, or we'd just encountered the perfect race to counter the abilities of the Jedi and Sith.

Fucking wonderful.

Before I could mention this to Fay via our bond, the Vong rushed forward. The leader moved toward me along with one other and the fero xyn. As Fenrir raced to meet the fero xyn in battle, the one behind the leader raised his snake-staff and pointed it at me.

A blob of green spit came hurtling toward me, even as Bo and the Rangers opened fire on the other Vong. I raised a hand to generate a barrier, only to pause in shock as the glob sailed through the barrier as if it wasn't there.

With the Force flowing through me, I whipped up my lightsaber even as I moved out of the path of the glob. Like the taozin's webbing, the glob dissolved when it hit the blade of my weapon, which was a relief. However, before I could think about why that was, the leader was on me.

His staff came around fast; faster than most species could manage. I slid a foot back and brought my lightsaber up to deflect the attack, if not sever the staff in two, and to open him up to a counterthrust. Yet that failed as his staff not only took a strike from my lightsaber with ease, but it softened, and the snake started wrapping around the blade.

I pulled my blade down and then leapt back with the Force to generate some space between us. That was a good move as the second Vong reached us and thrust his spear toward me, though with me leaping clear, it only resulted in the staff almost clipping the strange serpent that like its master was snarling at me.

I flicked my wrist, wanting to send the pair of Vong flying back, but like with the glob, neither seemed to even realise I'd struck them with a direct Force attack. "Fuck!" I muttered before the second Vong charged at me.

His spear thrust forward, and wary of it turning into a snake like his leader's had, I chose to keep my distance over deflecting the blow and counter-attacking. Their weapon's ability to shift from rigid to fluid and being seemingly resistant to lightsabers was a concern. One that was forcing me to be cautious in how I fought them. At least until I found a weakness to exploit.

Seeing the pair of Vong trying to encircle me, I adapted. Since they couldn't be directly targeted by the Force, I instead used the Force to lift the door of the transport before launching it viciously at the second Vong. With his focus on me, he didn't see the door until it slammed into his back near his shoulders. As he was sent tumbling, I hoped the blow had severed whatever passed for his spinal cord and turned to face the Vong leader.

To my right, I saw Bo, Zarkos, and Simvyl engaged in a firefight with four Vong. They'd fallen back to the transport and were using the wreck as cover. Several small smoking marks on the fuselage suggested the globs spat by the Vong's staff had an acidic component. Further away, in the bushes nearby, I sensed Fenrir in a vicious fight. His anger and bloodlust were running rampant, and I felt some pain coming from him meaning the fero xyn had managed to wound him at least slightly.

I leapt back, letting the Force empower my jump, as the Vong leader thrust his spear forward only for it to shift forms and snap at me. Precognition wasn't working well, as the Vong were unable to be sensed by the Force power, but Danger Sense was. Though the skill was limited in how much warning about the danger it could give, it was better than nothing.

As I landed, I made a decent dent in the ground and the Vong leader was already charging at me. The second one hadn't yet moved after I'd struck him with the transport door, so it looked like…

[AARRGH!]

I dropped to a knee as a scream echoed in my mind. It took only a moment to realise that it'd come from Fay and my eyes snapped in her direction. Like me she'd been engaged by two Vong – which suggested they knew what Jedi were – and while one was on their back trapped under the trunk of an uprooted tree, it was the other that my eyes focused on. His spear, in its hardened form, had pierced through Fay's body with the tail end jutting out from her back soaked in red.

The Vong yanked his spear back, making Fay shudder before collapsing to the ground. My temper flared as I only had eyes for the monster that had dared to attack my master. Memories of my time under Vosa's care came flooding back as I let the floodgates holding back my rage swing open.

As the Vong swung his staff around, bringing the snake-end to face Fay, I felt something inside shatter. My world grew dark as nothing else but thoughts of making this motherfucker pay filled my mind.

As it felt as if the sky itself had grown dark, I surged forward. As Fay's presence within the Force guttered out, my lightsaber primed to remove the bastard's head from its shoulders.

… …

… …
A/N:
While I try to avoid big cliffhangers to end a chapter, this ending was settled on nearly two years ago by myself and those assisting me with the story. The decision to introduce Zonama Sekot and the Yuuzhan Vong earlier than canon, along with what has happened to Fay, is an important step in Cam's growth. Fay serves multiple roles for Cam, from mentor and friend to quasi-step-mother and advisor, and having people in those roles placed in mortal peril and/or die is an important moment in the life of many protagonists.
...
As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own and you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse

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

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Dec 16, 2022

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

This chapter was released at least 2 weeks ago to my Patreons (with them seeing a draft version around 2 months ago) and on the story's Discord server (in GDoc form) about a week ago.
Links for both are at the end of the chapter.
Hopefully, all the little mistakes have been found and removed.
...
ALSO
1: Yes, the Vong divide opinion but they exist in the EU which this story is based around.
2: This is not a full invasion. For more details read the novel "Rogue Planet" or just skim the wiki pages about it.
3: Cam doesn't know about them. He only knows the movies up until 2018, TCE series/miniseries and some odd games like KOTOR 1+2.

Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo

The Living Planet 2
…

(Bo-Katan's POV)
…

She leaned back, avoiding the strange weapon these aliens used as it whipped around toward her. The snake-like head hissed as it passed by, a glob of venom being spat out and missing her shoulder by millimetres. While her scanners said her armour could take the hit, it was wiser to avoid the risk.

The snake-head of the alien's weapon twisted, likely to shoot another glob of whatever it was at her. However, Bo-Katan was having none of that. As the mouth opened, flames leapt from her gauntlet, engulfing the snake in flame. While there was no outward indication of damage to the snake when the flames died, Bo-Katan's sensors recorded damage internally. Even as her sensors recorded that, she unloaded a trio of bolts from her blaster into the stomach of her foe. While they left scorch marks on whatever served as armour, that was all the damage they caused. Well, besides irritating the alien.

She was sent tumbling as its free hand, moving in a frightening blur, slammed into the side of her head. Her jetpack auto-engaged to help right her motion, and then, once her knees had set on the ground, another burst of power from the pack launched her back toward her opponent. She slammed into it hard, the jetpack giving her extra momentum to lift the thing off its legs, but even as she gained that small advantage, her armour warned her the snake-staff was wrapping itself around her leg.

When it yanked on her leg, it caused her to lose control of her momentum, and both she and the alien slammed into the ground hard and then bounced apart with Bo-Katan barely avoiding landing on an exposed root from a nearby tree.

"Shabuir." The curse slipped from her lips as she pulled herself to her feet and discovered the alien had done the same, but faster. Her scanners had already hinted at the aliens being faster, and the rattling of her skull even inside her armour let her know they were stronger than most beings. She felt a smile spread across her face at the challenge; every Mandalorian lived for moments like this.

As she readied herself for the rapidly closing alien, her blood sang in joy at fighting a worthy opponent. She'd been denied the chance with the taozin, and the months of travelling to and being on this planet had been a bore, save for Cam. Now at least, she had something besides him to focus on and excite her.

Yet before it could reach her, she felt the air shift. A coldness seeped through the air and chilled her to her bones as it felt like the gravity magnified to that of a gas giant's core. Which was odd as her sensors showed no change in atmospheric pressure, either in or outside of her armour.

From one corner of her sensors, blackness raced outward. A moment later, it struck the alien only a metre from her, sending the ugly shabuir flying. Remembering where she'd last seen such a thing, all thoughts of her opponent forgotten for the moment, her head snapped toward Cam, though they stopped midway as she saw something between them. On the ground, blood rapidly pooled around her, with an alien standing over, was Fay. Even without the sensor package in her armour, Bo-Katan could tell that the ancient Jedi Master was badly wounded and would likely die without rapid treatment. Which explained why Cam seemed to have stopped holding back.

The alien standing over Fay though wasn't going for the kill. Instead, according to her sensors, it appeared to be flickering in and out of perception as malevolent darkness danced around it. The alien's mouth was open, yet no sound slid out.

She saw Cam as he moved, so fast her sensors struggled to track, the darkness rippling around him. He collided with the alien standing over Fay so violently it was smashed through a nearby tree. Yet before she could move to assist, the alien near her pulled itself to its feet.

Its movement was sluggish, as was that of its strange organic weapon, suggesting the Force attack Cam had struck it with had done serious damage and still was as wisps of the black energy sparked over its body. While part of her was angered that Cam had weakened her opponent, she understood he'd not done so intentionally. Plus, one never looked a gift bantha in the mouth.

She raced toward it, her jetpack granting her extra speed as her blaster unloaded. While the shots weren't doing a large amount of damage, they were forcing it to defend. The snake-staff flexed, readying itself to fire a glob of venom at her. She'd expected that and rolled in mid-air, letting the glob sail harmlessly past her, and shot past the alien, feeling her non-blaster hand brush against its waist.

Once clear on the other side, she turned in the air and landed facing the alien as it snarled at her. Once her eyes locked on it, she pressed a button on her vambrace. A single bleep was the only warning the alien got before the thermal detonator – the only one she'd had on her due to the locals' insane rules of weaponry – exploded, obliterating the alien and its bizarre weapon.

With that threat neutralised, she raced over to Fay and as she moved, took in the overall fight. Zarkos and Simvyl were holding their position near the downed transport, using it as cover as they held off three aliens. Two more aliens were pinned down, one under a tree not too far from Fay with the other partially impaled by the door from the transport. Given the methods, it was easy to tell which Jetii had trapped each alien.

In the bushes, her sensors saw Fenrir snarling as he wrestled with the alien's odd-looking beast. Fenrir had several scratches on his side along with one of his spinal spikes missing, yet the other beast looked in worse shape. One eye was gone, having been lost to a slash from Fenrir's claws, while its right rear leg was struggling to keep it upright.

As for Cam…

She spotted him just as another burst of black energy poured from the fingertips of his free hand, engulfing two of the aliens that were engaged with the Rangers while his blade danced against the chest of another alien. That one had to be a leader as, unlike the others, it wore an odd-looking shell over its body that was able to survive the flurry of strikes from Cam's blade.

Bo-Katan slid to a stop beside Fay even as she realised the alien that had wounded the Jetii Master was now nothing more than a smoking pile of flesh no longer for the living world. Bo-Katan pushed aside the surge of excitement she felt at realising what Cam had done as she examined Fay.

The wound was through and through with no hint that it'd left shards inside Fay. Plus, the blow hadn't been to a critical area, though that was only due to Fay's Sephi biology. For a human, that strike would've ruptured a kidney leading to a very quick death. Putting aside thoughts that these aliens knew the best way to kill humans and the unknown poison in Fay's bloodstream, she got to work. A handful of bacta patches were applied to both entry and exit points while she gave the Jetii an injection that should help stabilise her heart rate.

"How is she?" The question came from Zarkos as the Togrutan slid down beside her, his blaster firing at a nearby enemy to keep them suppressed.

"Bad." Until now, Bo-Katan hadn't known what to make of the Rangers. She knew of them, and their stated aim to work with the Jetii to keep the galaxy safe, but she'd never dealt with any of them before. Plus, one of them was a Cathar who still held resentment toward her people for actions taken millennia ago. The dumb beast needed to let go of that as it wasn't her fault his species had been too weak to stand against her ancestors. Still, the pair of them were fighting beside her and Cam, and as her father had loved to say, you could only judge a being by how they fight when the time comes to do so. "We need to get her to cover."

Zarkos took a moment to look at Fay. "I'll move her, you cover." Bo-Katan was fine with that. While the Togrutan was older, she had better armour and firepower. To not use her to the best of her abilities was a waste of resources.

As Zarkos holstered his blaster, she turned, drawing hers and seeking out targets. The familiar sound of the twin WESTAR-34 blasters filled her ears as they unloaded their fury on the nearest alien. While the alien was able to avoid most of it, when combined with the Cathar's fire, it was enough to keep them pinned down. Which would do for now.

As they moved, she heard a triumphant howl, which she hoped meant Fenrir had won his battle. Her hopes were confirmed when Fenrir leapt from the bushes and slammed hard into the side of an enemy trying to attack Cam from behind. According to Fay, Fenrir still had a lot of growth to do – which was an exciting thought to Bo even if Fay didn't entirely agree – but he still had enough strength and mass to send the alien he'd struck into a tree, making leaves fall around them and the trunk crack.

"Fenrir! Here!" She called out in hope, as while the tuk'ata did sometimes obey her, it was always reluctant. That meant when, after biting the downed alien hard enough that his teeth drew black ichor from the alien as he ripped out its throat, he raced over to her, she was caught by surprise.

Beside her, as he carried Fay, she heard Zarkos mutter something, likely about Fenrir, which was only made worse she suspected as the beast raced toward them, blood dripping from its maw. Yet while the Togrutan was seemingly put off by the violence, Bo-Katan revelled in it. Fenrir was deadly now, and would only become more so as he grew, making him a worthy companion for Cam.

Once he reached them, Fenrir dropped the chunk to the ground and looked up at her. "Having fun?" Fenrir flicked his head in an approximation of a nod – or at least that's how Bo-Katan saw it – as he exposed his teeth; the black blood of the aliens stained them and made him even more intimidating. That was accompanied by a growl that sounded satisfied. "Good, but we need help. Fay's down and we need to keep her safe." Fenrir looked at Fay, who Bo-Katan knew he'd never been comfortable around, then over to Cam. She did likewise and was in time to see Cam, in a particularly effective move, jam his lightsaber blade into the mouth of a snake-staff while he hurled rocks with the Force into the face of the staff's wielder. The rocks weren't massive, but their supersonic velocity – according to her sensors – was enough to explode the head like it was nothing more than a melon.

Her body shivered at the scene, but she forced the feelings aside. It wasn't the time nor place to act on them. "He can handle himself. We need to keep Fay safe." She spoke again to Fenrir even as she examined the readings from her sensors. A spinal spike was gone, though the blood flow from the wound was already slowing. Yet, apart from that and a dozen or so scratches and bite marks over his hide, he appeared no worse for wear. Plus, the way he carried himself made it clear to her that he was proud of his first kill in battle, something she understood and agreed with.

Fenrir moved forward, toward the transport, which Bo-Katan took as him agreeing to her request. "What are these things?"

Bo-Katan was glad her armour was on so that the Cathar couldn't see her roll her eyes at his jare'la question even as Zarkos lowered Fay to the ground. "The enemy." That was all that mattered. These beings had attacked them and wounded Fay. Now they would die for their foolishness. If the Cathar didn't understand that then it was a miracle of galactic proportions his species had recovered after her people had decimated their world.

The Cathar glared at her for her retort, but she didn't give it much thought. What was he going to do? Die to a Mandalorian weapon like his forebearers?

A glob of venom struck the side of the transport, doing some damage to the already weakened frame of the downed vessel. In response, Bo-Katan leaned out and fired off a small rocket from her vambrace. The alien leapt forward in a roll to avoid the rocket but its speed was just barely enough to avoid the shrapnel from the tree, her sensors pegging it in the smoke it was using for camouflage using body heat.

Bo-Katan lined up a second rocket as the alien slid to a halt. It'd taken cover behind a boulder to recover, but that wasn't going to stop her from sending the soulless thing to the deepest pit of whatever hell it believed in. Yet before she could launch the rocket, a blurred movement caught the attention of her sensors.

Cam surged into view, and barely ten seconds later, moved off, the alien now lay dead on the ground. The boulder it'd used for cover had moved, crushing the snake-staff of the alien whose arms and part of its skull were lying beside its body.

A thrill raced through her body as she took in the chaos Cam had unleashed in only a handful of seconds, and after taking cover behind the transport, she pulled up and slowed down her helmet's sensor recordings.

In the time it'd taken for Cam to enter the dust cloud and leave it, he'd simply overwhelmed the alien. There were gaps in her sensors, showing just how fast he'd moved, but each time his lightsaber had clipped the alien, the heat burst was tracked. Over two dozen strikes had dotted the alien's body and weapon before first one arm, then the other was removed by a single elegant backstroke to its elbows. Then, before the snake-staff could realise that the hand holding it wasn't attached to the body, Cam had pushed the boulder over, crushing the living weapon under the heavy rock. At the same time, Cam's blade had moved around in a measured flourish, thrust through the alien's right eye the sliced up through the top of the head – and brain within – splitting it as if it was an overripe meiloorun fruit.

Bo-Katan ignored the way her heart raced at seeing Cam eviscerate one of the aliens in the playback, and the heat growing in her lower regions. There was still a battle to win no matter how her blood burned from what she'd just seen. And once they were of this world, she'd make sure to send the recording to her father. He needed to see this. Every Mando'ade needed to see the Revan'ade unleashed. Though she was glad the faint moan that'd slipped from her lips as she watched Cam's handiwork wasn't in the recording.

"Spirits."

Zarkos' muttered comment, likely from seeing the remains of the alien as the dust cleared, drew Bo-Katan's attention back to the here and now. Cam was engaging the aliens' leader while the only other one that was mobile was pinned down by the combined fire of the two Rangers. Her sensors easily located the alien's hiding spot, and then with a few quick commands calculated a few scenarios. With that done, her jetpack roared to life.

The moment she could see over the top of the transport, her vambrace released three missiles in quick succession. As she'd expected and planned for, the alien moved to avoid the first. It also managed to escape the blast of the second, and the third, however, stuck it clean in the chest. The resulting explosion, combined with the still-travelling shockwaves of the first two rockets, turned the alien into not much more than mush that stained the ground black.

With that alien and its staff neutralized, Bo turned in mid-air, wanting to provide support to Cam. As she did, a glob of venom crashed harmlessly against her armour. The armour's sensors confirmed that while the glob would've been dangerous to any with low-quality or no armour, against beskar, it wasn't a threat, not unless she took over a hundred strikes in the same area in a short period.

Knowing the venom wasn't a problem, she quickly found Cam. He was engaged with the alien leader. This alien wore something approaching decent armour and was stronger and quicker than the others. Yet even as it moved at a speed that would challenge Bo to keep up with when using her armour's advantages, it was struggling to block and evade more than half of Cam's furious barrage of attacks. Haran, once more her armour was struggling to track Cam's movements, something that had only happened against the Bando Gora after his rescue.

Bo-Katan knew this meant Cam was drawing on the Dark Side of the Force, fuelling it with his rage, as he'd done against… Vosa. She recoiled a fraction as she caught sight of his eyes. Gone was the vibrant green that she often found herself getting lost in, being replaced by the red of a star about to go supernova. Almost as if the fury he was drawing on was burning him from the inside out.

The alien leader was fighting valiantly and even managed to land a glancing blow on Cam's forearm. However, that failed to do any damage as Cam used the attack to slide his blade inside the alien's guard and land a flurry of slashes near the inner part of the alien's elbow: Where most armours were traditionally weaker. The snake-staff softened and twisted, looking to wrap around Cam's arm, but he slid one foot with a grace Bo had seldom seen from any bar him or his Jetii Masters to avoid the snake. At the same time, Cam's lightsaber moved fast enough that her armour registered at least four strikes against the alien's leg near the knee before he slashed the tip of the blade across the face of the snake.

Both combatants and Bo-Katan knew this duel would end soon, but she could give the alien its due. Even though it was outmatched and overwhelmed, it continued to fight. As any true warrior would when faced with no option of withdrawal.

Yet, as the snake-staff snapped back from Cam's attack, and it looked like Cam would soon end the duel, another snake-staff had slithered over. It wrapped around his foot and threatened to bite down, injecting Cam with the same venom Bo knew was coursing through Fay's veins. Before it could, Cam thrust a hand downward, black, malevolent Force lightning slamming into the open maw of the snake.

As the snake screeched in pain, and Cam landed a trio of quick thrusts against the alien leader, Bo-Katan pondered on why Cam's lightning was black. The records she'd seen mentioned and showed Force users using blue and purple lightning. There were even a few unverified accounts of red Force Lightning, yet she couldn't remember a single instance of even a hint of black lightning. Still, as the snake-staff getting pounded by Cam's Force attack went rigid as the energy pouring into it overloaded whatever allowed the weapon to live, she realised that might be that none who'd encountered such lightning had lived to tell the tale.

Yet as the snake-staff breathed its last breath, the alien leader launched a counterattack. His staff swung around, catching Cam in the arm that was barbequing the snake-staff at his feet. The blow was a solid one, forcing Cam to end the flood of energy into the snake-staff, but Cam used it to rotate away from a follow-up attack by the alien leader. Cam dropped low and pivoted, the rigid form of the leader's staff passing close but harmlessly by Cam as he generated some space between them.

The snake-staff on the ground hissed weakly at Cam. Before it could do anything more, Cam thrust his shorter lightsaber into the beast's maw, then flicked it up, cutting the skull in two. Bo-Katan frowned even as Cam removed the shorter lightsaber, smoke rising from the blade where it met the hilt. She thought Cam had left that back on the Ne'tra Sartr. Haran, she was all but sure he'd not had it on his belt at the beginning of the battle, so where had he hidden it?

Before she could truly think about it, the alien leader stepped forward, its weapon in a staff configuration. Cam blocked the attack with ease with his main blade even as the secondary one fell from his grip, smoke still rising from the hilt making Bo wonder if the snake's venom had damaged it.

Cam brought his now free hand up in a brutal palm strike. Darkness spilt out, engulfing the alien in lightning. Even from this distance, Bo swore she could feel the twisted, sinister nature of the lightning as it raced to cover the alien's frame even as it was sent hurtling back. It slammed into a tree, which instantly set ablaze as the lightning raced over the bark and leaves. The trail of power led back to Cam, his hand still where it was when it had struck the alien. Bo-Katan knew what he was doing was inflicting pain for revenge, possibly even for fun, yet she couldn't bring herself to do anything but savour the moment. Cam pulled his arm back and then thrust it forward, increasing the streams of energy flowing into the alien and Bo-Katan felt pain in her lip.

The alien was lifted up the burning tree, its eyes wide and mouth open. Yet no sound spilt out. Though that might've been because the lightning, as if feeding off Cam's rage, slammed into the mouth and eyes. Smoke rose from the mouth even as the eyeballs exploded as they offered no resistance to the energy surge that continued inward to fry the brain.

Bo-Katan knew the alien was dead, even before that final surge of power, with the only movements from the body being spasms as whatever it had for nerves reacted to the foreign energy coursing through the lifeless body. Below her, she heard someone gag. More than likely it was the Cathar. They were a weak people. Yet her focus stayed on Cam, on watching him announce to the galaxy that he had the power; that he was a threat to any who dared cross him.

This was the power of the Revan'ade.

Tremors rippled through her as she watched the alien's flesh turn the colour of its blood. Her skin tingled as armour hardened and began to break off, falling in a pile on the ground. Some part of her knew she needed to stop this, needed to get Cam under control and get away from this battle before more aliens arrived. Yet as she landed and started to move toward Cam, her heart pounded with delight and desire. This was a Mando'ade worthy of her.

When she was about halfway to Cam, he ended the energy pouring into the body. It slumped to the ground, limbs cracking as they landed even as what remained of the tree behind continued to burn. The alien, now burnt to a point it was hard to tell what species it had been, was no longer impressive. No longer a worthy opponent. Not that it ever was for Cam.

She stopped mid-step as he turned to face her. His eyes burned with the fury of a hundred stars going supernova. Something moved near her, she felt movement against her arm, but her focus was on the danger, the power in front of her. She took a step forward, drawn to the fire like a moth to a flame.

A beep from her sensors forced her unwillingly from the furnace in front of her. An alien was still alive. The one missing a leg at the knee. She turned to face it, but Cam was already aware. His hand rose, and blackness surged forth and enveloped the alien. The ground burned for a second before it was dead. The alien's vitals spiked, it spasmed as spikes of darkness pulled back and then stabbed into its flesh.

Cam closed his hand, the body slumped to the ground. Its back rose as it drew in air. Cam unleashed another blast of lightning at it. Bo-Katan's body fought with itself. What Cam was doing was a waste. They needed to leave. Yet she was enjoying watching his power in action.

Behind her, she heard sounds. The Rangers. She shook her head. They needed to go, needed to help Fay, but Cam was lost in his rage over what had happened to her. Even as part of Bo-Katan wondered if he'd react the same way if she'd been the one who'd gotten hurt, she knew she needed to end this. There'd been three other ships that had been with the one carrying these aliens. They'd come looking when this lot didn't, couldn't, report in.

In the time it took her to reach Cam's side, he'd kept pouring energy into the dead alien.

"Cam, tha…" the words died before they touched her throat as his head snapped to her. The fury of an entire galaxy as it raged in death burned into her soul through his eyes. Judging her. Deciding her fate.

For the first time in her life, Bo-Katan felt true, unrelenting terror. Nothing else compared. Not how she'd felt on her verd'goten, not when her mother had died, nor the waiting until her brother was pulled from the rubble could come close to the fear gripping every nerve in her body. She was prey before a true apex predator, and Manda help her, it excited her.

This Cam… this was the one her father had wanted. The one with the power of Naast be Me'suums. The ability to shatter worlds with but a word. Yet through it all, even as her body fought the conflicting terror and excitement that threatened to break her mind, she sensed his hurt. Felt his pain. A single misstep and that was it. She'd be gone. The Rangers and Fay would be gone. The entire world would burn as he lost control of his rage.

He took a step toward her, black, perverse energy dancing around his free hand. She braced even when she knew it would do nothing to save her. The air inside her armour grew cold, restrictive. Beskar was said to be able to survive Force Lightning if properly insulated, yet she knew that if Cam struck her with his, she was gone.

Something large and dark stepped between them. She blinked as Fenrir cut into her eye line, breaking her hypnotic fall into Cam's eyes.

The tuk'ata moved toward Cam, a soft growl rumbling from his belly. It pushed against Cam's arm, the one holding his lightsaber. That made Cam blink, the redness of his eyes dulling. "F-Fenrir?" The question was weak, coarse as if he'd not drunk in a week. Fenrir patted his head against Cam's arm, somehow making him look back at her.

She watched as he blinked again, more of the red fury sliding away and allowing the green to return. Yet even as the colouration of his eyes returned to normal, she felt something was still missing. Some joy or wonder at life had been extinguished by what had just happened. An urge to find more aliens, to kill them brutally for taking away part of him, bubbled forth within her. "Bo?" A single word, the simple almost pleading use of her name squashed that urge. Replacing it with something else.

Slowly, not wanting to risk his anger returning, she lifted her hands to her helmet. With over a decade of practice, she removed it with ease, letting her eyes fall on his without anything between them. Confusion reigned in his, along with hints of the rage he'd displayed and grief. Almost as if he wasn't sure where or who he was. "It's me, Cam." Her words were soft, a tone she'd not used in years for any but her nephew before his death. "W-we need to get going." She glanced at the nearest alien body, her nose wrinkling at the charred smell. "I know you want to keep hurting them, I understand. But Fay… she needs your help."

At that, his eyes left her and sought out his Jetii Master. A blade of anger at him discarding her for Fay stabbed her heart, along with a dagger of pain at him so easily turning away from her. "We need to get her to the Sartr." Provided it was still in one piece, though she didn't mention that. "More of the aliens will be here soon and she can't defend herself."

Cam nodded slowly, as if in two minds about something. He turned back and glared at the alien leader. Or at least what was left of them. "Vong."

Bo-Katan frowned. "What?" She'd never heard that word before and unless the sounds coming from the aliens had been too faint for her sensors to pick up – possible but unlikely – then where could he have heard it?

He looked at her and blinked, almost as if, for a moment, he'd forgotten she was there.

"It's what they're called." He explained as he returned his gaze to the charred body of the alien. He didn't explain how he knew, but she'd been around him long enough to know he could be like that. Knowing a name or something about a person just by looking at them. It had to be some sort of Force ability that Jetii didn't speak about as it was so common to them that it never occurred that others couldn't use it.

"Okay." She slid her helmet back on even as her mind played the moment Cam had pulled his second lightsaber from somewhere. She'd have to review the recording from before the battle to be sure, but this felt like another instance where he was drawing objects from somewhere she couldn't find. Much like how he'd turned one thermal detonator into five in the depths of Coruscant. She trusted him, but him keeping secrets rankled her. After everything they'd been through, everything she'd risked for him, why was he hiding things from her?

Cam walked past, giving her a weak smile as he did. That alone broke her from those thoughts. Fenrir followed behind, though he stopped at her side. She turned to see Cam moving quickly toward Fay and the Rangers. A faint sound slipped from Fenrir's maw, and Bo rested a hand on the beast's neck, making sure to avoid the fresh wound. "Aye, he's going to need us on this." Fenrir leaned into her touch, bringing a smile to her lips. The tuk'ata disliked everyone else, save young Anakin Skywalker, yet it accepted her enough to listen to her. It felt she was one of its pack, and perhaps, once they had time, she'd see about getting Cam to realise that as well. "Come on. While he checks on Fay, we'd better check their ship. No point missing one of those osi'kovide and letting it sneak away."

Fenrir snorted at that, and she felt a rumble in his flesh making her think he was laughing. She knew assigning human emotions to beasts wasn't smart, but Fenrir was far more than any simple beast. He was bred to fight and kill Jetii, as her people had done for millennia. In him, she felt a bond for battle, one that Cam shared, even if he didn't yet embrace it.

Though hopefully, he would before they left this world. In her bones, she knew this battle was just the start. These Vong might've started this war, but Manda, she, Cam, and Fenrir were going to end it. Littering the way with the bodies of the di'kute dumb enough to stand in their way.

… …

… … (Cam's POV)

I looked at my minimap as we walked, something I'd done every few minutes since our battle with the Vong. As with every glance before, no hint of the null-zones left by the Vong were showing up. Which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing as I was concerned that I'd fall back into a mind-consuming rage if I saw one soon and a curse as, because of how heavily I'd wrecked the ones we'd engaged, we had almost nothing to go on about the species bar the scans taken by Bo's armour.

Well, that wasn't entirely true as, once I'd regained control of myself and stopped drawing on the Dark Side, a new quest had appeared.

Invaders from the Void [֍]
The peaceful, critical world of Zonama Sekot is under threat.
Rating: S*
Objectives:
:a: Ensure the survival of all members of your group, including the Antarian Rangers for the length of the quest.
:b: Protect the planet from the Vong by either driving the Vong from the planet,
Or eliminating the entire occupation force.
Rewards:
:a: 1000XP per being that survived [-/7]
:b: 8000XP
Or 12000XP
+ Combat XP
Failure:
:a: Death of everyone close to you on Zonama Sekot.
:b: The Vong gain Zonama Sekot as a beachhead into the Republic.
Accelerate the timeline of their invasion by up to 50 cycles.
...

Everything about that quest screamed how important it was. From the rating to the objectives, the rewards and failures, I knew fucking this up would have major consequences. And to be clear, this wasn't a quest I'd been allowed to reject. That meant the odds of finding the Ne'tra Sartr in a condition to withdraw from the planet were practically zero. And had me concerned about HK's fate, along with all the gear I had stored on my ship. Something made worse as I felt HK wasn't one of the seven that I needed to protect.

The rewards were obviously impressive as this was my first S-rated combat quest – if you discounted Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire – and then there was the combat XP, which was interesting. Even after party dynamics came into play, just for taking out eight Vong I'd gotten north of 900XP. Since the average sentient gave around 10XP per level, either the base Vong was at level 30, which was highly unlikely, or they were worth more per level; possibly up to twice that of most sentients. I was inclined to believe it was the latter as the Vong were stronger and faster at a base than, possibly, any species I'd encountered. While I didn't allow myself to be driven by reaching new levels as much as I'd used to, as learning that there was more to the Force than simply 'maxing out' a power, level 28 would grant me a new perk. If I succeeded in driving the Vong from the world, and kept everyone alive, at a rough estimate, we'd need to kill around fifty or so Vong to reach that milestone.

Yet even if that wasn't something to consider, or allow to factor into my future decisions, the fact that failure meant a sooner invasion of the Republic by an alien race no one seemed to know about was stuck in my thoughts. Fifty years from now, in the canon timeline, would be long after Return of the Jedi. That had me wondering if Sidious, after discovering the threat of the Vong, had built the Death Stars because of that threat. While it was unlikely, the idea that he felt he needed stations capable of destroying entire planets to potentially take on a Vong invasion fleet was… well fucking scary didn't even cover one per cent of the danger.

I turned my thoughts from the quest and the Vong as I felt the now ever-present pool of fury within me begin to boil. In the hours after the battle, I'd had to use Player's Mind to keep a lid on that rage, but now, a few days later, I'd reached a point where I could contain it. But I wasn't willing to release it.

On Tatooine, I'd touched the furthest edges of the power the Dark Side offered, and against the Bando Gora, I drew on that to keep myself going. Here, on this world that radiated the Force everywhere, from the smallest blade of grass to trees that put redwoods to shame, I'd not only drawn on it when Fay had fallen, but I'd drank deeply from the ocean before then leaping into it with open arms.

I understood now, possibly better than I think many Jedi did, just how dangerous it was. How easy it could be to accept it into you, let it whisper of how to use it and take control of it, bending it and the world to your will. Yet, with the danger that the Vong posed, I couldn't risk letting go of that power. Until I'd lost control, even as I pushed my Force powers to their system-defined limits, I'd been struggling to handle two Vong. After drinking in the Dark Side… well, the aftermath looked like the Vong had picked a fight with a thunderstorm, which given my liberal use of Force Lightning, wasn't too far from the truth.

Before I could dwell on my actions, I felt the faintest of shifts in the Force to my left. Looking down, I saw Fay resting on a hovercart I and Zarkos had hastily fashioned from the wreckage of the transport. I knew, both from feeling it within the Force and using Observe, that she was in a deep meditative trace to conserve her strength as she fought against the Vong's poison. Said poison was, unsurprisingly, not one known to the database in Bo's armour, nor one on which Force Heal could do anything to help as I simply wasn't skilled in the power as much as needed. Now, I'd always understood that a battlefield medic was useful, but I'd spent years focusing on more offensive powers over it, though even then, I'd never felt the connection to the healing elements of the Force that I was told Jedi Healers held. Still, from using Observe on Fay every few hours, I knew the poison didn't appear to be spreading, which left Fay reminding me of Sleeping Beauty.

The idea of adapting that story, and the other Disney/Grimm fairy tales for this galaxy had served as a welcome distraction for a short while. They'd work, and while they likely wouldn't generate anywhere near as much as the Lord of the Rings trilogy had – to say nothing of how much I'd hopefully earn once the first holomovie was completed – there was nothing in the story that I could be concerned about the Sith, or others, adapting to create new horrors for the galaxy. Like the Spartan program in Halo.

A soft grumble drew my attention to Fenrir. He was walking on the other side of Fay's hovercart, which was where he always was when he wasn't off on patrol. It was a little odd. I knew he wasn't friendly toward her, or anyone bar Bo and Anakin, but I'd sensed over our bond that he regarded her as part of our 'pack'. As my eyes looked him over, they once more lingered on the missing spinal spike. The wound had healed quickly once a bacta patch had been applied and while it seemed to give him phantom itching, he didn't mind. From what I'd felt – and Observed – he was frustrated at losing the spike, but that was easily outweighed by the fact he'd fought and killed in battle for the first time. If I didn't know any better, I'd suspect he regarded the wound as a mark of his prowess. Though I'd prefer if the next time we encountered the Vong and one of their beasts he could defeat it without such an obvious wound.

In front of the hovercart walked Zarkos. The Togrutan was all business with a blaster in his hand as his eyes continually scanned the bushes near us. I'd expected him to try to assume command of our group after the battle, but instead, he'd deferred to me, which felt odd until he explained his logic. The Rangers were there to help and assist the Jedi, meaning they would follow the orders of any member of the Order, even a Padawan. Though I'd made sure to consult him on making this trek before we'd set out. While I was in charge, turning away experienced help was always a mistake.

Simvyl, who was currently acting as the forward scout due to his race's inherent advantages in doing so, hadn't been happy about Zarkos' acquiescence to my command. At first, I'd thought that was due to him not liking Bo and how close I was to her, or that he was unnerved by how brutal I'd been to the Vong after Fay had gone down. Observe had confirmed that wasn't the case, with his unhappiness being at my age and, in his eyes, lack of combat experience compared to even him. Depending on how long it took us to either get off this world or eliminate the Vong, I'd probably end up regaling him with a few battle stories from my time with the Jedi. That should help ease his concerns about my apparent lack of experience. Still, that'd do little to ease his dislike of Bo, which wasn't helped by how close she was to me.

As if on cue, a rustle from the bushes beside me was accompanied by Bo walking back to the group. She was in her full armour and while she could use her jetpack to scout, doing so had a few issues. The most obvious was the chance we'd not have a way to refuel the pack if the Ne'tra Sartr and Longstrider had been reduced to rubble. The other major issue was that, about a day and a half after we'd left the crash site, we'd been forced to take cover when a Vong ship had buzzed overhead. We'd quickly made plans for a fight as while we'd tried to cover our tracks when we'd left the crash site, any competent tracker would've been able to follow. Though to counter that we'd trekked toward Middle Distance for a few hours before slowly swinging around to head to the landing area.

I wasn't sure if that had worked, but no scout force had come after us. Or at least they hadn't in the nearly two weeks we'd been trekking, we'd not come across any hint of the Vong beyond the odd distant sonic boom as one of their ships flew by. It was an odd thing as if a unit had been ambushed in Afghanistan or Iraq, significant resources were diverted to finding those responsible and taking them out. Either the Vong didn't value their warriors the same way, or they had higher priorities for their occupation. Yet until I learnt more about them and their goals, I couldn't make assumptions on which way to lean. That sort of thing is what got people killed in war, and I was under no illusions that this wasn't a war.

Still, none of us were dropping our guard and even when we rested for the night, two of us stayed up on watch. Bo and Zarkos set up some simple trip sensors if anyone approached our camp and we avoided using any light to give ourselves away to a night patrol as it flew in the skies above.

"All clear." Bo's voice, as it had been since the battle, was modulated by her armour. While that removed much of her emotion from the tone, it was easy to sense how tense she was. Even with me actively not reaching into our bond, once I'd regained control and the high of battle had worn off, the link had been flooded with anticipation and desire. All of which were aimed at me. Now, I couldn't say I wasn't interested in returning that desire but having her feelings floating around my thoughts as we moved, with a threat of Vong attack hanging over us, was a distraction. Plus, there was the fact that she'd grown this excited after I'd lost control and willingly drawn on the Dark Side to brutalise those Vong warriors. I wasn't sure how I felt about her liking that, not when, even after nearly two weeks of hiking, I wasn't yet sure how I felt about it myself.

What I'd done had been a step too far. Now, I didn't regret killing the Vong, nor how willingly I'd done it. They'd wanted to kill us – that much was apparent when I'd reviewed my memories of the battle, never mind what'd happened to Fay – and appeared to be the perfect race to fight and, I suspected at the higher ranks, defeat Force users one on one. No, it was how brutal I'd been after they were defeated, how much I'd enjoyed it, that had me off-balance. I'd lost control, I'd willingly embraced the Dark Side – something I was concerned had been felt by many people throughout the galaxy, including Anakin – and come very, very close to being so lost in my fury that I almost struck down Bo. That would've made me no better than the Sith, and that wasn't a path I wanted to go down. Yet, I understood that, while the rage that I wasn't willing to let go of was dangerous, once I'd drawn upon it, the Vong had been, seemingly, an easy opponent to take down.

If Dooku was here, even with how cold he was to others, I knew he'd have been concerned for me. Not because I'd killed them sadistically, but for allowing my emotions to get the better of me, if only for a short time, but also for revelling in how I'd killed the Vong.

I glanced at Fay and sighed. I knew how she'd feel. How worried and ashamed she'd be with what I'd done, how happily I'd embraced my rage and sunk into the Dark Side to gain revenge. If… No, when she woke, I knew I had a long, long talk coming about my actions in that battle; and probably about what I'd do once the war of resistance began. And it would be a talk that would, I felt, without doubt, be one that would persist for years to come.

I'd had it explained to me multiple times over the years how dangerous, how insidious, the Dark Side was, yet even after the Bando Gora, I hadn't fully grasped that. I wasn't even sure I did now, not in the way the Jedi believed it was, yet I understood how easily it altered your perception of events when it took control. There was no doubt it'd altered how I appeared in the Force, meaning that apart from my masters' concerns when I next spoke to them, interacting with the High Council was going to be a fucking nightmare. At best, they'd kick me from the Order, at worst – and far more likely I felt given the strength of connection I had with the Force – they'd imprison me for life in a place like the Citadel. While the former I could recover from, even if it'd cost me the chance to work with Dooku and access to the holocron vaults, the latter would be a major fucking problem for what was coming.

Because of that, I'd thought about how to suppress my Dark Side taint. I'd generated a new Force Power for that – Dark Side Masking – which was like Force Suppression except it only hid any Dark Side taint I bore instead of my entire Force presence. However, the kicker was that while I could train the power up by having it running, it carried a hefty fifty per cent penalty until I was taught more about the ability by a Darksider. That little nugget had turned my attention to one of the other things my mother had left for me in the vault on planet Ordo; a Sith holocron.

The problem there was just who the holocron had belonged to. From the moment I'd discovered it in the second crate from my mother, I'd thrown it into my Inventory and kept it there. Something about it had felt very dangerous, yet I wasn't willing to give it over to my masters and have it locked away in the Jedi vaults. According to what Observe told me, just before I'd dropped it in my Inventory, the holocron had been created over twenty-seven thousand years ago by someone called King Adas. During my sabbatical in the Temple, I'd risked searching for the name in the Archives, yet nothing had come up. Since no one had spoken to me about searching for the name of a Sith from nearly thirty thousand years ago, I had to assume that meant they didn't know of him. Which was not encouraging, and why I'd done my best to not think about the holocron until about a week ago.

"Cam? Hey!? Are you there?" I stopped mid-step, thrown from my thoughts as they once more turned to Adas' holocron. Not only was Bo talking to me, but she'd started clicking her armoured fingers in front of my face. I could sense her annoyance, likely because I'd ignored her when she'd returned to the hovercart, mixed with some concern.

"Yeah. Sorry. Was just thinking." That caused a spike in her concern, so I gave her a reason. "About what we might find when we reach the Sartr."

Bo stared at me, which was always a little odd as I couldn't see her face under her helmet before she turned away. Her concern had fallen, but there was now some scepticism radiating from her into the Force. "I'm sure HK's fine. That droid's survived much worse than being shot at by jumped-up aliens who think they can kill us."

I chuckled very weakly. Until Fay had fallen, and I'd engulfed myself in the Dark Side, the Vong likely had the upper hand. "Aye, I'm sure he's fine." I didn't doubt HK was in one piece, but the same couldn't be said of the Ne'tra Sartr. Without either her or the Longstrider this war was going to be far more drawn out than I'd like. It'd take us, at best, a month plus to hike back to Middle Distance, and in that time, the odds that the situation didn't deteriorate were slim.

And of course, the chances that we'd get to Middle Distance unimpeded were even slimmer. From what we knew, there were only a handful of large settlements on Zonama Sekot, which would allow the Vong to congregate their forces in a few places. Plus, the longer they held the cities, the more time they had to prepare for the rest of their forces. I doubted they planned to hold the planet with only a token force, not when the quest hinted that Zonama Sekot was critical in some way.

Regardless, at some point soon, we'd be engaging aliens that were stronger and faster than most races. To make matters worse, I couldn't boost my physical stats anymore. Strength was my lowest at 21, while Agility and Vitality were at 22, taking me to the physical stat limit of 65. All I could do was hope that I'd get to level 28 before the quest was over – unlikely but still possible – and gain a perk to lift that limit.

If that didn't happen, I'd likely dump most or all of my built-up Stat Points – 22 – into my mental stats. While tempting to do the same with my skill points, which stood at 385, I was less inclined to do that. I was fast approaching the end of the You Can't Hurt Me quest and was running the risk of needing those skill points to avoid having my damage resistance skills locked for five years at their current levels. Though that might not be a major issue as even Damage Resistance [Energy], which was my highest at Savant 5, only granted around a twenty per cent reduction in damage. That might seem like a lot, but against a lightsaber or blaster set to its highest setting, it wouldn't stop me from being killed by a blow that should be fatal.

… …

… …

"Statement: All in all, the vessel cannot be salvaged."

I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes at HK as he finished a run-down of the final state of the Ne'tra Sartr. To say she came off the worst against the Vong ships would be like saying the Jedi and Sith don't like each other. For all her abilities, from the report HK had just given, the Sartr was outclassed and outflown by the Vong. Plus, there was the odd fact the Vong's ships fired what had appeared to HK on the scanners to be some form of plasma weaponry, that their hulls showed no ill effects to the Sartr's laser cannons or missiles and that when one flew close to the Sartr, the shields on my ship fell by over five per cent in a matter of seconds.

That had resulted in the Sartr losing badly and crashing to the ground around a hundred metres from the tent I was now in listening to HK's report. While I'd have liked to put out the fire, Bo and I had decided against it and warned the Rangers not to do the same to the Longstrider which had crashed about a klick northeast. Doing so might alert the Vong as the fires and smoke would be monitored from orbit by any halfway decent commander. Thus, I was forced to watch my ship burn.

But by the Force, I was going to make the Vong pay for destroying her, and almost killing Fay.

I heard various objects in the tent begin to vibrate around me, as the memory of what'd happened to Fay merged with those of my time under Vosa's tender care. The urge to just give, embrace that anger, that pain, and strike out against everything around me, to burn every Vong on the planet, or in orbit above to ash, was very, very tempting.

"Cautionary: Before he placed me in that… location, the creator spoke to me about you and the dangers you would face, Master. I cannot speak as to how the Force works, but the creator was worried about the trials you'd face regarding the Dark Side, and how control of it would be a life-long struggle." As HK spoke, I slowly focused on him and not my memories, while taking long, deep breaths. "Conjecture: For me, I fail to comprehend the Creator's concerns. He was at his most gloriously destructive when he drew on this Dark Side and cared little for the social niceties you mea-… organics observe. Something that, I believe, was also the case for you when you embraced the Dark Side. Contemplative: I suspect the reason he restrained himself in later years was because of the presence of the snivelling former Jedi he insisted on travelling and procreating with."

A weak laugh escaped my lips as HK tried, and failed, to hide his disdain for Bastila. Even after the battle of the Star Forge, it seemed the pair never found a happy medium beyond both wanting the best for Revan. Even if they'd had very different opinions on what was best for him. That also highlighted how he saw Bo as, since she'd learnt the truth about HK and started helping plan out his rebuilds, HK had become… well, not nice, but more tolerant of her place at my side.

"Ignoring your feelings on my great-grandmother, Revan knew far more about the Force when he built you than I do now. Which is saying nothing of when he placed you in the vault." I sighed, shook my head, and then stood up and placed HK under my arm while taking in the campsite near the Sartr. Three tents were set up, the first for me and Fenrir, the second for Fay and Bo and the last was for the Rangers. Between my tent and Bo's, a tarp was covering the supplies she had pulled from the Sartr.

HK would stay with the equipment, which so far, included both beskads, Bo's crushgaunts, a dozen replacement clips for blasters, a dozen spare rockets for Bo's vambrace and enough food to keep us going for a month or so. While that was a good haul, it was barely a third of the equipment Bo had stored on the Sartr with no replacement fuel for her jetpack surviving the crash, and about a quarter of our remaining foodstuff. Honestly, if Bo hadn't argued with Fay about how heavily to stock up before we'd begun the last leg of our journey to Zonama Sekot, we'd have likely not had anything beyond the beskar weapons left over. Fay had only relented when Bo had pointed out the fact that bar the meditation retreat, every place I'd travelled had involved osik hitting the fan in some way. Just as it had on this voyage.

"Agreement: Of course, he was, Master. He was my creator."

That made me laugh again, with more conviction. I knew HK wasn't actively trying to distract me or lift my spirits, but his behaviour was still doing that. "Yes, HK, he was." I placed HK under the equipment tarp and attached him to a small generator. When we'd found him, his internal batteries had been running low which wasn't a surprise. Nearly three weeks turned on while stuck in the wreckage had drained his batteries heavily.

As I walked from the tarp to my tent, Fenrir being out and about as he guarded the campsite, my thoughts turned to Revan's quest. Promise of the Fallen was such a strange one as there were no objectives, no hints as to what I had to do, or what would happen if I succeeded or failed. Yet it continued to intrigue me. Revan had been a person who had been both Jedi and Sith, saviour and destroyer. I wanted to understand how he'd done that and kept coming back to some form of balance, how he'd reached a point of understanding of the Force as a whole and not the narrow-minded dogma of the current Jedi and Sith orders. And as much as I'd love for his Force ghost to appear, I knew that wasn't how the Force worked, and even if it did, it wouldn't be Revan's way to do so.

I slipped my cloak off as I entered my tent, then pulled my robes over my head. The scars from my verd'goten were still there, serving as a constant reminder – which I wanted – of how close I'd come to dying. The same couldn't be said of the Bando Gora ones as, since I'd been in a bacta tank far longer than after my verd'goten, they'd healed before I had the choice to keep them or not. I unclipped my lightsaber, and then placed it under my robes, which I'd rolled up to make a pillow.

I turned as the tent flap moved, confused as to why Bo was entering instead of Fenrir as Bo was meant to take the first watch. "I've set up sensors around the encampment which should give us some warning if the Vong appear." As she spoke, she removed her helmet, making her tone change as it stopped being modulated halfway through her statement. Her braid slid down her back, not falling freely as weeks in the armour had, even though it was air-conditioned inside, matted it to her head, yet I found I didn't mind the look. It wasn't as appealing as seeing her braid flow around behind her, but it gave her a more worked look that suited her. "Fenrir's going to take first watch," while that explained why she was back in the camp, it didn't explain why she was in my tent and in the process of removing her breastplate. "I'm not sure if he truly understands me, but he gets what I'm implying better than most sentients I've met." I chuckled at that even as she laid her breastplate down near the entrance to the tent.

"Not a surprise," I began as I did my best to not let my eyes wander over her chest, which was now only covered by the familiar black skin-tight underweave she liked to wear. That damn thing revealed nothing but everything at the same time and imagining what was under it had haunted my dreams – in a good way – for several months now. "His species were engineered by the Sith to guard important sites like tombs of former Sith Lords."

Bo paused as she leaned forward to unclasp her cuisses - the part of her armour that covered the thigh - and looked at me. That left me unable to avoid seeing the heave of her breasts as they were sitting just under her eyes. She still had a few more years of growth to go, but at seventeen, she was already gorgeous. "Really? Know where any of those tombs or sites might be?"

I laughed and shook my head. "First, we've got to get off this world. When we manage to do that, and if you still want to, I'm sure there are a few worlds that we can visit." Dromund Kaas came to mind, but the quest had suggested taking three other Force users with me. While I didn't doubt Bo's combat ability, that was a risk I didn't feel willing to take with her life. Still, my suggestion earned me a smile, one that sent a tremor up my spine.

"It's a date then." Before I could respond, she stood and removed her second cuisse, and then turned around. As she bent down to remove her greaves, her arse was forced back toward me. It was very hard to not enjoy the close-up view I was getting, and my mind wandered – as it often did – to wondering what, if anything, she wore under the suit. "What's the plan for getting off this rock?" As she asked that, she stood and caught me ogling her. That drew a large grin for her even as she turned back to face me now standing in her underweave suit.

"The Rangers should be back tomorrow. While we wait, I want to see about salvaging the parts to make a second hovercart." As I spoke she started unclipping her vambraces. "Otherwise, we'll be forced to trek with all the gear on our backs, which would be a problem if we're ambushed."

"Aye, that'd be an issue." She placed the first vambrace next to her helmet at the foot of my sleeping bag. That brought into focus that there was only one bag in the tent as I'd not seen her bring the spare on from the other tent. "While you do that, I'll scout the area. Make sure we're still secure here."

"Kay." I watched quietly as she removed the second vambrace and placed it down next to the first. "So, um, there's only one bag…" I left the statement open, wondering how she'd reply to that. My body was reacting to her being this close in that underweave and I was glad I still had my trousers on otherwise things would be very, very awkward.

Bo smirked and knelt on my bag. "Yeah about that..."

"Wh-oof!"

Instead of finishing her reply, she leapt forward. Her lips caught mine as she pushed me down onto the ground. A small part of me felt this was wrong, that she was just acting on her desire after what I'd done to the Vong. Thankfully the larger, more instinctual part of me realised that was only the final nail for her to act on her feelings.

As my tongue pushed against her lips, my fingers interlaced with hers, stopping her from dragging them to my side even as she straddled my waist. She ground her hips, making me moan as she rubbed against a rather sensitive spot. I felt her laugh through the kiss, which flared the desire in my blood.

Using the slightest amount of the Force to help, I pushed my hands up, gripped hers tighter, and then rolled my hips. We rolled from the bag, onto the hard ground where Fenrir was meant to be sleeping before Bo changed the plan. A gasp slipped from her lips as I pulled back. Her eyes were alive with fire, with desire. A need to take her, claim her flowed through me as her passion easily overwhelmed our Force connection, mixing with my own.

"Are you sure?" I all but growled out as I fought to keep control for just long enough to be sure about what we were doing.

Instead of replying verbally, she lifted her head off the ground and then bit the scar on my shoulder even as her fingers dug in deeply to my hand, drawing blood if the new notice was anything to go by.

I could feel her fighting me, trying to take control, as her legs slipped around my waist, trapping me against her. Yet I also understood that she wasn't fighting as hard as she could. She wanted this to happen but was surrendering control without it being too obvious.

I pulled back, removing my chest from her reach. She looked up at me, some confusion creeping out from behind the fire in her eyes. I could sense her trepidation; her fear that I didn't want this. Not now.

To make things clear I pushed with my hands, forcing hers above her head. Once they were there, I held them in place with one hand as the other slipped free. As I dove down to capture her lips, to take her, that hand slid behind her neck, to where I knew the clip to the underweave suit was.

If she wanted this battle, this ageless war to begin, then I was happy to meet her in combat. And I had no intention of losing.

… …

… …

When I woke the following morning, there was an odd weight on my shoulder and chest. I lifted my head enough to confirm that, yes last night – and most of the early morning – hadn't been a dream. Bo's arm lay possessively over my chest while her head rested on my shoulder. Her hair was no longer entirely in the braid as parts had been pulled during our activities and my eyes happily travelled down her back, taking in her smooth flawless skin of hers until I reached her taut arse. That was still red, as I'd discovered, rather enjoyably, that Bo favoured a more aggressive form of coupling. The only parts of said arse that weren't red were covered in stains from one of the multiple rounds we'd engaged in.

With the high of last night having worn off, my mind wondered what this meant for us which drew the talk I'd had with Fay before we'd reached this world to the forefront of my thoughts. Bo might not be as traditionally minded as most Mandalorians regarding sex and marriage, but what we'd done could be seen by others as us joining. I played over the previous night, ignoring the way my body reacted to those memories, looking for any moment where she'd muttered anything in Mando'a that could be seen as a wedding vow. Thankfully, none came up, but it was something I'd have to talk with her about. If she didn't consider us married, then I'd happily seek a repeat of the last ten hours. If she did… we'd have to handle that before we got to Middle Distance, but since that was several months of trekking away, it should be manageable. I hoped.

My eyes caught sight of her armour, still somehow, in the same place that she'd left it last night. If I didn't know better, I'd think she'd placed it there to ensure it wouldn't get knocked over during our tussles. Her leg moved, running her toes up my shin and I returned my attention to her head as she slowly lifted her head.

I chuckled softly as she blinked, almost unsure of where she was. "Morning." A few more blinks followed before she focused on me, and a cheeky smirk came to her lips.

"That's all you've got to say? Morning?" her tone lacked any venom, and how much she enjoyed last night was obvious by the glow radiating from her. And the fact that once she'd finished speaking, she leaned down and bit my nipple.

I hissed in annoyance as the bite didn't hurt, though it did entice. "Would you prefer I ask if you're up for another round?" her smirk grew, and the bite turned into a kiss. Her nails dragged over my stomach as her kisses crept up my chest.

She nibbled on my ear. "Shab, yes." Her tone made the hairs on the back of my neck tingle with delight. Though she pulled back and looked around the tent, which was slowly filling with morning light. "Do we have the time?"

I nodded even as I checked my minimap. Fenrir was about five hundred metres south, on a seemingly lazy walk around the camp while the Rangers were still beyond the range. Critically, there were no null-spaces and none of the sensors Bo had set last night had gone off.

Seeing my nod, Bo resumed her kisses even as her hand trailed lower. As she reached my chin, just grazing again my lips I used my free hand to lift her head away. "Why?"

That one word was loaded with so many things I wanted and needed to know. I didn't regret last night or the early hours of this morning. Nor was I against another round or three. but the need to know why this had happened now was still strong.

Instead of answering, she tilted her head and pulled my fingers into her mouth. Her chest pushed against mine as her hand reached its destination at my waist. I gasped as her fingers slid around their target and my fingers were slowly teased by her tongue.

"You want to know now?" She asked once she'd let my fingers slide from her lips.

Desire flooded through me as my hand slid round to her hair. I pulled her head to mine, capturing her lips even as the arm trapped under her body wriggled its way lower, seeking her burning core.

As she slid on top of me, I realised the question could wait. Something far more important had risen and had my full, undivided attention.

… …

… …

I watched as Bo stepped away, heading into the brush for a patrol. It was hard to keep my mind from wandering back to our time at the wreck of the Sartr, but I managed it. Though watching her armoured arse as she moved, and picturing how good it looked as she jiggled it for me, didn't exactly help.

A soft growl-chuckle from Fenrir worked to get my mind out of the gutter and I turned to see him walking on the other side of Fay's hovercart. Since that night and morning, Fenrir had seemed pleased, almost as if he felt it only right the leaders of his pack had mated. At least he was amused by the change in our dynamic in the week since we'd left the wreck and begun the long trek to Middle Distance.

Behind us, Zarkos was escorting the second hovercart that was loaded with the supplies from the remains of both ships, though there'd been less to salvage from the Longstrider as, unsurprisingly, the Rangers travelled lighter than a Mandalorian. HK was also on that cart, and while there was a power source to charge him from since we didn't know how long it'd take to reach Middle Distance, and what condition the settlement would be in once we arrived, I'd generally kept the droid turned off. Though his regular complaining about being treated as nothing more than scrap wasn't helping the general mood, nor allowing us to move at least partially stealthily.

As for Bo, things had settled back into the old arrangement easily enough. There was still some teasing and light flirting, but it had dialled back as we knew it could lead further if we weren't careful. To some, it might seem like Bo had just used me as a release but given I could sense her feelings through the Force and get a further read with Observe, I knew that wasn't the case. She wanted a repeat – I didn't need either power to know that as the way her eyes lingered on me spoke volumes – but understood that the mission came first.

Bo, like myself, was a warrior. Once we were outside the wire, so to speak, and had to stay focused on the mission. Everything, from repeats of that night to talks about what the change in our relationship meant for us long-term, was on hold until after the mission was over. Once it was… well, the victory or survival party – depending on the quest outcome – was going to be an enjoyable way to unwind. Even if it might leave me with more scars than battle would.

Simply put, Bo was as ferocious in bed as she was on the battlefield. While during our first time she'd let me have control, from then on, the gloves came off and each round of our night had been a war in of itself. She always looked for dominance and while I'd come out on top far more than she had, I don't think either of us lost. Not if the looks of sheer ecstasy that had come over her multiple times were any indication. Or the numerous bites and scratches she'd left on my body before I'd healed them all with Force Healing.

Movement on the minimap let me know Simvyl was coming closer. The Cathar knew something had happened between Bo and me. Either he smelt things since Cathar were said to have a superior sense of smell compared to Humans, or had picked up on the subtle shift in how Bo and I acted around each other. While he hadn't commented on it, Observe had confirmed my suspicions that he wasn't happy about the new arrangement. That said, over the last week and a bit since we'd left the wreckage, he'd accepted Bo was part of our unit and, at least outwardly, listened to each suggestion Bo had given him.

What probably helped with that was me ordering Bo to be more civil – for her – toward Simvyl. We were all in the same boat and needed to work together to get off the planet alive. I knew Bo didn't think highly of Simvyl, because of both his attitude toward her and his species, but I didn't have the same moral high ground as I'd once had on the matter. Every time I saw a Trandoshan I had the urge to think of them as nothing better than a walking handbag and had to fight off a desire to see that happen. All thanks to the dumb fuck who'd almost killed me on Tatooine.

Zarkos hadn't commented about Bo and me, and, according to Observe, saw it as none of his business. Still, I'd spoken with him about it, wanting to see his feelings on the matter, but he'd waved me off and said 'who I mated with was my choice, even if it was unusual for a Jedi to mate with anyone'. That wasn't entirely true, but I didn't feel a need to explain and defend the oddity of the Order regarding sex.

"Why her?" Simvyl asked after he'd exited the bushes and come to my side. It seemed that after six days he'd finally worked up the courage to voice his issues on the matter. Though at least he'd waited until Bo was out of sight, even if I suspected her helmet would overhear the conversation.

"Ignoring that I think I like redheads," I began with a smirk, "Bo and I have known each other, and fought together, for a few years now." I was keeping things simple as Simvyl simply wasn't important enough to be worth giving the full story to. Maybe, if we made it off this world, things might change, but I doubted that. "This between us, which her father I feel hoped would happen, has been building gradually for a while. With Master Fay… wounded, I think she felt I needed a distraction, one she might also have wanted." And given I was still finding my thoughts drifting back to that ten-hour stretch where we'd shared a tent, what a distraction it was.

"I…" Simvyl stopped before he even began and looked away. Hopefully, that meant he'd bitten off any vitriol he had for Bo. He stared off in the direction she'd left, almost as if wanted to be sure she was gone. That did nothing for my growing irritation at his feelings toward Bo. He then looked at Fay and sighed. "I, I understand what's it like to lose someone."

The sudden shift in tone, or expected, tone, caught me off-guard and all the building irritation toward him bled away.

"Wh-when I was young, barely a cub really, my… my parents were killed. At the time I thought it'd been a Jedi who'd done that as he'd wielded a lightsaber, and I'd been consumed by rage." He clenched his fists, mimicking something I did when my anger threatened to overwhelm me. "I… I'd wanted to find this Jedi, any Jedi, and make them pay for what they'd done. To rip them apart with my claws in the manner my ancestors had done to murderers before we'd joined the Republic." He looked down at his hands, at his claws, and inhaled deeply. "The elders of my clan could see I was consumed by rage, by a need for revenge. They tried to reason with me, but I hadn't even reached double cycles when my parents had been murdered. So, they placed me under the care of the entire clan. I was watched for years by them as they wanted to make sure I'd not do anything rash. They hoped, I think, that I'd move beyond my rage. However, that wasn't the case. Instead, I'd spent those years becoming stronger, faster, and smarter. Learning how to fight from as many Holonet files as I could." His eyes drifted over the trees around us as if he was trying to not focus on anything as he told his story. "Then, barely half a cycle before I reached the Age of the Hunt, when a Cathar is considered an adult and free to choose their destiny, another Jedi, another Human, came to our world."

At this point, he stopped walking or talking, instead choosing to look skyward. I stayed silent, though kept walking beside Fay's hovercart. A few moments later, Simvyl resumed walking and returned to my side. "That Human... he told me that the one who'd come to our world years before had fallen to the Dark Side. Not only that, but that he had killed him." He shook his head as if to clear the memory. "I- I was lost after that. My life for the last five or so cycles had been geared around getting revenge and killing the one who murdered my parents. Yet that honour had been denied me. For a time, while he remained on our world, I considered killing the Jedi who'd robbed me of my kill. The man and his Padawan, a cub not much older than you I think, were kind to me though. They spoke of the dangers of allowing my anger to guide my actions. They spoke of what led the one who'd killed my parents to fall, and how, in the case of the older Jedi, he saw the Fallen Jedi's actions as his fault. He had been the one to train and miss the signs in the Fallen Jedi, and he felt the blood of all those killed by the Fallen Jedi was on his hands."

When he finished, we walked in silence. I was curious about who this Jedi was, and when this all happened, but I knew prodding about it was the wrong choice to make. About a minute or so later, Simvyl got his thoughts in order and looked at me. "Anyway, I just… I wanted you to know I understand the need for revenge. The way it alters your thoughts. While I'm, fine, with how you killed those aliens, I just want you to know I, I understand." I nodded at that even as he made sure to hold my eyes. "That said if you… fall, I won't hesitate to put you down."

I took a few moments to hold his gaze as I considered his words. If I fell, if I gave into the Dark Side, Simvyl wouldn't stand a chance. Yet the fact he was willing to say that was brave. "I hope it doesn't come to that," I began slowly. His story was missing a lot of detail, but just from what had been revealed, it gave me an insight into him, and possibly why he'd joined the Rangers. "What I did to the Vong," I paused and shook my head to prevent that memory from resurfacing, "I went too far, I know that. I'm not saying that if I hadn't lost control, I wouldn't have killed them, just that, I enjoyed it. Far more than I know I should've." I sighed and, mirroring his earlier actions, looked skyward. "I'm certainly not happy with how easily I let the Dark Side in. Not after the things that have happened to me in the past few years." My eyes drifted to the bushes, where I knew instinctively where Bo was. "Those things… I only made it through the last one because of Bo. She risked a lot to find me, save me. I didn't act on it then. I simply wasn't in the right state to do so." I chuckled softly as I looked at Fay. "I'm not sure I am now, in all honesty. But it was the event that I feel, changed how I saw her, and she saw me, and set us on the path we've taken." I stopped talking for a second as images of Bo, and how I'd felt when I saw her in the Bando Gora base came flooding back. The relief, the surprise, was still strong in the memory. "So, yeah, I get your point. And thank you for telling me about your past."

Simvyl held my gaze as we walked beside Fay's hovercart, before nodding. With that, he slowed his pace so he could drift back to the second hovercart and Zarkos. That left me alone in my thoughts, something that – outside of the time at the wreckage – had been my default state since I'd killed the Vong.

My eyes drifted to Fay, as they often did. Her Force presence, while still weak, was stable. The wound to her stomach was healed and the poison coursing through her, while it wasn't doing any new damage, was taking all of her effort to keep it at bay. I had faith that she'd recover, but I hoped that in Middle Distance we'd meet someone who could accelerate her recovery. Zonama Sekot was a world with an incredibly strong tremor in the Force, and unless I missed my guess, the Sekotans used that in their daily life. Including, I suspected, healing.

As much as I feared the conversation, I'd have with her when she woke, I needed Fay back on her feet. Even with Bo and Fenrir here to keep me close to centred and focused, I knew that if Fay died there'd be no place safe on this world, or in this galaxy, for the Vong to hide from my wrath.

… …

… …

In the end, it took a little over two months to reach a point where we could, if we climbed a tree, see the buildings that marked the edge of Middle Distance. While we still had a week or so of trekking to reach that point, we'd still made better time on this trek than the one to the landing area. Of course, the last leg of this trek was going to take longer than I'd like, something punctuated by the sonic boom of a Vong ship, one that appeared to be the same size as the one that'd shot down our transport, raced away from the small city. The only time we'd monitored anything different was when a larger one, easily twice the size of the Ne'tra Sartr, had landed in the settlement. That one, which landed yesterday, had spent the day in Middle Distance before withdrawing that evening.

"All clear."

The words came from Bo as she used her armour to watch as the Vong's vessel withdrew in a south-easterly direction. That would take it, roughly, toward Far Distance suggesting the main occupation force was based there. Since that was the place where the Sekotan starships were designed and seed-partners selected, it made sense it was the main holding of the Vong scout force.

With Bo's notice, we all stood and moved toward the hovercarts. Both were covered in tarps we'd made about a week ago when we'd first heard a sonic boom. While they only hid the hovercarts from visual sight, when coupled with the carts being on low-power settings as we began to map out the Vong patrol schedule, it did help them less likely to be spotted from the air.

"If they stick to their pattern, we should be safe until nightfall."

"True, but until we learn how often they alter their patrol flight schedule, we can't make that assumption." Zarkos countering Simvyl's remark before I could.

While it was unlikely the Vong would alter their flight patterns during a day, they were warriors and, I had to assume, not as predictable or stupid as some of the Republic's judicial forces could be in engagements. When reading over the more recent incidents to happen within the Republic, it'd become obvious that the Judicial Forces, and the Jedi when they'd worked with them, stuck to a strict set of rules that made their behaviour predictable to any with access to said rulebook. As my first drill instructor had said, in combat, becoming predictable to an enemy meant you were signing your death certificate. That had been driven home when, during the early months of the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, local insurgents had mercilessly picked off patrols because the unit COs were textbook planners with no battlefield experience. Of course, that had meant my unit, and our similar units from our allies had been overworked in the early months striking back at those same insurgents.

And yes, the irony that I was now the insurgent was not lost on me, even if I'd rather not focus on it. Though I was thinking about the fact that the moment we engaged and eliminated a ground patrol, we'd likely have Vong special forces – which was a scary concept – on our arses.

Still, we had, at our newly slowed speed, three to five days until we reached Middle Distance. The odds were high we'd run into at least one patrol in that time, which is why Bo and I had begun planning out how we would ambush and remove them. For a time, I'd felt like skirting past the patrols and entering the city to find Gann, Sheekla or another Sekotan we knew for what they knew about the Vong occupying their world. Bo though had rightly pointed out that peace lovers like them, though she called them something far worse than that, wouldn't be thinking about how to resist. Only about how to continue their daily lives while under occupation.

Because of that, I'd agreed that taking out a patrol and, hopefully capturing a Vong alive for interrogation, had more hope of providing useful intel.

Of course, that meant finding a spot in a patrol route to ambush them, taking them down quickly and quietly enough that they couldn't call for backup, and then withdrawing stealthily to a location – which we still had to locate – to conduct the interrogation and autopsy.

After that, infiltrating Middle Distance would be the objective.

… …

… …

[Targets approaching. Wait for my signal.]

I sent the words telepathically to Bo. She couldn't respond as even if I tried to teach her how she was unnerved about speaking into someone's mind and lacked the strength in the Force to even attempt it. However, even with me having an earwig in, I didn't have the tech to speak without my voice travelling on the wind. Thus, I had to communicate the ambush this way.

"Copy." Bo though could reply audibly since her helmet could cut out external signals. Once more I was pissed about having to fight without any armour bar my vambraces and dragonhide cloak and, provided we survived this war of occupation, and I was knighted, I planned to return to Mandalore and get some armour made. Probably not a full set of Mandalorian armour, but enough that I had protection for my more vital areas.

Haran, if the durasteel armour that I'd worn a year ago had survived the destruction of the Ne'tra Sartr, I'd have found a way to wear that. It might've been small for me the last time I saw it, but it'd offer more protection than Jedi robes and Force powers that didn't work directly against the Vong and, I suspected, any of their technology.

Still, as we'd trekked to Middle Distance – which we were still perhaps twenty klicks from – I'd asked Bo if she could upgrade my vambraces. While non-lethal options were, generally, useful, in an insurgency campaign, I'd feel better with a trick or two up my sleeve. Surprise had rippled off Bo when I'd asked – which was confirmed by Observe – though I'd expected that. Altering armour was a very personal thing, and outside of asking an armourer, doing so was only done between people with complete trust in each other. While I wouldn't say Bo and me were at that level, I would trust her with my life; kriff, I already had in a way.

While Bo couldn't do much with the supplies on hand, she'd promised me that as soon as she could, she'd at least see some blasters added to the vambraces. I'd have loved some rockets or a flamethrower, but as the supplies for those were limited, I knew that wouldn't happen. At least for now.

I sent a similar telepathic message to Fenrir, and while he couldn't reply verbally, I sensed his agitation at having to wait. He wasn't happy about waiting but understood, I felt, that we'd be in battle soon enough. Though I'd been saying that for the last two days.

That was when, as we came close to Middle Distance, Simvyl spotted a four-sentient patrol. After that, we'd located a nearby cave to act as a base, and Zarkos and Fenrir had stayed as guards while Bo, Simvyl and I had scouted out the Vong patrol. Or patrols as there was no way they could be coming passed out vantage points so regularly. That was confirmed when Bo was able to gain recordings of nearly two dozen patrols over a day and a half.

From those, we determined that six specific patrols passed in a repeating order. The gap between each was three to three and half hours and they followed the same rough routes every time. Since they'd been occupying the planet for about three and a half months by now and had settled into regular patrol routes, it suggested they'd grown bored of the guard assignment and that the locals weren't causing any problems. This only made Bo's idea about ambushing a patrol for intelligence far more appealing than sneaking directly into the city.

There was a risk in taking them down, though that was mitigated by the time between patrols and their distance from the edge of the city. Plus, there was no regular air cover. Those sorties had stuck to the same cycles for nearly two weeks now, so with all that in mind, and Zarkos having some experience in anatomy and Bo more than willing to interrogate a Vong – I wasn't going to ask questions about how she planned to do that if it got us any actionable intel – we'd set up this ambush.

The wind blew regularly from the direction the patrol came, meaning they'd not be able to detect us that way. I didn't doubt that, after months in the jungles and forests of Zonama Sekot, we all needed a long bath. Yes, we'd stopped at a few smaller lakes and rivers as we'd trekked for fresh water and washing, but those were too likely to be monitored for us to risk staying long, and something told me the longer we took to begin the insurgency, the less chance we had of driving this expeditionary force from the planet before more of their forces arrived.

As the null-zones came closer on the minimap, time seemed to slow. Not just because the Force was accelerating my reaction time, and thus making the world around me feel slower, but because I could feel the building anticipation and excitement within me. I wasn't willing to admit it entirely, but I was looking forward to this. The rage for what the Vong had done to Fay still flowed within me, and while I didn't want to let it overcome me during this engagement, the desire to make these ugly motherfuckers pay for what they did to her was there. As was a need to impress Bo again as I wanted her excited the next time – whenever that would be – that we could enjoy ourselves.

The first of the deformed figures came into view and I prayed the Force would work in masking my scent and sounds from them. It wasn't a directed power like Telekinesis or one that reacted to their contact like Barrier so I had no clue if it would, but since this was a small engagement, it was the safest place to test that theory.

The lead Vong slowed and sniffed the air. My hand tightened around my lightsaber's hilt. Even with the Force to help, I'd still need three or four seconds to close the distance between me and them after my opening move. If they were on edge, the shock and awe of this ambush wouldn't be as effective as I hoped.

The lead Vong muttered something that sounded not much different from Fenrir's growls and kept moving, his eyes scanning the bushes and trees. The others, as they came into view, they too scanned the area. They knew something was up, but not what. Still, I'd planned for this.

My free hand rose slightly, and I felt the two-dozen fist-sized rocks I'd brought with me levitate off the ground. A flick of my wrist sent them cashing out of the bushes around me. The Vong tensed as one spotted the incoming projectiles. That one ducked down while two more dodged enough to only take one or two strikes. The lead Vong was the unlucky one as he took four rocks to his chest, taking him off his feet violently.

Even before the rocks struck, I was moving. The faint howl of my lightsaber echoed the roar of my rage as it rose within me even as I pulled my beskad into my other hand.

The Vong who'd seen the rocks first was my initial target. He brought his snake-staff up. I watched it harden and straighten as he did. Yet I was on him before he was ready. I slipped to the side, my beskad flicking up with Force-boosted strength. The blade struck true, hitting him at his wrist where any armour should be weaker. I was rewarded as the beskar blade slid through, with some difficulty, the limb.

Even as its eyes widened in shock, and the snake-staff fell to the ground with the severed hand still gripping it tightly, my lightsaber flicked around. Whatever armour the Vong were wearing was simple, like that of the easier kills in the first battle. Still, not wanting to chance it, I aimed the tip of my blade for a ridge in the chest piece, where the bottom of his ribcage should be. The blade sunk in easily. I lifted my arm, pulling the plasma of the blade upward and rupturing whatever internal organs the Vong had.

Not wanting to slam into the Vong as I delivered the killing strike, I spun. That moved my blade further and it emerged from the Vong's opposite shoulder. The head and handless arm fell back as the rest of the body slumped to the floor, a burnt black scar marking my lethal attack.

As I ended my pivot and found myself amongst the other Vong, I saw Bo had attacked. The Vong on the ground was being pounded by blaster bolts from Bo. The other two, once they'd regained their balance from the rock strikes, had split their focus. One had turned toward Bo, its staff spitting out globs of poison – not that they'd do any damage to her armour – and was moving toward her while the second Vong turned my way. That was when Fenrir announced himself.

With a worryingly loud roar, the tuk'ata leapt from a bush. As my lightsaber deflected the first attack for the Vong engaging me, he raced over the battlefield, leaping over the headless body near my feet, and slammed into the Vong moving on Bo. I leaned back to avoid the snapping snake head of the Vong I was fighting, a glob of poison catching a few strands of my hair that'd come loose and burnt them off. At the same moment, as the Vong he'd slammed into crumpled to the ground, Fenrir's maw opened, and he clamped down hard on the heel of that Vong.

I knew Fenrir could keep that Vong pinned for a while, but I couldn't be sure for how long. The Vong would have training for countering attacks by beasts, so it was only a matter of time until the Vong gained the upper hand. Those thoughts went through my head even as I slid under a thrust of the Vong's staff, guiding it away from my lightsaber, and slammed my shoulder into his side. Even with the Force boosting my abilities, I felt my teeth rattle even as I pivoted. My beskad came around, slicing the Vong across the chest and expelling black ichor over the blade.

As the Vong stumbled back, I rolled my shoulders, moving around my blades. My lightsaber pushed up, driving the snake-staff into the air as I rolled my other wrist. My beskad came back around, digging in deep at the Vong's armpits. I felt the strength of his grip slip meaning I'd caught the muscle, even as the beskad continued its slash. The blade travelled over the Vong's upper chest, aiming for his neck. However, the Vong was just fast enough as he pulled his head back enough that only the very tip of my blade drew blood. The wound was too shallow to do any damage, but as it stumbled back, I saw rage and disbelief in the Vong's eyes.

With its balance off, and the snake-staff up in the air from my lightsaber pushing it there to create the opening for my beskad, I saw my chance to end this duel. My lightsaber swept around, using the open air to my side, with me aiming for the Vong's neck. Yet before I could land the killing blow, I felt something wrap around my ankle, followed by a faint hiss.

A glance down confirmed the snake-staff of the first Vong I'd killed had wrapped itself around my ankle. Its head reared back, likely planning to inject me with the same venom Fay was combating. Not wanting that to happen, I altered my balance. My lightsaber missed the Vong as I lifted the leg the snake-staff was around, then landed a kick to the Vong's side. The blow forced it back further even as the snake-staff became groggy from slamming into the Vong. I kept rotating until I'd completed a full circle, brought my foot down and slashed at the snake-staff. It hissed as the blade slid along its armoured hide, and while the blow didn't wound it, it was enough to force the thing to release its grip.

Seeing a chance, I drove my beskad down, taking pleasure as the metal blade did what the energy one couldn't and broke through the armour and sunk into the snake's skull. The beskad hit the ground, yet when I tried to remove the blade by standing on the dead snake-staff, it wouldn't slide free, instead lifting the dead organic weapon with it.

Before I could think of a way to free my beskad, the Vong rushed in, having recovered from me driving it back. Its staff was thrusting forward, aiming for my side. Not wanting to deflect the blow with my lightsaber and risk the staff shifting and coiling around my remaining weapon, I shifted plans.

The moment my hand slipped from the beskad's hilt, twisted, foul red energy surged from my fingertips. It slammed into the Vong and its weapon, stopping the attack in its steps. However, unlike the previous battle, the Force Lightning attack, apart from being a different colour, didn't drive the Vong back or lift it from its feet.

Putting aside the questions of why that was, I kept the energy flowing as even if it wasn't as dangerous as the black variant, red lightning worked. Given how fucked up the faces of the Vong looked, it was impossible to tell if the Vong was in pain, but the opened mouth and wide eyes that hinted at pain satisfied me.

A smile came to my face as the energy contorted over the Vong's body, slowing its movement. My lightsaber surged forward. The lightning stopped a split second before the blade struck the Vong, giving the alien no time to counter. A deep, brunt gash appeared on one thigh and then another on its side as I pulled back my blade. Before it could respond fresh, corrupted energy slammed into its chest. The tendrils of Dark Side-infused chaos sought out the fresh wounds, making black ichor seep from them.

The snake-staff reared back, opening its mouth to unleash its venom. Before it could, I ended the torrent of lightning slamming into its master and redirected the energy to the open maw. The snake-staff twitched as I delighted in seeing smoke rise from the still-open maw. Yet before I could enjoy the thing's death, the Vong pulled the staff back.

Its free arm came flying, a fist bound for my face. I shifted one foot, watching as the hand, and the spikes on the outer part of the hand, ones that reminded me of a knuckle duster, missed my face by inches. At the same time, my lightsaber moved, finding the weak spot under the Vong's arm. A moment later, the arm began to fall; its momentum no longer countered by the body it was formerly attached to.

A small glob of venom splatted harmlessly against my vambrace. The beskar easily ignored any corrosive elements to the snake-staff's shot. Before it or its master could attack again, my lightsaber slapped the staff on the side of its head as my free hand surged forward. As I felt the wound on the Vong's neck under my grip, I called forth my rage.

Red light danced in the gap between my fingers as the Vong's eyes widened. It slapped away my arm, and then stumbled back and fell to a knee. Its throat, decidedly harder feeling than I'd expect from the Vong's skin, was charred black; residual flickers of red energy stood out as they died on the wound.

It knew it was about to die, I could see that in its eyes, yet still it attacked. I could respect that, even as I leaned to avoid a wild thrust from the still-smoking snake-staff. At the same time, my lightsaber jabbed forward. The tip clipped the Vong's chest, then as it rushed me, slid up his chest until it reached the neck. The fresh wound did nothing to stop my weapon and the energy blade sunk into, and then through, the Vong's neck.

In one last desperate attack, it slammed its staff-wielding arm into my side. I was knocked away even as the Vong slumped over, the last embers of life draining from its eyes.

I hit the ground and rolled, not wanting to allow another Vong an opportunity while I was down. As I finished in a kneeling position, my lightsaber already up to defend, a burst of pain echoed in the Force. It was followed a second later by the sight of Fenrir being thrown across the battlefield; slamming spikes-first into the falling body of the Vong I'd just killed.

The rage within, rippling just beneath the surface flared. As I stood, Force Lightning danced between the fingers of my free hand before racing to strike the Vong. The Vong was knocked back, struggling to keep his balance.

I surged forward, wanting to kill this Vong. I heard Fenrir right himself and snarl behind me. My lightning darkened, shifting from a bright, blood red to a darker burgundy. The Vong set his feet and used his staff to take the incoming torrent of Dark Side-infused energy. The snake-staff hissed out in pain, which only heightened my need to hurt it and its master.

A black blur raced past me, sliding under the torrent of malignant power I was throwing at the Vong. I felt Fenrir's delight as his teeth sunk into the ankle of the Vong. The Vong lost its balance and, not wanting to wound my beast, I cut the Force Lightning. Fenrir's jaw yanked back; black ichor sent flying as he ripped the foot of the Vong from the leg. The snake-staff was sent flying as the Vong fell back. To help it on its way, I lifted several of the rocks from my opening assault and hurled them as violently as I could. Most missed but one entered the mouth, making a sickening squelch that made my blood sing as it travelled down the snake-staff's gullet.

Fenrir pounced, his mouth now free, and clamped his jaw around the Vong's neck. A wet crunch soon followed, and I felt Fenrir's satisfaction at his kill.

Another grunt of pain rippled in the Force, though this one lacked the intensity of Fenrir's. Knowing it had come from Bo, I turned to see her engaged in close-quarters combat against the remaining Vong. The one she'd peppered with blaster bolts that I'd knocked down with my initial rock onslaught.

Bo had lost her beskad, though intentionally as I saw it in a tree; the snake-staff of the Vong she was fighting was pinned there. Black blood flowed down the scorched tree – a sign Bo had used her flamethrower – as the last embers of life trickled from it. Bo dodged a nasty-looking hook, only to take a gut shot. The Vong followed it up with a haymaker that caught Bo under her chin.

She was sent back, only avoiding tumbling thanks to a quick burst from her jetpack, which was also used to generate some distance. It was hard to get a read on Bo's injuries, but I made out discolouration all over the Vong's chest and upper arms, meaning Bo's blows were landing and doing damage. Still, I felt my fury bubble through the block I'd placed on it. I knew Bo could handle herself in a fight, but she was mine and no one touched what was mine!

As the Vong rushed her, I flung my free hand toward it. Force Lightning, bending to my demands, surged forth. The core of those tendrils of power had darkened considerably, and as they struck the Vong, it was lifted from the ground slightly. It wasn't as impressive as during the first battle but it was enough that when its feet returned to the ground, it took a step back to try and stabilize its balance. That failed though when said foot caught an unearthed root and stumbled into a tree.

Bo was on it like Fenrir attacking a rare bantha steak. I could feel her rage as her fists slammed into the sides of the Vong before it could raise any blocks. Its head snapped back as Bo landed a vicious hook. Another blow rocked the Vong again before one of her hands closed around the throat of the Vong.

Her other hand slid to her side. "BO! Do…" The words died on my tongue as Bo pulled a small vibroblade knife from her belt and slammed it into the eye of the Vong, killing it instantly as the blade sunk into the brain. "Fuck!" The curse spilt from my mouth as, with the rage inside returning to its container, I realised that while the ambush had been a success, as had most of the strategies we'd employed, we'd failed to take a Vong alive for questioning. While there was still one snake-staff nearby that was alive – remembering about it I picked up a large rock and slammed it down on the thing's tail, trapping it in place until we were ready to withdraw – it wasn't the same as having a sentient being for intel extraction.

As Bo pulled her blade from the Vong's skull, and the twitching body slumped to the ground, I shook my head. Not quite a five-by-five operation, but one that, given the lack of intel we'd had going in about the Vong's abilities when I wasn't blitzing them while in a Dark Side rage, overall, it was a successful mission. Still, we'd have to remove one of the bodies, likely the one Bo had just killed as it was the only one still with all its limbs. That was going to be a pain as the Vong were immune to the Force and I'd rather not leave drag marks the next patrol could follow back to our base of operations.

Also, while we'd won this battle, it'd been harder than I'd have liked with me drawing on the Dark Side a little too readily. These were, in my mind at least, simple Vong foot soldiers yet had proved a harder challenge than anything but the Death Watch leaders I'd fought when I'd unintentionally saved the public persona of Darth Plagueis. There was no way their entire occupation force was composed of them and at some point, we'd come up against far more skilled combatants. A thought that oddly enough excited me more than it discouraged me.

… …

… …

The sound of footsteps from within the cave drew my attention from the ration pack I was chewing on. While they were better than the MREs from Earth, that wasn't the highest bar to clear. From deeper in the cave where we'd set up our base, emerged Zarkos and Bo. The Togrutan looked a little light in his cheeks while Bo seemed fine, a slight spike in desire radiating from her as our eyes met.

"So, what did you learn?"

Zarkos glanced at Bo before speaking. "Ignoring the fact that we used a vibroknife and armour lights to conduct an autopsy, I'd say we learnt a fair amount." I passed a canteen of water to him, which he happily gulped down before continuing. "For starters, we already knew the Vong were stronger than most sentients, faster too. That was confirmed due to the density and complexity of their muscles, which we only got to after having to fight to cut their skin. If the Vong you brought back is, as we suspect, a simple soldier, then the fighting is going to get a lot harder. There are… grafts over critical locations of external flesh that adds protection. I can only assume that altering a body is a part of the warrior's culture and that, if they kept doing this the longer that they're in their species' military, the number of improvements would increase."

"So senior Vong will be better protected, got it." That added some weight to my theory, but without dissecting a squad leader – or whatever they called a small unit commander – we couldn't confirm it.

"Yes, but that's understating the matter. Their skin, even where it hasn't been altered, can resist a grazing cut from most weapons. Like Trandoshans." I bit my tongue to avoid growling at the reference as I didn't need another reason to hate the Vong after what they'd done to Fay. "And then there's their internal biology. Their heart is more centralised than a Human's and encased in bone, while the other critical organs either have backups, are larger than a Human's, are partially protected by bones, or a combination of all three. Even if a normal vibroblade was able to pierce their skin, it'd struggle to take out a major organ with a single thrust; and that's if it could get through the bone structure."

"Good thing we don't use vibroblades as a first choice." Bo's words were likely meant to reassure but they didn't work. While she and I had weaponry that could break the Vong's skin or implanted armour, and Fenrir's bite had enough strength to do so, the Rangers didn't have anything that could do them much damage easily. That'd mean altering some basic tactics I'd been developing ever since the ambush.

Bo sat down beside me and picked up a ration pack I'd preheated for her. While we'd found some local fauna and flora we could eat, mainly near freshwater sources, I'd avoided killing too many at a time. It had felt as if the Force, acting through the planet, had guided us and I didn't want to disrupt the almost harmonic balance that existed on this world.

"Yes, but even then, we can't engage them in single combat. Well, outside of Cameron." Zarkos offered as he closed the canteen and moved toward the supplies on the second hovercart. Fay's hovercart was off to one side, behind a small rock outcropping. In the event the Vong found our base camp, it'd provide her with some protection while we fought off any attackers. "To engage the Vong we'll have to stick to counter-tactics; perhaps the use of mines or explosive traps."

"That should work, but we've got a limited supply of anything that might kill a Vong." Outside of Bo's rockets, we only had about a dozen thermal detonators and three spare blasters that'd come from the Longstrider. Well, that was if I didn't add the weaponry in my Inventory to the pile which was an issue that I'd been debating for over a month.

The Rangers would likely not question it if I passed it off as a Force ability I had, but Bo would. I'd already drawn from the Inventory twice in the last few months – against the taozin and during my rage-fuelled rampage at the start of this war – and while she hadn't brought the matter up with me, I did suspect she was curious. Something further hinted at by the sidelong glance she gave me as she chewed on her rations.

"What about their weapon?" I asked, changing the subject. Thanks to Observe, I knew it was called an amphistaff, but I had to be careful to not let that name slip as I'd done with the Vong's. That was another little thing that Bo had caught on to. If not for the fact we were at war, I felt she'd have pulled me aside and interrogated me about these moments.

"Shabyr wrong."

"That… is something." Zarkos paused, ignoring Bo's comment, almost as if he was considering his words. "It's alive, that's undeniable. The venom they excrete is highly dangerous," at that I glanced over at Fay as she rested on the hovercart, "and capable of damaging durasteel for a slightly corrosive effect it holds. The skin, well armour, it's covered in can harden with, I think, an internal elector-chemical signal and can resist glancing strikes from lightsabers and beskar; though a direct strike with the point of a blade of either can and will pierce the skin."

"Then get stuck," Bo added since that'd happened to both our beskads during the ambush. Which was a problem as the amphistaffs needed to be killed along with the Vong for the battle to end.

"What about the poison?" Zarkos' face slipped.

"I'm sorry, but without dedicated equipment, there's little I can tell you that we don't already know because of its effect on Master Fay." I nodded in understanding. I hadn't expected that they'd learnt anything useful, but I had to ask. Bo's hand came to rest on my forearm. I turned and smiled at her, finding some solace in her eyes.

"Where's Simvyl?"

"He's out with Fenrir on patrol and, I think, checking the traps." Zarkos looked toward the cave entrance.

When Bo, Fenrir, and I had returned to the cave, with the Vong body carried on branches I was moving with the Force and the snake staff held firmly in Bo's armoured hand, we'd discovered the Rangers had been busy. I hadn't planned on the cave being our base of operations for anything more than a short time, but the Rangers had decided otherwise. Motion and heat sensors had been dotted all around the entrance, along with, inside that perimeter, a few dozen simple hunting traps. They likely couldn't take out a Vong, but they'd at least slow them down. Plus, as they were made from elements in the forest, there was nothing to hint we weren't anything but locals hiding out from the occupation.

"When do we strike next?"

I looked at Bo, seeing the hunger for battle in her eyes. I knew she wanted to strike again, try and catch the Vong off-balance, but that wouldn't work. We were facing an occupying force that, unless I missed my guess, wasn't based primarily near Middle Distance.

"Not now. We need intel from inside the city. Provided that is actionable, and the Vong aren't, as I suspect, holding the city in a tight grip, we can begin to plan out our next move. They'll undoubtedly change their patrols: the frequency, routes, and size. We'll need to adapt to that and refine our tactics."

Bo rolled her eyes. "I know the doctrine. I've been learning it longer than you," I doubted that as I had another life to draw on but didn't comment as such, "I'm just… eager to get back in the fight."

I lifted my free hand and placed it on the one still resting on my forearm. "I know." That brought a smile to her face. "Once we're ready, we'll strike out again. Harder this time. It'll take work, but I'm not leaving this planet until they run away, or all lie dead at my feet."

Lust pulsed from Bo as her eyes locked on mine. "Now you're talking." For a moment, I thought she was going to start something, but she didn't. Possibly because Zarkos – conveniently or not depending on how I wanted to see it – chose that moment to cough gently.

Part of me wanted to throw him out of the cave, to see if Bo would take things further. However, the logical, less primal side of me won out and I returned to my rations.

Though if he left soon, I was going to see just how far Bo wanted to take things this time.

… …

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

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

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Jan 16, 2023

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

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

Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo

The Living Planet 3
… …

"After they destroyed all our flyers and transports, the aliens withdrew to the base they'd made on the southern outskirts of our settlement."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Why do you think they are here?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I thought the Jedi sought out peaceful solutions."

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

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

"And if we don't support you?" Gann asked after nearly a minute of silence.

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

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

"Six neverde inbound in three." Bo's voice drifted through the commlink.

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

"What if we can't meet you tomorrow night?"

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…

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

"What?"

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

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

"Why?"

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

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

"I can guess."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hammer, set."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"But…"

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

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

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

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

"Burn motherfuckers!"

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How'd you manage it?" He asked after nearly ten minutes of silence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You're not what I expected from a Jedi," he finally muttered. I laughed at that.

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WARNING!
Mind manipulation field detected!
...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How so?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yet I was the one in control, not it.

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Couldn't you do as you did in Tantajoc?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Parjai ra kyr'am."

"Victory or death." I returned the affirmation in Basic. "And I plan to make sure it's theirs."

… …

… …

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

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

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Feb 16, 2023

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

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

Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo

The Living Planet 4
...

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

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

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

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

"By the… the trees! They're not trees!"

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

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

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

"Master Fay would've loved to have seen that," I said, my eyes still on my master.

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

"And here it is." I barely heard Vidge's words as I reached the edge of the platform and gasped.

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

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

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

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

"What's wrong?" I asked, not taking my eyes from the wondrous vessel.

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

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

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

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

"Cam?"

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

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

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

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

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

"How do I help her?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Never. I'll never let that happen." I shot back with conviction.

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I understand you're angry ab…"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

"I believe they know we're here."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Why are you here?"

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

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

"You speak for the invaders and wish to surrender?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You question our honour?"

I smirked up at the lead Vong. "I question its existence."

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

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

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

"Explain."

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

"Cameron!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

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

…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"And the other guy?" She asked once she'd gotten her laughter under control.

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… ..

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

LEVEL UP!
Level: 27 -> 28
FP: +650
PerkP: +1
PP: +2
STAM: + 44
SP: +4
SKP: +40
...

I smirked as I read the notices from the Interface the night after returning to my ship. Gann had just arrived to tell me the Vong had left the planet, and that the Sekotan engineers were having a party to celebrate. I'd said I'd be down later, having wanted to head somewhere to confirm this with these notices.

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

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

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

Available Perks:
Bookworm
Boosted Growth Mark 2
Brainiac Mark 1
Cat's Grace Mark 1
Cult of Personality Mark 1
Dominant Mark 1
Giant's Strength Mark 1
Iron Skin Mark 1
Luck of the Force Mark 1
Medic Mark 1
One with Beasts
One With Nature
Physical Regeneration Mark 1
Stat Limit Boost Mark 1
Style Mark 1
Wisdom of the Ancients Mark 1
...

I smiled at the list even if it was all but the same as the last time. That meant most perks were ignored or pushed aside for lack of usefulness. Of those I considered, Boosted Growth Mark 2, One with Beasts, Physical Regeneration Mark 1 and Stat Limit Boost Mark 1 made the most sense.

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

… …

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

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

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

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

"Simvyl's banging at the door."

"Shab'pir," she groaned out before her head returned to my chest.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'The Vong…'

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

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

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

…

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

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

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

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

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

"We have to fight!" "Cam!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

… …

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

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USSExplorer

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May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Feb 17, 2023

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

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

USSExplorer · Mar 16, 2023

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

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

Additionally, all things being equal, then when the next chapter drops, I will have, after 19 years in China, returned home to Scotland!

Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo

The Living Planet 5
… …

As the stars broke into the undulating shades of hyperspace, my eyes scanned the controls and displays of the ship. While nothing was indicating an issue, this was her first time jumping to hyperspace, and apart from the low fuel levels, I was concerned about how the ship would handle the strain of doing so. Yet, she was showing no signs of difficulty. Hell, I could sense some faint enjoyment from her as we eclipsed the speed of light.

"Why did we run?!" Simvyl snarled behind me, his fury easy to hear in his tone. "We should've stayed and killed them all!"

"Apart from that not being the Jedi way, you heard Cameron's words as well as mine." Fay's response made me glad I was focusing on the controls, otherwise my master would likely see me roll my eyes at her words. "The planet, which has some form of sentience that resonates within the Force, wanted us to leave. I trust Cameron on this matter, as should you, Ranger."

While I was glad for the faith Fay had in me, especially after the issues that had arisen before the Vong had withdrawn from Zonama Sekot, her way of phrasing things was going to do little to calm the enraged Cathar. Nor Bo who, while she'd not said anything since we'd jumped, was a burning ball of fury behind me. Either she understood that I needed to focus on the controls of our new craft, or she simply felt shouting wouldn't change the decision I'd made. That said, I knew she'd have words for me since I'd promised her early in the conflict that I'd not leave the planet until all the Vong were dead or they'd withdrawn. Technically, they'd done the latter, but it was a razor-thin line to draw and not one I liked either.

Ripples in the Force drew my full attention back to the controls, and the faint bond I seemed to share with this amazing ship. She felt as if she was singing within the Force as the stars raced past, distorted by the effects of hyperspace, and the hull reacted to the peculiar energies of a hyperspace vortex. While it would be easy to get lost in those sensations, my focus was mainly on the more mechanical nature of the flight.

"We need to turn around and fight!" Simvyl snapped back behind me.

The Ne'tra Sartr, before her destruction, had held a class 1.5 hyperdrive, which was faster than most starships which used class 2 or 3 hyperdrives. This Sekotan vessel though, if I was reading the displays correctly – which was likely but there might be some variance since the ship and half her technology were new to me – was moving with an apparent 0.8 class hyperdrive. That meant, if accurate, this little, beautiful ship was one of the fastest in the galaxy.

"The Force has chosen our path; we must stay on it."

As the argument continued to boil around me, I felt the ship shift. She was pushing herself to go faster, almost as if testing her limits. I reached out through the Force and centred a calming sensation on the walls around me. While I understood her desire and agreed with it, now wasn't the time to push too hard. Yet as I did so, I felt her despairing to get us further from her birthplace, as if she sensed some oncoming doom and was racing against the dying of the light to escape it. The display tracking our hyperspace velocity shifted, and we increased to a 0.7 rating.

While that would normally excite me, with my mind open to the ship, and the Force in general, I could sense a shift coming. Something big and dangerous, yet not threatening, was coming. I glanced at Fay, wondering if she felt it too, but her focus was on Simvyl. If the sensation kept growing, I'd have to draw her attention to it.

As I concentrated on the ship, from the deepest corner of the Force connection, I heard a voice.

[Goodbye and thank you.]

Before I could think about what that meant, the ship shuddered. My fingers flew over the controls as power was suddenly cut to the hyperdrive. Instead of the normal, controlled exit from hyperspace that one would expect, we were flung violently into real space.

Even as I heard someone crash into something behind me, and as my fingers danced over flickering controls, I felt a tremor in the Force. Pain exploded in my skull, and my head fell forward, my hands leaving the consoles. It felt as if someone was spearing my very soul within the Force. My fingers dug into my skull, frantically trying to push against a pain they could never hope to grasp even as terror blossomed from deep within me as I felt the ship slowly drift away from our bond.

Two hands touched me. The one on my shoulder was soft, offering a calming beacon to grasp onto in the chaos I was experiencing. The other pressed against my back forcefully. While it didn't offer the same metaphysical support, just knowing it was Bo granted me some strength.

"Cameron?" I heard Fay say my name, but it was faint. As if she was on the far side of a chamber. Yet even then, I could hear the pain and concern in her voice. Drawing strength from her and Bo, I slowly pushed back the growing panic and pulled back from the bond I shared with the ship.

With a series of blinks, I opened my eyes, taking in the various warning lights flashing around the cockpit as the power flickered intermittently around us. I swore I saw strange random patterns of lights under sections of the organic hull, yet my focus quickly settled on Fay. While she was trying to offer me support, I could see the tensing of her muscles, meaning she was also experiencing the same chaos in the Force that I was. Though likely to a lesser degree.

"She's dying," I whispered, barely able to put the realisation into words. As the fear built in me at the idea this marvellous, newly formed being was about to die, I considered engaging Player's Mind. The ability to think clearly and logically in the situation would be a help, yet I decided not to. The faint, flicking thread of power from the ship within the Force called me to in a way that, if I cut off my emotions, I felt I'd miss something important. As Bo's hand pushed against my back, offering what support she could, I looked around the cockpit, desperate for a thread of hope.

Simvyl was drifting away from one of the secondary seats, blood staining his fur near the elbow where he'd crashed into a display while Fenrir was clawing at the air, trying to return to the ground, his ears back. Thankfully his tail wasn't flicking fully, as only the tip was snapping back and forth. If the full thing moved as I felt he wanted, then he'd smack all of us and possibly add to the chaos. Fay was keeping herself down by using the hand not on my shoulder to grip her seat while Bo was likely using the magnetic clamps in her armour to stay rooted to the deck.

"How?" Bo asked from over my shoulder. I didn't need to look back to feel her concern. While most of it was directed at me, hearing the ship we were on, and had just dropped out of hyperspace randomly with, was dying wasn't something anyone wanted to hear. Though at least, according to the sensors, we'd come out on the very edge of a system with a red giant instead of in the emptiness between stars.

"Sekot," I replied quietly as I began to understand just who had whispered goodbye to me through the Force. "The planet… it's gone." I added as I realised the connection the ship had held to its birthplace was empty. Yet even suspecting that the planet wasn't destroyed as there was no void in the Force from it suddenly being removed, it was still gone. Which made zero sense. Though the more pertinent issue was that it seemed that without that faint connection to the planet, this amazing vessel was rapidly dying.

"Shab!" Bo's curse summed things up nicely, though her easy acceptance of what I'd just said granted me a small boost to my resolve. Bo disliked the more metaphysical side of the Force – she wasn't a big fan of any of it if I was honest, though that was because she generally disliked when I used it on her – so for her to trust me so easily in this was encouraging. It granted me fresh impetus to find a way to solve this. To save us, and the ship.

Glad a safety belt had activated to secure me into my seat when the connection to Sekot had been lost – though I did wonder why that hadn't happened for Fay – I pressed my palms against an organic section of the controls. Closing my eyes, I reached out into the Force, searching for the weak bond I held to the ship. Panic and terror rippled around me, making it easy to find the link. I felt my palms press harder against the flesh of the ship as I reached down the bond and was assaulted by the confusion of a child's consciousness.

I tried to soothe her thoughts, such as they were, but she either failed to understand what I was trying to do or was so lost in her dread that she failed to realise I was here to help.

"No." The words slipped from my lips as I pushed further into the bond I shared with the ship, forcing the young, terrified alien mind to register my presence. Images of her home, her birthplace flashed through my thoughts, until, as she felt me there, they turned to how she'd first felt my approach. The first time her sensors had detected me approaching. "You're not dying today." I could feel her reaching out for help, and I wanted to, yet I felt as if something was blocking me from making the connection that she, that we, wanted. "Yes, I accept," I muttered, hoping the issue was with the Interface.

I grunted as whatever was blocking my connection to the ship vanished. The ship reached out for me through the Force, latching onto my signature as if gripping my soul as a lifeline.

"Cam?"

"Cameron! No!"

I heard the voices of Bo and Fay, though they were distant. My focus was on the vessel, on the enlarged, empowered connection I now shared with the starship. In my head, could feel her; young, nervous, scared, yet relaxing and growing hopeful at our closeness. "I'm here. I'm not leaving you."

The presence that reached back was alien, yet within that, I felt glimmers of Sekot, of myself, and of Fay. The ships' consciousness, just as Sekotans had said, was a merging of all of us. The ship shook around us and I grimaced as the imprints of all the ship's aspects shifted. The parts that reminded me of Fay and Sekot slipped back as if the ship no longer found them important. Replacing them, in the ship's perception, was myself as I felt the part of me that was the ship grow more prominent, more powerful. That power flowed around me, both in the Force and in the ship, as the vessel grew more confident, more sure of herself. I couldn't help but smirk at the incredible thing I was witnessing through the Force.

[I am here.]

My eyes snapped open at the young, feminine voice I heard in my head. "Cameron?" I turned my head slowly, feeling the world wasn't quite in sync, to see Fay looking at me from the co-pilot's seat. One hand was still resting on my shoulder while the other was resting against part of the organic hull. "What have you done?"

There was no accusation in her tone, though she was curious and confused about what had just happened. As I was. "I, I don't know," I replied slowly, taking a few seconds to try and put my thoughts in order. I blinked and gently shook my head, trying to re-focus on the world around me. "Th-the ship?"

A small smile crept onto Fay's face. "She is well, though I sense my connection to her has diminished." The smile fell. "Though I suspect yours has grown stronger."

After glancing behind me, to see Bo standing over my chair, her hand still resting against my side. Fenrir was slowly settling down while Simvyl, resting in one of the other seats, looked beyond confused about what was going on.

Blinking from the console drew my attention there. Lights danced over them in a pattern that now felt understandable. I'd known before that the vessel was using them to communicate in a form, but now it was as if I had the key to understanding what the lights meant. Or at least determine the meaning they were conveying. She was scared her creator, her birthplace, was gone, yet she was happy that she'd not only survived what had happened but grown ever closer to me.

It was then I saw that the blue light I had thought was coming from her was actually a notice from the Interface. I opened it, expecting to see I'd formed some form of bond with the ship, but what I read was more than I'd expected.

Elemental Force Bond Formed
You have formed a very strong bond in the Force with a semi-sentient starship.
This bond is something only a handful of beings will ever truly experience, and can, with time, effort, and patience, grow stronger and more complex.
However, generating a bond of this form places a permanent drain on your overall Force Power.
...
Bond Cost: 10% of overall Force Power.
...

"Oh, wow," I mumbled as I processed what the Interface was saying.

I'd been right when I'd tried to help the ship about the Interface blocking the connection, and while I didn't regret it – since the alternative would've been a slow death in space – the cost of this new bond was high. 1820FP was now all but lost, and that number would increase as I levelled up, though given my connection was helping to sustain a kriffing starship, I couldn't say the cost didn't make sense.

Now, while it was a large chuck of FP to lose access to, many of the Force Powers I used regularly were maxed. That meant their costs were a tenth of their initial value, and even taking into account using every power I liked to engage for combat, I'd still be just under my regen rate. Though if a battle dragged on and I was forced to use other powers, such as TK or Lightning, then things might get dicey.

"Do you understand what you've done?" I looked back at Fay. While her words could be interpreted as a challenge, there was nothing in her tone or face to suggest she was anything more than curious about what had happened. Or at least, that she was reserving judgement until I explained myself.

"I saved us," I replied, which was true. Though I knew that wasn't going to be enough for her. "The ship was dying, Master. Sekot… the planet's gone somehow. Not destroyed, that I'm sure of, but gone. Though I don't know how I know."

The part of me that had come from my former life wanted to cringe at the whole bunch of nothing I'd said, and I could see Simvyl blink in confusion. Yet, with nearly eight years of learning to understand the Force, what I'd said did make some sense.

"Without the ship, we'd have died here, Force-knows where. Oh!" I gasped as, through the strengthened bond I now had, the ship provided me with details. Sensor readings, aligned with star charts in her memory combined to let me know we were in an isolated system a handful of lightyears from where Zonama Sekot had been. "Ok, now I know where we are," I added with a smirk, finding the flood of information odd but helpful.

"Padawan?"

I blinked, and after limiting the flow of information coming from the ship, focused again on Fay. That was the first time in ages she'd used my rank, though there didn't seem to be any hint of why she'd done so. "The ship knows where we are, Master, and she just let me know that. It'll take time to plot a jump, but we're not lost. Just… displaced."

"What in the hell?" I couldn't help but chuckle at Simvyl's comment even as I saw the fur on his face seemingly stand up and bristle. It was clear he had no idea what was going on, though, unlike Bo, wasn't willing to remain quiet until I was ready to explain in layman's terms what had occurred.

"How exactly did you save the ship, Cameron?"

"With the Force, Master." I couldn't help but smirk as I replied, which grew into a smile as Fay rolled her eyes. "She was dying. I had to save her. Save us."

Fay sighed and shook her head, though no anger or disappointment was coming from her. Just a sense of almost resigned weariness, and perhaps, some joy as well. "So, like with Fenrir here, you acted without thinking and formed a Force bond with a semi-sentient starship?" I shrugged in reply.

"Ow!" I called out as something smacked the back of my head. I looked around at Bo as her hand started playing around with my hair.

"Gar mirsh solus," she said with a chuckle even as I tried to push her hand from my hair.

"While we are all grateful for your actions," Fay began, having seemingly taken the momentary distraction provided by Bo to collect her thoughts, "I'm… concerned by your growing tendency to act before thinking. While a Jedi should trust the Force to guide them, and I feel that is the case here, there are worrying signs about how you approach these moments. You seem willing to risk everything, to forget much of your teachings, in your desire to do what feels like the right path; especially when it involves helping others." She shook her head and glanced out the viewport. "it is a trend that I fear, if not tempered soon, may endanger you far more than it currently has."

I wanted to say something in response but held my tongue as I felt the ship in the Force. Fay closed her eyes as I noticed her hand was still resting against an organic section of the cockpit.

A small smile came to her face when she opened her eyes. "Though, in this case, it seems the ship is extremely pleased with your choice." A light laugh, a sound I'd not heard since we'd bonded with the seed-partners at the beginning of the year, echoed around the cockpit. "What is done is done. While we will speak more on this matter, and on your tendency to risk everything on guidance from the Force, now is not the time for it. Since you know where we are, it behoves us to plot a jump to the nearest habitable planet. The ship will need to rest and refuel before we return to the Temple."

"Yes, Master."

As I turned back to the controls, I felt the ship's desire to fly between the stars once more. We were too distant from this system's star for her to enjoy the radiation it emitted, and while she was curious about what it would feel like, her greater desire was to do what she was designed for and dance through the heavens.

"Once we're refuelled, if you wish, we can return to Zonama Sekot and determine the fate of the planet," Fay said, speaking to Simvyl and Bo. "That said, if the Vong remain, we won't engage, and will instead withdraw and summon support from the Jedi and the Republic."

"Fine." Bo didn't sound happy about this but seemed willing to accept the plan. That said I still expected her to raise a fuss once we were alone later. Simvyl grunted, clearly seeing he was outvoted, and since a Ranger followed the will of the Jedi, he shouldn't challenge the decision too heavily anyway. That said, I suspected he'd use the time to refuel to gather his thoughts and try to develop arguments for why we, in an unarmed ship, should engage the Vong fleet if they remained in-system.

I, however, knew that we would not find Sekot. Through both my connection to the ship, and my own perceptions through the Force, it was a doubly instinctive understanding. By the same token, I also understood that somehow it was still present in the Force, though far more distant than it had been. Almost as if it was lost somewhere beyond the stars.

… …

… …

Just over a week later, I was sitting in the cockpit of the ship – as I had been most of my waking hours since we'd launched from Zonama Sekot, checking over the controls. We'd just lifted off from Sernpidal after taking time to refuel and check the ship while Fay had contacted the High Council.

She'd reported briefly on the events of our mission, though held off on full details for an in-person report, which made perfect sense. While we had received the ship as planned, not much else had gone as intended. Not least that, after a quick refuel at a mining colony, we'd returned to the Sekot system and found, well… nothing.

I'd already expected to not find the planet there when we'd returned – the sense of it being close in the Force was gone, replaced by a distant echo – expecting it and seeing it with my eyes were two entirely different things. The area where it had been when we'd jumped away was awash with exotic energy signatures as one would expect from a ship entering hyperspace. However, these were on a magnitude that was hard to comprehend even when I knew it was the planet that had somehow jumped.

The Vong had still been present when we'd arrived in the system's Oort cloud which had limited us to passive scanning, but by the second day, they had left. I'd had the ship plot possible routes the Vong were taking, but they weren't heading toward any known habitable system. Instead, they'd jumped toward the Galactic Rim.

With time to think about it, along with the others, we'd come to two conclusions. Either they'd jumped that way to head back to their main fleet, or they were travelling that way to make it harder for others to follow them. Bo had wondered if they might be planning to leave the galaxy, but Fay had shot that down by saying no ship could travel the vast distances between this galaxy and any nearby one of comparable size. Now, the galaxy had seven dwarf galaxies as companions, but those – like Rishi which was near where Kamino was – were close enough that hyperspace travel was possible with effort. There was nothing of the sort on a galactic north from the Core.

Once the Vong had left, we'd moved in closer and carried out active scans. Those confirmed, even if I still had problems understanding how Sekot had jumped away. Where the planet had gone, or even if anyone on it had survived, was unknown. As was where it had gone. However, both Fay and I could faintly sense it at the very edge of the Force, though it was growing harder to do so as time passed.

Blinking lights on the consoles, along with an urge from the ship to get moving – she was a remarkably impatient being, just like a few younglings I knew – brought my focus back to the cockpit. My fingers danced over the controls, marvelling at how the ship seemed to know what I planned to do even before I brushed against the relevant buttons to panels. With the improved connection we had, the ship felt like an extension of me, and while there'd been a slight improvement in our hyperdrive rating to 0.6, I felt there was still more I could do to improve the bond. Though how I'd go about that wasn't something I understood.

One thing I was sure of, was that before we reached Coruscant, I'd have picked out a name for her. So far, a few choices had been put forward by the others, with Jade Raven and Starchaser the two that seemed to resonate with the ship the best.

A gentle grumble from behind reminded me that Fenrir was present as normal. The tuk'ata was far more restive on the ship than he'd been on the Ne'tra Sartr, which I suspected was due to its connection with me which Fenrir could sense. Since I was in the cockpit most of the time, Fenrir had all but assumed one area of the place for himself, forcing the chair there to groan in protest every time Fenrir pushed against it. The only time Fenrir left was for meals, or to 'play' with Bo who, while understanding of my need to be in the cockpit so much, was growing restless without someone to spar with. Well, to spar with during the day at least.

As for HK, while the droid was glad to be off Zonama Sekot, I'd not yet hooked him up to the ships' computers, which wasn't something he was unhappy about. That was primarily because the ship lacked weapons – something we both disliked – and that it was a mainly organic vessel. HK had a few choice comments on the idea of meatbag starships, but I'd shut them down by explaining just how fast and manoeuvrable the ship was because I had a Force connection to it. Or at least forced him to limit his complaints to the lack of weaponry, which was something I planned to work on once back at the Temple.

Internal sensors let me know Simvyl was approaching about a minute before the door opened even without the Force. I glanced back and gave him a nod, before returning to the controls. While he and Bo often came by the cockpit to relieve me, they never sat in the pilot's chair nor did much more than check the readings. Even before the shift in the connection the vessel held with her Fay hadn't shown much interest in piloting the ship, though that was something I'd expected since she'd never really shown interest in doing so for the Ne'tra Sartr and had stated on Zonama Sekot that I'd be the pilot. Still, the ship seemed to prefer her here to the others since it still held a weak bond with her.

Oddly, Simvyl didn't move straight to the co-pilot's seat. "Cameron." Hearing the slight uncertainty in his tone, I turned and looked at him. He was standing in a clean uniform – like myself he'd needed time to clean it enough that the smell of the planet and war was gone, though that'd taken him longer since his sense of smell was superior to mine – with his blaster and vibroblade at his sides. Both were clean, though the vibroblade is what drew my attention – a long blade with a gentle curve, it had belonged to Zarkos before he died. "I've had some time to think; about Zonama Sekot, the Vong, and everything. I, I owe you an apology for my behaviour after we left the planet."

"There's no need for th…" I was cut off as he raised a hand and, at the same time, I sensed a need within him to speak his piece.

"There is." Fenrir lifted his head, curious at what was disturbing his latest snooze. "Every Antarian Ranger swore an oath to assist and follow the lead of the Jedi. I did so faithfully on Zonama Sekot, yet in my anger over our apparent retreat, I lashed out and challenged your authority. I forgot my oaths." His yellow eyes stayed locked on mine well his ears twitched frantically, making me think there was more he wished to say which stayed on my tongue. "If not for your actions, and those of Fenrir," that earned a pleased grunt from the tuk'ata, "and… Bo-Katan, I would've died in almost every battle we fought. I owe all of you, but you especially, my life several times over."

"As I owe you mine," I replied, trying to please his sense of honour. However, all it did was draw a wry snort of amusement from him.

"No. Even without us there to help, I feel you, more than anyone, would've managed to engage the Vong alone and still done serious damage to their operations. Yes, there were moments where a blaster bolt from either me or Bo-Katan aided you, but I have little doubt that you would've emerged from each battle alive and stronger. Especially with this mighty beast by your side." Fenrir looked at me and based his teeth, almost as if challenging me to argue that he wasn't a mighty beast.

"Don't give him a bigger head than he already has," I commented. Simvyl snorted at that while Fenrir growled in annoyance, tail lashing behind him. He then shook his head before lowering it back onto his front paws.

"Still, after taking the last week to think about my actions, and review the war, I now see you were right to have us withdraw. I still want to hunt down the Vong and make them suffer for what they did, but I see that if we'd tried to engage their fleet we'd have all died. All those who fell on Zonama Sekot would've lost hope that we would avenge them, making their deaths meaningless. Now, we can return to the Republic and warn them of the threat the Vong pose to everyone."

"That's the plan," I replied even though I had major doubts about the Jedi doing anything but ordering some investigations to locate the Vong's homeworld. I'd expressed those doubts to Fay, and she admitted to sharing a similar concern. However, while she shared my concerns, feeling they may well consider it an issue for the very edge of the galaxy, and not something they could investigate without Senate approval, she felt we had to give them the chance to review our reports, and those from Bo and Simvyl – including the recording I'd prepared for them with Bo – before worrying about them dismissing the issue.

"Good. Though, while I expect the Jedi to begin preparations to protect the galaxy, I know that when the Vong return you will be the one leading from the front. And not just against the Vong, but on righting the flaws that exist within the Republic as well." Before I could comment on how fixing all the Republic's issues was the work of several lifetimes and multiple people, he dropped to a knee. At the same time, he pulled the vibroblade – which was about a foot long – from its sheath. As the Force shifted around us, and I felt the ship grow confused and curious about what was happening he pulled the blade over one palm claws tensing, soaking the edge in blood.

"I promise on this blood that I will always be faithful to you. Your enemies shall be mine, as shall your allies. I promise to provide true counsel on all matters and never to forsake you. My claws are yours to aim as you please, my honour yours to control. With this pledge, I give you my loyalty and bind myself to you for the rest of my days."

He held the blade in his palm, not caring about the dripping of blood on the deck, his eyes looking downward. The Force swirled around us, marking this as a moment of importance.

For a moment, I considered not taking the offer of fealty, but I quickly rejected that. Aside from insulting the Cathar, that might insult the rest of the Rangers. I knew the Antarian Rangers often swore themselves to certain Jedi, and had even, in a few whispered cases Fay had heard of, married them. Yet I doubted any Ranger had ever sworn themselves so completely to a mere Padawan.

Now, while Simvyl was still a raw Ranger, he had good instincts in battle – enough so that Bo felt he could be her equal with the right training – and was willing to follow my orders. He knew I was close to Bo and other Mandalorians, so doing this showed he was also able to place his grievances to one side for the greater good, which was another mark in his favour. And while I didn't need a guard, the more people around me that I could trust would be of major benefit once chaos descended upon the galaxy.

I picked up the vibroblade, turning it over in my hand. "I accept your offer of loyalty and fealty," I said slowly trying to work out how to reply correctly. Sensing a shift from the Force, I let it guide me as the blade came toward my free hand. I felt the edge slice my palm, mixing my blood with his. "I accept your blade and claws, and I swear they will never be commanded to strike without thought, nor against those unworthy of their sting. And I offer you my promise to not force you to carry out actions that go against your beliefs and ideals."

I handed the blade back to Simvyl as he stood, a large smile on his face exposing his vicious-looking fangs. He took the blade and pulled a rag from a pocket. "You know you only had to say you accept," He said with a smile as he cleaned the blade.

I shrugged as I replied. "I didn't, but even if I did, your words deserved something more than a simple OK to confirm them." As I spoke, he slid the now-clean blade into the sheath. I extended an arm to him, which he grasped near my elbow. "And it goes without saying, thank you for the faith you're placing in me."

Simvyl nodded as his smile grew. "While young, I don't doubt you will be a great warrior for the Jedi, for the side of what is right and just. You will do great things, I can feel that in my heart, and want to help you correct the rot that infects the very core of the galaxy."

"I just hope I'm worthy of your faith and trust."

Simvyl broke the grip as I spoke before moving toward the co-pilot's station. "If I doubted you wouldn't be, I would never have offered you my oath," he said with a smile still on his face as he slid into the seat. "Now go. You need to rest," I nodded and stood, Fenrir shifting as he realised I was leaving. "Though I doubt your mate will allow you any."

I paused a few steps from the door and glared at the back of Simvyl's head. "She's not my…" The Cathar chose that moment to laugh, and I shook my head in annoyance. "Oh screw you," I muttered as I stalked out of the room, Fenrir at my side though he seemed amused by what had just happened even if he didn't understand Basic.

Yet, as much as I might deny it, Bo and I were fast approaching a point where we'd have to figure out just what we were to each other and where things were going. And it would have to be sorted before we reached the Temple, and not just because our closeness will be an issue for the High Council. The Mandalorian Civil War – at least this one – was officially over. That had been reported freely on the Holonet when we'd arrived on Sernpidal, and Bo had managed to get confirmation from her father that it was true and that Houses Kryze and Ordo now controlled Mandalore between them, and with the support of other clans, upwards of eighty per cent of the sector.

Bo was going to want to return to her people, and while she'd want me to go with her, the Force still seemed to want me to remain with the Jedi. As I walked toward my cabin, where Bo was already resting – much to Fay's subtle concern – I wondered how the redhead was going to take this. Bo claimed she wasn't interested in this being more than an enjoyable arrangement, but I could feel her growing affection for me, and mine for her.

Still, that was a concern for another night. For this one, before I tried to get some rest I planned to enjoy what awaited me in my bed. Preferably to the point where the red-haired warrior there passed out from exhaustion.

… …

… …

"If I might ask," began Oppo Rancisis as he stopped me from continuing my report to the High Council, "what exactly made you feel that challenging this alien leader to single combat was the correct choice to make?"

I looked at the snake-like Jedi Master as he and the rest of the High Council sat in their chairs listening as I gave my report on what had happened on and to Zonama Sekot. Fay was at my side, though since she'd generally stayed quiet until just before the duel that I was now getting to, she'd been indisposed.

Several times when I'd been giving my report, a member of the Council had stopped me to ask a question or clarify something. Mainly they'd asked for further reasoning on why I'd made a certain choice, or if I felt my actions had been in keeping with what the Force wished, but so far no judgement had been passed, meaning they were going to wait until I finished before offering one.

The Council had also before this meeting had begun, spent time reviewing the reports submitted by myself and Fay, along with ones from Bo and Simvyl, and the planned recording from Bo's armour when I'd not used Lightning but Electrokinesis instead. To go with that were recordings from the transport that had taken us to meet the Vong and then to my duel at the former location of the Magister's compound.

Honestly, the simple fact they weren't offering snap judgements or condemning me for killing Vong aggressively was a nice surprise. Not even those who I knew disliked me, such as Windu and Piell, had made any effort to speak down on my choices. Hell, both of those two had seemed happier than Yoda and Yaddle when I'd revealed I'd ambushed Vong and not attempted to take any prisoners after the first few battles.

Still, I was prepared for a massive argument with them at the end over my actions. While I doubted that they'd kick me from the Order – the fact many considered me the Chosen One granted me a fair bit of leeway – I knew there was a good chance they'd want me to be placed under supervision once more.

"Master Fay is, as you are all aware, highly skilled at finding peaceful solutions; however, the Vong gave no indication of desiring such an outcome – something that became clear as their leader spoke of their holy reasons for invading the planet. Those comments, combined with how the Vong had behaved in previous battles and an inclination from the Force, made me offer another solution. Yes, it was a risky one to take, one Master Fay wasn't pleased about, but I felt that risking, and possibly losing my life, to save hers and those of our companions was a risk worth taking."

"While, at the time, I disapproved of my Padawan's decision," Fay began. "With time to meditate on it, I see now that not only were the Vong a race with which normal methods of communication failed but that the Force was guiding Cameron to a solution that offered the highest chance of limiting unnecessary deaths." Fay paused and sensed a very slight shift in her mood, though not one that suggested she carried any resentment at my choice. "I still feel that, given time, a peaceful resolution might have been reached. However, that would've taken weeks, if not months, to achieve, and resulted in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent Sekotans."

Fay's words seemed simple enough, but after years around her, I knew she was still disappointed in how things had played out. Both in my choice to seek a quick and violent ending to the conflict and her failure to achieve a non-violent outcome. I disagreed heavily with her on that and had said so privately. The Council chamber though was not a place to voice those issues, nor our issues over me bonding with Raven or accepting Simvyl's fealty; yet for the latter, because she agreed that I'd let the Force guide me to accept, there was far less of an issue. Not unless I wanted to risk irritating the Council and increasing whatever punishment they dealt for my actions.

Fay was still a Jedi, but one that saw things differently from the High Council even if they and she all held the Code as something to live by and not, as I was quickly finding it, a guide for those who lacked the strength of character to control themselves.

"From the reports you and your companions have submitted, and what you've mentioned here today, it's clear these Vong have a warrior culture. One not unlike the Mandalorians of old." I stayed my hand, not wanting to rise to the bait Windu was dropping as he offered an opinion. "Since you stand before us today, I assume it is safe to say you were successful in defeating their leader?"

"Yes, Master Windu." I paused and glanced at Fay. "At my master's request, when an opportunity presented itself, I offered the Vong the chance to surrender. However, that only served to enrage them." That wasn't technically true, but by saying it like this it should, I hope, show the Council that I had sought a peaceful resolution before ending the duel in a more typical manner. "From then on, the only option left to me was to kill the Vong."

There was a grunt from my right, and I looked over to see Evan Piell glaring at me with his one good eye. "You and your companions have stated that these Vong are a grave threat to the Jedi and the Republic. Yet you, a Padawan, though a highly skilled one I don't contest, managed to engage Vong forces on multiple occasions, and barring one instance, emerged from each confrontation victorious and unscathed." It took some effort to not glare back at the Council member as he seemingly dismissed my concerns about the Vong. "From all that I've read and heard from you, including the scans provided by your companion," he all but sneered at having to refer to Bo, "I see little that suggests a Vong armada would pose anything more than a regional-level threat to some Outer Rim sectors. Instead, I see little more than the worries of an overly excited, and battle-hungry Padawan."

I detested the disrespect he was showing to Bo, but I knew he was doing it simply to draw a reaction from me. With me having moved past the worst of puberty, I had greater control over the emotional reaction I took, allowing me to ignore his comments. Plus, Fay had warned me before the meeting that the Council would challenge much of what I said to confirm the veracity of our report. Though after nearly three hours, my patience with the short Jedi Master's continual need to speak down about me and those close to me was getting on my nerves.

"With respect, Master Piell. I was there. You were not. I, along with my companions, spent months fighting from a weaker position, against a technologically and numerically superior foe that, even from their lowest encountered fighters, were on par with Mandalorians I'd fought during the Battle of Keldabe." I was, perhaps, laying things on thick, but I wanted to make clear how dangerous even the weakest Vong fighter was. Especially against a Force user unprepared for their inability to be affected by most directed Force abilities. "During the first encounter, as I made clear several times already, we were fortunate to survive, particularly once Master Fay was gravely wounded in their initial assault." I paused, taking a moment to calm myself as the familiar rage I'd called upon on Zonama Sekot stirred as the memory of that first battle came to mind. Knowing where I was and concerned that Dark Side Masking – which was at Master:54 – might not be enough to hide that rage if I tried to simply push it down, I used the techniques taught to me by, among others, Master Fay. I felt the anger drift away into the Force, and once that was done, continued talking. "I've gone over every encounter I, and those with me had with the Vong. I can't stress Master, just how difficult it was for me to defeat multiple Vong in simultaneous combat; and not, before you suggest it, due to any inherent flaw in my chosen Lightsaber form. However, those continual battles allowed me to refine a style that, while still full of flaws, granted me just enough of an understanding of the Vong's style of fighting that when the time came for the duel, I felt confident in my chances to defeat it. Yet I didn't emerge unscathed." I made no effort to draw attention to the scar I bore over my eye socket, as doing so would just be silly given Piell had lost an eye in combat.

The Lannik Jedi chuckled, likely because I'd drawn attention to the fact that like him I'd been scarred. "True enough. Though, I still have doubts that these Vong are as grave a threat as you suggest."

"Potential threats today, no judgement will be made," Yoda cut in, speaking for the first time since he'd asked questions about my emotional state when Fay had been wounded. "The actions of Padawan Shan, discussing we are."

"The Council will spend time reviewing your reports before making any judgement on the Vong, Padawan. As Master Yoda said, today we simply wish to hear a full recounting from you on the conflict and sense how these actions have affected you."

I nodded at Plo Koon. "Yes, Master." While I'd prefer they would consider the Vong threat today and declare them a danger to all, the fact they weren't dismissing it out of hand was, as Fay had said, the best I could hope for. I stopped there, expecting him or another Council member to comment, however, Plo simply rolled his hand in a gesture that meant for me to continue.

"With the Vong leader dead, I was concerned his second wouldn't accept the terms. Thankfully, he did, though not before suggesting other Vong would seek me out for retribution. Zonama Sekot seemed to hold significance to them, though we never learnt why. After collecting the body, the second promised they would leave the world as the terms stipulated." As I spoke, I once more cursed myself for being ambiguous in my wording. I should've made clear that they were to leave the system and never return, but as they say, hindsight is a bitch.

"The choices the Vong made after the duel aren't on your head, Padawan," the words, surprisingly, came from Windu. "You fought with honour and won the duel. That the Vong then chose to adapt the terms to suit their goals is a choice they made and must live with, not you. The deaths caused by their subsequent bombardment are not a weight you need to carry."

"I understand that, Master Windu, and thank you for the words. However, I feel I should've been clearer in my terms."

A coughing chuckle came from Yoda. "The greatest teacher, time is. Learn from this, you will. Grow, you will." I lowered my head, accepting the Grandmaster's words of counsel.

"After the Vong chose to reinterpret the terms of the duel, they began to assault the planet from orbit. Which is when you chose to attempt to engage them?"

"Yes, Master Yaddle. While the Jade Raven was built unarmed by the Sekotans – a philosophy that may well have changed because of the Vong – it was the only vessel available to use to reach orbit. Or at least reach orbit and not be instantly shot down," I added with a shrug. "I, we, knew the odds of us being able to stop a small flotilla of combat ships, most of which were larger than the Raven, were slim, but there was no other option we could come up with."

"As you moved toward the fleet, when the planet spoke to you, hmm?" I could hear the doubt in Yoda's voice and sense a faint ripple of it within the Chamber. Which was understandable, as if I hadn't experienced it myself, I'd likely doubt the story as well.

"Yes, Master. While we were accelerating toward the Vong, though before we'd entered weapon's range, I was… pulled, for lack of a better word, into the ship's consciousness. There, I met a figure who looked like the Magister, yet since his compound had been destroyed at the start of the conflict, I knew it wasn't him. The figure revealed itself to be Sekot. It said it was able to speak to me due to the bond I shared with the Raven and the seed-partners used in her growth." I paused and licked my lips. "Honestly, I'm still having trouble accepting that I spoke to the planet, but I don't doubt it believed it was sentient. Plus, it's warning about us leaving if we didn't wish to be trapped upon it or die in orbit was accurate."

"While I wasn't privy to this meeting, I can confirm the Force was… agitated for a moment around Cameron and the ship," Fay spoke before any of the Council could argue against my statement. A glance at her showed her lips twitching as she continued. "When he told me of this meeting, I searched the Force for any deception and found none. He believes it was the planet, this Sekot, that spoke to him. From how the colonists seemed to revere the planet and the incredible interconnectivity we felt within the Force before the Vong's arrival, I find no reason to doubt Cameron's statement. After that, and an impressive demonstration of flying in a new starship, we slipped by the Vong fleet and entered Hyperspace."

"While we have doubts about a planet achieving sentience," Yaddle began as she leaned forward in her seat, "it is the events that occurred when you were forced from hyperspace that I find myself most curious about. The moment when you chose to form a deep connection in the Force with your vessel."

"I believe we all share that sentiment," Plo Koon added, drawing nods from the majority of the Council. Most were leaning forward to varying degrees, curious to hear more. "While forming a bond with a tuk'ata isn't unheard of, I cannot recall mention of a Jedi forming a bond within the Force with a starship."

"Mentions in the oldest holocrons, I believe there are. Early in the Old Republic, if I recall."

Plo Koon lowered his head at Yoda's words even as he rubbed his chin, or more accurately, the breathing mask he wore. "Hmm, I'll have to remember to search the Holocron Vault for those records." He turned back to me. "However, that is for later. Please continue, Padawan. I wish to hear of how it felt to form a Force connection with the wonderful new starship you've brought to the temple."

"And perhaps, in the coming days, you might be willing to show some of us how well the Jade Raven handles," Master Tiin added with a wry smile. Since he was regarded as the Order's finest pilot – and would remain that way if Anakin never joined the Order officially – him being interested in how Raven flew was hardly a surprise. After all, he'd been part of the party that had met us when we'd returned to the Temple and he'd made little effort to hide his appreciation for Raven's design.

That said, he'd not be the only one I'd take for a flight in Raven. Apart from Serra and Tedra, I expected many friends – close and not – would wish for a short voyage in Raven. Though first I had to speak to Serra. I knew she was in the Temple, and while she'd been excited when we'd first felt each other within the Force, in the hours since a steady stream of nervousness had mixed with that excitement, along with a hint of fear.

Though since it'd been over three years since I'd last seen her in the flesh, I could understand the worries she had, and I had some of my own. Though those were more to do with how she'd react when it was revealed I was currently seeing Bo. However, that was a matter for after this meeting.

"As I said in my report, Raven dropped from hyperspace unexpectedly. I could feel her pain as we tumbled through space and systems began to flicker on and off. I admit I didn't know what I was doing, but it felt as if the Force was guiding me to her, to Raven, to help. I knew I couldn't let her die, as if she died those with me would also die, so I placed my faith in the Force and let it guide me toward what felt like the right thing to do. Somehow I was able to… sustain her through the Force, and while it feels as if I've given over part of my connection to the Force to save her, I consider it fair payment."

"I will admit at the time, I was concerned about Cameron's actions, particularly that he'd taken them for selfish reasons, with time to meditate, I see now that wasn't the case," Fay added. While it did sound supportive, I felt she was saying it more as a way to cut off an obvious issue the Council might have with my actions. One she'd brought up with me in private before we'd reached Coruscant. That said, she was also being truthful in that she understood that, just as with Simvyl, I'd allowed the Force to guide my actions instead of imposing my will upon it.

"Question your opinion on the Force's will, this Council does not. Concerns us, however, your Padawan's continual recklessness does." Yoda leaned closer, his eyes searching mine for something. I felt a gentle prod against my Telepathic Shield, one I knew was coming from the Grandmaster. If given the choice, I'd happily slap it aside or ignore it, however, I knew doing that now would only increase the likelihood of me being punished. Thus, I allowed him access.

Yoda closed his eyes as I felt his probe enter my mind, along with those from most of the Council. It was easy to tell which were examining my mental state and Force connection as many closed their eyes. While I disliked letting them even do this much, activating Player's Mind would be a blunt admission I had something to hide, and would lead to more questions and examinations. No, it was better to submit to this check now, without seemingly protesting, than risk them wanting to carry out deeper scans and risk them finding the pool of rage I'd buried deep inside.

"Hmm," Yoda muttered after perhaps a minute just before he and the others opened their eyes, the various Council members looked at each other, though no words were spoken. Since I'd already experienced this before, I knew they were having a mental conversation, but it was still discomforting to stand in the chamber as the Council sat around me in silence. To outsiders, it likely came across as rude when they did it in a group, but I could see the benefits of discussing issues privately before presenting a unified front to those they were meeting.

"It is clear that this mission has taken a great toll on you, Padawan," Sifo-Dyas began, drawing my attention to him. He was one of the Council members I trusted the most, something aided by the soft, mentoring smile he gave me. "It has also, we sense, resulted in you being tempted by the Dark Side once more. Having that happen so soon after your experiences with the Bando Gora is concerning." I hadn't expected them to directly mention that incident, but considering it I wondered if they'd done so to see what sort of reaction I'd have to the mention. While I still had the odd flashback or distracting moment, the need to focus my energies on the war – and having a ready outlet for my anger – had helped me come to terms with things. At least to the point where I felt able to move on safely.

Sifo-Dyas' smile grew as I considered that, and he offered me a nod. "And it appears you've let go of your anger around the issue, most impressive."

"It is, but he has admitted to striking down at least one Vong in rage," Ki-Adi Mundi countered, his large head always drawing my attention and reminding me of a potato. "That cannot be overlooked, nor dismissed easily, regardless of how understandable an action it was for any Padawan to take in this context."

"It won't be ignored," Windu replied, earning a nod – which I felt was staged – from Mundi. Windu fixed me with a look that likely terrified most Padawans. Along with many adults, Jedi or not. "While this Council is accepting of your choices on Zonama Sekot, and feels you have shown a remarkable ability to not dwell on what has happened to you over the last few years, we feel further sessions with Healer Allie would be advisable."

"Yes, Master," I replied calmly. Windu's brow twitched slightly at how easily I accepted the Council's ruling, but I'd expected that to be the minimum outcome of this meeting. Even before Fay had stated this, I'd already been expecting further counselling at least. Ignoring that they'd want to spend time examining Raven and myself, I'd just gone through a series of events that would break many people. That required monitoring, so it was nice to see the Council was being more proactive in ensuring I got the help I might need.

"While you will remain in the Temple for a time, you are free to continue your studies at your master's discretion. That said, I feel Battlemaster Drallig and Master Bondara would be willing to have you assist them in instructing Initiates and younger Padawans once again." Windu's offer further softened the punishment, though I felt it was also a way to further bring me under the control of the Council while having me do something I enjoyed.

"This will also allow us time to consider your last mission in greater depth," added Oppo Rancisis, who I avoided looking over at. While I knew it was silly, something about talking to a giant, sentient snake-like creature just didn't sit well with me. "Members of the Council, and others, will likely call upon you for details regarding the Vong and the threat you believe they pose, Zonama Sekot, and the unusual ship you've returned with."

"I don't believe the Vong pose a threat, Master. I know it." The fact he was so openly dismissing my concerns about the Vong wasn't encouraging, even if I understood that they, as leaders of the Order, had to examine the issue from every angle they could.

Yoda's chuckle drew my focus to him to see he was shaking his head. "The certainty of youth, we see." That earned a few amused smirks from the room, including one for Fay. "Refreshing to see, it is. Though mindful of your actions, you must be, young Padawan." The fact Yoda was also now seemingly expressing doubt about my claims angered me a little. I understood that a Padawan managing to drive the Vong back certainly made them look like a lighter threat than I'd implied, but I'd only encountered a strong recon force, not the main body of their military.

"I am, Master Yoda. However, I also know what I fought wasn't something to be taken lightly." Even without knowing there was more to the threat because of Invaders from the Void, I'd have still labelled the Vong a threat simply due to their inherent resistance to directed Force use.

"And this Council will not do so. However, unlike a young, though skilled, Padawan, we don't rush to judgement based on personal events from a single, though protracted, encounter. Other factors must be weighed before a course of action for the Order as a whole is decided upon."

"Yes, Master Windu." While I understood the rationale, I didn't like it. Plus, I felt their issue might be with me trying to dictate terms to the Council. Hopefully, that was the case, and not them underestimating the Vong. Otherwise, I feared the Council would once more not remove the stick from their collective arses and do something about the Vong. Hell, even if initially they just sent small teams into the Unknown Regions or the far edges of the Outer Rim near where Zonama Sekot had been, it would be better than them burying their heads in the sand and pretending the threat didn't exist.

"I, for one, wish to speak to you more about the Jade Raven. From the initial reports our more technically inclined members have submitted, it seems that not only is she semi-organic, but has some rare and powerful components installed in unusual ways."

"Certainly, Master," I offered to Plo Koon even as I saw Saesse Tiin nodding in agreement.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Windu surveying the room. When no one said anything else, he spoke. "Until we've come to our final recommendations regarding the Vong, and plans for the Jade Raven, we would prefer if you remained inside the Temple, though it isn't a requirement. We would, though, insist you remain on Coruscant during this time." I nodded in acceptance and his gaze shifted to Fay. "We will ask Healer Allie to contact you when she can to arrange further sessions for your Padawan." Fay offered a bow to Windu. "Unless there is anything either of you wishes to add, you are free to go."

I followed Fay from the chamber. As normal, there were several Jedi gathered in the atrium outside waiting to speak to the Council, though all were giving Fenrir a wide berth. Since he was snoozing when we exited, the apprehension of the other Jedi made me chuckle. Fenrir must've heard that, or sensed my approach, as he lifted his head lazily. After yawning loud enough that a Padawan around my age all but hid behind their master, the tuk'ata stood and followed us into the elevator before the doors closed.

"Do you think they'll dismiss the Vong, Master?" I asked as we descended.

Fay looked out the carriage carrying us down, taking in the sight of Coruscant, and the constant flow of ships in the skies around us, before answering. "They won't, Cameron. The simple fact that the Vong are immune to directed Force abilities, particularly ones all Jedi rely upon, means they can't ignore the issue. However, I do feel they may disagree with your blunt assessment about the dangers the Vong pose to the Order and the Republic on a military front. Particularly from how, even though you did limit yourself, you tried to pressure them to regard them as such." Fay's hand came to rest on my shoulder as my irritation at the Council's likely inaction grew. "The Council, for all its faults, must decide the direction of all Jedi. You are certain the Vong are a future threat to the Order and the Republic, but you are just one member of the Order; and not even a Knight. Sadly, that is the way this works."

"But, Master…"

"We must allow them time to deliberate on the matter, Cameron. They may well agree with your judgement, however, they won't rush to pass judgement. Doing that has led to mistakes being made by the Order in the past and many on the Council are averse to change from what had worked for nearly a thousand years." She smiled as her hand gently squeezed my shoulder. "Place your faith in the Force to guide them to the correct path, but don't dwell upon it. Perhaps, instead, turn your thoughts to happier events. Like reunions with old friends. One in particular I know isn't far from your thoughts." I turned away, not wanting to risk Fay seeing the heat as it built in my cheeks. "I suspect you and her have much to discuss."

I nodded though my gaze stayed away from her. While there were others in the Temple I wished to speak with – Tedra and Darihd being the obvious two – Serra was the one I was excited and apprehensive to meet. I reached out through the Force, opening my mind to find where she was.

[Where we first talked about the Code.] I blinked as her words entered my mind, caught off-guard that she'd learnt to communicate telepathically. Though given it'd been three years since I'd last seen her, it shouldn't have surprised me.

[I'll be there soon,] I sent, letting her know I was on my way. As we reached our stop within the centre of the Temple I wondered how she'd changed, grown, in the years. And how she'd feel about the changes I'd gone through, both physical and mental.

… …

… …
(Serra's POV)

She sat quietly on the bench, enjoying the view of the ecumenopolis as the sun blazed down on the planet. Shadows travelled around her, left there by starships, speeders, and other flying vehicles that buzzed around constantly in the skies of Coruscant. Yet, as much as the view often brought her peace of mind, today it failed. Her mind was, understandably, elsewhere, focusing on someone that was back in the Temple at the same time as her for the first time in more than three years.

Of course, Cam might be why she'd made a beeline for this particular bench over any of the others. Apart from being close to the High Council spire, it was the same one she'd led him to back when they'd been Initiates. And she'd been here for several hours now.

When she'd first sensed Cam returning, she'd been sparring with Sia-Lan, and sensing his presence in the Force had distracted her. Enough that her friend had managed to win the spar. Serra had been annoyed about that, as it was the first one she'd lost to Sia-Lan in about a year, and then more so when Sia-Lan had piped up that she'd felt someone return to the Temple. Her friend had teased her about seeing Cam for the first time in years, commenting on how he'd grown since then and taking amusement in knowing that she'd seen him last year while Serra hadn't.

A few years ago that sort of teasing would've angered Serra, and she was embarrassed whenever she remembered how she'd reacted when Cam had been hurt during his verd'goten. She'd been better when Cam had gone strangely silent within the Force just over a year ago, but she hadn't been able to concentrate when she'd learnt he'd been captured by the Bando Gora. Now, even with him being distant for a year, even if there were faint whispers of something going on, she was at peace with things. Or as much as she could be.

While she'd not seen him, she knew he'd grown, and matured over the years. Yes, he seemed to find trouble with alarming ease, but she trusted the Force to protect him, and guide him. Plus, just like him, she'd grown up. She still held feelings for him, but unlike back during her verd'goten, she no longer allowed them to dominate her thoughts.

Still, after the spar had ended, and Master Drallig had reprimanded her for becoming distracted so easily, she'd left with the intent of finding Cam. A probe into the Force revealed he was with the Council, so she'd changed tact and arrived here instead. Though before reaching this bench, she'd run into someone more outwardly excited by Cam's return than her.

Initiate Tedra Zill was, in Serra's mind, an odd one. She was skilled in the Force, having rapidly caught up to her clanmates with her skill using a lightsaber. However, the Zabrak girl was, from what Serra had heard, uninterested in the more spiritual aspects of being a Jedi, which didn't surprise Serra after she'd gotten to know the girl at Cam's request. As a former slave, Tedra was more interested in actively helping others than pondering the mysteries of the Force; a sentiment Serra found herself agreeing with as she matured. Though she also understood that Tedra's rush to want to help was too reckless, and would place her, and others, in danger.

After promising the Zabrak that she'd tell Cam to speak with her, Serra had managed to reach the bench with no other delays. At first, she'd been apprehensive as she waited for any shift in the Force to let her know Cam was on his way. That had given way to a bout of restlessness as she sat for close to an hour, though she'd chided herself for that behaviour, and the reminder it provided to her earlier behaviour around Cam.

Back then she'd been possessive of Cam, treating anyone who was near him – especially, those in their age group – as some sort of threat to her and what she had with him. Now that she was older, and she hoped, wiser, she understood that wasn't healthy. Oh, she still considered Cam to be someone important to her, but she wasn't going to lose her temper whenever anyone said anything about him. No matter how pretty they looked, or what they hinted they wanted to do with him.

At the same time, she couldn't deny that a part of herself that she'd thought gone was growing agitated at seeing Cam again. Just knowing he'd soon be here, that she'd soon be talking with him lit a fire in her, one that while not the same pathetic flame from her younger years, burned in ways she'd rather not think about. Cam was the first to make her feel that way, though not the last. Though she'd never admit to anyone that Bo-Katan had also started having that effect on her, she did wonder if the Mandalorian girl was still travelling with Cam as Serra would like to catch up with her.

When she'd thought about Bo-Katan, Serra's mind had wandered back to her time on Mandalore, and as it often did, settled on her verd'goten. Yes, she'd been injured during her hunt – almost fatally if not for Cam's quick intervention – but completing it had granted her a sense of fulfilment she'd never realised she needed. As if it was a test to herself to prove she wasn't a simple Initiate anymore, but a trained warrior of the Jedi. Plus, as much as she enjoyed sparring with her friends and master, she felt something was missing in the Temple, almost as if the spars weren't as fulfilling as they should be. At least to her.

Her thoughts were brought back from their wanderings when she sensed a general ripple in the Force, one she knew was from Cam. Latching onto it, she sent a message to him. [Where we first talked about the Code.] She laughed gently as she sensed his shock, her evolving ability to communicate telepathically with him catching him off-guard. While she mainly used the ability with Master Drallig, she had been practising the skill with Aayla, Sia-Lan, and others over the years. Enough that she could now speak to Cam even though they'd not felt each other's Force signatures for several years.

[I'll be there soon.]

Hearing his voice again, even if just in her mind, sent a pleasant tingle through her, longing to see him again. As he pulled back, she scolded herself and hoped he hadn't sensed it. She didn't need him thinking she was still the same, young desperate girl he'd known. No, she wanted him to see she's changed, hear him comment on how she'd grown stronger, more powerful. Not because she needed his approval, but to confirm it. While Master Drallig often complimented her on her improvement, Cam would be able to see the changes easier than her Master or friends.

Yet as she pondered change, she realised Cam's Force signature had done just that. There was still power there, still as oddly distant as it'd always been, but it had altered and grown. A sense of refinement was there, along with… something she couldn't quite define, but whatever it was held an allure to her. She did want to delve into the Force, to learn what this change in Cam was, but she understood that to do that would be considered rude. Better to wait until he was closer. Until she could focus on it without making it obvious to try and see what had happened.

It was likely that the events of the Bando Gora – which her friends had told her about when she'd returned to the Temple after Cam had left – had left a mark on Cam. She had felt the ripples when he'd lashed out back then, realising later that it'd been him lashing out in a desire for revenge for what he endured. Serra had shared that desire and felt a need to help him punish any remaining Bando Gora. No matter how much Master Drallig said such thoughts were unbecoming of a Jedi, Serra knew they dwelled within her.

Yet as she felt him descend from the Council's tower, and his presence granted her a sense of familiarity, she saw that there was more to it than simply what he'd endured with the Bando Gora. He appeared calm and in control, yet as she closed her eyes and let the Force wash over her, she swore she felt something dangerous, something dark, lurking behind that calm. It was hard to get a read on, as if something was blurring it out, making it difficult to spot, yet she could, and she could tell while it wanted to control him, he wasn't letting it do so.

She stood as his presence grew closer, entering the gardens. Faint trembles rattled around her stomach; her knees grew weak. She pushed those aside, not wanting him to see how nervous she was, and not thinking she was still that weak little girl. As he neared, questions surfaced in her head, lining up to ask once he was here. Yet the moment he came into view, they vanished into the void of her mind.

She knew Cam would've changed, it'd been years after all, but knowing it and seeing it were two very different things. Just the way he walked conveyed how confident and assured of himself he was now; not that he wasn't before, but back then she'd felt it was a type of bravado. Now, as he marched her way, she saw that self-assurance was stronger, yet there were little hints in the way he moved, the way his eyes took in everything around him, that made it clear he wasn't pretending. Of course, the massive lumbering beast - which had several Jedi scampering to avoid - at his side certainly helped the image and made Serra pause any desire to rush to greet him.

She was embarrassed that, in her desire to see Cam again, she'd put aside all thoughts about his new companion. Though this wasn't the same beast Aayla had mentioned. Gone was the hound-sized friendly young pup, and in its place, much like its master, was a proud, powerful, and confident beast.

The tuk'ata's eyes locked on her, and it shook its shoulders, drawing her attention to the spinal crests; particularly the gap where one was missing. Serra had her confirmation that the beast, and Cam as well, had seen combat. A gasp from a group of Younglings walking by had the tuk'ata shift its gaze. The spinal crest started to flatten only for a gentle touch against its head from Cam to relax the great beast.

Questions about the tuk'ata and what had cost it the crest formed on her lips, though they slid away as she looked at Cam close up, her gaze as always, drawn to his eyes. "What happened?!"

"Huh?" Cam stopped, confusion rippling over his face. Serra blinked and then felt blood rush to her cheeks. She'd spent so long preparing for this, wanting to show him she'd matured and the first thing she'd done was call out like that. She opened her mouth to apologise only to stop when Cam chuckled. "Oh, this," he placed fingers just under his eye, touching the very edge of a scar that ran from his eyebrow to upper cheek and appeared to have missed the eye by the slimmest of margins. "Just scars of battle," beside him the tuk'ata made a sound that Serra quickly realised was something akin to laughter. "So, how have you been?"

Serra's mouth hung open, her mind going in a dozen different directions with how lazily Cam ignored the scar, how the tuk'ata seemed able to react to his emotions, and how none of this was how she wanted their reunion to start. "F-fine," she managed to get out as she took a step toward him. Her hand came up, wanting to examine the scar herself, only to stop when a deep, powerful growl slipped from the maw of the beast at Cam's side.

"Fenrir." There was no warning in the tone, yet Cam just saying what had to be its name was enough to calm the monster. Serra blinked in confusion as Cam flicked it on the nose, and then ignored the lazy snapping of the beast's maw directed toward his hand. "Serra's a friend. Like Bo."

Serra felt the Force shift, both as Cam spoke to the tuk'ata and when he mentioned Bo. Her mind brought forth images from some of her more confusing dreams, but she pushed those away. She didn't want to blush now, nor let anything slip into the Force for Cam to sense. Still, it was clear that Cam was close to the Mandalorian, perhaps more so than Serra would expect for two people that had travelled together for several years. She also ignored the way her heart seemed to tense at that idea, focusing instead on how easily Cam was able to control the beast.

"Serra, this is Fenrir, who's been almost ever-present since I rescued him from slavers nearly two years ago."

"I," Serra paused, the words failing to come as both man and beast looked at her. The combined stare of both made her momentarily unsure of herself. "I felt your pain. With the Bando Gora. And, I think, with whatever happened at the beginning of the year." She said slowly, unsure whether bringing up those events – whatever the second was – was a wise idea. As she spoke, she could feel the Force shift around her and Cam, helping her see him more clearly within. The blurred edges she'd felt earlier had cleared slightly, revealing something powerful, something dangerous, that she found oddly excited her.

As Cam's expression turned sour, she feared bringing up those events. In his eyes, she saw the memories replaying, and felt the subtle shift in his Force signature as residual feelings linked to them pulsed around him. The Dark Side was there, she understood that this was what was hiding within him, trying to control him. Yet even as she fretted that she'd allowed that danger to take control, she felt him push it away, place it back behind whatever barrier it was he'd built within himself to control it.

"Yeah, it's been… an interesting few years." He spoke slowly, his Force signature showing faint signs of discomfort. Thankfully, before her concern grew to the point she'd be obliged to mention this to Master Drallig, the last vestiges of the anger, the Dark Side, slipped away behind the wall Cam had created within himself. She'd been told that wasn't the way to deal with the temptations of the Dark Side, and her moments of weakness had released the anger into the Force, yet she was willing to overlook it. She trusted Cam, and Master Fay, to know about the issue and be working to control it. "It's had its ups and downs," the beast, Fenrir, leaned into his hand, seemingly offering support. Cam smiled as he stroked the great black beast behind its ears, drawing a faint murmur of delight from the tuk'ata. "Though I'd say what I've gained more than outweighs the… difficulties I've endured." As Fenrir leaned into Cam's hand further, Serra couldn't help but smile at seeing a beast she'd been told was a danger to Jedi acting like a puppy, though she did ignore and push away the small voice inside that said it should be her Cam was touching and not Fenrir.

Serra looked away, not wanting Cam to see any hint of desire and dislike on her face at how close he was to the tuk'ata. The view, as it had failed to do today, didn't help centre her thoughts. It had worked so well for that when she'd been an Initiate and in her early time as a Padawan, but since her verd'goten, she'd started feeling at times that there was something off about the view. Almost as if it was a distraction from something else, though she'd so far failed to put her finger on what that might be.

"So," she turned back as he spoke, feeling some warmth at the smile that had crept back onto his lips. "What have you been up to?" He was trying to engage her, yet she could sense some doubt within him, though it was focused more on himself than her. "I heard you and Master Drallig had an adventure last year."

She returned his smile as she nodded. "Yes, we were assigned by the High Council to help mediate a trade dispute in the Outer Rim." There was a faint, momentary burst of what felt like annoyance when she mentioned the Council, but it was gone before she finished the sentence. "It took longer than Master Drallig had expected due to one of the factions deciding the talks would be more productive if they acted aggressively. Thankfully, their approach was easy for Master Drallig and me to handle."

Cam's smile grew. "Sounds like you had fun then."

"Yes, though I didn't end up with someone like Fenrir here at the end of it." She leaned forward, feeling safe around the beast due to Cam's presence. The connection between the two of them was strong, reminding her of the bond she shared with her master. Slowly she extended a hand toward Fenrir, stopping when it was about halfway there.

In a move that amused her, the beast, which was only a head shorter than Cam, looked up at him for assurance. After receiving it, Fenrir took a few steps toward her. The beast sniffed her hand carefully as if judging if she was safe, or a member of its pack. Since she considered Cam one of her closest friends, she felt she was, and thus wanted the beast to feel comfortable around her.

As its maw moved closer to her hand, Serra would be lying if she said she didn't feel some trepidation. The mouth looked wide enough to swallow her arm from the elbow down in a single bite, and the brief glimpses she'd gotten of its teeth meant rendering flesh from bone wasn't an issue for it. Yes, the Force gave no hint that she was in danger, but the instinctual reaction of being so close to a creature bred to kill Jedi was hard to overcome.

A snort escaped its nose before it covered the last of the distance. Serra's smile grew massively as it pushed its muzzle into the hand. She then laughed softly as a deep rumbling of contentment slid from the maw. She could feel the Force shift around them, marking her as someone the tuk'ata trusted, as part of her pack, and that delighted her.

"He's so warm," she said as she looked up at Cam even as Fenrir moved forward, guiding her hand to the spot behind his eyes where Cam had been petting him previously. The missing spinal crest was easy to spot now, not least because the flesh around the area was lighter, being a dark shade of grey compared to the black fur that covered the rest of the great beast.

"Aye, he's a great heater on cold nights." While the words sounded normal, there was a subtle shift in the Force that returned Serra's gaze to Cam. Even without him saying anything, she knew something bad had happened on the last mission. More so than just the faint hints of rage she'd felt at the beginning of the year. Whatever it was had been serious enough that he and Master Fay had been locked in conversation with the High Council for hours, and it was clear, as much as he tried to hide it, that Cam wasn't happy with the result of that meeting.

"What happened?" she asked slowly, wanting to know but not willing to push the matter. "If you want to talk about it…"

In her younger years, she would've pushed, and kept pushing to know what was going on. Back then, she'd have felt it was the right thing to do, to get someone to open up to help them. Now, she was older, wiser, and after her last mission, understood that pushing someone often just drove them further into their thoughts.

As Cam took in the view, Serra's thoughts turned to that mission. In particular, a Rodian aide named Vhuss Xenpa. Vhuss had been working for one of the groups at the negotiating table, and Serra had sensed something was off about her. She'd approached the Rodian and prodded her about it in a way that she thought was subtle at the time, but Serra now understood that she'd been anything but. Vhuss had retreated into herself and made sure to avoid Serra for the rest of the negotiations. Then, when things turned violent, Serra discovered that Vhuss was the one who'd betrayed the company she worked for to let the mercenaries in.

Afterwards, when Serra had confronted Vhuss, she'd been confused at why Vhuss had done what she'd done. The Rodian revealed, under gentle persuasion from Master Drallig, that her family were 'indentured workers' for the other company, and they'd placed her as a spy in her current one at a young age. Serra had pressured Vhuss about why she hadn't said anything when Serra had asked, but the Rodian had explained that her handler had seen them talking and warned her to stay away from the Jedi otherwise her family would be killed.

Serra and Master Drallig had managed to locate and free Vhuss' family, though it had been a close thing. When they'd returned to the Temple, Serra had pleaded with Master Drallig that this indentured worker system was slavery in all but name. Master Drallig had agreed but made clear that the Jedi could do nothing about it when the Senate knew and allowed the practice to persist. He made clear that he, and others, disagreed with the practice, but until the Senate did something about it, it was hard for the Order to actively combat the issue.

Serra had stewed for a long time after that, trying to accept the issue. While it no longer came to mind easily, the difficulties she had with this state of affairs still caused her problems nearly a year later. She'd already promised herself that once knighted, she'd do what she could to help those in situations like Vhuss and her family. She knew she was but one Jedi in a galaxy of quintillions, but she felt she had to help. And, she hoped, her friends like Sia-Lan and Aayla might be willing to join her on this mission.

"A lot happened." Cam's quiet words drew her from her thoughts, and almost from continuing to pet Fenrir, though the beast leaned into her hand as she tried to move it away, so she kept petting him. The scar over his eye seemed to pulse as he slowly turned back to her. Pain rippled in his eyes, and she sensed discomfort and irritation flowing from him within the Force. Something Fenrir picked up as the beast grunted to draw Cam's attention. That brought a faint, short smile to her friend's face and a prang of pain to her that it wasn't her making him smile. "Come on."

She was startled at his sudden movement, and at Fenrir sliding from her petting to fall into step at Cam's side. Quickly she moved to catch up with him. "Where are we going?"

"Trust me," he muttered as he led her and Fenrir into the garden proper. She stayed quiet as they walked, showing how much she did trust him, though inside she was confused about what was going on. The youngling class from earlier reacted as Fenrir passed by, but this time the startled responses of the children drew no response from the tuk'ata.

As they walked through the Temple in silence, Serra couldn't help but smile at how even some Jedi Knights shifted their paths to avoid Fenrir. Yes, he was a tuk'ata, but not only had the High Council said he was allowed within the wall, but Cam had complete control over the beast. Something anyone could sense with just a simple probe into the Force.

They passed by one of the sparring rooms and Serra sensed Aayla and Darihd inside. From what she was sensing, the pair were sparring directly, and while Aayla was enjoying herself, the Togruta wasn't. Probably because Aayla was far more skilled with a blade than he was. He, like his Master, was more inclined to think about the Force and apply it in subtle ways than drawing upon it to engage in combat as Aayla and Serra did.

She glanced at Cam, wondering if he'd stop to see them, but he kept walking. The only hint he knew who was in the room was a slight turn of his head to try and steal a glance inside as they passed.

"My mission was to somewhere, something unique," Cam began as they entered an elevator under one of the Temple's spires. His voice was soft, yet there was an odd hardness to it that demanded her attention. "The entire world… it was alive within the Force."

"Every world is," Serra countered instinctively, though she found herself wondering if that was true a moment later. She'd grown up on Coruscant, and been so used to the faint ripples it generated in the Force that she'd always assumed every planet was like that. However, she knew Mandalore wasn't, nor was any other planet she'd visited. Each had its own pulse, its own rhythm in the Force, and if she was being honest, she found she disliked the one generated by Coruscant.

The planet may be the capital of the Republic, but something had felt off about it ever since she'd returned from Mandalore, and it had grown worse after her last mission. Coruscant never felt calm now, and there were hints of something off, something rotten within the Force about it. She'd spoken to Master Drallig about this several times, and he'd explained each time that this was caused by the sheer volume of beings who called the world home. While she'd accepted that at first, since her last mission, and the doubt it had formed inside regarding the Republic, she'd found herself thinking there was more to it. While she couldn't put her finger on what, she did find herself wanting to travel the galaxy more, to experience new sensations and see new things.

"Yes, but Zonama Sekot… it was something more than anything else." Cam's lips twitched upward as he spoke. "There, everything is connected so… completely, that words fail to describe how incredible it was." He laughed, a sound she'd missed over the years, and shook his head. "At several points, Master Fay was acting like a Padawan constructing her first lightsaber."

Serra blinked in confusion, glad they were in the elevator as she was sure that statement would've caused her to forget how to walk for a moment. "Master Fay? Acting like a Padawan?" She spoke slowly, not believing the words she was repeating.

Cam continued to laugh. "Aye. It's something I'll never forget." The joy on his face made Serra smile as he'd seemed on edge ever since they'd met. Yet, that joy fell away as he continued. "Things went sideways after that though," he muttered as his shoulders slumped. Feeling a need to comfort him, she placed a hand on his arm, doing her best to ignore how firm it felt under his robes.

He looked at her, the smile returning slightly. He then patted her hand with his, sending ripples through the Force that Serra did her best to not react to. Yes, the closeness she felt with him excited her, but she understood this wasn't the time nor place to focus on them.

"The High Council has asked that I don't discuss the matter with others for now, and while I doubt they'll do what I feel is necessary, I'm prepared to wait and see. All I can say is that things were… tough for most of the year."

She offered him a smile as her hand gently squeezed his arm, and not because she enjoyed the feeling of power radiating from him. "It can't have been that bad. I mean, you're here." Again, there was a voice that wanted her to say more, that he was here with her, but she understood now that wasn't something to dwell on. Her friendship with Cam meant more than any unrequited feeling she may hold for him.

"More or less." She couldn't stop her gaze from shifting just enough that the scar over his eye was her focus. He turned back to face the door, waiting for it to open, Serra wondered if the scar came from the same battle that had wounded Fenrir. Now, there was a chance they'd both not been injured in battle, but the odds on that were slim enough that she discounted it quickly.

It was at that point that she realised the elevator wasn't descending into the bowels of the Temple but rising into the spire. Which was odd as apart from the Council of Reconciliation there was little in this spire but administration offices. Well, there was one of the larger hangers in the Temple. While that seemed the most likely place for them to be heading, she couldn't figure out why Cam wanted to take her. Unless he wanted to show her the Mandalorian ship he had. She'd heard about the vessel from Aayla and had been slightly jealous that the Twi'lek had gotten to travel with Cam and Bo for so long on it, but other than that, it held little interest to her. She simply wasn't as mechanically inclined as Cam was, which was saying something as Cam was far from the most technically inclined Padawan she knew.

She tensed slightly as she wondered if Bo-Katan would be present. She hadn't spoken to the Mandalorian girl in years, though that hadn't stopped Serra from thinking about her. No matter how much she was confused by those thoughts. To shift those thoughts, she returned her focus to Cam. He appeared calm, one hand resting on Fenrir's head while the other stayed on hers against his arm. Doing her best to ignore how comfortable he was with leaving his hand on hers, and the butterflies it was causing in her stomach, she tried to get a reading on him in the Force without making it obvious.

Those hints of anger and danger that had been blurred were stronger now she had a physical connection to him. Yet, unlike what she'd been told to expect from any tempted by the Dark Side, they didn't appear to be affecting him. What it did do was give him an edge, a sense of danger that Serra couldn't help but be intrigued by even as she wondered just what had happened to have him not only feel rage but keep it bottled down inside instead of releasing it into the Force as a Jedi was supposed to do.

"You know it's rude to read someone without asking." She almost jumped at his quiet words, and she did pull her hand from his arm as her heart rate spiked.

"S-sorry," she mumbled, suddenly missing the contact. "It's just… you've grown. And not just physically." His gaze shifted to her, those green eyes of his wandering over her frame made the butterflies inside frantic. "N-not that that's a bad thing, it's just…" He silenced her by placing a finger near her lips.

"I know, and while you've also grown," his eyes narrowed as they drifted lower for a moment sending a spike of longing through her, "I get what you mean." He lowered his finger and returned his gaze to the door even as he continued. "I'm more than willing to tell you how this has happened, within reason. However, as I just said, some things are restricted by the Council. As for others," he shrugged and smiled at some private joke, "well, let's just say it's better to show than tell."

Serra considered asking how he planned to show her, a faint hope inside sparking that he still felt something for her. Yet, that question was cut off by the doors opening. She followed him out, expecting to see a Mandalorian ship dominating the hanger, only to pause after a few steps at what was instead dominating the bay.

The ship was predominantly a dark shade of green, though there were patches of brown and black over the hull. None of those marks looked unintentional, and they seemed to give the ship an impression of speed even as it rested quietly in the middle of the bay as a dozen Jedi, and twice that in support staff, hovered around it. Yet, just as she moved to follow Cam toward this strange ship, she stopped and gasped as she felt something incredible from the Force. "How?!" She blurted out as she felt the ship reach out through the Force for Cam.

Cam turned back to her, a smile spreading rapidly over his face even as Fenrir continued to move toward the vessel. Before he could say anything, she was sending out a probe, wanting to understand how the kriff the vessel was able to not only generate a presence within the Force but use it in some form. The ship responded to her, sending back gentle vibrations in the Force, and at the same time, she felt it again reach out for Cam. Almost as if it wanted reassurance that she was to be trusted.

It honestly reminded Serra of how a pup behaved around its mother, which somehow made even less sense than the ship having a Force signature.

"As I said, on Zonama Sekot, everything was connected. From the plants and animals that called it home, to the ground and even the starships they built there for clients." Cam held out his hand, and she took it quickly, letting him guide her toward this marvel. "Master Fay was tasked with investigating two rumours from the Outer Rim. One dealt with a living planet, the other with a planet building unique starships for the rich and powerful. Unexpectedly, the rumours were both for the same planet."

Serra could feel Cam's joy, not only in the Force as he responded to the ship's probe, but in his voice. "She's beautiful," she said as a smile spread on her face as well.

"Aye, her name's the Jade Raven, or Raven for short," Cam added almost as an afterthought. To Serra, the name was perfect for her, and she could feel now that the vessel was indeed a she. As they neared, she saw the back of a familiar Jedi Master and reluctantly let her hand slide from Cam's.

"Ah, Padawan Shan, I hadn't expected you to return here so soon," Master Plo Koon began as he turned to face them. "Though seeing who's with you, I cannot say I'm surprised." He chuckled as Fenrir walked past him, seemingly unconcerned about the presence of the Jedi Master. "The first of many visitors to the Raven, hmm?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Master Koon." Serra bowed to the Council member even as Cam replied.

"I'd assume so. Serra was just the first I found." Serra felt her chest swell at Cam's words as she knew she wasn't the first he'd found. No, he'd sought her out, and when the chance to invite others was there, he'd chosen to keep this moment just for her.

"That isn't exactly a surprise, still, it is good you're here. The researchers are having difficulty with your travelling companions." Cam chuckled at Master Koon's words and turned to her even as he started moving toward Raven. She fell into step beside him, her eyes marvelling at the incredibly smooth surface of the vessel. So smooth, in fact, that bar where the engines extended from the rear, it was hard to see any indication of how and where the covering must've been applied.

"The hull, if you haven't already guessed, is organic, as is most of her internal design. Her more critical components are mechanical."

"Indeed, and it is those that our non-Jedi technicians are eager to examine," Master Koon added as he walked at Cam's other side. "She is truly a remarkable vessel, and not just for the fact we can feel her within the Force." The Kel Dor chuckled and stroked his chin just under his breathing mask. "I do believe even Master Yoda was shocked when Padawan Shan guided her into land. Now though, since you are here, perhaps you might convince your passengers to allow us entry to the vessel. They are quite insistent that they'll only do so with a word from you or Master Fay."

"Simvyl isn't exactly a passenger, Master," Cam said, his lips twitching as he spoke. "Though I doubt it's him that's causing the biggest headache."

"I wouldn't go that far, but yes, your other companion has been far more… descriptive as to what she'll do if we attempt to enter the vessel without your permission." The pair shared a laugh even as Serra reached out through the Force, wondering – and hoping a little – who the other companion was. She joined the others in smiling as she felt someone she'd not sensed in years but had hoped to see once again.

"Then if you'll excuse us, Master Koon, I'll get to work convincing them to allow the researchers and engineers access." The Kel Dor Jedi Master nodded and moved off toward a group of four Jedi who were gathered near the front of the vessel while Cam led Serra to the landing ramp that extended down under the middle of Raven.

There she saw a black-furred Cathar making some rather animated gestures toward a trio of non-Jedi engineers. None of them looked happy about dealing with the Cathar and Serra didn't have to do anything to sense irritation and anger from all four.

"And as I told you, this ship belongs to C…" the Cathar's rant stopped mid-word as he caught sight of Cam. "Cameron." Serra's brow rose as the Cathar bowed to Cam. Seeing a Cathar travelling with Cam was odd, given the race's long-standing issues with the Mandalorians. Yet, seeing one show such respect to Cam… Now Serra really wanted to know what had happened on Zonama Sekot. "These… individuals insist they have the permission of the Jedi High Council to enter. However, neither you nor Master Fay left instructions saying anyone could board."

Cam chuckled even as he shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think it was your idea to enforce this so aggressively." He glanced into the ship, to where Serra knew Bo-Katan was standing, though she couldn't see the redhead from her current location. Cam turned to the engineers. "If you could give me some time, I'll help them disembark and then you can carry out your examination." The lead of the trio, a green-skinned Twi'lek, nodded and moved to say something only for Cam to take a step toward them. "However, if I sense the ship in distress because you are… overly zealous in your actions… Well, then I might just allow my companions to speak with you privately."

"Um, yes, but, uh, the High Council wishes us to begin our examination as soon as possible," the Twi'lek struggled to get out as Cam glared at them. While Serra knew he could be imposing, she felt it was the way Fenrir was now standing next to the Cathar, his spinal crests bent back slightly, which was the main reason for the fear radiating from the engineers.

"And you can. Once my companions have disembarked and removed their personal belongings," Cam shot back. Serra was barely able to muffle her laughter when the Twi'lek nodded almost frantically, and then the trio scampered away after Fenrir snorted.

"Greetings," Serra turned to see the Cathar had approached, one hand extended toward her. "I'm Simvyl, a member of the Antarian Rangers and sworn warrior to Cameron Shan."

"Um, Padawan Serra Keto," she replied awkwardly as she shook the furred hand of the Cathar. Her gaze shifted to Cam, wondering why someone, particularly a Cathar, had sworn themselves to him. The more she heard about this last mission of his, the more questions formed without any answers being provided. She'd heard of the Antarian Rangers, though she'd never met any before today, and that they often worked with specific Jedi repeatedly, but it was rare for one to swear themselves to a Jedi. Never mind a Padawan who not only travelled with a Mandalorian but who was one as well.

"I can't go into details," Cam began, understanding her confusion, "but after the mission, Simvyl swore himself to my side." Yeah, that didn't really explain anything, something Serra made clear with a creased brow.

"While my fellow Rangers fell, they were avenged in the war. But I still want the Vong to pay for their actions." Serra felt her brow crease at the fire in Simvyl's words and the new batch of questions that formed in her mind. Who or what were the Vong and what war did they fight in? If a Jedi fought in a war, why hadn't other Jedi come to help, why hadn't the High Council sent Cam and Master Fay support, and why was Simvyl sworn to Cam when it would've been Master Fay leading?

"Simvyl, the High Council has asked us to remain silent about what happened on Zonama Sekot," Serra could sense the Cathar's fury rising, "at least until they've reached a decision on how to handle future problems with the Vong."

Simvyl's rage bled away, though like what she'd sensed from Cam, Serra realised he didn't let go of it. It was also at this point she realised Simvyl was young, perhaps only a handful of years older than her and Cam. His fur and face lacked the same shifts she'd seen in Cathar Knights that were missing in the handful of Cathar Initiates and Padawans within the Order.

"Understood," Simvyl replied with a nod. "Do you think they'll agree to your recommendation?"

"We'll see." It was easy for Serra to hear the doubt in Cam's voice, which made her wonder what the recommendation was. For most Jedi that she knew, Serra would wonder why they doubted the Council would listen to them, but she knew Cam wasn't like most Jedi. He had his own opinions and often doubted decisions the Council in general, and Order as a whole took. After Mandalore and her most recent mission, she was beginning to understand why that was.

"Very well." Simvyl seemed almost resigned to that, though she sensed a flicker of renewed determination from within the Cathar. All of this just made Serra even more curious about what had happened on Zonama Sekot with these Vong; which she assumed was an alien race or cult that she'd never heard of before.

"Finally finished talking with those di'kute in the high tower, eh?" Serra's head turned to look up the ramp into the Raven to see Bo-Katan had moved into sight. Fenrir had moved up the ramp, leaning into Bo-Katan's touch with as much apparent comfort as he had when Cam had petted him earlier. She felt a flicker of jealousy at how easily the tuk'ata accepted Bo-Katan, even as the redhead's eyes seemed to spark as she saw Serra. "At least you brought something nice back with you."

"Play nice," Cam commented as Bo-Katan moved down the ramp. Serra fought to keep a rush of heat from her cheeks as she took in the other girl's face for the first time in years. She'd grown, as expected, though Serra noted her ponytails were longer now, and the green eyes, darker than Cam's, had a hardness to them, making it clear she'd seen combat with Cam. Bo-Katan's black bodysuit did nothing to stop Serra's mind from wandering as the other woman walked toward her, nor Serra's eyes from drifting over the way it held Bo-Katan's hips.

As Bo-Katan neared, a confident, assured smirk danced on her lips, and Serra suddenly felt nervous. It was as if she was reliving her nightmare standing in front of the Council without her robe. Before that fear manifested, Serra pushed it aside and moved forward to greet Bo-Katan.

Bo-Katan gave her a nod as they grasped forearms, relieving Serra as she'd feared if they hugged Bo-Katan would hear how her heart was racing. "Where were you the last time he came back?" Bo-Katan asked as her fingers tightly gripped Serra's forearms.

"On a mission with my Master. We arrived back just after you and Cam left," Serra replied. She had to ignore and let go of her returning annoyance at how she'd missed Cam – and Bo-Katan – a year ago by a mere week on either side of Cam's return to the Temple. "It's good to see you," she added with a smile.

"Aye, you too." Bo-Katan's gaze wandered downward, taking in Serra's frame. When her eyes hesitated on her chest, Serra shifted her stance pushing it forward a little. "And I see you've grown." Back on Mandalore, Serra hadn't known how to react to Bo-Katan's advances or those of others. Now though, with time to grow and mature, she felt more confident in her frame; especially as she'd outgrown the Mandalorian warrior in a few areas.

Serra proved her confidence, even as she felt her face heat up, by running her eyes over Bo-Katan's frame again. "As have you." The redhead's face shifted, the smirk growing more assertive, more aggressive, and Serra suddenly felt like she'd been presented to a rancor at mealtime.

"Bo."

Bo-Katan looked over Serra's shoulder, her smile losing some of its predatory tint. "What? You can't tell me she hasn't grown in some appealing ways." Serra wanted to look back, to see how Cam reacted, but she didn't. She wasn't the same love-struck young girl she'd been, even if those feelings that she'd thought she'd buried were crawling back. However, merely not seeing Cam didn't mean she couldn't tell his reaction. The sharp, focused spike of desire radiating from him made her weak in the knees.

"She has, but behave."

"Sure," Bo-Katan responded. She met Serra's gaze and then rolled her eyes, making Serra chuckle. "Keep pretending you're not thinking the same thing I am." A fire burned in Serra's cheeks, as images from her dreams surged into her consciousness, which brought a feral grin to Bo-Katan's face. "Or that she is," Bo-Katan muttered, shifting forward slightly, leaving Serra unsure of how she should react, or how she wanted to.

"How about, before you attempt to seduce a Padawan inside the Jedi Temple, you give her a guided tour first?" Serra looked over her shoulder to see Cam smiling at Bo-Katan's actions. She wondered if he understood that letting Bo-Katan guide her into the Raven would remove them from the sight of the other Jedi. "While you do that, I'll take Simvyl with me and arrange rooms for you two in the Temple." He held up a hand. "No, you can't stay on Raven. The High Council will be examining every centimetre of her day and night and I'd rather not get a call in the middle of the night, every night, saying you've injured, or done worse to, a random Jedi."

"I'd only annoy them," Bo-Katan shot back, though even without the odd inflexion in her tone Serra wouldn't have believed her. Though that inflexion made Serra wonder just how close Bo-Katan had gotten to Cam. She could feel the desire radiating from both of them, though Cam was working to hide it. Part of her was jealous, but worryingly for her – at least in reference to her dreams – another part of her was intrigued. "Still, Serra's far more pleasurable than most Jedi to spend time with." Serra didn't need to look at Bo-Katan to know the redhead was licking her lips.

"Then I leave her in your capable hands. Just don't break her." Serra's eyes threatened to explode with how wide they got as Cam turned and walked away. As she slowly turned back to Bo-Katan, her mind unhelpfully pulled back those dreams she was trying to ignore.

As Fenrir walked down the ramp, sliding past the pair without a care in the world, Bo-Katan smiled and her hand slipped down Serra's arm to her hand. "Come on. While this ship is odd, it's amazing."

Serra let Bo-Katan pull her up the ramp, feeling the Force shift around her as the Raven sensed her presence. Tentatively she reached out with her free hand and then gasped when her fingers grazed against one section of panelling. With physical contact, the ship's signature within the Force was easier to experience. It was alien in a way Serra could barely comprehend, and yet it reminded her heavily of Cam, making Serra feel instantly safe with her hull. The ship was happy to feel her, meet her, though that might possibly be because with how strong Cam's presence was within the Raven's signature she simply recognized Serra because of him.

"She wants to fly," she muttered, earning a chuckle from Bo-Katan.

"Oh, she can. Believe me on that. Once these Jetii have finished doing whatever they want to do, talk to Cam. I don't think it would take much to convince him to take you," Bo-Katan paused there, making Serra's mind wander to places she'd rather not when with company. Bo-Katan chuckled, "for a flight, I mean."

Bo-Katan turned and pulled Serra further into the ship, forcing her to break the physical connection with the Raven. Yet, as they moved, Serra could feel the ship reaching out, curious about who she was and how the ship felt it knew her. That allowed Serra to ignore the fire that was growing inside, the one that wanted her to risk her friendships with Cam and Bo-Katan to see, no, to confirm, if they felt the same about her as she did about them.

… …

… …

Just over a week after returning to Coruscant, and still waiting for a decision from the High Council – though Fay didn't expect one to be made for at least a month – I was walking through a starport near the Temple. At my side was Bo and behind her was a small hovercart. While she, like me, had left most of her spare equipment on Zonama Sekot when we'd left, she'd insisted I help her restock. And since she knew about my Inventory, she'd tried to get me to 'acquire' certain equipment. While I hadn't agreed – simply because with the sheer number of security cameras in those locations even I'd have had trouble pulling a heist off – she had been very inventive in her methods of persuasion.

The sound of a ship's engines flaring as it descended drew my attention. The vessel coming in to land at the private landing pad should've been Bo's ride, and any doubt was pushed from my mind as I took in the vessel. Unlike the Ne'tra Sartr – and any other Kom'rk class ships that had been produced – this one didn't have any extravagant moving parts. Instead, it looked solid and utilitarian, build for combat and working than the more elegant look the Ne'tra Sartr, which was commissioned by a group of New Mandalorians, did. Compounding that was the two-dozen weapon mounts I could see with my Force-boosted vision which likely had caused issues with Coruscanti security.

"I assume that's your ride?"

Bo chuckled. "Probably. Not many mando'ade on this osik'palon." I smirked at her response, as since we'd left the Temple, it was the longest sentence she'd used. As we passed through the last security checkpoint, she returned to her silent ways, leaving me to once more deal with the staff. They weren't happy about how heavily armed Bo was, nor the hovercart of supplies behind us, but the fact a Jedi was escorting her seemed to placate most of their issues.

Once we were through that checkpoint and had begun walking toward the landing platform, my mind turned back to why Bo was being so silent. Since she was heading home to Mandalore – the civil war was officially over – I'd chosen to escort her here, though before we'd left the Temple entirely, Bo had said her goodbyes to Serra, Simvyl, and Fenrir outside the walls of the Temple.

She'd petted Fenrir and asked him to take good care of me, though not by making me avoid battle. Fenrir, seemingly understanding what was happening, had leaned into her touch more than he'd usually do, and then whined as she'd pulled back. Her interaction with Simvyl had been short and polite, at least in Bo's terms, but they parted as comrades, most of the tension over their cultures having drifted away because of what we'd all endured together. However it was her goodbye to Serra, and the spectacle that had caused that I felt was why Bo was staying silent, and what my mind found hard to not think about while we walked.

On the steps of the Jedi Temple, with various other Jedi standing around for differing reasons – including Master Drallig who didn't seem to trust Bo – everything had seemingly been going fine. Serra had hugged Bo, much to Bo's irritation. A smirk was followed by a whispered word and after Serra glanced my way, her cheeks reddening, Bo had caught her lips and kissed her rather passionately. Initially, Serra had frozen, fear and confusion radiating from her, but then, much to my surprise, she'd started to return the kiss.

As Serra's hands had begun to wander, Master Drallig had coughed loudly, making Serra all but jump back from the embrace. She then retreated a few steps, almost tripping as she did so. Bo had laughed at Serra's behaviour, and when she turned to face me, she'd winked, though it was clear from her face that she'd enjoyed the kiss as much as Serra had.

Of course, Bo hadn't given me the chance to comment on things before she'd marched over and pulled my head down to her. Unlike Serra, I wasn't caught out by the kiss, and more than happily returned it. Yes, doing so on the steps of the Jedi Temple wasn't going to look good to many, but given I was letting Bo leave the planet, and making no effort to hold onto her, they had little ground to stand on. Attachments were forbidden by the Order, but I'd discovered that there was little directly against physical relationships so long as they didn't evolve into much more than friends-with-benefits. While some might still raise an issue with one-night-stands, most would, I expected, let such things go.

When we pulled back, a wicked smile crept onto Bo's face before she walked off without saying or doing anything. After glancing at Serra – and letting her know that we'd talk once I was back – and then making sure Fenrir stayed with Simvyl, I had headed off after the Mandalorian female. Though before we'd arrived at the starport, and its various checkpoints, Bo had dragged me to restock her munitions.

As we rounded a corner, we saw a group of five Mandalorians approaching. All bore the sigil of Clan Kryze over the right shoulder. Four of them bore a smaller sigil just below that, and I recognized two of them as marks of clans within House Kryze. The fifth wore a sigil I didn't recognize on his right pauldron, though given the flash of excitement – mixed with some concern – coming from her, Bo did.

"Cam," Bo began as she stopped and turned to me. She slid her helmet off, letting me have one final moment of seeing her face. I knew I'd see her again, not least via the Holonet, but I didn't know when or where I'd next get to see her in person. She opened her mouth to say something, only to stop and push back a bang of hair that had fallen over her brow. "Look, I suck at this, but… take care of yourself."

I smirked. "Are you going soft on me, Miss Kryze?" She threw a punch with the arm not holding her helmet, but I trapped that against my side. Before she could react, I decided to turn the tables on her, and pulled her in close, my lips capturing hers.

As normal, she semi-fought against my grip, though this time there was more to it than just a need to prove she wasn't some weak-willed girl. Perhaps that was because of who the fifth approaching Mandalorian was, but since she'd caused a scene at the Temple, I felt I owed it to her to return the favour this one last time. It was a shame she was wearing her armour as it prevented me from physically squeezing her arse, but the way she squeaked when I did so with the Force more than made up for that.

"I was under the impression that our father sent you with Alor Cameron to explore the galaxy, not seek out a riduur." I ended the kiss abruptly as the speaker started, recognizing the voice almost instantly. Bo pulled back just as fast, a glare falling away as soon as she turned to the speaker.

"Dorgo!" She called, moving forward quickly; though not too quickly so she didn't, at least to me, look needy to greet her brother. Dorgo pulled her into a hug as the four warriors with him moved into defensive positions around us. I knew it was standard procedure, but given I had Detection running, I knew there were over three thousand sentients within a kilometre of us, though none within two hundred metres. At least on this level or above us. Seeing I had a moment, I used Observe on each in turn and then on Dorgo. While none of the escorts stood out, I now had names to go with the sigils, and knowledge was power. As for Dorgo, it seemed he'd grown a fair bit over the last few years fighting in the civil war.

Dorgo Kryze
Race: Human
Level: 26
Health: 100%
Age: 25
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Liked
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (86%) Mandalorian Protectors (34%)
Emotional State: Happy/Curious/Jealous
Dorgo is happy to see his sister again after many years and intrigued by how close you have become with her.
He is, however, slightly jealous as he hasn't managed to move on fully from the death of his wife and son, even if he executed the one responsible for planning the attack on Sundari.
…

Yeah, gaining five levels in three years was impressive, though, given the hell for leather he'd have been going through while seeking revenge, it made sense. I was also glad he'd gotten revenge for the deaths of his family, though what stood out was that, unlike when I'd met him years ago, he no longer held any loyalty to the New Mandalorians or the Death Watch. That was a big change, though him simply being alive was likely a larger one to canon, and should ensure Bo didn't join the Death Watch, which was the base objective for her linked quest; Flight of the Owl.

"Ven'alor Dorgo, it's been some time," I said once he'd let her go, using his title of clan heir. Dorgo, according to Bo, wouldn't have any major challengers for leadership of Clan Kryze whenever Adonai passed on, however, there would be clans that tried to wrest control of the house from him.

Bo glared at me, almost daring me to say something about the public display of care for her brother. I didn't, but that was more because I didn't want to ruin a family moment than poke fun at my friend/lover. I did wonder if Bo would react to me if it was three years before we saw each other again, but I doubted it. She'd either challenge me to a spar or drag me to a private room; probably both and in that order.

Dorgo nodded though his helmet stayed on, a marked change from how he'd behaved before the death of his wife and son. "Alor Cameron, it is good to see you again," he said as he clasped my forearm. His calling me chief was odd, as while it was technically accurate, it was a clan of one. "Though I wonder if perhaps I should call you vod now?"

"Dorgo!" I chuckled even as Bo slammed an armoured hand against her brother's armour. The crushgaunts were secured and hidden on the hovercart as, according to Republic law, they were considered illegal weapons. I'd had to convince Bo to hide them simply for expediency rather than keep them on and be forced to fight our way through security. I'd actually been surprised at how easily she'd agreed but given I'd only brought this up after the hovercart was overflowing with weaponry, she was probably in a good mood. "Unlike you, I don't hold to the tradition that the first we bed is to be our mate. Else I'd have been wed long before we met Cam."

Dorgo looked between his sister and me. "Cam now is it?" Even with the helmet on, I could see the eyebrow rising. "Still, I do hope you've been keeping my little sister out of trouble." I wasn't sure which one of us was first, but it only took a few seconds before Bo and I were laughing in his face. "What happened this time?" He asked with a sigh. That only made us laugh harder.

"Well, let's see," Bo began after the moment of levity had passed. "On a Jetii-sanctioned mission, we ended up on a world you'll have to see the recording of to believe. A few weeks after being there, and after the Jetii brought in more wealth than I've ever seen, the Ne'tra Sartr was destroyed and the planet was invaded. Cam here slaughtered the first group of aliens, the Vong, and then started an insurgency war that lasted most of the year. The war finally ended after he bested the Vong leader in single combat."

About halfway through Bo's short speech, Dorgo had locked his helmet on me and I sensed curiosity and disbelief from his guard. I shrugged as Bo finished. "That's the short version of things, but yeah, that happened."

"Impressive," Dorgo commented after a few moments had passed for him to process what he'd just heard. "I'd love to hear more of this adventure, perhaps over some ne'tra gal?"

"While I'd like that, the Council has requested that I not discuss the mission with others until they've had time to discuss certain elements of it," I replied before glancing at Bo. "However, they didn't explicitly state that Bo and others with me couldn't discuss the matter, nor share any recordings her armour might have made." Bo's eyes lit up at hearing that, and worried she'd show recordings of me losing control, I added a caveat. "Though only show the recordings to people you trust."

I could've asked her to not show any to anyone, but that would be imposing on her. Yes, I wasn't keen on others seeing that I'd drawn on the Dark Side so readily, but so long as Bo only showed them to her family, Naz, and perhaps one or two others, things should be fine. Otherwise, if she showed them to a large number of people, not only would word get back to the High Council, but I'd probably have dozens of Mandalorians showing up for duels.

Bo smirked mischievously and I already knew she planned to show her family and others recordings we'd not shared with Master Fay or the High Council. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"And here I thought it was the regular combat, buying you replacement munitions, and the all-night sex that kept you around?"

"Well," she began, dragging out the word, "there is that." She moved closer and pulled my head down to her ear. "Take care, and when Serra finally works up the courage to take what she wants, make sure she enjoys it." Her lips caught my cheek for a moment before she continued. "And once you've finally broken her of those silly Jetii ideals, I want a piece. Oh, I'm sure Naz wants some as well." She pulled back, a wicked grin plastered on her face as my mind fought to not get lost in the images her words had generated. "Ret'urcye mhi."

I nodded before replying. "K'oyacyi." She took a further step back as I offered a small prayer to the Force to keep us both safe until we could meet again. I doubted I'd have a quiet year or so until Naboo was invaded, provided that still happened, but I'd take any help I could to ensure I made it safely there, along with Bo. While I'd not admit it openly, I was going to miss her deeply, and not just for the sex.

Bo slid on her helmet and moved off with her brother. The hovercart was given a scan before two of the escorts took control of it. I watched them go, wondering when I'd next see them even as my mind tried hard to not wander back to the imagery Bo had created with her whispered words.

… …

… …

I tried to remain calm as I waited in the private Holonet suite in the Temple. While I doubted Dooku was going to be upset with my actions against the Vong, I was nervous that he, like Fay, would be critical of many of the choices I'd made. I doubted he would be, but the fact was I was more concerned about his opinion than Fay's; a change of perspective I hadn't expected when I'd first been assigned as their Padawan and been drawn to Fay.

Soon enough the console blinked and beeped before Dooku appeared as a blue hologram. "Master," I said, lowering my head slightly.

"Padawan, I'm led to believe that you wish to discuss your most recent mission, and the unusual circumstances around it," he replied, diving straight into the topic without any need for common pleasantries.

"That's certainly one way to phrase things, Master." My reply was accompanied by a chuckle. A shift in his brow made it clear he wanted me to begin. While I was reluctant to go into great detail over the Holonet – not least I felt the Sith already had the channels monitored, or at least those linked to Dooku, Fay, myself, the High Council, and others of note – I wanted him up to date on events, and to see how he felt about the mission. Fay had already contacted him and offered up a brief synopsis of events, but Dooku would want a complete picture before offering an opinion.

Thus, with him waiting patiently, I began to recount my tale.

…

"The Council are still deliberating on the matter, Master, though I'm concerned they'll downplay or outright dismiss my concerns over the threat the Vong pose."

That was how, over two hours later, I finished my recounting of events to Dooku. Like the Council, he stopped me at times to ask questions, both in what I was saying and in correlation to Fay's words and files she'd sent him. However, his questions hadn't delayed me too long as, unlike the Council, it was only his opinions that came up. Oddly, when it came up that I'd drawn on my anger against the Vong, he never stopped me to ask a question. Something both the Council and Fay had done.

"As Master Fay has no doubt told you, the Council will take their time deliberating on any matter they consider significant, so take some heart that they are at least doing that. That said, I suspect they won't deem these Vong as serious a threat as you believe them to be, and while some of the Council may agree with you, they will present a unified front when they offer their judgement." Even through the Holonet, I could sense Dooku's disdain with the Council, though there was little hint of it in his voice. "Either before they reach their decision, or perhaps in the weeks after, certain members of the Council may seek you out for further information on the Vong."

"Masters Koon and Giiett have both spoken to me about the Vong, Master," I replied. Giiett had asked about how similar the Vong were to other races and what I knew of their standing on the Force, though there was little I could offer to him there that might be helpful.

Plo Koon had been interested in their technology, though he'd moved to the topic subtly by first asking questions about Raven after I'd taken him and a few others on a short flight on her. To say she adored flying or breaking through the ozone layer and letting the light of a star kiss against her flesh without an atmosphere in the way was like saying a fish could swim. A feeling several Jedi had commented on upon returning to the Temple. Master Tiin had taken nearly a dozen trips in Raven in the roughly three weeks since I'd returned to the Temple; more so than anyone else. In a rare moment of bonding, he spoke of feeling some envy about my bond to Raven and an interest, which would go unfulfilled since Jedi scouts had confirmed Zonama Sekot was no longer in the system, in gaining such a vessel for himself.

"Now, regarding your choices during this conflict," he paused, and I steeled myself, wondering where he'd find critiques or my actions. "While there are several places where I feel you could have, perhaps, chosen a different course or action, I would feel more comfortable discussing them in person. Your choices, based on what you would have known at the time, are logical and practical; though several likely raised issues with the High Council." He didn't have to say it, but the plan to capture and interrogate, and when that failed, dissecting a Vong was one of those moments. "As for your performance in combat, while there likely were moments in combat where I suspect your form was improper, without direct first-hand experience of them, I will not offer judgement, only relief that you emerged alive and well. While I reserve judgement on your combat proficiency with this Mandalorian blade until we have sparred with you using it, the fact it seemingly was able to pierce Vong armour with greater ease than a lightsaber negates most of my complaints about your use of the blade."

"Choosing to enrage the Vong leader to provoke ritual combat was something most Jedi would never have considered, though it was a pragmatic choice; doubly so since you emerged from it victorious and without risking the lives of those with you. While Master Fay is as skilled a diplomat as any Jedi, she can, like many members of the Order, be blind to moments where words cannot achieve the desired result. Such instances are nowhere near as rare as many in the Order and on the High Council might believe; however, your continual preference to using a lightsaber to solve issues is, perhaps, a troubling trend you need dissuading from. Subtlety, coercion, and an ability to adapt to any situation are far more likely to keep you alive than relying on the same method repeatedly to handle any difficulties that may arise in life."

I nodded along as he spoke. While I was glad he wasn't as critical of my choices as Fay or the High Council were – though in her defence, with time to reflect, Fay accepted that my actions had been effective – his commentary and the ability to turn this into a lesson had more of an effect on me. I didn't deny that I'd developed a tendency to solve issues with a lightsaber, nor that there were other ways to handle situations. Perhaps it was time I gave some thought to less Force-based approaches to conflict resolution.

"With that said, I will review the data you and Master Fay have sent me more concisely and if I feel there is anything more to discuss, I will contact you directly." He seemed to lean back though it was hard to tell since the hologram was only showing his upper body. "Now, is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

I took a moment to think about other events that had occurred since I'd last spoken to him. Dooku wouldn't care about my relationship with Bo; at least, so long as it didn't become a weakness or interfere with my choices. Something proven wasn't the case given I'd let her go without any issue. Nor would he care particularly about the loss of the Ne'tra Sartr or the gaining of a loyal friend in Simvyl, though Dooku would likely consider him a follower. And nothing was going on at the Temple that would interest him; certainly not Serra's attempts to appear not unbalanced by Bo's behaviour on the Temple steps. That left a single subject of conversation, and while I'd prefer not to ever deal with it, avoiding the matter was worse. "How goes your project with your former Padawan?"

As Dooku watched me silently for a few seconds, I pushed down a spike of rage at what Vosa had subjected me to. She wasn't here now, and if I couldn't control my desire for vengeance when simply discussing her with Dooku, then I'd never be able to face her again. Though that might not be the worst outcome. "I'm impressed you would bring up Komari willingly, particularly after your last mission. Though you doing so does seem logical since both that mission and the one against the Bando Gora involved… difficult situations." He paused and looked away for a moment. "Regarding her, progress has been slow, even more than I had anticipated. As I've said, I don't believe Komari can ever rejoin the Order, however, there exists a possibility that she may have other uses as an unaligned Force user."

"That is… good to hear," I managed to get out without grinding my teeth. There was still an urge to simply find and execute her, one I felt Bo and others would support. That said, I could see what Dooku was trying to do, or at least felt I could. Vosa was skilled with her lightsabers and held connections to the galactic underworld. If Dooku was able to rehabilitate her enough that she could regain some trust – a very high bar to clear in my opinion – then those connections could be invaluable with the chaos to come. Though I knew the next time I met her, it would be a struggle to contain my desire to rip her limb from limb, however, that urge had been tempered by spending some time with Player's Mind active to analyse Dooku's decision free of any emotional baggage.

"There is no need to appear amenable, Cameron. Your opinion of Komari Vosa is understandable and entirely expected after what you endured. The fact you would bring her up openly shows you've begun to heal from the trauma she inflicted upon you and see possibilities of using her as an asset."

"Yes, Master." While I could discuss the matter further, I had no interest in doing so, only mentioning her to gain an update on when Dooku might return. Plus, the longer I spent thinking about that bitch, the longer I risked my rage growing to a point Dark Side Masking wouldn't be able to protect me from some rather uncomfortable questions.

Dooku gave a single nod and then the connection was cut, leaving me alone in the communication suite. Putting aside the abrupt ending to the call, which was in keeping with Dooku's nature to be precise, I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. While I didn't feel at risk of losing control, I wanted the fury inside buried before my next call connected. I let some residual anger toward Vosa slide into the Force, knowing Fay would've sensed it. Plus, hanging onto it was pointless since I could instantly recall every moment of my time under Vosa's care with ease thanks to Eidetic Memory.

I sat with my eyes closed, settling my thoughts with techniques taught to me by Fay and Healer Allie until there was a bleep from the console in front of me. Opening my eyes, I saw it was internal communication. "Yes?"

"Padawan Shan, the second call you wished to make has been connected," whoever was responsible for the Holonet connections with the Temple replied, "However, due to the distance involved, there may be some delay or signal degradation." The person manning the communication centre was probably, like many in the Temple, not a Jedi but a civilian who worked for the Order, though there was the possibility that they were a failed Padawan or Youngling that had an aptitude for technology.

"Understood." The channel clicked closed and the Holonet unit flared into life, quickly showing a young Human boy. "Hello, Anakin."

"Cam!" Anakin shouted loud enough that I winced. He seemed to be sitting in a seat – probably somewhere in the Lokella station – though if he kept moving around he'd soon fall from it. The Lokella now had Holonet access thanks to a plan put in motion by Fay before we'd journeyed to Zonama Sekot with some funds from my book sales. The connection wasn't great, as the tech had explained, with there being brief flickers in the image of Anakin, but it was better than them being cut off entirely from the wider galaxy. Plus, it'd allow me to remain in contact with Anakin easier in the following years before I decided exactly what to do with him.

A smile came to my face as, even though I was thousands of lightyears from him, I could sense his joy and delight; the innocence of youth that was no longer restrained by slavery. That sense of wonder, of freedom, had grown stronger since I'd last seen him and was a refreshing change from the chaos, pain, and war I'd dealt with for the last year. "How have you been?"

"Great!" His smile somehow grew, threatening to split his face in half. For a moment, I wondered if he'd done something incredible or stupid; or, given who I was talking to, both simultaneously. "Baalta's been letting me learn about the ships we have! I've even gotten to pilot the Freerunner and others around the system!"

I laughed as I imagined Anakin sitting in the pilot's chair of a CR-90, and the faces of the rest of the bridge crew when their captain allowed and encouraged it. The only worry I had was that he might get to use the weaponry, but I suspected Shmi would murder someone if they allowed that. "Sounds like fun."

"Yeah, it was wizard!"

Anakin started detailing his adventures, and as I leaned back in my chair, I felt some of the weight on my shoulders ease. Even if it returned once the call was over, the momentary break from worrying about the Council's decision regarding the Vong was a relief, and once the call was over, I'd have to find a way to thank Fay. That did remind me that one day I'd have to have Anakin meet Serra, but that, similar to wondering how long it would take Serra to make her move, was a contemplation for another day. For now, I would enjoy this moment of freedom and revel in the faint sense of wonder I felt from Anakin.

… …

… …

"Therefore, after careful consideration of the evidence submitted, it is the judgement of this Council that while the Vong are a concern due to their apparent resistance to directed applications of the Force, they are not to be designated a threat to the stability of the Order. Nor of the Galactic Republic. However, we reserve the right to return to this decision if further incursions into Republic space occur."

As Windu gave the Council's verdict, I clenched my fist so tightly that I knew my knuckles were white. While they at least weren't dismissing the threat out of hand, the fact they were designating the Vong as nothing more than a potential concern was short-sighted at best. Couldn't they see how short-sighted they were being in only reacting retroactively? Were they too bogged down in the minor issues of kowtowing to the Senate that they lacked the will to face a true threat without the say-so of that group of self-serving morons? Haran, would they even get off their collective arses for anything other than the return of the Sith or a galactic war?

I took a step forward, my rage bubbling away inside as insults and counterarguments gathered on my tongue. Given how some of the Council were watching me, with Evan Piell's eye narrowing the more I stewed, there was little doubt they could sense my fury at their decision, yet the gentlest of touches on my arm along with a calm wave from Master Fay, who was standing to my side, was enough to stay my actions.

That calming touch and wave were enough to settle enough of my fury that I could see that raging at the Council openly would do nothing but harden their stance. Along with renewing the issues many had with me. The Council had made their decision. It was a stupid-arsed one, one that I'd likely ignore, but it was theirs to make. Though now I'd have to spend time meditating and thinking on how to approach the future threat the Vong would pose. Yes, it might be years or decades after the Clone Wars that they invaded, but they were coming so I had to take steps to prepare for that.

"You disagree with our decision, Padawan?" Windu asked as he leaned forward, staring intently at me.

"Yes, Master Windu," I began before taking a second to breathe deeply before engaging Player's Mind. "This is a mistake. The Vong force we encountered was a probing force. The very tip of the spear of their military. We were beyond lucky to drive them from the world, and only an act no one considered possible prevented them from recapturing and holding Zonama Sekot. We did NOT, in point of fact, defeat them, or drive them away from a military perspective." Player's Mind helped me push the rage inside away from my words as I knew if the Council sensed my anger behind them, they'd dismiss my objections instantly. They still might, but this offered me a higher chance that at least some of them might listen. "If they were to invade the Republic, the unusual nature of their weaponry, and their fanatical devotion to whatever cause it is they're following will result in the deaths of billions, if not trillions before the Republic and the Order can counter them." Though that was if, in the current climate, they even could. The Ruusan Reformation was the most ill-advised pile of bullshit I'd ever seen and the Vong just proved that in spades.

"The Council understands your concerns. However, given that you, along with a single Mandalorian and Antarian Ranger – who, like you, haven't fought in major conflicts before – managed to harry and then drive the initial invasion force from the planet suggest you're overplaying their threat." If not for Player's Mind I'd have likely been staring at Saesse Tiin as he dismissed my warnings as that ranting of children as if he'd suddenly grown four more horns, and a tail and started carrying a pitchfork. As it was, there was a moment when I wondered if the horns somehow interfered with how Iktotchi brains worked.

"While we don't agree with the Council's choice on the matter, we will accept it." That came from Fay as she cut in before I was able to respond to Tiin's dismissal, though I'd already decided he was no longer allowed on Raven. I looked at Fay, wondering why she was cutting off the debate only to sense her unease with the Council's decision. "If that is all?"

"It is." Fay bowed at Windu's blunt dismissal, and I copied her move a moment later, though not before silently wondering which Council members wouldn't need removing to have the body reverse their decision.

"Padawan Shan," I stopped and looked back at Plo Koon. "Perhaps we might speak later, I wish to continue our discussions regarding the Raven's unusual construction."

"Of course, Master." After a nod of thanks from the Kel Dor, I followed Fay from the chamber. As I disengaged Player's Mind the anger at the Council's decision came flowing back, though, with just a little bit of time to temper it, it wasn't risking overflowing. I was further calmed as Fenrir, who'd stayed in the atrium outside the High Council chamber, stood with a loud yawn. That disturbed the other Jedi waiting for their turn to speak with the Council, which made me smirk. That evolved into a smile as Fenrir walked over and pushed his head against my shoulder as if he knew I was angered by the Council and was offering support. Though whether that meant in general, or a desire to kill those angering me I couldn't be sure. He was bred for battle after all.

"I know you are unhappy with the Council's decision, Cameron," Fay began as the elevator doors closed and we descended back to the Temple proper. "However, there is little we can do to change their minds at present. However, if we can turn up further evidence of the Vong within the galaxy, most likely from private investigations, then we can present that to them. Nor did they say nothing was preventing us from considering strategies to prepare for when the Vong return."

I offered her a smile in thanks. While I doubted she'd approve of many of the ideas I had for countering the Vong in war, the fact she trusted my judgement regarding the Vong was encouraging. "That is true, Master. And thank you."

Fay smiled in return before looking out of the elevator, taking in the planet. "While there will always be times when we disagree on matters, and where I disapprove of your choices, the Force is accepting of our methods. That, along with having watched you grow into a fine young man, one worthy of one day being a leader of our Order, helps guide me to trust your opinion on this matter. Though in future, I would advise caution with how you respond to a Council decision. Questioning their decisions will only entrench them further with those more opposed to your opinions. Nor will using your odd Force technique of calming and blocking your mind help ease their concerns regarding your actions."

"Yes, Master." Fay wasn't wrong as the Council would've sensed me activating Player's Mind but it was better than raging at them and having them grow concerned about my mental state. I'd rather not have them snooping too deeply into my mind as I suspected even with Dark Side Masking in the mid-Savant range, Yoda at the very least would be able to sense something amiss.

Since that had been avoided, I let my gaze follow Fay's to the planet as ships buzzed around so much it looked like lines drawn in the sky leading from one point to another above the metal-covered Republic capital. A shell that hid the decay and deception from those who wanted to pretend it didn't exist.

Still, the issues of Coruscant were secondary in my mind at that moment. What dominated my thoughts were the plans I'd been slowly formulating over the last month and a half for if, as had happened, the Council rejected my recommendations. I had decades to prepare for the Vong, so they were, in the grand scheme, a minor issue for now, but not laying even the groundwork for combating them would be tactically naïve at best. But without at least some support from the Order, I lacked the reach and resources to even begin searching for rumours regarding the Vong in the Outer Rim, never mind developing strategies to counter their forces.

… …

… …

I walked slowly up the stairs from the Great Atrium, avoiding the various groups that were moving around. Some gave me a nod or glance showing they understood I was a Jedi, though most simply ignored me, which was fine. I was taking my time walking, running over one final time how I wanted this meeting to go.

It had been a few days since the Council had made their decision on the Vong, and I'd spent time thinking about what to do next. While investigating rumours might generate useful leads, the sheer amount of time it would take was insane. A general search of the Archives for reports of strange aliens attacking in sectors near where Zonama Sekot had generated over ten thousand reports. Most were ancient, dating back to before the Ruusan Reformation, but that still left over a thousand reports I'd had to read through, and none of them had been in any way helpful as the reports were made by Jedi who either dismissed the rumours or failed to provide much detail; and often both.

Masters Koon and Giiett had both, as expected, continued to talk with me about the Vong, though I'd been surprised when Windu had done so as well. He'd started the conversation after inviting me to spar, something I'd lost without even coming close to landing a blow while he took it easy on me. That I'd lost wasn't a surprise, though his comments about me having talent were appreciated. It was the talk afterwards in a private meditation chamber that had surprised and amused me. Having him side with me against Yoda regarding the Vong was proof that Dooku and Fay had been right about the Council offering a unified stance publicly while having others privately.

Still, with all three of them hinting that I had their support to continue investigating rumours of possible Vong activity, I doubted they'd give me much more than that. Nor that the Order would be of any help beyond reports in the Archives. Thus, after several deep meditation sessions, an idea had come to me, one that I'd dismissed at first for how outlandish it was. Yet, the more I considered it, even doing so with Player's Mind to remove any emotional issues I had with it, the more it held potential. It was incredibly risky, but one worth pursuing, which was why I was in the Galactic Senate making my way toward the offices of one Senator in particular.

Fay had been caught off guard when I'd brought this idea to her, pointing out how I'd been averse to bringing the Senator into the Coalition, but she'd agreed that without support from the Order, we needed some from another powerful body like the Senate. I felt Dooku would also agree, but I'd not contacted him to avoid the chance my plan would leak to my target. While I didn't doubt that he knew about my adventures, I wanted the reason why I was here to be a surprise as it might grant me a small insight into how he worked.

"Ah, Padawan Shan, hello again." That came from Kinman Doriana as he moved over and shook my hand. Around us, in the waiting area outside Senator Palpatine's offices, several people looked up to see who the Senator's aide was greeting. A few seemed surprised to see a Jedi there. "If you'll wait just a moment, I'll let the Senator know you're here."

"Of course." As Kinman moved off, I looked at everyone waiting to meet Palpatine, using Observe as I did. None of the names or their emotional states stood out, but they were added to the list of anyone I'd seen around Palpatine that might need removal from the board once the war began.

About a minute later, Kinman returned and ushered me past the reception desk – manned by a very attractive orange-skinned Twi'lek whose eyes wandered over my face as we passed – into the Senator's offices. He guided me to the same room I'd been in the last time I'd visited when I'd met the Tarkin family, which had been an odd thing. Wilhuff had come across as cold, but oddly pleasant, possibly because I didn't speak or act as most Jedi would. His younger brother, Gideon, had shifted more, going from actively disliking me for simply being a Jedi to asking me questions about the Order and my adventures. Still, as the doors to the private room opened to reveal Palpatine, thoughts of the Tarkin and their role in what was to come slid from my mind.

"Cameron, my boy, how wonderful to see you again." Palpatine moved over, gripping my hand with both of his. "I must admit when you reached out for a meeting, I was caught off-guard. I do hope everything is well with the Jedi."

"It is Senator," his smile slipped slightly, though it returned as I continued. "Sorry, uncle. However, an incident on my last mission has me concerned. The High Council have chosen to ignore those concerns, but I feel the Republic needs to be made aware of it and prepare for what might happen."

Palpatine frowned. "Oh my." He guided me to the sofa. "That sounds most worrying. How might I help?"

As we sat down, I pulled a datapad from my robes. With the Council having reached their decision, their restriction on me discussing the Vong with others had been lifted. Or at least, since they'd not made clear that it was still in effect, I was acting like it was. After this meeting, I planned to talk with Serra, Darihd, and others about what had happened. While there was little they could do to help, having them aware of what was going on meant that, Force-forbid, if they ever encountered a Vong, they'd at least know what they were facing.

Still, I'd made sure not to mention why I wanted to speak to Palpatine when I'd arranged the meeting as I wanted to judge his reaction. As the datapad connected with a small holographic display on the table, I shifted my focus to the Senator. While he watched the same recording I'd provided to the Council, I wanted to watch him. While I doubted there'd be even the slightest shift in him when he saw me use Electrokinesis, his reaction to that and my approach to combat might offer some insight into his thinking. Or so I hoped.

"Oh my, what exactly are those?" he asked as the recording came to life, though it waited for a command to begin.

"Those are the Vong. A race I and my master encountered on the mission. A race that, apart from being seemingly immune to direct Force applications, fight on a level that makes them a threat to any Force user, never mind the Republic as a whole if their entire race attacked." His brow rose in shock at hearing the Vong were immune in some way to the Force, and that I considered them a threat.

"How dreadful," he muttered, his attention returning to the display as it began.

Yes, bringing this to him was a huge risk, but thinking about it while ignoring what I knew about his true nature meant it was the logical move to make. Plus, on the off-chance that I might fail and the Empire still rose, then I'd rather they ruled the galaxy than the Vong. From everything I'd seen from them on Zonama Sekot, they were the devil I didn't know.

… …

… …
A/N: Yep, Cam willingly went to Darth Sidious to prepare for help. What in the galaxy has gone wrong?

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

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

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Mar 31, 2023

Stats, Skills, Powers, Perks and Player Powers 4
This is just a listing of the current level, stats, skills, powers, perks and titles of Cameron.
If you are not too interested in the values that run behind the scenes, then you don't need to bother reading.

Current date: Month 11 Year 966sRR (since Russan Reformation)
[Or 34BBY in the canon timeline]

Stats Skills Force Powers Perks/Powers/Titles Active Quests

Cameron Shan
Species: Human
Title: The Player
Age: 15
Level 28
HP: 270/270
FP: 18200/18200
(-10% due to bond with Raven)
PP:56/56
XP [7432/36000]
STAM [1213/1213]
Hunger [67/100]
STR: 21 +
VIT: 22 +
AGI: 22 +
INT: 40 +
WIS: 30 +
CHA: 30 +
Luck: 10 + [+10]
SP: 4
SKP: 425
PerkP: 0
PPP: 0
Credits: 292463
Lightsaber Forms Weapon Styles Physical Skills Riding/Piloting Skills Rogue Skills Technical Skills Lnaguage Skills Medical Skills Combat Skills Mental Skills Social Skills Adult Skills Miscellaneous Tiers
- Form I: Shii-Cho
  Prodigy 12
  Form II: Makashi
  MAXED
  Form III: Soresu
  Master 63
  Form IV: Ataru
  Professional 99
  Form V: Shien
  Professional 83
  Form V: Djem-So
  Professional 92
  Form VI: Niman
  Professional 75
  Form: Jar'Kai
  Novice 97
- Lightsaber [Standard]
  MAXED
  Lightsaber [Shoto]
  Adept 34
  Marksmanship
  Savant 96
  Melee Weapons [1-handed]
  Master 1
  Melee Weapons [2-handed]
  Adept 1
  Melee Weapons [Thrown]
  Professional 64
  Ranged Weapons [1-handed]
  Savant 34
  Ranged Weapons [2-handed]
  Savant 33
  Ranged Weapons [Heavy]
  Adept 2
- Athletics
  Master 7
  Damage Resistance [Bio-Chemical]
  Novice 54
  Damage Resistance [Energy]
  Savant 6
  Damage Resistance [Physical]
  Adept 75
  Damage Resistance [Sonic]
  Novice 2
  Damage Resistance [Thermal]
  Novice 2
  Hand to Hand
  Master 79
  Martial Art: Beskar'pel
  Professional 92
  Martial Art: Beskar'rev
  Professional 92
  Martial Art: Teräs Käsi
  Adept 76
  Swimming
  Professional 62
- Astrogation
  Professional 75
  Piloting [Atmospheric]
  Professional 17
  Piloting [Space]
  Master 56
  Riding [4-legged]
  Novice 73
- Lockpicking
  Novice 16
  Sleight of Hand
  Novice 53
  Stealth
  Master 5
- Computer [Electronics]
  Professional 94
  Computer [Programming]
  Professional 98
  Computer [Slicing]
  Professional 95
  Mechanics [Blasters]
  Professional 25
  Mechanics [Droids]
  Professional 99
  Mechanics [Engines]
  Professional 74
  Mechanics [Fighters]
  Professional 43
  Mechanics [Lightsaber]
  Professional 23
  Mechanics [Speeders]
  Adept 52
  Mechanics [Starships]
  Master 69
- Language [Basic]
  Prodigy 67
  Language [Binary]
  Professional 1
  Language [Durese]
  Novice 13
  Language [German]
  Adept 12
  Language [Huttese]
  Professional 21
  Language [Mando'a]
  Professional 91
  Language [Rodese]
  Novice 17
  Language [Ryl]
  Adept 27
  Language [Shaddaboranese]
  Professional 27
  Language [Sullustese]
  Novice 25
  Language [Togruti]
  Adept 4
- Anatomy [Duros]
  Novice 17
  Anatomy [Human]
  Professional 27
  Anatomy [Ithorian]
  Novice 13
  Anatomy [Rodian]
  Novice 13
  Anatomy [Sullustan]
  Novice 15
  Anatomy [Togruta]
  Novice 12
  Anatomy [Trandoshan]
  Novice 12
  Anatomy [Twi'lek]
  Novice 35
  Anatomy [Yuuzhan Vong]
  Novice 36
  Anatomy [Weequay]
  Novice 2
  Anatomy [Zabrak]
  Novice 37
  Forensics
  Adept 28
  Medicine [First Aid]
  Professional 89
  Medicine [Hospital]
  Adept 12
- Combined Arms Warfare
  Adept 52
  Planetary Warfare
  Novice 46
  Small Unit Warfare
  Master 78
  Warfare [Space]
  Adept 1
- Concentration
  MAXED
  Composure
  68/100
  Danger Sense
  59/100
  Meditation
  MAXED
  Teaching
  Savant 76
- Deception
  Master 51
  Intimidation/Taunting
  Master 39
  Lie Detection
  Master 49
  Musical Instrument [Synthtar]
  Adept 79
  Negotiation
  Professional 91
  Perception
  Professional 77
  Persuasion
  Savant 12
  Seduction/Flirting
  Professional 27
  Singing
  Professional 64
  Survival
  Master 5
- Foreplay
  Adept 65
  Kissing
  Adept 92
  Massage
  Novice 75
  Oral
  Adept 69
  Sex
  Adept 82
  Sexual Endurance
  Professional 27
- Cleaning
  Professional 42
  Cooking
  Adept 58
  Economics
  Adept 34
- Novice -> Adept -> Professional -> Master -> Savant -> Prodigy
Control Sense Alter Odds Restrictions
- Absorb Energy [Tutaminis]
  Novice 1 [LOCKED]
  Alchaka
  Master 75
  Breath Control
  MAXED
  Control Pain
  Novice 57
  Dark Side Suppression
  Savant 76
  Enhance Senses
  MAXED
  Enhance Skill
  MAXED
  Enhance Stat
  MAXED
  Empathic Shield
  MAXED
  Force Aura
  Novice 45
  Force Enlightenment
  Novice 1 [LOCKED]
  Force Fury
  Novice 98
  Heal
  Professional 67
  Negate Hunger
  Master 76
  Purge Toxin
  Novice 87
  Restore Stamina
  MAXED
  Silence
  MAXED
  Speed
  MAXED
  Serenity
  MAXED
  Tapas
  MAXED
  Telepathic Shield
  MAXED
  Valour: Active
  Adept 97
  Valour: Passive
  MAXED
- Bullet-Time [Reflex]
  MAXED
  Comprehend Speech
  MAXED
  Detection
  MAXED
  Empathy
  MAXED
  Force Attune
  MAXED
  Force Fear
  Novice 1 [Locked]
  Precognition
  MAXED
  Psychometry
  Novice 15
  Sever Force
  Novice 1
  Sight
  MAXED
  Sense Force
  MAXED
  Shatterpoint
  Professional 1 [LOCKED]
  Telepathy
  Master 59
  Vision
  Novice 28
- Aerokinesis
  Professional 15
  Alter Mind
  Novice 1[LOCKED]
  Barrier
  MAXED
  Battle Meditation: Active
  Adept 81
  Battle Meditation: Passive
  MAXED
  Blast
  Professional 22
  Camouflage
  Professional 1
  Cloak
  MAXED
  Compulsion [Mind Trick]
  Master 97
  Control Beast
  Master 1
  Cryokinesis
  Professional 56
  Deadly Sight
  Novice 1 [Locked]
  Deflection
  Professional 23
  Dominate Mind
  Novice 1[LOCKED]
  Electrokinesis
  Professional 21
  Force Affliction
  Novice 1
  Force Crush
  Master 10
  Force Drain
  Novice 1
  Force Persuasion
  Savant 6
  Force Plague
  Novice 1 [Locked]
  Force Scream
  Novice 1
  Force Slow [Force Weaken]
  Prodigy 12
  Geokinesis
  Professional 15
  Hydrokinesis
  Professional 15
  Illusion
  Master 86
  Inanimate Conversion [Matter Rearrangement]
  Savant 1
  Inertia
  Prodigy 89
  Ionize
  Novice 84
  Jump
  MAXED
  Levitation
  MAXED
  Lightning
  Novice 97
  Lightsaber Telekinesis
  Novice 1[LOCKED]
  Mind Probe
  Novice 1
  Object Enhancement
  MAXED
  Oral Projection
  MAXED
  Phase
  MAXED
  Plant Control
  Savant 41
  Physical Enhancement
  MAXED
  Pyrokinesis
  Professional 65
  Restore
  Novice 17
  Repulse /Shockwave
  Novice 1[LOCKED]
  Stun
  Master 61
  Suppression
  MAXED
  Telekinesis
  MAXED
  Teleport
  Master 85
  Wave/ Whirlwind
  Novice 1
- Oneness
  Novice 1 [LOCKED]
- Tutaminis: Until Deflection = Master 1
  Alter Mind: Until Compulsion = Savant 1, Mind Probe + Telepathy = Professional 1
  Dominate Mind: Until Telepath, Alter Mind and Mind Probe = Master 50
  Lightsaber Telekinesis: Until TK, Lightsaber [style], Makashi, Soresu, Shien, Djem-So are all = Master 1
  Repulse/Shockwave: Until Wave =Professional 1
  Deadly Sight: Until Force Sight is Prodigy 1, Pyrokinesis to Savant 1 and Force Plague is Master 1
  Force Plague: Until Force Affliction is Master 1
  Force Fear: Until Compulsion is Master:1 and Alter Mind is Pro 1
  Force Enlightenment: Until Valour: Active is Savant 1
  Psychometry: Locked at Professional 1 unless a Perk is taken to gain a natural affinity for the power.
  Shatterpoint: Locked at Professional 1 unless a Perk is taken to gain a natural affinity for the power.
Perks Player Powers Titles
- Ambidextrous
  Boosted Growth [2/3] [20% extra XP]
  Eidetic Memory
  Empathy
  Enhanced Regeneration
  Heart of the Force [1/2]
- Heart of the Force [2/2]
  Inventory
  Observe
  Player's Body
  Player's Mind
  Silent Interface
  Upgraded Minimap
- Jedi [2/5]
  Leader [6/10]
  Mando'ade
  Mtael
  The Player
(Letter under a quest is its rating)

Cash in Hand [¤]
[ B]
Time to earn some cash

Changing Fate [Anakin] [¤]
[S***]
Can you prevent the rise of Darth Vader?

Changing Fate [Dooku] [¤]
[A]
Can you change the fate of the Jedi known as Count Dooku?

Changing Fate [Giiett] [¤]
[ B]
Ensure that Master Giiett lives long enough to be useful to you.

Changing Fate [Qui-Gon] [¤]
[ B]
Can you delay the death of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn?

Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas] [¤]
[ B]

Can you prevent or delay the death of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas?
Flight of the Owl [¤]
[ B]
Prevent Bo-Katan Kryze from joining Death Watch

Force to the Max [¤]
[C]
Max out your abilities Force

Forge your own Path
[N/A]
What will you do with your life?
Unlike most quests, some of the objectives here are mutually exclusive.

Hope of the Borans [¤]
[ B]
Can you help save a race?

Just Don't Get Caught [¤]
[C]
If you want to read secure files, you need to be better with computers.

Knight Before Queen [¤]
[C]
Can you beat Padmé to rank up?

Pre-emptive Strike [¤]
[ B]
Find a way to handle Pre Vizsla before the outbreak of galactic war

Rebuilding a Hunter-Killer: Part 1 [¤]
[C]
Restore the legendary droid, HK-47, to basic combat ability.

Skilled to the Max [¤]
[D]
Max out your skills

Sister of the Night [¤]
[A]
Deal with Asajj Ventress before the outbreak of the Clone Wars

The Promise of the Fallen [ꝏ]
[ B]
Prove yourself to the one who was known as Revan

Training Superiority [¤]
Variable
Win some training duels while a Padawan.

Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire
[S***]
Investigate the former capital of the Sith Empire that Revan tried to end then which later launched an all-out war on the Republic.

You Can't Hurt Me. [¤]
[ B]
Time to be (almost) unhurtable.

[ƍ] = Mission Quests Given when assigned a mission by another (HC, Senate, etc) Evolves as time passes
[ꝏ] = Revan Quests Quests linked to Revan, his history and the path he wishes to guide Cam towards Cam be granted by other Force Ghosts?
[ ] = Incident Quests Quests generated by the interface to reward/punish Cam for how he handles a situation/battle/event. Also used for quests given to suggest a path to take.
[¤] = User Defined Quests Quests Cam creates for himself. Generally short-term goals that the interface uses to reward Cam for an action he chooses.
[ɸ] = Challenge Quest Generated when someone challenges Cam to a duel/complete a task. Generally, this relates to something that must be done in a certain timeframe.
...
Training Quests
Training quests will not be listed below. These quests are linked to a skill's stratum and level, with no quest for the next stratum being available if the skill is level 50 or higher in the current stratum. There are 6 strata;
Novice, Adept, Professional, Master, Savant, Prodigy
...
Training Quests are only available from the Adept stratum upwards. The names of the quests based on strata aimed for is as such; Training Quest name:
Trainee, Competent, Expert, Generational, Legendary
targeted Strata aimed for:
Adept, Professional, Master, Savant, Prodigy

USSExplorer · Apr 16, 2023

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

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

Current Date: 1 year until the Invasion of Naboo

Knightly Diplomacy 1
… …

"Ah, there you are Cameron. I was beginning to fear you'd gotten lost somewhere in the Temple."

Master Giiett's words made the others in the room with him turn toward me and scattered chuckles echoed across the room as I entered. We were all here for a lesson with the Council Master and I was the last to arrive.

When I first arrived at the Temple eight years ago, I'd thought that all the training of a Padawan was handled by their Master. However, I'd soon learnt that this wasn't the case. Many Knights and Masters, while capable of handling the majority of a Padawan's teachings, couldn't explain everything about every subject. Thus, classes with other Jedi Masters took place wherein any Padawan was free to join a lesson, though the sizes were kept low and the Padawan's Master needed to be informed before they joined the class.

Currently, apart from time spent with Battlemaster Drallig in the training area as one of his assistants, I attended lessons with around eight other Jedi. Three of those eight stood out as they sat on the High Council; Saesee Tiin, Plo Koon and Micah Giiett.

Master Tiin's were focused on piloting smaller craft, with a focus on the few starfighter models the Order currently had. Of the group of eight, I was by far and away the weakest pilot, lacking the natural inclination toward it that most of the others had. However, Master Tiin had explained privately that he'd asked for me to be assigned to this class because of the bond I shared with Raven. That would, he felt, grant me an edge in piloting that few others in the Order could match; at least not those with a natural inclination toward flying.

While all that made sense, and I'd seen a big improvement in my piloting skills, I suspected one reason he'd made sure I was assigned to his class was to gain more access to Raven. He'd even had me pilot the ship several times for the class to show them what a bond between ship and pilot could look in a way they'd never considered before.

Oddly, Tiin wasn't the only Council member who enjoyed flying on Raven and as such, I'd become something of the de-facto pilot for the Council whenever one or more of them needed to travel somewhere on the planet. Usually, that was just to the Senate building, but I enjoyed getting to fly with Raven and she adored being airborne. Hell, each time we flew I could feel her wanting to go higher, to leave the atmosphere, and feel the unfiltered solar rays of the stars upon her skin once again.

While I'd only been able to do that a few times, mainly when Tiin was onboard as he seemed able to sense Raven's delight at entering space, I'd made so many trips to the Senate building over the last few months that the guard there knew me by name. Still, while waiting around in Raven for whichever Council member I was ferrying was boring, it still gave me time with her, and it was better than about sixty per cent of the things I did in the Temple.

Of the classes I took with other Jedi, Master Koon's were the most normal. At least in the sense of what I'd expect we'd be getting taught if we couldn't use the Force. I'd been asked to join this class by the Council after Zonama Sekot, and at first, I'd wondered why, but the reason had become apparent quite quickly. Master Koon taught classes on the sciences in this universe. What we were learning was far and away beyond anything I could've potentially learnt on Earth, but they were only the equivalent of secondary-school-level science in the Republic.

However, one of the major benefits of the lesson was that they explained, in scientific terms, how my elemental powers, in particular Electrokinesis, worked. It'd also given me new ideas about how to use them, and Force Lightning, though I'd not tried out the ideas for the latter power since using a Dark Side power in the Temple would be beyond stupid.

I also discovered that Master Koon had a form of Electrokinesis himself, which he called Electric Judgement, and through a few private lessons, I'd been shown new ways to use the Force to control the power I was unleashing.

The classes with Master Giiett were odd, though not in a way I didn't enjoy. He seemed to enjoy teaching skills and approaches to problems that were geared towards those who couldn't or wouldn't, use the Force. All in all, the lessons reminded me of some of the base training programs with the SAS for their unorthodoxy. Though Giiett was far nicer and more patient than any of my former instructors had been. Plus, while his lessons all obeyed the Code in how they were to be used, I could see ways to use them that might be used that certainly didn't. Thus, as usual, I was curious about what we'd learn today; at least after whatever little test he'd arranged to start the lesson with.

"I'm sorry, Master, but Master Bestom wished to speak with me regarding Raven. We became a little lost in conversation and I lost track of time," I replied.

Master Bestom was one of the Jedi responsible for maintaining the small fleet of vessels the Order had, and the one most responsible for looking after Raven when I wasn't around. Other than coming to adore her almost as much as I did, he was a fairly nondescript Jedi; only standing out due to his orange skin, which was less common for an Iridonian Zabrak.

"Quite understandable, she is a marvel," Giiett spoke with a wide smile and indicated the cushions set in a semi-circle around a small table that was between him and the Padawans. The table held four cups, though there appeared to be nothing in them.

I moved forward and took a seat next to Sia-Lan Wezz. She was the only person I'd known personally when I'd first started attending these classes as we'd been in Dragon Clan as Initiates. While she was closer to Serra than she was to me, I still considered her a friend; just not a very close one. Of the other four, I'd sparred with three at some point over the last few years. They had all been easy to defeat, much like Sia-Lan – who hated that I was not only better than her but improving faster – but since I'd not gloated about it, and often offered hints to help in later sessions, none seemed to dislike me.

"And here I thought you and Serra had snuck off somewhere," Sia-Lan teased in a voice just loud enough that I was sure the others heard. I rolled my eyes at the girl's behaviour. While she was close with Serra, she did enjoy needling us about how close we seemed. Or at least trying to. Thanks to Darihd among others, I knew that when Serra had first come back to the Temple after her Verd'goten, Sia-Lan and Rachi Sitra had both angered Serra.

That was in the past now though as in my time back in the Temple, and after getting reacquainted with Serra, I knew she could handle the teasing. Hell, she often shot back that the other girls were jealous of our friendship. While that didn't seem to irritate Sia-Lan, I had sensed some interesting emotions from Rachi. Then again, I sensed some from Serra as well, but I'd not acted or asked about them. Mainly as, for the last week or so, I'd been keeping my distance from Serra while she worked through the knowledge that I'd fucked Bo regularly while on Zonama Sekot.

Serra had, much to my surprise, not lashed out upon hearing that. Instead, she'd seemed relieved to know it wasn't just her imagination. Yet even though she seemed outwardly fine, through the emotions I sensed from her through our bond, and with liberal usage of Observe, I knew she was conflicted about things. Hence why I was giving her space to work through her issues privately.

"Why? You thinking of joining us?" I shot back at Sia-Lan, letting my eyes wander over her ample frame. While she was attractive and had some enticing assets, I wasn't that interested in her. Still, I wouldn't stop her if she took her shot, and I enjoyed the rush of blood that came to her face.

"What are the cups for, Master?" The question came from Veeps, a Gran, and cut off anything that Sia-Lan might contemplate saying back.

The question drew a smirk from Giiett which had me interested if not a little apprehensive as some of Giiett's lessons were odd. Enjoyable, but odd. "Just a simple game, Veeps, to pass the time." That did nothing to ease the growing apprehension in me. Giiett picked up one of the cups and held it so we could see there was nothing inside, he then repeated this with the other cups. "As you can see, each cup is identical," he turned each one upside down, which reminded me of an old con game from Earth. One hand slipped into a pocket. "Here I have four pebbles," he continued as he opened his hand. "Three white and one black."

I watched as he showed the stones to us. The game I'd played in my former life had been favoured by Jimmy, one of my former squad mates. He'd often played his game to kill downtime and we'd wager on duties around the base camp or HQ that we didn't want to do. It seemed that Giiett was about to play the same game, but with the Force to help him. While I had little interest in playing anything like Sabacc with any regularity, learning how to subtly use the Force to help my odds wasn't a lesson I was going to turn down.

"Each white stone goes under one cup," Giiett continued as he did exactly as he said, which only increased my curiosity and I began reaching out with the Force, trying to sense what was under the cups. "As does the black one," he added as he slipped the last stone under the last cup. "The object of the game is to keep track of the cup with the black stone."

"That's easy," muttered another of the Padawans, a Human male named Calard Aseld, however, my attention wasn't on him or Giiett. No, it was on the cups. Giiett hadn't started to move them, but I knew he was up to something; likely he hoped to shift our attention away from the cups and then use the Force to distort our ability to track the cup with the black stone.

As much as I wanted to, tracking the stone via its colour was beyond me. Hell, it was beyond my masters and from how they'd phrased it, to use the Force that subtly was an ability that required a connection to and trust in the Force that few ever achieved.

"Then let us see if it is." With that, Giiett started moving the cups. "It may require all of your powers to keep track of the right cup," he added as his hands moved rapidly. The Force was enhancing his reflexes as the cups were all but a blur unless one also drew on the Force - or were from a race with massively superior eyesight than a Human. "This game, among others, is popular in the Outer Rim with gamblers. Often huge sums are wagered on the outcome, even the fate of entire planets on occasion." My brow rose at hearing that, and I almost took my attention from the cups. Surely, he was teasing as the idea that the fate of a world could be determined by a simple back-alley game was… disturbing.

"Of course, as Jedi, it would be unethical to engage in such acts willingly. And certainly not if we were to use our training to help alter an outcome in our favour." My mind instantly recalled Qui-Gon's trick with the chance dice as proof that wasn't true. "However, there is a chance that, on some future mission to some random point far in the Rim, you may be placed in a situation where you are forced to engage in such a game of chance against more ethically-challenged sentients." Yeah, that was a good way to describe Watto I realised as the cups continued to move at incredible speed, though it wasn't anywhere near fast enough that I struggled to track the correct cup. Nor did I think my fellow Padawans were struggling to do so either.

"There! Done!" Giiett called out as the cups suddenly stopped moving and he removed his hands from them. "Where is the…" He couldn't finish the sentence as five hands thrust out, pointing at the cup that held the black stone. "Oh my, it seems I'm losing my touch," he muttered with a smile which set off alarm bells in my head and made me glad I'd held my hand back enough that I wasn't pointing at the cup, though it was clear I thought the cup everyone agreed upon with the correct one.

"N-no, Master," Replied Sia-Lan with uncharacteristic weakness. "You moved the cups quickly. However, as you said, we have training in the ways of the Force to help us."

Giiett smiled, seemingly accepting her words. He moved his hand toward the cup that had the black stone only to stop about halfway there. "Is something the matter, Cameron?"

That had everyone looking at me, making it obvious my hand hadn't fully pointed at the cup where the black stone was. Or should be at any rate.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts before replying. "This is too easy. You used the Force to move the cups faster than any of us could track if we also didn't use the Force to guide us. Yet, you could've gone faster. I'm sure of that. That is the cup you placed the black stone under, yet at the same time, it can't be. It's far too obvious."

Giiett's smile grew wider, though it offered no hint if my thought process was right or wrong. "Then let us see." He picked up the cup, showing that the stone under it was white instead of black.

"How?"

The Council member laughed at the confused comment from Calard and the expressions the other Padawans wore. "As Cameron said, the game was easy," he explained as he started turning over the other cups. "Even for a Padawan, tracking the location of an object moving at great speed and hidden is a relatively simple exercise. Though you cannot track the colour as that is something few Jedi can."

"They're all white!" Sia-Lan spat out as the last cup was overturned, which drew another chuckle from Giiett.

"But where is the black stone?" Veeps asked as confusion radiated off the other Padawans.

"Either he never put it under the cup," I began slowly, once more drawing everyone's attention as I voiced my suspicions, "or he somehow used the Force to trick our senses into believing there was a black stone where there wasn't."

"He used the Force to hide it from us! Most impressive Master!" That came from Shim Pod, who until this point had been quiet, and made me shake my head.

"Did he? Or did we just assume, having seen the black stone earlier and the three white stones go under the other cups clearly, that the last stone must be black?" I reached forward and with my outstretched hand, tapped one of Giiett's. The same one that hadn't turned any of the cups yet had been the one that moved the black cup around most of the time.

Giiett's smile grew wider and he laughed as he turned over his hand and opened his palm, revealing the black stone within. "Well done, Cameron. It's a rare thing when a Padawan sees through the trick," he said as the others all looked on with various expressions of disbelief. He then looked at the others. "Cameron didn't use the Force to determine where the black stone was. He instead questioned his assumptions and expectations of what he thought he knew instead of trusting them blindly." Giiett tossed the black stone up and caught it when he fell. "Sometimes a trick is just a trick."

The other Padawans looked among themselves, taking on board the lesson. As they did that, Giiett collected up the cups and other stones, and after stacking them, placed them slightly behind himself. "Now, for today I'd like you to think about how, like with that game, one can be blinded, whether by the Force, nature, or others, when we assign what we believe should happen to a problem."

I smiled as he spoke. Giiett was different from the other teachers I'd had in the Order, offering lessons that most wouldn't think about yet were critical to surviving the galaxy that existed outside the hallowed walls of the Temple. Yes, he was a devoted follower of the Council's decisions and an ardent believer in the Code as it currently was interpreted, but he was such an out-of-the-box thinker compared to the others, that I couldn't help but enjoy his classes.

Sometimes I did wonder if I'd have been better served by becoming his Padawan. However, when I arrived at the Temple, he'd already taken Bultar Swan. Plus, if I'd somehow been assigned to him, I'd have gone mad at the idea of being stuck in the Temple and unable to do anything.

… …

… …

I scampered back, my lightsaber coming up and tapping away the probing thrust of the blue lightsaber of my opponent. However, they were ready for this and as my blade touched their azure one, they twisted their wrist and slid their blade down mine.

One of my feet shifted, and I turned to ensure the attack slid away from me and then pushed the blade away. That created an opening for me, and I flicked my wrist, redirecting my lightsaber toward them. However, before my blade was even halfway through the move, they leapt high, the Force pushing them upward.

Their blade moved, as even while they were airborne, it attacked, dragging toward my shoulder as its wielder sailed over me. I was forced to drop low and pivot to avoid the tip of their blade, and the shift meant that I wasn't ready to counterattack before they'd landed with a grace few beings could match. Still, there was a small chance I could score a strike against them, which would be my very first, and I thrust forward, aiming low for their legs.

Yet even as my blade moved, so did theirs. It came from higher, aiming toward my exposed head. The velocity it moved meant I barely had time to stop my attack and withdraw, the heat of the blade near my cheek making clear just how close I'd come to getting a minor burn.

The blade came down, hoping to catch me somewhere else, but my lightsaber was back in time to push that probing strike aside. Sparks flew between her blue blade and my dual-cored one. Those almost distracted me with the way they seemed to enhance her beauty, drawing attention to the colour of her skin and the way her robes caught against her skin, hinting at the figure that was under there.

I didn't get lost in the view as she shifted her wrist and her blade stabbed forward. I tapped it away even as I slid back, regaining my stance as I left my crouched position. She stepped forward even as her arm and blade moved as one. My blade came up, deflecting one attack, then gliding around another. Her attacks increased in speed, forcing me to my limit and if not for being able to use the Force to enhance my reactions and body, I'd have been skewered so many times in under a minute I'd look like a pin cushion.

Eventually, I was able to generate some space between us, granting me a moment of reprieve. The only reason I wasn't blinded by sweat was Gamer's Body. Still, it was clear to me, as it had been in each of our previous three dozen spars over the last few weeks, that I was going to lose badly. While I had the technical ability to keep up with her, I lacked the grace, fluidity, and instinctual connection to the Force she, like almost all Jedi Masters, held. Though she was beyond others in that grace, being almost mesmerising as she moved around me, guiding me to where she knew the kill strike would come.

The short reprieve ended when she surged forward, her blade whipping in low to my leg. I slid the leg back, yet as I did so, her blade shifted direction, the tip now bearing down on my gut. My lightsaber came down, applying just enough pressure to ensure the tip of her blade wouldn't land. Her arm and wrist moved, turning the blade, and even as I attempted to guide it away, it slid under my blade.

Left with no choice, I leapt back and spun, using the Force to try and restore the distance between us. My lightsaber trailed behind me, shielding my back from the likely angles of attack, though none came as I landed and whipped my lightsaber around, generating speed. Dooku would likely have disliked my usage of that manoeuvre, but I wasn't staying as a pure Makashi practitioner like him and it'd felt like the right move to use at that point in the spar.

However, before I could bring my lightsaber around for a Djem So strike, my eyes widened. The tip of her blade was sailing toward my face, aimed for the bridge of my nose. I altered the angle of my swing and brought my lightsaber around, slapping away the attack. However, that left me off-balance and all it took was the seemingly simplest of flicks of her wrist for me to feel a burst of pain from my wrist. Having grown used to the stab of pain, I retained control of my lightsaber, but I knew there'd be a slight burn against my skin that I'd need to heal. Along with four others from her earlier strikes.

"And that is the spar," I grunted in annoyance at once more losing to master Shaak Ti. My free hand slipped behind me and I used the Force to push myself forward slightly, preventing me from ending the spar on my arse. Though if she'd used another move with more power behind it, I'd have not been able to prevent that from happening.

Her blade pulled back and she depowered it and I did the same, once more glad for Gamer's Body and the way it altered how I reacted to being tired. Without it, I'd be doubled over panting, however, I was able to remain standing. Even if my breathing was faster and deeper than when the spar had begun.

She stepped closer, a smile spreading across her face. "You are getting more comfortable with adapting velocities into your base form," she said softly. "However, always remember that the best option is often the simplest one. There is little need for anything extravagant unless it is designed to disorient your opponent. Being overly complex or flashy may expose a weakness that an opponent can exploit."

I nodded in acceptance of her words. "Yes, Master." Even as she spoke, my mind was replaying the spar for the first time – though not the last – to see what I could've done better. I picked out one such moment, back when I'd only been losing two-zero – the final score, as always, was five-zero – where I'd chosen to leap over her, twisting as I'd done so. However, unlike her doing that near the end of the fifth point, I'd spun too rapidly and left myself unstable, which had allowed her to score an easy point. Just comparing what I'd done to what she'd done made it clear how I'd fucked up, and how a simpler, more basic slide withdrawal would've left me in a more defensible position.

Shaak's smile grew, and she placed a hand on my shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with attempting something new in the sparring ring. That is, after all, why they exist. You just need time and practice to better feel the flow of the Force in a battle; to sense when to attack, when to feint, or when to defend. That said, your Makashi is, as always, technically flawless. Plus, I saw more hints of the adaption of various Ataru and Djem So stances and velocities in your style today. While you still have some distance to go until they feel as natural as they should, your progress, as always, is nothing short of remarkable." She withdrew her hand and shook her head gently, making her montrals shift. "The only oddity to your form, which you are well aware of, is how you always feel mechanical; as if the Force isn't able to guide you properly. However, like Master Dooku, I am sure this is a simple mental block you will eventually overcome. You know and can complete velocities from the base five forms that almost all Jedi, even Masters on the Council or with decades spent in a sparring ring, struggle to perform. Once you learn to trust in yourself and the Force and add some flair to your movements, I have little doubt you will join the ranks of our greatest lightsaber duellists."

I nodded at her words which, while kind, were the same ones she had been saying since our first spar. And carried the same gist as Dooku when he commented on my lightsaber skill, even if they came in a sweeter tone from a far more attractive visage. However, the fact that even with a maxed Makashi skill, and others in the high Professional range – at least – that I couldn't even score a point against either was driving me to fucking distraction. Now, against other Padawans, or the handful of Knights I'd sparred with, it wasn't obvious. But against anyone on Shaak Ti's or Dooku's level, it was beyond a fucking joke.

Hell, barring Master Donjo Hipato, I'd failed to score a point against any Master in the ring. The only reason I'd managed to do that against Hipato was that he was newly risen to the rank and focused more on his studies than on using a lightsaber. However, of all the Masters I'd sparred with since returning to the Temple, Shaak Ti was the dominant one. Hell, I'd sparred more with her than every other Master put together, which wasn't a surprise since the idea – if one could call it that – to spar with her came from Dooku.

During one of our holocalls, in which he'd spoken with some optimism that Komari Vosa might be approaching a point where she could be of use, he'd insisted I speak with and spar regularly against Shaak Ti. He considered her one of the predominant Makashi practitioners in the Order, which was high praise, and while he disliked her adapting Ataru footwork and velocities into Makashi, he felt she'd be a useful tutor and sparring partner for me to learn more about the style I was developing for myself.

While I hated losing every damn time, I couldn't deny that the sessions were helping; to the point where the only reason to spar a new Padawan was for the small amount of XP that I got from the Training Superiority quest. The only time a Padawan spar had pushed me in any way was when I took on two or more at the same time. Though Battlemaster Drallig wasn't keen on me doing that regularly because it might be seen as arrogance by others in the Order.

"Hmm, perhaps…"

"Master Ti." She was cut off from whatever she was about to say by the new voice. As we turned to them, I saw it was blue-skinned Duros. An earring marked him out as a Padawan, but I couldn't remember meeting him previously. As bad as it sounded, I struggled to differentiate one Duros from the next, save for skin tone, as they had near identical physical features across the entire species. A quick usage of Observe confirmed he was a new Padawan for me to meet, and his name went on the mental list of those I'd yet to spar with. While I could try to get to know him, there were simply too many Padawans, Initiatives, Knights, and Masters in the Order for it to be feasible to become friends with them all. "Forgive the interruption, but the High Council wishes to speak with you when you are free."

"Of course." Shaak turned to me, a smile revealing the sharp teeth of her species. "Until our next spar, Padawan."

I bowed and watched her walk off. Once she was a few steps away, I turned to the Duros, wondering if I could convince him to spar right now. Hopefully, he would as I'd rather not add another name to the nearly thousand-long list of people I'd still had to spar with and defeat; a list I honestly doubted I'd clear before The Clone Wars, or whatever they might be called here if my actions did enough to disrupt what sparked the war, began.

So far, in my time back at the Temple after Zonama Sekot, I'd sparred with a little over a dozen new Padawans, and as expected, defeated them all. Though two older Padawans that should be close to being knighted had taken a second spar to gain the victory. I'd also sparred with a handful of Knights, winning three of those spars. The rest, bar one, had been close enough that I felt I could take them if I sparred them a second time.

While I could've sparred with more Padawans, I'd made sure to keep time set aside for spending with my friends such as Serra, Sia-Lan, Darihd, and Aayla; at least before she'd left with her master on another mission. Often that involved sparring and tutoring them, but it had since moved into discussions on the issues within the Republic. Those had started from a talk with Serra and Darihd about issues they'd seen on Coruscant and beyond. Now our little sessions had about twenty Padawans, with the core coming from Dragon Clan, and we were roughly split in our opinions between seeing a need to do something or following the Council's and Senate's will.

Yet, even without sparring with as many new Padawans as I could, I'd earned nearly 7000XP since returning from Zonama Sekot. When added to the fact I'd passed my sixteenth birthday – and the chunk of XP I regularly got then – and the fact both the Hope of the Borans and Just Don't Get Caught quests had been completed, I'd reached level 29, though only by a few hundred XP.

Reaching level 29 had me curious about what would happen at level 30. Back when the system had updated, it'd told me a final update would take place at level 30 or when I turned eighteen, depending on which came first. It would also be a point when I'd gain a new Player Power Point and I hoped there'd be some new options as while those from last time were interesting, new choices were never a bad thing.

"Padawan Shan," the Duros called out when my mind wandered for a second. "The High Council also wishes to speak with you."

"Huh, ok."

That was a little odd, at least the timing of it. I doubted they wished to speak with me and Shaak Ti at the same time and had merely sent word for both to come to their chamber with Shaak going first due to seniority. The Duros had gotten lucky to find us together in this sparring hall, and as I jogged to catch up with Ti – who'd just reached the doors of the hall – I made a reminder to thank the Duros for this by beating him with ease in a spar.

As I reached the doors and saw Shaak turning back, wondering why I was following, I hoped the Council had a mission for Fay and me. While I was enjoying my time in the Temple, thanks to Shaak and my friends, I knew it wasn't going to be much longer before I started running up the walls wanting something to do. Plus, it'd allow Fenrir a chance to stretch his legs as, ever since we'd left Zonama Sekot, he'd been angsty. To the point that he either spent his time on Raven, with either Simvyl or me. I was growing worried that after the battles with the Vong, he was no longer able to find any sense of peace within the Temple's walls, so a chance to get off-world would do both of us some good.

… …

… …

"Cameron, you were unusually quiet in the Council Chambers," Fay began just after the two of us had followed Shaak Ti into the elevator leading down to the Temple. "Are you comfortable with the mission given to you?"

I looked at her and saw Shaak Ti was also watching me. "I think so. Though given the last few years, and how they've played out, I'm not sure I agree with the Council's choice for it." Instead of, as I'd expected, having different assignments for Shaak Ti and me, they were giving us a joint mission. One on which Fay would not be accompanying us.

In their infinite wisdom, the Council had decided that I was to act as a Senate-approved negotiator for a diplomatic and economic matter deep in the Outer Rim. Shaak Ti was to come along officially to advise me, but I wondered if the Council hadn't sent her to take over if I was unable to handle the assignment. Which given my lack of experience in such matters, was, unfortunately, possible.

Both Jedi Masters smiled at my reply. "The Council often makes choices that can seem, at first, to be perplexing to the Jedi involved. However, I've found that with time to reflect on them afterwards, their choices were generally the correct ones to take." That came from Shaak Ti, though her smile slipped slightly before she continued. "However, I must ask if your companions will be travelling with us as I'm unsure how wise it will be to bring a tuk'ata to diplomatic talks."

I smirked. "He will be coming with us, Master, unless you are entirely set against it. I would prefer not to leave him in the Temple without me as he's been growing agitated ever since our last mission." If Bo was around, I'd happily drop him with her for a few weeks as Bo was the only person outside myself who'd shown any ability to control Fenrir when he didn't want to listen. Thankfully, there'd not been any issues with Fenrir in the Temple, but it was only a matter of time until his patience slipped. Hopefully, he wouldn't try to eat a member of the Order, though if he did, I had a few beings I'd like him to go for simply for the amusement factor.

"It would be best if Fenrir accompanied you, though perhaps exclude him from the talks, if at all possible," Fay offered as the corners of her lips twitched upward. I barely held in a laugh at seeing how a bunch of diplomats would react to Fenrir walking into the room and growling at all of them. "Still, the Force has guided the Council to assign you to this mission, Cameron. While you've shown yourself to be a young man of incredible strength, both physically and mentally, over the last few years, that isn't all there is to being a Jedi. If one's prowess with a lightsaber was what defined a Jedi, I likely wouldn't be considered one." I chuckled at that, though it did bring to mind a discussion I'd had several times with Fay since we'd returned from Zonama Sekot.

I knew she wouldn't pick up a lightsaber again; her reason for lying it down was extremely personal. However, that didn't mean she couldn't take something that wasn't designed to be lethal such as a collapsible baton. Sadly, she'd yet to show any interest in my idea though she wasn't outright dismissive of it.

"It would also do you good to retrain yourself in how you approach this mission," Fay continued. "While I have little doubt that you'll be able to resolve the situation, finding a less antagonistic way to do that would likely please the Council more. It would also show that you can discover solutions that don't require aggressive negotiations."

I smirked at the turn of phrase she'd used there. "I'll try Master, though I worry our hosts won't make that easy." Actually, I was all but sure of it as not only had the Council given me a diplomatic mission, but they'd decided to have me cut my teeth on a real challenge. We were heading to Zygerria; a planet that would, as the Republic slowly unravelled, return to their old ways and attempt to build a slave empire in the Outer Rim.

Just hearing this mission was taking place on Zygerria had me contemplating intentionally torpedoing the talks. However, Fay's words, when coupled with how Windu had phrased the mission as a chance to prove myself, had me wondering if there was more to the Council's choice than I could see. Plus, sending Shaak Ti instead of Fay was a strange play, as with no disrespect to Shaak Ti, Fay was the more renowned diplomat.

Thus, while I disliked the idea of working to help the Zygerrians, I'd do so. At least so long as blame for the failure of the talks couldn't be laid at my doorstep. And if things did require a more aggressive approach… Well, I was sure Fenrir would enjoy the exercise.

… …

… …

I couldn't help but smile as I finally, after over an hour, piloted Raven beyond the range of Coruscanti Planetary Flight Control and she bathed in the solar energy of the planet's star. Because of the sheer number of ships coming, going, and crisscrossing the planet, it took nearly three hours to reach a point where ascending into space was possible. Scarily, if we weren't coming from the Jedi Temple and on Senate business, it may well have taken twice as long to reach a non-reserved climb window.

"This is a truly marvellous vessel," Shaak Ti said warmly with a smile as she sat in the co-pilot's seat. "Not only can one feel the Force flowing through it, but the joy it radiated as we left the atmosphere…" She looked at me, a sense of wonder in her eyes. "Is it true you share a bond with it, similar to the one you share with Fenrir?"

I turned to face her, letting the ship continue on her path. This would take us past the massive Golan Space Defence Platforms (or GSDPs for short) that ringed the capital of the Republic. Those stations dwarfed any ship that approached and, if angered, could reduce anything short of a Star Destroyer to atoms with contemptuous ease. Once we passed the nearest platform, we'd receive our flight path for the system to a point safe for us to enter hyperspace.

While most systems weren't this structured for coming and going within their space, with support for the trillion-plus beings on the planet below having to arrive and depart every hour of every day, it was required here. It was also true in other near-Ecumenopolis worlds such as Corellia which had insanely high population density.

"We do, Master Ti." That made her smile grow, exposing the sharp teeth of her species. I'd seen them on other Togruta and they could look intimidating, but on Shaak, they simply added to her presence; granting her an animalistic beauty. "I had thought the Council had shared that fact with other members of the Order?"

"I was told of it as part of the general information I received concerning you," she chuckled as I felt my brow crease. "Don't worry, there was nothing there that makes me feel you will be unable to complete the assignment given to you. Indeed, hearing of your difficulties on Zonama Sekot, I must congratulate you on how efficiently you did what was needed. It is impressive that you not only survived but also secured the safety of the colonists. However, the report failed to mention the full truth of this wonder of the Force you currently pilot. I was told it was sentient, but I had thought they meant in the way a plant might be. It's clear to me already that it-"

"She. Raven is a she."

Shaak's lips twitched as she inclined her head. "That she is, in many ways, sentient. And that feeling her joy at being free to soar between the stars is something I shall treasure for the rest of my days."

One of my hands stroked the console of the ship, feeling the energy shift underneath in reaction as if Raven was trying to reach out for me. Continual flickers of power caressed my hand, making it clear Raven was overjoyed to have me back piloting her, taking her into the depth of space.

"The inhabitants shared a… unique bond with Sekot," I began slowly, wanting to give Shaak a brief overview of where Raven had come from. "The world they'd found was already connected in ways within the Force that I… cannot describe with words. Even Master Fay had never experienced anything like it, becoming almost giddy with the sensation." Shaak laughed softly at the image I'd painted even as I continued. "We got to understand some of that bond when we began the process that would develop into Raven." Around us, the lights pulsed rapidly, though softly, making clear Raven was just as happy with the outcome as I was. "However, when she was finally ready, not long after she'd first danced among the stars, and I kid you not, the planet jumped to hyperspace."

"I read that in the report, but I admit I'm still struggling to understand how that could even be possible."

I chuckled. "I was there, as was Master Fay, and we still don't fully understand how it worked, so I can understand why the Council struggled to accept this. However, once you eliminate the probable, whatever remains, however impossible, must be the truth."

"Yes, I've heard phrases like that before, though I do believe this is the first time it has ever been applied to a planet."

"Aye. Though when Sekot jumped, Raven… she started to die. The Force, as incredible as it sounds to me even now, guided me to form a bond with her; to save her and us." I shook my head and closed my eyes, letting Raven's presence wash over me. "I mean, it is similar to what I share with Fenrir, and other Jedi share with animals they might have bonded to; yet it's not. It's so much more than…" I sighed and laughed softly, finding a sense of contentment from what I had with Raven. "It's intense, different, and if I had to do it all again, I wouldn't change anything and risk losing this."

Shaak watched me closely, the smile still on her face. "Yes, being here does bring you a sense of peace that I felt was often missing while we were in the Temple." She glanced toward the back of the cockpit, to where Fenrir was happily lounging on the floor in the spot he'd all but claimed as his ever since we'd left Sekot. "And it seems that sense of peace is shared by Fenrir." I couldn't deny that, as the only place Fenrir didn't feel agitated within the Temple was when he was aboard Raven. Hell, even when he was with me in my quarters, whether I was alone or with friends, he was never as relaxed as when he was here.

"I still maintain that there is little need to bring him along; however, I can't deny that it is better that he is here than left behind in the Temple with Master Fay." Shaak's eyes narrowed as she continued, "A legacy of what you experienced on Zonama Sekot?"

"Aye, probably Master." I sighed, and as if knowing I was watching him, Fenrir opened an eye, taking in the room. "The war was difficult on all of us." Fenrir closed his eye and returned to his snooze. I looked away from him and Shaak, gazing out into the void of space. The memories of what we'd endured, what we'd done, came easily to me but I didn't want that; not with Shaak around. I couldn't risk her sensing the well of fury that rested deep inside me. Nor could I consider using Adas' holocron while she was onboard.

It'd been months since I'd last spoken with his gatekeeper, and while I was hesitant to learn too much from him, I knew there were secrets he held that I needed to discover. I didn't plan to turn to the Dark Side – but then again no one ever did – but I knew that to find my path in what was to come, I couldn't limit myself to the teachings of the Jedi. Which I suspected Dooku understood with his comments about me gaining access to holocrons once I was made a Jedi Knight.

Shaak's hand on my shoulder broke me from my thoughts. "War is never easy," she said as I turned to face her. "Still, you should take pride in the fact that not only did you survive when many would not, but you did so while saving your Master and others." Her smile returned as her eyes drifted from me. "Not to mention, you gained a unique vessel that many in the Order are jealous of, as well as a new friend in the Cathar."

"Simvyl is here because of the threat of the Vong," I replied with a frown as I wondered if he was as comfortable as he claimed to be in accompanying me to Zygerria. I could tell he wasn't happy about it, but as he'd said, he'd sworn himself to my side and would go where I did, even if that meant a planet where many of his people had once been enslaved.

Shaak leaned back into the chair; the slight twitching on her face made me suspect she enjoyed as much as I did how the chairs adapted to whoever was sitting in them. "He may have sworn himself to your side because of the Vong, but after what you've shared, it's clear he considers you a friend." She turned back to the viewport. "While he might have little to offer directly to this mission, the Force has guided him to your side. To deny its will and reject the differing voice he can offer in certain situations, would be unwise."

"Yes, Master." I didn't have anything to add, and a comfortable silence fell over the cockpit which was broken by a soft beeping from one of my consoles. "We are cleared to jump," I said as I read the message from Coruscanti Orbital Control.

"Then by all means do so. I am curious to experience how this wonder of the Force reacts to hyperspace."

My smile grew as my hands moved over the consoles. I could feel Raven react as I directed power to the hyperdrive engine. She desired to fly between the stars, to taste the exotic energies as we raced along at faster-than-light velocities. I laughed softly as the engines flared to life and we slipped into hyperspace. While I was apprehensive about the mission, Raven's enjoyment of flying was bleeding into me, and I didn't mind in the least.

… …

… …

I sighed as I leaned back in the pilot's chair of Raven's cockpit. While there was nothing for me to do regarding our flight path as we raced along the Perlimian Trade Route toward Lianna, I had to review the data packet provided by the High Council – via the Senate and Zygerrian government – regarding the situation we were flying into.

In truth, most of the nearly one thousand pages I'd read were completely boring and things that I, quite frankly, didn't give a flying fuck about. After all, why would I want to know the difference between Besh-18 and Dorn-6 power generators, or why two of the parties in these talks were proposing their usage if they won the contract? And what this was, when you boiled it down, was nothing more than a contract offered by the Zygerrians. What made it so important was that instead of offering up hundreds of small contracts for various sectors and interests, the Zygerrians had bundled it all into one massive contract covering everything to do with regenerating their planet, system, and sector.

From building new industrial foundries in certain systems to locating and extracting resources, from regenerating spaceports of various sizes, scopes, and functions across the sector to all but building a self-reliant farming industry; the contract covered it all. Even with my limited understanding of the majority of what the deal entailed, I could see the contract was worth easily northward of a trillion credits a year, spread over ten years, to the winning bid. This explained why the Zygerrians had received over a hundred offers for the contract, which was now filtered down to four.

The length of the contract had caught my attention even before I'd gotten to the players in these talks as ten years would take right up until the eve of the Clone Wars. That meant this contract, while on the surface perfectly fine, was designed to help the Zygerrians regenerate their economy before they moved to re-establish their slave empire. However, as much as I'd like nothing more than to tank the talks simply because of that fact, I couldn't.

With a few more days to think on the matter, I'd become convinced this was a test of some sort from the Council. There were far better choices who were Padawans than me for this, never mind Knights or Masters. Thus, I'd come to two reasons why the Council had given it to me. Either they expected and wanted me to fail, or they wanted proof I could solve issues without resorting to my lightsaber. While I didn't particularly care why they were doing this, Dooku's words about the Holocron vault still rang around my head and were a major driving force in my determination to become a Knight; at least beyond finally getting the freedom to do what I wanted while still being considered a member of the Order.

Therefore, I'd committed myself to somehow finding a solution to these talks. Though after discovering the four players at the final table, I wondered if the Council or the Force was actively trying to fuck with me. Two of them were unknown to me, but the other two were known, although for very different reasons; though both would no doubt be important in the decades to come.

The first, and the one the Council would also be aware I held a tentative connection to, was Mandalmotors. Seeing them at these talks was odd. Not to say that they weren't a powerful company, but compared to the other players, they were a small, regional factor with a very narrow scope of experience and expertise. Outside of being able to help build new starships and atmospheric flyers for the sector, there was little they could handle about the contract.

Of course, what would have concerned the Council was my connection to Mandalmotors, and not just because of my time spent on Mandalore. During the Battle of Keldabe, I'd been the one to end the siege of Mandalmotors headquarters. While I could do nothing about the death of the former CEO of the company, Arde Yomaget, I had avenged his death and that of most of the board of the company. An act that the new head, Dred Yomaget – Arde's son, since the company was controlled by a small number of clans with Clan Yomaget being the dominant one currently – had personally thanked me for.

Dred pushing for this contract had to be a power play. The Mandalore sector was a mess after several years of war, and while there'd be numerous contracts available for Mandalmotors there, Dred was, in my opinion, trying to take the company from a sector-based power into, at the very least, a regional one in the northern arm of the Outer Rim.

While Zygerria was a good distance from Mandalore, the two sectors sat between two of the super-hyperspace lanes of the galaxy: the Hydian Way and the Perlimian Trade Route. Zygerria sat at the northern end of both lanes, connecting to them via the Shaltin Tunnels and the Listehol Run respectfully; with Lianna being the start of the latter. The Mandalore sector sat between them as well, though while there were no official hyperspace routes connecting the sector to the super-hyperspace lanes, I had little doubt the Mandalorians knew of ways to get from one to the other.

Because of my connection to the company, I considered Mandalmotors the most trustworthy of the players, but the least likely to earn the contract. At least if it stayed as one massive one without plans for sub-contracts.

The one company that easily had the financial muscle to take the contract on, and the sub-companies that could likely handle all aspects of it even if I wondered about their quality, was the InterGalactic Banking Clan: or IGBC for short. Since they were, for all intents and purposes, the bank of the entire fucking galaxy, they wouldn't have any issue handling contracts worth as much as this one was. Or bringing in sub-contractors for a fraction of the price they received from the Zygerrians. However, with knowledge of what was to come, the issue with them was obvious.

While they'd been officially neutral in the Clone Wars, IGBC ships had formed a large section of the CIS forces and at least one Muun – who controlled the IGBC – had sat on the Separatist Ruling Council. Having them involved with Zygerria would undoubtedly lead to the pair allying once the war began, which may have been what happened in the canon timeline. However, without the knowledge of what was to come, it was clear the IGBC were the most logical to award the contract to if it couldn't be broken up into smaller parts.

The other two players at these talks were essentially unknown to me, though I'd at least heard of SoroSuub Corporation in passing from reading news feeds. Still, before we'd raced along the Perlemian Trade Route, I'd downloaded everything I could about all four companies from the Holonet, with more focus on SoroSuub and The Adasca BioMechanical Corporation, or Adascorp for short.

SoroSuub was headquartered on Sullust, and given the number of Sullustans they employed, they were likely the unofficial government of the planet and system in all but name, if not the sector. SoroSuub employed somewhere between eighty and ninety per cent of the population of Sullust, and apart from the monopoly that gave them regarding everything in the Sullust system, it made them a well-established mega-corporation. One that was founded before Revan had been born.

Their primary focus was on mineral extraction and refinement, but they held sub-companies that manufactured everything from farming equipment to starships; though those were several steps below those built by Mandalmotors. Still, from what I'd learnt, they'd be able to handle about fifty to sixty per cent of the contract without outside help. The same was true for Adascorp.

Once I'd gotten over the small joke that their shortened name bore a similarity to King Adas – one I knew he wouldn't have liked – I'd dug into their history. They were founded - and still controlled - by the House of Adasca from Arkania with twelve of fifteen senior board members being from the House of Adasca. Though the more interesting element of that was what I'd discovered about the Arkanians.

The Arkanians were heavy into genetic and cybernetic modifications on themselves, with it having reached the point that there were numerous sub-races. Each of them was above a Human baseline, but save for the upper levels of society, most were, in all but name, slaves. However, from what little I could find on the matter those lower classes either weren't aware of this or didn't care, having such dissenting or revolutionary thoughts engineered out of them. The cybernetics they used were always hidden beneath their skin, giving them secret abilities that most wouldn't know about. Thankfully, with Observe, I should be able to determine what implants they – or any delegate at the talks – had, if not the exact nature of those implants.

The race was known throughout the Republic as being incredibly smart, beautiful and graceful with their only psychological weakness, if one could call it that, being the sense of entitlement that came with believing they were superior to every other sentient. While, as a race, they probably were, that wasn't always true on an individual basis. They also had a physical weakness, though they didn't consider it a flaw, in that because their home star was duller than most, they needed to wear blinders in bright light and could easily be blinded by strong flashes. However, the counter was that they could see into the infrared spectrum.

Returning to Adascorp, like SoroSuub, I felt they could handle most of the contract by themselves, though up to perhaps eighty per cent of it. Of course, all players would claim they could manage all of it, but getting an idea of the truth would help me see through the bullshit they will undoubtedly throw around during the talks.

Yet, the more I went over the Zygerrian contract, the more I wondered why they were placing it all in one basket. It would be easy to split it into four, or more, contracts and give each company at the talks one of those. I'd have to speak with the Zygerrians once we arrived about that, but, as HK had put it – while trying to be polite with Shaak around – expecting logic from meatbags was about as wise as expecting a bantha to win a swoop bike race.

I couldn't keep him turned off or hidden in my Inventory as I enjoyed his company far too much, but thankfully he understood that with Shaak onboard, he had to tone down his usual commentary on meatbags. He still used that term though, and Shaak had asked about it. HK had given her a condensed story – omitting names – about it going back to his creator and the creator's assistant, which had been enough for Shaak to accept it, though it was clear she didn't approve of the term. Nor of the fact I had HK, but since he mostly stayed in my quarters and Fay and Dooku were aware of HK, and that it had been a personal gift from Duke Torrhen and that HK had belonged to my family in the past, she accepted the matter. Even if she felt it was a personal possession I shouldn't have.

Simvyl got on with her easier, though he too kept his distance after Shaak had suggested that a peaceful solution with the Vong might have been achievable. That comment, when coupled with others he'd heard around the Temple, had him questioning his choice to become a Ranger. Though it did make him glad he'd sworn himself to the side of one Jedi that knew that sometimes words had no place in a situation.

I'd also spoken with HK to let him know I was almost ready to build him his first new body. That had him excited, even after I explained I wasn't as skilled as Revan when it came to droids. Still, his mood had improved upon hearing that, and he accepted it was wiser to wait until I was knighted and could speak with Bo and Anakin about the plans one final time.

Oddly, HK considered Anakin more useful than Bo, as while the Mandalorian knew her weapons, Anakin was the one who kept suggesting small alterations to improve HK's efficiency. Though it had been some time since I'd discussed the matter with Anakin as I'd rather not do so over the Holonet since I suspected the Sith were monitoring my conversations. While I couldn't cut Anakin out entirely, so long as I kept the topics away from HK and Anakin one day becoming a Jedi, I felt things were as safe as they could be without cutting Anakin out of my life entirely. Which was the last thing I wanted to do. Not least as I couldn't wait until I could hear HK's remarks on the Trade Federation battle droids once he engaged them. Those were going to be priceless.

I chuckled at that thought once more as the doors to the cockpit opened and Shaak Ti entered. I already knew she was coming as the ship was aware of where everyone onboard was. Simvyl was enjoying a quiet meal in his quarters while Fenrir was currently bounding around the cargo bay, burning off some energy.

"How goes the research?" Shaak asked as she moved to the co-pilot's chair, a cup of warm caf in her hand.

My stomach grumbled at the smell. "Slow. On paper, I can see a way to make everyone at least semi-happy, but it would need them to work together and I'm unsure if they'll go for that. Not least, according to the files I've downloaded from the Holonet, it seems there's possibly some bad blood between the IGBC, Adascorp, and SoroSuub. However, I can't find any source of what that might be."

Shaak took a sip of her caf, which irked me as I'd run out about an hour ago and forgotten to grab a fresh cup. "It could be from any of the hundreds of contracts they've competed for over the last few years, or it could go back further. There is little way to know without asking them and somehow drawing an honest answer from them." I groaned and ran a hand through my hair. "However, their issues aren't for you to solve. Your purpose is to find the solution that is most beneficial for the Zygerrians. The Force may offer hints toward how to achieve this, as will I when you require. However, in the end, you are the one who must pass the final judgement on the path Zygerria will take."

That only made me groan again, this time louder and more drawn out. This was going to be a boring as fuck assignment – one I couldn't solve with my lightsaber barring something extraordinary – that I had to endure.

Suddenly leaving the Order and joining Bo on Mandalore didn't sound like such a bad idea.

… …

… …

"How incredibly droll, a threat of violence from a being little better than a thug employed by the Hutts." That harsh comment had come from Hara Adasca, board and House member, and lead negotiator for Adascorp for these negotiations. The delivery made it clear she was far from amused by the previous comment that'd come from Rhork Struur; lead negotiator from Mandalmotors.

Rhork leaned forward, his unarmoured hand slapping the table in annoyance and the vambrace he wore barely avoiding scratching the dark wooden surface. "It was nothing of the sort, though I can't say it is unsurprising that one such as yourself is unaware of how the galaxy works. Have you ever deigned to leave the isolated bubble your house resides in to experience how the galaxy truly works or did you simply believe whatever your family fed you to believe like cin'gaan scripture?" My brow rose at the slip into Mando'a from Rhork as so far, he'd stayed exclusively in Basic. Though I couldn't deny suggesting the Arkanians considered themselves holy didn't have some truth to it.

While Hara, and her two attendants, were undeniably attractive – even the male in the group would put many Holonet actresses to shame – they carried themselves with such disdain for everyone here, including Shaak and myself, that I'd not want to touch any of them with a ten-foot barge pole. Or an ISD if they existed. Their clothes, like those of the other parties, were made of exquisite fabrics that made the robes worn by Shaak and I look little better than rags. Well, bar the cloak I wore that was made of the skin of the greater krayt dragon.

When he'd seen that, and the bracers I wore, Rhork had been pleased and greeted me in Mando'a. The other parties had wondered about that, and Rhork had happily explained who I was, and my role in avenging Mandalmotors after the cowardly attack by Death Watch. Hara had complained to Shaak about this, but the Jedi Master had shut her down elegantly by saying I had her full trust, along with that of the Jedi High Council and Galactic Senate.

"If you could refrain from carrying out this strange mating ritual you appear to be involved in, perhaps we might return to the discussions." That came from Ce Serd, the Muun representative and Director of Negotiations of the IGBC. He looked as disinterested in these talks as I felt, though he always looked that way; as if this entire process was somehow distracting from something more important. "We still have to reach a consensus on how the various elements of the deal shall be discussed."

I barely resisted the urge to slam my face into the table as I listened to the delegates continue to subtly, or not so subtly, insult each other. It'd been three days since we'd begun and so far, we'd only managed to resolve two things. That was, as pathetic as it sounded, the shape of the table we were using and the seating arrangement around it, plus the order in which any party could speak, for how long and the time limits for any rebuttals or challenges from the other delegates. And even that had taken a day of holocalls as they refused to all be in the same room until these matters were resolved.

Force help me, but I was starting to miss the shabyr Vong! At least with them, things were less tedious, and I got to work out my issues by killing them when I saw them.

"Yes, we must reach an understanding on our proposal for the extraction and refinement of minerals and alloys from various celestial bodies in the sector to be given greater importance. If we cannot learn which the Zygerrians desire the most, it will be impossible for that section of the contract to be fulfilled efficiently." I wanted to roll my eyes at Vundu Plast, board member and senior member from SoroSuub responsible for negotiations, for bringing that up again. He'd pushed that topic or one similar to it almost every hour on the hour since we'd begun speaking in the same room yesterday afternoon.

Now, supposedly Vundu was female, but without sounding speciest, I hadn't the faintest idea how you could tell her gender – or that of the two Sullustans with her – simply from looking at them. They all looked the same. At least, thanks to Observe and Eidetic Memory I knew that answer and had avoided causing a scene like one of Hara's adjuncts had when they'd inadvertently called Vundu a male. At least I think it'd been a mistake; it was hard to tell with how disinterested the Arkanians looked. Though at least now that wouldn't happen again as only the direct representative from each delegation, along with myself and Shaak Ti, were allowed to speak in this room.

Hara rolled her eyes at Ce before looking at Vundu. "I find it hard to understand how a species that claims to be intelligent seems more preoccupied with what is in the ground than a common nerf." Vundu sneered, or at least I think she did as it was hard to tell with a Sullustan. "At least show some decorum and let that section of these talks occur when they are scheduled to. That way we will all be saved from seeing your inferior desires."

"Without first establishing how the most basic element of the contract, one that will affect almost every other section, is to be handled, and what the Zygerrian's wishes on the matter are, whatever is discussed before then will be wasted," Vundu shot back, her voice remarkably calm after the insult toward her species. "One cannot build buildings that touch the heavens without first ensuring the foundations are solid, otherwise we end up with fatal flaws in the construction. I had expected someone from the famed House of Adasca to be aware of this."

I could sense there was more to that than a simple barb, but I hadn't seen anything in the files I'd downloaded from the Holonet that mentioned what it could be. Hara's eye twitched, which was the only outward response to the comment, however, within the Force I sensed agitation and some anger from her delegation toward the Sullustans. I couldn't tell if there was more to it than that, as I wasn't as skilled in using the Force like that as many others. Hell, I didn't even have a direct skill to cover it. Still, I would speak with Shaak Ti later about it to see if she'd felt anything more to the moment.

Before anything else could be said, soft wind chimes sounded in the room and I sighed in relief. Those signalled the end of today's third, and final, session, meaning I was saved from any more of this annoying prattle until zero-eight hundred tomorrow.

"On behalf of our hosts, we thank you for your efforts today. While it may seem little has been achieved, every session brings us one step closer to the resolution that the Zygerrians desire," Shaak Ti said as she stepped forward and placed a hand on the back of my chair. While she could've sat beside me, she chose to stand further back, making it clear to all that I was the one they had to convince to gain the contract.

"And we are grateful that members of the esteemed Jedi Order are leading these talks. With your guidance, we can be assured that the outcome will be most beneficial to all," Hara replied, showing once more her oratory skill. "Perhaps it might behove the lead negotiator to review several factors brought up today before we resume tomorrow. I feel that would smooth many of the issues we encountered today and prevent similar moments from occurring in the days ahead."

Force, she was beautiful, but that cruiser up her arse really was a turnoff. Shame I couldn't suggest a suitable method to remove it without causing the talks to descend into anarchy. Instead, I offered a smile that I knew wasn't genuine. While that might not be the best response, it was the only one I was going to give her as Force choking the bitch out of her wasn't something Shaak would allow me to do. No matter how much she shared my dislike of the Arkanian.

Hara's group was the first to leave, as had been agreed on the first day, followed by the SoroSuub and IGBC delegations. Before Rhork led his group out, he lowered his head. While there was no need for him to do so when I'd asked him about it privately on the first evening and he'd explained that apart from being a clan chief – even if it was a clan of one – and allied with Dukes Torrhen and Adonai, Alor Dred had made it clear I was considered a friend of Mandalmotors.

Once even the Mandalorians had left the room and the doors closed behind them, my head sunk to the table and sighed loudly. "Why me?"

Shaak's hand came to rest on my back in support. "The Council assigned this mission to you as they have faith in your abilities to manage it. The Zygerrians accepted your position of leadership in these talks, showing they accept and agree with the Council's judgement. The Force is here to help you, to guide you, to an outcome that benefits the most beings." She removed her hand and started moving around the table I was sitting at. "I suggest you meditate on this and seek clarity in your thoughts. A clear and centred mind will help greatly when dealing with beings only concerned with their own interests."

"Yes, Master," I replied, my head still resting against the table. The words were nice, and I would meditate as she'd suggested, but it was the same basic thing she'd been saying since we'd left Coruscant; and similar to what Fay often offered as support when I needed some. There was wisdom in their words, I didn't deny that. But after years of it, and days of these irritatingly stupid talks, they were starting to lose their effectiveness.

Once Shaak had left the room I stood and offered the empty chairs a resigned sigh. For a moment I considered returning to the room the Zygerrians had assigned me. However, that place was so lavishly decorated that I just didn't feel comfortable there; not when I had a bed big enough for five and my thoughts kept turning to Serra and Bo. Plus, the room was near the royal chamber, which increased the likelihood I'd run into Princess Miraj Scintel, who I'd rather avoid if at all possible.

No, for tonight at least, I'd return to Raven. Fenrir would be there and having him near while I meditated and slept brought me more comfort than however many hundreds of thousands the Zygerrians had spent on my room. Plus, Raven was less likely to be bugged, allowing me to vent some of my distaste at the talks without having to worry about being overheard by one of the damn Zygerrians.

… …

… …

"While this is a different situation than you've faced before, I have faith in you to find a solution that is acceptable not just to the Zygerrians, but to everyone involved in the talks," Fay said as I looked at her hologram from Raven's main gathering area. "The Force, while not able to offer direct intervention, is always an ally that can be looked to for guidance, as is Master Ti. However, the Council trusted you to complete this mission; trust neither I nor Master Dooku feel is misplaced."

"Yes, Master, and thank you for the support." After my reply, and her giving me a final smile of comfort, the call ended and I was left alone once more. I sunk back into the sofa that I was in. Initially, I'd hoped to contact Dooku for advice, however, he'd been unavailable to take the call. I didn't know why, but the most likely reasons were that he was still busy with Komari Vosa, he was asleep, or his Holonet connection had been disabled for some reason.

Therefore, I'd reached out to Fay in the hope she could offer some constructive advice. Sadly, she'd instead given suggestions and general Jedi expressions in line with what Shaak Ti had already offered. While the 'trust in the Force' spiel and its ilk were expected for Jedi, I'd hoped for something more concrete. She should know after centuries of negotiating with far more adversarial individuals that just trusting the Force wouldn't always bring the results you wanted.

I sighed and looked up at the roof of the room, taking in the lights that danced around Raven's frame as she sat patiently in the bay given to us by the Zygerrians. "Why can't these morons get it through their thick skulls that the best path is to work together?" I muttered.

The lights shifted pattern and I felt a mild soothing presence from Raven as she tried to comfort me. That had me wondering if she could sense my mood, or if she had moods of her own. Did she, when not flying, dream? I supposed she might, as she was sentient, even if it was in a different way from anything else I'd ever experienced. She wasn't sentient like Fenrir, but they both shared a connection to the Force that allowed me to sense their feelings.

I shook my head, clearing that string of thought. I wasn't philosophically inclined enough to offer judgement on the matter. Though even so, I'd say she was alive. This, like most things, wasn't a black-or-white issue, but one with shades of grey; a philosophy that guided my actions. The problem at the moment was that, to the delegations, things were starkly black and white. They either got the contract, or they didn't.

Still, at least for the next few days wouldn't have any talks. While that would normally be something I'd enjoy after seven days of mainly fruitless talks, the reason for the temporary cancellation wasn't one I was looking forward to.

Tomorrow was the fifteenth birthday of Princess Miraj Scintel and her official ascension to the position of Heir to the Throne. And ever since arriving on Zygerria and confirming she was present; I'd been doing my level best to avoid the young Zygerrian. And not just because of who she'd one day turn into.

When we'd first arrived on Zygerria, Shaak Ti and I were brought before the royal family, with Fenrir in tow. Simvyl had stayed behind on Raven to ensure the Zygerrians didn't do anything to her while we were away, but also because Simvyl had similar issues with Zygerrians that he had with Mandalorians. Well, except for Bo as he'd grown to accept and trust her on Zonama Sekot.

When Shaak Ti had explained that I'd be the one leading the negotiations, King Medes had stared at me. I'd thought he was going to complain about a Padawan being in-charge, but after a long silence, he'd simply nodded and given his agreement with that. That had caught me off-guard, though not nearly as much as Miraj's behaviour.

The princess had left the side of her mother, Queen Radej, and stepped down toward us. My hand had drifted toward my lightsaber, resting just above the hilt, in a clear sign I didn't approve. However, that only made the young princess smile. She then continued forward, though she did slow when Fenrir's ears had gone back and he'd dropped lower. While she, like Shaak Ti, had descended from a predatory species, she understood Fenrir was the greater threat and had lowered her eyes from him. That had calmed Fenrir slightly, though she'd continued to approach, this time making sure I was between her and Fenrir.

Once she was about three metres away, with her guards just behind her, their hands on their weapons, she'd smiled at me. When she'd commented that I smelt of power and danger, I'd blinked rapidly, trying to process what was happening. Even now, over a week later, I was still struggling to accept that she was interested in me. Though at least I now understood why she was interested, and why her father hadn't minded me leading the negotiations.

As Shaak had pointed out, I'd come back from Zonama Sekot with a more aggressive outlook on life; understandable due to what I'd endured. However, to predatory species, or sentients who'd evolved from such creatures, it made it clear I was a fighter, a predator. One that Medes respected, and Miraj, much to my embarrassment, was intrigued by.

Still, even though King Medes had accepted me, he'd insisted that Fenrir remain on Raven, claiming that having such a dangerous beast in a room where people would likely be agitated and temperamental was a risk he was unwilling to take. While I'd have enjoyed seeing the delegations react to a tuk'ata standing behind me, I knew it was better if Fenrir wasn't around, thus he'd returned to Raven with Simvyl. Though that was also because I was concerned about someone trying to acquire him for their collection.

Throughout the royal palace, servants were moving around. Almost none of them were Zygerrians, and all did their absolute best to stay out of sight unless called for. I'd complained to Shaak that these servants were clearly slaves and railed at how the Republic and the Jedi could allow this to exist. However, while Shaak had shared my distaste for the situation since the servants were classed as indentured workers and not slaves, there was nothing within the framework of the Republic we could do about it. She'd even explained that any complaint to the Senate would be about as effective as tossing a bottle into a river to stop it from overflowing in a storm.

One of the doors to the central area opened and Fenrir came walking in. He seemed happy about something, likely as he'd likely just had his evening meal, though this faded as he saw me. "Hey, boy." He lowered his head and turned it slightly to one side as if trying to read me. Then, before I knew it, he rushed forward.

"Oof! Fenrir!" I called out as he pushed up against me. Still, his action made me smile and I patted his head between his ears. However, that wasn't the end of things as he turned and swatted me with one massive paw. Not expecting it, I'd fallen onto my side which was when he'd decided to leap onto the sofa. "Get off!" I called out as I struggled to shift his bulk from trapping me against the sofa. While he'd not be able to break the sofa, I hoped he didn't use his claws as the thing was expensive. The Sekotans didn't use simple or cheap materials in outfitting their vessels.

Eventually, he was able to roll us off the sofa, where he promptly crashed against the table with the holocall projector. Still, it only took him a few moments to pin me to the ground. While I was older, he was larger and stronger, so there was little I'd be able to do to escape. And as his maw came over my face, his tongue hanging out, a sense of dread washed over me. "Fenrir! No!" He ignored me and ran his tongue over my face, covering me in drool "Ugh, fucking gross!"

He pulled back, snorted, and then climbed off me. As I pushed myself to my elbows and began wiping his slobber off my face, he leapt onto the sofa I'd formerly been on and settled in. "Oh, so that's why you did it?" I asked with a chuckle as I continued wiping my face. His head turned my way and he snorted and exposed his teeth. That was his version of a grin. "Cheeky bastard." His head came to rest on his crossed paws and his eyes sparkled with mirth as he watched me clean my face.

Laughter slipped from me as I looked at him. He'd done this to distract me, sensing the mood I'd been in when he'd arrived. I stood, most of his slobber now soaked into my robes and then scratched him behind an ear. "Thanks, boy." Fenrir leaned into my touch, which was when I pulled my hand away. He slipped on the sofa, one leg sliding off, and as he glared up at me, I laughed. "That's for the drool." He grunted out a huff and resettled onto the sofa.

I turned and took a step away, only for a random idea to form in my mind. "Huh, why not," I muttered. I turned back to the Holonet console and sent off a request for communication with someone I'd have not thought of if Fenrir hadn't distracted me. While it was unlikely that she'd be able to respond any time soon or offer anything useful, it was probably a good idea to check in with Padmé and see how she was doing in her new job.

… …

… …

I jerked awake in my seat as a loud beeping echoed in my skull. After blinking to figure out where it'd come from, and then groaning as I shifted in my seat, I stood and walked toward the Holocall display. Before answering it, I turned the display away from Fenrir, who looked unamused to be woken by the call and settled into a sofa on the other side of the table. After that, and reading where the call was coming from, I opened the channel.

"Cam!" I winced at how loud Padmé was. "Oh, sorry. Um, what time is it there? Also, where are you?"

I looked down at the console to see the time. "It's about oh-two-thirty locally, and I'm currently on Zygerria." She frowned, struggling to work out where Zygerria was, which made me smirk. "It's a long way from Naboo, out near the corporate sector. Also, nice to see you too, princess," I added with a chuckle, enjoying her reaction.

Even though I couldn't see any pigment change through the hologram, the way she looked away from me made it clear she was embarrassed about it. "Don't call me that."

"Why not? Aren't you a princess now?" I shot back, knowing full well she was. In a message to me just before the turn of the year, she'd explained she'd been elected governor of Theed, which carried the honorary title of Prince or Princess depending on the holder's gender.

"I-it's not like I'm someone important," she replied, seemingly unsure of herself and wanting to deflect the attention to her new role. That drew a snort of laughter from me, which Fenrir did not like if the glare he sent me was any indication.

"Padmé, you're governor of the capital of Naboo at twelve. That's beyond impressive and something to be proud of." She looked down and away again, which made me shake my head. "Oh, did you get my gift?" After learning of her position, I'd gone hunting for something practical and useful for her. In the end, after talking with Dooku about a suitable gift for a noble, I'd managed to find a lightfoil.

While not on par with a lightsaber, they shared similar roots, though now lightfoils were used by nobles throughout the Republic. A normal one, even with a discount due to Dooku's connections, would've cost about three thousand credits, however, I'd ended up paying around triple that.

The reason for that was that I'd had very specific and expensive changes I wanted made to the hilt of the lightfoil. Instead of a gold or electrum finish, I'd asked for one done in silver with a tree engraved of white gold placed upon it. That tree was styled after the tree of Gondor, which I knew Padmé would love as she adored her copies of Lord of the Rings, and it was circled by small gemstones to make the hilt even more unique.

"I love it!" Padmé all but shouted, her face breaking into a wide smile. A second later she was holding it in her hand, the tree of Gondor clear to see even through the holocall. "I… Thank you!" Yeah, even if I couldn't see it, I knew she was blushing. The gift was an impressive one, but apart from wanting to congratulate her, I'd wanted something she'd keep with her for when Naboo was invaded.

Lightfoils couldn't stand up to a lightsaber for long, but critically, they didn't require a strong connection to the Force to use. They were designed for duelling, meaning there were similarities in the fighting style to Makashi, which would allow me time, if I could find it, to tutor her in its use. And if I kept my lightsaber on a low power setting, she'd be able to spar with me.

Her smile fell slightly. "My father doesn't like it though. He says it's not something I should have, but he's allowing it because it came from you." She smirked as she turned it on, and while I couldn't see the colour of it through the holocall, I knew the blade was red. While it might cause an issue if the Council ever found out, I'd swapped the cheap focusing crystal for one designed for a lightsaber and gone with red simply because it would go well with her future clothing as Queen. "He's even arranged for a tutor to come to Naboo and teach me how to use it!"

I laughed as she moved the blade around slowly in front of her face. "Good. I'd hate to think that something I'd picked out wasn't something you'd like or use."

"I'd love anything from you," she blurted out. A second later she blinked, the lightfoil disappeared and she looked down again. "I, uh, I, um, I mean… thank you."

I kept the laughter inside as I didn't want to embarrass the girl anymore. "You're welcome," I replied, pretending not to catch her slipping up. "When we next meet, you'll have to show me how good you've gotten with it," I added with a smirk; one she quickly matched.

"I will, and when I defeat you what will I gain?"

That made me chuckle. "My eternal respect, princess," I bowed extravagantly, which made her laugh, though she sounded nervous. "Anyway, while I wish I'd simply called to ask about that, I need your help."

Her brow creased and she leaned closer to her display. "Does this have to do with why you're on Zygerria?"

"Yes. The High Council has assigned me a mission here, and frankly, I'm out of my depth."

Padmé's frown deepened. "Then why not ask them to assign it to someone else?"

"Because I think it's a test of some sort; one they'll consider failed if I pull out." I chuckled and lifted my lightsaber into view. "One that, sadly, doesn't require me to use this, but my words to solve."

A second later, Padmé was laughing loudly. While I was a little offended at that, I'd wait until she stopped and explained things before commenting on it. "Yeah, that sounds like what I've heard." My brow rose, wondering who she'd been talking to. "Serra's told me bits and pieces about your adventures. Something about preferring the direct approach to problems."

"Aye, that sounds about right." Still, I'd have to thank Serra for this when I got back to the Temple; perhaps even be direct with her about certain things and see how she reacted. "But anyway, this mission is this…"

I leaned back in the sofas as I detailed the mission, and everything I felt safe stating over a Holonet call; even one that was meant to be secure.

"And that sums things up as well as I can. Sadly, I can't reveal exact details of the negotiations, such as they are, as it would violate the temporary NDA contracts we were forced to sign before we began." I added once I'd given her a reasonably short – about thirty minutes with most of it being ranting about the delegations and their stubbornness – explanation of the situation.

Padmé had sat quietly throughout, not interrupting once, which was a sign she would be a good ruler. One should listen to all that was said before offering a judgement. Though just because I knew this didn't mean I was good at it. At least, not all the time, and certainly not with how mind-numbingly boring these negotiations were.

"From what I can understand, I'd have to agree that each party can't cover the entire contract. They have to know this as well. Yet, they're not going to come out and state that, and will be hoping, maybe, to use the contract to show their company can handle sections of the contract that they're not normally known for, or to open new markets up for them." She shrugged and looked away. "I can't guess more without knowing who they are, or the details of the contract on offer."

That was about as useful as the Jedi platitudes Fay and Shaak Ti had offered, and I wondered if this call had been a waste of time. However, she then looked back and appeared to lean closer.

"You have to get them to understand, without threatening them, that it'd be better for them all to work together instead of fighting amongst themselves. Perhaps talk with them privately, though not too privately that the other parties think you're trying to make a side deal, to learn about what their base-lines are for the negotiations. That will give you starting points to work from, as well as learning if you can, what exactly they hope to gain from the contract. Now, it's likely there'll be some overlap in their red lines and the wants of others, but that's good. It means there are places for real negotiations to take place instead of, and I'm sorry to say this, the dancing around nothing you've so far done." I grunted in annoyance even if I couldn't deny the last week or so of talks had been nothing more than a waste of time and a test of my frayed patience. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's what, I think, you need to hear. No matter how much you'd like to, you can't go around negotiating aggressively with everyone you want."

"But it's oh so tempting," I replied with a smirk. One that drew on images of the reactions most of the delegates would have to finding a lightsaber pressed against their throats, and at Padmé making an unintentional reference to something she'd said herself in another timeline. It seemed she understood that you did sometimes have to fight for what you wanted even if you'd prefer not to already. That fire would serve her well with what was to come.

Padmé laughed. "I understand that and know how it feels." Hmm, so it seemed she was dealing with issues on Naboo of her own. Interesting. "However, if you use the same approach, be it a passive or aggressive one, then people will begin to expect it from you. They'll learn to plan and adapt to your tendencies, making it even harder for you to gain what you want from any talk."

"I'm sure I can find other ways to make them talk," I commented with a dark chuckle.

"Cam! You're a Jedi! You can't go around threatening people!" She shot back, which made us both laugh. That said, the idea of Force choking the delegations, or roasting them alive with Force Lightning held a certain appeal. "What you also need to understand is that everyone expects to be disappointed. They have to know they can't handle the contract themselves, but to give up even a centimetre of ground in public will make them act as if they've lost a loved one." I'd debate if some of them even understood what love was. "However, you've got to make it seem that even when they lose ground in one place, they gain it in another way. Overall, they'll come out ahead. Of course, for that, you need to understand their needs and wants better."

I nodded as she spoke and, much to my annoyance when I realised I was doing it, started tapping my chin. After removing the offending finger, I gave her a wide smile. "Thanks, Padmé. While this isn't what I'd hoped for, and it'll more than likely make these talks even more boring," she giggled at that, "I know it'll help."

"No problem, but I'd better let you get some sleep. It won't do for you to turn up at the negotiating table tired because we spent all night talking."

"And here I thought you wanted to talk with me," I mock-huffed, making her giggle again.

"I do, I… You need to sleep." She changed her line of thought quickly, which made me smirk. "And when you have time, we can talk again. I… I've missed talking with you." She smiled and looked away again.

"Same here." That seemed to bring a light to her face. "And once this mission is over, I'll call you and thank you profusely for your help."

She rolled her eyes even as the smile on her face grew. "Fine, be that way."

I leaned forward, annoyed that I couldn't hug her in thanks; and see how flustered it'd make her. "Seriously, Padmé, thank you. I… I needed someone to talk to outside the Order about this. And when we next meet, I'll make sure to thank you properly."

That may well be when Naboo was invaded, but she didn't know that. And clearly, she had some ideas about how she wanted me to thank her and her mouth bopped like a fish before she looked away from the camera. "Y… you don't have to."

"Padmé, you're my friend. If I didn't thank you personally, I'd be a shit friend," I shot back with a wide smile. "Still, I do need to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long, long day." That made her giggle.

"OK, bye."

"Bye Padmé. Take care." With that, I closed the channel and leaned back into the sofa. It was odd that I'd turned to a twelve-year-old for help. But outside of Palpatine, there wasn't anyone from outside the Order that I could've asked. Plus, this was another little moment in building a bond with Padmé that would be very helpful with events to come in the next year or so.

Though, even with her ideas being sound and logical, it didn't make my more aggressive approach – as she'd put it – any less appealing. Even if I knew, deep down, that it was utterly the wrong approach to take.

… …

… …

As the music in the hall died down, I bit down on the sigh of relief I felt. Instead, I took a small step back from my dance partner for the song, and the previous four, Miraj Scintel. "I'm honoured that you've allowed me this dance, princess, however, I feel it may be wise to not monopolise your time. Otherwise, people may begin to wonder and those also wishing to dance with you may feel aggrieved." I spoke as quickly as I could without making it too obvious that I wanted away and after I'd finished, I bowed and kissed the back of her hand just above the knuckles. While I'd not seen anyone else do that here, it was something I felt might help ease any annoyance at me all but abandoning her on the dance floor.

When I came up from the kiss, she stepped into my personal space. A single claw from her other hand came up and traced my jawline. "I will allow this for now. However, I expect further dances with you before the night is through, and perhaps, more of your company during the celebrations." There was some different colouration under the fur on her cheeks, and her eyes seemed worryingly alive with desire, but I'd take it if it meant getting away from her for now.

"If the Force wills it." Normally I was against using such bland Jedi platitudes, but in this case, it was the ideal way to set up why I'd not be around for the later dances she wanted. Or anything else she desired from me. Hell, if I could manage it, I'd cause an incident – one I couldn't be tied to – to ensure I'd be unavailable for her for the rest of the celebrations this week.

Before she could make any comment in response, I slipped to one side, giving a Zygerrian male near me a gentle shove with the Force so he slipped between me and Miraj. It couldn't be denied that the princess was an exotic beauty. However, after a week of boring-arsed talks, the last thing I wanted to deal with was a love-struck princess. Or at least another one since I supposed Padmé qualified as one now.

Now, I did understand that perhaps there was a chance while I was here that I could work on, if not turning her away from following her father in restarting the slave empire – if it was him that began the moves to return to their old ways – then at least make her more open-minded about the topic. However, I wasn't in the mood to deal with it now, not after five straight dances with her. And the sense of superiority that she had, enhanced past that of other Zygerrians due to her status, making it even harder to want to be in her presence for more than a few minutes at a time.

Sadly, for me, it seemed I was still the thing that caught her eye. Though at least I'd managed to escape her clutches before the next song, one far slower that would involve standing closer to your dance partner, began. I smirked at the timing of that as I slipped from the dance floor. At a table near the Royal table, Shaak Ti was sitting, sipping on some Zygerrian nectar wine while some random Zygerrian male spoke to her. I couldn't help but chuckle that she was facing a similar issue to me, though judging by her expression, she was doing a far better job of hiding her distaste for her potential suitor than I'd done.

Passing by the tables with the delegations, I gave each a nod. Rhork gave me a knowing smirk, seemingly enjoying the fact that Miraj was enamoured with me. Hara smiled back, some of the distaste she'd displayed for me during the talks not evident in her body language. Vundu and Ce returned my nod with one of their own, but neither seemed in the least bit interested in the goings-on. Heck, Ce was distracted, though he hid it well. If not for the Force, I'd have likely missed the subtle signs in his body language.

"Ah, Cameron. I see the princess has finally decided to offer her hand for a dance to others," Shaak commented as I reached our table. The Zygerrian who'd been talking to her looked offended and glared up. I glared back at him, my hand sitting near my lightsaber and a moment later, the Zygerrian, after offering Shaak a mumbled apology, slipped away. "Did you really have to scare him away; I was enjoying his rambling."

"I'm sorry, Master. If you'd like, I could ask him to return." I chuckled as I sat down and picked up my goblet. The sickly-sweet smell of the wine assaulted my senses, though I still took a sip. Since this came from the king's private winery – no doubt made by indentured workers – it would be rude to not have some. The taste was pleasant enough, but not something I particularly enjoyed.

"That won't be necessary." Shaak smiled and tilted her glass toward the dance floor. "Though I believe your time here may be short." I followed her glass and almost groaned as I saw Miraj. While her partner was holding her close – though not too close nor placing his hands anywhere that might offend – her gaze was constantly on me. "It appears another has fallen into your web."

"What?"

Shaak laughed softly, and before explaining, took another sip of her wine. "It hasn't gone unnoticed that many of your friends, inside and out of the Order are female, Cameron. Indeed, I recall a few whispers that you'd grown attached to the Mandalorian female you'd travelled with. I, and others, were glad to see you proved that rumour wrong by allowing her to leave; though I believe Master Drallig was entirely unamused by the commotion that she caused at the Temple entrance."

"I have little control over how Bo behaves, Master," I replied with a laugh and took another sip of my wine.

"No, you don't. Nor can you control the princess, or simply ignore her interest in you." I looked at Shaak, figuring she was making a point. "She has spent her life isolated here in Zygerria; surrounded by the same potential suitors since she was but a child. Now, barely a week before her ascension to adulthood and the position of heir arrives a young man from a mysterious Order. One who carries himself with a hunter's confidence and bares the scars of battle proudly." I felt the heat build in my cheeks as Shaak said that with her eyes locked on mine. "You have a beast of legend at your side, one that is, like you, battle-hardened. With all that, is it any wonder that the princess, and those from species who are, like hers and mine, descended from hunters, would be attracted to you?"

I looked away, unsure of how to answer her. Everything she'd said was true, yet I dearly wished the parts about Miraj being attracted to me weren't. "Thank you, Azen'Zode," I said as a young Twi'lek female arrived to refill my glass after using Observe to learn her name and more details about her status. She was another one enslaved by the Zygerrians but was too scared to say anything to me, to us, as she'd been warned and – in a move that made my blood boil – beaten to ensure she didn't speak to us. Still, the green skin of her cheeks darkened, and she looked down before moving over to refill Shaak's glass.

My eyes followed her as she walked away, burning her face, along with that of the other 'servants' into my mind. One day, I swore to myself, I'd return here and end their slavery. Even if I had to kill every Zygerrian to do it.

"When you first mentioned and demonstrated this ability of yours to gain an insight into others, I thought perhaps you were just naturally attuned to the Living Force. I know now that isn't the case, but it is clear you find certain details about this planet as uncomfortable as I do."

I nodded as I took a sip of my now-refilled goblet, noting how a Zygerrian observer leaned in close and whispered aggressively to Azen'Zode. She shrunk in on herself as she shook her head, and when the Zygerrian let go of her elbow, she scampered off. "Yes, Master. And while I understand there is little we can do about it, it's… difficult to not act to correct the issue."

"As it should be, but we must trust in the Force that there is a plan for why these things exist," Shaak leaned closer, drawing my attention from the servant and her boss. "Has this ability of yours led to any new insights into the various delegations?"

"Not yet Master, though I may have an idea that I hope will help smooth things out going forward." Well, Padmé had given me the plan, I was just going to run with it as it's not like things could get much worse and still have the negotiations continue.

"That is pleasing to hear, but don't become disheartened if this new approach is slow to bear fruit. One doesn't catch their prey in the first hour of the hunt after all."

"Yes, Master." It was an odd metaphor to use for a Jedi, but Shaak Ti had never shied away from being a Togruta, and the way her species saw the universe. Even if the metaphor failed to land, at least it was just different enough from the usual Jedi speeches to feel fresh.

"Ah, Jedi Shan, I do hope I'm not interrupting anything?" I smiled as sincerely as I could as I turned my head and looked up at Hara Adasca. The dress she wore gave just enough hint to the figure she had without coming close to being anything but classy, though my eyes went straight to her face, avoiding the rather tempting curves on her chest.

"Not in the slightest, Justicar Adasca. How are you enjoying the festivities?" I asked back, being as polite as I could. While I'd prefer to sit back and relax, preferably as far away from Miraj as I could, I was curious as to why the Adascorp representative had approached. Perhaps this might be the chance to learn more about what her company wanted from the negotiations.

Hara's eye twitched and she looked over the dance floor where, even as Miraj pushed away her dance partner, another Zygerrian took his place before she could get more than two steps toward me. "It is… quaint. However, now that the princess has allowed you to slip from her clutches, oh, and well played with how you ensured another would take your place before she could protest. I was hoping we might speak more socially. It may allow us to reach an agreement that benefits both of us." She leaned down, lowering her head to whisper in my ear. "The Adasca BioMechanical Corporation is a very powerful entity within the Republic. With the support of us and other Arkanian companies, your goals would be far easier to achieve." As she spoke there was little I could do but look at her dress. Or more specifically, down it. The view on offer was tempting, but since Hara's attitude was somehow worse than Miraj's, I had little interest in pursuing whatever she was possibly offering.

To be sure she wasn't actually trying to seduce me within earshot of Shaak Ti, I used Observe as she stood up. I was relieved to discover this wasn't the case, though it seemed she was impressed with how I carried myself when out of the negotiations; at least for an inferior Human. And while she felt bedding me was beneath her, she was more than willing to throw her adjuncts at me if that would work.

"That sounds like a good idea, Justicar, however, it would be wise if we stayed within sight of the other delegates, lest they believe we're engaging in actions detrimental to the negotiations." Her lips twitched upward, suggesting she was glad I was turning down her seduction ploy.

"Of course. Would you and your Master be willing to join me at the Adascorp table?"

"Certainly," I got out quickly before Shaak could try and weasel out of this. "Shall we Master?" I asked as I turned to her. While I did want to speak with Hara privately to gain insight into what she and Adascorp wanted, there was no way I wanted to sit there and listen to her full speech about why Adascorp deserved the full contract alone. Plus, Shaak may hear something that I'd miss about what they were willing to accept as a bare minimum and likely make them less likely to try any obvious attempts at bribery or coercion.

As Shaak and I stood, I saw the other delegations looking our way, and I had to suppress a sigh. Once we were finished with Adascorp, it would be a safe bet the others would want to talk with us semi-privately as well. Still, at least this would be a more constructive use of my time than dancing the night away with a love-struck princess.

If only barely.

… …

… …

"Bah! Enough about these talks and the boring debates," Rhork stated, swirling around his goblet with his hand. He looked around, as if checking no one not at the Mandalmotors table was listening, before leaning in close. "I've heard rumours that the reason Alor Adonai's youngest was absent from the war was that she'd sought out a mate in her travels." He pulled back a little, a smirk coming to his face. While I'd rather not deal with gossip and innuendo, especially when it involved me, it was still a far better topic than the negotiations. That might be why I'd gone to the Mandalmotors table last, as I knew I'd enjoy sitting here as I'd be in the company of warriors instead of bureaucrats.

I chuckled as he watched me, waiting for an answer and took a sip from my goblet. The wine wasn't growing on me, but it would do for tonight, and thanks to Negate Poison, I didn't have any risk of getting drunk – or worse – from it. Unlike almost everyone else in attendance. "She's not my mate, though Adonai did allow her to travel with me for a time."

"Ah, so she's unmatched, interesting," Rhork rubbed his chin. I let a low growl escape through my exhale and Rhork held up his hands. "Perhaps not for long, eh?" He laughed and waved off the topic. "Still, what about the tales she has told of your duelling an enemy to determine the fate of an entire world?"

He said that just loud enough that I saw heads turn our way at the Adascorp and IGBC tables. Which may well have been his intention. I took another sip of my wine, milking the moment to see if they'd continue listening in. While I'd have preferred Bo kept the tales of our adventures private, I'd known that was unlikely. However, I'd not expected the topic to come up on my first mission after Zonama Sekot. Still, this might allow me to get a general warning about the Vong to other parties around the galaxy, ones with greater reach than I had, and it was at least an enjoyable way to wind down the banquet, which was still going strong after five hours with the sun having set about an hour ago.

Between my stops at the various delegation tables, Miraj had dragged me back onto the dance floor for a handful of dances and even made me sit with her during dinner. However, her presence was now at least a distraction from boring discussions about what each delegation wanted and hoped for from the contract. Plus, King Medes made sure she didn't monopolise my time. And speaking of Miraj, I could see her drifting closer, her eyes tracking me as she tried, and failed, to slip through the crowd of Zygerrian suitors.

"That's about right, though there are a few reasons why that came about," I finally replied, having dragged the moment out long enough. I leaned forward, seeing his face – and that of his assistants – light up in interest. However, before I could regale them with the tale of my defeat of Feir Kr'Lenah, the Vong commander on Zonama Sekot, a loud high-pitched chime sounded three times. That signalled the King wished to speak to us all, and so as one, the room turned his way.

I leaned forward, slightly disbelieving who I saw standing with King Medes and beside me, Rhork inhaled sharply. For some reason, Dred Yomaget, CEO of Mandalmotors and chief of Clan Yomaget, had decided to come to Zygerria. That showed how important this contract was to him and the board, as did his choice of dress.

Unlike the two guards near the rear of the room, who were outfitted in full beskar armour, though they didn't have a blaster in their hands, or Rhork and his group who wore most of their armour – they skipped the gauntlets and helmets – Dred was wearing only the breastplate, vambraces, greaves and boots. Under the armour, covering the rest of his frame, was an expensive-looking shirt and trouser combo and a cloak Dooku would've approved of fell from his shoulders. It was an interesting mix of Mandalorian armour with high-class clothing and gave Dred a look of a prince from a distant, warring people. Which in many ways, he was.

"Your majesty, honoured guests, please forgive my late arrival to this celebration on the elevation of Princess Miraj Scintel to Heir of the Zygerrian Empire," Dred began, showing remarkable calm at having several hundred sets of eyes on him. Including the glares of the other delegations. "Unfortunately, I was delayed with internal matters for my people. However, on behalf of Mandalmotors, I wish to offer Princess Miraj a taste of the high quality our company is known for." A servant stepped forward, carrying a case that was, perhaps a metre long. Once the servant reached Miraj, she stopped and opened it.

The princess gasped and there were murmurs from those nearby. I couldn't see what was in it until Miraj lifted it high into the air. Dred had gifted her a beskad, one with what looked like an engraved hilt if the stylised lion – or big cat I supposed – was any indicator.

"From one warrior culture to another, I present to your daughter, a beskad. A weapon of Mandalore made of beskar, meaning it can stand up to blaster fire, and even the legendary blades of the Jedi." At that, he glanced my way, and I grunted. While the gift had been for Miraj, that was him making clear he knew I was here, which had me wondering if that had weighed into his decision to come and, more than likely, take over negotiations for Mandalmotors. As, while Rhork seemed a fine negotiator, the other representatives all held board-level positions. Thus, his arrival now, with that gift, was a powerplay of impressive scope.

"On behalf of my daughter, and my people, we accept this offered blade graciously," Medes replied after a round of clapping – some more enthusiastic than others – at the gift. Miraj was struggling not to jump up and down, and only a hand on her shoulder from her mother stopped her from rushing Dred and likely demanding the start codes. "Though that still leaves the matter of your late arrival."

Dred bowed even as he laughed. "Yes, it does, your grace." He stood up and pointed an arm toward the doors where his guards were standing. The doors opened and servants began to roll in large cases and caskets. "From my personal reserves, I bring twenty casks of the finest Ne'tra gal Mandalore has to offer, along with twenty cases of wine distilled on Mandalore during the reign of our last Mand'alor."

My brow rose at hearing that, and more than a few people gasped. I'd had some of that wine during the feast to celebrate my verd'goten and knew a single bottle sold for upwards of five thousand credits. Each case looked to hold about twenty bottles, and assuming the Ne'tra gal was of similar stock, then Dred was offering drinks worth more than five million credits to the banquet. That put to shame anything the other parties had offered.

I did wonder if he was overplaying his hand in making such grand gestures as if he wasn't careful, it would look like he was trying to compensate for the lack of size and scope of Mandalmotors compared to the other players at the negotiating table. Still, if they got even a tenth of the overall contract, then the investment would pay for itself within the first few months.

"A most generous gift, and one, on behalf of Zygerria, I accept as your apology," Medes said before the two clasped arms. "Though don't think that drowning us in alcohol will influence the negotiations."

Laughter, more genuine than the earlier clapping, rippled through the hall, though the tables of the other delegations sounded far quieter to me than anywhere else. I glanced at the tables while the laughter continued and Medes shared a quiet word with Dred as Miraj gave her new weapon a few experimental slashes. The SoroSuub and Adascorp groups seemed perturbed, which I confirmed was due to Dred's appearing here through Observe, with the Sullustans feeling more pressured than the Arkanians. Oddly though, the Muun delegation from the IGBC seemed entirely unconcerned about Dred's arrival. Observe let me know Ce Serd was more concerned about the special representative from the IGBC who'd be arriving soon, which had me curious about who they were calling in for support.

As the laughter died down, and people began to sit down, I turned to Rhork. "Did you know about this?"

From the shock that was still on his face, it was clear he didn't. "N-no." He turned to face me as we sat. "I mean, I tol… That is to say, even as lead negotiator for Mandalmotors, I'm not made aware of the comings and goings of the Ol'averde Alor."

It was clear Rhork didn't know anything about Dred being here, or at least that someone from the company was going to arrive and Observe confirmed that. Piecing together what it told me, it seemed Rhork had contacted the board and informed them I was leading the negotiations. Whether he knew directly that Dred would come here, Observe wasn't able to tell, since it was limited in what it revealed, but he held himself accountable for this and was concerned about how I'd feel about it.

Before I could push him for details, someone approached the table. Rhork and his assistants shot to their feet, clasped a hand over their hearts and lowered their heads. "Alor Dred. You honour us with your presence. If I had known…" Dred raised a hand which stopped Rhork mid-sentence.

"If you were aware, then I suspect one of our competitors on this deal may have made arrangements to, at the very least, delay my arrival until after the banquet." Dred stepped forward and placed a hand on Rhork's shoulder. "You've done well so far, I'm merely here to help ensure your efforts are not in vain." At that, he turned to me and lowered his head slightly. "Alor Cameron, su cuy'gar. It has been some time since we last spoke."

He extended his arm and I clasped it near his elbow. "su cuy'gar, Alor Dred. Aye, that it has." His smile grew slightly as I returned the Mando'a greeting. "Though I'd hardly expected this to be where we'd next meet."

Dred laughed as we broke the arm clasp. "I had expected to meet you again before now, but once I heard you were the Jedi leading the negotiations, and after learning that members of the boards of our competitors were present, including a member of the House Adasca," he glanced over my shoulder at that moment, "I felt these talks required a more hands-on approach." He patted my arm in an overly-friendly gesture; something that wasn't missed by the other delegates. "Plus, I've heard tales from Sundari of your adventures in the Outer Rim, and still remember watching the recording of your verd'goten."

I rolled my eyes as I worked out his plan. One of the servants approached, and I happily exchanged my nectar wine for one of the Mandalorian stock. "I see Bo-Katan has been unable to refrain from discussing our travels," I muttered with a smile. Dred smirked at that and then took a sip of his wine. I did the same and savoured the familiar, and not sweet, taste of the Mandalorian vintage. "I must remember to… speak with her about that."

Dred laughed at that, as did Rhork and his team, and patted my arm once more. "From what I've heard, she would be amenable to that." With his hand still on my arm, he guided me back into my chair. "Still, that is a personal matter between you and her. What I'd rather hear about, at least tonight, is this tale of your duel to save a planet from invasion. According to Lady Bo-Katan, it is a tale to rival that of the Battle of Keldabe."

"I have heard of this battle, but details are surprisingly scarce outside of the Mandalore sector." That comment made me turn and look up at Hara Adasca, who'd come closer while I'd been greeting Dred. Not far behind her was Vundu Plast and Ce Serd, though what caught my attention was that Miraj was now making her way toward us, the beskad in her hands; thankfully for those in her way, it was sheathed.

"Justicar Adasca," Dred began as he stood and bowed. "Tales of your beauty have reached even the war-torn surface of Mandalore," he continued as he took her hand into his. "However, they fail to do justice to the angelic form before me." Hara didn't react beyond a slight twitching of her lips as Dred kissed her knuckles. For my part, I was impressed with how smoothly he said that and how believable it was.

"I would be surprised if such tales came close to describing an Arkanian properly," Hara responded as Dred released her hand before she turned her gaze upon me. "Now, what is this I hear of the Battle of Keldabe, and the implication our Jedi negotiator had a role to play in the battle that began your latest civil war?" There was slight disdain to her tone as she referred to the war being a recurring feature of the Mandalore sector, which was understandable as, from my research before going there, some form of semi-serious conflict broke out between clans about once every thirty years or so.

Dred smiled and gave me a gentle – for a Mandalorian – punch on my upper arm. "Alor Cameron here was responsible for single-handedly defeating the aruetiise that attacked our company headquarters and the city of Keldabe; slaying in combat the leaders of that assault."

For a moment I was annoyed at Dred as it felt as if he was trying to intentionally damage my standing as a neutral party by playing up my links to Mandalore. However, with a little time to think about it, I saw what he was doing. By not hiding there was a link between us, he was making it clear he wasn't looking for a favour, and if, as was possible, Mandalmotors failed to gain the contract or much of it, he could easily say it was proof I wasn't biased toward his company. Now, there was a chance the other delegates asked for my removal, but that would push the process back and so far, I'd not heard of any complaints from King Medes.

"Is that so?" Hara said slowly, her eyes wandering over my face, searching for something. "I was under the impression that Jedi were required to not join other organizations or cultures."

I shrugged. "The Order is open to understanding all cultures, both those within the Republic and those who keep their distance. It encourages its members to learn about them, though our vows to the Order must always come first while remaining a part of it." That might not be entirely true, but it was from a certain point of view. "As for my connection to Mandalore, I travelled there with another Padawan several years ago to learn about their culture. While there, we both completed trials that made us Mando'ade. It was the will of the Force that this happened, just as it was that I would be the Jedi assigned to handle these negotiations. While on Mandalore, I was able to help with, shall we say, an internal matter. A group of terrorists, ones who chose to ignore the teaching of the resol'nare – the core tenets of what it means to be Mandalorian – tried to overthrow the government and return their people to ways not followed since before the time of Revan." I gave Dred a glance as I finished, trying to ensure he got the message to not bring up my connection to Revan.

"Ah, interesting." Oddly, Hara did sound interested. Or at least not as bored as she usually sounded. "So, do you consider yourself a Mandalorian?" Well, at least the matter was being addressed right away instead of being left to fester.

"I passed the trials to join their ranks, yes. However, I am a Jedi first. If you are concerned about my loyalties being conflicted, I can assure you that they aren't. The Senate and Jedi assigned me to handle these negotiations fairly, to determine the deal that provides our hosts with the greatest benefits, and that is what I will do. Both bodies were aware of my status in Mandalorian culture yet were confident enough in my impartiality to not let it affect their decision. Chief Yomaget understands that even if that wasn't the case, I wouldn't grant Mandalmotors unfair consideration."

From somewhere else in the hall, I felt a sense of reassurance and relief at my answer. That had to have come from Shaak Ti, which meant she was monitoring the conversation while engaged with Queen Radej at the royal table.

"Your words are good, but we will see if your actions match them," Hara commented. It looked like she wanted to speak more, but that was the moment when Miraj arrived.

"Cameron! Is it true this can match a lightsaber?" She asked, waving around the thankfully sheathed beskad. It was shorter than mine, though since mine was more of a short sword than a beskad that wasn't a surprise. Up close, I could see the hilt with my eyes drawn to the pommel which was indeed stylised with a large cat. The eyes of that cat were yellow gems, mirroring Miraj's golden eyes.

"It is, Princess. Something I know well since not only have I fought Mandalorians with them, but I have one myself. A gift to celebrate my trials," I explained as I glanced at Hara. She nodded in thanks at the free information even as Miraj's eyes lit up and she came closer.

"Then you will be the one to tutor me on its use," she stated with a smirk, her free hand coming to rest on her hip. Behind her, several male Zygerrians glared at me; annoyed at me continually gaining the attention of what they wanted.

"I am uncertain if I'll have the time to do so, unless your father is willing for the negotiations to drag on for several months. However, when I can, I will try to find the time to offer pointers." While the idea of teaching her was more appealing than sitting around a table each day listening to the delegates talk, I was reluctant to help her of all people become more dangerous. Still, I couldn't outright reject her request, not without offending her and her father.

"Perhaps you would like to hear a tale of Cameron using his blade?" Dred cut in before Miraj could respond; likely with a complaint or two. "While I've already heard and seen the recordings of his verd'goten and the battle he fought in Keldabe, I'd enjoy hearing them from the man behind them. And perhaps, if time allows, he might deign to tell us of a duel he fought to save a world from enslavement."

Miraj's face shifted in an instant. Gone was any anger at my gentle rejection, replaced now by curiosity. "Yes, I'd like to hear that." Before I could say anything, she moved toward a chair next to me, the one Rhork was in, and waited. Rhork understood what she wanted and stood, offering the seat to her. As she sat, she pulled it closer until she was, perhaps, too close. However, no one was going to call her on this. "Regale us with the tales of your battles."

I glared at Dred. While I was glad that he'd diverted Miraj's annoyance at me not wanting to tutor her or get dragged back to the dance floor for a fourth round, I'd now be forced to sit here and retell war stories. While that was the better choice, it wasn't something I particularly wanted to do so publicly. And of course, there was a good chance that no matter how much I tried to undersell my battles, Miraj's interest in me would only grow because of this.

Fucking wonderful.

… …

… …

Several hours later, with the banquet still going strong, I slipped from the hall and stepped onto an isolated balcony. The cool air of the night was refreshing and, if one ignored where I was, the sight of the city bathed in moonlight was enchanting. However, it only took one look, and the sight of a random Zygerrian somewhere far below scalding a servant, to shatter that illusion.

I glared at the Zygerrian and considered for a moment using the Force to remove him, however, I decided against it. Even if the servant somehow avoided punishment now, because there'd be no way for them to explain what had happened to others, they'd be punished worse later. I wasn't happy about that but knew I had to accept it.

The sounds of the banquet filtered out from behind me, filling the air with soft music, though not everyone was still there. Queen Radej along with the assistants from SoroSuub, Adascorp, the IGBC and about half the Zygerrians. All four negotiators were still present when I'd slipped away for some air, with them, Shaak and Dred joining Medes and Miraj at the royal table.

We'd ended up there as Miraj, after hearing about the Battle of Keldabe, had insisted I recount the story to her parents. Radej had left after the re-viewing of my verd'goten – I'd have to think of a way to thank Dred for having that with him – though she, along with her husband, had been impressed that I'd taken down the greater krayt dragon alone. Given the way that Miraj was all but hanging off my arm after that, and the fact her father didn't mind, I was growing concerned about how the royal family regarded me. Thankfully, Shaak was still around, having been at the royal table when Miraj had brought me over and had made it clear that once the mission was over, we'd be returning to the Temple, or I'd have been worried Medes might try to betroth me to his daughter.

Medes had particularly enjoyed the telling of my duel on Zonama Sekot and spoken about how he'd heard of the incredible starships they produced. Shaak had then revealed Raven was one such vessel, and Miraj had all but demanded a flight or two in her. While I'd prefer to keep the princess as far away from Raven – not to mention Fenrir and Simvyl – there was little I could do to deny the request. Not after Shaak had given her approval to the idea, so long as I didn't mind.

Honestly, I wondered if Shaak wasn't enjoying the attention I was getting in some way; almost as if it diverted attention from her.

Still, after more time drinking with Medes and the others, I'd asked to be excused for some fresh air. Though I was giving serious consideration to simply teleporting back to Raven and calling it a night. Yes, it would be rude, but with Medes having insisted that I and Shaak join the royal family on a tour of their summer palace tomorrow, I wanted some hours away from Miraj.

"Ah, Master Jedi. I was hoping to speak with you privately for a moment."

I looked upward, wondering just how I'd pissed off the Force this time so that it'd decided to bring Ce Serd, the IGBC delegate, to the same balcony I was currently enjoying my solitude on. I considered using the Force to either make him forget I was here or perhaps, even arrange an accident for him. However, Detection confirmed his guards were only a few metres away and, as always, would be on the lookout for anything untoward.

"Director Serd," I said slowly as I turned, pushing aside my weariness with this evening, "how may I help you exactly?" My tone wasn't as calm as I'd have liked and the Muun oddly flinched as I faced him.

"While I understand you'd prefer some solitude, and personally, I would enjoy retiring to my quarters, I'm afraid there is, ah, a private matter I must discuss with you." He paused and looked around the balcony as if wondering if there were spies nearby or something. "One that cannot take place here."

My brow creased at the odd nervousness he was displaying. During the negotiations, he was always in control of himself and seemingly disinterested in everything, so for him to be this unbalanced was odd. Observe gave me nothing, other than hinting the representative of the IGBC he'd been worried about had arrived, so I could only assume that someone higher on the food chain at the IGBC wished to talk with me. Which sounded about as much fun as a five-hour meditation session with Yoda.

"Oh, is this the moment where you take me somewhere and either coerce my cooperation or move to remove me from the talk?" I asked with a chuckle to make clear I was teasing. However, my joke landed like a wet brick.

"Certainly not! To insinuate that…" He snapped, only to blink, which was always an odd thing to see on a Muun. "Ah, yes, a joke. My apologies for missing that." He coughed out one of the fakest laughs I'd ever heard before shaking his head. "No, as I said this is a private matter concerning you and the IGBC. One I can assure you has no bearing on the negotiations."

"Oh?" Yeah, it had to be to do with whoever this representative was. Other than the IGBC being large backers of the Lord of the Rings series of holomovies, with the first one only now entering principal production on Alderaan, I couldn't think of what connection I had to them. Hell, the movie connection was tenuous at best as my identity was kept hidden from everyone bar my agents with secure holocalls and voice distortion tricks. Now if my agent/publisher had revealed my identity that would be a breach of contract – as I'd ensured if they did leak that info they'd be cut out of any further profits from the series – then there couldn't be any way the IGBC knew who I truly was.

"Yes. It is a relatively minor matter, but still, not one best carried out near the ears of others." He stepped back, one arm indicating the door off the balcony. "If you wish, you could speak with your Master first. I believe she is still in the banquet hall."

That calmed my nerves immensely, not that I was overly concerned about going somewhere alone with the Muun and his guards. While they were considered a threat, if things somehow got too hot, I'd simply teleport away. "No, that won't be necessary. Please, lead the way."

The Muun blinked again before nodding and then stepping through the door. As I followed, I reached out through the Force.

[Master, Director Serd wishes to speak with me about a matter he claims is not linked to the negotiations.]

I sensed Shaak's confusion as she replied mentally. [About what specifically?]

[He won't say, but I believe it might have to do with a special representative of the IGBC who has possibly arrived this evening.]

Shaak seemed to chuckle through the link. [I could've sworn someone said their ability wasn't offering insights into the delegates. Do you need me to join you?]

[No, Master. I simply wished to let you know on the off chance this was a prelude to something else.]

[Hmm, is that Master Dooku I hear in you?] I smirked at that. [Regardless. If you feel comfortable handling it alone, do so. However, if things turn out unexpectedly, let me know. I will try to keep Princess Miraj occupied until you return, but sadly I seem far less interesting to her than you.]

I bit back a groan at her joke as I felt her mind close the connection. I had no intention of returning to the banquet now, planning to use this meeting as the excuse I needed to slink away into the night. Given Miraj's behaviour today and tonight, I doubted it would take much to have her forget about my disappearance. Though to ensure that I wasn't intercepted by a servant, the moment this meeting was over, I'd be teleporting back to Raven.

As I followed Minister Serd through the corridors of the palace, I took note of his guards. Currently, there were four of them, two in front of him and two behind me, and all were Iotan. It wasn't a species I knew much about beyond them serving the IGBC as personal guards and sometimes a small private army if there was a need. Observe told me that each on their own was a moderate threat to me, but since none were Force-sensitive, I felt I could take them with relative ease if the need arose.

Still, the guards were good, working in their pairs to ensure no one came upon us, be they servants or would-be assassins. About ten minutes after leaving the balcony we reached the small area of the palace given over to the IGBC for these negotiations. After passing another four Iotans, Serd stopped outside one door and lowered his head.

I reached out with the Force and sensed only one being inside the room. With that known, I stepped forward and walked through the doors as they slid back silently to allow me entry.

The room inside was dark, lit only by moonlight that slipped in through closed windows. However, I knew I wasn't alone as the sound of someone breathing slowly, steadily through a mask. For a split-second, I had a wild fear that I'd somehow been led into a trap with Darth Vader before reason reasserted itself. This was shortly followed by a shiver racing up my spine as I realised who it was just before they stepped out of a shadow.

"Ah, Cameron Shan," Hego Damask began as he approached, a hand outstretched, "It's been some time since we last spoke."

I shook his hand while trying to calm my nerves. "Magister Damask, this is unexpected; so much so I was concerned for a moment this was some sort of ambush," I added to hopefully hide the shifting in my emotions at seeing him here.

Damask laughed, a sound that sounded off because of the mask. "Nothing of the sort. I was following these negotiations closely since Damask Holdings would be a major part of the contract once it's earned." He broke the handshake and used the arm to indicate a sofa. "When I learnt you were the Jedi responsible for brokering an agreement, my interest was piqued. Then, when I heard that Dred Yomaget was on his way, I felt it wise to do so as well. Between the three of us, I'm sure we can come to an amicable agreement, however, that is for tomorrow. For tonight, I'd hoped to simply catch up with the young man who saved my life."

"There is no need for that, Magister, though I am grateful for the distraction," I replied with a smile that I hoped didn't appear forced. Having Darth Plagueis turn up for these negotiations was almost the last thing I wanted to happen. Particularly since I suspected his interest was less in the contract and more in me. That had me wondering just what about Zonama Sekot and the Vong had Sidious told him and how much of that story, if any, he would try to draw out of me tonight.

"Was the banquet as unenjoyable as I suspect?" He asked with a chuckle that sounded odd as fuck due to his mask.

"The banquet was fine," I said slowly, trying to play the role of someone not knowing the truth. "I simply grew tired of the attention of a particular female Zygerrian."

"Oh?"

I leaned back on the sofa, doing my best to appear relaxed and ignore the insanity of the fact I was about to complain about her interest in me to Darth Plagueis. Hopefully, this assignment didn't get any weirder than this as I wasn't sure I could survive that.

… …

… …

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

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

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · May 16, 2023

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

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

Current Date: 1 year until the Invasion of Naboo

Knightly Diplomacy 2
… …

"I must admit, when you asked for a private meeting without anyone else, I was curious as to why," Hara Adasca said as she leaned back on a sofa in the quarters assigned to Adascorp. I sat on a sofa on the other side of a small table that separated the two couches. "I can say that you being forthcoming and, dare I say it, blunt about wanting to understand my company's requirements for these talks wasn't what I expected." She chuckled at some private joke.

"I've dealt with Jedi before, you know, as has Adascorp. Until you, the pattern they've followed is predictable. Manipulable. Allow them to mumble on about how the Force guides their actions, how it seeks a path of balance, and you'll normally be able to come out of the negotiation with more than you'd expect. You, however, are a refreshing if confusing change. Initially, your understanding of how negotiations such as this worked was limited – understandable due to your age and training – but you have seemingly figured out the key fact that all negotiators know: Everyone is out to get more than they deserve or expect. That I would see a Jedi of all people learn that lesson on this pitiful backwater is an unexpected delight to what has so far been a rather dull negotiation."

I chuckled as I took a sip of the water I held in my hand. "Not all Jedi spout such jargon, though I will admit that many do seem to meditate for hours, if not days or weeks, before deciding on what to do." That drew a smirk from the Arkanian noble. "When I was travelling here, I had hoped to quickly get everyone to see that each party wasn't suitable for handling the entire contract. I had expected everyone to know that and work from a common ground."

Adasca chuckled and replied, "It's understandable for one so young to have overestimated your abilities and underestimated the tenacity of the negotiators here."

I nodded in agreement, "Yes, it seems like this is no easy task."

Adasca continued, "That's why the opening sessions of negotiations like these may seem trivial, but they are crucial for gaining a measure of understanding about any new faces at the table, including an independent arbiter. This way, when the real negotiations begin, we are better informed about our competition and their strengths, vulnerabilities, and other relevant factors."

I laughed along with her. "Yeah, I'm sure I looked like bantha fodder." I was glad when she had the grace to not agree with me verbally, choosing only to nod. "Thankfully, after some soul searching, and, I'll admit, some meditation, I realised I was out of my depth and reached out to a friend. She's a rising star of a politician so she understands a little of how all this works and offered me some advice, hence this meeting."

Hara leaned forward. "Then I must offer a thank you to this friend. Though I am surprised you asked for the meeting during the celebration. I'd have thought Princess Miraj wouldn't let you leave her side for anything bar sleep."

I looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "She has been quite insistent that I accompany her during the week. Thankfully, King Medes understands that my purpose here isn't to serve as his daughter's escort. Though it seems several members of his court, specifically the younger males, appear not to understand this."

Ever since the banquet several days ago, Miraj had gone out of her way to not only ensure that I was escorting her family around, but that she was on my arm. I'd been dragged to various cities all over the planet, forced to sit through some of the most mind-numbingly dull arse-kissing speeches that I'd heard this side of the Senate and at every meal, been her first and last dance partner. And on those moments when she didn't drag me around in public, she kept asking when I could begin instructing her on how to use the beskad Dred Yomaget had gifted her.

While I wasn't enjoying Miraj dragging me around like some new trinket to show off, nor Master Ti's amusement and comments about my new friend, it hadn't been all bad. Miraj continually asked for my opinion, which made me think there was an opportunity. After a little research on Zygerrians, it was apparent they respected power and strength – something that helped explain why King Medes had taken a long look at me when we'd first met and accepted me as the negotiator – and since it seemed Miraj felt I was powerful, I took my shot. Plus, with a new quest, Changing Fate [Miraj Scintel], generated and accepted, I had a plan in place.

It was a long shot, something the Interface agreed with by making the quest B-rated, but since the penalty was only turning a potential future slaver into an enemy or seeing her die – along with a small loss of XP – it was worth trying. If I could pull it off, then I would potentially have a new ally in the Outer Rim; one that would one day control a sector connected to two major hyperspace lanes and near Sith, Mandalorian, and Mon Calamari space. Yes, I'd not had any dealings with the Mon Cala yet, but I did plan to visit them and examine any fledgling starship industry they might have.

"Yes, they do seem to be acting incredibly territorial toward the princess, which might be why she's making sure to keep you close." Hara takes a sip from her glass, one filled with the local nectar wine. "Still, with you coming here today, something I expect you shall do with the other delegations; I hope that the pace of our talks will accelerate. While I expect them to take time, I do hope to return home before the year is up."

Hara was taking a shot at me there, yes, but it was one I deserved. Trying to dive right into the negotiations without getting to know the various delegations and their needs beforehand had been a foolish move. One that wasted all the time we had before the celebration paused the talks. In hindsight, it was obvious I should've reached out to the delegates on the first day, but as always, hindsight was a bitch.

"If they do, I suspect King Medes will request Master Ti take over the talks. Which is something I believe you and the other delegates would prefer."

Hara swirled around her glass, watching the wine as it spun around inside without ever spilling out. "I admit that the Togruta would've made for an easier read to begin the negotiations. While I haven't dealt with her personally, Adascorp has, and she is well-known enough that details of previous talks where she was a leading figure are available for the right price. I am still confused as to why the Jedi felt you should lead instead of your master."

"She isn't my master, per se, just the senior Jedi on this mission," that made Hara's brow rise. "The High Council felt I should lead the talks, which to any who don't understand the Force, could seem an illogical choice. However, as much as it can confuse other Jedi as well, from the decisions they've made regarding my friends and me, they often make the correct call." That was grade-A bull, but it was the same basic spiel I'd given to Ce Serd and Hego Damask when I'd spoken to them earlier today.

The IGBC had been the first group I'd spoken to, simply so Plagueis wouldn't know what to expect from my request for a private discussion. Hara, and through her, Adascorp, was the second delegate I'd spoken with and so far, the requests and demands were logical.

As I had half-expected beforehand, the IGBC had a baseline requirement for accepting any part in the combined contract of having the controlling financial stake. They could manage that with ease as none of the other delegations could match their size and financial power. They also wished for favourable tax breaks and trade status for a select list of companies under their direct control for the length of the contract. Those were all reasonable, while their request to be the Zygerrians' first port of call for financing for any future projects over the next one hundred years was a smart one as it guaranteed them a place at the next negotiation table without having to jump through any hoops placed on them by the Zygerrians.

One thing that wasn't directly stated, but seemed to have been implied by Ce Serd, was that the IGBC didn't want direct control of any particular section of the contract – outside of financial sections – merely requesting that companies under their control were brought on board in every sector as a junior partner at a minimum. I felt I could get the others to agree to that, but since I still had to speak with SoroSuub and Mandalmotors, I hadn't implied it could be done, merely that I would consider it.

Adascorp's redline – not that they called it that – was controlling interest in all sections of the contract that dealt primarily with medical and bioengineering elements, and at least junior interest in any section where those two areas were mentioned as secondary requirements. They also wanted to be the first port of call for any new contracts dealing primarily with medical issues with the promise that such deals would be profitable for both parties. Like the IGBC, those requests felt doable and made logical sense given their company's fields of expertise.

The biggest surprise of Hara's requests was for a subsidiary of theirs to serve as at least a junior partner on any terraforming efforts that the contract specified might be enacted if the initial half of the contract was completed on time and under budget. That wasn't taking a step too far outside their supposed comfort zone, but it would give them expertise in the field which I assumed they'd use in future to take control of similar agreements with other galactic sectors.

Their other requests, such as being made favourable trade partners, becoming the supplier of Zygerrian medical products to the wider galactic market and minor – between five and ten per cent – stakes in several local companies with interests aligned with Adascorp, should be doable. Though the request for minor stakes was something I'd have to speak directly with King Medes about.

With those details in mind, and having estimates of what SoroSuub and Mandalmotors would consider redlines, I felt the talks, once they resumed, should progress much faster. It would still take considerable time as there'd be a lot of haggling over the smaller details, but much of the final contract would be split along company interests with only minor overlap. Or so I hoped.

"Since the workings of the Jedi are a mystery to me, I will have to take your word on the matter." Hara leaned back and took another sip of her glass, seemingly finishing it. "I prefer to place my faith in science, facts, and figures." I nodded in agreement, as I could understand that logic. Even after eight years of interacting with the Force, it still confused the hell out of me at times.

The Force might have a plan for the galaxy as a whole, but it was indecipherable to me – and others, I suspected – not least as the Force wasn't alive in a way most would understand. Oddly, I was fine with that as I had little interest in understanding its plan, nor, at least fully, knowing what it was. So long as its goal, whatever that truly was, wasn't diametrically opposed to mine, I was happy to let it do what it did. Hopefully, it would agree and never work directly against me.

My vambrace beeped just as an attendant came over and refilled Hara's glass. I sighed as I saw who the message was from, and what it was about. "My apologies Lady Hara, but it seems Princess Miraj has once more requested my presence."

Hara laughed gently as the attendant moved away. "Of course, of course. While I would have enjoyed speaking with you further, it wouldn't be wise to insult the daughter of our host. Nor deny the young princess the pleasure of an admittedly handsome young Jedi such as yourself."

I nodded in acceptance of her comment, especially the hint that she found me attractive. Like much of this talk and the times around the negotiating table, I felt that it was designed simply to unbalance me and allow her the upper hand. It was something the delegates all seemed to do instinctively, and I found myself unwilling to take anything they said at face value.

"I suspect that once the talks resume, her interest in me will shift. I am, to be blunt, nothing more than a new bauble for the princess to be enamoured with until her interest passes." I placed my glass down on the table and stood. "Thank you for allowing me this time to smooth out the issues you and your company have with the current status of the talks," I said as I extended my hand to her.

She rose to meet me, and as she did, I gently took her hand and brought it to my lips, kissing the back of it. "It was my pleasure. I am grateful for you doing so, and now understand our positions. I look forward to seeing the talks accelerate once they resume," she replied with a smile.

"As do I, my lady," I added as I released her hand. As I turned, one of her assistants stepped toward a door. They'd guide me from the room, much as they'd escorted me in.

While I disliked these talks, as the finer points of business negotiations were about as much fun as taking a lava bath on Mustafar, I accepted I had to endure them. The discussion I'd just had with Hara, along with the one I'd had with the IGBC and those to come with the other delegations, would move things along. And once I was free of this, I'd be able to focus on next year and the invasion that would occur.

… …

… …

I moved to one side, letting the thrust from the Zygerrian attacking me miss so badly that the gap left was big enough that I could fit Miraj into it. The male was skilled enough to at least adapt to that, and started to shift his momentum. The blade curled in the air as it shifted direction and came at me, though, by the time it did, I'd already leapt clear. The Force propelled me further than otherwise possible and I landed with ease about five metres from him.

"Stand still!" That snarled demand came from Dist Traldal, my impromptu opponent as he gnashed his teeth in anger at missing yet another attack. "Fight back!" He added as he rushed toward me, his latest attack piercing nothing but air as I glided around him.

"Why would I do that?" I asked as I slid back from a light slash aimed at my thigh. He thrust forward again, his anger unbalancing him. This time I didn't pull back, moving to the outside of his arm and driving my elbow down on his arm, just above his wrist. He stumbled but retained the grip on his blade even as I shoulder-checked him and he moved away, struggling to keep his balance.

If I'd had my beskad out, I could've easily removed the arm if I'd wanted, which would've ended the duel, though calling it that was overly polite to Dist. Or I could've drawn blood and scored one of the three points needed to win this little exhibition. However, as with the last six times I'd landed a strike against him since we'd begun, I hadn't drawn my blade, only using my body to land a blow. Each time, that had angered the Zygerrian further, which was my intention along with showing everyone how dreadfully outmatched he was.

I sensed a lingering sense of displeasure from Master Ti at this duel taking place, which had started when I'd accepted Dist's challenge. Given her love of unorthodox combat, she seemed relaxed about my taunting of Dist. Or at least I felt she didn't mind as there'd been no hint of anything whenever I commented on his inability to strike me.

Off to one side, I could see Miraj and others watching, the princess cheering every time Dist missed, which seemed to inflame his rage more than me making him miss. Miraj had insisted I take this challenge, even though Dist and his friends – though most seemed to be enjoying watching him flail – had interrupted my training session with Miraj. I'd been teaching her some basic velocities that worked with a beskad when they'd arrived and Dist had begun stage-whispering comments on my teaching and skill. I'd let them go as a quick use of Observe had listed him as a Low threat at best, but Miraj hadn't. She'd responded that I was far beyond his slight skill with a blade, and when Dist had challenged me to prove that Miraj had accepted on my behalf.

As Miraj explained the rule to me – either draw blood three times or get your blade into a killing position without doing so – she'd imparted more information about my opponent. Dist came from a semi-important family with his father being the duke of a major city on another continent. He, like the other males in his group, was jockeying for Miraj's hand to improve their status and that of their family.

This might've been something that actually happened in canon, but I'd never know. Plus, Miraj disliked Dist after he'd done something she wasn't willing to comment on, and wanted to see me defeat him badly. I felt she hoped that my doing so would end his attempted courtship of her, though I hoped this didn't increase her interest in me.

Yes, I had the quest linked to her, but I didn't want her to get the wrong idea about why I was tutoring her. While I'd yet to let her use her blade against anything more than air, she listened intently and took every criticism I offered without complaint. That was a good sign, and I expected this duel, which hadn't generated any quest since Miraj had accepted it before I could, would further help improve her opinion of me. Though Force help me if her physical interest turned into anything more than a teenage crush. I didn't need to deal with more of that.

Nor the growing desire I could sense from the few female Zygerrians in the room. The males seemed conflicted, not enjoying seeing one of their number being soundly handled by me, but also enthused; probably as they felt Dist being embarrassed here today would remove him as competition. There was some worry as well and all that made sense. Zygerrians were a predatorial species and believed that 'Might makes Right'. Yes, I might be an off-worlder and a Jedi, but I carried myself like a warrior, and as they were seeing now, could back it up.

I turned my attention to Dist as he regained his balance and turned toward me once more. His face was marred with rage. Rage that he was unable to fulfil as for the five minutes this duel had been going on, he'd not even managed to slice my robes. If I wanted to, I'd already seen four moments where I could've drawn my beskad and ended this duel, but even without the quest linked to Miraj, I'd have drawn this out. His overall attitude and behaviour in the brief time I'd known him had soured my opinion of him and I wanted to ensure he understood he was nothing more than an insignificant footnote on a backwater planet.

Dist swung low, aiming for my knee. The move was slow; sloppy. However, I had no interest in pointing out his flaws, preferring to exploit them to further his humiliation. I lifted my leg with plenty of time remaining to avoid the swing and then brought it down sharply. Sparks erupted as the blade screeched against the floor. His shoulder tensed, planning to pull the blade free and attempt to unbalance me, but I was already airborne before he could move.

As I sailed over him, the Force taking me higher than I could otherwise do, I let my foot trail behind. A resounding crunch echoed around the room as my heel collided with his face. I landed with ease, the striking foot sliding behind me as I dropped low, adopting a rather dramatic pose. Dooku would chide me from here to Coruscant for the unnecessary flamboyance of the landing, but it served its purpose.

I stood and shook the foot that had struck him. "One," I called out loudly and clearly as Dist lifted a hand to his face. As his eyes flickered in anger as he saw the blood on his hand, I tapped the sheath of my beskad, making it abundantly clear I'd scored without the need for a blade.

As I'd expected and hoped, that enraged Dist. After another loud snarl, he rushed toward me, his blade lifted high above his head. The strike was so pathetically predictable that even a Youngling just starting to use the Force could avoid it before it landed. Hell, I could've avoided that in my old life even before I'd joined the military.

The wild overhead slash missed badly, and even as he struggled for balance, he yanked his arm back, forcing the blade into a wide, almost uncontrolled slash. I smirked as it sailed harmlessly between us. "Stop cheating!" He snarled as he brought the blade around, slashing again even as balance further eluded him.

"How exactly am I cheating?" I asked as that slash again cut through only air. I added to his rage by slapping his arm as it flew past, and smirked as he stumbled away, barely avoiding face-planting into the floor.

Dist's head whipped around, his free hand having been forced out to stop his fall. "You're a Jedi! All you do is cheat!"

I laughed at that. "Dist, let me be clear. I'm holding back. My lightsaber is resting over there," I pointed toward Master Ti who was holding the weapon for me, "nor am I using the Force against you." I extended my arms and smirked. "The fact that with me holding back, you can't even cut my robes… That reflects more on your lack of skill than any abilities that I possess that you don't."

Dist snarled and once more charged. I could see the thin line of control he held over his animalistic nature was slipping, which was exactly what I wanted. Yes, the angrier he got, the more uncontrollable he'd be, but it would ensure his reputation would be shattered among the Zygerrians. I didn't want this duel to somehow blow up on me and whenever I returned here to discover he'd somehow risen to rule. No, I needed him embarrassed so badly that no one would consider him worthy of any position of power ever again.

Dist's arm surged forward, attempting to skewer me with his blade. Though like every attack he'd tried since this duel had started, I was able to avoid it with ease. "I mean, I haven't even drawn my blade, and already I've made you taste your own blood. This fight was over before it began, you are simply too blinded by your rage and ego to see it."

A flick of his wrist had the blade's tip race toward my wrist. Wanting him to fully commit to the attack, I pulled my arm back at the last moment. As the blade sailed past, and he rotated his arm to arrest the weapon's momentum, I grabbed his wrist. Sending my forearm up into his elbow and wrenching his blade out of his hand before reversing my momentum as I spun him around and over my shoulder.

"Two," I proclaimed as I saw his arm. The expensive-looking clothing he'd been wearing was cut and a deep gash had appeared near his elbow. Dist lifted the arm, the wound dripping blood onto the hard floor, and then, with rage dominating his thoughts, leapt at me.

Without the Force, those claws would've struck my face. Zygerrians were stronger and faster than baseline Humans. However, with the Force providing only moderate boosts to my reflexes and sight, I could pick out small cracks in two of his claws and see the veins in his hands as they surged toward my body.

I leaned back and turned, ensuring his claws wouldn't strike me if my next action failed. It didn't and I easily gripped one of his arms. I shifted my rear leg and pulled on the arm. The shift in position, which took place within a second, caught him off-guard, and as his feet left the ground, I rotated my shoulders.

He landed face-first on the ground even as I maintained my lock on his arm, and a crunch echoed around the room as I drove my foot into his jaw. Seeing his body twisting, trying to get his free arm around for a strike, I rolled over him, keeping a grip on his arm. His body twisted awkwardly as I pulled the arm behind his back, and I smirked as I heard the shoulder pop.

Before he could shift around, I let go of his arm with one hand and drove the elbow from it down into his back, a faint crack just reaching my ears as my joint crashed into the back of his ribcage. I then pushed the arm I was holding down and stepped back. "Three," I called out as he turned, blood flowing profusely from his earlier broken nose and merging with a trail coming from a shattered eardrum.

That meant the duel was now over, but the bloodlust in Dist's eyes made it clear he no longer cared. Rage surged from him in waves, consuming any control he'd once held. My hand drifted to the hilt of my beskad as he spun round, grimacing as he tried to move his dislocated arm, and then leapt at me, his good arm leading his body. Yet before he could reach me, he stopped in mid-air.

"This fight is over," Master Ti called out loudly as I saw her walking toward us, one hand extended out from her body, aimed at the floating Dist. "Accept your defeat and learn from it." With that, she lowered her hand and Dist dropped unceremoniously to the floor, groaning as he came down heavily on the dislocated arm.

I turned and offered Master Ti a nod of thanks, yet as I did the Force rippled with a warning. I pivoted, returning my attention to Dist, part of the blade of my beskad coming into view as I moved to pull it free. Dist was closing fast, his face contorted by fury as his working arm rushed toward my face. At this range, I knew I had no choice but to remove his hand to avoid another set of facial scars. Yet, as the beskad slid from its sheath, Dist tumbled away to the side; slammed into by a blue bolt.

"Enough!" I turned from him to see Miraj holding a DH-17 pistol, smoke rising from the barrel as she aimed it at the downed Zygerrian. It took a split-second for me to realize that the bolt wasn't lethal as she continued, "Dist Traldal, you are banished from my presence and these royal grounds!" Dist hissed on the ground, which made Miraj narrow her eyes. "Leave now before you embarrass your house further and force me to speak with my father about their position of power!"

After a few moments to regain his senses after the stun blast, Dist blinked in shock at her threat and slowly moved, showing impressive resilience to a stun bolt. I didn't understand much about the power dynamics of the Zygerrian people, but if things were even semi-close to what I know of feudal-styled societies, kings and queens often removed power from lower families over trivial issues. Dist's attack on me was far from that, and it seemed the young princess knew this, and that the threat of his family losing influence and power would be enough for Dist to withdraw.

Dist snorted in anger and spat blood at my feet even as his eyes narrowed as he glared at me. For a second, I wondered if he wouldn't take the warning, but he did. Without any look at the armed princess, he turned and stalked from the room, his good hand cradling his damaged arm. A small group of Zygerrians rushed to help him, including one female. She reached out to him, but he snarled and slapped her hand away hard enough that she stumbled. Instead of following Dist out, the female snarled at Dist's retreating form and then turned. As she marched back to the other Zygerrians, fire in her eyes, I turned to Miraj and smiled.

"My thanks, princess," I began as I walked toward her even as she holstered the small pistol. Now that I knew it was there, I could see how she'd hidden it, and why she'd need a holdout blaster. "Sadly, it appears Dist has yet to learn to control his more... aggressive nature."

Miraj smiled as her eyes found mine and I sensed a spike in her desire and arousal. "No, it is I who should apologise. You and Master Ti are guests on our world. Dist Traldal has always been… overly sure of himself. Safe in the knowledge that his father's influence allows him much leeway. He often duels what he considers easy opponents or rivals, and goes further than needed to prove his superiority." She stepped closer, a hand coming to rest on my forearm. "Today, he learnt that he isn't the duellist he believes he is." Her eyes drifted down, though thankfully to my beskad and not my groin. "Still, I had hoped to see you use your blade today. Or at least your lightsaber."

I smiled as my eyes darted to Master Ti moving slowly toward us. "A Jedi only draws their lightsaber in combat if left with no other choice, princess. As for my beskad, Dist was never a threat, not until it appeared he might lose control and give in to his baser instincts." Miraj almost purred as I said that, and even without the Force, her desire was easy to see. "Even then, doing so would only have served to prove how unworthy he was, and possibly embarrass him to a point he might never learn from today." Behind Miraj, I saw Master Ti give me a slight nod of possible approval. "However, if Master Ti permits, we could spar with our lightsabers as it has been some time since we'd trained. I should warn you, princess, that the spar would be as one-sided as the duel you just witnessed; with me taking the role of Dist."

"Padawan Shan is widely recognized as one of the Order's most exceptional young duellists, yet he is correct in stating that he has not yet attained the level of skill required to challenge a Jedi Master." A smile danced on Master Ti's lips as she spoke, and I knew that while offering me a compliment, she was also driving home just how far I still had to go. Which was fucking annoying as my skill with the first six forms were at least in the high Professional range, yet I felt as if I was still missing something. It was almost as if the Interface was somehow limiting what I could do with a Lightsaber and the Force, but that just had to be a trick of my mind. "Still, he has defeated several Jedi Knights in spars; something few Padawans are ever able to claim at such a young age."

"Master Ti is kind with her words, but I'm still far from challenging her or Master Dooku." that drew a tinkling laugh from Master Ti. "I hope with time and experience I might one day be able to do so. However, I fear it might take decades to achieve that."

"It is good to have goals, Padawan, and I am glad you understand what it will take to achieve that goal. To think otherwise… can lead to embarrassment, as we have just witnessed."

"Yes, Master."

"I hope that before the negotiations are concluded I might observe a spar between Jedi," Miraj said slowly, her hand still resting on my arm, a slight edge to her tone that likely came from being ignored for a few moments. "However, for now, I wish to return to my lesson."

"As you wish, Princess," Master Ti replied with a bow before turning to me. "Once the lesson is concluded, please return to your chambers, and contact me. We must review today's negotiations and determine which areas to discuss tomorrow." I nodded in agreement, glad to finally see the talks not only resume but get somewhere.

It'd been a week since we'd resumed the talks, and with me now armed with ideas of what each party wanted, it hadn't taken long to work out a basic schedule. Each day brought progress, though some of it was minimal. Still, armed with an understanding of what each delegation wanted from the talks at a minimum, and what they hoped for, I had the wiggle room I needed to lay out the general areas of the massive contract the Zygerrians were offering and know roughly how each delegation would regard those areas.

Things were still slow going, but so long as there were no major setbacks, I felt we could be concluded in around a month. Though I was now in the odd place of wanting to keep the pace slow. I'd started making what felt like genuine progress with Miraj – something shown by Dist risking a duel with me – and if the talks progressed too rapidly, then I might struggle to leave enough of a lasting impression on her to have anything more than an outside chance of success at her linked quest.

That said, I wasn't going to purposely sabotage the talks simply for a possible future benefit. No, given the choice, I'd choose to leave this system as soon as I could. Time was slowly turning against me as the starting gun towards the Naboo conflict was, at best, not much more than a year away and I needed time to prepare for that.

… …

… …

"Arrgh!" I growled in frustration as the doors to my assigned quarters slid shut behind me. Stomping toward the small sofa, I threw my robes on a nearby chair and sunk into a comfortable seat.

Since resuming the talks, everything had been going decently. Yes, there had been some days where barely any progress had been made due to vibrant discussions over the finer details of a certain section of the contract. For example, yesterday had revolved around the distribution of processed food from a colony about two lightyears from Zygerria, centring on where the food should be sent, which companies and sub-companies should be used, and the exact nature of the division of control. It was a minor thing, but with the size of the contract, even something like that could take hours, or in yesterday's case, a day, to sort out.

However, today was the first time that negotiations had ground to a halt. Vundu Plast had wanted to reopen the discussion on control of the local manufacturing of cargo vessels for several mining operations in remote systems. This had been sorted weeks ago, with Adascorp and Mandalmotors agreeing on a joint venture, yet Plast wanted to renegotiate to gain SoroSuub full control of the venture. That made no sense since there'd been no hint at the time it had come up, nor when I'd spoken to her privately about SoroSuub's requirements for a shared contract. And then, when the other companies rejected reopening the matter, Plast hadn't let the matter go, threatening to reopen every part of the contract already agreed upon. The impasse had dragged on all day, until, in the late afternoon, with hours still available in the day but no progress on anything being made, Master Ti had suggested we retire for the day and return tomorrow with cooler heads.

I really hoped whatever bugs had crawled up the Sullustan's arses left as if this continued tomorrow, I knew my temper would begin to fray. Hell, if it kept up for more than a few days, I'd consider suggesting to King Medes that he remove them entirely from the talks. Yes, that would force some elements to be reopened, but gaining consensus from four groups was easier than doing so from five.

"Ah!" I slapped the sofa's arm, hearing it creak at how hard I'd smacked it. "Why do they have to be so kriffing stupid?!" I raged to the empty room. It wouldn't offer a response, but there was something therapeutic in yelling out my frustrations over these talks. It wasn't the Jedi way of handling things, but it worked for me.

After some time, with my rage slowly calming, I sat up and poured myself a glass of mando papuur'gal Dred Yomaget had gifted me with a case of and I'd found myself enjoying a glass each night to take the edge off. Now, I'd have preferred some Ne'tra Gal, but Master Ti had been adamant that I didn't need hard liquor in my quarters. Until today, I'd been fine with that, but right now I could do with a few stiff shots of something stronger than wine.

I tilted the glass back and grunted as I realised I'd downed the whole thing in one go. I leaned forward to refill the glass, only to stop. Getting drunk was tempting, but even though I could easily clear the hangover and other effects of the alcohol, I was sure Master Ti would sense if I became inebriated and I'd rather not have a talk tomorrow about being mindful of excess. Not to mention, however unlikely it was, there was a chance that getting drunk would somehow make Dark Side Masking slip. It was in the high Master range, meaning it seemed to be enough to fool even Master Fay, but no power was fool proof.

Thus, with a growl of frustration, I placed the glass back on the table and then stood. I began pacing the room, trying to drive the anger over SoroSuub's odd behaviour from me. My eyes lingered on a jug of water, and I considered spending some time working on Inanimate Conversion, as I'd done on some other evenings, but decided against it. Given the mood I was in, it probably wasn't wise to consider changing water into anything else, as the urge to create a poison that worked on Sullustans held some appeal.

Instead, after lifting various objects in the room closer to the walls with the Force, I moved into the cleared space and began moving meditation. Alchaka wasn't yet Maxed out, and I had no need to refresh my FP, but I'd long since started doing this as a way to unwind and centre myself.

My body moved around slowly, taking its time to draw out the moves and velocities of the half-dozen styles of fighting I knew. My eyes closed and I tempered my breathing, getting into a calm, steady rhythm. Like always, the air around me felt as if it was reacting to my movements, and I soon felt something which I believed to be the Force begin to not only sense my movements but mimic them.

Time slipped away as I let my mind clear, gliding around the room with the Force as my only companion. I felt the eddies of the Force shift around me as I moved, brushing against my skin and providing a calming, relaxing presence for my turbulent mind. Letting m….

"…we're not afraid to die for a worthy cause."

I stumbled forward, the voice floating to me through the Force disturbing my thoughts and forcing me out of Alchaka. I blinked, remembering where I was, and whose voice that was. "What?" I muttered as I realised that I'd somehow heard Master Giiett through the Force. His words sounded fatal, and I felt a hand clench around my lungs, which only increased when a small red blinking dot appeared in the corner of my vision. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I opened the notice and groaned.

Quest Failed!
Changing Fate (Giiett)
Result:
-800XP
Loss of an ally on the High Council.
...

"Fuck." The word slipped easily from my mouth as I stepped back and slumped onto the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Giiett was dead, but I didn't know how or why. This might've been the canon event that had killed him, or something else brought on because of my existence. Either way, he was gone, and I'd failed the quest linked to him. As bad as it sounded, this helped highlight the flaw I'd made early on at the Temple of accepting every quest offered by the Interface. Still, that was secondary beyond learning how and why Giiett was dead.

I stood and strode for the door, pulling my robes to me with the Force. They slipped over my shoulders as I stepped into the corridor and my arms were inside them as I reached Master Ti's door. I pressed the buzzer, and a second later the door slid open.

"Pada…"

"Something is wrong, Master," I said, cutting her off. She frowned and stepped back, allowing me access to her quarters. "I was meditating, using Alchaka to clear my frustrations from today's talks," I began as I walked into her small sitting area, which was a mirror of mine, even down to most of the furniture being close to the walls. "I was forced out of it when I heard a voice in the Force, one I kno…" My words trailed off as I turned to face her and saw she wasn't wearing her robes. Or much of anything for that matter. All that she had on were undergarments that were akin to skin-tight workout clothes that did nothing to hide the shape of what lay underneath. Putting that from my mind I continued. "I heard Master Giiett's voice. . . " I said trailing off as I felt my throat clench slightly.

The slight frown she had deepened. "Might I ask what you heard him say?"

"We-" I paused slightly, clearing my throat" We're not afraid to die for a worthy cause," I repeated slowly. "I, I think he might be dead, Master."

She shook her head and stepped closer. "I find it highly unlikely both that a member of the High Council is dead, and that you sensed it and I did not." She slipped past me and as I turned, my eyes drifted lower, taking in the way the shorts she wore hugged her arse. "Still, I will contact the Temple to confirm if anything is amiss. First, however, perhaps you might explain why you believe you sensed the death of a Jedi Master when I have not?"

"I…" I licked my lips and raised my eyes to her face as she turned and settled into her sofa. I took a moment to consider how I wanted to explain this to her. I knew Giiett was dead, but I had no way beyond the Interface to confirm that. Getting my thoughts in order I sat, though not on the sofa next to her but on a seat nearby. While I knew nothing would happen, being close to her in her current state of undress was a situation I'd like to avoid.

… …

… …

I watched, trying to not fidget in agitation as Vundu Plast added her seal to the five copies of the contract. Hara Adasca, Ce Serd, and Dred Yomaget had already added theirs, but until Plast and King Medes added their seals, I wasn't going to hope the negotiations were over. It'd been a little over a month since the celebration for Miraj's ascension to heir to the throne, and the talks were finally, barring anything insane, done and dusted.

After Plast attached her company's seal, she stood. I moved forward and collected the five copies of the contract, which rather amusingly were actual paper cover pages for the digital contracts and walked toward the royal table. Around me, various cameras flashed, and drones buzzed, recording this moment for news reports across the galaxy and records in the Senate archives.

"Your Majesty," I said with a slight smile as I slid the documents in front of him. He smiled back as he picked up the royal seal and I moved to one side, granting him the spotlight. I watched, my relief at this mission almost being finished growing with each document he affirmed his seal upon. He paused at the final document and looked at the cameras, reporters, and various assembled dignitaries from across the sector and beyond. "With this seal, Zygerria and her tributaries enter a new era. One in which, with the help of the corporations gathered here today, and the work of the Jedi to my left, will lift our sector from a remote outpost of the Republic in the Outer Rim into a major centre for trade and commerce for centuries to come!"

As he affixed the seal to the final document, the gathered crowd, myself, Master Ti, and the delegations burst into applause. While ours were reserved, the crowd was much more enthusiastic about it. In the corner of my vision, a small blue dot appeared, signalling the quest linked to this mission was complete. The quest's name – Knightly Diplomacy – hinted at this having something to do with me becoming a Jedi Knight, but nothing in the description, objectives or requirements backed that up.

I had to close my eyes for a moment as the flashes from the various cameras and drones drowned the area in light. I strained to keep smiling as even with my eyes closed, I could see the flashes going off and as I slowly opened my eyes, I had to resist an urge to slap away two drones that had floated too close to me.

I turned away as the flashlights dulled and blinked, trying to clear my sight. A hand came to rest on my shoulder, and I turned back to see Medes standing close to me. "I am wise enough to admit that when I was first informed you would be leading the negotiations I was… uncertain about it," he began, a wide smile on his face exposing most of his sharp teeth. "Yes, you carried yourself as a warrior should, and bare the scars of previous hunts, but I had little understanding of how you would perform at the negotiating table."

I bit back a chuckle. "I was even less sure of that than you, your majesty. However, the High Council and Master Ti had faith in me to complete the talks, and I was reluctant to let that faith be misplaced."

Medes laughed, sounding like a relaxed lion and he patted my shoulder. "Yes, it seems they saw something that neither of us did. At least not at first." He turned slightly, removing his hand from my shoulder. "A great warrior doesn't always make a good leader, which is why even great leaders surround themselves with advisors wiser than themselves." He glanced past me, in the general direction of Master Ti. "If I might be so bold, our sector has been without a Jedi since the reign of my father." He looked at the gathered crowds for a second. "We Zygerrians are a proud people, disliking outsiders interfering in our affairs and telling us how we should behave." I slapped down an urge to comment about them used to be a slaving empire as he continued. "However, after your help, I find myself open to the idea of the Jedi returning to the sector."

I lowered my head. "I'm sure Master Ti and I could add some backing to such a request, your majesty." Even as I replied, I suspected he had a certain Jedi in mind and while that would make convincing Miraj easier, it would leave me trapped at the very edge of the galaxy, unable to influence events as the drums of war began to sound across the Republic.

"Ha!" Medes took a half-step back and seemed to examine me. "From what Master Ti has told me, only Jedi Knights and Masters are allowed to be assigned as sector guardians. I wonder how much longer I should wait before submitting my request?"

I smiled and bowed. "You honour me, your majesty," I said before rising, taking the time to fine-tune a reason to reject his offer. I couldn't turn him down flat as that would insult his race and position, and I didn't want to offend him as there was a chance that I might be able to use Miraj and her people in the years to come. "However, I haven't given much thought as to what I might do whenever the Council deems me worthy of promotion. I suspect I will have several more years, at least, to consider that."

Yes, Knightly Diplomacy by its name alone hinted I was close, and I had a quest to become a Jedi Knight before Padmé became queen, but if I pulled that off I'd be an outlier. Most Jedi weren't knighted until their mid-twenties, though exceptional cases did exist, something proven by Mace Windu being made a Master and given a seat on the Council at an age many were just becoming Knights.

"True. Still, I hope that when they see the wisdom in promoting you, you might consider returning to our sector. Even if you aren't assigned here, many in my court, and family, would be disappointed if you forgot about us." He turned and made me do so as well until we saw Miraj talking with her mother, Master Ti, and Hara Adasca.

"For the most part, I have enjoyed my time on your world, your majesty. Far more than I initially expected I would," I said slowly, watching Miraj try to keep her boredom with whatever Hara was discussing from her face. "However, a Jedi goes where the Force and the High Council guides them." As I continued, Miraj caught us watching, and a smile came to her face. Her mother and Master Ti turned to see why she was suddenly smiling, and upon seeing us, both women smiled as well. "Still, whenever I am knighted, if the position is still unfilled, I will meditate on the matter and ask the Force for guidance."

Medes chuckled deeply. "That is all I can ask. I understand the… temptation of exploring the galaxy, of challenging yourself against worthy adversaries and proving yourself superior, or discovering about how much you still have to learn." I nodded and my mind drifted back a few weeks.

Back then, Miraj had finally convinced Master Ti to allow me and her to spar with our lightsabers. And when it was time for the demonstration, Miraj corralled not only the rest of her family but the delegations and other prominent figures into watching. As I'd warned Miraj, Master Ti had won, though she had gone easier on me than in the Temple; almost as if she found it amusing to see Miraj's interest in me.

Afterwards, Medes had asked to spar with Master Ti herself. Again, Master Ti had won with ease, though Medes had done well enough to land a blow on the agile Togrutan Jedi. Rhork had also challenged Master Ti, but instead, she'd suggested I spar with him and perhaps demonstrate some Mandalorian fighting styles.

Rhork was older and more experienced in the Mandalorian martial arts than either I or Bo were, and I refrained from using the force, thus it had been my loss. Thankfully, neither of us emerged with anything more than some mild injuries that healed in a few days – bacta and the Force helped there – and no delay to the negotiations was required.

"Your majesty," Medes turned as his Prime Minister, Ardis Crelat, approached. Crelat leaned in and whispered something into Medes' ear.

"Yes, yes," Medes said as Crelat pulled back before he turned to me. "Forgive me, but my duties as head of state require my attention. I hope we might return to our conversation at the closing banquet?"

"Certainly, your majesty," I replied with a bow. As the pair walked away, I turned, hoping to slip away and read the quest completion notice. However, just as I reached a spot where I could disappear for a few minutes, I sensed someone approaching.

I turned to see Ce Serd. "Representative Serd."

"Padawan Shan," Serd looked around, "my congratulations on bringing the talks to a successful conclusion. The contract, while not one I had hoped for, is one all parties can profit from, and provided we all are forthright in our dealings, improve cooperation between the IGBC and the other corporations. Even the Zygerrians gained more from the deal than they might otherwise have."

"I did what I could, Representative," I replied slowly, wondering why he was seeking me out. He appeared nervous, and I was concerned Damask had returned. "And I'm looking forward to returning to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple."

"Yes, I too am looking forward to returning to my home." Again, Serd looked around, and an odd expression came over his face, one that had my hand drift toward my lightsaber. "However, before the closing banquet, I have been asked to pass a small token of esteem and thanks from Magister Damask. Both for you successfully completing these talks and for your actions in saving him several years ago on Mandalore."

"While I'm honoured the Magister is happy with the completion of the talks, and is grateful for what happened in Keldabe, as a Jedi, there is no need from him to provide a reward." That and I was reluctant to take anything from Plagueis as, even if it was a seemingly innocent gift, it was a gift from a Sith Lord.

Serd smiled. "The Magister predicted you might say that. He requested that I be clear in saying that this is more a thanks for your actions on Mandalore than these talks. To quote him, he wouldn't be alive today if not for your quick and decisive actions in Mandalmotors tower. Additionally, he was quite insistent that I was to deliver this token of his esteem to you regardless of the outcome of the talks."

I sighed softly and nodded as I accepted the praise. There was little it seemed I could do that wouldn't have me accepting Plagueis' gift. Yet I had to wonder what his angle was. When he'd arrived on Zygerria during the celebration of Miraj's birthday and ascension to the position of heir to the throne, I'd expected he, like Dred Yomaget, would remain until the end of the negotiations. However, after speaking with me a half-dozen times during the celebrations, he left before the talks resumed.

Ever since his arrival, I'd been on edge. Hell, even with him leaving I'd stayed concerned. I knew he and Darth Sidious were monitoring me, but I hadn't expected Plagueis to do so publicly. From the light research I'd done – I'd avoided delving too deep into the Hego Damask persona on the off chance it was monitored by the Sith – I'd discovered that until his appearance on Mandalore, Damask had become something of a recluse. Hell, even since then, there was no record of him moving in public. At least not until his arrival on Zygerria.

Even that would likely not become public knowledge as, apart from myself, Ce Serd, and King Medes, I was led to believe that no one knew he was on-planet. If people did, then there was a chance they'd link me to Damask as I'd been at both known locations where he'd been in the last few years. That would generate confusion for sure as if I didn't know he was Darth Plagueis, I'd be confused by the interest he was showing in me.

"What happened that day on Mandalore was beyond my control, though me being there was the will of the Force," I replied, hoping he'd pass on my words directly even as I once more cursed the insanity of me having to 'save' a Dark Lord of the Sith. Well, better to call him a Banite Sith as King Adas had been quite insistent that neither Plagueis nor Sidious were worthy of being called Sith Lords. The memory of his anger when I revealed how the Sith in this era were behaving brought a cold shiver, as it did every time I remembered it. "Any thanks regarding my actions that day should be offered to it and not me."

"Yes, quite," Ce said, clearly uncertain of how to respond to my remark about the Force being responsible for Damask's survival. "Still, the Magister was insistent that upon completion of the negotiations, I inform you of his token and arrange delivery of it to your vessel, which I have already done." He paused and looked around before leaning closer. "On that note, several members of the IGBC board are curious as to how your Sekotan vessel survived while every other known one, for lack of a better term, died."

"I can't go into details regarding the matter, Representative," I replied slowly. "The matter is one your board should discuss with the Jedi High Council and Senate directly if you wish to know. While I am aware of the reasons for the death of most Sekotan ships, I'm under instruction to not speak about it to non-Jedi." That wasn't technically true, but I'd rather not have the Sith looking into the bond I shared with my ship. They might well try and use that bond as a way to manipulate or control me or even hurt Raven: which was something I'd never allow. Plus, as a bonus, I could stick it to a bunch of insanely rich bankers by simply having something they couldn't. "As for the token. Since the Magister has already arranged for its delivery to my vessel, it appears there is little I can do but accept it graciously. Please pass along my thanks for it and a reminder that as a Jedi I don't require gifts for doing what I do, to the Magister the next time you speak with him."

Serd nodded. "Certainly." With that, he moved away, yet my thoughts were on Damask. This gift had to be some sort of trap or ploy. Possibly it might even contain a tracker so he could monitor my movements. Yet, there was little I could do about it for now. The idea of accidentally spacing it did occur, but that might raise more suspicion than placing it in a sealed container in Raven's cargo hold. No, I knew I had to hold onto it until I next ran into him.

Though I did wonder if I would as, going by canon events, I felt he had to die before, or not long after, the invasion of Naboo and Palpatine's ascension to Chancellor. Yet something that kept me up at night whenever I wondered about the steps the Sith would take after Naboo was the thought that because of my presence, Sidious might not be able to kill his master as he had in canon, which was frankly terrifying.

Dealing with Sidious alone in the war to come was concerning, but add in Plagueis and things felt exponentially worse. Two fully trained and experienced Sith Lords was something I doubted the current High Council could handle even if they engaged them twelve to two. Yet somehow I might well have to do it alone, or at best, with Anakin by my side…

I was pulled from that spiral of despair by someone grabbing my arm. I blinked and looked down to see Miraj was trying to pull me. "Come on," she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "The banquet is about to begin."

I allowed her to lead me this last time to the banquet hall, ignoring the amused look Master Ti sent me as I was led past her and Miraj's mother Radej, who wore a far more tender expression. As we moved, I saw several Zygerrian male nobles glare at me, but I ignored them. None had dared try anything since I'd demolished Dist Traldal, and I only rubbed in their ineptitude by smiling at them as we moved past.

I took Miraj's hand into mine, making their glares intensify, and the princess gasped before smiling up at me affectionately. It might give her the wrong impression, but this would likely be the last time I saw her for years, so I felt showing a hint of extra closeness was a risk worth taking.

… …

… …

I eased back on the engines as Raven slowly lowered toward the landing pad in the Jedi Temple hanger I'd been assigned. As I touched her down and powered down the core, I could feel Raven in the Force. She wanted to fly again, to dance among the stars, to prove she was built for it more than any other vessel.

"Soon," I murmured as I ran my fingers over the console, drawing a colourful display from the organic sections as Raven responded to my touch and comment. "I doubt we'll be here long, and even if we are, I'll find the time to let you fly." A gentle, pleasant tingle echoed in the Force from all around me.

I couldn't help but smile at how comfortable I felt talking to the semi-sentient starship. If I'd been told before the voyage to Zonama Sekot that a year later I'd share a bond with such a vessel, I'd have laughed in their face. Yet, much like with Fenrir, though the bond was massively different, it felt entirely natural to share a connection with Raven. As if she was, in a way, simply another part of me.

"Are you ready to depart, or should I leave you two alone?"

I looked over at Master Ti as she sat in the co-pilot's chair, a soft, friendly smile making clear she was simply teasing me. She might not share the same connection with Raven as I did, but she enjoyed being onboard the sentient starship. Master Ti had remarked that Raven reminded her of Felucia where she'd spent considerable time. Though when she had mentioned that I sensed some faint wisps of regret from the Togrutan Jedi. I was curious, but unless she wanted to bring the subject up, I wasn't going to pry.

"I'm glad to be back, Master. While the talks were interesting, they weren't something I'd enjoy having to engage in regularly."

That drew laughter from Master Ti as she stood. "Yes, you certainly aren't built to be a Jedi Consular. Still, after some early stumbles, you handled your role excellently. The final agreement was one that everyone seemed, if not pleased with, then accepting of, and I dare say you left a lasting impression on Zygerria. Or at least their future monarch." I cringed at further teasing about Miraj even as the doors to the cockpit opened as she approached them. Fenrir lifted his head from the corridor outside, and as I stood to follow Master Ti, he did as well. His tail wagged wildly, making clear he was looking forward to getting off Raven.

"Yes, you can go and stretch your legs, but we're back in the Temple," his ears drooped slightly, and the tail slowed. "So, no biting anyone," I added with mock seriousness. He whined at me before making a sound that was a cross between a scoff and a bark. He then turned and bound away, making for the central area and then likely the exit ramp.

Master Ti paused as Fenrir bounded away and waited for me to catch up to her. "It still confuses me at times to see such a large, battle-bred beast act no different than a domesticated animal," she began as she resumed walking. "Especially one larger than a Kath hound."

"While Fenrir is comfortable being on the Raven, he dislikes being cooped up," I explained as we reached the central area. "Still, I'd give him a few hours, more if he can find a quiet spot in the Room of a Thousand Fountains or one of the gardens before he'll return to the Raven. Outside of those places, and being near a few other Jedi, he no longer finds the Temple as comfortable as he did before Zonama Sekot."

"Sadly, that is understandable. Tuk'ata are bred for battle, so after the trials you faced on Zonama Sekot, it is hardly a surprise the serenity of the Temple offers little respite to him. While he is certainly calmer than I'd expect from a predator that has killed, much like you, he appears to prefer to roam rather than place down roots."

"That's true. And I think he worries that Master Yoda might try to ride him," I added, which made her laugh as we reached the door leading to the exit ramp. "Or some brave Initiate trying to impress their friends."

"The idea of Grandmaster Yoda riding Fenrir around the Temple, while highly amusing, is nothing more than a rumour that will never occur. Though I do believe Master Yoda has, perhaps, encouraged the idea to help others grow more trusting of Fenrir," Master Ti explained as we reached the ramp and I saw Simvyl there. He gave us both a nod but made no move to follow us from Raven as we left. "As for the Initiates, I don't believe their clan minders would permit them close enough to even consider it. To say nothing of Fenrir's reaction if any came too close."

"Yes, Master," I replied with a chuckle as we exited the starship and saw a small gathering waiting for us. Fenrir was there as well, leaning happily into Fay's arm as he stood beside her. The fact that Fay now had to bend her arm upward to scratch Fenrir under the chin was a clear indicator of his size increase in the nearly two months we'd been gone. From the way Fenrir was leaning into her touch, and bushing his shoulder against hers, I don't think he minded the change in her arm position.

With Fay were Masters Windu, Piell, and Dooku, who we greeted by bowing. "Masters," Master Ti said to the High Council members. "I am pleased to report the negotiations, while taking longer than expected due to several unforeseen events, were successful."

"Yes, the Chancellor's office has already relayed a message from the Zygerrian Prime Minister. He expressed the gratitude of the government and royal family for your work in the negotiations," Windu's gaze shifted to me as he replied. "Indeed, they were most impressed with your performance, Padawan. Even hinting that they might be willing to allow a Jedi Watchman to return to the sector for the first time in nearly thirty years."

"An unexpected reward, Master Windu," I said, glad there was no mention of Miraj's affection toward me.

"The Council is also grateful for your work, and we will require a full report in a few hours. Until then, we and Master Ti shall leave you to catch up with your Masters." I gave a nod of thanks, and then a smile to goodbye to Master Ti, which she returned before joining the two Council Members as they walked away, heading not for the exit but toward another ship at the far end of the hangar.

"I have reviewed the final settlement you achieved," Dooku began, jumping straight to business without even a greeting. Though after years of training with him, I expected nothing less. "It is an acceptable agreement that appears to have pleased all parties."

"I suspect the lure of billions of credits had much to do with that, Master," I countered with a smirk, "but, thank you." Dooku tilted his head a fraction before it turned to Fay. "Master, I do hope spending a few months within the Temple wasn't too troublesome."

Fay laughed softly, which was what I'd hoped for. The sound was one I found myself missing whenever she wasn't around as it always calmed me. "Thankfully, it wasn't. While I would prefer to let the Force guide me as it needs, sometime in the Temple has allowed me to reacquaint myself more with old friends, and perhaps, make several new ones." Her smile grew. "And for once, I didn't have to concern myself with worries about your safety."

"I don't go looking for trouble, Master," I mock-whined in reply, which made her smile grow, and drew a scoff of amusement from Dooku.

"No, but the Force does seem to guide you into situations that, shall we say, test you before you are perhaps ready. Far more so than it does with other Jedi." I nodded at Dooku's reply.

"Speaking of which, if I might ask, how goes your special project? Has it reached the point where you are able to return to the Temple?"

My Masters shared a look, one that further grew Fay's smile and brought the faintest hints of one to Dooku's expression. "The project continues, though I do feel progress is being made slightly quicker than I had anticipated. While Komari is far from ready to be brought to the Temple, or anywhere where temptations might exist, I feel comfortable leaving her alone for a short time. Still, once I have attended to some personal matters within the Temple and the Senate, I will be returning to help her progress continue."

I felt myself frown. "If I might ask, what business Master?" I could understand wanting to catch up with myself, Fay and others within the Temple, but I was concerned he would seek out Palpatine when he mentioned the Senate. Plus, I was slightly annoyed he was returning to deal with… her, instead of returning to further my training.

"As I said, they are personal matters. However, I am willing to discuss them after your debriefing with the Council." The hint of a smile grew into a full one, which felt slightly unsettling to me. Dooku rarely smiled, and while this one reached his eyes, and there were faint hints of pride from him, there was something he was keeping from me which had me on edge.

"Until then," Fay cut in, "perhaps you might like to speak with your friends?" Her smile had also grown, and there were murmurs of joy and pride from her radiating within the Force. "I believe that before I arrived here, I saw Padawans Keto, Bykys, and Wezz heading toward the Room of a Thousand Fountains."

I forced down my confusion and worry at the odd behaviour of my masters. "Okay," I said slowly, figuring I might learn more from my friends than my masters, who had decided to be oddly secretive today. "Fenrir," I called as I took a step away from my Masters. He opened his eyes and whined at having to leave Fay's scratching, but after a second, did so and plodded over to me. "What do you think? Should we head to the fountains and meet our friends? Or perhaps you'd prefer a trip to Master Jocasta in the Archives?" While there were a few things I wanted to look up in preparation for Naboo, those could wait.

Mimicking what several masters did, Fenrir's head tilted to one side as he thought on the matter. He then barked once.

"Fountains it is," I said with a chuckle and rubbed him on his neck. Fenrir started moving toward the hangar exit. I followed along after giving my masters a nod of goodbye. As I moved, I saw Simvyl had exited Raven and was speaking with several technicians employed by the Order to maintain the small fleet of vessels used by the Jedi.

I walked toward the door, hoping that my friends might know what my masters were hiding, though I did wonder how Serra would react when I told them about Miraj. Or how much Sia-Lan might tease her. Perhaps it might be enough to finally convince Serra to make a move. I knew she wanted to take the next step, as did I, but I was still doing as Bo suggested and letting Serra set the tone. Though there would come a point where I'd stop doing so and take control.

… …

… …

"The Council has reviewed the report submitted by Master Ti, the one given to the Senate by the Zygerrian Prime Minister, and your oral report," Windu said as I stood in the centre of the High Council Chambers. I'd been here for about thirty minutes now relaying my account of events on Zygerria, though I made no mention of Hego Damask. "On behalf of the Council and the Senate, I express our gratitude for how expertly you handled your first mission as a negotiator."

I nodded in thanks for the compliment, even as I silently prayed to the Force they'd never ask me to do it again, and hoped this meeting would end soon as I'd promised Serra and Sia-Lan spars. Yet, as I looked around the chamber once again, I was once more drawn to the fact that all twelve members of the Council, including Eeth Koth who'd replaced Master Giiett, were present. Oh, four of them were only here via holocall, but it was odd to see all the Council present for a debrief. Or at least it was for the few debriefs I'd had with the Council so far.

"Question, I have." I shifted my focus to Yoda. "Related to the talks, it is not. Sense Master Giiett's passing you did, while others did not." While there was no direct question, it was easy to spot it in his tone.

I took a second to compose myself. "I was meditating to clear my thoughts after a rather stressful day, Master. The talks had been derailed by one of the delegations, and I was… annoyed. While meditating, I… I heard his voice. The words he used; sounded final. Fatalistic. With that, and a faint sense of something changing in the Force, I went to Master Ti. I admit barging into her room was perhaps unwise as I should've taken the time to compose myself and thought more about what I'd felt. However, I was sure what I'd heard and felt was true."

"Sadly, it was," Windu began as the room suddenly felt less relaxing. "During your time away, there was an incident involving a species called the Yinchorri. During this incident, which involved a small force of Yinchorri breaching the Temple's defences, several Jedi both here and near their homeworld were lost. Master Giiett gave his life in the Yinchorri system so that others might live."

I was shocked to hear the Temple had been breached and could almost see Dooku's frown upon learning that. When I'd spoken with my friends, they'd mentioned an incident in the Temple, but no more than that so hearing what had happened was shocking as, from the lessons I'd received, the Temple hadn't been invaded in millennia.

"To hear a connection to Master Giiett you had, surprising it is. That while on Zygerria you felt his passing, more so. Speak later on this, I wish."

"Yes, Master." Ever since the night that I went to Master Ti, I'd been preparing for this conversation with the Council. I had reasons for why I'd been able to sense Giiett's death lined up, all I could hope was that Yoda would believe them.

"Returning to your mission," Windu said, drawing my attention back to him. The hint of a smile on his face was oddly disconcerting, as was the rising sense of amusement I sensed in the room, and it had me on edge. Now, I doubted anything bad was about to happen, but seeing Windu seemingly pleased with my actions was an odd turn of events. "With it completed, and the Zygerrians, the Senate and the other involved parties satisfied with the outcome, the Council is happy to consider the mission a success." He leaned forward, the smile now coming freely to his face. "Which allows us to move onto other business."

He took a moment, looking around the chamber. "When you first arrived at the Temple, we had reservations about admitting you into the Order. With the records on the ship you arrived in as proof, we accepted the authenticity of your claim to be from a time nearly four thousand years in the past. However, your name carries weight in the history of the Order." He paused for a moment as I swore I felt the Force shifting around us. "Your great-grandparents are names that even now, thousands of years later, are known, both inside and outside of our Order. Your niece, several times removed, would serve as Grandmaster of the Order during one of our darkest times." Windu leaned back in his chair. "Many, including myself, feared your age and close connection to Revan made you a risk to the Order, as he was before he was redeemed. However, with each passing year, while you have shown a tendency to approach problems in unusual ways for a Jedi, you have held to the core of what it means to be a Jedi. Therefore, it is the decision of this Council, that you be raised to the rank of Knight."

I felt my mouth slip open as I heard his words. I'd wondered about when I'd be knighted, and the quest name for the Zygerrian mission had certainly hinted I was close, but I hadn't expected that to happen now. "But… the Trials?" I stammered out, wondering why the Council hadn't made me sit one or more of the five trials they usually gave to prospective Knights.

"Due to your experiences over the last several years, from the beginning of the latest Mandalorian Civil War, through your trials at the hands of the Bando Gora, the war on Zonama Sekot where you fought to defend innocent settlers from a terrible, invading force, you have time and again displayed the ideals that our Order holds dear." That came from Oppo Rancisis. "You have protected innocents and faced down dangers that would break others when placed in impossible situations. And through it all, you've upheld the tenets of the Jedi Code."

"While normally we would request a Padawan to complete several, if not all, of the trials under our supervision, these moments you've faced have challenged you in ways the Trials could not," Plo Koon added. "They have pushed you further, harder, and faster than many could survive, and you have proven your abilities are beyond doubt, worthy of promotion." He paused and looked down. "My only regret is that Master Giiett isn't here with us physically to witness this moment. He was your most vocal supporter from before you even became a Padawan."

I lowered my head, sharing in the grief of Giiett not being here. I knew he and Plo Koon had been friends, and it seemed Koon missed Giiett greatly.

"Your ceremony of knighthood will take place tomorrow," I turned back to Windu as he spoke again. "However, you should be aware that all prospective knights are required to spend a day in solitude in the Halls of Knighthood. There, you shall meditate on the Force, and if you are fortunate it may grant you glimpses of possible paths you might walk. You may head there when you are ready, and once your time of meditation is finished, you will be escorted to us. Until then, we leave you in the care of your Masters."

"I… Thank you, Masters." I bowed deeply, trying to rein in my excitement at being knighted. Windu offered me a genuine smile and nodded before I turned to face my masters and Master Ti.

"While I have only spent a short time with you, may I be the first to congratulate you," Master Ti said slowly, her smile matching Fay's. Dooku was smiling as well, though it was more reserved, as I'd expect of him even in a moment like this.

"Thank you, Master Ti. I… I hope we might work together on a mission again at some point, though preferably not negotiations as complex as the Zygerria talks."

Master Ti chuckled. "I look forward to that time." Fay reached forward, placing a hand on my shoulder and as a group, we moved toward the chamber exit.

"Master Ti, please remain. There are some matters, wholly unrelated to the Zygerrian negotiations, that we wish to discuss." Master Ti stopped, and after giving me a final smile and nod, turned back to face the Council.

We exited the chamber in silence, the Council waiting until we had departed to speak with Master Ti. As we entered the antechamber, I saw Fenrir bounding around. It seemed my joy at being knighted had been sensed by the tuk'ata and he'd been excitedly waiting for our exit.

I braced myself as he bounced up to me, petting him happily as Fay started speaking. "From the first day we met, it has been clear to me, to us, that the Force has a path laid out for you. While your ascension to knighthood means our time together will be diminished, we have little doubt our paths are forever intertwined."

"I… thank you," I managed to get out as I blinked to keep back tears of joy and dealt with an overly excited tuk'ata. "To both of you. I couldn't have… have done all this without you."

Dooku came closer, for once unconcerned with the behaviour of Fenrir, and placed a hand on my shoulder. A smile that looked entirely out of place but at the same time made perfect sense, brightened up a face that often seemed dour. "It is we who should be thanking you. Before your arrival, I was disillusioned with the Order while Master Fay was content to keep her distance from the Order and Temple; secure in the belief the Force would guide her as needed. Through you, we have both found a path forward, even as the darkness grows denser around us with each passing day."

"Together, and with others helping us, we will do what we can to guide the Order and Republic through the dark times ahead," Fay added in. I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to voice insincere opinions regarding the Jedi and the Republic, nor hint that the two, as they currently were, might be beyond saving. I wasn't going to mar this moment, and the celebration of my knighthood, with such a discussion.

"Come," Dooku said, his hand helping to push me toward the elevator.

I walked toward the elevator, Fenrir bounding around me with my masters at my sides. Fay laughed as Fenrir leapt over a seat, his excitement at my joy clear to see.

Now, there were still a few steps to go in the process to be knighted. As Master Windu had stated, I needed to spend a day in silent, private meditation, and I wondered what, if anything, the Force might show me by way of visions.

However, that, and the ceremony that came after was all that needed to be done. And by the end of tomorrow, I would be the newest Knight of the Jedi Order. And with that, I would have the freedom I needed to start preparing for what was to come without worrying that Fay or Dooku might be looking over my shoulder.

… …

… …

I knelt and looked around the Hall of Knighthood near the top of the central - and tallest - spire of the Jedi Temple. There was only one point in the spire, and indeed all of the Temple, higher and that was the Pinnacle Room. From what I knew, the room held some of the oldest and most sacred texts in the Order. Supposedly, some even dated back to the Order's founding on Tython.

Currently, the hall was empty save for me, meaning the next twenty-four hours were going to be quiet. Which was helpful as during this time, I was meant to meditate on my time in the Order so far, and what the future might hold. According to the Jedi Path, text which I'd read cover to cover when first given a copy but had barely opened since as I remembered it perfectly, there was a chance the Force might offer glimpses of potential future paths. However, given I rarely received visions – the last being the one I shared with Anakin that I was still trying to fully decipher – I doubted I'd be granted such glimpses. While the Force had worked me into its plans for balance, I felt there was still a disconnect between me and it.

Still, a day alone would allow me a lot of time to simply think about my plans. Not just for Naboo, but for the years after, as while I knew the fight with Maul was going to be hard, I believed I'd win. Otherwise, what was the point of even trying?

…

Shadows swirled around, blanking out all the senses. Yet, as time passed, the shadows seemed to shift, to pull back. Faint, distant sounds started to echo around, though it was hard to be sure what they referred to.

The shadows continued to pull back until a figure came into view. While they had hair pulled back in a simple band that went down just beyond their neck, the way the figure moved made it clear they were male. Something that was confirmed as the image shifted, granting sight of his face.

A scar ran over one eye, though it hadn't cost him his vision and pale green orbs stared back from within the shadows. Around him, shapes moved, and sounds echoed.

The man strode forward, a stylized helmet in his hands. While his eyes were pale, an unquenched fire burned within them. As he stopped at the edge of a platform, more figures could be seen.

The assembled horde stretched as far as the shadows allowed, lined up row upon row, all armoured as the man. The man closed his eyes, taking in the sense of anticipation. He could feel their desire, their lust for the battle that was about to come. A lust he shared.

His lips moved, an indecipherable murmur escaping them, yet to the assembled masses, those words demanded complete attention. Emotions in the crowd waxed and waned as the man spoke, his words manipulating their feelings like a conductor leading an orchestra.

Rage, lust, desire, finality. All these and more sensations rise from the crowd as the man continued to speak. The man ended his speech, fury swirling around his final words. A hand rose, and a distant sound came from a single point in the crowd. Within seconds, the crowd is chanting the same sound, clenched fists raised high. The sound the horde chanted is the same one the man used to finish his speech.

The man looked out over the chanting crowd, taking in all he saw. As the chanting continues, shapes move behind the man. A dozen figures emerge from the shadows, like the man and the crowd, armoured from neck to toe. Some wore their helmets, and others, like the man, carry them under an arm. Some carry weapons in their hands, a few seem to be of species different to the man. Yet all stand behind him, ready to follow his commands. To die if he so deems.

The man raised an open hand, and the crowd, as if gripped by magic, falls silent. Yet the fury, the lust for combat burns within them like the fires of a million, million stars. The flames of rage dance with the man's words, granting rhythm to the beating of their hearts; the pulsing of their blood.

All know this sound in their soul. It was the drums of war, calling them to battle once more.

The man's face twisted, disgust rippling over it. The crowd feeds on this, on his demand to end whatever it is that disgusts him. He pulled something from his belt, and a shaft of light, radiant with a superluminal light, the core dark enough to swallow the light of a star rose into the sky. Behind him, the figures raised their weapons. Some shine with light like the man's. Others glint as light catches the rippled metal of their making.

The crowd joined in, weapons of every kind and shape rising, thrusting upwards in time with the man's words. A tidal wave of fury, of terror, of power not seen in centuries, grows. The man stopped; silence fell over the gathering.

The man lifted his helmet, sliding it over his head. Behind him, those carrying their helmets mirror the action. With the blade of white and black still held aloft, a single word emerged from the now helmeted leader.

"Oya!"

As the crowd chanted the word, the shadows closed in, devouring the scene until nothing remained.

…

The shadows swirl, pulling back once again. A figure can be seen pacing. On his back, a cloak swished about with each step, each turn the figure made. The shadows pull back further, and new figures could be seen. Their faces not quite coming into view as they waited nearby. Some were sitting, others standing, and all waited and watched the man as he paced.

The man's form was tense and tight. As if the slightest touch would cause him to explode. His hands were clutched behind his back so tightly they appear almost ghostly white.

Concern, confusion, fear. All these sensations and more radiated from him as he paced. The figures nearby shared these feelings, though it was diluted. Their focus was on the man, and not whatever had the man on edge.

Mid-stride, the man stopped. His body snapped around as a new figure stepped from the shadows. Their face was hidden, but they were covered in bright white light as if they were an angel sent to speak with the man this day. Murmurs came from the new figure, and the man's emotions shifted as if a switch had been thrown.

The fear, confusion, and concern were gone, replaced now by a delight that could bring life to a barren moon. With joy that would bring warmth even in the depths of deep space.

The man lifted the new figure, catching them off-guard, and twirled them around, showering the angel-like being in his joy. A second later, the man lowered the figure to the ground even as the others in the background stood. Their joy mingled with those of the man's.

The man took off at pace, carried by the desire to find the source of his delight. Around him, figures and objects flew past; not staying out of the shadows long enough for it to be clear who or what they were. He extended a hand, and the shadows in his way parted, bending to his will.

A new figure came into view. They were resting on something. A bed. Their face was hidden even as the vibrant green orbs of the man locked on them. Around the new figure, their hair, dark like chocolate, rested. Like a tree about to flower with life. The man reached forward, a hand coming to rest on the figure's cheek, which they leaned into.

The new figure shifted. They raised their arms, holding something small, precious within. The man reached out slowly, the bundle, along with the figure, the source of the man's joy. As he took control of the bundle, a faint, distant whimper echoed from it. The man's joy took flight, blinding all nearby and forcing them to share in his disbelieving delight.

As he held the bundle to his chest, one hand moving near it, the figure, in a feminine voice, uttered a single word.

"Ressa."

As the word was spoken, the shadows closed in, consuming the scene.

…

The shadows swirled once again. Crackles could be heard as they started to shift, and slowly two beams of sunfire came into sight.

The beams, one black, and one red, crashed into each other. Sparks flew everywhere before they pulled back. The black beam moved; the red shifted as an odd hiss could be heard. As the beams clashed again, and the figures wielding them became clearer, the hissing continued, providing a steady, terrifying beat to the movement of the beams and figures wielding them.

The black blade was being wielded by a figure in armour, a cloak billowing behind him. He leapt back as the red blade thrust forward. Between the blade and the man, the shadows swirled, rushing toward the red blade. The figure holding it, taller than the man, swiped an arm and the shadows settled. This new figure was draped in a cloak that covered their entire frame, though it was now clear the odd, rhythmic hissing came from this figure's head. Or from a strange glinting strip that seemed to cover the lower part of the figure's face.

As the man landed, the figure thrust forward a hand. Long, skeletal fingers pointed at the man. Ripples of corrupted power raced from the fingers and the man blocked them against his blade. Letting the darkness within it suck the power inward.

The man copied the figure's gesture, and crackles of red built up around his hand before racing, darting like bolts sent by a god, toward the figure. The cloaked figure leapt and spun, and the red bolts slammed into the shadows; making them erupt like a volcano.

The figure rushed at the man, the man at the figure. Their blades blurred as they moved. Sparks flew as they crashed and collided with each other. The dark figure pulled back and spun.

As they spun, they shrunk, the hissing slowly fading away. As the spin ended, the figure was now smaller, barely a third of the man's height. Their blade had shrunk with them, turning a comforting green as well.

The man hadn't changed, the stance and midnight blade ready for the new challenge. As he stepped forward, the now much smaller figure leapt. They went higher than the previous figure had, sailing far over the man's head.

The smaller figure bounced around, seemingly using the very shadows to redirect their motion. The man slashed at the air as the figure flew by, sometimes to defend the short green blade as it swirled around the figure, other times trying to swipe the figure from the air.

Red rage surged from the man's hand, slamming into the green blade. The small figure slid back, but they held their ground; their blade countering the rage cascading against it. As the rage died, the figure rushed forward.

The man backpedalled, their black blade swirling around to create a shield of darkness against the piercing storm of green. The man pivoted, an arm extended and the shadows behind him raced forward, forcing the small figure to retreat, to dance between the onrushing shades.

Behind the fight, sparks of colour shot past. Red, green, and yellow spears flew in all directions as shifting shadows moved around. Sometimes a spear struck a shadow, and new cascading colours rippled out from the strike. Yet even as the strikes came faster, as the ripples grew stronger, the combatants only had eyes for each other.

As their blades met once more, a brilliant bright ball of blue erupted, revealing the man's now darkened red eyes and the craggily green skin of the figure. As the blue light faded, the pair disengaged and moved back.

The small figure leapt into the shadows, and once more their form shifted.

They grew taller, dark robes covering them, and their blade once more turned red as it extended. The newly altered figure cackled with almost unhinged delight as the man rushed at them. Two pools of twisted, deranged yellow glared at the man's once more green orbs.

The red blade moved, flicking, slashing, prodding with dizzying speed. The man darted, shifted, blocked, and deflected as the air between them turned black with highlights of sickly red that never slowed, advancing with all the inevitability of time.

Two pairs of hands extended; blue twisted spears slammed into enraged black bolts. As they collided, a sick, warped laugh echoed around them even as the shadows closed in, engulfing the image.

…

The shadows pulled back as a man fell to his knees. An object fell from his hand, bouncing off the ground.

Over him, a spear of purple stood ready. Behind it, around its wielder and the man, blasts of colour, spears of energy, green, red, yellow and blue erupted like fissures of a volcano. As if the world around them was dying in a pyrotechnic display of unrivalled magnitude.

The figure with the purple blade stepped back, leaving the man. He stayed there, kneeling as the colours illuminated the unmoving figure. Shapes shifted in the shadows, brightened at random moments by streaks of colour that raced back and forth. Around the larger shifted shadows, smaller ones buzzed, like mayflies dancing before a light.

The purple blade vanished, the figure wielding it stepping back into the shadows. The man sighed, remorse and regret overriding the pain he felt. Around him, explosions erupted, some of the flames catching his cloak, setting it alight.

A klaxon sounded as a disembodied voice echoed out. "Abandon ship!"

…

Once more, the shadows shifted, and two figures came into sight. Though this time they weren't facing off, but instead walking hand in hand. Male and female, both in armour, walked forward. Around them, other figures could be seen, providing a guard as they walked, though details of the new figures stayed hidden in the shifting shade.

The pair reached a set of steps and walked up together, their movements in perfect rhythm.

As they reached the top of the stairs, the man stopped and guided the female to another figure, another man. The first man stepped to one side, his joy and delight having grown at handing the woman, his blood, off to another.

The female and the new man turned to each other, interlocking their fingers as cloth coloured black and bearing a blurred symbol, was placed over their hands.

In one voice, they spoke. "Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde."

…

I slumped forward, blinking as the Force released me from my trance. My hands reached the ground, stopping me from headbutting the floor. "Whoa," I muttered as I looked down at the tiles, my eyes shifting to my vambraces. I blinked in shock as I realised that I'd been in meditation for nearly sixteen hours.

The Force… had given me visions, though not in the same way as I'd experienced before. No, these were more like snippets. Of possible futures? I shook my head to get my thoughts straight.

They had to be possible futures as they couldn't all be the same future. Yes, I'd been in every vision, the green eyes and black lightsaber seemed to confirm that, but there'd been enough variance that the odds of even most of them coming true in the same timestream was… unlikely.

While it was possible I would fight Plagueis, Yoda, and Sidious in that order, or that I might well end up fighting all of them in another order, the idea that I'd have to wasn't comforting. I still felt I was a long way from being able to hold my own against someone on Master Ti's level, never mind a Dark Lord or Jedi High Council member. It had felt for over a year now that there was some sort of block on my abilities, at least when it came to using a lightsaber. While I had a few ideas as to why this was, I hadn't yet managed to push beyond it.

Another thing that stood out in the duels was that, while I'd used lightning against all three, and had clearly been wearing beskar armour in all of the instances, my eyes had been resoundingly red when fighting Yoda. Meaning I'd been drawing liberally on the Dark Side, at least in that moment, if not as a matter of course. I didn't deny I would probably have to do that against any of them, but I wondered what could possibly make me so willingly call the Dark Side forth to take on the ancient Jedi Master.

The defeat against Windu was one I didn't understand. Not because I didn't feel Windu could beat me, but for how much it reminded me of Darth Revan's fall against Bastila. Was the Force warning me that I risked heading down the same path he had, that I'd attempt to save the Republic by conquering it?

The clearest vision, which might well mean it was the most likely to occur – though that might just be me misconstruing things – was that of me leading an army. One comprised heavily of Mandalorians and a few other Force users. When added to the vision with Windu, it further suggested my path could potentially be similar to Revan's.

I shook my head, pushing thoughts of what my future alone might be and turned them to those that showed my glimpses of what I might have. Of seeing my wife, or lover, give birth to a child. To my daughter. That brought a smile to my face. I hadn't given any true thought to having children, though if I survived the wars to come, it was likely I'd have some. But feelings, experiencing the moment my daughter was born, and then giving her away in marriage. I'd be holding onto those visions for some time to come. Though any being who showed interest in my future daughter, whenever I might have a child, well, they'd better be ready to prove themselves a million times over before I let them marry her.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. The Force was granting me possible indications of what the future might hold. I hadn't expected that to be the case yesterday, but since I still had around eight hours to go, I wanted to see what else, if anything, the Force might offer up.

Now, I wouldn't place faith in them coming true, but having hints of what might be would, I felt, be useful. I may see something, like the birth of my daughter, that I would be willing to work for. Or in the case of the vision involving Windu and me dying aboard a ship as a battle raged around us, to avoid.

However, the one thing I wouldn't do was expect any of them to come true without me doing anything. As Master Yoda often said: Always in motion, the future is.

… …

… …

I walked into the hall, a single shaft of light illuminating the centre and the tiled symbol of the Jedi Order. Once I reached the light, I knelt and then the lights extinguished. I placed my blade in front of me, resting at the point where the wings bent inward toward the stretched northern tip of the star I was kneeling on, yet I knew I wasn't alone. I could sense movement around me through the Force, and a moment later, a circle of lightsabers ignited with me at the centre.

The blades elevated until they illuminated the faces of those surrounding me. Directly in front, I saw Master Windu, his dark skin bathed in the purple of his blade. To his left, were the diminutive forms of Master Yoda and Yaddle. To his right were Dooku and Fay with Fay's face lit by the green light of a lightsaber, one I suspected was borrowed.

"Cameron Shan," Windu's voice echoed around the chamber stopping me from seeing the other Council members that encircled me. "We are all Jedi. Through us, the Force speaks. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real." As he spoke, Dooku walked slowly, solemnly toward me. "Today, by the right of the High Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee, Knight of the Republic."

As Windu finished, Dooku's blade flicked out. I felt the heat from it as it raced by my ear. Yet, what touched my shoulder wasn't the burning pain of the energy weapon, but something else. The object slid down my chest and into my hands, letting me see it was my Padawan braid.

Windu lifted one hand from his lightsaber, extending it solemnly toward me, as my lightsaber floated up, lifted by the Force. "Take up your lightsaber, Cameron Shan, Jedi Knight. And may the Force be with you."

Barely able to keep a smile from my face, I reached out with my free hand and gripped the hilt. Dooku stepped back and I ignited my lightsaber, letting the familiar, faint roar of the krayt dragon pearl echo around the silent chamber. The dark core of the blade drew in the faint light in the room even as my face was bathed in the cool, white light of the edge. I stood and lifted my lightsaber to the same position that the others held theirs, Dooku having stepped back to reform the circle of Masters around me.

I could feel the faint sense of pride and joy coming from my Masters, though there was no hint of that upon Dooku's face as it was as stoic as ever. Fay wore a gentle smile, one mirrored by Yaddle and Yoda while Windu's expression was closer to Dooku's. A second later, the circle of lightsabers around me was extinguished, with my blade quickly also depowered. Before the darkness could linger, we were covered in strong, white light.

I looked around and saw the other Masters in the circle all seemed happy about my knighting. Even detractors such as Saesse Tiin and Even Piell seemed pleased about my new rank. Yet for the faint sensations of relief and acceptance I felt from the Council, my focus, my senses, were on my Masters as they stepped toward me.

"Masters," I said solemnly, lowering my head to Fay and Dooku.

Fay's smile grew and Dooku scoffed gently. "We are no longer your Masters, Cameron. There is little need for such deference," Fay commented as she extended her hand.

"So long as I draw breath, you shall remain my Masters, Master," I countered. Fay's smile grew wider upon hearing that even as Dooku stepped forward and rested his hand on my shoulder.

"Cameron, while this is a joyful day for you, it is also one for us. Before your arrival in the Temple, I had considered myself finished with teaching Padawans after what happened with Komari Vosa. Master Fay has gone longer than I've been alive without training Padawans." Fay nodded at that, not remotely bothered by any comment on her age. "Yet, despite our beliefs that our time teaching had ended, the Force had other plans. Just as you were drawn to the Temple by eddies of the Force working across time and space, so too were we drawn back here, sensing a shift within the Force that called out to us. While you have many years left before whatever path the Force has laid out for you is completed, it has been my pleasure to serve as your Master on this journey."

"I hope this isn't where our paths fully diverge, Masters. While I'm overjoyed to be knighted, I know that for all I've learnt, far more remains to be discovered."

That made Dooku smile and earned a nod from Fay. "Yes, the trials of a Jedi, of any with a strong connection to the Force, never truly end. Even decades later, I see now the Force still has a role for me to serve. As it has for Master Fay. Even after learning more about the Force and the galaxy than either of us may ever know, there is still much she has yet to learn. All Jedi experience new moments that reveal the wonders of the Force even after decades or centuries of life."

"All that has changed is that now, the Council sees what we've known for several years. That you are ready to learn without supervision," Fay added as her hand came forward and touched my chest. "While we will forever remain with you, the path you must now walk is one laid out for you. It will continue to intersect with our paths, of that I have little doubt, but the path is yours alone to walk." Behind her, I saw that the Council members, and others including Master Ti and Astaal Vilbum, Caretaker of the Council of First Knowledge, who were standing in for the missing High Council members, had started to move away. "Today is the moment your journey as a Jedi, as a servant of the Force, truly begins."

I smiled widely and nodded at her words. While I had reservations about the Jedi Order and the direction I knew it was heading, for today, I wanted to simply enjoy the moment of proving that I could become a Jedi Knight.

As I turned and started walking quietly with Fay and Dooku toward the exit from the hall, I saw a blinking blue notice. That, I knew, was for the quest Knight before Queen, as I'd beaten Padmé to the relevant ranks. Padmé was still serving as the elected Princess of Theed, though I knew it wouldn't be long until she was made Queen.

She'd turned thirteen not long after I'd turned sixteen, which was why I'd sent her the lightfoil before heading to Zygerria. While Ars Veruna was still king of Naboo, and the next expected election wasn't for another three years, Padmé would be queen by this time next year. I didn't know how or why Veruna would step down, or call an early election, but I knew he would lose. I hadn't done anything, at least as far as I knew, to alter Padmé's career arc and from what I'd heard on the Holonet, she was leading protests against Veruna and the Trade Federation.

Doing some quick mental maths, I would now be at about 10,000XP, far short of the 36,000XP needed to reach level 30 and the next update to the Interface. Level 30 was going to be important. Not just because I'd get a new Player Power Point, but because it would bring into effect the last update to the Interface. Or it would so long as I hadn't been lied to back when the Interface had last updated.

A gentle hand on my back from Fay, as we reached the door, drew me from my thoughts about the near future. As we exited the Hall of Knighthood, I smiled, planning to, for today at least, live in the moment and enjoy the fact I was a Jedi Knight at sixteen!

… …

… …

"Stop that!" I snapped out with a sigh as Sia-Lan bowed after I'd finished speaking. This was the umpteenth time that she'd done that today, the day after my knighting, as I'd spent time with her and our friends. As normal, we were sparring, but because I was a Knight, we could use a private sparring room, allowing us some privacy from the other members of the Order.

Of course, ever since my knighting, Sia-Lan, Darihd, and others had enjoyed teasing me by bowing after each pointer or piece of advice I offered. At first, it'd been amusing, but now, a day later, it was rapidly going from tiresome to downright irritating. Which was probably why Sia-Lan was one of the few still doing it.

Of course, my admonishing Sia-Lan was exactly what she wanted. "Yes, Master. Sorry, Master," She replied, punctuating each use of the word 'Master' with another bow. Though even without the extra bows, her tone made it clear she was far from sorry.

Her behaviour drew laughter from those in the room with us which only grew louder as I sighed loudly and ran a hand down my face. As my fingers lowered enough to see her again, she smirked and turned to walk away. My eyes drifted low, and an idea came to me.

My other hand twisted and my lightsaber flicked out. As it contacted her, she jumped, spun, and grabbed her arse. "H-hey!" She whined out, her eyes wide.

"What? You were misbehaving, and as your current Master," I emphasised the word as I twirled around my lightsaber – glad I'd not turned it off after our latest sparring match and that it was at a lower-power setting for training. "It's my duty to discipline you whenever I feel it's warranted," I smirked as I flicked the blade toward her, making her scurry back to avoid it clipping her chest.

"B-But..." She stammered as I waggled my eyebrows. Her cheeks darkened as her eyes scanned the room, looking for help from our friends. Sadly for her, most were laughing at how I'd turned the tables on her. "I…" Sia-Lan spun there, realising she'd lost, which gave me another sight of her arse as she scampered away. While her chest was the more impressive view, I did enjoy watching her leave almost as much as I liked seeing her approach.

Before she'd reached a bench with some other girls or could give them a piece of her mind for their lack of support, I heard a lightsaber ignite. I turned and saw, as I'd expected, Serra had stood and was moving toward the sparring circle. While things between us hadn't moved on much, she had confessed that she was oddly fine with me having fucked Bo. Plus, from what I'd sensed from her – and discovered from Observe – she was curious to hear about what we'd done and was interested in doing the same. Though she hadn't yet made an outward move to confirm that.

"Eager to lose again?" I asked as I turned to face her, twirling my lightsaber as I moved. "Or perhaps you enjoy looking up at me?" I added with a smirk. That made her cheeks redden and her eyes darted to Sia-Lan as our friend sat, twitches of jealousy easy to read on Serra's face.

"No," she stated as her focus returned to me as her grip tightened on her lightsaber. "This time I plan to win… Master." I slid into an opening stance, trying to not let my thoughts linger on how when she'd said Master, there'd been a spike in her excitement and desire. While it was a small thing, it helped settle my resolve.

If she hadn't made it clear she wanted something from me within a week, I was going to force the issue. Yes, Bo had suggested letting Serra make the first move, but I frankly wondered if Serra ever would. Yes, I was a Knight now, but this had been lingering between us for far too long. It needed to be brought into the open and dealt with, one way or the other – and I knew which way I wanted it to go – so it didn't cause us issues going forward.

My biggest issue was finding a way to get her alone, and by that, I meant away from the Temple, for long enough that things could be discussed. While Fay and Dooku had been generally fine with me leaving the Temple unaccompanied at times, or making it seem I was free to go where I wished, most Jedi weren't so trusting of their Padawans. No, calling it trust was wrong. They were concerned that a Padawan who'd grown up in the Temple their entire life wouldn't know how to handle Coruscant. After seeing how fucked things were below the shiny surface – and even on the surface – I could understand the reluctance of other Jedi. Still, that posed a problem as it was difficult to do anything in the Temple.

Now, to be fair, the Jedi were, if not relaxed, then generally understanding of Jedi having short, physical relationships; which is how they regarded what I had with Bo. They weren't exactly wrong about that, even if there'd been moments where I'd considered leaving the Order to keep what I had with Bo going. Still, when something happened between me and Serra, it would be clear to all that it was more than just a physical relationship. And that was where the Order would have a problem.

Thus, I needed a way to get her out of the Temple without us getting into trouble. I had a few ideas on that, but as Serra stepped closer, and ignited her second blade, I pushed them aside. While I knew I'd win the spar, Serra would push herself to the limit to score any points she could.

Hoping to put her off slightly, I let my eyes wander over her frame, which was no longer half-hidden by her robes. While I sensed hints of delight and desire from her, there was no outward reaction to my gaze. Well, unless you considered the azure blade thrusting toward me.

… …

… …

"I admit that, when you mentioned seeing the Holocron Vault, I had momentarily forgotten about this particular holocron," Dooku commented as I set a familiar Force storage device down on the table in front of us. "That said, I can understand why this one would be the first you wished to view."

I looked at Dooku and smirked. "Yeah, I have unfinished business with this one," I commented which drew a smile from Fay. The pair stood just behind me in the private room just off the Holocron Vault where Knights and Masters could view a holocron. The room allowed a Jedi to view almost any holocron – there was a restricted wing that only High Council members or certain other Masters could enter – in privacy. Well, from all but the High Archivist or members of the High Council.

Still, this was as secure a place as there was to view a holocron. The only downside was that I couldn't use it to acquire certain holocrons by placing them into my Inventory. I'd been recorded removing this holocron, so until I found a way to hack the security system, any idea of borrowing a few was off the table. Plus, I doubted Dooku, who I felt would support such a plan if I reasoned it logically, would need time to examine my plan and spot the flaws in it.

I raised my hand over the holocron, closed my eyes and reached out with the Force. The holocron shone brightly within the Force and carried a semi-familiar presence within. I pushed forward gently, using the Force to activate the device, and then, when I felt it react to my touch, I pulled back my hand and opened my eyes.

The holocron glowed as it drew on the Force to power itself and I watched as the gatekeeper of this particular holocron, Satele Shan, appeared.

"Greetings, fellow Jedi. May I ask your name?" the gatekeeper asked.

"Cameron Shan."

As when I'd last spoken with this gatekeeper, she frowned. "And who was your mother?"

"Jedi Knight Ressa Shan."

Satele's head tilted to the left. "And what is your rank?"

I couldn't help but grin as I replied. "Jedi Knight." Up until now, everything she'd said was the same as the first time I'd been brought before this holocron. Back then, she'd said that my being a Padawan was insufficient for whatever was held on the holocron that no one seemed to know about.

The image flickered and I felt the Force subtly shift within the holocron. "Rank sufficient. Access granted to level one secured files." I felt my Masters take a step forward, as curious as I was about what the holocron was about to reveal. Though I did wonder how many ranks of secured files the device held.

For about half a second the holocron went still as the gatekeeper image vanished. When it returned, the image of Satele appeared older, and less rigid. "Greetings Knight Shan. I am Satele Shan. Once upon a time, I was Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. I am also, from what glimpses the Force has granted me of your path, someone born long after you, yet from a time long before you currently inhabit." Satele shook her head and chuckled. "Even now, having spent years considering what I've seen, I struggle to fully understand what has happened. However, that is an effective way to describe how the Force behaves."

I couldn't help but smirk at that description as the Force truly was beyond understanding for if not all, then almost all beings in the galaxy.

"However, while the peculiarities of the visions granted to me continue to confound me even in my later years, what does not is that somehow, someway, the Sith survived until your time. I cannot say if the Sith you face now are descended from those I dealt with during my life, or if they are a new element that discovered older teachings and restored the Sith, nor can I offer any direct help. Anything I might leave for you in a specific location would struggle to survive the ravages of time. However, what I can provide is this."

Satele's image vanished, replaced by a map of the galaxy. As I watched, the map rapidly zoomed in, pushing past various worlds, from Ossus, through Mandalore, Onderron, and even Coruscant until all that remained was the Deep Core. Several systems blinked, drawing attention to them, though the only one I recognized was the Empress Teta system, as that was where Serra's family came from.

"During my time, a world of great significance to the Jedi, one central to our very foundation, was rediscovered deep in the Deep Core." At this, a point, as close to the actual core as one could get without likely being inside the radius of whatever existed there, started blinking. "While this map, and the detailed hyperspace routes, are no doubt invalid due to both stellar drift, and the shifting gravitational eddies of the Deep Core, this was the location of Tython as last plotted before I placed this holocron in the Temple Vault."

Even as she finished speaking, I spun to look slack-jawed at my Masters. "How?"

Tython was the homeworld of the Jedi, and their precursor, the Je'daii dating back to before the founding of the Republic. Back when the Rakatan Empire was the dominant galactic power. From what I'd read about the planet, it had been lost several times over the last twenty thousand years due to the shifting gravitational forces in the Deep Core, with the last known visit there during the New Sith Wars, over a thousand years ago.

"I…" Fay paused, her shock at what Satele had just revealed apparent on her face. "Satele Shan was one of several to rediscover Tython over the millennia. It was even said that, after she stepped down as Grandmaster, she retired and died of old age upon the planet's surface."

"Records from before the New Sith Wars are incomplete," Dooku said, taking over from Fay and doing a much better job of masking his shock, though I could still see the small signs that he was caught flat-footed by Satele's revelation. "This map, while as she says, is inaccurate now, is far more complete than any remaining ones in the Temple. Or at least any that I have discovered." He stepped forward, gently scratching his chin. "These stars," he pointed at some of the blinking points around Tython, "if we plotted their current positions, and thus determined interstellar drift, we would have a rough map for reaching Tython."

"Yes, it would be possible," Fay added, a fire coming to her eyes. "By using short hyperspace jumps in a suitable starship, and letting the Force guide you, I believe we could rediscover the planet."

"Wouldn't that take forever?"

Fay chuckled. "Perhaps not that long, but several years I suspect. Even with the Force to guide someone, hyperspace in the Deep Core is incredibly unstable. Often, routes from one star to another require replotting on a monthly, if not weekly, basis." Fay held out her hand, and I felt the Force react before the holocron turned off. "This knowledge… I suggest we limit it to ourselves and only discuss it in the most secure of locations, such as the Raven. With the rising threat of the Sith, a threat few dare acknowledge is possible, never mind believe is close if we could rediscover Tython… We may have a refuge for the Order if the darkness grows too strong."

I looked at the holocron, finding it hard to argue with Fay's words. Tython was, bar having to rediscover it, an almost perfect refuge from the plans of Sidious. While I had faith I could stop him, and prevent the rise of the Empire, having a backup plan; one that would protect the history of the Jedi – though without their narrow-minded dogma if possible – would be invaluable.

While I doubted that I'd have the time to do this, from the look on Fay's face, I suspected she felt drawn to the mission. I wouldn't stop her from trying, though a part of me was worried that if she did this, then I might never see her again. The idea of losing her, of never seeing her again and not knowing what her fate was…

I shook my head once, clearing that worry.

It wasn't set that she'd attempted this, not now at least. If she did, then I planned to spend time with her before she did, so that if the worst should happen, I'd have more memories to hold onto.

After all, I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal.

… …

… …
5 years after starting this story, and 8 years in-story, Cam is now a Jedi Knight. I never expected the story to take this long to reach this point - never mind reach the prequels) but it has. It's been a great journey, yet even now, Cam is only just exiting the beginnings of his adventures in this galaxy.

Also, "Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde" translates as "We are one when together, we are one when parted, we will share all, we will raise warriors".
...
As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own.
And now Royal Road, though I'm working on posting a few chapters per day and it hasn't yet caught up with posting here.
You can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse

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

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Jun 16, 2023

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

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

Current Date: <1 year until the Invasion of Naboo

A Deceived Accomplice
... ...

"This ship is amazing!"

Serra's exultant cry reverberated through the cockpit as Raven, our ship, manoeuvred deftly between two colossal cargo haulers amidst the celestial tapestry of Coruscant's upper atmosphere. The ethereal grace with which we glided through that narrow aperture would have put the most accomplished dancer to shame, and the sight of it caused my smile to blossom.

With a surge of power, we broke free from the planet's gravitational embrace, our engines ablaze with fervour as I urged Raven to test her limits, unencumbered by the restraints that often tethered her. Ahead, a convoy of hulking bulk freighters loomed large, forming a procession that descended toward the distant planet's surface.

It was difficult to ascertain who derived greater pleasure from this exhilarating flight, for both Serra and Raven seemed to emanate a palpable aura of elation and delight, their spirits mingling like celestial bodies in perfect alignment. The zenith of their jubilation arrived when Raven soared through the tempestuous wake of one freighter, nimbly avoiding the fiery plumes of fuel expelled by its multitude of engines. Then we audaciously skimmed the very hull of the succeeding vessel, drawing close enough that I couldn't help but chuckle at the profound astonishment etched upon the visage of the Rodian pilot we left in our wake.

"Woo-hoo!"

Serra's scream shattered the tranquil aura of a Jedi, ripping through the fabric of restraint as we emerged from the shielded line of gargantuan bulk freighters. Before us loomed a formidable Golan defence platform, a sentinel encircling and safeguarding the very heart of the Republic. A lone light on my console flickered insistently, a signal from Coruscanti Orbital Control attempting to make contact. Undoubtedly, they sought to admonish me for my reckless piloting. Though Raven was registered as a Jedi starship, I was flying with reckless abandon, entrusting my vessel and the Force to guide my hand. The temptation to yield to the intoxicating rush was fierce, rendering it arduous to relinquish control. The sheer ecstasy derived from this reckless endeavour coursed through my veins, the synesthetic fusion of Raven's sensory input traversing her hull, merging with the cognitive faculties housed within her computerised cerebral cortex, and ultimately providing me with ephemeral glimpses of her perceptual landscape.

As we sailed past the nearest Golan platform, traversing the ethereal emptiness of space enveloping Coruscant, I relinquished a modicum of pressure on the throttles. Raven, though loudly voicing her objection, reluctantly obeyed, conforming to my will. Gradually, I steered our trajectory away from the well-trodden flight paths typically traversed by those embarking upon the capital world. The unyielding light on my console persisted, incessantly demanding my attention, until at last I terminated the transmission. A hint of potential reprimand awaited me within the confines of the Jedi Temple, a prospect that failed to faze me. Raven yearned to soar unhindered, to relinquish the constraints imposed by conventional wisdom, and in the presence of Serra, I nurtured the flickering hope that she, too, might succumb to the allure of unbound passion.

I turned to Serra, letting Raven fly herself, and couldn't help but drink in how she looked. Her face was flushed, having sensed Raven's enjoyment and mixed it with her own as we flew upward. I could almost hear her heart beating rapidly in her chest, and her visage, illuminated by an incandescent smile, outshone even the radiant glory of Coruscant Prime, that celestial jewel, presiding over the expansive system.

Serra had been in the Raven before, taking several flights in and out of Coruscant's atmosphere with our friends. However, this was the first time she'd come alone with me – if you ignored Fenrir who was lazing away in a small cargo room that I'd converted into his den and HK who was currently powered down in my quarters – and when she'd learnt that I'd felt her shock, hope, and desire spike. Now, those feelings were slowly coming back as her excitement about our rush into orbit calmed.

"Findin' some enjoyment, are ya?" I drawled, my grin stretching wide as I took in the sight of her, captivated and brimming with awe, fresh off our harrowing flight.

Her face was flushed with excitement as she turned to face me, no doubt enjoying how happy Raven was to be racing through space. "Yes!" She blinked, her blush intensified, and she glanced away for a moment. "I… I mean yes. Thanks for letting me experience this."

"Good to hear." I laughed at her reaction even as I leaned toward her, though not close enough that I'd be entering her personal space. "So, now that we're in space, far from the Temple and anyone else, what do you want to do?"

Her eyes widened as she realised where we were, and she looked out the viewport, taking in the sight of the constant flow of traffic to and from the capital of the Republic. "I… I don't know." She gently bit her bottom lip as she looked back at me. "What do you want to do?"

I smirked, letting my eyes wander downward for a moment. "I figured we could… talk," the smirk turned into a smile at her reaction. I suspected she thought I was going to say something else, and while that idea held appeal, I felt we needed to clear the air a little first. "Unless there's something else you would rather do?"

I knew I shouldn't be teasing her like this, but she looked downright edible when she was flustered. "Well, um…" She looked away, unwilling to meet my gaze. "What about Bo?"

"Oh?" I leaned back, wanting to see where she went with this, though Bo was one of the things I knew would be brought up while we were up here. At least she was facing it before we did anything else.

"I mean," she bit her lip again, unintentionally playing into the air of innocence she was giving off. "I know you and Bo…"

"Karked?" I posited, memories of the countless encounters with Bo flooding my thoughts. Though the yearning for the fiery-haired warrior tugged at my senses, I firmly cast it aside. This day, my fervour and longing were solely directed toward the raven-maned beauty before me.

Serra's nod came slowly, her eyes widened to an extent that likened her to a startled deer ensnared within the predatory gaze of a kath hound, bewildered and unsure of its next move. "Y-yes. That. How... how much?… what did you do?"

I leaned back fully into my chair and chuckled. Once more images of Bo, and the various stages of undress and positions I'd had her in, rushed through my mind. Tapping my chin, I looked upward. "A lot." While I could've gone into detail, I felt that might embarrass or scare Serra too much, or perhaps make her feel what she was competing with was too much and snuff out the flames in her before I'd had the chance to unleash them. "Though I can think of a few things we'd have liked your help for." Serra's face turned redder than a Sith lightsaber at my implication, which only made my smile grow further.

I knew I was pushing her limits, but thanks to the Force and Observe, I knew she wasn't upset that I'd fucked Bo, just that she'd not been first. And that Serra wondered what Bo was like out of her armour. That little insight had fuelled several enjoyable dreams since I'd learnt it, and if I could wrangle it, I'd make sure those dreams one day became reality. "Any reason you're asking about this now?" I didn't need the Force or Observe to know the answer, as it'd been my idea for us to come up here, but I was curious how bold she'd be in her answer.

"I…" She looked out the viewport once again, and if not for the fact the fear I sensed from her was being drowned out by lust and confusion, I'd have worried I'd pushed too far. "Why her?" She asked after turning back to face me.

"We travelled together for years. Fought side by side against pirates, slavers, and planetary invaders. Haran, she was the one who helped me cope with Master Fay's near-death and pushed to rescue me from the Bando Gora." Serra opened her mouth, but I cut off as I continued. "Yes, I know that if you could've, you would've helped with that as well." She nodded and smiled, pleased that I understood she'd not forgotten about me during my ordeal. "Still, Bo was the one with me in those… darker moments. Adding that to the fact she's an incredibly attractive woman, and it's not a surprise our bond grew so deep."

I waited quietly, letting her take the time to process my response. The time stretched out and a shadow passed over us as a bulk freighter flew close enough to momentarily block out the light for the local star.

"Do you... not love her?" Her gaze locked with mine, radiating the same courage I had witnessed when she decided to train on Mandalore by my side. And when she embarked on a verd'goten, her determination shone through.

"I'm uncertain. Bo is like a ticking grenade, ready to explode. Don't get me wrong, I genuinely like her, but when it comes to love... I'm not sure." I shook my head as I finished. While there was the spark between us that could, with time, possibly develop into love, I knew enough to know that it wasn't there yet. Though even if it didn't develop, I doubted Bo would reject another chance to fuck like deranged rabbits.

"W-what about me?" Her voice was low, barely carrying over the faint sounds that echoed around the cockpit. Her gaze was low, finding and locking on a spot on the floor.

I leaned forward and then reached out for her. As my hand cupped her chin and lifted her head so I could look her in the eyes, I smiled warmly. "Serra, you are my first, and best friend," I said slowly, making sure she held my gaze as I spoke. "I like you and that will never change." She smiled at my words, and nibbled her lip once more, though there was less indecision in the action this time.

"D-do you love me?"

I let go of her chin and leaned back enough that I was no longer inside her personal space. "I don't know." Her smile slipped slightly. "I mean, I certainly like you, and definitely enjoy seeing the changes you've gone through over the years." My eyes wandered lower, taking in her form that even under Jedi robes was clear to see. "But love... Well, I believe love requires both time and dedication to truly develop."

"Ok."

I waited for her to add something, and when she didn't speak up, I did. "Does it bother you that I've slept with Bo?" I already knew the answer, but I wanted to see how honest she would be about this.

"No… Yes… I don't know. I'm not sure," she replied with a heavy sigh and a shake of her head. "On one hand, I comprehend why you're drawn to her. She possesses qualities of strength, fearlessness, and beauty that I lack, or I lacked."

I let out a scoff, interrupting her self-pity. "Serra, although you're not Bo, you possess equal measures of courage, strength, and beauty, albeit in your own unique manner." Her cheeks resumed their vibrant hue, reminding me of a raging inferno. "When I initially arrived at the Temple, feeling everyone's apprehension and fear, you approached me and engaged in conversation."

"That was a dare though."

"Aye, but you still did it," I countered quickly. "Bar whatever rumours were running around the Temple; you knew nothing about me. Yet, even only knowing that I might be related to Darth kriffing Revan," that made her smile, "you came and spoke with me. Haran, more than anyone else in the Order, you made, and make, me feel welcome and safe inside the Temple." Once again, her cheeks darkened. "When I revealed my intention to journey to Mandalore for training, you not only chose to accompany me but also became the first Jedi in centuries to undertake a verd'goten." My gaze shifted to her feet. Though the boots no longer matched the ones Duke Adonai had bestowed upon her years ago, the armoured sections remained, carefully transferred to new boots as she grew. The distinct beskar markings were easily discernible to a trained eye. "And while the girl I once knew may not have been described as beautiful, the young woman standing before me now is quite excep--" My words were abruptly silenced as Serra closed the distance between us and tenderly pressed her lips against mine.

Startled by her reaction, my eyes blinked in surprise, but I quickly regained my composure. With a gentle grasp, my hands encircled her waist, drawing her closer to me until she settled on my lap. My hands then diverged; one tenderly reached for her hair while the other ventured lower. Pushing against my chest, her hands tugged at my robes, and as our tongues intertwined, a soft moan escaped her lips.

Although my desire urged me to continue, to explore the unknown path ahead, I needed certainty. Reluctantly, I pulled away, her lips reluctantly following, and her eyes fluttered open. Confusion clouded her gaze as she focused on me.

"I want to be certain," I spoke slowly, my hands still unmoving from their positions. "Is this truly what you desire?"

"Yes," she replied breathlessly, her eyes jumping between my eyes and my lips. "I want you. Force, I've wanted you for years. I need what you had with Bo, and more." She leaned forward, her lips desperate to find mine, but I stopped her by bringing the hand in her hair around and placing a finger on her lips.

"What about the Code?"

Truthfully, I didn't give two fucks about what it felt regarding relationships. Oh, I understood – or felt I did – why the Order was concerned about strong emotions like love and lust causing a Force user problems but denying them from ourselves cut us off from being truly alive. No, what I needed here and now was to hear Serra's opinion on us and the Code. She might not be as blind about the dogma of the Order as many, but she'd been raised as a Jedi for as long as she could remember.

However, her giggling and laughing in my face wasn't the reaction I'd expected. "You?!" She asked once her laughter had died down slightly. "You're asking me about the Code?!" She shook her head, unintentionally smacking me in the shoulder with her Padawan braid, and if I'd not been holding her on my lap, I suspected she'd have fallen over.

"Cam, I know you're a Jedi, but let's be honest, you're not one to adhere strictly to the Code," she said, smirking as she placed a finger on my lips to silence any protests. "You taught me the older version of the code, the simpler and cleaner one that I still follow. It's no surprise, considering your lineage as a Shan. And let's not forget, your great-grandfather's redemption from the Dark Side involved something the Order has frowned upon for ages!" She burst into laughter again, though thankfully it was shorter this time. I hoped it would divert her attention from the unintended reaction her touch on my leg was causing.

"You follow your own path, just like your family always has. And honestly, I admire that. I agree with it," she said, glancing out of the viewport, presumably referring to Coruscant. "The galaxy is in disarray, and it all started here. The Order... we can't fix it, not within the confines of the Code or the oath we've taken to the Republic." Her finger jabbed my chest, emphasising her point. "But you, you'll try to make things right. I can sense it in my heart and through the Force. And I..." She snorted, then composed herself. "I want to be by your side, walking that path. Even if it means leaving the Order, abandoning the only home I've ever known... I'll do it. For you."

I blinked as I stared into her eyes. As the Force swirled around us, I saw no deception, only conviction. "I don't want you, us, to leave the Order," I replied slowly. Though I knew there was a good chance that would happen. To prepare for what was to come, I'd likely have to do things the Order and the Republic would never accept. "I don't want you to throw away everything you have here."

She flicked me on my forehead. "Weren't you listening?" Her hair flew around as she shook her head again. "Let me make it clear. For you, I'd leave. I-I'd follow you to the darkest parts of the galaxy because I trust you. Because I know that my path is at your side. Unless you don't want me?" The certainty and conviction in her tone vanished with her question.

I leaned forward as the Force felt as if it was tightening around us, drawing us closer. "I want you," I answered in a voice barely above a whisper.

The Force reacted to my words, sparking in a way I'd never felt before even as Serra's face was brightened by a smile that could light the darkest pits of Korriban. "Good." Her lips sought mine out and I eagerly accepted them. I closed my eyes, savouring the taste of her kiss even as her hands slid into my hair, tugging gently on my locks. I slid both my arms under hers, locking them around her back and holding her close: unwilling to let her go.

After what felt like seconds that stretched across time and space, she pulled back. Her face was red, her lips puffy and her eyes flickering as if her mind was struggling to work. "Oh Force," she mumbled as a million-credit smile erupted on her face. "I'll have to thank her."

I leaned forward as I chuckled and nibbled her ear. "She taught me more than how to kiss," I whispered, enjoying the way she shivered as my breath brushed her face. "Want me to show you?"

"Yes."

No single word had ever reached me that carried as much desire and longing.

I stood slowly, letting her wrap her legs around my waist even as her lips nuzzled into my neck. Once standing I moved slowly, carrying her, as she seemed to shiver in anticipation, toward the door. While I'm sure she wanted to take things further immediately, I wasn't going to make her first time take place in the cockpit of Raven.

That, if she was still able to walk after I'd had my way with her, could come later.

… …

… …

I eased back on the power, watching as the stars returned to normal and Raven brought us back to real space. The sensation of transitioning to and from hyperspace as felt through my bond with Raven would never grow old. My mind couldn't understand most of what she felt, but what I could comprehend was incredible. I likened it to what water must feel like when it reaches the end of a rushing river and flows out into the sea.

"While I am grateful for the transport, there is no need for you to accompany me all the way to this system," I smirked at Dooku's words even as I plotted the sub-light course for Mtael's Gift. No matter how much I hated the name, it had stuck and I'd realised that not calling it that was a disservice to the Lokella. To them, the actions Dooku and I had taken those many years ago had changed the fates of thousands of beings, and naming the station after the title they'd bestowed upon me was a mark of respect. Plus, the fact it was a former Pius Dea ship and was now used by a mainly non-Human group of freed slaves as a base to live and strike out against slavers always amused me.

"I'm aware of that Master, but as much as I detest the names given to the station and system, this is one of the few places where I feel comfortable and able to truly relax." I glanced over at him even as the sensors showed the approach of a massive – at least for this system – vessel. "That said, I have no interest in interacting with Vosa. While I feel I could survive such a meeting without running her through, I'd rather not risk it."

Dooku's lips twitched, which was often as close as he came to a smile, yet before he could reply, the communication console beeped. I opened the channel and looked at the display showing the bridge of the approaching ship.

"Unknown vessel, this is the…" The figure speaking stopped and leaned forward. He then inhaled sharply as a smile crept over his face. "Mtael, we are honoured that you have returned." Around the ship's commander members of the crew stole glances at the display; no doubt surprised and shocked to see me.

I returned the Togrutan commander's smile. "Captain Ranze, it's been some time but I see you've moved up in the world." At one time Ranze Faar had been captain of the Freerunner until Baalta had taken command and made it the flagship of the Lokella's small fleet. The ship he was on now, according to Raven's sensors, was a Dreadnought-class heavy cruiser. Measuring over six-hundred metres long and armed with upwards of two dozen weapon emplacements, the ship was, in current military terms, a powerful warship. The only issue was the crew requirement, which from my research was highly variable. While I knew the Lokella were growing, I had to believe this ship was a newer variant as it was unlikely that they could afford to place the twelve thousand crew on board some of the earliest models of the ship required.

"Indeed, I have Mtael. The Liberator, while a recent addition to our forces, was generously given by an unexpected benefactor." Ranze's amused and prideful tone had me suspecting the ship was a recent capture from one – clearly unworthy – slaver. While the dreadnought had several flaws, beginning with the crew requirements, it was one heavily armed vessel, putting everything else I knew the Lokella had – at least from when I'd last visited – to shame. Any Hutt or slaver looking to strike back against the Lokella was going to need serious firepower to take out the Liberator; to say nothing of whatever other ships the Lokella had acquired over the last few years.

"I'm glad to see the Lokella are growing stronger," a beep from one set of sensors, along with hints of concern from Raven caught my attention. "Though perhaps you might convince your interceptors to break before they get closer. I'd hate to embarrass them when my new ship leaves them eating my exhaust." While the four fighters inbound were fast, I knew Raven could outrace them and felt her wanting the chance to prove me right.

Ranze blinked. "Ah, right." He looked offscreen and nodded and a second later Raven tracked the four fighters banking away. "We weren't told you'd be returning, nor to expect you in an unknown vessel."

"I only decided to come when I learnt Master Dooku wished to return. As for my ship… let's just say the last few years have been interesting."

Ranze chuckled. "I look forward to hearing about your adventures, however, that will have to wait until our patrol is over." He glanced offscreen again. "I've contacted the Council to notify them of your arrival, and I'll have your vessel…"

"The Jade Raven," I offered.

"… the Jade Raven added to our list of cleared visitors." Ranze stood and moved closer to the screen. "It is good to see you once again, Mtael, and I'm sure many will share that sentiment. Liberator out."

The channel cut as the fighters angled again, this time swooping around us. After confirming the flight path provided by the Liberator, I angled Raven toward the station. The fighters fell in alongside, providing us with an escort that I'd rather have not gotten, but accepted the Lokella Council would insist I receive.

As we slid past the larger cruiser, I whistled as Raven's sensors fed me more information on the Liberator's armament. "Seems the Lokella have been doing well for themselves," I muttered as we passed by the large ship's engines and nearly three dozen other vessels came into view along with Mtael's Gift. Most of the ships appeared to be ones I already knew – at least based on their models and configuration – but a dozen freighters that were gathered near the station bore markings of various smaller trading companies and mining guilds. Two of those ships stood out as they dwarfed the others, reading as about three hundred metres each. Nearby several smaller ships floated and I wondered if they were escorts for the freighters and if so, what the Lokella were exporting or importing. I hoped they weren't selling too much of the phrik from the planet below, but if they were, then so be it. It was their choice after all.

"Indeed. I recognize the sigils on the largest freighters. Possibly they are the same vessels that came around before to purchase ore. With the discovery of other useful metals and ores in the asteroids in the system, the Lokella haven't had to rely on the sale of phrik and further donations from your funds, to secure their location." I was glad to hear Dooku say that, as revealing too much phrik too quickly to the larger galaxy might draw the attention of certain organisations that I'd prefer never learnt of the Lokella. The Trade Federation for example. "The settlement on the planet below has also grown substantially over the last few years. The last time I spoke with their Council, I was informed it held somewhere north of twenty-five thousand freed slaves and those seeking a new life free of Hutt control." My head snapped around at that. It was clear the Lokella had grown, but I hadn't realised they'd grown large enough to have a planetary population equivalent to a small city. "And unless something has happened in my time away, somewhere between a third and half their fleet isn't currently present. I would speculate they are engaged in another operation to free more slaves."

"Damn," I muttered as I returned my attention to the listing of the various ships Raven was detecting. I quickly noted that the Corellian Gunships weren't present, along with the Freerunner. That added proof to Dooku's words and made it clear there was much I had to catch up upon once we'd docked and gotten through the greetings.

Honestly, I was impressed they'd grown so rapidly, and seemingly avoided retaliatory strikes from beings like Decca the Hutt. That giant slug, along with his mother Gardulla and the other Hutts, knew about the Lokella but hadn't moved against them. Or at least not to a degree that it seemed to have weakened the Lokella. As I guided Raven toward a dock on the station – one that hadn't been usable the last time I'd been here – I wondered how much longer that would remain the case.

If the Hutts wanted this station and colony gone, they had the resources to make it happen. It just had to be financially worth the effort. Which with the current defences, seemed to not be the case. I offered a silent prayer to the Force that remained the case for a long time to come.

… …

… …

I waited at the top of the ramp leading down from Raven, having sensed a group of several hundred were gathered in the bay, including one very excitable and in the future, powerful young boy. While I was looking forward to dealing with Anakin, the less I had to deal with the Lokella's reverence toward me the better. I mean, I understood why it existed, but I wished they'd not make each visit an event.

"They simply wish to show their gratitude for what you did in helping establish this colony," Dooku offered from my side, clearly picking up on my slight apprehension. "No matter how large the group grows, or how many years pass, to them, our actions in their initial liberation, and early financial support matter greatly to them."

I sighed and shook my head. "I know Master, I'd simply prefer to avoid the pomp and circumstance that my arrival always seems to bring out."

Dooku might not have smiled, but I could sense his amusement. "Sadly, with your actions, and the stories that have no doubt grown even further regarding them, I doubt it will be something you'll be able to avoid. And certainly not with a group who consider you their founder and saviour."

"Aye, I guess you're right," I turned and looked at him, a smirk coming to my face, "Phillip."

Dooku tensed for a moment, which was what I'd been hoping for. After I'd been knighted, and after some gentle prodding from Qui-Gon, Dooku had revealed his given name to me. It wasn't hard to tell Dooku disliked it greatly, not least whenever – like this moment – where his nose wrinkled at hearing it, and I could understand why. While on Earth, it carried a slight noble quality to it, in this galaxy it sounded… common, wrong. This might be why the only times I used it was when I wanted an easy way to snipe back at him. I knew it would cost me the next time we sparred, but at least now I had some way to strike back at my former Master.

Fenrir stepped up beside me, rubbing his shoulder against my upper arm. I could sense some excitement from him, which I suspected came from him sensing Anakin outside. The pair had bonded easily enough when I'd last passed through the system. "Remember, these people are friends. Play nice," I said to the large but still growing tuk'ata.

While I doubted he'd do anything to cause problems, nor did I expect Simvyl to have any issues with the Lokella, I still wanted the warning in place. Since our last visit, Fenrir had grown far larger and had tasted blood. The size would, I hoped, make those gathered reluctant to be overly vocal in their delight at seeing me, while Fenrir's taste for blood meant there was a risk, however small, that someone who approached him in the wrong way would regret it for the rest of their lives. Which, if Fenrir decided they were a threat or a useful toy, would be no more than a minute after their mistake.

Fenrir snorted, almost as if he was offended that I had to tell him to play nice. I knew he wouldn't attack the first person he saw, though if there was a Trandoshan among the group, I might not mind if he did. I knew it was wrong, but ever since my verd'goten, my distaste for the species had only grown stronger with age.

I glanced behind me to see Simvyl smirking, his teeth exposed, as he watched the interaction between me and Fenrir. While I didn't know how long we'd be here, I hoped he'd find a way to pass the time, and maybe even make a few friends among the Lokella.

Turning back, I moved down the ramp, Dooku and Fenrir at my sides, and as we stepped into the bay, almost to a being, applause broke out. I looked at the gathered crowd and forced a smile onto my face even as four figures – all of whom I knew – moved toward us.

"Mtael," Maan Lonwin began as he bowed deeply. The action was copied by two of those with him, though the third only gave me a nod, which I was fine with. "We are honoured you have returned to us. It has been some time since your last visit and," he paused as his eyes darted over Fenrir, "I, uh, see you and your companion have grown in your time away."

I stepped forward and gripped Maan's forearm. "Aye, while my growth is less obvious than Fenrir's," said beast snorted and when I looked at him, he'd lifted his head high, proud of the changes he'd gone through, "we've both changed over the last year and a bit." I shifted my stance. "This is Antarian Ranger Simvyl, and of course, you are well acquainted with Master Dooku."

Maan chuckled as we broke our grip. "Yes," he began as he looked at Dooku. "You'll be pleased to hear your… charge has remained on her island. While she appears to have become less agitated at the isolation, our transports have continued to follow your instructions regarding bringing her supplies."

Dooku tilted his head in thanks. "I will return to Komari soon. For at least the next few days, I will remain onboard with my former Padawan. Provided, of course, that is acceptable to you and the Council?"

"It is, it is." Maan's smile froze, and he blinked. "Ah, forgive me. Mtael, I'm sure you remember Tweq Ruhn and Osrep Becos?" I smiled and grasped arms with the Rodian and Twi'lek in turn. "And this is the newest member of our Council…"

"Validus," I finished for Maan as I faced the former Human gladiator of the Hutt fighting pits. "I see you've moved up in the world," I commented as we grasped arms, his grip carrying more strength than the others combined, "though I fail to see your more… outspoken companion."

Validus laughed. "Ferox, along with others, is leading a raiding party several sectors away. We learnt of a new shipment of slaves bound for Hutt space and hope to intercept them while they are still technically within Republic space." I nodded in understanding as we broke the grasp. "If all goes well, they should return within a week, and like myself, I suspect he will want a rematch." His eyes shifted to Fenrir. "Perhaps even, if you'll allow it, with your beast. I am impressed by his growth, and by the wound on his back, and over your eye, it's clear you've both fought battles in your time away."

"Aye, we've seen our share of scrapes, and provided it's clear any duel against Fenrir wouldn't use bladed objects, I suspect I'll allow it," I smirked as Validus' gaze returned to me. "Though I should warn you, he's still got a fair bit of growth to go. He's still a pup after all."

"A pup?" He repeated, his eyes wide.

I laughed as I replied. "Aye. I found him a few years ago but tuk'ata grow quickly. At full height, he'll be taller than any of us, though maybe not the Wookies if they're still members of the Lokella."

Validus nodded. "They're still here, though they're off with Ferox. Still, I look forward to hearing tales of Fenrir's battle prowess, and one day I hope, seeing them with my own eyes."

"I believe that unless the recording was deleted, Miss Kryze's vid of your fight on Zonama Sekot should still be in the Raven's computer banks," Dooku offered. I turned to glare at him and saw the faint hint of a smirk. I grunted in annoyance as I realised this was his way of getting back at me for using his name just before we'd emerged. Or at least part of his revenge. Still, a recording would save me from detailing most of my battles against the Vong, though I suspected the story of the honour duel would be one Validus and others – Anakin being one – would enjoy hearing over and over.

"If it exists, then I know my warriors would enjoy viewing it. As would I." While Validus was enthusiastic about this, the other members of the Council, at least those present, didn't appear to be. "Many have joined our ranks since you were last here, and while they've heard stories of the great Mtael," I had the urge to punch the smile off his face as he used my title, "many haven't seen you in action. A recording they could view would no doubt lower the number who wish to test themselves against the founder of the Lokella."

"Yeah, I'd rather not have to face a dozen challenges a day while here. I've got better things to do than beat people down," I snarked back. Validus laughed, either because he agreed with me, or found the idea of me fighting so much everyday amusing.

"While many here might doubt you, neither I, Master Fay nor the High Council do," Dooku offered, hints of pride radiating from him. "If any here feel they are worthy of challenging a Jedi Knight in combat, I see no reason you should prevent their re-education."

"Cam!" The screech of my name prevented me from responding to Dooku's comment or dealing with the looks the Lokella Council gave me as they realised I was now a Knight. I turned at the familiar voice and saw a small boy with a mop of sandy brown hair racing toward us. Behind him, Shmi chased after her son, though she failed to catch him in time, nor did Fenrir's growl of hello slow Anakin before he'd latched himself onto my legs.

I patted his head as Shmi came closer. "I see you've still to learn what patience is," I commented as he gripped my waist tightly. The Lokella Council all smiled at Anakin's behaviour, which meant they were used to his behaviour and fine with it.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" He asked as he looked up.

"Well…"

"Whoa!" Anakin cut my reply off as he noticed Fenrir, as the large tuk'ata pushed his snout against Anakin's arm. "Kriff, you're big."

"Anakin!" The boy shivered against me, which made me laugh as his mother reached us. "Where did you learn such language?"

"Miss Skywalker," I cut in, saving Anakin from answering the question. "I hope you and Anakin have been doing well?"

Shmi's gaze softened as she turned to me as I felt Anakin let go of me. "I believe I was clear that you and Master Dooku were free to call me Shmi. While I'd prefer Anakin wasn't always exploring the station with the other kids, it's a good place to live. We can't ever thank you enough for freeing and bringing us here."

"What happened to Fenrir?" I looked down at Anakin to see his hands moving over Fenrir's back.

"We got trapped during an invasion of a remote planet last year. Fenrir was forced to fight there, and while he was wounded, those he fought came off much worse." Fenrir threw his head up and shook it, proud of himself. Validus smirked at the behaviour while the other Council members and Shmi had mixtures of shock and concern on their faces.

"Can you tel… Whoa! What's that?" Anakin shifted mid-sentence as he thrust an arm past me. I turned to see where he was pointing.

"Well, unless you mean Simvyl, who's a he, not an it, I assume you mean my new ship." Simvyl shook his head at my comment, though the curl of his lips made clear he was enjoying seeing my interaction with Anakin. "Her name's the Jade Raven. The Ne'tra Sartr was lost in the invasion, but Raven's something else. Faster, slicker and, if you reach out with the Force, you'll get a hint of just how different she is."

I watched as Anakin closed his eyes and felt the wave of raw power roll off him as he clumsily did as I'd suggested. "Wha… It's alive?!" He blurted out as he opened his eyes.

"She. Raven is a she," I corrected even as my smile grew. "But yes, in some ways, she is alive. She's a semi-organic vessel created from a world strong in the Living Force." I shifted my gaze to his mother. "Provided your mother allows it, I'm more than happy to take you out for a flight with her. Though not today," I added quickly as he took a step toward Raven.

"But…"

"Anakin."

"Yes, mum."

I laughed at the interaction, as did others – though not Dooku, who remained as apparently stoic as always to those who didn't know him – and clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Now, how about you and your friends, wherever they are, give me, Fenrir and Simvyl a tour of the station. I'd love to see the changes that have taken place." I glanced at Validus as I finished, making it clear I would also want a rundown of the military status of the Lokella.

He nodded in understanding as Anakin grabbed my hand. As he pulled me away from the group, Fenrir and Simvyl close behind, I looked forward to what he showed me. Apart from getting more time to bond with him, I'd get to see how the Lokella had grown over the last couple of years. Though it was clear that they were rapidly reaching a point where donations from my credit pile would no longer be needed to keep them afloat. If they'd not already passed that point.

With my account standing at more than nine-hundred million credits and with the first Knights of the Old Republic novel due to be published at the end of the year, I was reaching a point where I'd be able to start considering investing in useful companies. I had some in mind for that, but that could wait. For now, I had a station to reacquaint myself with and a Chosen One to grow closer to.

… …

… …

I slid back, avoiding the tip of Dooku's lightsaber as it thrust toward me. As I moved, I used my off-hand and sent a blast of Force energy at the ground near his feet. Dooku sensed it coming and was already disengaging before the dirt was tossed up by the blast. I used the dust to move back further, and as it settled, I saw he'd done the same, generating distance between us.

I growled in annoyance even as I slid into the stance I was trying to use. To overcome Makashi's flaws, I now used Ataru footwork, and even the odd leap if it worked, when I duelled. However, everything still felt robotic, and structured, which might be why I kept losing to Dooku.

After each spar, he'd all but snarled – for him – at me at my failure to overcome whatever it was that was holding me back. I knew he was right, I knew what I had to do, yet I couldn't seem to discover why my form was, to use his words, technically proficient but lacking in grace. I was reasonably sure it was something to do with how the Interface interacted with the Force, almost as if it was blocking a true connection with the energy field that bound almost all life in the galaxy, yet I could neither prove that nor discover a workaround. Or, if the issue was mental, see the step I had to take to overcome this limitation.

While against lower-skilled opponents, it wasn't an issue, against every Jedi Master it made it nigh on impossible for me to score a hit, never mind win a spar. Yes, Dooku was far beyond even highly skilled Jedi Masters, but that didn't change the fact he was – just as he'd done over the last five days – toying with me as we sparred. Nor did it ease the growing concern that this issue would rear its ugly head when I faced Darth Maul.

Dooku rushed forward, stopping me from once more delving into my failings, and I moved to meet him, the dust around us slowly falling to the ground. His blade slid for my gut. My wrist twisted, moving my blade to deflect his. He rolled his wrist, trying to rotate his weapon over my arm, but I'd expected that and was able to flick my arm enough to bounce the attack away.

At the same time, I saw the fingers on his free hand move and then felt something grip my leg. Before he could fully grasp it with the Force, I pulled the leg back and slid my free arm behind my back. As I brought it around, the tip of my now ignited shoto clipped the ground, making the weapon hiss and the ground melt and then, as the blade carried on, lifted superheated dirt toward my former Master. I knew this was never going to work, not least as I'd just done the same thing a moment earlier, but as I felt the grip on my leg vanish, I knew it'd served its purpose.

While it had freed me before Dooku could toss me across the ground, drawing my shoto and using it as I had, had forced me off-balance. Dooku took advantage of this as his lightsaber raced toward me, seeking the gap my body's position generated between my lightsabers.

While I might have been able to block the thrust with my main blade, I knew he'd have simply rolled with that and clipped my leg, ending this duel. Not wanting that to happen, I reached into my bag of tricks and, just as the tip reached my robes, used Phase.

Feeling the blade pass through me was, as always, an odd sensation that I never particularly enjoyed. However, it had at least delayed my defeat. Though now I was left with his lightsaber seemingly embedded in my chest. His brow rose at the situation and felt his irritation through the Force. Yet for all that, he had to know he had me trapped. So long as his lightsaber remained within me while I was phased, he had victory in his grasp. Thankfully, while I lacked something to give me a fair crack at beating him with a lightsaber, I had other Force-related tricks I could use to, at the very least, delay the inevitable.

I started running, enjoying the look of shock that flashed over Dooku's features as I rushed through his body. I knew he'd turned and was in pursuit, which is why I pushed myself as fast as I could, the Force accelerating me to speeds most beings would struggle to track. Dooku, however, wasn't a normal being.

Still, I'd planned for this, and after only a few seconds, I stopped, pivoted, and brought my blades around. As I came back into phase, Dooku was forced to slow instantly. While his blade was in a general defensive position, since he'd been moving rapidly, the form wasn't its usual perfect self. My main blade thrust forward, pushing against his and guiding it away as my shoto then came into play.

However, just before the tip of my secondary blade reached him, I felt the Force shift. Before I could react, I was sent hurtling back, lifted up, and then crashing into the ground by a point-blank blast of the Force from Dooku.

I bounced over the ground, my shoto being driven from my hand when my wrist slammed into a rock, only regaining some control once I dug my main blade into the ground and used it to counter my momentum. I barely had time to get my bearings before the blue tip of Dooku's blade emerged from the dust cloud my journey had caused.

With no chance to get my lightsaber free from the ground in time to block, I depowered it and reached further into my back of tricks. The air around me shifted to sliver as I used Teleport to gain some distance from him. When my vision returned, I was standing about ten metres from Raven, who marked the centre of the one-kilometre-squared area we were using for today's spars.

Sensing Dooku closing, the Force swirling around him, I turned to face him. My lightsaber came up, tapping away his attack, then when he countered, doing so once more. He shifted around me, trying to come at me from the side, but I leant into Makashi and made sure he remained directly in front of me. As his attacks continued to come, and I deflected, blocked, or avoided them, I already knew I'd lost. My only hope now would be a mistake from Dooku that granted an opening, but after training with him for so long – and having spent time sparring with someone prone to using misdirection and deception in their style in Shaak Ti – I knew that even if I saw an opening, I'd not take it.

Dooku stopped trying to sidestep me and instead turned the spar into a purely linear event. It took nearly a dozen probing attacks before I was forced to shift back, but I knew that more would come. That was proven true when I had no choice but to take a second step only five attacks later.

I grunted in annoyance at how clear my defeat was, yet as much as I wanted to draw on that rage, to use it to power my actions, I knew that wouldn't work. I'd done that several days ago, and apart from the lecture Dooku had given about allowing myself to become unbalanced from drawing on my emotions, it had only hastened my defeat.

Once more, I reached into my bag of tricks and with my free hand, tried to manipulate the very ground we fought on. It was hard to do, as I had to keep almost all my attention on Dooku, something proved when his blade came close enough to my arm that I felt the heat burn away some of the hairs there, but after some effort, I felt the Force and the ground respond to me.

A gentle tremor caused us both to stop and take a few steps to restore our balance. With that time, I flicked up my free hand, summoning flames that rushed toward Dooku. He batted them aside with a simple use of the Force, but as the flames cleared to let him see me, lightning raced from my fingers. It was only Electrokinesis, but the unexpected assault forced him to bring his lightsaber up to defend himself and take a step back.

I kept the power flowing, knowing that if I slacked off, he'd slide past the attack and have me on the defensive instantly. As his blade caught the blue ripples of energy that surged from my fingers, I stepped close, my lightsaber poised to strike out, to score my first-ever hit against him. Yet just as I felt close enough to strike, just as I saw my chance, Dooku moved.

His blade flicked forward, sending the energy swirling around it back at me. I was forced to end the stream of power, lest I get burnt by it, and in that second, I felt his blade clip my shoulder.

"I believe that is the spar."

I grunted as he spoke and powered down his lightsaber. I'd been close, so close, to scoring a strike by pulling on my full arsenal. Yet in the decisive moment, he'd turned the tables and beaten me. Again. "Kriff," I spat out as I powered down my blade. "I thought I had you there."

"For a moment you may have. However, you delayed too long in seeking victory, which granted me time to not only adapt to your attack but counter it." He moved closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You are far more comfortable using the Force offensively, and in unexpected ways than most Jedi – even some Masters – however your blade work is, as you're well aware, your greatest flaw. I won't go into detail, again, regarding this apparent block you have, but until you are able to overcome it, I fear you will not reach your full potential."

"I know, I know," I muttered. Even if I was glad he wasn't giving me one of his far more common harsh critiques, the gentler approach he was taking now somehow felt worse. As if he realised his usual methods weren't working and felt a softer, kinder approach would somehow make a difference. Almost as if he felt sorry for me.

"Do not be discouraged, Cameron. You are, without a doubt, the most technically sound Jedi I have seen in decades, if not ever. Indeed, if they felt you would accept, I suspect the Council would assign you permanently to work with Initiates and Padawans as you have the ability to help others improve that few possess." I snorted at that, knowing it was as much down to the Interface as to how well I taught as to anything natural. "However, this continual inability to find fluidity in your actions, to let the Force guide your blade and work with you fully, holds you back from achieving the mastery that I know you are capable of. Once you discover and overcome it, I have little doubt you will become a duellist able to rival myself, Master Yoda, and Master Windu, if not surpass us all."

There was a faint trace of pride mixed with hope in his words, but I didn't latch onto that. No, once more, my thoughts returned to my inability to truly embrace the Force and my lightsaber style as I fought. I kicked the ground, letting some of the building anger out before I let go of the rest. Here and now, there was little I could seemingly do about this.

Oh, I'd keep meditating on the matter, keep training myself in the six forms I knew – even though I was Knighted, I'd not approached Battlemaster Drallig about learning Juyo as I didn't want to concern the Council – and hope the issue would resolve itself. Before I'd left the Temple, I sparred with other Knights and a handful of Masters so much that Serra and others had joked that I enjoyed pain. While I was slowly getting better and could sense hints of what my style would be whenever I overcame the block on me, I was still losing to others of my rank or higher. Well, at least to some.

I had defeated a small number of Knights, but like me, they were recently elevated to the rank. While that gave me some XP from the Training Superiority: Mark 2 quest, it was starting to grate at how far it felt I still had to go. The XP from the updated quest was lower, at least for defeating Padawans and Knights, which made sense, yet I was more focused on trying to overcome this seemingly mental block.

Now, if it was a factor of the Interface, then all I could do was hope that reaching level 30, and the second and last system update would fix the issue. If not, I'd be permanently hamstrung by this, which would require me to adapt my fighting methods.

The big issue was that, unless something major happened, I wouldn't be hitting level 30 until after Naboo, and my likely face-off with Maul. Yes, he'd lost to Obi-Wan, but everything about that screamed him simply becoming overconfident and toying with the Padawan instead of killing him off when he had the chance. A mistake he didn't make with Qui-Gon, and, with Sidious having an idea of my skills, not a mistake I expected him to make with me wherever our paths crossed. Haran, I'd sparred with Qui-Gon several times and even when I'd drawn the fight out, taking advantage of him tiring as it progressed, I'd still failed to score a strike against him.

"Still, before you cross this barrier, I feel it would do you, and the boy some good if you instructed him in some elementary velocities. I have shown him some, but I lack the… patience to handle one so young and rumbustious."

I chuckled at the image of Dooku trying to get Anakin to remain still and failing miserably. "Yes, Anakin isn't the calmest of children." I looked at my former Master. "Still, I'm not sure if I should begin his training."

"You feel you shouldn't become his Master?"

I sighed and looked upward, in the general direction of Mtael's Gift and Anakin. "I'm not sure. I know I share a bond with him, but I fear that if I can't break this block I have, then I'd hinder his growth more than help."

"It's good you understand your limitations, Cameron, and that you are concerned if you're ready for the responsibility of training a Padawan. However, it has been clear to me and Master Fay for many years that the Force drew you to the boy. While I would be honoured to take another Padawan with potential like yours, I know that isn't what the Force wants. Nor the boy." I wondered how Anakin would turn out with Dooku as a Master. While I had little doubt Anakin would be an even deadlier combatant under Dooku's tutelage, I had doubts the pair would be able to work together. Their personalities were simply far too different. "I have – as time with Komari allows – watched and instructed him. Beyond being incredibly gifted with the Force, he has an ability, no doubt enhanced by his connection to the Force, to understand and improve technology that is almost unmatched. If he commits, I believe he may one day surpass Master Tiin as the greatest pilot in the Order. My only concern, which I share about you, is his desire to do what is right, regardless of what the Order and Code would permit, may lead him to make the wrong choice for the right reasons."

"But… what if I ruin him? What if I'm not able to teach him what he needs and he either doesn't reach his potential and resents me for it or dies before his time? What if, because of my limitations, I fail to prepare him for what is to come and whatever role the Force has in line for him?"

I'd had these concerns for a while, which was why I limited the time I spent around Anakin, though this was the first time I'd voiced them to anyone. If I'd mentioned it to Fay, she'd have told me to have faith in the Force and its path for us. While that might work for her, I was less… trusting of the Force's plans and goals. Since she'd stayed at the Temple, to spend time with Satele's holocron and to research her mission to rediscover Tython, I'd not brought it up with her. While I hoped I'd get to see her again before she left, I knew in my heart I'd see her again even if I didn't.

Dooku was silent for a while as if ordering his thoughts. "Every Master has these concerns. I had them when I first met you. At that point, I felt my time training Padawans had passed. Yet the Force guided me to you, as it did Master Fay. I admit I was reluctant to train you. I felt my time within the Order was drawing to a close; that I needed to walk a different path. Yet the Force had guided me to you, and I placed trust in that, a decision that I am grateful for."

"As am I, Master," I lowered my head.

One of those rare smiles came to his face. "While we both know the path ahead of you is long and dangerous, I know your path is an important one. You are someone who, unlike many, understands that doing what is needed sometimes isn't what others consider legal." He paused and looked upward. "There are times when I wonder how your mother would view the man you've become. How proud she would be to see the potential you have to be one of the greatest Force users the galaxy has ever seen. While a Jedi should be mindful of pride and other emotions as they can lead to mistakes being made, and dark paths being walked, I am proud of the man you have become. As I am with all my Padawans. While I dislike the concept, I know that my time in the galaxy is slowly fading, though it won't for many years yet. I am grateful to know that my legacy, my teachings, will live on in you and those like Qui-Gon Jinn as you make your marks on the course of the galaxy."

I blinked, finding my eyes oddly blurry. "I… Thank you, Master." I bowed deeply. "I hope I can live up to the high standards and faith you have in me."

Dooku chuckled, which was a sound I knew I'd never grow to expect. "You already have, as you will continue to do." He turned there and moved away from me and Raven. "Now, let us try again. Perhaps, with your mind on other matters, the path you must take will become clearer. Or at least the possibility of one might appear."

I shook my head. While I doubted things would clear up today, or soon, I wouldn't turn down another spar. Yes, I didn't expect to win, but every spar taught me something new, something to learn and improve from.

The familiar soft howl of my lightsaber brought me a sense of calm, and as I slipped into an opening stance, I readied myself for Dooku's fresh onslaught.

… …

… …

"Jade Raven, this is Coruscanti Orbital Control. Your arrival is expected, and a flight path cleared. Transmitting data now."

I looked at the data as it appeared on a screen, then frowned. The route, while generally what I'd expected, didn't take me to the Temple, but instead to the Senate building. "Control, can you confirm this path? I was recalled by the Jedi Council."

It'd been about two months since my knighting, and after spending most of that time with the Lokella, Anakin, and Dooku – when he'd not been busy with Vosa –, I'd received a summons to return from Master Gallia. She'd not mentioned why I was being recalled, but I assumed it was for a mission. Since there was only about a month and a half until the end of the year, I was concerned they'd give me a mission that would take significant time and cause me issues with what was due to happen next year.

With Anakin and his mother off Tatooine, if Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were still given the mission to Naboo, then they'd possibly be stranded there. At least until Maul turned up and likely killed them and then took Padmé back to Naboo and forced her to sign Viceroy Gunray's settlement.

When I'd first gotten the summons, I had also wondered if they wished to speak with me about Serra and our developing relationship. Apart from that first afternoon aboard Raven, we'd only managed to get time away from the Temple one more time before I'd left with Dooku. Now, with time to think about it as I travelled to the Republic capital, I realised that concern was unwarranted. Even if they did learn anything about us, and I'd not sensed any worry from Serra during my time away, we were already clear that, if the worst did happen, we'd leave the Order together.

Now, I didn't want that to happen, at least not for a while, but if it did, then so be it. Still, I'd hoped to at least see and spar with her, and my friends again, when at the Temple. That now appeared to be off the table.

"Path is confirmed, Jade Raven. The orders came directly from the Chancellor's office."

That made my frown deepen. I'd had no interaction with Valorum, save for when he'd met me as an aide of the former Chancellor, Kalpana. For him to summon me only worked if someone – and I had a fair idea of who – had brought my name up concerning a matter that I currently knew nothing about.

"Understood Control. Raven out." I closed the link as Raven slid into the planet's atmosphere after accepting the flight path into her systems.

As the hull warmed from the planet's stratosphere brushing against Raven's hull, I closed my eyes and reached out through the Force. [Serra, I've been called to the Senate. If I can, I'll try and swing by the Temple, but I suspect they've got something for me that will keep me away a little while longer.]

I kept the line open, waiting for her reply. As expected, she couldn't respond verbally – either because the distance was too great for her, or she wasn't able to focus on the link because of whatever she was currently doing – but I sensed her understanding and acceptance. There were also, at the very end, hints of hope and desire, making clear that she wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see her.

I smiled as I opened my eyes, casting my gaze toward the Temple as it came into sight far below. Unlike Bo, with whom every encounter started – and invariably ended – as a test of dominance, time with Serra was softer, gentler. I'd also confirmed that she had a slight submissive streak, at least when it came to me. I'd not pushed into that since what we had was still new and experimental, but I wondered how deep the streak went. And if it would extend to others, as I couldn't deny the thought of having both girls join me in bed had been a semi-regular thread in my dreams.

I turned my thoughts away from that idea, and instead, as the Senate building came into sight, toward one person I'd work my hardest to keep from this place. Anakin hadn't been happy that I had to leave the ShaDo system, but I'd left him with enough that he should be busy for at least a few months.

On Dooku's advice, I'd started training him in basic Shii-Cho velocities, letting him – after Shmi gave her reluctant blessing – use my shoto lightsaber on its lowest power setting. He'd picked them up rapidly, and I'd started walking him through using them in a spar. Shmi had watched almost all our sessions, which was understandable, but she never stopped him. While I doubted Anakin fully understood that becoming a Jedi would mean leaving her, Shmi did and seemed happy that he'd soon begin learning how to help others.

The only other person who'd watched any of those sessions had been Dooku. He'd spent most of his time with Vosa, which I understood even if I disliked, but he never spoke. Not unless it was to offer a critique of Anakin's stance or form. Oddly, Anakin didn't seem put off by Dooku's blunt manner and took every word to heart. My attention though was in those moments where a wisp of a smile crept onto my former master's face.

As for Vosa… I wasn't ready to face her. Not because I feared she'd defeat me again, but because – thanks to Eidetic Memory – how the memories of what I'd endured at her hands were always easily accessible. I felt I had a handle on those memories, but I wasn't willing to risk it by being near her and losing control, or letting Dooku see that I could, and had, drawn willingly upon the Dark Side. I knew Dooku was disappointed that I'd not chosen to meet Vosa, but I felt I wasn't ready, and he accepted that.

As Raven slid between two towers that reached high into the stratosphere, my mind was drawn to the sensations Raven was giving off. While she knew where we were, I sensed she'd prefer to be elsewhere. If I had to guess, that was because either the planet felt too sterile, too artificial for her liking, and when we'd last been here, I'd not taken her out as regularly as I had when we'd been near Gaia.

That was the name I'd chosen for the Lokella's planet. While I'd have preferred they'd have selected a name without me, the Council were insistent I chose. They'd been confused by my choice but had accepted it readily. To me, Gaia felt an appropriate name as in mythology, she'd been the mother planet that had given rise to life. A mother that had birthed and guided hope and life into a new place, which was the role that the planet, and the ShaDo system, served for the Lokella.

The Lokella themselves were even stronger than had been hinted at. Ferox had returned about two weeks after we'd arrived, bringing with him a small fleet composed of Corellian gunships and blockade runners, and his newest prize; two Gozanti-class cruisers. While neither was designed primarily for combat, since they were a CEC design, modifying them was relatively easy – something I'd helped push along by transferring another half million credits to the Lokella. That had required me to leave the system for a day with Validus to arrange the purchase of additional weapons for the ships, but I considered it was money well spent.

What helped with that was the fact the Lokella population had swelled with Ferox's raid. When I'd left, there were now around ten thousand souls aboard Mtael's Gift – with the majority being part of the anti-slavery operations – and another thirty thousand on Gaia below. Between the station and colony, and a few smaller mining operations throughout the system, the Lokella were able to support and grow themselves. I'd still check back in on them - even aside from the fact that Anakin was there - when I could, and gift them credits or supplies as needed. However, for the most part, they were now large enough to survive without help and strong enough to handle all but the most dedicated response from the Hutts or other slavers.

As Raven slowed while approaching the Senate building, I hoped that whatever it was Palpatine had wrangled me into wouldn't take too long. The starting line for canon events was fast approaching and I still had several things to do. Not least, going to Mandalore and getting the final checks made on my armour, and then getting used to fighting in it. Of course, it would also let me check in on Bo – hopefully without any awkward conversations with Duke Adonai about our relationship – and possibly even Naz.

A grin came to my face as Raven touched down on the platform set aside for her at the idea of fucking Pre Vizsla's daughter. However, seeing Palpatine standing nearby with his aides forced the smile and idea from my thoughts.

For now, I'd have to be on guard until I figured out just what the Sith Lord had planned.

… …

… …

I looked up from the table in front of me as the door to the suite opened. I watched as Kinman Doriana stepped into the suite. "Senator," he began with a bow, "the pilot wishes you to know that we've entered the landing pattern. He expects to be able to disembark within thirty minutes."

Palpatine, who is sitting across the table from me, examining the pieces in our game of holochess, turned and smiled. "Thank you, Kinman." He returned his gaze to the table and after tapping at his controls, one of his pieces moved and violently ripped my piece apart and took the space. "Your move."

I nodded as I looked at the board, taking the time to think things through. The game had similarities to chess from Earth, but not enough that what I'd known was much help beyond understanding the basics. Of course, the bigger issue was that I was sitting in a very luxurious suite aboard a transport bound for Eriadu – the same one I'd been in for the last four days – with Darth fucking Sidious.

After he'd greeted me on the Senate landing pad, he'd brought me to his office and explained the situation.

Apparently, while I'd been away there'd been an attack on Chancellor Valorum which had only been thwarted by the Jedi. This was, Palpatine explained, because of a trade summit taking place on Eriadu. One where the Chancellor was hoping to reach an agreement between the Trade Federation and the Republic regarding taxation of the Outer Rim.

Since Palpatine had also been targeted by a group of terrorists called the Nebula Front, Valorum had agreed the Senator needed extra protection. Of course, Palpatine had asked the Jedi to allow me to be that protection, which was why I was travelling with Palpatine to Eriadu for this summit. A summit that carried the threat of further attempts on the Chancellor by the Nebula Front.

As if being forced to spend days on-route and on-planet around Palpatine wasn't troublesome enough, Wilhuff Tarkin was the Lieutenant Governor of Eriadu while his uncle, Ramin Tarkin, was the sectorial senator. And then there was the fact that the Trade Federation, meaning Viceroy Gunray, was going to be present. When I'd had time to think things through, I'd become convinced that Palpatine was up to something with his involvement in this summit and that I'd been roped in as well. Whether that was because I had a role to play in whatever was going to happen, or because Palpatine felt this was a way to further ingratiate himself with me – or both – I couldn't say. Regardless, I'd been on edge ever since we'd left Coruscant, and things were only made trickier because Kinman Doriana and Sate Pestage were both coming along as well.

The only thing that I'd been able to have any influence over was our transportation. Palpatine had expressed an interest in us taking the Raven to Eriadu. I'd rejected that by saying the Council wanted to perform tests on her, which I'd agreed to whenever I returned to Coruscant. I'd also left Fenrir and Simvyl in the Temple, as while leaving an agitated tuk'ata around Jedi might be a dangerous idea, it was safer than having Fenrir anywhere near a Sith Lord.

The other thing I'd left behind had been Damask's gift.

I'd still not done much with the red-bladed katana he'd gifted me. Well, beyond using Observe on it. That had proved the blade was, as Damask had claimed, a Force-imbued blade weapon used before the invention of lightsabers by a member of the Legions of Lettow during the First Great Schism. Damask had claimed it had belonged to their leader, but Observe revealed it hadn't, instead belonging to a Tun Bohoi. From what I could gather in the Jedi Archives, Bohoi had been a general in the Legions. Since the Legions had been Dark Jedi who'd turned against the Order, I wondered if Damask was hinting at plans to turn me, or if he'd given it to me simply because he felt it might ingratiate himself to me. Regardless of his reasoning, the blade had stayed inside the case that Ce Serd had presented it in.

Publicly, Palpatine and Damask were known to be acquaintances, so I had to assume Sidious knew about the blade, but I wasn't willing to reveal it to him. Not when I had no clue as to Plagueis' motives for gifting it to me.

A gentle cough drew my mind back to the table and the game of holochess upon it.

"Cameron?"

"Sorry. Was just thinking." I looked at the board once more, planning out not just my move, but what I expected Palpatine to do next. I imputed my move, knowing it was a mistake. I was being too aggressive. However, that was something I'd done in every game I'd played since boarding this transport and allowing Palpatine to teach me the game. Just like in chess, there were tendencies a player displayed that also revealed much about them in real life. Thus, in every game I made mistakes. Early games had been all-out attacks, while the games since had taken longer, I always made sure that I eventually overcommitted an important piece, and then compounded the error by continuing to do so.

I hoped that Palpatine would believe this flaw in holochess carried over into my actions for real. There was some correlation, as I did prefer to rush in, but I didn't try to overcommit and understood that there were times when I needed to withdraw and regroup. By hiding those tendencies, and over-emphasising the flaws, Palpatine should, in theory, develop an inaccurate picture of how I operated.

"A bold move," he commented before quickly imputing his move. The piece I'd expected to move, did so, slaughtering the piece I'd just moved. "However, a rash one." The move left the piece that corresponded to my king – not that it was called that here – exposed.

"Yeah, I can see that now," I muttered with a frown, trying to appear annoyed at my apparent mistake. This game was over, as no matter what I did, I'd lose within five moves. However, I wanted to continue appearing rash, and my next move would end the game in another two moves for him.

"Senator," Palpatine turned before he could input his next move as Sate spoke. "We have an incoming transmission from the Governor's Palace."

"It seems we will have to continue this game at a later date," Palpatine said as he turned back to me. I nodded in acceptance; glad the game was over and turned off the system. I then watched as he moved to another section of the suite, where a large display lit up.

"Senator Palpatine," Wilhuff Tarkin began as soon as his image formed on the display, "on behalf of Governor Harro, I welcome you to Eriadu." I'd hoped to avoid Tarkin while here, but it seemed that I'd failed before even setting foot on the planet.

"Lieutenant Governor Tarkin, I hadn't expected to speak with you until after we'd landed," Palpatine replied, his back to me as he spoke with Tarkin. As with each time, he turned his back to me, the thought to strike out now, to take him out before he could rise to Chancellor flashed through my mind. I never acted on it though. Apart from the chances of me being able to take out a Sith Lord, even if I managed to get the jump on him, the fact was taking Sidious out now did nothing so long as Plagueis was still on the board. There was also the fact that, if by some miracle I did manage to kill Palpatine, or at least force him to reveal himself as a Sith, I'd spend the rest of my life on the run while all those I cared about would be hunted down and, at best, imprisoned for their association with me. "I do hope nothing is wrong."

"Quite the contrary. Security is tight, the conference location is secured and isolated, and the various delegates, of which you are the last to arrive, are protected by my forces." It almost sounded as if Tarkin was offended by the hint that something had gone wrong. "I simply wished to greet you before you landed as unfortunately, I have a scheduled meeting with the local security chiefs to finalise elements of the summit." He paused for a moment, his eyes drifting to me. "Has a new threat arisen that requires additional Jedi participation?"

Palpatine chuckled. "No, no. I simply felt safer travelling with a Jedi after the recent attempt on my life." He paused and extended one arm toward me. "I wonder if you remember Cameron Shan. He was recently knighted by the Jedi Council."

Tarkin's brow rose as his attention focused on me. "Forgive me for saying this, but I was unaware the Jedi promoted members at such an… early stage." I glared at Tarkin, though I held my tongue. The comment on my age was far too obvious to be anything but an attempt to draw a reaction from me.

"Cameron has more than earned that title, I assure you," Palpatine offered. "Beyond the actions that you learnt of when we all met, I have recently discovered that Cameron was instrumental in the dismantling of the Bando Gora crime syndicate. He also, on a minor world just beyond the Outer Rim, almost single-handedly repelled a planetary invasion and is the one responsible for the recent Zygerrian Agreement, which had King Scintel express his gratitude to the Senate and Jedi Order for dispatching Knight Shan to oversee the negotiations."

"Is that so?" Tarkin's gaze remained on me, though it was far more analytical now. He rubbed his chin. "Hmm, then it seems the Jedi have, for once, made the correct decision. My congratulations on your promotion, Knight Shan."

"Thank you Lieutenant Governor," I said calmly back, wondering if there was more to Palpatine's defence of me than trying to further pull me into his influence. "And the Council is known to be correct on occasion." That drew smiles from both men. "However, while you might be interested in hearing about my adventures unless I am relieved of my duty to protect the Senator, I doubt I will have time to mingle."

"As it should be," Tarkin replied with a nod. He turned back to Palpatine and as the two began discussing various issues with the summit, I let my mind wander. I could review everything they said later, though I doubted anything of importance to Sidious' plan would be revealed over an open channel.

That said, I did wonder if Eriadu was chosen because of the fact Tarkin was responsible for security. Or if it was a minor benefit to whatever scheme the Sith Lord had in motion. Regardless, it meant I had another figure to watch while here to see if I could determine what the plan was and if it was possible, how to stop it.

… …

… …

I entered the small room at the summit hall and moved over to the only familiar faces there. "Master Qui-Gon," I said once close enough while bowing. Next to him was Obi-Wan and since they were here, I had to assume they were to give me an update on the security situation. While I was here as a Jedi, I wasn't part of the main operation regarding the Chancellor, instead assigned purely as protection for Senator Palpatine.

I'd been looking for a way to slip away from the Senator when Kinman had approached me and mentioned Palpatine wanted an update on the security arrangements. I'd taken the opportunity to get away, though I worried that if Sidious wanted me gone then he was up to something. That fear had been put to bed instantly when Kinman had explained that Palpatine would be locked in talks with Chancellor Valorum, Governor Harro, and Lieutenant Governor Tarkin – along with others – for the next few hours to discuss plans for the summit tomorrow.

Qui-Gon looked at me and smiled. "Ah, Cameron, good. I wondered when you'd get here." He and Obi-Wan were looking at a hologram of the Eriadu senate hall, which apart from serving as the location for the summit, was modelled on the Galactic Senate on Coruscant.

"I'd have come sooner, but Senator Palpatine was quite insistent I remain by his side. If not for the fact he needs to speak with the Chancellor, I doubt I'd have been able to make it." That drew a chuckle from Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan greeted me with a smile, though he didn't seem happy about something, and I wondered if he might be upset that I'd been knighted before him.

"Yes, politicians can be quite needy when they feel threatened," Qui-Gon commented. "Or when they want something, which I have found is most of the time." I laughed at that as I came closer and examined the hologram. "As you've no doubt guessed, this is the Eriadu Senate building. While it is outwardly modelled on the Coruscant Senate building, its internal structure is quite different."

I nodded in agreement as I took in the display. Within seconds I'd seen a dozen flaws that, if a sniper could reach, would give them a clear line of sight on anyone in the building. Those flaws continued to appear the longer I looked at the hologram. "This is a nightmare," I muttered as I reached fifty points of concern within the main hall alone. "The gantries allow clear lines of sight for anyone inside, and these rooms," I pointed at a ring that hung high above the floor, "are almost as bad." The rooms were either marked for media to cover the daily goings on of the Eriadu senate, or for conferences and tours of the building. "Force, the tunnels under the main floor could be rigged with explosives that, while not likely to take down the building, would easily kill anyone above."

"I see Dooku's teachings about vigilance have stuck," Qui-Gon remarked with a wide smirk. "But yes, these issues have been marked. Beyond all being patrolled or locked during the summit, local security is limiting access to only certain individuals, and even then, only through select entrances. While the Chancellor is quite insistent that the public be allowed in to view proceedings, there are only a handful of locations they can gather at."

I snorted at the remark about security, remembering the half-dozen locations where I'd been stopped on my way here. Even though I carried a lightsaber, demonstrated usage of the Force, and was marked as a member of Senator Palpatine's delegation, I was still stopped at every location. "Aye. I'm surprised that none of the checkpoints tried a cavity search."

Both laughed at that image. "While I'll be passing along that comment to others, I can understand their reluctance. You do appear far younger than what most would expect of a Jedi Knight. Nor do you carry yourself with the patience of most of our Order."

I lowered my head, accepting the comment from Qui-Gon, and then looked at Obi-Wan. There hadn't been any reaction to Qui-Gon mentioning my rank, so I wondered what was concerning him. "Thank you, I guess," I replied to Qui-Gon, and then, after leaning in close, whispered, "Philip?"

Qui-Gon laughed again, which confused Obi-Wan as he'd not heard what I'd said. "I see you've learnt his deep dark secret?" I nodded, smiling at the idea that it was something Dooku hated people knowing. "However, as amusing as it would be to discuss our former master, you're here for another reason. How much do you know about the Nebula Front?"

I shrugged. "Only what Senator Palpatine prepared for me, and a brief overview I found on the Holonet." I had wanted to do a deep dive while we'd been on route, but Palpatine had made sure to engage me in conversation or distractions – such as the holochess – for almost all the time it took to get here.

Obi-Wan touched the controls for the display, and the image shifted to that of what, judging by the markings on his face, was a male Mirialan. "This is Arwen Cohl," Obi-Wan began, "a man with known connections to the Nebula Front. We believe that he, along with his accomplices," the display shifted again to show a female Human and Rodian, "has been hired to assassinate the Chancellor before or during the summit." None of the three looked happy in the images, though since those were likely taken for Republic Judicial Forces, that wasn't a surprise as no one ever looked good in mugshots.

Obi-Wan continued speaking, going into detail about his and Qui-Gon's interactions with the trio, their known associates, and more about the Nebula Front. I stayed quiet, listening to all of it. There was a chance this was a genuine threat toward Chancellor Valorum. Yet, as the briefing continued, the feeling I had that Palpatine was, at the very least, exploiting this situation to advance his goals grew stronger.

The challenge I had was to discover what that goal was. And, if possible, stop it from happening.

… …

… …

I stood silently, watching the various delegations, reporters and security personnel move around the building. Currently, I was standing about a metre behind Palpatine as he sat – with his aides between us – in a box set aside for various delegations, including that of the one from Naboo. The rest of the Naboo delegation had gathered around us, engaging in quiet chatter with each other and Palpatine. In other areas of this box and nearby boxes, other delegations were gathered, with most being from Outer Rim sectors, which made sense given the purpose of the summit.

Chancellor Valorum had called for this summit in response to the issues occurring in the Rim that gave rise to the Nebula Front, and other groups like it – including those that sparked the Stark Hyperspace War over a decade earlier. As such, he had two points of contention the summit was supposed to negotiate. The first was the removal of the Outer Rim as a giant Free Trade Zone, which was something the Trade Federation and others were vehemently opposed to. The second was brought forth by the Trade Federation directly, and that was a request to be allowed to further arm their trade vessels to protect themselves from groups like the Nebula Front.

With all that, it was clear this was the summit that gave rise to the Trade Federation's issues with the Republic, which in turn would lead to the blockade of Naboo. Palpatine was clearly expecting something to happen, centred around the Trade Federation, as even though it could appear he was simply observing them, I felt he was watching their delegation for more nefarious reasons.

Of course, the Trade Federation delegation was made up of their Directorate – seven members including Viceroy Gunray – and Senator Lott Dod. Since, as far as I knew, the other six members of the Directorate – four Humans, a Gann, and a Sullustan – weren't around during the invasion, nor in the Clone Wars, I suspected Sidious had them removed. Something that this summit might provide an opportunity to do so, which was why the fact that their guards consisted of thirteen B1 droids stuck out. While the droids weren't the most impressive things, they had seemed to work in groups of two, three, or four, hence why thirteen droids felt wrong. However, even when examining them with Force-boosted sight, I couldn't spot anything amiss with any of them, so perhaps I was simply seeing things that weren't there.

I shifted my head as the door to the box opened, and the exceptionally bulky frame of Senator Orn Free Taa of Ryloth – along with his aides and a trio of nubile Twi'lek females – stepped into the box. Since the Ryloth delegation was one of those that was sharing the box with the Naboo delegation, their being here was expected. Still, as the rest of the delegation moved to their seats, Taa approached Palpatine.

"An impressive showing," he began as he came close to Palpatine, seemingly catching the man off-guard. "Delegates from Sullust, Clak'dor, the Serex sector, Malastere, Falleen, Bothawui…" As he spoke he nodded his head at each and I followed the glances the Senators gave, taking in several alien races I'd not encountered before. "Why even some of the Hutt worlds are represented." At that, my head snapped toward the fat slugs.

I growled at seeing a pair of them taking up an entire box to themselves – if one ignored the two dozen attendants they had. For a moment, there was an urge to use the Force and arrange an accident for them, but as Palpatine turned, possibly to glance my way, I pushed the urge aside. Not only would Sidious likely sense my actions but there were Jedi throughout the building, including three members of the High Council.

Still, I used Observe to learn who the slugs were. The larger and older one was Oruba Gorensla, head of the Gorensla Kajidic and suspected member of the Hutt Ruling Council. The other was Zorba Desilijic Tiure, a member of Jabba's Kajidic. Neither name clicked with reports I'd read from the Lokella, though both were added to the list of Hutts on the off chance I ever was able to remove anyone of power from their organisation.

I moved forward, wanting to scan the rest of the hall, and as I reached the front of the box, I saw Saesse Tiin moving around in the basin below. That was where Valorum's podium would rise – mirroring how it worked in the Senate building on Coruscant even if the mechanics were different along with his aides. Adi Gallia was the only other Jedi I knew for certain was inside, but since she was assigned to the Chancellor, that made sense. The other Jedi, which included Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Ki-Adi Mundi and a rather strange short bird-like Jedi named Vergere, were outside. Most were helping to monitor the inflow of visitors, but some – including the ones I'd just thought of – were actively looking for potential threats to the Chancellor when he travelled to the building. While I knew Valorum should be Chancellor when Naboo was invaded, I worried that any attack here might succeed due to my pres…

"…King Veruna has abdicated the throne." Palpatine's words drew my attention back to the box. Veruna stepping down started the run that would see Padmé elected Queen. While there were about four months until she was fourteen – which was how old I knew her to be when Naboo was invaded – this was the starter's gun for canon events.

"I…" Taa seemed to pause as if caught off-guard by the comment. "I must confess, Senator, that I don't know whether to feel sorry or grateful for you. But where exactly does that leave you, in any case? Is there some danger of you being recalled?" I offered a silent prayer to the Force that would happen, even if I knew it never would.

"That remains to be seen," Palpatine responded. "Naboo will have an acting regent until the elections are held."

"Who is in the running to replace Veruna?" I already knew who should win the election. While it might be unethical to place a wager on Padmé, I doubted things had changed enough that she wouldn't enter and win, which meant, if the odds were decent, it'd offer an easy way to make some credits. Yes, I had a very large pile of them already, but you could never have too much, not when war was on the distant horizon.

"That, too, remains to be seen."

"Dare I inquire as to your hope?" I leaned closer, wondering if I'd get a hint of why Palpatine had supported Padmé. I didn't know if he did it publicly or privately, but he would've worked to get her elected. I had a few ideas as to his reasoning, so hearing a hint at that would give me further insight into his thinking.

"Only for someone enthusiastic about opening Naboo to the galaxy. Someone less – how shall I put it? – traditional than Veruna."

"Or more easily persuaded perhaps?" Taa asked, and I had to agree. Palpatine had been surprised when Padmé hadn't signed Gunray's bill, seemingly expecting her to fold. That suggested he had supported her with the impression she'd be malleable, controllable, and thus a more useful pawn for his machinations.

However, before Palpatine could respond to Taa, a murmur rushed through the hall. Quickly, everyone's attention turned toward the entrance near the central podium; the one through which Valorum would enter. He did so a moment later, with his aides a step behind. Applause, some genuine, some staged, rippled through the hall as Valorum moved toward the podium he'd be using for the summit. Behind me, I heard Tra shuffling around, and his quiet voice, which I strained to hear over the noise in the hall, began commenting on Valorum, and then Governor Harro as he and Tarkin emerged.

While everyone watched the Chancellor's arrival, I scanned the room. With all the focus on Valorum, this was one of those moments where an assassin could strike. While I still doubted Valorum was the true target, I couldn't discount some sort of false flag attempt on him to distract from whoever Sidious' target was.

… …

I let out a bored sigh as Governor Harro continued to drone. It's been ten minutes since he'd stepped to the podium and begun the summit, yet all he'd done was waffle incessantly. He was currently still going on about the honour Eriadu had been granted in hosting this summit, along with offering marks of respect to various influential figures such as Valorum. Behind Harro, I saw Tarkin staring at his superior's back. While he was keeping his face neutral, I wondered if he felt the same way about Harro and his need to supplicate to everyone while managing to make himself seem more important than he was.

Thus, having been lured into a state of bored numbness by the speech, I almost jumped when the comm-unit in my ear crackled to life.

"Go ahead," I whispered after opening the channel. While I didn't want there to be an incident, I did hope that whichever Master was contacting me – it was always one of the four I spoke to – would liven up events before my brain turned to mush.

"Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have returned," Adi Gallia began. "A group armed with a rocket launcher was intercepted before they could attack the Chancellor's transport. While they have been taken away by local security, Qui-Gon feels the threat hasn't ended and I am inclined to agree."

I stepped forward, ignoring Palpatine as he turned to look at me. Down below I saw Gallia and Saesee Tiin moving around. While they were close to the podium and the Chancellor, they were far enough away that if an attack came they'd struggle to block any bolts before Valorum and others were taken down. "Are there any leads?" I asked as I looked over the lower boxes.

"No, and the chancellor is insistent that we remain distant from him so as to maintain an air of impartiality." I rolled my eyes at Valorum's decision. I also bit back a comment about the pointlessness of me being stuck in this box. "Has anything seemed amiss?"

My eyes darted to the Trade Federation delegation. "Nothing major, Master. However, the Trade Federation delegation has thirteen droids for security. I'd have expected them to have an even number, however, the extra droid might simply be a personal guard."

Gallia took a moment before replying, likely as she tried to use the Force to sense a threat. "That is likely the reason. However, it is something to remain vigilant about. Can you see anything amiss with the droids?"

I used the Force to again boost my sight. Each of the droids was standing in line, weapons on their backs and perfectly still. The only thing that stood out was that one bore slightly different markings on its head, though I'd already dismissed that as it simply designated that droid as a command model. "No Master. They are all at rest, and with the angle I'm at, I cannot tell if any are carrying extra weaponry or missing their restraining bolts." I could see the bolts of the six closest to me, but the rest were obscured by their squad mates, and even if one was missing a bolt, it didn't confirm anything.

"Very well. I and the others will either stay close to the Chancellor or seek to locate Cohl in the building. If you see or sense anything, inform us immediately. However, since there is still a chance Senator Palpatine is a target, you are to remain at his side until our targets reveal themselves."

"Yes, Master."

I frowned as the link closed. Palpatine wasn't in any danger. No, I was sure he was the hidden hand controlling whatever was going on today and had used the 'attempt' on him as a way to divert attention. And probably also, to generate a way to gain time alone with me. Yet without proof of Palpatine not being a target, never mind him being the one orchestrating everything, and with a direct order from a High Council member, there was little I could do but remain at my post.

Yet, even as I scanned the hall once more, taking longer on every empty box, walkway, and piece of scaffolding that might be used by an assassin, I couldn't feel anything amiss. Oh, there was the general sense within the Force that something was brewing, but without meditating, I didn't know what was off. And even meditation might not work as drawing hints from the Force was something I'd always struggled with.

Now, I sensed some trepidation from the Trade Federation. However, that could simply be because they were concerned Valorum would ensure the summit was against them on both measures that were to be discussed. Or would be if Governor Harro would shut up and sit down.

… …

Nearly twenty minutes later, after Harro had thankfully stopped talking, and while the orchestra that separated the viewing masses from the Chancellor and Governor were playing the Republic anthem, the commlink in my ear clicked once more.

"Yes?"

"You were right about the Federation's droids being a problem," Gallia began. "Move as close as you can without alerting anyone of your intent." I was moving the moment she mentioned the droids, though I grunted in annoyance when told to not draw attention to myself, as that also meant not leaping over to the Federation's box and obliterating the things.

"Can't we just remove the droids now and eliminate the threat?" I whispered into the link, not wanting Palpatine to hear.

"Sadly, no. While Cohl has confirmed the droids are how the attack will come, his word isn't enough for us to move. Doing so without definitive proof would raise questions about our impartiality and likely cause the summit to break down before it can begin."

"I doubt it will survive if the attack happens, Master," I countered. "Plus, with how the Order is tied to the Senate, I doubt any consider us impartial in any matter involving the Republic." I doubted my words would change anything, be it now or in future, but it was worth stating them anyway.

"Regardless, maintain your position and stay mindful of the droids for any unexpected movement." Gallia's reply was terse, almost as if she didn't like what I'd pointed out.

"Yes, Master." The channel closed and I kept moving, heading to the point that was closest to the Federation's box from this one. I had little doubt the extra droid was the one who'd attack, but nothing – be it something I could see or sense – hinted at which droid was the primary threat.

What I was beginning to realise was that I was right to think Valorum wasn't the primary target. No, the droids would likely fire on him, and in the confusion, turn on the Federation Directorate. Well, all of them bar Gunray and Dod if I had to guess.

"Cameron," I turned back as Palpatine spoke, though only far enough that I didn't lose sight of the Federation's box, "is something the matter?"

I smiled as I replied. "Just a potential security breach, Senator. Nothing to alarm yourself about currently." I turned back, taking my time to appear as if I was looking at other delegations. I wasn't sure if Palpatine believed me or not, but I remained as calm as I could, both physically and within the Force.

"Very well. Though I do hope you'll inform me if the matter becomes serious." I gave him a nod, my sight passing over the delegation from Kashyyyk.

While I was trying to appear calm, I was already running through options in my head. The problem with each was that they took time for me to reach or interact with the droids. Time that the droids could use to enact their programming.

The simplest option was to grab them with the Force and toss them away. However, that wouldn't stop them from firing and would result in civilian casualties. Which would then, in the aftermath, further degrade the public's opinion of the Jedi Order. Crushing them was doable, but I'd never attempted to crush so many targets so quickly, and there was the chance the droids or their blasters might explode as they were compacted. Electrokinesis was also out for the same reason, plus a stray bolt might incinerate a member of the Directorate. Ionize was another option, but I'd used that so sparingly that I wasn't sure if it would take out the droids without causing them to do something unexpected like spasm and continue firing.

The distance between this box and the Federation's was small enough that I could make it with a Force-boosted jump. However, beyond the sight of a Jedi leaping toward the droids – which if timed wrong would look belligerent – the issue was time. Even if I moved before as soon as the droids drew their blasters, it would still take precious seconds to reach them.

With all those ruled out, I was left with one option that, while it carried risk, should be possible. Teleporting. Yes, there was a moment when I reappeared where I was disorientated, but if I timed the move right, then I could have my lightsaber out and active to engage three, perhaps four droids before I was sure of my location. Still, I'd have to get the timing and location near perfect as the droids would likely target me the moment I appeared.

Just as the orchestra below shifted to a new piece, I saw a concerned Human approach Gunray. The others in the box could hear, but even with the Force boosting my hearing, I couldn't make out what was being said over the sounds lifting from below. I removed the Force-boosted hearing, grimacing at having the bad timing to enhance it just as the orchestra reached a crescendo.

As I watched Gunray, I saw him speak with one of the Human directors, and then he and Lott Dod stood. I gripped the hilt of my lightsaber as I watched the pair follow the grovelling Human from the balcony and activated my array of combat-oriented Force powers.

"Cameron?"

I ignored Palpatine, focusing on the Federation's box, on the thirteen droids, waiting for any movement from them that I could use as an excuse. A familiar stillness passed over, reminding me of those moments before a mission before the storm that was about to be unleashed. I waited patiently for the signal to act, to unleash hell on my targets, and found myself missing this serenity.

Movement high above caught my eye. I glanced up as the Force shifted, filling the hall with a sense of anticipation. Streaks of red moved around a shaft of green as two figures, the second clearly a Jedi fought. My attention returned to the Federation box, waiting for the slightest movement from the droids.

Everything in me screamed to go, to move before the signal was given, to break the calm before the storm. Yet I waited. Even if I hated everything about it, I had my orders. Plus, I was concerned at how much canon might change this close to the invasion if I moved too early.

This conference was the reason the Federation would invade Naboo, the reason Sidious could manipulate Gunray into doing his bidding. Yes, allowing it to happen would cost thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, their lives, but if I acted too rashly, too quickly, then I could alter the Sith plan, and I wasn't willing to risk that. Not now, at any rate. I was set in my belief that the war needed to happen, for the Republic to undergo strife in the hope it might emerge stronger and fitter, provided I was able to stop Sidious from founding the Empire.

Plus, on a more personal level, without the invasion, people like Padmé would never break from their blind idealism and faith in the Senate and the Republic. They would never question the ways things worked or demand change. By allowing the invasion to happen, by forcing her to confront the problems in the galaxy, and then by being there as a friend to offer solutions during and after, I hoped to gain her support for a more aggressive approach. I knew she'd never become pro-military, but the passive, peaceful girl she was now wasn't the strong-willed and demanding woman she should be.

All that meant that, as much as I hated it, I wouldn't act early. Instead, as much as it galled me, I'd allow Sidious' plan, whatever it was, to occur and then hope to stop it. I'd allow Gunray to slip away into the night to be there to invade Naboo at some point next year. And all of that sickened me, but it was for the greater good. Or at least, the good I wanted to bring about.

A voice rang out in the hall. Others joined in panicked screams. The orchestra stopped. The Force moved. One of the Human directors of the Federation stood and spoke. This was the moment.

My lightsaber slid into my hand, I sensed Palpatine move, and the world around me started to turn silver.

Yet, just as the silver engulfed my entire vision, I jerked. I felt a trillion volts of raw, unrestrained power slam into every fibre of my being. My skin went numb, I lost all sense of smell as every nerve in my body flared as if dipped in acid, and I stumbled back.

My hand twitched, my lightsaber falling from it as my legs stopped working. As my skull crashed against something, and my eyes flickered closed, I saw shadows move around me, above me. I wanted to scream, yet my throat refused to work.

Even as my body reacted as if it was dropped into the power core of a star destroyer, I felt something against my arm, and a moment later, the sweet, calming peace of darkness engulfed me.

… …

… …

As the darkness retreated, and I felt my eyes flicker open, I groaned. The light of the room hurt my eyes and every part of me felt tired, as if I'd run a triple-marathon without the Force to help. I moved, trying to sit from wherever I was only to feel a hand on my shoulder. The force kept me in place as a voice spoke out.

"Easy there. You were severely burnt when whatever you tried failed." I turned my head toward the voice, blinking to clear the blurry images I was seeing. Once my eyes were working properly, I realised it was Qui-Gon who was standing over me, a kind smile on his face. Behind him, closer to the far end of the room, I saw Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon seemed relaxed, but I could sense agitation from his Padawan.

"Wh…" I stopped, my lips hurting from how dry they were. After licking them tenderly, flinching as moisture reached them, I tried to speak again. "What happened?"

Qui-Gon's smile fell, replaced by irritation. "The droids were the key; however, we had the wrong target."

I groaned and leaned back, looking up at the clean white roof of the room, and from what I sensed I knew I was back in the Temple. "The Directorate?"

"Yes. It seems that one of their number activated an energy shield around their balcony. The moment that happened, the droids drew their weapons, turned, and fired upon the Directorate." I groaned again. I'd suspected that was Sidious' plan, but I'd not known about the forcefield, which must've been what interfered with my attempted Teleport. I'd remember that the next time I was faced with a shielded target because I had no interest in experiencing that pain again. "There was nothing we or Eriadu security could do to stop the massacre until the shield was lowered. Once it was taken down, security forces were efficient in destroying the droids."

"Wonderful."

"Yes. And with the droids reduced to scrap metal, there is little to be gained from them, meaning the investigation has achieved little in the week since it began."

"Gunray?"

"The reason for his and Senator Dod's departure was genuine. However, with the Viceroy now being the sole remaining Director of the Federation, and with diplomatic obstacles in place for questioning a sitting senator, that avenue of investigation is bogged down in legalities."

"Never changes," I muttered as I closed my eyes, the light from the room slowly giving me a headache. Even in this galaxy, those in power always found ways to keep themselves unavailable whenever the winds blew against them. And since the Federation had their greedy little hands controlling many Senators and other officials throughout the galaxy, it would remain that way until much, much later. Still, it was something I might be able to use in the years before war broke out.

"Sadly, yes," Qui-Gon agreed, and I sensed him move back. "As for you, whatever it was you tried…"

"Teleport."

"Ah, then that explains why it looked like you'd been exposed to a raw powercore. I assume the reaction was due to the forcefield around the Trade Federation's balcony being active?" I nodded, not wanting to delve too deeply into that at the moment. "Hmm. Well, when your teleport failed, you collapsed on the floor, your robes and skin severely burnt. If not for the swift actions of Senator Palpatine and his aides, I doubt you would've survived long enough for medical personnel to reach you." I nodded at that as well, knowing I'd have to thank Palpatine for saving me, and wondered how much he'd use that to further attempt to ingratiate himself with me. "The Senator also arranged, along with Governor Harro, your travel back to the Temple once your injuries were healed enough to allow transport. While he couldn't have known, it was a good thing he did. It seems that your tuk'ata and ship, along with Master Fay and others, sensed your pain. While the tuk'ata didn't hurt anyone, several members of the Order were concerned it might snap if your injuries became critical. Indeed, I'm told that Master Yoda was forced to stun the tuk'ata to avoid an incident and until now, the beast is being kept under sedation in a room nearby."

I frowned at hearing that. Both Raven and Fenrir sensing my injury made sense, but the fact Yoda had felt the need to stun Fenrir wasn't going to be easily forgotten by the tuk'ata. Now, I could understand Yoda's logic, but I doubted Fenrir was so uncontrolled that Fay, Simvyl – and possibly even Serra – would be unable to keep him from going too far. While I doubted I'd learn why Yoda had done that, I did plan to ask him once I was able to.

As for Serra, while it was reassuring to not hear Qui-Gon mention her name directly, I suspected she was in the 'others' category. Hopefully, she didn't let on about how close we'd become as I'd rather not get a lecture from the Council on the dangers of attachment.

"Why the Federation?" I asked, wondering if Qui-Gon could offer any other insight beyond my thinking that the attack was to give Gunray complete control of the mega-corporation.

Qui-Gon sighed. "It seems that the one responsible for the attack, the one who had hired Cohl as a diversion, had ulterior motives. He was a member of the Nebula Front, but he was also an Eriadu native who had been a vocal critic of the Federation before joining the Front. He used the summit taking place on Eriadu, and his connections in the Front, to his advantage. Along with directing attention to the Chancellor so we and security forces wouldn't see the true danger until it was too late."

I nodded, accepting that even if I wondered how much of this Sidious had controlled, and how much of it he'd adapted to suit his goals. The man was playing hundreds of simultaneous inter-connected games of holochess while the Jedi and Republic were, at best, playing just one. Frankly, it was scary just how good he and Plagueis were at doing this.

"While I and Obi-Wan are glad you have awoken, we are needed elsewhere." I felt Qui-Gon grip my shoulder. "I will inform Master Fay of your rec…" he was cut off as the doors to the room opened and I sensed Fay enter. "Or not as it seems." The amusement in his voice was easy to pick up. "Since you no doubt wish to speak with her, we shall leave you."

"Can I see the report?" I doubted there was anything there worth learning, but I wasn't going to leave anything unturned.

"I will have your name added to the data so that once one arrives from Eriadu, you will be informed." There was a slight edge to his tone, almost as if he was annoyed about something to do with the report. Still, I nodded my thanks and lay back, waiting for the doors to close as he and Obi-Wan left.

"How are you feeling?"

I opened my eyes and smirked at Fay. "Like I just lost a fight with a power station." My former master smiled, pleased to see my humour had survived. As she moved closer, bringing a chair with her, my mind turned to other things.

I opened the various notices I had, discovering that I was almost fully healed. No major damage had been done, or at least none that bacta and the Force couldn't heal, so I should be free of the bed soon enough. Once I was, after talking with Serra and making sure she, Fenrir, and Raven were okay and knew that I was well, I needed to leave the Temple.

My first step would be finding a broker and placing a large wager on Padmé becoming queen of Naboo. Hopefully, I could get a bet in before she announced her intention to run so I could secure more favourable odds. After that, I needed to make plans to depart the planet. My first stop would be Mandalore.

With Naboo – and the threat of Maul – just around the corner, I wanted my armour. I might also pop in on Anakin, and make sure that he was kept busy enough that he was not inclined to go anywhere near Naboo.

… …

… …
A/N: While it should be clear in the last scene, the reason Cam was burnt wasn't Sidious, but the energy shield that was active around the Federation's balcony when he attempted to Teleport.
...
This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and now Royal Road.
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USSExplorer · Jul 16, 2023

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

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

Current Date: <1 year until the Invasion of Naboo

Strange Bedfellows
... ...

As I felt Raven's landing struts touch down on the ground, I eased back gently on the power flow to her manoeuvring thrusters. I chuckled at the disappointment I felt radiate through our bond. "Perhaps later, girl," I commented as I stroked her hull just above the console, letting my hand glide over her organic texture. "I doubt I'll be here long."

I stood and turned, sensing Raven's anticipation for what may come, and then left the cockpit.

"How long will this meeting take?" Simvyl asked as I stepped into Raven's common area to find him lounging at one of the luxurious sofas, a datapad in hand.

"Don't know for sure, but I doubt it'll be more than an hour or two. Though the Senator isn't one to waste his time or mine on unnecessary meetings, so whatever the summons was for, it'll be important." Then again, since I was sure Palpatine wanted to keep me close and maintain the idea that he was something of a benevolent uncle for me, it could be as simple as him wishing to check up on me personally.

It has been his request that resulted in me being on Eriadu for the summit, so he might well try and use that to slide further into my good graces by offering a sincere apology for what happened. Perhaps even gift me something to help strengthen the bond between us. I'd take the gift, depending on size, but since I knew what he was doing, I would be able to – I felt – avoid letting him gain any real connection to me. At least not something he could use to tempt me into becoming a Sith.

Yes, it was a dangerous game to keep him close, but it was better than antagonising him early before I was ready or able to counter the Sith plan.

"Should I have the droids refuel Raven?"

"Aye, why not," I replied as I left the common area. It took about a minute to reach the landing ramp. When I reached it, I sighed. "No, you can't come." Fenrir's ears drooped and he lowered and tilted his head. I chuckled at the behaviour as he was as tall as me already, yet it was easy to forget he was still a pup and acted his age at times.

Of course, this behaviour rarely worked with me, but with others – particularly Serra, who Fenrir considered part of our pack now – it was far more successful. Force, I'd even seen him use it successfully on Jocasta Nu after he'd run into the Archives one day. That hadn't saved me from having to clean up the mess he'd caused without using the Force.

"No. I don't want to get hauled in front of the Chancellor when you invariantly give some poor Senator a heart attack." I paused and rubbed my chin. "Although, depending on the Senator, I might not mind." Senator Dod and a few others came to mind, that was for sure. Fenrir's amusement flowed through our bond, and I chuckled again. "But no, not today."

Seeing him sulk, I reached out with the Force and opened a storage compartment. One that had no external lock. Fenrir's ears perked up as he heard it open, and then his tail started swishing around, making me glad there wasn't anything loose around the room as the tail would've destroyed it. A large chunk of Ewok jerky came out and as I floated it in the air, Fenrir leapt and grabbed it. Though to be fair, at his size, it was more a bounce-step than a leap. Still, the jerky was in his maw as he raced away, heading back for his quarters to devour it.

I shook my head and laughed as I pressed the button to lower the ramp, wondering what meat the jerky was really made from. There was no way it came from Ewoks as, from what I knew, they were from a planet that few, if any, had heard of on the very edge of Republic space, yet the jerky was relatively easy to find on most major planets, which I was grateful for since both me and Fenrir had developed a taste for it.

I blinked as I exited Raven, even as I fiddled with the controls of my vambrace, adjusting to the midday sun that was shining down on the Senate building through crystal clear skies. While I disliked Coruscant, I couldn't complain about having the weather be so clearly defined. Yes, it was entirely artificial, but it still generated some breathtaking sights, something Serra had commented on during our last trip in Raven.

Thinking of Serra, I turned to look toward the Temple. I could sense her inside, and I wondered what she was doing. My thoughts then shifted to Bultar Swan. I'd spoken with her not long after returning from Zygerria, and then again before going to Eriadu. She'd been taken on by Plo Koon to finish her training, and while she seemed to be doing well, I'd asked Serra to keep an eye on her simply because Master Giiett had been, along with Serra, the first to make me feel welcome in the Order.

I turned back to the Senate building. It glistened in the light, drawing attention to it, and in theory, showed the beating, beautiful heart of the Republic. Of course, when a large vessel passed overhead, the building was engulfed in shadow, revealing the fact it was a façade, much like everything and everyone within.

A squad of Senate Guards approached, resplendent in their blue uniforms though the rifles they carried always made me scoff. The sheer size of them made them look impractical as hell, and in a tight space, if the weapon couldn't be unhooked, then they'd need to resort to hand-to-hand.

"Master Jedi," the lead guard said once the squad was close enough. "This way. Senator Palpatine has requested we escort you directly to him."

I nodded in acceptance and fell in behind him. One guard walked at his side while the other pair followed behind me. I noticed people around the private landing platform looking my way, no doubt wondering why a Jedi needed an escort. I paid them no mind though, nor the trio of droids that moved toward Raven, one dragging a fuel hose behind it, even as Raven closed her ramp.

As we passed into the shade provided by the Senate, I let my thoughts drift to why I might be here. It'd been just over two weeks since I'd woken after the summit on Eriadu, though Palpatine had already reached out to me before requesting an audience. I'd managed to delay it until now as the Healers wanted me to remain within the Temple for observation as there were scant few records detailing how a Jedi recovered from teleporting into an active energy barrier.

The two weeks had passed quickly enough, as I'd spent most of my time helping Battlemaster Drallig with training Initiates – something I enjoyed – sparring with my friends, or prepping for Naboo.

While Padmé wasn't yet queen, she had become the strong favourite, which made me glad I'd been able to place a wager on the matter not long after waking. The odds I'd gotten for my hundred-thousand credit bet was five-to-one. While that was good, if I'd been able to place a bet earlier, like just after the summit before it was official that Veruna had abdicated, I'd have gotten odds of over twenty-to-one. Still, a half-million credits weren't something to sneeze at, even if I had around a billion stored in my account, a pittance compared to what I would eventually need but a good start.

As we entered the building proper, I saw the corridors were far quieter than I was used to, though that might be because, this time at least, I wasn't entering from the main entrance but from a private platform. That was one benefit of having a vessel the Council were happy to let me keep for myself. Minus the times they wished for me to take them out in it, which Saesse Tiin and Plo Koon did more than others. Still, the emptiness of the corridors, and what lay ahead, focused my thoughts once more on why I was here.

This was the second time in a month that I'd been summoned by Palpatine, and while he might wish to privately apologise, or even ask for my help on another Senatorial venture, I felt that wasn't the case. No, while he'd not outwardly confirmed it in our calls, he had hinted at wanting to discuss a possible threat he'd been made aware of, one that lay on the edges of the Republic. That had me pondering whether this meeting was to discuss the Vong, and I could only hope that he had some ideas to implement for preparing the galaxy – whatever state it may be in – to face the Vong when they invaded.

If that was the case, I had some suggestions for countering them in combat. Those had come from HK, who – after approving of the Vong's ability to counter Jedi – had revealed he'd analysed the recordings Bo had left extensively. As he rattled off ideas, I felt like a fucking moron for not consulting him more on Zonama Sekot as he'd seen more combat than Bo and I had combined. Even when factoring in my former life. Of course, since we didn't have a way to restore power to his brain while acting as resistance, I'd felt it safer to keep him offline and secure than risk damage to his memory circuits. It had worked out in the end, but I wondered just how things would've gone with HK serving as an advisor.

Still, I couldn't help but shake my head as I entered an elevator with my escort. If I'd been told before I'd been reborn, or just after I'd arrived in this galaxy, that I'd actively work with Darth Sidious against a common threat, I'd have laughed in the face of the messenger. Then likely shot them. Yet, I'd actively chosen to take the matter to him when the Jedi Council had publicly dismissed my concerns. Now, that wasn't to say some of them didn't agree with me, in part, but since the consensus was that the Vong weren't a large-scale threat, it left me shouting into the wind to warn of the danger the Vong posed.

Plus, by staying close to Palpatine, by appearing as an ally, not only would I keep his focus off Anakin, but I might be able to glean something I could use to counter him when war broke out. It was a long shot that I'd learn anything, but it was better than staying away and wondering what he was up to. As was keeping his focus away from Anakin as long as possible, so he couldn't ingratiate himself with the true Chosen One.

My musings were abruptly interrupted as we emerged from the elevator, and an air of tension permeated the surroundings. Puzzled, I furrowed my brow, confused for a moment as to the cause behind the heightened alertness. We had arrived at Palpatine's office, and there stood Kinman Doriana, a familiar face. Yet, it was not Doriana that captured my attention, nor that of the Senate Guard present. Our collective gaze fixated upon the quartet of formidable figures clad in resplendent golden armour, their presence serving as an impenetrable barrier to anyone seeking entrance into the esteemed office. Sensing our approach, their postures stiffened, and as one of them began to advance toward us, I used Observe and blinked in shock at what it revealed.

Alac Larkid
Race: Thyrsian
Level: 32
Health: 100%
Age: 30
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: High
Reputation: Disliked
Affiliation Loyalty: Sun Guard (100%), Hego Damask (65%)
Emotional State: Cautious/Distrustful/Curious
…
Alac is careful as his employer, Hego Damask is located nearby with clear instructions to limit who may enter the area.
Even though you match the description of the expected guest, he isn't willing to allow you entry without a challenge. The hints of Mandalorian armour you wear make him even more cautious.
That said, he wishes to test himself against you if the chance should arrive as he feels the Sun Guard are superior to any Mandalorian.
…

A surge of tension coursed through my veins as the realization dawned upon me. If the Sun Guard was present here, it meant that Hego Damask, Darth Plagueis, was in that office alongside Palpatine. My throat tightened, and a profound alarm echoed through my being as Alac advanced, engaged in a charged standoff with the Senate Guard. In that moment, I steeled myself for the impending confrontation.

I stood on the precipice of what Windu would likely classify as a shatterpoint, poised to come face-to-face with not one, but two Sith Lords. I knew all too well that my survival depended on concealing the knowledge that now gnawed at the recesses of my mind. Revealing even a fraction of my awareness would result in devastating consequences and if they decided to kill me I likely wouldn't even have time to draw my saber.

Reluctantly, the senate guards yielded, granting passage as Alac drew nearer. His voice radiated with authority as he demanded, "Your arm." Raising an eyebrow, I couldn't help but question whether he was genuinely foolish enough to issue orders to a Jedi, or simply unaccustomed to encountering individuals who would defy his commands. "To ascertain your identity," he clarified, sensing my hesitation to comply with his demands.

Complying with his request, I extended my arm, submitting to the scrutiny of the scanning device. At that moment, a flicker of contemplation and battle lust danced within me. How long would these four guards endure if I were to draw my lightsaber? Undoubtedly, they had been honed and trained to engage Jedi adversaries, as most of the highest elites in the galaxy were. Yet, a profound sense of confidence welled within me, whispering that I could dispatch them in a single minute if not less. Perhaps two minutes, should I aim to minimise unnecessary collateral damage. Even if this was some sort of trap to capture me – a far-fetched idea, but one I couldn't entirely dismiss – the Sith wouldn't reveal themselves. Plus, before coming I'd made sure Serra and Fay knew where I was heading. Force, I'd promised Serra another 'spaceflight' as a way of having to cancel a private meditation session we'd planned in the Jedi gardens.

Once Alac was satisfied, he stepped back without saying anything. That was when Kinman nervously paced forward. "Knight Shan, I'm sorry about the security, but the Senator has a rather important guest he wishes you to meet."

"With all due respect, Magister Damask, am I correct?" I chuckled lightly, noting the subtle arch of Kinman's eyebrow. "I remember seeing several dead guards attired like this lot in Keldabe. While the Sun Guard aren't exclusive to the Magister, I know he is friends with the Senator, so it seemed a logical choice."

"Yes, quite." Kinman gestured to the entrance even as his brow creased. "They await you in the study, Master Jedi."

The doors gracefully parted, granting me passage into the compact antechamber that served as a threshold to Palpatine's office and study, I considered for a moment withdrawing a thermal detonator from my Inventory. However, I pushed away that idea. Not only would the distinct beeping of an activated explosive betray my intentions, but I had little doubt the Sith could survive one exploding at their feet. And of course, should the attack succeed or fail, the fallout wasn't something I was equipped for yet.

Before stepping into the study, I wondered how the pair would spin this. Hego Damask was insanely powerful, and I had a connection to him because of the Battle of Keldabe, but that didn't feel like enough of a reason to bring him in on the Vong threat. Oh, Plagueis would be aware of the threat, but Damask wouldn't.

However, before I could consider what story they might spin, the door to the study slid open. "Ah, Cameron my boy," Palpatine began as he saw me standing in the foyer. "I was beginning to wonder how much longer you would be." He stepped back and gestured into the study. "Please, come in and make yourself comfortable."

I stepped forward and shook his hand, avoiding stepping into the study for the moment. "Sorry, uncle," as expected, that increased the size of his smile, "While I was making my way to the Jedi hangar, I ran into my former Master. She wished to speak with me about a private matter, and it took me a moment to extract myself." Truthfully, I'd sought out Fay, but by saying it this way, I hid the lie in the truth and made it clear someone in the Temple knew where I was.

"Of course," Palpatine replied as we stopped shaking hands and he once more gestured into his study. "Though on the matter of former masters, have you spoken to Master Dooku recently? I had hoped to speak with him regarding a private matter, however, he's been unavailable for some time."

"Master Dooku is dealing with a personal matter. One that is keeping him away from the Temple and Order." I smiled as I stepped into the study. "Though I do believe he isn't at all bothered by that development." That earned a small chuckle from Palpatine, as I'd planned. There was little doubt Palpatine and Damask knew of Dooku's issues with the Order as they'd existed before my arrival, as had his friendship with the hidden Sith Lords.

"Yes, I do recall him hinting at disagreements with the direction of the Order." As he spoke, a figure in the study stood, dwarfing the pair of us.

I moved forward and bowed slightly. "Magister Damask, if not for the Sun Guards outside, I would be surprised to see you here."

Damask chuckled, which sounded as off as always because of his mask. "Yes. I do hope they didn't inflict too severe of a security check on you. They've been cautious for the last month or so due to personal concerns."

My brow rose, wondering who would be dumb enough to target someone of Damask's power. "No. While blunt, they were professional." As I replied, we shook hands, his long fingers curling menacingly around the back of my hand. "Though I'm still at a loss as to why the Senator has requested us both to be here."

Damask glanced at Palpatine just before he answered. "The Senator brought your concerns about these Vong to me. As a concerned and loyal citizen of the Republic, I shared those concerns and requested a meeting so that we might speak at length about your experiences dealing with the Vong." As he explained the public reason for why he was here, my eyes noted that not only did his skin seem healthier, having regained some of its colour, the scars around his mask and neck had faded. Either he'd used the Force to heal himself – something rather alarming as the dark side was not famed for its ability to rejuvenate a user – or had hired some very expensive privatised healthcare. Why he'd only done so after the Battle of Keldabe wasn't something I could answer, though, from some simple research, I knew he'd been wearing the mask for a while beforehand.

I smiled and nodded as we stopped shaking hands. "I'm glad the Senator was able to find another concerned citizen. Particularly one as influential as yourself, Magister. Though I hope I wouldn't be out of line to wonder if your concern was more business-inclined than say the Senator's political inclination."

A chuckle escaped Damask's lips once more, sending a subtle shiver down my spine. I couldn't help but tense, acutely aware of the unnerving quality that accompanied that peculiar sound. "Indeed," he responded, his voice laced with a discernible mixture of amusement and underlying motives. "While I cannot deny that I hold a preference for the Republic to maintain its current state, with its steady influx of credits and thriving trade networks, I must admit that the prospect of war has its own appeal from a business standpoint. Naturally, this hinges on the condition that it does not fracture the galactic economy or jeopardise my existence. Does this pose a problem for you?"

"Not at all, Magister," I said as Palpatine silently suggested I sit on one of the sofas. "Just because I value a strong and secure Republic as a Jedi doesn't mean I expect everyone else to share those views." I moved around and took the sofa Palpatine was suggesting, one that left me between the two Sith like a bark rat between two nexu. "When I was young, my grandfather – a former Chancellor of the Old Republic – often said that not everyone will share my ideals, however, the trick is finding common ground where various ideals and beliefs intersect." He'd never said anything of the sort, but there was no way for either to prove that, and it was a good reason as to why I was apparently comfortable with this meeting between a Senator, a Jedi and a banker.

Damask nodded. "It sounds as though Vaner Shan was a wise man. One worthy of the office of Chancellor." He glanced at Palpatine, and I wondered if this was some sort of stage event to show a differing opinion regarding Chancellor Valorum, who'd earned his position, from what I understood, due to his name as much as his skill.

"The flaws of the Republic's current leadership aren't why we are here today, Magister," Palpatine replied, confirming my suspicions. He then turned to me. "If I might ask, how are you recovering from events on Eriadu?"

I smiled in thanks at his concern. "According to the Order's healers, I'm fully healed and able to take missions again. Hopefully, my next one won't be quite as painful." Palpatine moved to speak only to pause as I chuckled. "Then again, the mission before Eriadu resulted in a conflict that is why we're here today. To say nothing of my missions involving the Bando Gora and the Mandalorians." Truthfully, looking back on events, it was almost as if the Force or some higher power was throwing me into the fire to test me. So far, I'd emerged tempered from each event, but I did wonder how much longer my luck would hold.

"I was told the conference on Eriadu hadn't had any injuries beyond the Trade Federation's Directorate." I looked at Damask as he spoke. "Was something withheld from public knowledge?" His confusion appeared genuine, yet there was no way he didn't know about what had happened, which only showed how skilled the man was. And along with Palpatine, how dangerous they were.

"During the recent summit, Cameron attempted to do something to stop the droid attack," Palpatine began. "However, the forcefield had already been raised and whatever he attempted failed, resulting in Cameron being badly wounded."

The pair looked at me, and I saw no need to hide the details. Palpatine knew I could teleport as he'd have seen the recording of the obstacle course back when I'd been just an Initiate. "I attempted to use the Force to move instantly. However, as the Senator stated, the forcefield… interfered with what I attempted. So much that, if not for the quick actions of Senator Palpatine and his aides, I'd have likely died." Palpatine offered a smile and nod at that even as I continued. "What still irks me, is that we knew the droids were the threat, but the Council members present prevented me from moving against the droids before they attacked."

"I was unaware the Jedi knew of the threat to Chancellor Valorum before it commenced."

I nodded at Palpatine, letting some of my annoyance at the choice made by Master Gallia show on my face. "We were, however, the Masters present were insistent that we not move early, lest we bring the impartiality of the Order into question." I scoffed. "Something I doubt many in the Rim regard as true about Jedi."

"Sadly, that is true and regrettable. I know of many, and not just in the Rim, who feel the Jedi are nothing more than servants of the Senate and the veiled interests that control it." I gave Damask a nod, signalling my agreement.

"I wouldn't say the Senate is under the control of outside interests, though I will admit that some within this building have focuses other than the betterment of those they serve."

"Eh," I muttered, not wanting to entirely agree with Palpatine. "Anyway, while the droids were stopped, the Directors were killed; well, all bar Viceroy Gunray." I paused and frowned. "It is odd that both he and Senator Dod were called away mere moments before the droids attacked."

"The timing is unfortunate, however, their reason for leaving was confirmed by Eriadu security as genuine." I had little doubt it was, though again, when Palpatine spoke there was no hint of deception even though I knew he'd arranged it so they could be called away before the attack happened.

"It was," Palpatine cut in as I took a sip of the cup of tea he'd poured for me. "However, I'm led to believe that, beyond a basic statement, there is little Eriadu security, or even the Senate or Jedi can do to investigate the incident further. The Viceroy, beyond now being the sole leader of the Trade Federation, has diplomatic immunity. While Senator Dod could be called before a tribunal over this, the Federation has enough support in the Senate to ensure that will not happen. Not without valid proof that he was somehow involved in the attack."

My brow creased as Damask spoke. "The Viceroy has had a very fortuitous career over the last few years. Becoming the first Neimoidian to sit on the Directorate in almost a hundred years and now having all but total control of one of the galaxy's largest conglomerates."

As an oddly comfortable silence fell over the room, and I continued to sip at the tea – which, even if I wasn't much of a tea drinker, was remarkably good – I couldn't help but mentally chuckle at the situation. Not only was I sitting in the room, enjoying a civil chat with two Sith Lords, but they were able, with entirely believable faces, to sit there and ponder on how Gunray rose to prominence without ever hinting that it was because of them that he had.

I lowered my cup and turned to Palpatine. "Before the attack, I heard you mention to Senator Taa that King Veruna had abdicated. Might I ask if you've heard anything on who is likely to replace him, uncle?"

I smiled lightly at the way Damask frowned at my referral to Palpatine as my uncle. "While we refer to each other by such terms, I assure you there is no blood connection. Several years ago, young Cameron posed as my nephew to investigate the disappearances of children of prominent citizens across Coruscant. He was able to capture those involved and free many of the children, though we have maintained the terms as something of a private joke."

"Ah." Damask's eyes shifted from Palpatine to me and back as if trying to reconcile this apparently new information. There was no way he didn't know this already, but watching him and Palpatine dance around the truth was a masterclass in deception and misdirection.

Palpatine turned his gaze back to me. "As for Naboo, the current favourite is someone from the Tapalo family, however, he is fast losing ground to someone I believe you are familiar with; Padmé Naberrie."

I chuckled at that, wondering how much effort it was taking to ensure Padmé became queen. "That is good to hear. I'll admit that while not something the Order will approve of, I placed a decent wager on Padmé to win. If it pays off, I'll likely donate the winnings to the Refugee Relief Movement, or a local charity of her choice."

Palpatine smiled warmly. "A noble gesture, and one I'm sure she would appreciate." He leaned forward and his gaze narrowed. "If you weren't a Jedi and one I trust at that, I'd almost wonder if perhaps you are seeking some positions of power on my homeworld. Perhaps even as Royal Consort?"

A boisterous laugh escaped my lips, accompanied by a dismissive shake of the head. "You wound me, uncle!" I held a hand to my chest. "Padmé is years younger than me, and as a Jedi, I took an oath to not form bonds such as those." An oath I'd broken twice now with Serra, and multiple times with Bo though there wasn't as strong a Force connection between us as existed between myself and Serra. In this situation though, The Jedi Code was, to me, little more than a set of guidelines for those unable or unwilling to control their baser impulses.

"Understandable, even if I feel you might be one the Order could make an exception for. Like they have with Master Ki-Adi Mundi." I wondered where Damask was going with that, as in Master Mundi's case, it was due to issues with his species and not him proving he could handle having wives and children. "However, I also wonder if you might donate some of your proceeds from your holonovels to support the new Queen." I was glad I wasn't sipping my tea as I'd have likely spat it out in shock. However, even without the spit-take, my reaction made the Munn chuckle. "I was only recently able to link the Lord of the Rings trilogy to you, and only then due to Damask Holdings being a partner in several companies involved in converting the works into holomovies."

I blinked, processing that Darth Plagueis knew about my hidden stash of credits. Or at least the larger, more public one. With little effort, he'd easily be able to link me to funding the Lokella and possibly determine their location. That was a concern as it might lead him, and Sidious, to Anakin, which would fuck up my plan of placing him with the Lokella to keep him safe and hidden.

As for the credits, of which there were about a billion now, I could easily move them into other accounts. The one on Mandalore for Clan Shan would be an option as I doubted it was with the IGBC or an offshoot. The other easy choice would be to use my Inventory. However, if I pulled all the credits, or even a large enough minority of them, soon after this meeting, then Plagueis might get suspicious. I'd have to work slowly, filter them through various other dummy accounts and then withdraw and deposit in new, hopefully, untraceable accounts across the galaxy.

"I think," I began slowly, "I might need to speak with my publisher and his company. I was assured that my name would never be linked to the works until I wanted them to be."

Damask raised a hand, palm facing me. "I assure you that neither he nor the publishers revealed this information. At least not directly." Damask spoke slowly, though it was clear he was amused at my reaction, not understanding my pause was me panicking about the Sith knowing of my money. "I simply wished to learn who the author was after discovering the novels and enjoying them immensely and then learning my company was involved in their adaptation." He leaned forward, hints of a smile showing around his mask. "Perhaps, at a later date, I might even trouble the author for a set of signed copies? No doubt their value will increase when the movies are distributed, and perhaps more so if the author is ever revealed to be a Jedi."

"Of course." I paused and then looked at Palpatine. There was some surprise on his face, more than likely meant to show he didn't know of my credits. However, as always, it was impossible to tell if the shock was genuine or not. "With your permission, uncle, I'll have the copies delivered here." I turned back to Damask. "Since I have no idea where to send them otherwise."

"You may send them to the penthouse of Kaldani Spires here on Coruscant," Damask began with an odd amount of amusement and pride. "My former residence was recently damaged in an act of corporate sabotage, though it only served to hasten my move to Coruscant. I have come to understand that being closer to the corridors of political power has many financial benefits, and in preparation for the move, I purchased Kaldani Spires. It will also allow me to return from my self-imposed isolation at a time of critical need."

I wasn't sure how much of that was true, but his moving to Coruscant made sense if, as I suspected, the plan was for him to become some sort of advisor to Palpatine when he became Chancellor. While Kaldani Spires weren't as impressive as 500 Republica – where Palpatine had a suite – or within the Senate District, I knew they were considered some of the finest suites on the planet. That Damask would simply buy the entire building was hardly a surprise. "I'll arrange for your copies to be sent there, then."

"Thank you. Although," he paused and tapped his mask. "It occurs to me as we speak of the Spires that it would behove us if you also had a place of residence there."

My jaw involuntarily dropped, stunned by his proposition. Not only would such an arrangement situate me near Darth Plagueis, but the opulent suites within the Spires commanded exorbitant prices, numbering in the hundreds of millions of credits for even the most modest. Yet here he stood, casually offering me one. "Th-that's not necessary," I spluttered.

Damask waved his hand. "But it is. If not for your actions on Mandalore, I would have long left this mortal coil. For that alone, even ownership of the entire building would be a small price to pay."

My mouth fell open once again, stunned by what I had just heard. That grand structure must have been worth well over three hundred billion credits, and yet he spoke of granting me its rights as if it were spare change. While I had been aware of his immense wealth, witnessing it in action was a stark reminder of the Sith's formidable power, even when masked by their public personas. Composing myself, I managed to find my voice amidst the astonishment.

"I…There's really no need for such a gesture, Magister," I replied, working to keep my voice steady. I couldn't help but notice the smug smirk playing on Palpatine's lips as he observed my reaction. "The blade you bestowed upon me was more than generous for the completion of my duties, Magister."

As tempting as it would be to take a suite, never mind the whole damn building, the place would be bugged from here to Kashyyyk and back again.

"If I might ask, what blade is this?"

Both Damask and I turned to face the Senator. "An artefact from my collection. After the events on Mandalore, I considered for some time what would be a suitable gift for not just a Jedi, but a Mandalorian." Palpatine nodded in understanding of what was said so far. "Pondering it, my mind turned to a blade once used by Jedi before the advent of lightsabers. Since I knew he carried a Mandalorian beskad already, I felt it a suitable gift."

"I must confess, Magister, that I still find myself unworthy of such a historically significant gift," I admitted, my tone genuine and humble. "Had you personally extended the offer, I would have insisted on refusing it. However, given the circumstances, I found myself with little choice but to accept, and for that, I am eternally grateful."

Pausing for a moment, I continued, "That being said, I have taken great care to keep the blade safely stored within its case. While the temptation to wield it is undeniable, I cannot ignore the nagging concern that even the slightest mishap or excessive force might risk damaging this priceless artefact."

By explaining my cautious approach, I hoped to dispel any inquiries he might have regarding the blade's continued confinement within its protective casing. It was undoubtedly bugged, and the desire to test its capabilities burned within me. However, I knew I had to exercise prudence and find a suitably secluded location where I could assess the case and blade meticulously, searching for any hidden tracking or surveillance devices that might have been concealed alongside it.

Palpatine's chuckle drew my attention back to him. "Yes, I can understand that reaction." He gave Damask a nod. "I believe I know of the blade you speak of." He turned back to me. "I saw it several times when I spoke with the Magister at his former residence. I am relieved that not only did it survive the sabotage there, but that it has found its way into the hands of a worthy inheritor."

I bowed a fraction in thanks for the compliment before I let my brow crease. "If I might ask, how did you two first meet? Details of your acquaintanceship are common knowledge on the Holonet, but I don't recall reading about how and when you first crossed paths."

The pair shared a look before Palpatine responded. "It was many years ago when I was not much older than Miss Naberrie is now. The Magister had arrived on Naboo to begin negotiations with the candidates for the throne over the plasma reserves recently discovered on Naboo. It was, I believe, a chance encounter when the Magister became lost on the Legislative Youth Program's campus in Theed and needed directions to return to his quarters."

"Yes, that would've been our first encounter," Damask cut in with what felt like practised ease. "Though it wasn't until many years later when Palpatine became an aide to the former Senator of the Chommell sector that we began a regular correspondence, and I took him under my wing. And even after becoming friends, I dare say we've disagreed at least once every few months over various proposals and issues facing the Senate and Republic. Still, he is one of the few people I consider a genuine friend."

As I watched, Palpatine nodded in thanks and agreement. Nothing stood out about the interplay to suggest it wasn't the truth, once more proving just how kriffing skilled the pair were and hiding facts within fiction. Even if nothing was decided about the Vong from this meeting, it was a masterclass in how to say one thing and mean another while making everything seem true.

"Ah. My thanks for indulging my curiosity," I said with a smile. One returned by Palpatine while Damask nodded. "With that settled, should we perhaps move on to the reason I was summoned?"

… …
(Sidious' POV)
"Yes, of course," Sidious began. He placed his cup of Karlini tea down, and after glancing at his Master, continued. "I've spoken with the Magister about your report, and what you told me. However, we would be interested in hearing a more detailed recounting. One that, unlike the formal report, would cover everything that happened with the Vong. We hope that by hearing such a retelling, we might be able to determine elements about their society, culture and thinking to better prepare for them when their threat is revealed to the wider galaxy."

Cameron nodded and lowered his cup. Sidious had considered adding some serum to make the young Jedi more inclined to speak truthfully, however, he had decided against it. Most Force-sensitives, even Jedi Padawans that would never become Knights, would sense such a thing, and since Cameron was as far beyond those Padawans as Sidious was beyond all but a handful of Jedi Masters, it would be an insulting blunder to have done so. "Certainly. Where should I begin?"

Sidious watched as his master leaned forward. "You mentioned in your report that these Vong are immune to the Force, that they cannot be sensed by Jedi. While I know some of how the Force works," Sidious cackled internally at how far from the truth that was, "I'm confused as to what exactly you mean by this."

Cameron paused and leaned back, taking time to consider his words. To Sidious, this was a clear sign of Dooku's influence. The elder Jedi was deliberate in his actions as well as his word choices and it appeared much of that had rubbed off on Cameron. Which would make it easier for Sidious and his Master to see through any attempted deceptions.

Yet Sidious pushed that aside as, for the briefest of moments, he sensed anger – no, delicious, unbridled fury – emanating from Cameron. The feeling vanished almost as soon as it came, but what drew Sidious' attention, and no doubt that of Plagueis, was that Cameron didn't release that rage into the Force as a Jedi was trained to do. No, instead he seemed to push it down, as if unwilling to let go of the emotion. "The Vong aren't immune to the Force per se. Much like a taozin, which I had the unfortunate luck to encounter not long before travelling to Zonama Sekot, the Vong present as… for lack of a better term, a null presence within the Force. The very fact they cannot be sensed means they can be detected, though I admit it took me time to fully understand how to do so." Sidious nodded, understanding what Cameron was implying, though he wondered when and where the Jedi had encountered a taozin. The creatures were believed to be extinct, and Sidious did not doubt that, if it could be recovered, Plagueis would want a sample for research. "They are though immune to directed Force abilities."

Sidious felt the Force shift around Cameron, though it reacted slightly faster and oddly to what Sidious would expect from a Jedi. With but the slightest movement of his fingertips – a sign of his skill with telekinesis – Cameron lifted his cup. "When I attempted this common Jedi trick on the Vong, it failed as if nothing was there. The same was true of using the Force to generate a barrier which I tried to use in my first encounter with Vong warriors. However, while the Force cannot be used directly on them, I could still, if one was present, toss the cup at them with enough kinetic impact that it might stagger them."

"There are certain species, like the taozin you mentioned – and I would be curious to hear where and when you encountered such a beast – that are, from what I understand, difficult for Jedi to manipulate. The Hutts are the example most would choose. However, they, and the others I know of, could still, from what I believe, be affected by direct application of the Force, could they not?"

Sidious was glad Plagueis had brought up the taozin. Such a creature, if it could be studied, could be a useful tool for eliminating Jedi.

"I can't say I've ever tried lifting a Hutt. That much bulk would no doubt cause problems," Cameron replied with an amused chuckle. "To say nothing of the smell." At that Sidious allowed himself to grimace. He'd had the misfortune to once encounter a Hutt and be forced to kill them. While far harder to eliminate than most sentients believed, they were still susceptible to the Force. Though Cameron was right to say that moving them with the Force did release some rather unpleasant odours. "But yes, I believe they could be lifted. Or Toydarians, who are also highly resistant to mind tricks. The Vong are… something else. Even concentrated Force energy used akin to a blaster bolt did not affect them."

Plagueis leaned back and castled his fingers, resting his chin on the tips. "That is most concerning. While I do not claim to know how the Order teaches a Jedi to fight, from what I have observed, using the Force to move objects is a default practice for many." Cameron nodded even as Sidious snarled internally at the narrow-mindedness of the Jedi. The Force was capable of so much more if they only opened their eyes and saw that it should serve them. "How, then, did you survive your first encounter with the Vong?"

"I almost didn't," Cameron replied with a dark chuckle. Sidious found that interesting, as it showed that perhaps, Cameron found being almost killed amusing, or perhaps even challenging. Something to learn from and ensure never happened again. A lesson he had instilled in Maul just as Plagueis had instilled in him. "After my attempted barrier had no effect, and I felt Master Fay's attempted push come to nothing, they closed on me." Cameron paused here and looked away as Sidious felt the return of that rage from earlier, along with some hesitation. As if there was something Cameron had left out of his report. If he was a lesser being, Sidious would've leant forward, curious about what was brewing in the Young Jedi. Thankfully for him, the Sith and the Grand Plan, he wasn't. "I'm unsure of how much you understand Magister, Senator, but the Jedi rely on the Force to guide them. To warn them of danger. Now, that… sensation isn't perfect. A kill shot from one who can mask their thoughts, or one the Jedi considers a friend, from what I understand, can occur before the Jedi senses the shift. However, in active combat, until Zonama Sekot and the Vong, I'd never known it to not warn me of danger. Yet against the Vong…" Cameron sighed, the sense of conflict within him growing stronger and further intriguing Sidious. "It failed entirely. If a Vong wasn't in my line of sight, I didn't know what they were doing."

… …
(Plagueis' POV)
Plagueis sat quietly for a moment, considering Shan's words. He pushed his curiosity about the faint tremors of rage he sensed from the young Jedi. While that was interesting, the fact these Vong were not just immune to manipulation, like the Yinchorri, but confirmed to not be affected by direct applications of the Force was troubling. In his decades of research, he'd never come across such a species, and from all he had learnt, it simply should not be possible. Even those species like the Hutts which were immune to mental manipulation were still connected to the Force. These Vong, apparently, weren't.

While they were undoubtedly excellent warriors, they posed a threat not just to the Jedi, but, in large enough numbers and skill, potentially to him, Sidious and the Grand Plan. That concern was his primary reason for arranging this meeting, one that now pushed the secondary reason of observing Shan at close quarters with Sidious, further to the periphery.

"You are saying that these Vong are immune to everything a Jedi can do?" He asked. Even if aware they were not, he wanted to learn in greater detail what techniques Shan had developed to counter the Vong. From there, Plagueis knew he would be able to devise at least a dozen theorems to counter the Vong. Though most would only be applicable in smaller-scale combat.

"No," Shan replied with a quick shake of his head. "Anything directed against them, or their weaponry at least, that uses the Force won't work. However, as I mentioned with the cup, applying Force techniques in more brute-force methods was effective. Often to begin an ambush, I'd use the Force to accelerate a few dozen decently sized rocks at the Vong. While their armour would weather the attack – bar the odd case where I struck something like an eye – it would knock them off-balance."

"Something akin to a scatter gun?" Shan nodded, confirming the concept. "Interesting." He tapped his chin as he considered this. It was a very crude way to control the Force, but against a large group, such approaches often had their appeal. However, it wasn't the only method Shan mentioned as being successful. "In your report, and the recording you provided Senator Palpatine, you used something akin to electricity against them." Plagueis was well aware of the Jedi's inferior imitation of Sith Lightning, however, if the Jedi's imitation could, as the recording suggested, drive back and stun a Vong, then Sith Lightning could undoubtedly kill them.

"I call it Electrokinesis; as in the ability to control and manipulate electricity." Plagueis nodded. The name was suitable and hinted that Shan saw other uses for the power than simply combat applications. Additionally, it sounded better to Plagueis' ears than what the Kel Dor Council member called it. "Master Plo Koon uses something similar, though he terms it Electric Judgement." And there was that pathetic name. Plagueis could respect the Kel Dor Jedi as, like Plagueis, he applied science to the Force. Sadly, the being was too deeply rooted in the illogical ways of the Jedi to understand the truth. "Other abilities, such as those that enhance my body, also worked. Which is a good thing as the Vong are stronger, faster and more agile than most other sentients I've encountered."

Plagueis felt the Force shift as Shan stopped. The hints of rage within him flickered as if calling out to the Jedi to take control of him. No, as Plagueis watched, Shan took control of that anger. Most interesting. He had not expected the young Human to have the understanding to control the Force, and the rage one needed to bend it to your will, so easily.

"There was one other power that I used that worked." Shan's voice was quieter now even as the fury inside became clearer. The temptation to reach out and sense the source, the reason for the fury was there. However, Plagueis did not. He and Sidious needed Shan to trust them, to work with them for the Vong threat. If, over time, Shan proved himself, then perhaps he might, as Sidious implied, have a purpose in the Grand Plan. Or at least one outside of Plagueis' standing interest in how the Human had increased his midi-chlorian count. "When Master Fay fell… I," Shan sighed loudly and looked away for a moment to steady himself. Around him, around the room, Plagueis could feel the Force moving. Something about this moment was critical. "I lashed out. She… I thought she was dead. Her blood… It dripped from the tip of the Vong's spear to the ground. In that moment… I lost control. Rage the likes of which I'd never felt before rushed through my veins, telling, demanding, that I kill all those who killed my Master."

Plagueis felt himself lean forward, savouring the emerging hints of rage and power that were slowly seeping out of Shan into the Force. His count had indicated his potential, but the hint of power Plagueis was sensing now was on another level entirely. Easily comparable to Sidious when Plagueis first pushed him to the very edge of losing control. Yet what truly caught Plagueis' attention was that this fury that he felt was not something summoned in the moment. No, it was tied to the Vong, and the injury Master Fay had taken. Nearly a year later, Shan still held it, and it seemed he had learnt to bury it so deeply that neither the Jedi Council nor he or Sidious had sensed it until the seal upon it loosened.

"How exactly did that affect your battle?" Plagueis glanced at Sidious, grateful his apprentice had prodded for further details as he did not want to shift his focus from Shan. Not when, as subtlety as he could, he was probing the darkness coming from the descendent of Darth Revan. The ancient Sith most responsible for Bane adopting the Rule of Two.

Shan gulped and looked down at his hands as if ashamed of his actions. No. Plagueis sensed he was not ashamed of them, merely conflicted about revealing what he had done. Intriguing. "I… I don't fully understand what happened," Plagueis sensed the deception there, but it was understandable a Jedi would not want to admit to knowing what he had done. Even to non-Jedi. "But the rage… it strengthened my Electrokinesis. Darkened it. When it struck the Vong, they were flung back, some dying on contact." Shan lifted his head and Plagueis saw the confusion in his eyes even as conflict swirled around him in the Force. "I… What I did wasn't what a Jedi should do, but they hurt my Master. And if I hadn't… others would've been hurt."

A flash shot through Plagueis' mind. The Mandalorian girl. Duke Adonai's daughter. Hmm, so Shan was close to her. That would require discussion with Sidious to see how she, and her people, might be adapted into the Grand Plan. For now though, Plagueis stayed focused on Shan.

Before this meeting, he and Sidious had spoken of Shan's potential for the Dark Side. Not only was it, if such a thing existed, in his blood, but he had endured much before Zonama Sekot that would break lesser Jedi. The methods the Bando Gora used to create converts were primitive and imprecise, but still effective. That Shan had survived months under their mercies spoke to a strength of will few Jedi younglings possessed, yet Plagueis remembered vividly the tremors he had sensed when Shan had been freed. He had not sensed such tremors from Shan on Zonama Sekot, but as the report stated the planet was strong in the Force, perhaps it had masked Shan's reaction. And possibly more than one as this event that Shan was admitting to occurred within the first battle of a nearly year-long insurgency.

"I was unaware a Jedi could do such things," Sidious spoke, playing the role of a scared and concerned adult figure to perfection as he reached out tentatively for Shan's hands. "Did you speak to the Council about this?"

"No. If I had… What I did was against the Code, but I had no choice." Shan's head lifted and Plagueis stared into the Human's soul. "If I hadn't… Fay would've died, B… the others would've died. I would've died." Plagueis smiled internally. Yes, Shan was not ashamed of what he had done, only that he had lost control. This was highly encouraging and not something he had anticipated learning today. "It was one moment in a battle where I lost control, a moment of weakness. But, if I had to do it again, I would." Plagueis sensed Shan was holding back something else, something more. However, he knew that it would not be revealed today.

"Do not fear, for we won't reveal this to the Council," he offered sincerely. No, doing that would only result in the Jedi imprisoning him in one of their nigh-unknown locations. At that, Shan would be removed from the galaxy, and his potential, his power, and his ability to alter his midi-chlorians would be lost.

On the other side, Sidious nodded. "Yes. Anyone faced with such a situation would do whatever they must to ensure the survival of their friends and loved ones."

Even as Shan weakly smiled his thanks, Plagueis was beginning to consider possible uses for the Human. Shan was not as fully corrupted by the Jedi's teaching as someone like Dooku or C'baoth, however, he also lacked the gravitas due to his youthful age. It would be easier, in theory, to instruct Shan in the correct way to use the Force, to reveal the underlying power of the Dark Side when one bent it to their will. Plagueis was unwilling to share power with another so close to the Grand Plan entering its final stages. Yet, once the Plan had finished, and the Jedi and Republic replaced by a new order, there would be a need for those beneath himself and Sidious.

If Shan could be turned before the Plan ended, then not only could he be of use against the Jedi, but it would allow Plagueis to examine the Human and learn how he had managed something that shouldn't be possible. However, before all that could occur, the boy would need further testing; further challenges that would force him to draw upon the Dark Side. If he survived those encounters, then Shan would turn to the two beings he could trust to talk about further lapses in judgement: Sheev Palpatine and Hego Damask.

Perhaps Shan might even one day be tested against Sidious' assassin, Maul. Yet, when Plagueis' thoughts turned to the Zabrak, he remembered the recent report the assassin had submitted. While the alien Maul had fought on Cog Hive Seven was unknown to him, based on the report, Plagueis believed, and Sidious agreed, that it was likely a Vong. Sadly, for Plagueis, Cog Hive Seven, and the dead Vong, were gone, depriving him of a new subject for experimentation.

Plagueis' thoughts returned to the present as Shan stood slowly. "If I might have a moment."

… …
(Cam's POV)
"Certainly," Palpatine replied as Damask nodded in agreement.

I moved slowly away, making sure to let hints of my rage leak out. While I'd have liked to watch their reactions as I told them I'd used Force Lightning – though not with that term – I felt it better to play the part of a slightly confused and concerned young Jedi. Thus, I'd kept my head down and let my genuine worry about what I was doing seep out. From what I could tell, they had bought the performance, though I worried they might've sensed more than what I wanted them to.

The reason I'd revealed this was two-fold. First, it was simple logic. The Vong were more vulnerable to Force Lightning than Electrokinesis and that needed to be known. I wondered what other Dark Side-aligned powers might work as well, but the battlefield wasn't a place to test out new theories when you were continuously outnumbered when entering combat. I was sure the pair would know of other powers that might work against the Vong, and while having them improve themselves for a potential invasion was only going to make taking them down that much harder, the benefits still outweighed the drawbacks. If only just.

The second reason I'd done this was Anakin. Or more specifically, to keep the Sith focused on me and not him when he finally was revealed. There was no way they wouldn't be interested in him due to his count, however, the longer they failed to see he was the true Chosen One, the less chance there was for him to become Vader. Of course, this made the idea of taking Anakin as my Padawan – which I'd been toying with for a while now – a more dangerous option, however, there might be a way to use it. If I hid Anakin's power behind mine and passed off his impressive growth as a result of my teaching – at least with a lightsaber that would be believable I felt – then it might just work. Additionally, after Naboo, I wanted to spend some time travelling. Not just to potentially gain allies for the war to come, but to learn more than what the Jedi taught. There were other Force-sensitive groups in the galaxy that might know something useful. If I took Anakin as my Padawan after Naboo, then slipped into the ether, it would be harder for the Sith or Jedi to realise who Anakin was and would be.

Figuring I'd taken long enough, I took a deep breath, pushed aside the wisps of anger I'd released and brought myself back under control. While I could use Player's Mind, they'd sense its activation, and other than wondering why I'd suddenly blocked my emotions, might grow concerned that I knew more about them than I should.

"Ok," I muttered as I returned to my chair, giving the pair a weak smile.

"How much more effective was this… anger-driven lightning compared to your Electrokinesis?"

I turned my attention to Damask as he spoke. "When I lost control, I don't exactly know the specifics. However, Bo-Katan Kryze, who was travelling with me at the time, was able to use the sensors in her armour to compare the first battle to later ones. From what she showed me, it was clear this… darker variant of the power was several orders of magnitude more dangerous to the Vong." Or to anyone really. "However, since I was… ashamed of drawing on that rage or losing myself in my desire for vengeance for what they did to Master Fay, I didn't risk using that anger again."

The pair were silent, likely seeing the holes I wanted them to see in my story. I'd not let go of that anger. Even now, it was still there, though that was heavily influenced by my Eidetic Memory bringing the raw emotions to the forefront the moment I thought about those events. I knew it was dangerous to keep hold of it, to bury it deeply, but I understood that if I tried to let go of it in the Force, then the next time I encountered a Vong, I might be overwhelmed by those emotions all over again.

"It is good you restrained yourself," Palpatine commented. "Since we all agree these Vong pose a serious threat, losing control of yourself in battle would've been… fatal. Apart from that meaning we wouldn't now know of the threat; it would also have resulted in your death. Something I for one would deeply regret."

I nodded in thanks for his assurance, however, I stayed silent. What I'd revealed on a personal level was as far as I was willing to go. At least regarding how I'd drawn on the Dark Side. There was no way in hell I'd ever bring up having King Adas' holocron, though as I thought about that, I realised it had been some time since I'd last spoken to the first Sith King. While understandable since I'd not had any time away from Jedi – even my excursion to the ShaDo system had been with Dooku – I needed to spend more time speaking with him before Naboo.

"Returning to the primary topic, I'm curious how you, and Miss Kryze, would rate their combat tactics," Damask said methodically. "How a military operates can often provide insight into their culture, especially if it is one orientated toward battle."

"Aye, that's true." I looked away for a moment to collect my thoughts. "Ignoring that first battle, as it was chaotic, most of our encounters took place in ambushes. Initially, their patrols were small, no more than four beings, and kept to set paths. Once we started to have success against them, the size of the patrols grew, and they varied their routes enough that there were times when we couldn't ambush them due to them choosing a different path."

I stopped there for a moment and sipped the tea. "Eventually, they learnt enough from our tactics to prepare a counter-ambush, and we lost an Antarian Ranger along with a unit of locals in that battle. It was also when I encountered what I considered their elite warriors."

"The ones who you referred to as clawed-Vong?"

"Yes," I replied with a nod at Palpatine's question. "Like all Vong we encountered, they'd undergone modifications to their bodies, though for them it was their hands, and the claws they'd had attached that stood out."

"How would you rate these elites compared to their base soldiers?"

I leaned back and pondered Damask's question for a moment. "To start, I'd rank a base Vong as good as, if not better, than a comparably aged elite soldier. Different armaments, yes, but similar tactics. Though the Vong are superior to a baseline Human in every physical way. When using the Force to engage them – and as my report mentioned, they favour close-quarters-combat over ranged assaults – I became able to handle three to four base warriors with relative ease. The appearance of just one clawed-Vong changed that entirely. When fighting that one, I struggled to deal with even a single regular warrior. Though I will admit that I only had one encounter with an elite before the invasion reached its climax."

"From this, and your report, it seems safe to assume that the Vong are highly trained with a preference for engaging an enemy personally." Damask paused and tapped his chin just below the mask. "For now, using a baseline built from shared ideals of groups such as the Mandalorians, Trandoshans, the Sun Guard and other warrior cultures would allow us to generate a very simple outline of their combat doctrine." His eyes narrowed as he continued. "Though this… choice to alter themselves is most peculiar. While there are some species that I know of that have ritualistic self-mutilation, the Vong seem to use it to increase the combat efficiency of their warriors. Most concerning."

"And dangerous," I added with a chuckle remembering how close I'd come to losing an eye in my duel with their leader, my hand gesturing toward the scar I bore from that battle. "Their armour is also an issue. Like certain alloys and elements, such as beskar and phrik, it is resistant to lightsabers, though it can be pierced with effort. However, my beskad was able to pierce their armour easier, even if it could get lodged in place."

"So not only are the Vong seemingly impossible for a Jedi to sense, but their famed weapon has reduced efficiency against a Vong's armour. That is extremely concerning." Damask rested his chin on his fingers which he had once more interlocked. "How would you compare a squad of Vong against a Mandalorian one?"

I took my time to consider the hypothetical. I understood why he was using Mandalorians, as it was the culture – outside of the Jedi – that I knew best, but I was worried he was also using it as a way to judge my opinion about the Mandalorians. "In full armour, I'd say it would be a close thing. Vong are stronger, and faster but Mandalorian armour and weaponry could give them an advantage as long as they maintained their edge. The acid shot from the Vong's staff weapon had a negligible effect on Bo-Katan's beskar armour, though it caused considerable damage to durasteel when it struck that."

"Very well. This can be used to further the model." Damask leaned forward. "We could be looking at an invasion comparable to the Mandalorian one that your ancestor fought against. Perhaps more as if these Vong come from, as you suggest, beyond the known galaxy, they may well have ships of a size hereunto unseen in Republic space."

Even as Palpatine gulped, I nodded, aware of that idea. If the Vong were from outside the galaxy, and I had little reason to doubt Sekot's words when he referred to them as from Far Outside nor that the Interface was being accurate in saying the came from the Void, then they'd need ships capable of travelling through the void between galaxies. To say nothing of them also being able to support an entire civilisation. Assuming that they came from a galaxy at least the size of one of the companion galaxies to this one and that they held at least one planet – which was probably a massive underestimate – then the invasion force would number in the tens of billions at least. And be aboard ships massive enough to carry them.

"Moving on slightly. I'm curious as to why, when you and Master Fay spoke to the Vong leadership, you felt a challenge was the correct approach to take."

"After we approached their base, and Master Fay had begun her attempts to seek a peaceful resolution – something I was aware would never work," I added with a smirk, "the way the Vong spoke drew my attention. Not only did they seem to have religious reasons for the occupation of Zonama Sekot, but there was enough there that hinted at it guiding their society. Sensing the Force react to that thought, and drawing on what I'd learnt on Mandalore, I pushed for the challenge." A chuckle escaped my lips. "That said, I may have insulted their sense of honour to goad their leader into accepting."

Palpatine smirked at the image while Damask nodded. "Something I have learnt in my many years is that sometimes what one person considers underhanded or dishonourable is entirely acceptable to another." That made perfect sense in a galaxy full of over a million differing species, many with variant values depending on the world they came from. Honestly, I wasn't bothered about insulting the Vong. Even if it hadn't worked, it was fun to screw with them like that. "Though on the topic, I must ask how, beyond a general sensation from the Force as you put it, you deduced such an approach would draw a response. And what you could infer from that, and other encounters, about the Vong's culture. Specifically, why Zonama Sekot was important to them."

"That was the only time I spoke with a Vong. At least beyond cursing them and getting something odd and guttural thrown back at me." Even if I didn't know what they'd said, I could remember them and if, as I suspected, many were curses, I planned to use them against the Vong. Provided I lived long enough to face their invasion fleets. "From the short talk, it was clear they placed an almost religious significance on whatever mission they were on and believed that Sekot was their goal. They claimed the planet was a seed, if such a thing is possible, of their lost homeworld. It was implied they felt the planet belonged to them simply because of this almost fanatical belief. That religious element was reinforced by their leader remarking that fighting and dying in the name of their mission was a worthy service to their gods. Though that feeling of importance was what drove me to strike at their honour and openly question its existence. They didn't take that very well." I finished with a grin.

"Yes, I've seen similar tactics employed on the Senate floor. While underhanded, it is often successful in disrupting a debate," Palpatine offered with a grin of his own. "As I'm sure the Magister has seen in various negotiations across his long, expansive life."

"Indeed," Damask commented with a nod. "While your affront to them was a risky manoeuvre given your lack of knowledge, it was successful in drawing their leader into single combat. It also grants us a small insight into the importance of their beliefs, which we may be able to exploit when their fleets arrive in Republic space." He paused and seemed to contemplate something. "We will need to use our limited information to search various religious sects and species within the Republic. Much like with their combat capacity, we can use those that share a similar mindset to generate an elementary template for the Vong.

"I'll leave that up to you and the Senator," I remarked. "I lack the… patience for such a long-term and detailed project. Something my former masters have commented on, and I believe you've observed in our chess matches Senator?"

Palpatine nodded and chuckled. "Yes. While you are improving it's clear you prefer to rush into situations."

"A failing that is sadly common for many Jedi," Damask added. "Though I understand one not shared by either of your masters. While I cannot speak for Master Fay, I have known Master Dooku in passing for several decades and he is a patient, considered individual. Still, that is a side matter. I shall instruct various employees to begin developing these research threads, though I will likely need to reach out for further observations as progress is made."

… …
(Sidious' POV)
Sidious watched quietly as his Master spoke with Cameron. While Cameron had indeed shown a tendency to rush in, there was more to it than Cameron stated. He was rash, arrogant and headstrong. A failing common among the Jedi who'd grown complacent with a millennium without the Sith to challenge them. However, with Cameron, Sidious knew there was more to it. He was aggressive, and from when he'd first spoken with the young Jedi about the Vong, Palpatine had sensed hints of enjoyment when he'd spoken of combat. Much like Maul exhibited, though in a far more restrained manner.

Still, of greater concern was the interest his master was displaying in Cameron. Sidious was secure in his place. He knew that his place beside Plagueis was safe, that when the time came if Sidious was unable to remove Plagueis as the Rule of Two demanded, then they would rule together with him in the light and Plagueis in his shadow.

Yet the interest in Cameron threatened that balance.

Oh, Sidious understood the potential Cameron held for the Dark Side, even before Sidious had tasted the rage within the young man. Yet, the way Plagueis spoke and observed Cameron, it was clear to Sidious that he didn't see him as just a science experiment on how to control and manipulate midi-chlorians, but as a potential third member of the Order of Sith Lords. Perhaps even a replacement for Sidious himself if a need arose. And that was something, no matter Cameron's potential, Sidious wouldn't allow.

Gifting Cameron the blade that had belonged to a member of the Legions of Lettow – a precursor to the Order of Sith Lords that they claimed lineage from – was a powerful move. Though Sidious was pleased to see Cameron be wary of a gift from a man as powerful and connected as Hego Damask. Sidious had coveted the blade for his collection, but he could see the value in gifting it to Cameron. Not only was the Jedi fond of a Mandalorian beskad, but the faint embers of the Dark Side within the blade would help open the crack Cameron had created to the Dark Side, turning it into a fissure through which he could be turned.

"Moving on, you mentioned their technology was heavily organic?"

"Yes, though I'll admit I didn't see everything they had. The armour they wore certainly was, though until we carried out a battlefield autopsy, I'd honestly thought it was just some unknown alloy. Their main base was surrounded by walls that weren't made from the environment, as were the glimpses I caught of buildings and flyers inside, however, I never got close enough to confirm that. The same goes for their starships, as I was only able to perform simple scans when we were engaged as my focus was on surviving and then escaping."

"Yes, I admit I found that part of the report odd. You said the planet warned you to escape, and then when you returned it had seemingly gone to hyperspace." Sidious bit back a snort of amusement. When he'd relayed the report to Plagueis, his Master had seemed genuinely shocked by the revelation that the planet wasn't just strong in the Force, but was in essence alive. At least enough that Cameron spoke of a telepathic conversation he'd shared with the planet before its disappearance. To say the idea caught Plagueis' attention would be like saying a star was dangerous when it went supernova.

"Yes, though even after experiencing it, I'm still struggling to understand how it could be sentient."

"Indeed."

Cameron shook his head before he continued. "While the idea that the planet entered hyperspace sounds… insane, the facts support that theory. The area where the planet had been was soaked, to incredible levels, in the residual energy one would expect of something entering hyperspace." Sidious noted that Cameron was slowly becoming defensive of the idea that the planet had escaped into hyperspace, suggesting he was still receiving pushback from within the Jedi over it. That was, potentially, something he and Plagueis could use. "The Vong fleet was still there, and their escape vector toward the Galactic Edge added credence to what Sekot said about them being from far beyond. Yet, the fact that, when you consider there were no remains to suggest the planet had been destroyed, and the gravitational field in the system had shifted rather suddenly, I'm left believing that, however improbable it might be, the planet entered Hyperspace."

While not as scientifically inclined as his Master, Sidious could still understand the sheer power such an action would need. Yet, as Cameron said, based on the facts provided, it was the only logical conclusion. Something he knew Plagueis agreed with.

"There is no need to be concerned about this, after reviewing the sensor data you provided, I concur that the planet leaving into hyperspace is the only logical conclusion to draw. However, I admit I am uncertain if it, and its inhabitants, could survive such a voyage." Plagueis waved a hand, dismissing the matter. "Unless the planet reappears, it is no longer of concern. What is, is the fact that the Vong seemingly use organic technology and weaponry."

"While rare, it isn't unusual," Sidious remarked, re-joining the conversation. "The Gungans of my home, for example, heavily use organic technology, as do many species within and without the Republic." As he spoke, Sidious' thoughts turned to the Gungan's energy balls.

"Yes, though I don't recall hearing of any species that has the technology to counter a Jedi in combat, or use it in place of standard orbital technologies." As Plagueis spoke and tapped his mask, Sidious ran with the thought he'd just had.

Those energy balls – boombas if he recalled correctly – shorted out any piece of technology when they struck, and Sidious wondered if it would work against Jedi. While the Gungans and Naboo were at odds, with the upcoming invasion, it shouldn't take much convincing to ensure the snivelling Neimoidian Gunray acquired examples of these boombas. With that in mind, once this meeting was concluded, he would speak with his agents to further ensure Miss Naberrie was victorious in the election, as, unlike Tapalo, she was young, predictable, and controllable.

"The fact that the Vong consider Zonama Sekot a seed of their homeworld would be something to explore, if not for the planet's disappearance," Plagueis added with a sigh, bringing Sidious' thoughts back to the meeting. "It is a shame that with it gone, and the rare vessels it produces now withered and dead, we lack an example of technology that might share a common ancestry with what the Vong use."

Internally, Sidious smirked. Plagueis had made sure this little trap was ready beforehand, and now was the time to spring it. "I believe that Cameron's current starship is a product of Sekot." With Plagueis he turned and faced the young Jedi, watching as he tensed up. It appeared he was reluctant to let them examine that vessel, however, access to it was something both Sith desired.

… …
(Cam's POV)
As the pair turned my way, I barely resisted the urge to freeze. I knew Raven would come up, but knowing and preparing for it and facing off against two hidden Sith Lords who wanted access to a ship that was, in some way, Force-sensitive, was another matter entirely. Like standing on the surface of a star, or standing in the Oort cloud and comparing the heat.

"The Raven is. However, many of its components, including the powercore and hyperdrive, are mechanical," I spoke slowly, doing my best to refer to her as a machine only. I'd do everything I could to deny access to Raven to these two or let them gain access to her schematics. Yet, there was a valid point in that she was born on Sekot, and should, in theory, share some root similarities with Vong-tech.

"Still, even if your vessel is only partly organic since it is Sekotan built, there will be some shared ancestry between it and Vong biotechnology."

I sighed, accepting the fact. "That is true, though I'm not sure what more I could do beyo…" I cut myself on purpose, drawing on the only way I had to avoid letting either Sith Lord onboard Raven. "The Council requested a full report on Raven. From a mechanical and biological stance, and on any potential Force presence it held." I paused and rubbed my chin. "I'm not sure if the report is finished as even before I left to come here today, there were still technicians and Jedi examining it." I focused on Palpatine. "As a member of the Senate, you should be able to access that report. If not, I can gain a copy and pass it along." After seeing if there was anything I'd rather they didn't learn about Raven and if I could alter the report to hide said information. "I know it's not ideal, but I'd rather not lose access to my ship, and thus an ability to come and go as I please, again."

There were a few moments of silence before Damask lowered his elongated head. "That will suffice, for now, I feel. Though I will admit that I have long held a fascination with Sekotan vessels. Perhaps, if time allows over the next year or so, you might permit me," he glanced at Palpatine, "us, to come aboard and experience a short flight on the Raven?"

"I believe that should be doable, Magister," I replied even as I considered the long list of reasons I already had to delay such a flight. They ranged from anything from needing to spend time instructing Initiates in elementary lightsaber velocities to outright faking a mission and running to the Outer Rim for a few months. Truthfully, I felt I only had to delay the trip until the Invasion of Naboo as after that, whether I took Anakin as my Padawan or not – and the more I considered it, the more the reward was greater than the risk – I planned a long time away from the Core. Hopefully, the Council, or Palpatine after he became Chancellor, wouldn't summon me back until I was ready.

Behind his mask, Damask's face shifted into what looked like a smile. "I look forward to it."

"As do I," Palpatine chimed in. "And while we are on the subject, perhaps you might provide your opinion on the Vong starships? We have read the report and seen the sensor logs; however, I often find hearing someone speak on a matter to be far more illuminating."

"There's little I can add. I was far more interested in guiding the ship I'd just taken control of for the first time away from combat. The only thing I'd draw attention to was the readings that they don't use anything akin to blasters or lasers. From what the sensors showed, and what I observed as we dove between their fire, they used some form of superheated material, akin to plasma weaponry possibly, to target us and Sekot. It might seem primitive compared to turbolasers, but the Raven's sensors suggested we'd have not survived many direct hits."

"Others will undoubtedly see it as primitive, which might be one reason why your Council dismissed the Vong threat, however depending on how exactly they generate this plasma, it might cause Republic vessels problems. Particularly in early engagements." Damask paused and again tapped his mask as he considered something. "Is it safe to assume that, based on what you observed, the Vong ranged weaponry scales with size?"

"Yes, though the largest vessel in their invasion force was perhaps double the size of a Judicial cruiser. I'd consider it a good bet it holds true for large ship classes, but there's no proof they don't have something far more dangerous on their largest warships."

"How expectedly concerning," Palpatine remarked but my attention remained on Damask. He was the one leading this meeting, which made sense as he had less of a read on me than Palpatine did. Plus given the way he spoke, he seemed far more scientifically and logically inclined than his apprentice.

"Yes, but I would consider it more probable they simply scale up their weaponry, much like most vessels go from lasers to turbolasers. That said, while the overwhelming majority of starships built in the Republic use such technology, I do believe there are a handful of specialist manufacturers who use more esoteric technology." That he knew this would be impressive, though I suspected he'd already researched those companies long before this meeting. Just as he likely had for the other topics we'd discussed. "Does your vessel have any such weaponry?"

"No. The Sekotans, at least until the invasion, never considered the need for offensive capabilities on their vessels." That was something that irked me greatly. While the Jedi Council approved of the fact that Raven was unarmed, I hated it. I had some ideas for adding weapons to her, but I'd not had time to examine the technical details of such modifications, though I would admit that, since Vong and Sekotan technology seemed to share a common ancestry, I was wondering about plasma weapons for Raven. Of course, regardless of what weaponry I gave her, or when, I'd have to make sure to do so without telling anyone first. The Council would no doubt complain, particularly if I armed her as much as I wanted – to say nothing of HK's suggestions, which would've given her more firepower than a dozen Judicial cruisers – but she was my ship, and I could apologise after the modifications were done.

"It is unfortunate that they didn't have any vessel comparable to the Recusant or Munificent classes, to say nothing of something akin to the Assertor class. Without those, it will be difficult to convince many of the military threat the Vong pose to the current Republic military?"

A dry chuckle escaped my lips. "What military?" I couldn't help but retort, causing both to turn their attention towards me. I let out a sigh, realising my words might have come across as disrespectful. "Apologies. It's just that I recall, even from my childhood, the sheer magnitude of the fleet stationed around Talravin. And that was merely one isolated world within the Core. But now, apart from key systems like Coruscant, Kuat, and Corellia—all of which are located in the Core—the Republic lacks anything resembling a formidable military force."

"The Senate relies on the Judicial force, supplemented by local defence forces, and the Jedi to deal with incidents inside Republic borders. Though I'll admit they have been found… wanting in anything beyond small skirmishes." Palpatine leaned back in his seat and took a sip from his cup. "As for those systems you mentioned, and others like them, most of their fleets are… limited to intra-system operations. The Ruusan Reformations made clear the limits for any vessel of significant size."

I snorted again and shook my head. "While I understand why, at the time that was passed, the idea was… short-sighted." That was being kind as, if the Republic still had even a basic standing military, it would've helped in hundreds of conflicts over just the last few decades, from the Stark Hyperspace War to the recent issues with the Nebula Front, through wars like that between the Kaleesh and the Yam'rii - which had been brought to an end, badly in my opinion, by the Senate.

That war stuck out in my mind as it was where Grievous was born. However, the war had ended several years ago and from what I could discover, he'd become an agent of the IGBC. If I could, I wanted to eliminate or turn him before he became a cyborg, but details on his assignments were redacted from the Holonet. That made sense as, since he was an agent of the IGBC, he'd be a target for those with grudges against the bank.

"Sorry," I resumed after clearing my head. "I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around why the Reformation was never altered to allow the Senate, or at least the Chancellor with Senate oversight, the ability to call upon a rapid-reaction-force."

Palpatine offered me a sad smile. "It's an entirely understandable reaction. I have lamented on this very issue many times over years working in the Senate." His tone was soft, like a grandfather, and I realised he was using this moment to strengthen the bond he felt existed between us. "There have been many moments where something akin to rapid reaction force as you called it, would have helped. Alas, every attempt has failed, with the most recent being, I believe, the creation of the Outlands Defence Force around a decade ago. No such effort has ever gained enough support in the Senate to even make it to debate, never mind a formal vote."

I barely resisted an urge to roll my eyes. "When the Vong make their presence known, the Republic shall face its inevitable downfall unless it is adequately prepared. Even a solitary fleet bearing a hundred million warriors has the potential to thrust a searing dagger deep into the heart of our Republic, perhaps scorching even the sacred grounds of Coruscant herself." I knew I was being poetic, but I wanted to drive home just how much danger the Vong posed. I knew they were going to invade; I knew it would be more than one fleet, and while I couldn't say as much to others – particularly not the Sith Lords sitting with me – I wanted them to understand how fully I supported a military build-up.

I understood well the sheer insanity of the fact I was in lockstep with the Sith over the need for a military, even if our reasons behind it were vastly different. Yet without the fleets, no matter which of us was still standing when the Vong arrived, the galaxy was doomed. If I could get in with the Sith here and now, I might just get some of the curtain pulled back, perhaps even enough to learn ways to exploit events to my benefit.

"Then we three, and other like-minded individuals that we can find, must prepare for what is to come." I let some surprise creep onto my face at hearing Damask's words. "While I would prefer to reach an agreement with the Vong that could potentially be beneficial to my interests, from all I've read and heard, I can see that won't be possible. Not unless the Republic is able to shatter the Vong fleets almost entirely. What we must arrange, slowly, cautiously, and without drawing the attention of the Senate, the Jedi Council and others who might oppose us, is the development and construction of instruments of war the likes of which the galaxy has not seen for a thousand years."

They were already planning that, but they didn't know I knew, so Damask's pronouncement would, in theory, draw me deeper into an alliance with them. And, as they no doubt hoped, make it easier to slowly manipulate me into turning to the Dark Side. Even knowing this, I understood there was a chance I might fall, but better the devil you know, than the one you don't. Plus, if I played this right, and kept them close but not too close, there were ways I could use this alliance to prepare to counter their plans for the galaxy.

"Can we not count on the Jedi to defend the Republic against the Vong, just as they've defended it against threats for millennia?"

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose to hide my reaction to hearing Darth freaking Sidious suggest, convincingly, using the Jedi to defend the Republic. It was fucking rich to hear him suggest that, when using them to defend it was exactly how their plan would ensure the destruction of the Order and the Republic.

After taking a breath to calm myself, and hoping that they misunderstood my need for a moment, I replied. "While the Jedi will fight for the Republic, our numbers aren't enough, uncle." I shook my head and sighed to hopefully drive home that point. "Even if the Council supported us now, I would say only a third, perhaps at best a half, of the Order, would be ready and willing to fight against the Vong. The majority of the Order aren't Jedi as you'd expect. Most are Initiates, Younglings or assigned to a service corps such as those deemed unable to become a Padawan; never mind a Knight. And even then, of that half that could conceivably fight, I'd say half again wouldn't survive their first engagement with the Vong. We're taught to be defensive, to react to a threat and not go for the kill. That mentality, when combined with the common Force abilities a Jedi would use – such as trying to push back or throw a sentient away – would get them killed within seconds of battle commencing."

"Are you not, perhaps, underestimating the Order? After all, you survived your first encounter with the Vong, and many more thereafter."

"Perhaps I am," I responded with a shrug. "However, I'd rather underestimate than overestimate the Order's fighting ability. That said, I'd expect most Jedi Knights and Masters to fare better against the Vong than I did." I hoped that was true, but I knew many Jedi only learnt enough of the lightsaber to be decent with it, preferring to concentrate on other aspects of the Order. Those Jedi would be slaughtered by the Vong and would be among the first to fall in the Clone Wars.

"Indeed, from the recordings I've seen of many senior Jedi, their skill with a lightsaber is most impressive." Damask shared a quick look with Palpatine when he finished speaking, and I wondered if they truly felt that, or were dismissive of all but a few of the Order's fighters. After all, Sidious had slaughtered three Council members in seconds when they'd gone with Windu to arrest him. "I would also speculate that groups, such as the Mandalorians, Sun Guard, Echani and others would be just as, if not more, proficient against the Vong during planetary combat when compared to a baseline Jedi. However, if we cannot develop the forces to counter their suspected orbital superiority, then any advantages Republic forces might have on the ground would be irrelevant."

"Aye. While Bo-Katan did well enough against the Vong once she'd fought them a few times, she was never able to truly go toe-to-toe with them. However, since we were always outnumbered and she is still a young warrior, I'd rate her as average at best for her people." I mentally chuckled at that comparison as I knew it was untrue, compared to any truly seasoned Mandalorian, Bo still had a lot to learn even with all her talent. "The Antarian Rangers with me weren't as useful, though the surviving member is new to their ways while the Lieutenant was overwhelmed in the Vong's counter-ambush."

"And what of your beast?" Plagueis asked, leaning forward. "How did the adolescent tuk'ata fare?"

I smirked, both thinking of Fenrir and that Plagueis had brought him up. I'd left him off intentionally as I knew the Sith would want to hear how a Sith-created beast did against the Vong but wanted them to mention him. "Like everyone, he struggled in the first battle. While he did kill the beast the Vong had with them, he lost a spinal crest. After that though, he got better and better, even managing to take down two of their beasts in a later ambush with only a few scratches to show for it." I chuckled for a moment. "The only downside is that now, after the battles, he no longer finds the Temple as… comforting as he once did."

"A feeling you perhaps share?"

I smiled at Palpatine. "Maybe, though unlike Fenrir I know that not every problem can be solved by violence. Sometimes you have to use words," I shifted my focus to Damask, "and other times, the promise of financial motivation can gain you what is needed." The pair nodded, seemingly accepting and glad that I understood, I knew that point as Palpatine offered another grandfatherly smile.

Before either could respond, a gentle beep came from my vambrace. I glanced down at it, surprised to see that the timer I'd set as I'd exited Raven had expired. I'd set it to avoid being stuck talking with Palpatine for too long, though now I realised it was cutting short my discussion with him and Damask. "Forgive me, but I must return to the Temple," I began as I turned off the alarm. "The Battlemaster has requested my help with teaching several Initiate clans the very basics of lightsaber combat, and unless I leave soon, I fear I'll miss the class." Even if the alarm hadn't been needed for what I'd expected, it was allowing me to end this unexpected meeting on my terms, which I made clear by standing.

"Of course, of course," Palpatine replied as he and Damask stood as well. "I understand that you couldn't have known why I'd summoned you. I kept my message vague to ensure others didn't learn of the Magister's presence, or the topic of our conversation." He moved closer and shook my hand while gripping my arm near my elbow with his free hand and smiling. "While more time would be useful, what we've covered today allows us to move forward with initial plans, though I expect we'll have to meet again to review how those plans are coming along."

"I would expect the same," Damask added as Palpatine released my arm and hand. "Though I suspect if we continue to meet within the Senator's office, others might grow curious as to why." Even as I shook his hand, I couldn't deny he was right. "Therefore, the suite I offered earlier might be a way to remove some of that issue." I opened my mouth to argue against the idea when he raised his free hand, extending his long, thin fingers. "I understand your reluctance to accept another gift, however, I'm not offering simply for that now. Since I will normally be present within the Spires, it would allow us an easy method to speak privately, away from almost all prying eyes, since I will be located within the penthouse."

As I stopped shaking Damask's hands I sighed, seeing no way to avoid accepting the offer. "Then under that condition, I accept, Magister. Though perhaps you might ensure it isn't placed under my name as I'd rather not have to explain such a place to the Jedi Council."

Damask chuckled, which still sounded strange because of his mask. "Yes. I suspect your Council wouldn't look favourably on ownership of a suite in such an exclusive location. Would placing it under your pseudonym be acceptable?"

"It would, and while my former masters would realise this, I'm more concerned it might draw any fans of my works to the Spires. Especially once the holomovies are released."

"Yes, that is true, though be assured the security around Kaldani Spires is second to none. I wouldn't allow anything less." I nodded my thanks to Damask about that, and so long as no one linked me directly to the stories, the comings and goings of a Jedi would, I hoped, avoid too much scrutiny.

"When the first movie is ready, will you attend the premiere?" Palpatine asked. "And might I request several early tickets to the event?"

I laughed at that. I didn't know if he was a fan of the works – Force I hoped not as the Nazgul were something I hoped they never used as inspiration – but by the time Fellowship came out, he'd be Chancellor. Getting him to attend would drive up interest exponentially, meaning more credits for me to use to, hopefully, counter the Sith plan. "Of course. I'll have to ensure Padmé receives some as well, though if she is Queen then, it might be difficult for her to attend."

"I'm sure she'd make room in her schedule for you," a sly smile crept onto Palpatine's face. "While I've only spoken to her a few times because of the upcoming election, each time she asked after you. It seems your work with the Shadda-Bi-Borans had a greater effect on her than I'd realised."

"I hadn't known you were involved in their relocation," Damask commented.

Palpatine's smile shifted into an amused one. "Yes, that was when Cameron here met Miss Naberrie for the first time, which sparked their friendship." Palpatine turned back to me. "I believe it was you who sent the lightfoil when she became Princess of Theed?"

"It was." There was little point denying it as Palpatine would've researched who sent such a gift already. "Though I haven't managed to return to Naboo to give her any lessons."

"Perhaps, if she is successful, after her coronation? Having the support of a Jedi would help secure her position."

"If time allows, I'll see if I can manage it." Palpatine nodded, no doubt looking forward to it as it would give him an in with Padmé for ensuring my return, and as he said, help secure her position. Though for me, it would allow me to map out the Royal Palace for the invasion, though I wasn't sure how long I had from her coronation until the invasion, and I had certain things to sort out before then.

My vambrace beeped again, making me chuckle as I turned off the secondary alarm. "Right, I really have to leave now." The pair smiled at me. "Still, I'm grateful to both of you for believing in me regarding the Vong threat. It's… comforting to have that after the blunt dismissal the Council gave." Well, the Council had done so as a group, but others including Windu had sought me out for information, letting me know that they agreed the Vong could be a threat. While not what I wanted, it was better than nothing.

As for the Sith, I knew they'd be interested in the Vong as both a threat to their plans and a way to get closer to me. While the former was a risk, the latter was worth it if the galaxy, in whatever state it was in, was ready to face the Vong when they appeared with their full might.

"I'll admit that I'm hesitant to believe they are as great and immediate a threat as you do, however, I can't deny that from this single encounter, they pose a danger. That being said, you've shown a tendency to not overreact to issues, which lends credence to your worries." Damask nodded in agreement with Palpatine's words.

I bowed deeply to the pair, making clear my gratitude for their support. "Senator, Magister, until we next speak, thank you for your time."

After nods from them, I turned and left the study and then Palpatine's office. The Senate Guard were gone, though the Sun Guard were still present and tensed as I emerged and then walked past. I kept my mind still until I'd not only left the floor but had reached the exit to the landing platform where Raven waited. Once I was there, with Raven in sight as the droids moved around her, I stopped to consider the meeting.

I had to chuckle and shake my head at the sheer insanity of the fact I was now actively working with Sith Lords to defend the galaxy, even if this was one of the rare moments where the term 'The Greater Good' could be applied. The Vong were a clear danger to everyone, though I understood enough that by stopping them on Zonama Sekot I'd bought the galaxy several decades, perhaps up to fifty years, to prepare.

That meant the galaxy, whatever shape it was in after the Clone Wars, had to be ready. I fervently hoped I could stop the Sith before things got too insane, or failing that, at least ensure the Empire didn't rise to the same heights nor last as long as canon. However, even if I couldn't, and my actions somehow resulted in the Sith and Empire ruling for longer with a stronger military, I'd take it. For all their flaws, the Empire had to be a better choice than a galaxy dominated by the Vong.

My thoughts drifted to the vision I'd shared with Anakin several years ago. If, as that hinted, we had to shatter the galaxy, the Republic, to save it, then that might well be a better situation than having the Republic survive the Clone Wars, or be reformed after the Empire fell, and had to face the Vong. Smaller states would mean weaker individual navies, but since the galaxy would be unstable, those states would have larger militaries that, when combined, would surely outnumber anything the Republic or its successor might have.

My eyes drifted off, trying and failing to see Kaldani Spires. There was no doubt it would be bugged to hell and back, and it was close to Darth Plagueis. Yet, ignoring all that, the offer made sense. We couldn't keep meeting in Palpatine's office. Especially after he became Chancellor, as that would tie me explicitly to him, which I didn't want. Plus, as we got closer to the Clone Wars, then depending on the situation, I could use the suite to ensure false, or at least not-entirely-accurate, information was overheard by the Sith.

Also, by keeping away from the Senate and Palpatine directly, Dooku wouldn't consider me hypocritical. Back when the Coalition of Jedi was formed to prepare for the coming darkness, he'd wanted to reach out to people like Palpatine. I'd argued against it, so if now, as the darkness grew closer and more encompassing, I spent time with Palpatine, Dooku might begin to doubt my sincerity. Fay could've also been a problem in that regard, but with her now focused on Tython, I wondered if she'd be around as plans began to take shape for the wars to come.

A third advantage of the suite, though I was reluctant to consider it currently as it would give the Sith a hold over me, was that it would no doubt be a wonderful place to retire with Serra on certain days. There'd come a point where taking her into orbit in Raven would draw questions and while not as aggressive about things as Bo, Serra clearly wanted what we had to continue on a more regular basis. Yes, taking her to the suite would bring her to the attention of the Sith, or more so since there was no doubt in my mind that they already knew of her due to our friendship, but I knew she'd love the place. Though before I brought her there for the first time, I'd have to be explicitly clear about what could and couldn't be discussed openly in the suite.

Of course, thinking of Serra brought to mind the last time I'd been with her. The faint squeaks of delight she emitted whenever I nibbled her neck or other points. The way her heart raced when I pulled her close, of how her breath seemed to freeze whenever I captured her lips, or the way…

I shook my head. This wasn't the time nor place to think about her like that, and not just because I was still close enough to the Sith that they might pick up on a stray lustful desire. No, when I returned to the Temple, I'd no doubt end up sparring with my friends, and we had to be mindful of our thoughts within the Temple's walls.

I started moving, letting the sun blaze down on me. A wave to the droids had them removing the fuel hose and other connections to Raven, and as I reached her, and ran my fingers along her hull, I sensed her desire, her need to race between the stars once again.

"Soon, my dear," I whispered as I moved toward the ramp that had just begun descending. "Soon we'll enter the vastness of space, and you can bask in the light of different stars."

On her hull, light patterns raced around my fingers, making clear she understood my comments. I chuckled as I removed my hand and stepped onto the ramp. The meeting today would be playing in my thoughts for a while. I felt I'd seen most of the Sith ploys, but until I reviewed it all again, multiple times, in solitude, I doubted I'd sense all of them. If I ever would.

… …

… …
(Plagueis' POV)
Plagueis sat quietly as the door closed behind Shan. Neither he nor Sidious spoke, which allowed him time to consider the meeting.

Shan was cautious, which was understandable since he had been blindsided by Plagueis' presence at the meeting. However, while Shan had adapted to that rapidly, Plagueis felt there was still something Shan was holding back on. Or at least more so than the faint images of a female he sensed from the Jedi when Plagueis had made the second offer for the suite in Kaldani Spires. However, the female was not Miss Kryze, which was unexpected, yet Plagueis felt certain this female was another Jedi. If the pair were close, it could potentially be used as a way to drive Shan from the Order, though Plagueis felt that it would take far less than a scandalous relationship to eventually drive Shan from the Jedi.

A soft beep drew his attention to the door that led to the short foyer. A second beep, this time accompanied by a light that only stayed active for a moment, was the signal Shan had left the office.

"He has the potential to be a powerful Sith," Sidious offered quickly. "The fury he held within when he spoke of what happened to his former master, and what might've happened to the Mandalorian girl was impressive."

Plagueis inclined his head. "Yes. Beyond his obvious potential with the Force, and the legacy he bears, that instance proves he has already tasted, and dominated the Dark Side. That he admitted it was interesting, but it proves he considers us trusted allies."

"Yes, Master, though I feel he did so more to show that there were ways to hurt the Vong beyond simplistic Jedi approaches. In addition, the choice he's made to maintain, and hide, that anger within instead of releasing it into the Force was unexpected."

"Indeed." Plagueis glanced at the door Shan had left through, his brow creasing. "Still, there is something, perhaps several things, he is withholding from us. I postulate that the exact details of his usage of the Dark Side is one such instance – as there is little need to explain what he did to non-Force-sensitives – I feel there is something else he's keeping from us. Something linked to either his vessel, the planet, or perhaps both."

"Yes, and the way he spoke of the Mandalorian girl, Miss Kryze. He cares for her, and I believe they may have grown close during their months stuck on the planet. I suspect that, if there had been a point where she'd been in mortal danger, Shan would've drawn on the Dark Side again to protect her."

"Yes, the girl might be of use. She is the daughter of Duke Adonai Kryze, correct?" Sidious nodded. "With the recent shift in Mandalorian politics, there may well be a way to either bring the culture into the separatist faction or perhaps use them alone to strike at the Republic as they've done many times in the past. Use them to fuel the flames before war consumes the galaxy."

"There might be another avenue to consider. When he accepted the suite, there were flashes of another, who I believe is a member of the Jedi. A Padawan around his age named Serra Keto." Plagueis' brow rose at this. The Keto family had once, millennia before, allied with Exar Kun against the Republic and Jedi. "The girl came to my attention some years ago, and from what I can gather, while not overly special as a Jedi, she is connected to the Keto family of the Empress Teta system. A lineage with a strong historical link to the Dark Side. When she first came to my notice, she lusted for Shan, and from the glimpses I sensed today, it's clear Shan feels the same way. They may well have already broken their vow of non-attachment."

Plagueis leaned back, his fingers tapping his mask as Sidious spoke. "Hmm, that will require observation. Even if she cannot be used to control Shan, her connection to the Keto family might make her susceptible to conversion into an acolyte. Not on par with Shan or your assassin, but any that we can ensure fall before the Grand Plan's final order could be useful in what will arise from the ashes of the Republic."

Plagueis wondered about the young Miss Naberrie, as from how Sidious and Shan had spoken, it was clear the future queen had an interest in Shan, though there was no hint Shan reciprocated. As Miss Naberrie was nothing more than a pawn to ensure Sidious's rise to Chancellor, Plagueis doubted she would be of any importance. Still, it was another possible tangent for corrupting Shan and showing him the true path was to dominate the Force, not submit blindly to it.

"What if Shan cannot be turned, or even tempted, Master?"

Plagueis allowed a faint smile to come to his face. While Sidious hid it well, he could sense his apprentice's concern. Shan was potentially more powerful than either of them, and Sidious feared being replaced. Even if Plagueis had made clear the Rule of Two would be removed once the Jedi were gone and they would rule as equals, Sidious was still the Apprentice and always at risk of replacement. If Shan could be turned, then Plagueis did not foresee a need to have him replace Sidious. No, Shan would serve as the one directly below them, controlling elements of their new empire that neither he nor Sidious wished to concern themselves with. In time, perhaps Shan would ascend to join them, but by then Plagueis did not doubt that he would have discovered true immortality.

"I have little doubt Shan can be tempted, Sidious. The desire to know more about his new powers will be enough to ensure that. However, even if he cannot be turned fully, he will be of use. An obvious role may well be to assume control of the Mandalorians and ready them for war. Perhaps he might even be able to convince other Jedi to leave with him."

"I don't feel he can cause another schism, master. While powerful, he is young and seen by many in the Jedi as an outsider. Much as Master Dooku is. The chance he could cause enough Jedi to rebel against their council is small enough to not be factored into the Plan."

Plagueis lowered his head, accepting the point, even as he ignored the faint hints of annoyance he felt regarding Dooku. Of all the Jedi that might serve the role of the instigator of unrest, Dooku was the ideal candidate. Well known to many in power, a respected member of the Order, and with a family name that carried weight in the Rim. Dooku would have been the perfect tool to create a force to challenge the Republic. That it was Shan who had inadvertently taken Dooku away from a place in the Grand Plan was not lost on Plagueis. Though he did acknowledge that as the Force hides one path, the Sith forced open others, in this case, Shan and C'baoth.

"Yes, he is still young and unknown to many." Plagueis paused and tapped his mask. "It would benefit us if we might glimpse some of Shan's potential paths. Since we have time on the matter, there is no rush, but before the invasion of Naboo, I require you to perform a ritual and gaze into Shan's future."

"Yes, Master." Sidious.

Plagueis cursed his former Master, Tenebrous. The fool had, with his dying breath, somehow robbed Plagueis of his ability to foresee what was to happen. While that had not disrupted the Grand Plan, it had caused Plagueis issues until Sidious was sufficiently skilled enough to peer into what might and will be. The thought always remained at the back of Plagueis' mind that perhaps, on occasion, Sidious omitted a detail here or there from what he saw. Not enough to affect their plans, but enough that it might place Plagueis in future danger. However, he considered Sidious an equal and knew they would soon rule the Republic, and enter the final stages of the Grand Plan, at each other's side.

"It is unfortunate that your assassin destroyed Cog Hive Seven prison during his escape," Plagueis commented slowly, watching his apprentice for any reaction. "While its destruction helped remove a minor nuisance, from the reports he submitted, I believe the assassin fought and killed a Vong in one of his deathmatches."

Plagueis was sure there was more to that mission than the removal of Iram Radique, but so far he had not found any connection to Sidious. Through either Radique or Jabba Desilijic Tiure. Yet that suspicion that there was more to the mission than Sidious let on remained, even after questioning Sidious for several days.

"Yes, Maul was, regrettably, highly efficient at removing the evidence of his presence with the prison's destruction. Though since we now suspect that it was a Vong, it is possible there are other infiltrators spread across the Outer Rim, learning the strengths and weaknesses of the Republic?"

"That is likely. Cog Hive Seven is far from where Zonama Sekot once was. For the Vong to have travelled there would mean placement on a planet that used the prison. With effort, it might be possible to determine which planet he was captured on, but I suspect that road will lead to nothing substantial."

"I don't believe we will be able to locate other infiltrators, Master. Even if they do nothing to hide their unusual appearance, it is probable that by the time any rumour can be substantiated, they will have moved on."

"I concur; however, we should still send out feelers into the underworld. With the Vong as fearsome as both Shan and Maul contend, there is a chance one or more might be taken on as muscle for powerful figures or cartels. The odds that we will be able to acquire a specimen before the Grand Plan is initiated are slim, but it shouldn't be overlooked."

Regardless of if or when a Vong was acquired, Plagueis would need a new location for his experiments. The loss of Sojourn was unfortunate, but there were several places on Coruscant alone where he might be able to set up a new facility. The LiMerge Building in the Works district was one such option, however, that would be placing it near other critical facilities, and centralising the Sith operations.

"If the Vong are probing our defences, perhaps we might return the favour." Plagueis raised an eyebrow, wondering what Sidious was thinking. "Master C'baoth has spoken rather passionately about a desire to seed colonies in the Unknown Regions. The effort will require significant capital, but allow us, with the right investments, to use this expedition to determine if the Vong are active in the Unknown Regions, or if, as Shan believes, they come from across the galactic void."

Plagueis ran through the scenario in his head. C'baoth was now, with Dooku seemingly no longer an option, the prime candidate to act as the figurehead of an Outer Rim insurgency against the Republic. C'baoth didn't have Dooku's gravitas or flair, but he had a way with words and people that would ensure others rallied to him regardless of the cause.

This expedition C'baoth wished for was a folly, but one that could, if used properly, ensure the removal of a substantial number of Jedi before the Grand Plan entered the endgame. Still, if it was supported, plans would have to be enacted to ensure C'baoth was removed from the vessel before it left Republic space. From there, it could be used to explore the Unknown Regions, however, any outposts it set up would have to be removed when the project outlived its usefulness.

"There may be some value in this project. I doubt C'baoth would take much convincing to expand the scope of it to include a larger contingent of Jedi and exploration and research components. Even if, as I suspect, it failed to make contact with the Vong, an enlarged mission would mean more Jedi could be removed when we inevitably end it. The largest issue though is ensuring we do not sacrifice C'baoth with it." Plagueis nodded. "Reach out to C'baoth and arrange a meeting between us."

"Yes, Master."

"I will take the reports and files Shan has provided and provide them to trusted sources for examination. I'll also enquire for information on all species that either use organic or bio-mechanical technology or are, in some way, immune to the Force. While the Yinchorri have been removed from the board, we cannot discount that a race like them, or the Vong themselves, might not emerge to interfere with the Plan at a critical juncture. "

"And what of Shan?"

"We will continue as we have. Monitoring his movements and actions and continuing to provide an outlet for any resentment he feels toward the Jedi. I suspect he might choose to move his funds now that he knows I am aware of them, however, contingencies are in place to monitor any significant outflow credits and the creation of new accounts with accounts of similar amounts. It is clear that even if he doesn't understand what, he senses change on the horizon. With the right word in his ear at the right moment or the correct reveal of certain information, he can be guided as we need to ensure the Jedi and Republic fall."

Sidious nodded in understanding and Plagueis stood. He left the study and office steadily, his Sun Guard falling into step around him. While they were new, Plagueis was assured that unlike their predecessors they would not commit the same mistakes that led to their forerunners' death when Sojourn was attacked and destroyed.

Still, it should only be a few short years until Palpatine became chancellor. When he did, and named Hego Damask as his primary advisor and co-Chancellor, there would be little any could do to stop them from bringing the Grand Plan into its final stages.

Soon the Republic would burn, and from its ashes, a new Sith Empire would rise. One ruled by himself and Sidious.

… …
(Sidious' POV)
Sidious watched Plagueis depart, keeping his mind calm and centred. Once he was alerted to Damask's transport leaving the Senate, he returned to his office and frowned.

Plagueis hadn't mentioned how Cameron would be used, but it was clear to Sidious that Plagueis was considering Cameron for his own devices. This, Sidious would not allow.

While Cameron was young, his potential, if worthy, would be Sidious' alone to harness. First, though, he would have to be tested. Perhaps during the blockade of Naboo. If, as Sidious expected, Gunray was forced to invade the planet, there was little doubt in Sidious' mind that Cameron would intervene, regardless of what the Jedi Council ordered. From there, it would be a simple matter of ensuring Maul was deployed to Naboo and Sidious would have them tested to determine who was worthy of being his apprentice.

As for Plagueis, while Cameron's actions had brought his master out of his seclusion, the last moments of Plagueis' life were drawing near, though Sidious did wonder if that moment was now further away than it would've been without Cameron's intervention. Still, the day would come, be it in one year, five or ten, when Plagueis would have served his purpose. From then on, Bane's Rule of Two would give way to a new order: the Rule of One.

… …

… …
A/N: Alternate name for this chapter: Deal with the Devils
...
This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
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USSExplorer · Aug 16, 2023

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

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

Current Date: READ THE TITLE (LOL)

The Calm Before the Menace
… …

As my eyes wandered away from the sycophantic gathering of nobles, diplomats, and dignitaries, I found myself staring in awe at the intricate and majestic ceiling above. The exquisite painting and artistic style of the architecture reminded me of the grandeur and elegance of the Sistine Chapel. However, this was far more magnificent, making it a fitting venue to commemorate the crowning of Naboo's new monarch.

Those present were watching as various people of importance – both from within and without the sector – approached the throne to offer Queen Amidala congratulations and often a gift in recognition of her reign. The ceremony to crown her had taken several hours in the main square of Theed, though thankfully the sun had been out all day without it ever feeling hot, and now those of status were in the Celebration Hall, which was built to commemorate the founding of the colony on the planet several millennia ago.

The parade through the streets of Theed that led up to the formal coronation on the steps of the Royal Palace was a joyous one. Everyone seemed welcoming of their new queen, and thanks to Observe, I knew many were happy to finally see King Veruna gone and replaced. Hope and expectation emanated from everywhere, and I did my best to hide concerns about how that hope would be shattered inside of a year by the Trade Federation. Now, there were a few who were concerned about Padmé's age, but they were in the small minority, and even they were joyful and hopeful.

Padmé was wearing a long, regal, red gown that bore a striking similarity to the one she'd worn when the Trade Federation had blockaded and invaded the world, so I assumed red was a colour the Naboo associated with royalty. While the gown was fine, the headdress – made from the tail feathers of a local bird of prey called a Twirrl – was distracting, and I was glad that now she was sitting on a throne greeting her well-wishers that she wasn't wearing it. Yet as much as I disliked the headdress, I couldn't help my smile knowing the lightfoil I'd gifted her when she'd become Princess of Theed was given a place of importance at her hip. Something I felt her advisors weren't overly happy about, but it pleased me to see that she valued my gift.

Of course, I had to remind myself that no matter how much she looked like how she had in the Phantom Menace, unlike the actress who'd played her, Padmé was only a child. Yes, at fourteen she was considered an adult by the Naboo – and Mandalorians – but she was under the Republic age of Responsibility of 16, and until she was twenty-one, her parents decided what she could or couldn't do. Though I suspected that last part was void now that Padmé was queen.

The other issue was that, as much as I liked her, and I knew she liked me, I was involved with someone. While Serra was accepting of what I shared with Bo – and, I felt, interested in experiencing the redhead for herself – Padmé wasn't someone that had come up during our talks – be they serious or joking – about others around us. Though I did find it amusing that Naz, Sia-Lan, Aayla and Rachi's names all came up during those discussions.

Beside me, Fenrir shifted, which failed to draw much response from those around us. Still, as I was positioned far to the back of the hall with Fenrir out of sight of the throne intentionally, and since this was further from the more important dignitaries, it meant those nearby had to stand closer than any would've liked to the hulking beast at my side. Only the fact I wore a lightsaber and that two Naboo guards stood behind me prevented a mass panic from breaking out. Still, even with that, and Palpatine's express approval to allow us to be present, I was using Force Cloak to conceal Fenrir and Force Persuasion to convince others to mind their distance. It wasn't perfect, but it had calmed the ripples of fear that had radiated out when we'd first entered the hall.

Palpatine, who had insisted I attended the ceremony, had wanted me to have a position of prominence near the throne, however, I'd declined. This was Padmé's day, and I didn't want either myself or Fenrir distracting from that. Still, I would eventually be moved to join the line to offer congratulations as Palpatine had insisted I do so, and I felt no need to argue against it. Though I couldn't deny the reactions of those watching, seeing a Jedi and Tuk'ata as large as any man step close to the new Queen was something I was looking forward to. Almost as much as I was looking forward to Padmé's reaction to my presence.

As I continued to watch, a young male – perhaps around Padmé's age – approached the throne. He dropped to a knee, which was an odd choice as few of those who'd come before had done so, and held up a box that, with some Force-assisted sight, I saw was very intricately carved. The boy appeared nervous as a man moved from the side of Padme's throne to stand next to him. I couldn't hear what the man was saying clearly since I was so far away from the throne on purpose and wasn't willing to use the Force to boost my hearing. While the hall was generally quiet, when I'd done that before, I'd been bombarded by comments from others in the hall. None had been particularly loud, but it had been unnecessarily annoying.

"Kun Lago, former Prime Counsellor of King Veruna, and his son, Ian." I stiffened as Palpatine whispered the details from behind my shoulder. I hadn't sensed his approach even when I wasn't entirely focused on Padme and those around me. That was a clear sign of how easily he could hide his presence. "No doubt he hopes to regain some of his former glory with our new Queen."

"If the rumours about Veruna's corruption are true, I don't see that happening. Hells, I'm honestly surprised he hasn't been brought in for questioning."

Palpatine chuckled as I turned to face him. "While I'm sure that has happened, he and the former king have enough supporters remaining, that any investigation would be squashed before the details could reach the public."

I grunted and glanced back to see a guard take the box from Ian even as Padmé spoke to Kun. "Hmm, in that case, might I suggest the new queen grants him a position? One that involves managing Theed's sanitation needs."

Palpatine's smile grew. "While it would certainly be a worthy appointment, I fear the new queen is less vindictive than we would be in her position. A trait that has helped her rapidly rise to the throne. That and adding someone with Kun's reputation to her cabinet, even in such a suitable position, would undermine confidence in her government before it could begin."

I nodded, accepting his words even though I noted he'd not replied to my comment about Veruna. I had little doubt he knew where many of the bodies were buried and had likely – through people like Sate Prestige – made sure those bodies were found at opportune moments to undermine Veruna. Just as I had little doubt he'd helped subtly to ensure the seemingly malleable Padmé could assume the throne not long before he brought about the blockade and invasion of Naboo.

"The boy appeared nervous," I remarked as he guided me and Fenrir – who he never seemed bothered by, but also avoided bringing up – toward one side of the hall. "Is his father hoping to seek a betrothal for the queen?"

The Senator stopped and placed a hand on my shoulder, ignoring the faint growl that action brought forth from Fenrir. On some level, I suspected that the tuk'ata could sense something off about the hidden Sith, though I never brought it up. Not after communicating, as best I could, with Fenrir and making him understand that I knew Palpatine was trouble, but that I needed to stay close to him, for now, to avoid him suspecting I knew his true intentions.

"Kun might well seek such an alliance; however, I am certain the queen would reject the overture." He smiled warmly. "I suspect Queen Amidala, if she were to pursue a consort, has already set her eyes upon another."

"Said suitor would be a lucky man."

Palpatine nodded and then turned, his hand sliding from my robes. As he moved, I glanced at the place he'd touched. No obvious device was present, but I'd still check the robes later to be sure. Now, I didn't expect him to ever be so open, but I wasn't discounting him, or someone working for him, might try to bug or track me. Thus, I'd made it obvious at times – around him and others – that I checked my robes for such things. Most felt I was being paranoid, but just because I was, didn't mean people wouldn't try to track me.

Palpatine led me and Fenrir toward a small door. There, a guard tensed as he saw Fenrir approach, but said nothing as he pressed what looked like an ID tag against the door. As it silently slid open, he stepped to one side and allowed us to enter without incident. The door closed behind us, leaving us in a darkened, narrow corridor that was only illuminated by coloured light strips along the wall.

As I was guided through the corridor and others, I took in the various strips of light that seemed to take different paths, guiding those who used the tunnels to different locations without any signposts. It was an ingenious and effective layer of security that I had not anticipated from the peaceful Naboo. As we passed by larger intersections, I noticed guards stationed at strategic points and several servants and droids bustling around, tending to their duties. Despite our presence, only the mouse droids scurried out of our way, while even Fenrir's appearance from the shadows failed to elicit any reaction from the other individuals. It was as though we were invisible, and our movements went unnoticed.

Eventually, the path we were following – a light purple strip – reached an end. With practised ease, Palpatine ran his hand over a section of the wall and a door slid open. I blinked, caught off slightly by the shift in brightness, and when it passed, I saw we'd arrived at a part of the line waiting to greet Padmé. Thanks to having already walked the hall the day before – while it was quiet and Padmé was busy with other preparations so she wouldn't know I was present – I'd formed a map of it, as such I knew we were no more than a hundred metres from her.

When I'd initially agreed to Palpatine's idea of attending the coronation, I'd wanted to remain in the shadows until the banquet tonight. However, the Senator had been insistent that I announce myself no later than in this hall. To do otherwise, he claimed, would be a grievous insult to her and the people of Naboo.

Several people, both those waiting in line and their attendants, turned our way as we emerged. None reacted to the presence of the Senator and a Jedi, though most did when Fenrir emerged. I was still using Force Persuasion to calm everyone, but the sudden emergence of a nearly two-metre-tall beast from a hidden passage unnerved many. Several guards moved closer, only stopping when Palpatine raised a hand.

"Here," he said as he indicated a slot in the line. As I moved closer the man there bowed and shifted away, allowing me to take the spot. Clearly, he'd been standing to reserve my spot and I wondered how many other guests had someone do that for them. "While I understand you'd prefer to join the line later, none can approach the queen until they pass the final security checkpoint." He turned and indicated a wide arch where a dozen guards were stationed. I could sense two more on each side, manning laser-cannons that were hidden behind closed windows.

"Thank you, Senator," I said as I lowered my head.

"But of course, Master Jedi," he replied, which drew the attention of several nearby. Something he no doubt intended as it would likely look good for him to be associated with a Jedi friendly to the new queen.

Behind me, I heard someone move, only for Fenrir to turn. A quiet but high-pitched squeak escaped from there before I heard footsteps of someone rapidly moving away. Palpatine glanced passed me and chuckled. "I wonder if I might one day borrow your companion. I feel having him with me would allow me to avoid the worst of those wishing to monopolise my time in the Senate."

I chuckled and shook my head. "While Fenrir would certainly help with that, I fear how he would react having to deal with those who frequent the halls of power in the Republic.

Palpatine glanced at Fenrir and a faint smile, one that hinted at malevolence slipped onto his face. "Yes, as amusing as imagining such a scenario is, it would be unwise to allow it to happen. Still, one can but dream." While most would ignore the smile, thinking he was simply enjoying the dark humour of my remark, I felt it might well be a hint of his true self showing through. Though I had no proof of that. "I must leave you here. When you arrive at the throne, I will be on hand to deflect some of the queen's attention."

"Until then."

With a nod, he moved off and I waited. It took about twenty minutes to reach the security checkpoint, with the guards there tensing the closer I and Fenrir got. Once it was our turn to pass through the checkpoint, the two that were directly checking guests tensed and gripped their rifles tighter as they approached.

"Sir, your, uh, beast…"

I grinned knowingly while casually parting my robes, revealing the gleaming lightsaber at my side. "Fenrir stands as my loyal companion, bound to my in the Force. His fangs are reserved solely for those harbouring malicious designs against me. The Jedi Council allows his presence, as do Senator Palpatine and Queen Amidala—though she remains unacquainted in person as of yet." Slipping an identification chit to the guard, I watched as it was scanned. The other sentinel inched closer, halted abruptly—much like the scanning guard—when Fenrir emitted a discontented growl. "Patience, Fenrir. They are merely doing their jobs; even if their intentions soured, this would not be where they'd mount an assault." Fenrir advanced, nudging my shoulder with his powerful head, nudging me into motion. To regain my balance, I adjusted my stance, scratching his chin with the hand that bore the lightsaber. "Indeed, once this affair concludes, a brisk run would likely do us some good." Fenrir exhaled in approval, coinciding with the return of my identity chit from the guard's grasp.

"You are free to pass, Master Jedi."

I nodded my thanks, hiding my amusement at the fear wafting off him and walked through the checkpoint, entirely unconcerned with the dozen blasters levelled at Fenrir and myself. If they even thought about attacking, they'd be lucky to survive Fenrir's response let alone mine. To say nothing of the bollocking Palpatine and Padmé would certainly give them.

As we emerged through the checkpoint and came into view of the masses, a small commotion started. I placed my hand on Fenrir's side and smiled at the crowds. "Easy Fenrir. They're just afraid of you. As they should be." He snorted in agreement. "If you behave, then I'll see if you might be allowed to hunt a native beast." Even if he didn't lift his head and expose his teeth in an animalistic grin, I'd know he was excited by the chance to prove himself against the local predators. His desire to be the alpha, to dominate all challengers, resonated through the Force.

Sensing surprise from a familiar presence, I turned to the throne and saw locked eyes with Padmé. Her eyes were slightly wider than normal, though there was no other outward hint that she was shocked to see me and Fenrir. After getting over the surprise, she returned her attention to the lady speaking to her. One who'd seemingly stumbled over her words after Fenrir's emergence into the light of the hall.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, it was finally my turn to approach the throne. I could sense Padmé's growing interest and curiosity as I neared her. As I climbed the steps to greet her, Fenrir wisely remained below, knowing that any sudden movements might provoke Captain Panaka and the others to open fire. Just then, Palpatine emerged from the shadows and stepped into view. "Your Majesty, may I have the honour of introducing Jedi Knight Cameron Shan. Though, given his companion, I suspect you were already aware of his presence for some time." The people around us chuckled nervously as I knelt a few steps below the throne, awaiting Padmé's response.

"Yes, I had observed their approach for the last few minutes," Padmé replied regally. "I believe when we last spoke, you told me you would be unable to attend."

I stood and smiled at her. "I beg your forgiveness, my queen. The Senator was able to convince me to alter my plans, though he at least agreed with keeping my presence hidden until the last possible moment so as to not distract others during your glorious celebration."

Padmé remained stoic in her seat, not outwardly letting on how she felt. However, thanks to the Force I could sense her delight at me referring to her as my queen, and amusement at my reasoning.

"I see." She turned her head to Palpatine, who looked resplendent in his Senatorial robes. "Normally I would be concerned about you keeping secrets from me Senator; however, in this case, I accept your reasoning. Nor do I deny that seeing Knight Shan again is an unexpected delight."

"Your Majesty." Palpatine bowed deeply as he accepted her comment.

"I see that you weren't lying when you spoke of Fenrir's size," Padmé said, looking beyond us toward Fenrir. "While I have seen him through Holocalls, laying eyes on him in person is another matter entirely."

I chuckled and glanced back at Fenrir, who as if knowing he was the centre of attention, lifted his head high and turned just enough to expose his spinal crests. In particular, the one he'd lost on Zonama Sekot. "Tuk'ata are not normal creatures, my queen. They are as connected to the Force as a Jedi, and it enables them to grow rapidly." Fenrir shook his head and then locked eyes on the queen. "He is but a pup yet already fully grown, or so the Council hopes."

Several chuckled, though there was still a nervous undercurrent as I turned back to Padmé. "Ah, yes. I almost forgot." Slowly I reached into my robes. "The Senator informed me that a gift was customarily given to a new monarch upon their ascension." I tilted my head toward her as I continued. "While finding a gift that would surpass your lightfoil on short notice was difficult, more so that it might be misinterpreted as a gift of courtship," I sensed a rush of embarrassment and desire from her as I spoke, "I do hope this meets with your satisfaction."

I pulled a small box from my robes and handed it to Palpatine. He took it and brought it toward Padmé. As he opened the box, she inhaled sharply, as did several of her handmaidens. One of her hands twitched as if she would make a move to take the necklace, but that was the only physical reaction she made.

"It is beautiful, Master Jedi. Might I inquire about its design?"

My smile widened as I replied. "Based on your love of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I had it made in the design of the Evenstar. If Your Majesty might recall, it was…"

"...The necklace Arwen gifted Aragorn before he set off with the Fellowship."

I nodded as Padmé finished the description. I had considered gifting her a copy of the first book in the KOTOR trilogy as that was due to release in a few months, but I'd decided against it, choosing some from the Lord of the Rings given Padmé's love of that series. "Yes, though this one is framed around a pearl taken from a greater krayt dragon, your majesty."

"I hadn't realised a Jedi could afford such a gift," Palpatine commented calmly.

"Knight Shan killed one on Tatooine several years ago as a Padawan," Padmé replied as I realised Palpatine's ploy. He was feigning ignorance to bring up that not only was the gift personal, but I had killed the krayt dragon personally. By associating with me and Padmé like this, I suspected he was securing his position even further. "Something done without the use of the Force or his lightsaber."

"Ah yes, forgive me for forgetting, Your Majesty," Palpatine remarked as he closed the box. "I find it hard to dwell on how close our young Jedi came to dying during that trial." Padmé's eyes followed the action, making clear she liked the gift, though she made no move to take it now. From what I'd seen, she'd not touched any gift directly, so to accept it like that would break decorum. And possibly, start rumours about us. "Even knowing he survived, I feel as if my heart has stopped whenever the memory returns."

"An understandable reaction, Senator. And one I admit to having shared." Padmé finally dragged her eyes from the box and returned them to me. "I thank you for the gift, Master Jedi, and hope we might speak more at the banquet this evening."

"I'm at your service, Your Majesty," I replied with a bow. When I came up, even if she had to keep a smile off her face, I could see the delight dancing in her eyes.

With nothing more to say, I turned and walked down, patting Fenrir once next to him again. As we walked away, I ignored the gazes coming our way. They could be impressed, shocked, jealous or infuriated all they wanted. I knew none would make a move against me. Not now or at the banquet. That little display that Palpatine had on showed that he, Padmé and I were on friendly terms. Something I knew he'd used to his advantage.

Still, since he'd created the link, I'd have to do the same. While most people here held little long-term value, gaining connections with people like Panaka and Padmé's handmaidens would be beneficial soon. Though I hoped that the banquet tonight wouldn't be as extravagant and long as the ones I'd endured on Zygerria. I'd take a whole-in-the-wall cantina, a few shots of Mandalorian ale, and good company over galas and government functions any day.

… …

… …

Later that day, after the banquet had ended, I found myself walking around the palace. Padmé had insisted that I stay the night inside the palace, and after accepting, I'd returned to Theed's spaceport and flown Raven into a private hangar. Ironically, it seemed to be the same one Naboo fighters had launched from in the Phantom Menace. The short trip with Raven had allowed me to check up on Simvyl, and Fenrir. The Cathar hadn't been interested in being at my side during the festivities, preferring the peace and quiet of Raven, and while the banquet tonight had been better than those on Zygerria, I felt he'd gotten the better end of the stick. As had Fenrir who I'd decided against bringing to the event on the chance someone made the mistake of irritating him and thus lost a limb.

As I neared my assigned quarters, a guard stepped into my path. Sensing no ill-intent from him, even though his hand rested on his blaster, I made no move for my lightsaber, though I still made note of the dozen other beings within fifty metres of us. The closest one stepped out to join the guard, revealing themselves to be a servant.

"Master Jedi," the servant began, being far more relaxed than the guard. "Her Majesty wishes to speak with you privately." It took me a moment to realise the servant was likely Sabé, one of Padmé's handmaidens. Sabé's eyes were filled with curiosity as she waited, though it was hard to make out her full face as it was hidden by a hood that left shadows dancing over her features.

"Of course." Sabé turned and I followed her into a side passage. Like the ones in the hall from earlier today, it was unmarked save for the light strips. The guard fell into step behind me, his posture making clear he was still tense.

"May I know your name?" I asked as a door closed off the passage behind us.

"I'm Sabé," she replied without turning, confirming my suspicion. In less than a year, she would be at Padmé's side when the Trade Federation invasion and, in the canon timeline at least, had stood in as her decoy on several occasions. Hopefully, that level of subterfuge wouldn't be needed with my presence, but I was still relieved to learn she was at Padmé's side. "Might I know your full name, Master Jedi?"

I smiled slightly, though she couldn't see that as she led me down the darkened corridor. "Cameron Shan, but my friends, of which I hope you might one day be, call me Cam." As I'd expected, Sabé seemed to pause mid-step. It only lasted a second, but that was enough to confirm that Padmé had spoken about me to others.

After that, we moved in silence through the corridor, following a pale blue strip until it ended. There, a door slid open, and we emerged into a new corridor. I could sense a dozen beings nearby as we emerged, though only four were visible. Those four stood outside a set of large doors. Like much of the decoration in this corridor, the doors were overly ornate, verging on ostentatious. This didn't seem like Padmé's style, so I assumed this was left over from Veruna and Padmé hadn't yet had time to redecorate.

"The queen has requested the presence of the Jedi," Sabé said as she led me toward the large doors. Two of the guards looked me over carefully while one at the rear shifted, bringing his arm closer to his face. I could see the light of a small display flare to life as he examined something upon it.

"He's clean," the guard said, which had the others relax.

The four stepped to the sides, allowing Sabé and me access to the large doors. She pressed against the door, her fingers moving to enter a code, and a moment later the doors swung open. Once we were inside, the doors pulled closed, leaving us standing in an open antechamber. There was a large table with freshly cut flowers and a bowl of fruit in the centre, along with a jug and four ceramic cups, that had a half-dozen comfortable-looking chairs around it. Doors led off in three directions, though I suspected that only the double one directly in front of us, given their size, led to the royal chamber.

Seeing we were alone, Sabé turned and pulled back her hood, smiling as she looked me over. That let me see her face clearly for the first time, confirming she matched what I remembered from the movie. And since I knew the actress' name, I knew what she'd likely look like as she aged. "Master Jedi, might I ask, but are you the Cam that Padmé has so often spoken of?"

I smiled at the question. I reached past her and picked up a cup, taking a sip once I realised it contained water. "And which Cam would this be?" I replied, taking a step toward her.

"The Cam she spoke of meeting several years ago during the evacuation of the Shadda-bi-Borans," Sabé responded with a smirk. "The one she claims is the author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy of holonovels as well. The one Padmé speaks of when…"

"Sabé!"

Padme's call cut off whatever little secret the handmaiden was about to reveal and drew my attention to the doors to the royal chamber. Padmé was there, having exited a moment before, without any of the gaudy clothing her station seemed to demand. Instead, she wore an apparently simple, yet no doubt expensive, gown over what appeared to be her sleepwear. "I asked you to bring him here, not place him under interrogation."

Sabé curtseyed. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I was simply curious about your interest in the Jedi, and then learnt his name matched that of the one you…"

"Sabé!" Padmé called out for the second time within a minute. She looked at me, some panic evident in her eyes. "I... I'm sorry for her behaviour. She's got this idea that…"

I held up my hand, stopping Padmé before she finished. "It's fine, Padmé. Truthfully, I feel better knowing those around you know the real you, and not Queen Amidala. It eases my concerns about you being in danger from those who might try to exploit a new, young monarch." Sabé's smile grew as I spoke, which caused Padmé to blush. I turned back to the handmaiden. "While I don't know what it was the queen cut you off from saying, I am the author of those novels. And the series of holomovies that are in production." Both girls perked up at hearing that, indicating that Sabé was just as much a fan of the trilogy as Padmé was. "However, I'd prefer that little nugget stays between us."

"Yes, yes," Padmé replied absently, a smile spreading over her face. "Sabé, you may leave us."

Sabé, a smile also on her face, glanced between me and Padmé. "With respect, Your Highness, I am to always remain by your side." She fixed her eyes on me as her smile evolved into a grin. "Even when your thoughts are on things with less than pure intent."

"Sabé!" That was all Padmé managed to get out as she gawked at her handmaiden. For my part, I simply chuckled and shook my head. "Cam!" I shrugged in response, not willing to risk speaking and somehow making this more embarrassing for the young queen.

Padmé took a few deep breaths. While those calmed her, they did nothing for her rosy cheeks. "Sabé, please leave us. If I cannot feel safe with a Jedi at my side, then how could I with anyone else?"

"Your Highness." Sabé curtseyed again, though as she stood, she fixed me with a glance that made clear she knew what I was thinking. She was wrong, though only for the next few years. I watched as she walked away, though toward one of the smaller side doors. No doubt, those led to the handmaiden's quarters. Something confirmed by two female heads that popped into view as Sabé stepped into the room.

"And close the door behind you!" Padmé called out, though her attention was on me and not her handmaiden. If it was, she'd have seen the door fail to close as something blocked it from closing, allowing those on the other side to watch discreetly. While that might have been because of simple curiosity about me and Padmé, I felt it was more to do with watching the queen even when she didn't wish to be watched. That thought calmed my nerves regarding her safety over what was no more than half a year away.

"So," Padmé began, drawing my attention from her handmaidens to her. She took a step toward me, only to stop as she craned her neck to look up at me. After blinking, she took a step back. "have you been well?"

"Very well," I replied with a shrug. I nodded at the table, and the chairs around it, and after a nod from her, escorted her into one of the chairs. "Had a few adventures, lost one starship, gained another. Made some new friends, said goodbye to others and fought more battles," I explained as I sat next to her.

As I sat, she pulled her chair close. Her hand then moved toward my face. "Yes, I can see that." Her fingers brushed aside some of my hair and then traced the scar, over my left eye, left by the Vong. "And I saw Fenrir's wound as well. He seemed… proud of it?"

"Tuk'ata are bred for war. Being wounded in battle and surviving is a good thing for them."

"And what else does he enjoy?" she asked as she pulled her fingers from my face, letting them drift down my arm.

"Battle or hunting are the only things that seem to calm him," I replied before chuckling. "He might settle if he found a mate, but he's not yet shown an interest in such things."

"And what about you?" I stared at Padmé. For her part, the blush grew stronger, and she imitated a fish for a few moments as she realised how what she'd said could be interpreted.

I placed my hand on hers, cutting off her flailing to find a way to escape her slip. "I find spending time with friends is a good way to unwind after a stressful situation. Such as spending all day dealing with people wanting something from you because of a promotion." She blinked as I spoke. "Congratulations on your ascension."

"Thank you." She turned away and reached for a cup of water.

"Of course, once I heard you were standing, I had faith you would win. So much in fact, I may have broken some minor Jedi rules and placed a wager on you winning. One that paid off and I'd now like to donate to the Refugee Relief Movement and a local charity of your choice."

The cup had frozen at her lips when I'd said I'd bet on her winning and hadn't moved since. "You really don't have to do that."

"No, but I want to. And it's harmless fun. Credits matter little to a Jedi." I bit off any mental retort about how much bullshit that was with around a billion credits in my name. I'd moved some to other accounts, under various aliases, though it was surprisingly hard to draw more than a few million from the account without having to deal with the IGBC. I doubted that was Plagueis' work, as stopping withdrawing the credits would be an odd move for an ally, but he certainly was made aware I was trying to withdraw and transfer the funds into other accounts. "Since I won, because of you, I might as well let you have some say in how they're used. So, who should I make the donation to?"

"T-the Naboo Children's Fund," she answered slowly. "They help young, underprivileged children to follow their dreams. Sabé was one helped by them." When she finished speaking, she took a sip of her water.

"Good. A half-million to each then," I commented just as she swallowed. As she coughed and spluttered I laughed. I expected this would defuse any lingering tension between us and was proved corrected when, after she stopped coughing, she slapped my arm.

"Cam!" Of course, the blow didn't hurt, and I kept laughing, which quickly diffused her anger, and soon she was chuckling along with me. "Are you certain?" She asked once the laughter had died down.

"Yes. What's the point of making a wager if there's not some risk involved?" I shot back, a wide smile on my face. Only part of those donations was coming from my winnings, the majority was coming from my funds. I had little doubt Padmé would mention this around people and Palpatine would hear word of it. When that got back to Plagueis, I hoped the Sith would think I'd used most if not all, the credits I'd withdrawn so far – around fifteen million. If they did, I'd have some leeway to use those credits off the books – as almost all of it was now stored in my Inventory – without them trying to track my actions. "So, when should I, oof!"

My question was cut off as Padmé leaned forward and onto her tiptoes, cutting off the distance between us, and pressed her lips against mine. As I tasted the faintest hint of something sweet on her lips, my brain froze.

When it unfroze, I cursed the fact my attempt to remove the tension had failed even as I felt myself begin to kiss her back. Thankfully, she pulled back before my hands could move as I feared they'd bring her closer instead of pushing her away. Before I could say anything, she blinked, slipped from her seat and then raced away.

I turned, watching as she pushed the large doors to her chamber open enough to slip through. As they closed, I caught sight of the large, luxurious bed within. When the doors closed behind her, with the Handmaiden's one following a second later, I facepalmed.

"Haar'chak!" I spat into my hand as it dragged down my face.

I'd hoped to avoid that happening, to distract her with the wager. Instead, it seemed that had been the final straw she'd needed to make her move. Oh, she was embarrassed that she had, but it had happened. If I could, I'd avoid seeing her again until she was a few years older, however with what was right around the corner, that wouldn't work. For so many reasons.

I stood, placing the mugs back next to the jug. "Thank you for the meeting, Your Majesty," I said loudly so my voice would carry to her, the handmaidens and the guards outside. "However, the hour is getting late, and I feel it unwise if I remain any longer. You undoubtedly have a busy day tomorrow and I need to return to Coruscant."

With my piece said to the empty room, I walked toward the main doors. With each step, I hoped what had happened here didn't ruin my friendship with her, and wondered how Serra would react when Padmé likely reached out to talk about this. I then grunted in annoyance as I realised that I'd have to explain this to Serra before Padmé called to avoid her reaction.

As I exited the antechamber, I wondered what Nar Shaddaa looked like this time of year.

… …

… …

A little over a week after Padme's coronation, I was back on Mtael's Gift. I'd left Naboo two days after the banquet, not having managed to speak to Padmé again, as she was busy being the leader of Naboo. While part of me did think she was avoiding me – which was enforced by the fact each time she looked my way I felt her embarrassment – it had allowed me time to scout out Theed. Palpatine himself had given me the formal tour, no doubt using the fact he was close to a Jedi who Queen Amidala was friends with to further his reputation with the locals while attempting to worm deeper into my trust.

After that, I'd left Naboo and travelled a little, taking my time before arriving in the ShaDo system. When I'd arrived, I discovered they'd just completed another successful raid against a minor Hutt on Makeb. Thus, last night there'd been a feast that celebrated the freedom of new members of the community. There I'd discovered that most of the freed slaves had been pleasure slaves, and as the night had worn on, and tales of my actions in founding and supporting the Lokella were told, I drew the attention of many of the newly freed slaves. While most were polite in their thanks, a pair of Zeltron twins felt I deserved a more personal reward.

With my thoughts focused on Padmé and Naboo, I'd turned them down, though that hadn't stopped the pair from trying their best to bed me. If not for the Interface activating Player's Mind automatically to block their pheromones, I doubt I'd have been able to resist. The pair were fucking gorgeous. Yet I had resisted, though only by leaving the feast before the drink flowed too much.

Because of the feast, the corridors of the station were quieter than usual. Those that had assignments were going about them but most of the other inhabitants of the station were seemingly sleeping off the effects of the night before. That was useful as it gave me time to take a slow, leisurely walk toward the Skywalker's cabin, which was my reason for stopping here on my way to Mandalore.

On Mandalore I planned to bring HK back to full functionality, or as close as my mediocre skills would allow. I'd already spoken to Bo via the Holonet about the project, and she was excited. Though that might also be because I'd revealed that I was now with Serra. No doubt the red-haired warrior wanted details, and probably wished to learn when she could have her chance at my fellow Jedi. Still, Bo was happy I was bringing Anakin along with me for HK's rebirth. As much as she might deny it, she had a sweet spot for the kid - a fact I enjoyed teasing her about whenever Anakin had come up in conversation between us. I doubted Bo wanted children as of yet, but I also knew she'd make a great mother. At least in terms of allowing kids the freedom to learn by doing, even if that meant making mistakes along the way.

"And here I thought this morning's walk would be wasted."

I paused mid-stride at the sensual, almost musical voice that floated toward me from my right. As I turned, I saw Surmi, one of the Zeltron twins leaning against the wall. While she wasn't actively trying to show off her frame – at least I didn't feel she was – the way she rested did little to hide her impressive figure or assets.

"Surmi, I figured you and your sister would've found someone to warm your sheets at the party," I spoke softly with a smile, letting her know I wasn't bothered if she had.

Surmi chuckled and pushed off the wall, drawing my sight to her chest as it swayed in the tight shirt she wore. One that was unbuttoned just enough to reveal a tempting amount of cleavage. "We did. Our night was enjoyable, and our companions were enthusiastic. Syshe is still sleeping off our escapades, however, I find my thoughts continually drawn to just what a Jedi might be capable of. Even as slaves, stories of the prowess of Jedi in battle had reached our ears and I cannot escape wondering if such prowess extends beyond the battlefield. Preferably to actions that are far more pleasurable for all involved." Each step she took toward me had her hips swaying evocatively and even if she was limiting how active her pheromones were, I could feel myself reacting to her presence.

"As I said last night, while the offer is incredibly tempting, another holds a place of importance in my heart. As much as I'm sure we'd both enjoy time together, I'm unsure how she would feel about me bedding someone as beautiful as you. Especially as we've only just met."

Surmi's smile grew as she moved closer and placed a single finger against my chest. She wasn't short, but I still towered over her, forcing me to look down and making it hard to avoid my eyes wandering to the opening in her shirt. "This other means much to you, does she?"

"She does. More so than I suspect the Jedi Council would approve of," I replied with a smile coming to my face as I thought of Serra. Though thoughts of her were soon joined by Bo.

"She is the one the others talk of. The female Mandalorian?"

"No. Bo and I separated due to our paths parting," though I knew our paths would soon cross again. Serra knew this too, and while I'd sensed some trepidation from her over me reuniting with Bo, for the most part, she was accepting of it. Even going so far as to say she was happy if I slept with Bo again. While she didn't say anything else, I felt her curiosity and desire flare for a moment when she said that, making me wonder if Bo was right about Serra being just as attracted to females as she was to males. Or at least to me.

Surmi blinked and tilted her head. "The Mandalorian is comfortable with this?"

"Yes, as is the other. Both know each other, and I think, perhaps, they might like each other as well."

Surmi chuckled and ran her finger down my chest, letting the contours of my skin guide her path. "Then you are very lucky. As are they to be able to enjoy you." Her finger stopped just above my waist, and she stood on her tiptoes. "If they are amenable," she whispered into my ear, "my sister and I would be more than willing to join all three of you for however long you'd take us." As she finished, her lips brushed against my cheek.

I stayed still as she pulled back. The idea of her and her sister joining Bo, Serra and me in bed was… going to rattle around my head for some time to come. I knew Bo would take the offer without issue, but I doubted Serra would react well. Though, I did rather hope she'd be interested.

"Until later, Mtael," Surmi finished as she slipped past me, her fingers dragging over my side until she could no longer maintain contact. It took most of my self-control to not react to the way she made that title sound positively scandalous, and for the first time, I found I didn't mind being called that.

Turning, I watched her go, my eyes drawn to the way her hips moved, defying gravity with each step, until she slipped from view. "Fucking hell," I muttered to the empty corridor. I already had issues with Padmé – and possibly Sabé if the way she'd looked at me before I'd left Naboo was any indication – to sort out. Never mind the affection Miraj had shown me. "When did my life turn into a freaking love novel?"

After shaking my head, I resumed my walk toward the Skywalker's cabin, pushing aside thoughts of females that seemingly wanted to bed me and each other to one side. I really didn't need those bouncing around my head when I spoke to Anakin and his mother.

Once at their door, I pressed the buzzer. Since neither had stayed at the feast until late last night – not unless they'd returned after I'd left – they should be up. I could sense them inside, though as Anakin moved to the door, I frowned as Detection indicated someone else was inside.

"Who is it?"

I smiled, glad to see that Anakin wasn't just opening the door whenever someone buzzed. He was far too trusting and open with others, and I'd feared someone might take advantage of that – and of the clear fact I visited him whenever I stopped in the system – to target him and Shmi to get to me. "It's Cam."

The door was opened even before I finished, making me wonder if Anakin could sense it was me.

"Cam!" I barely had time to hear his excited call before he barrelled into me. Since he was only nine, that meant the hug was locked around my waist, trapping me. Thankfully, I'd know this was coming and braced for it.

"Good morning, Anakin. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, we were just getting ready for breakfast," I looked into the cabin, failing to hide my shock at seeing Ferox standing in the main room in something akin to a toga and his hair was damp at the edges. "I suspect Anakin will insist you join us."

"Yes, come in!" Before I knew it, the boy had dragged me into the main room. While I was puzzled to find Ferox here, the former gladiatorial slave seemed amused.

"I'm… surprised to find you here at this hour," I said to Ferox even as Anakin tried to drag me to the sofa. No doubt he wanted to show me something he'd learnt while I was away. Normally, I'd let him, but the presence of the Corellian had my attention.

"Oh, Cameron. I hadn't realised you were going to come over." I turned, as did Ferox, to see Shmi step into the room. She was wearing a simple dress with a towel wrapped around her hair. "Please, won't you join us for breakfast?"

I looked over to the table and saw three places were already set. My eyes turned back to Ferox and Shmi as I put it together. "Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't realise you already had plans." I didn't know when, where, why, or how it had happened, but between my last visit to the station and now Shmi had gotten close to Ferox. Close enough that he was staying over, and Anakin seemed comfortable with it. That was certainly a surprise, but not one I was upset about, Anakin could use another positive male role model.

"You're always welcome," Shmi responded as she moved closer to Ferox, taking his hand in hers, confirming my suspicions. "If not for you, all of us here would either still be slaves or dead. To us, you are family."

I nodded my thanks, not finding the words to reply to such a statement. As I sat, I watched the pair. Ferox was headstrong and aggressive while Shmi was incredibly gentle and caring. It was an odd pairing, at least on the surface, but I sensed they did truly care for each other beyond simple infatuation. Nearby, Anakin pulled utensils out of a drawer that sunk into the wall for me. I smiled in thanks as he placed the plate, cup and cutlery on the table for me.

"If I might ask, how long have you been close?" I asked as Ferox held out the chair for Shmi to sit on.

"Around two months," Shmi replied as Ferox sat beside her, kissing the top of her head as he did so. The smile on his face was an odd one. I mean, I'd seen him smile before, but that had been when he'd been sparring or fighting. Then, there'd been an almost reckless abandon to him. This smile was soft and tender; an expression I never expected to see on his face.

"I had returned from an assault on a slave market two sectors away," Ferox said as he took over the story. "While we liberated most of the slaves, I was wounded in the fight. Shmi here watched over me for a week as the bacta healed my wounds, spending every meal with me so I wouldn't feel lonely."

Shmi smiled and leaned against Ferox's shoulder. "Once he was healed, and after one of his training sessions for Anakin and others his age, he came over and asked me to join him for a meal." Shmi's smile grew as she turned and looked up at Ferox. "From there, things developed quicker than I think either of us expected. It was Anakin here that first mentioned how happy I was with Ferox, and said how happy he was for me."

I smiled and ruffled Anakin's head upon hearing that. While the boy disliked my action, it gave me a moment to quickly consider this development. Obviously, by taking her from Tatooine, her eventual marriage to Cliegg Lars – and then death at the hands of Tusken Raiders – wasn't going to happen, so I couldn't consider this change a bad thing. Still, I'd have to speak with Anakin and others about Ferox, especially if Shmi was managing to smooth out his rougher, blunter edges.

As I returned my gaze to the loving couple, I felt something subtle shift in the Force. Curious, I used Observe on both and was surprised to see their feelings were genuine, that both were concerned I wouldn't approve and that the pair had an awkward conversation coming in a month or two. "I'm happy for both of you," I said, easing their nerves, "and wish you joy for what the future brings."

Both frowned, wondering at my choice of words, however neither could say anything as something pinged in the kitchen. As Shmi stood and moved to gather breakfast, I watched her go, processing that I now knew, thanks to Observe, that she was with child. While I suspected the child wouldn't have much, if any Force sensitivity – as neither parent did, and Anakin was an anomaly – their existence was going to affect Anakin dramatically. Any formal training at the Temple was now out as I knew the boy would reject going if it meant leaving his mother and sibling.

"Where have you been this time?" the boy asked, drawing me from my thoughts on the changes occurring to the timeline. I didn't need the Force to know he was excited to hear of my latest adventure.

"Nowhere exciting," I replied with a shrug before passing my plate to Shmi as she returned with a bowl. "I attended a diplomatic summit at the request of a Senator and then spent time in the Temple." I brushed over the details of events on Eriadu, and time spent with Serra simply because I didn't want to worry him. "Though before coming here, I attended a royal coronation." I didn't go into detail there as I didn't want him looking up Padmé on the Holonet. Ignoring that he might be fated to fall for her, if he knew of her now, then he might well try and somehow sneak there when Naboo was invaded. Plus, taking him would've placed him in Palpatine's sight, something I wanted to avoid for as long as possible.

"Wizard! What was that like?" He asked, barely managing to sit still even as Shmi placed food on his plate.

I chuckled at his behaviour and ruffled his hair once again. Though that did little to change his mood. "Honestly? Boring. Lots of pageantry, formality, and false politeness."

Ferox grunted. "Sounds awful."

I nodded as I put my fork into the food. "It had its moments," I countered. Of course, the main one that stuck in my thoughts wasn't one I wanted to dwell on.

From there on, we spoke of mundane matters over breakfast. Shmi and Ferox updated me on the size and strength of the Lokella – now numbering just under seventy thousand between the station, fleet, and colony below – while I let them know a few titbits of information about what was happening on Coruscant. Ferox offered some blunt – but, I could admit, appealing – ways to handle the more tedious Senatorial debates I'd watched, which made me chuckle. All the while Anakin tried to enter the conversation, asking questions about what I'd done and telling tales – sometimes tall ones – of his adventures on the station.

About thirty minutes later we finished the meal and I stood, collecting up my plates.

"You don't have to do that," Shmi commented with a gentle smile. "You're our guest."

"It's the least I can do for inviting me to join," I replied as I placed Anakin's plate on my own, and then took them and the cutlery over to the automated washer. Anakin tagged along, our cups in his hands. After that, I glanced at Shmi and then nodded my head toward Anakin.

"Anakin, go and wash and brush."

"Do I have to?" He whined. "I want to stay with Cam."

"I'll be here when you get back, I promise." He smiled at that and rushed through the main room. "If you rush though I won't take you out on Raven!" I added as the door to the washroom slid closed. With him gone, and after letting Ferox chuckle at my idle threat, I turned to Shmi,

"The boy loves flying almost as much as he loves taking things apart and rebuilding them," Ferox commented, making me smile. Anakin had a knack for technology, and a desire to understand it that few other sentients had. Something that would've existed even if he wasn't Force-sensitive. "Just as he does for combat training."

"I thought he wasn't allowed to join?" Shmi asked with a frown.

Ferox shrugged. "I told the instructors to keep him away, but he always finds a way into the training area. Besides," he continued with a shrug, "it's better he knows how to defend himself if the worst should happen." I nodded in agreement. While Ferox's style of fighting wouldn't suit him, especially once Anakin got a lightsaber, having a sound base was never a bad thing.

"Baalta promised me she'd keep him away," Shmi commented with a sigh and a shake of her head. "I sometimes fear that boy will be the death of me."

I kept thoughts of her canon death from my face. With her here now, beside Ferox, that fate had been averted. "Perhaps then, I might have a way to keep him from those classes and getting into trouble – which he no doubt does daily." Shmi's frown deepened, and I raised a hand. "I'm not asking to take him to the Temple. He will one day be trained, of that I'm certain. However, I feel, for now at least, he benefits more from spending time with his family." The main reason for not taking him to Naboo – Palpatine – was even more prevalent for taking him to the Jedi Temple.

There was also the fact that taking Anakin there would bring him to the attention of the High Council. They would, undoubtedly, be reluctant to let me train him, especially if they learnt his midi-chlorian count was higher than mine. Of course, if I didn't train him, that issue would be null and void. However, the only option I could see beyond me was Qui-Gon, but that needed Obi-Wan to be knighted, which only happened after he killed Maul. Dooku might be an option, but I had the distinct feeling that beyond sharpening up Anakin's lightsaber styles, my former Master had no interest in taking another Padawan.

"For several years now, I've had a droid head and brain in my possession. It belonged to my ancestor and Anakin, along with others, has been helping me design a new frame for the head. Since I plan to attach the head to the frame soon, I wondered if Anakin might wish to be there to see it happen."

"HK?" Shmi asked, making me glance toward the bathroom. "Anakin has talked animatedly about the droid. Particularly the stories the droid told to him, along with Bo-Katan, about its adventures with Revan." Shmi frowned, making me wonder how detailed Anakin had been in his retelling of HK's tales. Though beside her, I saw Ferox lean closer slightly, as if he was curious about these tales. Or perhaps he'd learnt some of my history and wanted to hear about Revan.

"Aye, he's… well, I guess I could say he's a family heirloom at this point," I remarked with a chuckle. "Since I'm a Jedi Knight, I have more leeway in what I can travel with, thus I want him up and around. So to speak." Plus, I wanted him at my side for the invasion, and not just so I could hear his commentary about battledroids. Missing out on that would be something I'd regret for the rest of my life. Along with introducing HK to R2-D2. I found the concept of releasing those two in an unsuspecting galaxy a way to lift even the deepest gloom.

Shmi looked at Ferox, though if she was hoping he'd be against things, she was disappointed when he nodded his support. After sighing she turned back to me, only for the door to the bathroom to open. "Anakin," she said without looking back, "Cameron has something to ask."

Anakin felt like a star going supernova in the Force with how much excitement and energy erupted from him. I knew the Interface diluted my connection to the force, but even with that, I was taken aback at the power that radiated from the young boy. "Anakin," I began once I'd recovered from his presence, "how would you…"

"Yes!" He shouted, cutting me off. "I want to be a Jedi!"

I blinked before shaking my head and laughing. Something I heard Ferox do as well. "No, Anakin. I'm not taking you as my Padawan or to the Temple. At least not yet," I added quickly as his mood fell. "No, what I wanted to ask is if you'd like to come with me to see HK come fully online?"

Any disappointment on his face vanished as I explained myself. "Yes!" He shouted, punctuating his excitement with a jump. Though as he landed, he paused and looked at Shmi. "Um, what about my mother?"

"Once HK's online, and we've put him through his paces," something I knew Bo would take immense pleasure in doing, "I'll bring you back home. I just felt you'd want to be there with Bo and me when HK came online."

He nodded, the smile on his face brightening the entire room. Somehow it grew wider when I mentioned Bo. "Wait… you mean we're going to Mandalore?" I nodded even as I saw Shmi tense. "Wizard!" Anakin jumped again. "I'll go pack." Without waiting, he turned and ran toward his room even as I returned my focus to his mother.

"Will he be safe? I mean, I know their war is over, but from all I've heard it's a dangerous place."

I chuckled. "No more so than many places in the Outer Rim." Ferox nodded in agreement. "Besides, something I've intentionally kept from most is that Bo's father is Duke Adonai Kryze. After the war, he and Duke Torrhen Ordo control the sector, and both consider me an ally."

I was a little surprised that neither had moved to become Mand'alor, as with the defeat of Death Watch – bar whatever Pre Vizsla was able to save – and Duke Varaud, they had the power and influence to claim the title. Perhaps neither felt taking the title was worth the renewed chaos it would bring or had other reasons to not do so. Regardless, I was glad they hadn't as it would place Serra and me in the awkward position of having to choose between the Order and Manda'yaim. I was semi-certain of which way I'd go, but I couldn't be sure of Serra, and wouldn't want her making a choice to please me.

Focusing back on the present, I noted that Ferox seemed interested, and I wondered if he'd want to visit with us. Mandalorians had started returning to the station since the war ended to help train the Lokella and he'd undoubtedly sparred with a few. Honestly, he and Validus would make excellent Mandalorians.

"If it was anyone else, even Ferox, I'd say no," Shmi said slowly, her eyes drifting to Anakin's room. "However, since it's you, and I know Bo-Katan, I… I'm ok with him going."

I smiled and nodded. "If anything, or one tries anything they'll have to get through me and Fenrir first." The mention of the tuk'ata made her lips twitch. "Provided Bo and her father don't declare a crusade first. He would be under the protection of House Kryze and, well let's just say, Mandalorians have a hair-trigger when it comes to protecting family and allies."

"Thank you. It's just," she sighed again and shook her head. "Ever since he was born I've known he was destined for something special. Since we met you, I've known his path isn't one I can walk, but I don't think I'm ready for that day to come. Not quite yet."

"I understand. And I assure you that while I do think I'll be taking him to the Jedi, there is no rush. Most aren't taken until they are ten or older. Even if I don't take him as a Padawan, which I'm not sure Anakin would like," that earned a smile, "I'll keep a close eye on whoever does take him as a Padawan." My eyes glanced down at her belly. "If the Force wills it, and he becomes my Padawan, then I'll do all I can to ensure that not only will he stay in contact, but that we return as time and the Force allow."

"I thought that was against the Jedi rules?"

I nodded at Ferox's question. "It is, but Anakin will be far from a normal Jedi."

"Nor are you," Ferox shot back with a smirk. "You travel with warriors, fight when needed and have a beast that would shame many that I stood beside in the fighting pits." I knew he was trying to reassure Shmi, but it wasn't the best way to phrase things.

"I'll admit the Force has shown a, shall we say, willingness to place me in volatile situations more than most Jedi might encounter in such a short span of time, but I don't feel that will continue." Or I hoped it wouldn't as I didn't want something to come up that forced me to be distracted when I should be on or near Naboo. Afterwards, if the Force had things it wished for me, then so be it. Each adventure I'd had so far, even – as much as I hated to admit it – my time dealing with Komari Vosa and the Bando Gora, had helped shape me for the battles to come and were generally enjoyable.

Shmi smiled, though there was sadness behind it. "Cameron, even I know you have a purpose in this life, one greater than anyone else on the station other than my son," she glanced at Anakin's door, making sure he was still inside before continuing. "One that's tied to…" her words were cut off by Anakin rushing out of his room, a bag almost as large as him being dragged behind. "Anakin," she said with a resigned shake of her head, which had Ferox and me exchange amused smiles.

"We're not leaving this minute, Anakin," I said as he dragged the bag to the table. "Not even today, I suspect. I wish to speak with Master Dooku first, and the Ruling Council. It's past time I used some of the phrik they placed aside for me."

"I'll let Validus know you wish to speak."

I gave Ferox a nod of thanks then turned back to Anakin. "For now, just keep doing your classes and chores. Later, if your mum allows, you can play with Fenrir, though I warn you he's grown more since you last saw him." I held my hand out, lifting it to roughly my height when I stood. Anakin's eyes widened as the last time Fenrir had been here, he'd been at about my neck. Smirking at the boy's reaction, I looked at Ferox. "Provided you promise to only use blunted blades, I think Fenrir's at the stage he can spar with others."

Ferox smiled widely as he accepted the terms with a nod. He and others had been wishing to take on Fenrir in a combat session to see what he was capable of. I'd been reluctant to allow it as Fenrir was still young and growing. Both of those were still true, but I felt he was at, or near, his full height, so wrestling with others would do him some good. I'd just have to remind him to not bite down on anyone and still remain close just in case things got out of hand. While he was gentle around me – most of the time – he wasn't a pet.

… …

… …

I watched patiently as the shuttle from Gaia's surface came into view. I knew Dooku was onboard and could sense his presence as the shuttle – which was a converted light freighter – slipped through the shield holding the atmosphere. While I'd already spoken with him over local comms, I wanted to speak with him in person as this was likely to be the last time I could do so before Naboo was blockaded. There were, I felt, still several months to go as Padmé was still inside her first month as Queen, but I couldn't be sure of that and thus was working on a tight clock.

Time passed as the shuttle touched down, and the ramp descended. If he wished, Dooku could've exited first. To the Lokella, his position was almost as high as mine, yet I knew he wouldn't. For all his stature, grace and belief in superiority, he believed that using that status was pointless in most situations. Thus, I waited as a dozen sentients from a handful of species exited the shuttle. Most moved off toward their station or cabin onboard Mtael's Gift though some were greeted by friends, lovers, and in the case of a Twi'lek, family.

Dooku stepped off the ramp calmly, and even though he was the last to disembark, many still stopped to watch. Some even moved to give him a clear path from the shuttle. I smirked at the little display that proved how highly the Lokella regarded him, enjoying someone else having to endure their respects for once.

At the bottom of the ramp, he turned and looked up at me. Several people around did likewise, and I could sense the awe and delight as they realised that I was present. Dooku lowered his head and moved off as I felt his amusement at transferring the worship to me. I pushed off the railing I was leaning against and sighed. I'd long since accepted the Lokella's feelings toward me – even from those who'd not been present when I'd helped free them – but I'd prefer if they moved past it and simply treated me as a regular visitor to their system.

I moved along the balcony and waited at the steps until Dooku came back into sight. "Master," I said with a respectful bow.

When he was close enough, he placed a hand against my upper arm and offered me, what was for him, a warm smile. "You no longer need to do that, Cameron."

"I will regard you as my Master, even if, one day, I become Grandmaster of the Order, Master," I replied with a smile of my own.

I was caught off guard when Dooku laughed, even more so in that it felt genuine. "If one day, you did become Grandmaster of the Order, I fear what would've befallen the Order that the Council would ask you to lead them." I chuckled, wondering, depending on how my life turned out, I might somehow fill the role that Luke was meant to have after Return of the Jedi. "Now come, tell me why you wished to speak in person."

I lowered my head in acceptance, and as he moved, I turned to walk at his side. "It's about the boy, Master, and other things. Other events." The balcony I'd waited on was a quiet one, rarely frequented by any bar those, like Anakin, who might enjoy watching shuttles and smaller freighters come and go from the bay below.

"Do you intend to take him as your Padawan then?" I glanced at Dooku as we walked. "While you've denied this plan several times, Master Fay and I both sense the connection that exists between you. The Force moves around you enough that even I, someone without interest in visions and prophecy, can see what Masters Nilas and Sifo-Dyas spoke of many years ago. You two share a path through the coming darkness, one I have little doubt you can walk."

I smiled at the compliment and slowed as we neared the end of the balcony. Some people were moving around the corridors nearby and I'd rather the conversation we were having remained private. "I won't deny that I wonder if I should take Anakin as my Padawan, but I don't think either of us is ready for that step currently."

"You may be young in body Cameron, but you are wiser than you appear, more so than even many Knights twice your age. I have no doubt that any you train will grow to become exceptional Jedi, regardless of when you begin their training. That said, if you do eventually take the boy on to train, perhaps you might attempt to curtail his desire to rush headlong into anything he'd set his mind toward."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I fear that is a lesson I'm ill-advised to teach, Master."

Dooku gave a very gentle grunt. "Yes, I suppose that is true. Though I suspect that your tendency to rush in will be tamed by concerns for any Padawan you train. It would be best for both of you if you learnt to take even a brief moment to determine a situation before acting."

"Yes, Master." I looked back at the bay, watching as various droids and crew checked the shuttle and prepped it for its return trip in a few hours. "How goes your time with Vosa?" While I'd rather not discuss someone who darkened my thoughts whenever they were mentioned, avoiding the topic was a worse approach to take. Though I was far from ready to face her once more, even if she was disarmed.

Dooku took some time before replying as if carefully weighing his options. "As well as it can, I believe. Komari will never rejoin the Order, something we both agree upon, but I feel she is nearing a moment where her path will be tested. Still, while I believe she will make the correct decision, I cannot place much trust in that belief."

I nodded, accepting his words. Provided I survived Maul – something that was troubling my thoughts when I slept – I might be ready to speak with Vosa. But not until then.

"Have you felt the shift?" I turned to Dooku, confused by the sudden change in topic. "The darkness Master Nilas and Sifo-Dyas spoke of is growing stronger. I can sense its lingering touch upon you, almost at times as if it might engulf and consume you; extinguishing the light you radiate within the Force."

"Aye, I can sense it," I replied slowly. "Though I'm not entirely sure from where it comes," which wasn't entirely true, "only that a moment, a tipping point, approaches." I looked up at the pipes running along the ceiling of the bay and sighed. "I've seen… new glimpses of something coming. Trade Federation droids marching on fields of green, blades of blue clashing with one of red, a distant, deranged cackle at the very edges of my thoughts. I don't know what they mean, or what they're trying to warn me of, but I know I need to try to, if not stop them, then at least… lessen their impact."

The idea that my existence, and my actions since arriving in this era, might somehow make things worse for Padmé, the Naboo, and the rest of the galaxy was a nagging one. One that grew stronger the closer it got to the invasion. I knew things had changed, that the plans Sidious and Plagueis had placed in motion had altered slightly because of me, yet how those changes would affect others was a complete unknown.

I turned to Dooku, noticing with a hint of surprise I could almost look him eye to eye now, as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "The future, as Master Yoda is fond of saying, is always in motion. Our actions can, at best, cause ripples, but the flow of time and the will of the Force are hard to alter. The glimpses those of us connected to the Force are granted plague our thoughts with worry. However, you must push aside that worry, and place trust in yourself, those around you, and the Force. Even when others say your actions are unwise, if you believe deep within yourself that the path you walk is the correct one, that the actions you've taken are right and just, then you'll find the strength of will to continue on that path." He offered me another smile, one that oddly reminded me of Palpatine's grandfatherly ones. "This darkness around you, one I can feel more clearly as our bond has grown over the years, has become stronger. It does threaten to engulf you, and those close to you. However, I know that when the critical moment comes, you will do what is right. You won't face it alone; this I am sure of even if I suspect I won't be beside you when the time comes. That said, I have little doubt you will prevail and drive back the encroaching darkness."

I smiled and lowered my head. "Thank you for the kind words, Master. I'll be sure to heed them when the moment arrives." As I continued, I felt my smile slip slightly. "Yet, even when I do, I worry for Anakin. In my visions, I see him at my side as the darkness approaches. Yet, I fear bringing him near, as if it might somehow empower the looming threat. He is young and I worry my choices will in some way damage him irrevocably."

Dooku squeezed my shoulder. "Which is why you are concerned about taking him as your Padawan currently." I nodded, confirming his statement. "That is another sign of your wisdom. One far beyond your years. Though again I say I have faith that your training of the boy – be it as his Master or simply as an advisor – will help guide him toward the path the Force wishes him to take." I grimaced as an image of Vader striking down Obi-Wan flashed through my thoughts, making me wonder if I would replace Obi-Wan in that destiny. "And that you will remain on the path the Force has laid out for you, even if, I'm sure, at times you find yourself feeling lost and confused. Just like the boy, you have a significant role to play in countering the darkness that has fallen over the galaxy." He pulled his hand back and took a step away. "Normally, I would be reluctant to say such things to a newly risen Knight, particularly one of your tender years. Yet I know you won't allow ego or pride to interfere with your choices. No more so than any sentient would."

"Thank you, Master." I reached out and grasped his forearm. "For everything you've taught me so far and will certainly continue to teach as the years pass." When I'd first been assigned to him and Fay, I'd felt I would learn more from Fay, that she would be the more important Master. Yet, nearly a decade later, I knew that I had been wrong. While Fay's teachings proved useful, I'd gravitated toward Dooku. More than just from a need to prevent his fall to the Sith or complete the quest linked to that fate. My path had moved from the one Fay walked, coming to lay closer to Dooku's. Though not, I was glad to say, one that led to him rising as Darth Tyrannus.

"And thank you, Cameron, for showing me that the future, no matter how bleak and corrupt the present is, still carries with it hope. For a long time, I believed my actions, my choices, as a Jedi had been for nought. Yet, from teaching and learning from you, I have come to see that I was wrong. My choices matter. Not just those I have taken, but those I will take." His free arm came around and he gripped me just under the shoulder. "Whatever dangers this darkness brings, the Force will be with you, my friend."

… …

… …

"Woo-hoo!" Anakin called out as I pushed Raven down into the atmosphere of Mandalore. Enjoyment and excitement radiated around me as Anakin and Raven both revelled in our rapid descent. As a smile spread over my face, my fingers flew over the controls, controlling Raven's entry even as I sensed her guiding my actions on how to manipulate her power systems. "This ship is so wizard!"

"Aye, she is," I agreed with a chuckle as I flicked the thrusters and Raven rolled on her axis even as we accelerated through the upper clouds of the atmosphere. However, I sensed the moment was over as a light blinked on one console and the sensors detected four fighters closing in rapidly from the north-east. Pressing the relevant control, the holoprojector on the bridge flared to life.

"Unknown vessel, state your purpose or be fired upon."

I grinned at the blunt but effective challenge from the armoured warrior that appeared as a hologram. "This is Alor Cameron Shan aboard the Jade Raven. I'm here on clan business with Alor Adonai Kryze." As I spoke, I sent a file containing my clan and personal sigils along with a secure code the duke had given me to use whenever I returned to the sector. The code had gotten me past the orbital defences – and seeing a few dozen large cruisers patrolling the system was an interesting change since I'd last visited – with ease.

The Mandalorian looked away from me, likely to confirm the file I'd sent. "Alor Cameron, welcome. I will inform Alor Adonai that you will be arriving. Will you require an escort to Keldabe?"

"No thanks. I think I remember the way." The Mandalorian nodded and then clasped one hand to his chest before the signal ended.

"That was cold."

Even as the sensors showed the fighters turning away, I replied to Anakin. "It wasn't. Mandalorians just prefer to get to the heart of a matter without any needless time-wasting and grandstanding. Something I feel the rest of the galaxy would do well to copy." Even as I spoke, Raven banked, turning away from Sundari toward the old, original capital of the planet. I'd hoped he'd not be based in Sundari as the city was linked to the New Mandalorian faction, but I couldn't be sure of that. Plus, the area where the city, and those nearby, was built was nothing but desert. That made it the perfect place to cut loose and let Raven push herself during low-altitude manoeuvres. "Of course, if you think they're cold, I'll have Bo cancel your training sessions."

"Training?" While his tone was cautious, thanks to our bond, I could feel a spike of excitement.

"Well, we came all this way, so what sort of mentor would I be if I didn't let you train alongside some of their young warriors?" His hesitancy fell away as the excitement grew and when I glanced his way, there was a wide smile on his face. "Just don't mention this to your mother, otherwise I'm not sure if she'll let you travel with me again." He nodded so rapidly I feared he'd hurt himself and with a laugh, I turned my full attention back to the controls and the fast-closing white sand of the planet below.

As the desert ended, I pulled Raven back, letting her race mere metres over the tops of the forest that sprang up. I knew leaves would be sent flying, along with animals disturbed by the flyover, but Raven was enjoying herself and I wasn't willing to end that. At least not until Keldabe came into sight. Once it did, I lowered the power to Raven's engines, and as a sense of annoyance filled the cabin, I gently patted the framework, letting her know I understood.

Keldabe appeared much as it had in the past, with the Mandalmotors tower now fully repaired from the damage it had previously sustained. As I circled the city, I noticed activity within the training centre, and the gentle yet persistent alarms reminded me that any attempt to fly over would trigger defensive batteries. It was a change from my time there, but it was one I strongly supported. The flyby also jogged my memory to potentially seek out conversations with Commandant Kraviss and Rangemaster Marod if time permitted.

Keldabe, resembling a neglected factory complex carelessly discarded within a forest, presented an unusual sight. A vast hillfort encircled by a bend in the Kelita River, surrounded by settlements dotting the nearby woodland. Dominating the landscape was the extensive sprawl of Mandalmotors, now repaired from the damage it had taken, with its towering hundred-meter structure acting as a navigational reference. Utilizing the comm mast as a guide for the spaceport, he could precisely align his descent onto the landing strip. This city was Mandalore, characterized by Mandalmotors, a multitude of small engineering workshops, subsistence farms, ore mining, and a profusion of trees. Excluding the unique beskar deposits, the exceptional Mandalorian iron ore, there was little to set the place apart other than its inhabitants.

Eventually, as I neared the landing area on the northern edge of the city, I pulled back further on the power, and gently lowered Raven onto an empty pad; one that had broadcast a signal to me as I reached Keldabe airspace. While there were no permanent landing pads – at least not for most Mando'ade – as a clan chief, I was assigned one by flight control.

Even before Raven's engines had started to cool, Anakin was up and racing for the exit. "Anakin!" I called out just as the cockpit door slid open. "Patience." I laughed as his shoulder slumped. If there was one thing that remained the same, even with all the changes I'd caused, it was Anakin's desire to rush in. While I doubted I could ever break that, even if I wanted to, I was going to try and curb it as much as I could. Even if that only applied to simple situations like this.

With Anakin all but bouncing at my heels, I moved through the ship, finding Fenrir and Simvyl waiting at the landing ramp. The tuk'ata was almost as excited as Anakin, though, for Fenrir, it was a chance to get out of Raven and run around. Still, my attention was on the Cathar, who carried HK's powered-down head in a bag on his back.

"Remember that not only are these Mandalorians not those who butchered your people thousands of years ago, but that you're under my protection. And by extension, that of the Duke's," I said as I looked at him. "Though I'll admit that Bo is a fair example of their lust for battle."

Simvyl gave a firm nod. "I'm aware. And while I'm no stranger to the thrill of the hunt, and know the Massacre is ancient history, I am still uneasy. All Cathar, be they born on our homeworld or not, are told the story of the night the skies rained death. How, under the command of Cassus Fett, scores of Mandalorians on the back of their metal beasts, brought my race to the verge of extinction." He sighed as the ramp descended. "Still, I swore myself to your side, to walk wherever you go. I knew then that you were considered one of them, and have since taken Bo-Katan as a mate," I opened my mouth to remark that Bo wasn't my mate only to stop as not only did he continue, but I realised that he said 'a mate'. "And perhaps I might be able to use some of my distaste to prove that my people are not weak."

I nodded, accepting his words. "OK, but if you ever feel the need, just return to the Raven. No one will think less of you."

A small smile was what I got to confirm he understood me, and I turned to Fenrir as he whined. "Be patient both of you," I muttered as Anakin was, like Fenrir, dancing from side to side as we waited until we could disembark.

The airlock hissed and pulled open, and I was thankful the pair waited, letting me take the lead as we exited. Once outside a group of twelve Mandalorians approached. All were in full armour and armed, though the four in the middle carried their helmets under an arm and had their blasters holstered.

"Alor Adonai," I began lowering my head for a moment, "I hadn't expected you to greet us personally."

Adonai smiled and reached out with a hand. He'd walked with ease, making me all but forget his leg below the knee was artificial. "Alor Cameron. How could I not?" He asked with a wide smile as I grasped his forearm. "You protected my daughter for far longer than I expected you to," behind him and to the left, Bo rolled her eyes though a smile was on her face, "fought beside her in battles of which songs are sung and have been a good and faithful ally to my clan and I." His eyes drifted beyond me. "Though I do admit to being slightly disappointed the Ne'tra Sartr is no longer with you. That said, my daughter says that in all but weaponry, your new vessel outstrips the Sartr."

I laughed as we broke the grasp. "The Raven is a unique vessel, and I believe the Jedi Council are pleased that she lacks the firepower it had. An opinion that I don't share and was hoping that your engineers might have suggestions on how to correct this oversight."

"Aye, I suspect they will. And I'm sure Alor Dred might also have some interest in that project. He spoke well of how you handled negotiations on Zygerria." I lowered my head for a moment, accepting the praise. At that, Adonai turned his eyes on those with me, quickly locking onto Fenrir. "From the tales Bo told, I know this is the mighty Fenrir; a beast bred of battle." I could sense Fenrir's pride and felt the air shift as he shook and stood to his tallest, his head rising above anyone else's. "Though I hadn't realised he was so imposing."

"Tuk'ata, thanks to a connection to the Force, grow faster than other predators. Though he should be close to full height now, so I'm only left waiting for maturity to come." Fenrir flicked his head, smacking his jaw into my ear and making me stumble.

Adonai laughed at the interaction. "And he is as aware as Bo mentioned. A rare thing, and something Alor Torrhen may well be jealous of." Before I could ask about what he meant, Adonai turned to Simvyl. "On behalf of my people, we are honoured to welcome an Antarian Ranger to our world. While few ever pass our way, we respect the vows and dedication your organisation has. And I for one look forward to sparring with you. My daughter has spoken highly of your prowess in combat, something I'm sure has only increased in your time by this one."

"Since your daughter left, things have been relatively quiet."

I bit back a comment about tempting fate as, knowing what was around the corner, I didn't want Simvyl to think Naboo was somehow his fault. Still, his remark drew a chuckle from Adonai.

"Hmm, is that so? Then perhaps you'd be willing to step into a sparring ring and shake off the rust?"

"Perhaps."

Adonai gave Simvyl a nod before looking down at the youngest member of my group. "And who might you be, little one?" He asked with the soft smile of someone used to dealing with kids.

"Anakin Skywalker, future Jedi Knight. Pleased to meet you," Anakin shot back, extending his hand as he spoke with the certainty of youth. I rolled my eyes at his behaviour even as I smiled. I'd told him at least a dozen times a day since we'd left the ShaDo system that I wasn't taking him as a Padawan. However, it seemed every time I spoke, he added a 'yet' to the end of my sentence. Of course, since I'd already taught him some basic Force techniques, and even the basic velocities for Shii-Cho, I could understand why he felt he was a Jedi in all but name.

Adonai shook Anakin's hand as he smiled. "Ah, yes. I've heard your name, but I swore my daughter told me you wished to learn the ways of the Mando'ade?"

"If Cam can be both, then so can I," Anakin replied with certainty and a smile.

Adonai laughed and, after that, ruffled Anakin's hair. The boy's grumble only made Adonai laugh more as he stood and returned his gaze to me. "I believe you remember those with me?"

I nodded and turned my eyes to the trio. Bo and Osto Ordo made sense, though I was a little surprised to see Naz with them. I gave the latter two nods before speaking to Bo. "I hope you're keeping out of trouble?" I asked as I grasped her arm.

Even as she squeezed my arm tighter than needed, she smiled warmly. "That's my line, you utreekov," she shot back without any venom. I pushed away the urge to pull her forward into my arms. Not only would that send the wrong message to her father, but it wasn't something Mandalorians generally did. At least not when involved with another. "How have you been?"

"As Simvyl said, generally it has been a quiet time. Though I did manage to secure the prize we spoke of." I watched as she processed my words, and a wide smile spread over her face.

"Bo!" Anakin's call cut her off from saying anything regarding Serra, which was a good thing as that wasn't a topic for public discussion. I chuckled as Bo slipped from my grasp and fell to a knee, hugging the boy as he slammed into her.

"And here I thought Bo hated children."

The smile was still plastered to my face as I turned to Naz. "Anakin's special," I explained as I grasped Naz's arm. "How have you been?"

Pre Vizsla's daughter smiled warmly at me. "Enjoying some rest now that the war is over. Though I'll admit, even with Bo back, I'm getting twitchy to do something again." As she spoke and broke our grasp, she ran her fingers down my arms. "Do you have any ideas?"

I chuckled as her fingers ran over my hand. Bo had told me that she'd put off the marriage her father wanted, claiming openly and loudly that Kote Wrajud wasn't man enough for her. Since that was the case, Naz was still fair game, and the look Naz was giving me left little doubt as to what she wanted. Still, until I spoke with Bo – and Serra as while she was fine with me renewing things with Bo, Naz was a new variable – I wasn't going to declare any interest.

"If time allows, I'm more than willing to spar," I replied before turning and craning my neck to look up at Osto Ordo. "Osto, it's been some time."

"Aye, though it looks like it's been good to you," Osto replied before clapping me – hard – on the shoulder. "And from what Bo-Katan's told us, you've managed to get yourself out of a few scrapes without needing me to come and save your shebs. Still, I hope you're willing to tell the tale of your duel for a planet. Bo-Katan's telling lacks… flair."

"That's because I wasn't there, you mir'sheb!" Bo shot back, which drew laughter from everyone bar Anakin. I looked down at her to see Anakin staring intently at her gauntlets and caught the smirk dancing on Naz's face as Bo stood and used a hand to keep Anakin at her side.

"I see some things haven't changed," I commented, drawing another round of laughter, and forcing me to slip back and avoid a weak punch from Bo. "Yes, yes, I know. I'll kick your arse in the ring as soon as the adults have finished talking business." Bo glared at me, making me glad she couldn't call on the Force otherwise I suspected I'd have been halfway back to Coruscant by now. I turned my attention to Naz. "Why exactly do you stay around her?"

Naz laughed loudly at that, though before she could reply – or Bo could insult me in some way – Adonai coughed. "While I'm glad you're reconnecting with our people, and would, like the others, enjoy a spar or two, perhaps we might talk somewhere else? I have a cask of ne'tra gal ready as Bo tells me you're here for more than just catching up."

I nodded in agreement but turned to Fenrir. "On you go, but," Fenrir took off, making a beeline for the forest to the north of us. "Stay out of trouble," I finished with a mutter as I watched him race off before turning back to Adonai. "I'm sorry. Fenrir dislikes being stuck on the Raven."

"It's alright. Bo already warned me of this." He turned and nodded to his guard. Two of them stepped away and then took off, their jetpacks carrying them in the direction Fenrir had gone. "They've orders to simply monitor the beast and ensure he doesn't threaten any vheh'yaim that dwell in the forest and ensure that none try to hunt him."

"My thanks." I was glad of that, as while I knew Fenrir would avoid the dwellings, there was still a chance he might run into a Mandalorian who'd think him a worthy kill. At least until Fenrir ripped a limb off. Adonai turned and I fell into step beside him. "While I'm here, if it's possible, I'd like Anakin to get some basic combat training. Nothing major, and certainly not something his mother could complain about. But he lives with the Lokella, and I'd feel better if he knew something extra."

Adonai nodded. "That can be arranged, and I suspect my daughter will wish to oversee it personally," I nodded in agreement even as he glanced over his shoulder to where I could hear Anakin peppering Bo with questions about her gauntlet. Adonai leaned closer. "The boy is the first I've seen her show concern about since Korkie's death," he whispered, though before I could respond, he continued at a normal volume. "When I was first told you wished to construct a droid, I was confused as I was led to believe that Jedi were as against them as we are. However, after Bo revealed some details of this droid of yours, I admit to being curious to meet it, and the engineers I've brought in are loyal to my or Alor Torrhen's houses."

"Thanks, though, can you arrange for some workers to enter my ship? I've got two crates of refined phrik inside that I wish to use in the construction."

Adonai's brow rose, though he accepted my words and tapped away at his gauntlet a moment later. "I, along with others, look forward to meeting this droid once he's built. Until then, you must regale us with your duel for a planet." I sighed at being reminded of that, which drew a loud laugh from him. "We've heard Bo's telling of it, but as she wasn't there, details were spare. Once you've done that, I and others will no doubt regale you with tales from the war."

… …

… …

I rolled first one shoulder and then the other. Having full armour on them again was a calming experience, though the difference between this armour and the one I'd worn at the Institute was that this armour was mine. Like other Mandalorian armour, it didn't cover every part of me, nor was I wearing a beskar-infused underweave as this was simply a fitting session to ensure everything was sized correctly. If it wasn't, the Mandalorian armourers would be able to alter it, though how they did that was something even someone of Adonai's rank didn't know. The armourers and metalsmiths who worked with beskar guarded their secrets violently and jealously.

As I moved my arms, my eyes once again took in the simple black colouring that had been applied to the armour. While the Jedi Council wouldn't like the fact that I was wearing armour, or approve of the colour, I felt better with it on. Jedi had worn armour at times in the past, and while Sith tended to predominantly wear black, it wasn't a colour exclusive to their Order and to the Mandalorians, use of it on armour, if one placed focus on that, implied the pursuit of justice. Something the Jedi couldn't complain about.

I took the helmet from the armourer staring into the blood red visor, this the Jedi may be able to complain about, before lifting it and placing it on my head. It hissed as the seals engaged and the internal HUD powered up. Amusingly, it was familiar with elements that reminded me of what my Interface used and some that shared links with the more advanced tactical gear I'd trained with in my former life. I looked around the room, getting used to the HUD displaying information about anything I focused on, though not in a way that would distract me if I was in combat.

"There, now you look like a true Mando'ade in their beskar'gam, Alor Cameron." The comment came from the armourer helping me with this fitting. She wore a wide smile, as did Bo and Naz who were standing back. Bo's eyes seemed alive as they scanned me in my armour and the HUD detected an increase in her heart rate as she took in the sight of me in full armour. Naz was more restrained in watching me, but from the HUD's information, I could tell she liked what she saw as well. "You are free to alter the base colour, or apply accents as you wish, but this one," the armourer gestured at Bo, "felt you would approve of the scheme."

After removing the helmet, I replied to the armourer. "You've done an excellent job, vor entye," I said with a small lowering of my head. "There doesn't appear to be any section that requires reshaping."

Though I knew I still had to collect my underweave. That would be going under my Jedi robes so that even when I wasn't wearing full armour – such as when I was within the Temple – I'd still have some protection. Not that the underweave would hold up to a concerted attack against it by a lightsaber. The thin mesh nature of it lowered the effectiveness of the beskar to the point it could be breached, though such things were unlikely to happen in places where I'd be without the armour.

"Did you think I'd not know your measurements?" Bo asked with a half-hearted huff. She pushed off the wall she was leaning against and let her eyes wander over my armoured form once again. Without the underweave currently on, I was wearing something just as skin-tight, which it appeared Bo and Naz approved off.

"No, I think you had more than ample time to learn them," I shot back with a smirk and let my eyes wander her frame. She was in armour, but I knew what she looked like out of it and her underweave, and the best places to touch her to bend her to my will. Bo chuckled at my look which earned her an unsubtle elbow telling her to knock it off from Naz.

That gesture drew my attention to the blond. While I didn't know exactly what she looked like under her gear, I could make more than a fair guess. Both from how snuggly the underweave fit her, and comments Bo had made during our quieter moments against the pillows.

"I am glad my work meets your standards," the armourer responded without any hint of sarcasm. "All that is required now is a listing of how you wish to add to the kom'rk and other sections of the armour." She pointed to a console five metres to my right. "This system can help you make decisions based on your preferences and visualise how they might be added. Once that is completed, I suspect your friends will take you to a training facility. While you wear the armour well, you must still learn to adapt it to your fighting style. Something no Jetii has done in many centuries."

"Vor entye," I said again in thanks and moved to the console she suggested.

As I walked, Bo and Naz moved closer, and my mind drifted for a moment to the welcoming feast/party yesterday that had erupted in Keldabe for my return. The biggest shock hadn't been the number of warriors inside the Oyu'baat cantina that wished to drink with me or hear the stories of my adventures. That honour had been when Satine had walked in beside her and Bo's brother dressed in armour. Now, she wasn't wearing full armour like many others, instead choosing just the gauntlets and chest-piece, but the sight of her in any armour was a surprise. As was the cordial way she and Bo greeted each other.

As the night wore on, I'd learnt that Adonai had been correct in that his family would be targeted, though Dooku had arranged for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to protect Satine. That event must've been where Obi-Wan and Satine first met, though it seemed here at least, their time together only lasted a few months before Adonai had her recalled to Mandalore. While she still advocated for peace, she eventually accepted that the way of the New Mandalorians wouldn't work, something I had to use Observe to confirm as hearing those words from her mouth resulted in me coughing up my ne'tra gal. Something Bo and others had laughed loudly at.

From talking to her more, the defining moment in her realisation had been when Death Watch launched another attack on Sundari. The guards – or at least those still following the New Mandalorian ideals – had been slaughtered and Satine had been forced to take up a blaster to defend herself and the school at which she'd been working. Her defence of the children, including killing two and wounding another member of the Death Watch cult had broken the last barriers between her and her family, and while she was still reluctant to attempt her verd'goten – something easy to see as she lacked a personal sigil on her armour – Bo had moved to fully restore what she once had with her sister. Or at least, that's what I got from the way the two moved acceptingly around each other. There was still some tension, but nothing that felt like it wouldn't eventually dissipate with time and effort.

I'd also discovered that Satine would soon be returning to Coruscant, to take up a position as senior aide to the sector's current representative in the Senate. None in the cantina referred to that person as the Senator as it was clear that even now, eight hundred years later, they bristled at being under the yoke of the Senate. However, from a quiet moment with Adonai this morning, I'd learnt that he understood that they couldn't break from the Republic and expect anything but another Dral'Han to occur. I had inquired why neither he nor Torrhen hadn't moved to become Mand'alor, but he'd not given a clear answer on the matter.

"What will you choose?" Naz asked as she and Bo approached me at the weapons console.

I shrugged. "Not sure ye…" I was cut off as the doors to the room hissed open and in rushed a familiar blonde-haired boy.

"Whoa! Cool!" Anakin muttered as he took in the sight of the workshop. His eyes found me quickly and widened dramatically as he saw my armour.

"When you're older, though full beskar would be after a verd'goten," I said before he could ask when he'd get his own set of armour. Beside me, I heard Bo chuckle. Probably at how sure I was Anakin would follow me into becoming Mando'ade.

I turned from the console to answer. "We've already gone over this," Bo commented with a sigh. "One last time. The verd'goten is the rite of passage during which an adiik – a child – carries out a hunt. Afterwards, they become mando'ade." I looked at Bo as she again explained the terms patiently. Beside her, Naz watched with a tender look in her eyes.

Bo stepped away from us and knelt to look Anakin in the eye. "In our culture, when a child reaches thirteen, they are taken by a relative or mentor to another world. There, armed with nothing more than a knife, a survival pack and your wits you must endure whatever the planet you're on throws at you. The trial is completed once you've killed a predator of some form. It must, either alone or in groups, be a threat to your life."

"So a bantha wouldn't count?"

Bo, Naz, and I all chuckled at the image of someone killing a bantha in an attempt to become a Mandalorian.

"No, it wouldn't," Bo replied after muttering something under her breath. She tapped the left chest of her armour. "This sigil here is from my hunt when I killed a furred blood owl." Anakin's lips twitched at the animal's name, though Bo didn't snark at him as she'd done at Serra and me. In fairness, I had looked that up and discovered it wasn't anywhere near as simple as its name suggested. The damn thing was about as long as Bo was tall and its claws could carry off, in theory, a bantha calf or similar-sized animal.

Bo then pointed at Naz. "She killed a nightshrike while Cam…" She paused as Anakin's eyes widened as he saw the sigil I bore.

"That's why you fought a krayt dragon!" He blurted and I laughed.

"Greater krayt dragon actually," I replied casually, long used to reactions like this when people heard about my verd'goten. "My hunt was why I was on Tatooine, and at the end of it, when I first sensed you through the Force."

Anakin smiled, happy about the change in his fate because of my hunt – which may well make him more certain he wanted to attempt the hunt when he was old enough – only for a frown to form on his face. "Why is your armour just black while theirs have more colours?"

"Every mando'ade has a base ideal they hold true," Bo began, once more explaining Mandalorian customs to Anakin. Before she'd returned home, she'd mentioned adopting him into Clan Kryze. I still feel she wasn't entirely serious, but that feeling was slowly disappearing the more I watched her be a mentor and teacher to the boy. "My armour has a base of grey as a reminder of my mother. Naz chose green as she is remarkably loyal to those she cares for." Beside me, I felt pride and care emanate from Naz. "Both of us chose red as a primary accent to honour our parents and ancestors. As for Cam, as he said, black signifies justice." Bo turned and looked at me, a knowing smile on her face. "As much as he might deny it, he has a keen sense of what is right and wrong and of what needs to be done. He's not afraid to do that, regardless of how others might react to his choices. The accents are up to him."

"If I have any, green is the most likely. At least as a primary." I chuckled and shook my head as I looked at my new and improved gauntlets. "As suitable as the idea of red as an accent might be, I'm unsure how the Jedi Council would react to having me walk into the Temple in armour with that as the secondary colour.

"I'd pay to see their faces if you did," Naz commented, which drew a laugh from Bo.

"Regardless, there's no need to add accents currently. From what I remember, they are often added over time as a warrior grows and changes."

"Aye. And then there's those who stick to a single colour for reasons other than tradition," Naz said with a smile. "I have an uncle whose armour is just orange. And I mean bright, burnt orange. While he enjoys life, he told me once that he made it so simply to distract his opponent has armour that colour simply to disorientate an opponent."

I shook my head, imagining the Mandalorian equivalent of a giant orange. "Yeah, that would make me pause before engaging him. Force, regardless of where on the battlefield I was, that would be a distraction." The three smiled in agreement even as I turned back to the console. "Now, while I'm sure Anakin has questions galore about armour design and colouration, I have to finish up here. Do either of you lovely ladies have suggestions for what I should equip my armour with?"

… …

… …

That evening, after spending the afternoon testing out my new armour, getting used to how to move in it, and using the tools that were part of it, I was in my assigned quarters going over the design for HK. The phrik that I'd brought with me was with Adonai's technicians, and they'd already told me it would take a day or two to shape the alloy how I wanted. While beskar would have been my personal preference because it could be more easily incorporated into the delicate parts of his structure Phrik may be better because it was just slightly more durable.

Beskar and phrik could both resist lightsabers and tank concentrated blaster fire, even taking turbolaser fire, phrik generally dealt with it just a bit better.

The way the quest linked to getting him online – Rebuilding a Hunter-Killer: Part 1 – hinted at a follow-up quest, which I suspected was to do with upgrading HK's software and hardware. Though I couldn't be certain of that.

My eyes drifted over to my armour trailing the gleaming black surface, resting momentarily on the weapons and the small glinting cold that held the dragon skin cloak closed before stopping to stare into the blood red visor. I'd taken it off after returning to my quarters after dinner. There, Adonai had explained slightly why he wasn't making a play to become Mand'alor. He felt he was too old to take on the load when he was already burdened with so much work to risk taking on the challenge of becoming the leader of his people. Since the sector was recovering from another civil war, I could understand some of his logic, but it felt like a very flimsy excuse. However, it was his to make and one I respected, though I just hoped someone else – my thoughts focused on Pre Vizsla – didn't attempt to make a play for the title. That though, was a matter for the future, for now, my thoughts – if they weren't focused on HK – drifted to Naboo and the invasion.

The armour I had was solid, however, something about it felt off. Since I was working on a tight clock, I wasn't going to have it redesigned now, but provided I survived Naboo, I'd return to Mandalore and have it re-shaped into something closer to what I wanted. I might even have accent colours added, though for now the dark base colour was fine and when worn under my robes and dragon hide cloak, wasn't too intimidating. Or at least I felt they weren't, though I was sure certain members of the Jedi Order would still find an issue with me wearing armour.

A beep from my door drew my attention and with a simple gesture, I used the Force to open the door. As it slid back, I saw Bo and Naz enter, wearing nothing but their underweave. My eyes were naturally drawn to the familiar lines of Bo's form and the new, tempting ones of Naz.

Bo had already spent the previous night in my quarters, having dragged me away from the feast after Anakin had crashed. The boy had insisted on drinking ale like the rest of us, and while he lasted longer than I'd expected, he'd still passed out barely an hour after the feast began. After I'd returned, Bo had not let me sit before dragging me away. Frankly, while I'd enjoyed the feast, I'd pass on a feast every day for the night I'd enjoyed with Bo, so seeing her here was a pleasant surprise, as was Naz whose eyes were already undressing me.

"Lady Bo-Katan, Lady Naz, how may I help you tonight?" I asked as Bo stalked toward me. Her face twitched in annoyance at me calling her a 'Lady' but until the day came when she beat me in a spar, I wasn't going to stop. And frankly, I suspected she liked it when I did as it gave her an excuse to start something with me. Not that I felt she needed an excuse as she was always welcome in my bed.

"Stop that!" she snarled as she grabbed my robes and pushed them back, exposing the tunic I was wearing underneath while appearing to trap my arms against my side. Her lips crashed against mine, letting me catch the hints of alcohol on them, but before I could return the kiss, she pulled back. "And yes, I want something," she said with a smirk, "though I'm not the only one."

I looked past her at Naz. The blonde had stayed near the door, though the way she nibbled her lip and watched Bo as she settled next to me, made clear what she wanted. "And how might I be of service, Lady Naz?" I asked teasingly, which earned me a less-than-gentle elbow to my ribs from Bo.

Naz moved forward, completely certain, "You, I want you."

I smirked, letting my eyes wander over her frame again. That brought out her desire even more, pushing the concern I felt from her back. "And what of Kote Wrajud?" Honestly, at this point, with Bo's hands already teasing my leg, I doubted I'd care enough to not take Naz. However, it would be better to hear from Naz's lips that she wanted me over him.

"I don't want him. My father agreed, and the betrothal was cancelled." My brow rose at hearing that. Pre not securing Clan Wrajud was an odd move as the clan chief was a firm Death Watch supporter. Either Clan Wrajud had fallen on hard times after the civil war, or Naz had found a way to convince Pre to end the arrangement. Regardless, I knew Pre would hate that his only daughter was here tonight, which made taking her even more appealing. "What I want is in front of me."

I stood, sliding from Bo's grasp with an ease she'd never shown before. "Then who am I to deny your desire," I said as I moved toward Naz.

My lips found hers with ease, and she submitted to me with a moan as my hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her against me. As her hands came to my arms I felt Bo's breath on my ear.

"Prove to her that my tales of your prowess are true," the redhead whispered as I felt one of her hands slide into my belt. "Take us until neither can nor wants to walk from your room tomorrow."

I nibbled Naz's jaw even as her fingers tore apart my tunic. If the ladies wished to be ravished, I was more than willing to do so. Hopefully, Adonai would understand why I missed our meeting about my need for fighters for an upcoming battle and the state of the sector tomorrow morning.

… …

… …

Even though every simulation – all two thousand of them – had confirmed that if we reached this point in the procedure, nothing would go wrong, it still didn't make me any less nervous. The power levels through the combat frame were slowly climbing as all basic systems came online for the first time. It was taking forever for the levels to rise, but that was by intention as I didn't want to risk HK's core if there was an issue from a power surge.

"Why is it taking so long?" Anakin whined from behind me, however, I didn't reply. My focus remained fixed on the readings in front of me. Each servo and motor in the frame that came online and reported back green was another small step toward the final goal. Though until everything was online and working within expected parameters, I wouldn't consider this a success. Hell, until I saw HK in combat, I'd likely retain worries that something was wrong.

"Cam's just being extra careful," Bo replied in the same gentler – for her – tone she always used with Anakin. Several people had commented on her behaviour around the boy, and while Naz and I could handle Bo's aggression that evening, anyone else was challenged to a duel. Even her father and brother weren't immune to the challenge, though they, like me, laughed off her behaviour.

As much as Bo wasn't the mothering type, she did have a soft spot for Anakin, and I couldn't deny the idea of seeing her raise our child hadn't flashed through my thoughts several times over the last day. Nor the idea of Naz and Serra also having children. Yet even though the pair had spoken via the Holonet, and Serra was accepting of my bedding Naz – and no denying Bo's suggestions that she wanted to join us – any thought of children was for the future. Possibly even after the Clone Wars, or whatever replaced them if my actions so far and to come had a great enough effect to alter events that much.

"But it's soooo slow." I couldn't help but smirk at Anakin's whine. While he had a good head on his shoulders and was smarter in some ways than many adults, he was still a child and hearing him behave like others his age was oddly refreshing. Though that didn't mean I wanted to tolerate it and made a note for Simvyl to take Anakin for a training session.

It had only been a few days since we'd arrived, but Simvyl was settling in easily enough. Most of that was because many knew of him from Bo's war stories of our time on Zonama Sekot. Though some came from the few spars he'd engaged in. While, from what I'd heard, he'd lost more than he'd won, the fact he was willing to step up to the plate and didn't hold back earned him the respect of many. Yet the biggest thing that helped him, and something that caught us both unawares, was the reveal of a clan of Cathar who followed the Resol'nare.

They weren't a major clan, numbering only a few dozen strong, but they were part of House Ordo and having some of his species here helped Simvyl settle. Even if he was still processing the idea that Cathar would choose to follow the ways of the Mando'ade.

It also ensured he didn't spend all his time on Raven. While I was reluctant to allow many onboard, Adonai had reached out to Dred Yomaget and between them created a small team of six to examine the mechanical sections of my ship and consider how she might be upgraded. So far, things weren't looking good in arming Raven as it might well mean cutting through her skin; the engineers just as reluctant as me to do. To them, she was a marvel of engineering that shouldn't be butchered simply to make her combat ready while I fretted over how much pain it would cause her.

"All work takes time and completing something as worthy as rebuilding the akaan beskar'ad of Naast be Me'suums, requires as much time as it takes." I grinned, wondering how HK would feel at the name the Mandalorians had given him.

"What of the what?" I resisted the urge to shake my head. Anakin, like any child, had to know what was going on, but the more he asked, the less he knew and the more questions he asked.

My grin grew as Bo exhaled loudly and I knew she was shaking her head at Anakin's curiosity. "The war droid of Revan." She spoke slowly in a tone I recognized as a sign she was getting annoyed.

"Anakin," I said just loud enough that my voice would carry to him so as to not distract the technicians around the room who were monitoring specific aspects of the process. "If you keep asking questions, I'll send you back to the Raven and return you to your mother before the day is over."

"Oh… Okay."

I wouldn't actually do that, but Anakin couldn't be sure, and thus as the power climbed over ninety-five per cent, I was greeted by silence. At least if I ignored the various sounds of the lab and the whispered tones of the handful of technicians on-hand.

Time seemed to slow as the levels rose in each section of the frame, dragging the overall readings ever upward. As the readings passed ninety-nine per cent, no warnings sounded, and I exhaled in relief. A moment later the yellow visual receptors of the droid head flickered to life, and I took a step back from the console, wanting to watch the rebirth of HK-47.

He sat up slowly, and I offered a silent thanks to the Force that there wasn't any sound of creaking. Even if I and others had gone over the plans with a pico-metre thick comb, that didn't entirely reassure me that what I was watching would occur.

HK raised his arms and turned them over in front of his receptors. Each finger was closed and opened independently, and then the joints at the wrist, elbow and shoulder were tested. He turned and repeated the process with his legs before hopping from the table and standing tall. The body and head had been coated in phrik which had been altered to as close to the original shade of his last frame.

His receptors flickered as he turned to me. "Query: Master?"

"How do you feel?" I asked with a smile, taking in the physical sight of one of my two favourite droids.

"Indignation: I am a droid, Master, not a squishy meatbag. I do not feel anything." I shook my head, amused at the half-expected response. HK's optical receptors flickered as his brain carried out an untold number of calculations within a second making sure his internal circuitry was working correctly. "Statement: This new frame is working within acceptable parameters. Addendum: there is much room for enhancement."

"I would expect nothing less," I said with a smirk. "What about the new inbuilt ordinance? Are they working as expected?"

HK lifted an arm, and I watched as part of the forearm slid back, exposing a high-powered, though low-rate, blaster cannon. He rotated the arm and checked other things internally before the cannon slid back into the arm. He repeated the process with the other arm, though that exposed a flame thrower, one that while it sparked, didn't ignite. That was because I'd kept the fuel out of the initial activation. Slots on his thighs were exposed, though both were empty as HK had wanted them left free for him to adapt for specific missions, a finger glowed as the laser in it flickered, a vibroblade flashed out from each wrist and a low whine was emitted as he tested the inbuilt sonic weaponry on low.

"Affirmative: Yes, Master. All hidden compartments activate with acceptable speed and scanner inhibitors report no faults." Those inhibitors would hide his hidden weaponry from all but the most invasive of scans. Something only places like the Senate building used, and even then, only in certain locations. "Observation: While my programming has already developed thirty-seven thousand, eight hundred and ninety-three possible layout combinations, I require target practice to determine which would be the most suitable for various scenarios. Suggestion: Perhaps one of these pathetic meatbags is willing to volunteer to help with my calibrations?"

I laughed and shook my head. "No, HK they're not. While I know you dislike most organics, you should be nicer to the ones in this room. Without their help designing, forging and constructing your new frame, you'd have remained nothing more than a head for some time to come."

HK turned, taking in each technician in the room. I suspected he was placing their images on a file for those to avoid killing; or at least, to avoid killing in any way but quickly. He turned back to me, though I felt his gaze was on Bo, Anakin and Naz more so than me. "Agreement: Yes, Master. I shall ensure that those responsible for this new frame, as barely acceptable as it is, are afforded as much respect as I can muster for meatbags."

A few of the technicians seemed to tense, hands drifting toward their blasters, but not drawing them. HK was a law unto himself and to Mandalorians, the way he talked could easily be seen as a threat. Even when he was trying to be civil.

I shifted my focus from HK to them. "You'll have to forgive HK. What he lacks in social niceties, he more than makes up for in combat proficiency. Haran, I'd go so far as to call him murder-happy, but he doesn't have feelings."

"Agreement: Yes, Master. I am superior to all meatbags and their inability to think without using feelings. Clarification: Outside of yourself, Master, and the Creator."

"That's not nice!" Anakin yelled out as he came to my side. I shook my head, surprised that even now, after having spent time around HK over the last few years, he could still be caught out by the droid's bluntness. Behind me, I could sense Bo and Naz's amusement at HK's antics. I didn't know how Naz felt about droids, but Bo disliked them as much as HK disliked organics. Only I, and their shared love of weapons, combat and violence allowed them to find common ground.

"Commentary: I am a droid, little meatbag. I wasn't programmed to be 'nice'."

"HK," I said, cutting off Anakin from retorting. "As you well know, Anakin was one of those who helped design your new frame. Some of his suggestions generated unexpected but significant improvements in your efficiency."

HK's receptors flickered. "Clarification: What I meant, little meatbag, was that I'm not nice to those my Master doesn't wish me to be nice to. Otherwise, I can be very agreeable."

"Anyway," I began as I shook my head at HK and what his definition of agreeable might be, "what are your self-diagnostics reporting about the new frame and programming?"

"Answer: The frame is working at eighty-nine-point four-five per cent of optimal efficiency. However, my combat matrices require calibration for the new frame, and potential updating for weaponry specifications of this era. Clarification: While the various manuals and technical documents have been uploaded, there are always discrepancies between those and what a given weapon is capable of. Addendum: In time, once calibrations are complete, I look forward to testing myself against the Jedi of this era, and of replaying the look of shock upon their faces when their beloved weapons fail moments before I extinguish their pathetic lives."

I chuckled. "So, you're fine with the phrik? I was thinking that in time, we might develop a superior frame, one composed of both phrik and beskar."

"Commentary: Would not the meatbags known as Mandalorians feel slighted by using the alloy they worship in a droid's frame?"

"They might," I replied quickly as I sensed Bo and Naz – along with the technicians still present – bristle at HK's words. "But we can see. I don't have my ancestor's flair for creation, at least not with droids, so I'm simply placing on the table the option to upgrade the frame if you ever wish to. And, no doubt, Anakin and Bo will have suggestions for the hardware and software that might hold some appeal."

"Agreement: That is a very wise course of action, Master. Advisory: However, without extensive examination of this frame, in true combat, I could not offer a decision on the offer."

"Understandable." I looked down at Anakin, whose eyes seemed to have lit up at the idea of improving HK, which was both heartening and – at least for my enemies – terrifying. "Still, it's time to shake off the rust, so to speak. Three thousand years is a long time to let your skills degrade, no doubt to the point of a child's."

"Commentary: Oh, you are a cruel master, Master. I believe I'm going to enjoy fighting by your side."

I held back a comment on the status of combat droids in this era. I didn't want to ruin the fun of hearing HK's critiques of the Trade Federation's B1s when we got to Naboo. He'd already expressed some displeasure with them from Holonet recordings he'd viewed but seeing them in a recording was worlds away from facing – and slaughtering – them on a battlefield.

Thus, I turned and moved toward the door. HK fell into step behind, I could imagine he wasn't thrilled about the fact, for now, he wasn't carrying a blaster. Though as I exited the room, with him and the others in tow, I knew that issue would be quickly rectified. As we walked, I opened and closed Rebuilding a Hunter-Killer: Part 1, noting that I'd received 1375XP. I'd made the first hidden objective of getting Mechanics [Droids] to Master:25, though the others – for reaching Master:50, Master:75, and Savant:1 – hadn't been reached. Still, it was another small step on the way to level 30 – I was about 15000xp short – and the final system upgrade.

… …

… …

A soft, continual beeping pulled me from my dreams and felt a gentle change in the Force, which had me shifting in my bed. Or tried to, because, as my thoughts aligned themselves, I remembered that once more Bo and Naz had joined me last night and both were laying either side – and in the case of an arm from Bo and a leg from Naz – over me currently.

Using the Force and slow, careful movement, I extracted myself from my warm and tempting position and slid from the bed. Naz groaned, seemingly realising I wasn't there. I smirked as she shuffled over in her sleep until she was pressed up against her friend and lover before turning. The floor was, as usual, covered in various sections of clothing with their armour resting on a table at the far side of the room beside the stand holding mine. While the pair were ravenous in bed, they didn't simply toss off their armour in the desire to join me in bed, which was a relief as the chance of standing on the controls of a vambrace and setting off the inbuilt weaponry would be fucking embarrassing to deal with when medics and security turned up.

I was glad the floor was covered in carpet and the room warm as otherwise I might well have used Silence to ensure I could ignore the attempted communication. At least if the Force wasn't shifting, hinting that something was happening.

I pulled my helmet on, ensuring I and whoever was calling me wouldn't wake my lovers. "Yes?" I asked as the channel opened.

"Cameron," came Simvyl's voice, through the earpiece, "we've got an incoming priority signal from Coruscant. Should I route it to you now?" He sounded more awake than me, but that was probably because the call had come into Raven first and he'd had to wake before calling me.

"Go ahead," I replied, glad the signal was being routed into the helmet. Whoever was calling wouldn't see the state of my quarters or the two naked beauties behind me. It was unlikely to be my publisher, as from the initial report they'd sent, the first book of the Knights of the Old Republic Trilogy, The Dark Times, would cover everything from the game up until facing Darth Bandon, which for this was taking place in the Shadowlands of Kask…

My thoughts were cut off as the HUD displayed an image of Palpatine. "Cameron, I do hope I haven't caught you at an inopportune time," he said. All he'd see was my face, which no doubt showed my shock at his call.

"No, I was not far from waking anyway," I replied with a half-truth. It was only an hour from sun-up, but since I was sure we'd only gone to sleep a few hours ago, I'd planned to enjoy a lay-in, and then – I hoped – a repeat of last night's events. "Has something happened regarding our mutual concern?"

"No, no. There's been little movement on that matter." Palpatine paused and, for once, looked every bit his age. "The matter I'm calling regarding is perhaps graver, at least to me." I inhaled, wondering if this was the starter's gun. "You remember the summit on Eriadu?

"As much as I'd rather not, yes." I still had moments where I replayed the event of Eriadu, wondering if my hesitation to act might have been driven by a desire to ensure, as bad as it sounded, events happened how I expected for Naboo. "Has Viceroy Gunray been brought in for questioning?"

Palpatine sighed and slumped. "As much as that would be ideal, he hasn't. It seems that the Viceroy has reacted worse than expected to the taxation of the Outer Rim, and seemingly in a move to punish me for supporting the Chancellor's call for a summit on Eriadu, blockaded Naboo."

"Is that legal?" I asked, only to pause and fight the urge to laugh. Of all the lines I'd pull out, it just had to be that one.

Thankfully, Palpatine didn't see or sense my hesitation after speaking. "No, it certainly is not. The matter is now with the Senate, but with the Chancellor mired in allegations of corruption, it will take years, at a minimum, before any decision is reached regarding the blockade."

"If not longer with the Trade Federation and their allies in the Senate actively hindering investigations," I suggested, which earned a nod from Palpatine.

"Indeed. As I fear for my people and the new Queen," I knew he was playing on my friendship with Padmé there, but in his place, I'd do the same, "I'm reaching out for help wherever I can."

I nodded, showing my understanding. Yes, he had ensured Naboo was the target, but I wasn't meant to know that. "I'll do what I can. What of the Jedi Council? Can they intervene on humanitarian grounds?" Even as I asked that, I knew they'd do fuck all to help. But it gave me time to run through the checklist I kept in my mind about what I needed to do. If there was time, I could try and head to Naboo directly and confront Gunray. I'd be massively overstepping my bounds as a Jedi, and lead to the High Council censoring me – at a minimum – but it would save the planet.

"Master Yoda expressed his sympathy, but I was informed that they wouldn't act in an official capacity until the Senate asked them to." I snorted, making clear my dislike of that response, which brought a small smile to Palpatine's face for a moment. "I'm sorry for asking for your help, but I have little other option."

"It's fine, uncle," I replied, playing on the bond we shared. "If you want, I could head to Naboo and speak with the Viceroy?" I offered, adding enough inflexion to 'speak' that he'd understand my meaning.

"No, no. I fear such a bold move would only make things worse for everyone." That did make sense, even ignoring his role in ensuring the blockade happened. Still, it was an offer I had to make to hint I was more proactive than other Jedi. Now, if given a choice, I'd have happily led a strike team with the purpose of capturing Gunray before the invasion took place, or possibly just after, but while I considered Bo, Naz and others good fighters, they weren't on the level to pull off a mission like that. Hell, I wasn't sure I was. Not with Maul floating around the edges of the picture. "While I'm glad to have your support, I'm not willing to risk your life in such a fool-hardly move."

"Then what do you suggest?" I asked even as I sent a message to Simvyl to ready Raven for flight.

Palpatine took a moment, seemingly considering the matter though I had little doubt he already knew what he wanted me to do. "Return to Coruscant. In the time it will take you to get here, I can make other moves and see what our options are. If nothing exists, then I may well accompany you to Naboo. Combined, we might be able to sway the Viceroy's hand before the blockade turns into something worse."

"Of course, Senator. I'll send a message to your office once I'm underway. If I push the engines on Raven, I should be there within two days."

Palpatine sighed and seemed to find some energy again. "Thank you, my friend. I… When you arrive, head straight for the Senate. I'll ensure you have priority clearance. Thank you."

I smiled in support before closing the channel. Once it was closed, I considered how I could change events. Ideally, I could get assigned the mission instead of Qui-Gon. Beyond completing the quest to keep him alive past the invasion, being there could help move things in different ways that might unintentionally disrupt Sidious' plans. Still, any plan would have to wait until I returned to the capital of the Republic, and pulled off the helmet.

"What's happening?"

I tensed, caught unaware by Bo's voice. After placing my helmet on the table, I turned to see she and Naz were both awake, though Naz looked inclined to drift back to sleep. "You remember how I mentioned needing my armour and HK for the darkness I sensed?" Bo nodded while Naz blinked trying to clear the cobwebs of sleep. "I fear it's arriving earlier than I expected. Naboo, a planet in the Chommell sector, has been blockaded by the Trade Federation. The Senator, who I consider somewhat of a friend, is asking for help."

Bo was stationary for a second before she slid off the bed and stood, entirely unconcerned by her nakedness. Or mine it seemed. In my haste to answer the call, I'd forgotten to slip on even my robes. That made me extremely glad I'd used the helmet to take the call. "We'd better speak with my father," Bo started as she reached down for her underweave. "If you're going to war, House Kryze will ride with you."

I smiled in thanks and moved to find my clothing.

"I'm coming too," Naz added as she pulled herself over the bed. Though the statement was undercut by a long, loud yawn that slipped from her lips.

I nodded to her even as I pulled on my trousers. However, my mind was on Anakin. As much as he'd want to, I wasn't taking him to Coruscant. Not when I was heading directly to Palpatine. I couldn't leave him on Mandalore, as he'd likely find a way to sneak on board any ship Bo was on, claiming he wanted to help. As much as she'd scoff at me for saying so, she had a soft spot for the boy and would have no issue with bringing him along in a support role. Yet, knowing Anakin, and his insane luck, he'd find a way to be critical to the upcoming battle. To ensure that didn't happen, I had to ask Adonai to have someone take him back to his mother. At least there he'd be safe.

Once back on Coruscant, I'd be intercepting Qui-Gon and, provided Valorum hadn't already reached out to the Jedi, take the mission before he could. If he'd already been assigned by the time I arrived, I'd tag along, claiming a connection with Padmé would help the mission.

Regardless, after nine years of waiting, the starter's gun had sounded. It might be another decade before things became official, but finally, the Clone Wars had entered their opening stages.

… …

… …
A/N: Well, finally, after 5+ years and over 850000 words, we reached the canon timeline.
...
This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
You can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
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Regardless if you join the discord or support my writing, I hope you enjoy the story and suggestions, valid criticisms, and ideas are always welcome.
And of course;

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Aug 16, 2023

I realise I haven't given anything regarding what certain characters look like.
Anyone cast in the movies keeps that casting, otherwise, they're fair game, though not everyone has been cast.
Also, I won't be using Human castings for alien races, bar a handful of near-Human species. I might, however, use random artwork for certain sentients.
If I've missed someone from this list, or you have an idea for someone not listed, feel free to drop me a PM or reply to this message.

Jedi Mandalorians Lokella Others

USSExplorer · Aug 17, 2023

Forgot to add this at the end of the chapter.
A rough idea of what Cam looks like in armour, krayt dragon skin cloak and all.

USSExplorer · Sep 16, 2023

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

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

Current Date: READ THE TITLE (LOL)

The Phantom Menace 1
... ...

I couldn't suppress a smile as I deftly manoeuvred the sleek Raven, plunging her at an almost vertical angle into the tumultuous depths of Coruscant's bustling atmosphere. On any ordinary day, breaching the airspace of the illustrious Republic capital would have invited a swarm of Republic cruisers, their intentions veiled behind a veneer of authority. However, I couldn't help but harbour quiet confidence in the face of such potential interception, for I doubted their feeble vessels possessed even a fraction of Raven's unparalleled speed and agile prowess. Alas, this day was unlike any other, as Palpatine himself had honoured his promise, securing for me a prized priority corridor leading directly to the hallowed Senate chambers.

Admittedly, I might have been pushing the limits of Senate security's tolerance, hurtling towards my destination with an urgency that would undoubtedly set their nerves on edge. Yet, armed with Palpatine's blessing and the undeniable affiliation of my vessel with the Jedi, they chose to remain silent observers. Well, if one were to overlook the brief thirty seconds of half-hearted hails that fizzled out in futility as I triumphantly shattered through the manufactured veil of clouds, my eyes met with the awe-inspiring sight of the colossal Senate edifice, dominating the horizon with its commanding presence.

A gentle pull on her controls, along with sending thoughts of slowing, had Raven pull out of her dive. She wasn't happy about it as she loved entering atmospheres like this, but she understood my desire and listened. Mainly as under the enjoyment she was radiating, I could feel the desire to return to the Temple and then leave the planet as soon as we could. While she enjoyed the attention at the Temple, she disliked the planet itself - something I felt came from the artificial nature of the atmosphere and surface.

We circled around the Senate as the computers plotted a landing vector and as various sensors in the building locked onto me as a reminder the building wasn't defenceless, I was glad Raven had yet to be outfitted with weaponry. The Mandalorian engineers – arranged by Duke Adonai and Alor Dred Yomaget – that had been working on doing so hadn't discovered a method to add even simple point defence laser cannons to her frame without the need to cut into her skin, something they and I agreed shouldn't be done. Apart from her lack of firepower, no other ship could match Raven's grace, speed, and beauty.

As we angled for the assigned landing pad, my thoughts turned to Padmé. I'd wanted to show her Raven, to let her and her handmaidens take a short flight in her. Yet after Padmé's kiss, and the glances and comments from Sabé, I'd left Naboo as soon as decorum allowed. Every time I'd flown Raven to her limits with a female who was interested in or involved with me onboard, it always ended the same way. While I did hope to eventually see where things with Padmé may lead, she was only fourteen and while that might be legal for the Naboo and Mandalorians, it wasn't above the Republic's Age of Responsibility. Nor my personal standard. Still, while my time on Naboo had been shorter than planned, I'd scanned Theed and the surrounding countryside thoroughly in advance of the invasion and battles that were about to take place.

Bringing Raven into a hover over the landing pad, I saw several figures step out from the cover of the Senate. The lead one wore deep blue robes marking them out as Palpatine, thus I assumed those behind him were several of his aides, if not those he wished for me to speak with about the blockade of Naboo.

Raven touched down with such gentle grace that if I'd not been at the controls, I wouldn't have felt the contact. A small smile came to my face as I marvelled once more at her grace, with the smile growing when I sensed Raven's pride in my respect for her. "Keep the engines warm," I said as I stood and looked over at Simvyl who was sitting in the co-pilot's chair. Not that he ever had to do anything as Raven knew how to fly herself if the course wasn't complicated. Plus, the bond we shared only allowed me to actually fly her. "I sense we'll not be here long. Though if I do disappear inside, set them to standby until I contact you."

"Got it," Simvyl replied with a nod as he focused on Raven's displays.

With that, I walked out of the cockpit, made my way through a deserted main area – though not before using the Force to tidy up the main sofa after another of Fenrir's snoozes – and moved toward the exit ramp. As I entered the airlock, I found Fenrir waiting for me. "Behave," I said sternly as the ramp descended. He looked up and tilted his head to the side. "I mean it. This isn't someone I want knowing I dislike them." He snorted and then shook which was the best response I could hope for.

I'd avoided having Fenrir meet Palpatine before, but given this talk was, in theory, about a combat mission, I wanted Palpatine to know that I'd have Fenrir with me. I hoped the idea I fought beside a Sith war beast would keep his focus on me as it wouldn't be too long until I had to make a call regarding Anakin. Whatever I decided on, and I was leaning toward teaching him myself, having Palpatine interested in me as his potential apprentice would, I hope, distract his gaze from lingering too long on Anakin. However, I knew that if I took the boy as my Padawan, then that would be harder to achieve, so I'd have to determine a change in tack if I made that move.

Stepping outside, I saw a Duros and a trio of droids approach, though I stopped them with a gesture and indicated for them to wait. If I entered the building with Palpatine, I'd let them approach, but if, as I sensed, I wouldn't be here long, then there was no point in them connecting Raven to the Senate's fuel and power lines.

"Senator," I said with a slight lowering of my head once we'd reached each other. At his sides were Sate Prestige and Janus Greejatus. While I felt the latter was nothing more than an arse-kisser with some degree of competence, there was more to Sate than met the eye. Though I'd not determined what it was he did for Palpatine, my guard was up whenever I was near him.

"Cameron, thank you for coming," Palpatine replied, offering a weak smile while his shoulders remained tense. "However, I fear my summons might have been in vain." I frowned, wondering what had happened in the day and a bit it had taken me to reach Coruscant. "I've recently spoken with the Chancellor, and he informed me he reached out several days ago to the Jedi Council. It seems he called in a personal favour with them to ensure the Jedi sent a team to investigate and end the blockade."

"I don't think it shall be that easy," I commented, earning a nod of agreement from Janus. "Did the Chancellor tell you which Jedi were sent?"

"Sadly, no. Though I think that was because he wasn't aware." Palpatine's gaze drifted to Fenrir for a second before he continued, "I'm led to believe the Jedi Council decides on such matters without speaking with the Chancellor or Senate. Nor could Chancellor Valorum push on the matter as he has very little personal power left after Eriadu."

I nodded in agreement, even if I knew he'd arranged for the trade summit to fail. "And he is, if I understand, approaching the end of his term." Palpatine gave a solemn nod, playing the idea that he felt he was losing a friend in the highest office. "Still, at least he was able to convince the Council to send some Jedi. I just fear that they'll be going in expecting the Federation to talk to resolve the blockade when I sense that is far from their intention. It could easily drag out, or worse, undermine the Chancellor entirely and plunge the Senate, and the Republic, into chaos, which would only make it harder to rally official support for Naboo."

"Then what can we do?" Once more Palpatine showed how skilled he was at hiding his true feelings as even in the Force, I could sense concern from him for Naboo.

I frowned and looked out onto the skyline of Coruscant. "I don't know." I turned back. "Have you managed to gather any support in the Senate?"

Palpatine's shoulders slumped, the very image of a man on the edge of defeat. "Not much, unfortunately. While many Senators come from sectors that have issues with the Trade Federation, few are willing to support us. If the Federation is made to leave Naboo without an escalation, they fear their systems will be in line for retaliation. The few who might be willing to stand against the Federation have, I suspect, vested interests in rivals to the Federation."

"Yes, that's about what I expected," I said with a shake of my head. "Most people talk a good game, but few are able to back it up when the chips are down." Fenrir grunted, picking up on my annoyance. My gaze returned to the cityscape, locking onto the Temple, where I knew I needed to go to determine if Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were the pair that had been sent to Naboo. "I'll head to the Temple," I continued as I returned my focus to Palpatine. "While it's likely too late to join the mission, I should be able to determine who was sent. From there, if there's still time, I might race to Naboo. Raven can outrun anything the Republic would use for the Order."

Palpatine's frown deepened. "You fear the Federation might try something even with a Jedi present?"

I shrugged. "I cannot be sure, but if they've committed enough ships to blockade a planet, the financial hit to their business is going to be decent. The longer the blockade goes on without reparations to them, the more committed they'll likely become. And that's not even considering how long it took them to consider and gather the ships in the first place."

A very weak smile came to Palpatine's face. "That's a remarkably observant opinion. Especially from one who has expressed clear disinterest in political matters."

"While I have no interest in politics, my mission to Zygerria helped show me that even if I disdain what takes place in this building, I can't ignore how it, and credits, affect the behaviours of many in the galaxy." I offered him a small smile. "Plus, while it was some time ago, it's possible the time spent pretending to be your nephew rubbed off on me more than I realised." I turned and looked at the Duros and droids who, while having retreated from the midday sun, were watching us. "Regardless, I'll depart for the Temple. Once I know who the Jedi assigned are, and if they've departed, I'll contact you and we can consider our next move."

Palpatine smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I will return to my office and continue seeing what diplomatic avenues can be exploited. However, I fear that the only remaining hope for Queen Amidala and our people now rests on your shoulders, my young friend."

"Then I'll try my best to not disappoint uncle."

… …

… …

About thirty minutes later I stepped off Raven, setting foot in the Temple for the first time in some time. I'd not entered the massive building since returning from my meeting with Palpatine and Hego Damask in the Senator's office several months prior. The fact that somehow, I'd entered an alliance of convenience with two Sith Lords to prepare for an invasion from beyond the galaxy still made me chuckle morbidly. That though, was something for another time. For now, my focus was on finding someone who'd confirm if Qui-Gon had been given the Naboo mission.

"Knight Shan, welcome back." The statement came from a civilian who worked in the Jedi Temple as my armoured boots contacted the Temple's hangar. "Does your ship require any maintenance?"

I smiled at the Togruta male. "Just a refuelling for now. I expect to leave before the end of the day unless the Council or the Force have something for me to handle here." The Togruta nodded, accepting the vague reply easily. Even as he turned to his team of sentients and droids, I made a beeline for the hangar's internal exit.

Each step I took echoed slightly as my boots clipped against the metal floor. While I wasn't wearing my full beskar armour, mainly to avoid any issues with other members of the Order, I still wore some of it. The boots and gauntlets showed as I moved, my robes doing little to hide them. What they did hide was the chest plate I wore. From those sections alone, I shouldn't get into any trouble as the armour was on-par with what Jedi had worn back when I'd been 'born'. Before I'd been dragged forward by the Force and TPTB to this era.

I stepped alone into the lift just outside the hangar as Simvyl, Fenrir and HK remained on Raven. While the first two could've accompanied me, Simvyl understood I wasn't staying long, and Fenrir disliked the Temple now. Ever since Zonama Sekot and the war with the Vong, he'd found it hard to relax in every place in the Temple. As for HK… Yeah, I wasn't letting the rebuilt and rearmed droid designed by Revan to kill Jedi wander the Temple. It'd take him less than a minute to do something that would result in me being dragged before the High Council, which would put my plans for Naboo in danger.

As the elevator descended, I accessed the Temple mainframe, smirking at the massive increase in access I had now that I was a Knight, though a part of me always wondered what else was still restricted to me. A quick search of the mainframe confirmed Fay wasn't present. I'd received a Holonet message from her when I'd arrived in the Coruscant system saying she was leaving on her mission to find Tython – though she didn't say that part over the Holonet – and while I'd hoped I'd get to see her before she'd left, I already knew neither she nor Dooku would be with me on Naboo. It was one of those rare moments where, when the world seemed to stop, I understood what the Force wished for me. In this case I was certain that the Force wished me to face this trial – and by extension, Maul – without them.

With that confirmation she was gone, I'd shifted to locating Sifo-Dyas. My brow rose as I learnt he was no longer on the Council. He was due to stand down at the end of this year, but from the records I saw, he'd stepped down around a year early. As the mainframe confirmed his last access was in the Jedi Archives, I wondered if his death had been changed with Dooku no longer becoming Darth Tyrannus. Now, Dooku's quest wasn't over, but I felt certain he'd not join Sidious and rise as a Dark Lord. That said, I couldn't be entirely sure I could prevent Sifo-Dyas' fate, nor whether Darihd would be the one to pay for my accepting the quest to save his Master. I hoped that wouldn't be the case, but I'd have to wait until after Naboo to see what else, if anything, I could do to prevent their deaths.

I exited the elevator on the floor with the Archives and made a beeline for them. I stepped inside, planning to ask where Sifo-Dyas was only to run into a familiar and attractive purple-skinned Twi'lek.

"Knight Shan," Rachi Sitra began before lowering her head slightly. When she came back up, a playful smile danced on her face. "It's been some time. I hadn't realised you'd returned to the Temple."

"I only arrived back today," I replied as I considered the Padawan of Jocasta Nu. I'd not had much, if any, interaction with her over the last few years, and had no intention of mentioning why I was in the Temple. Still, it was nice to see her again, for several reasons. Not least because, as my eyes examined her, I remembered Serra mentioning Rachi when she spoke of others she found attractive. "On a personal matter linked to the Senate. How have you been?"

Rachi's smile grew. "I'm good, though I do wish Master Nu would allow me to leave the temple as I wish to return to the Pius Dea ship you discovered. What was its name again?"

"Mtael's Gift," I replied, no longer bothered by the Lokella naming the place after me. "Though since the engines are beyond repair, it's better to refer to it as a station. Why aren't you allowed to return?"

Rachi looked around and then stepped closer. Her smile fell as she placed a hand on my arm, and I let her guide me to one side of the section of the Archives we were in. "Haven't you heard? Master Bondara is dead."

"What?" I blinked in shock, trying to process that one of the Order's most skilled lightsaber duellists, and a former Battlemaster, had died. "How?"

"He and his Padawan, Darsha Assant, were given a mission somewhere on Coruscant. From what I heard; the mission was to be Darsha's last before she sat her Trials. Anyway, when they didn't return to the Temple, rumours started up until the Council informed Master Nu that the pair had become one with the Force."

"Damn!" I cursed. Given his skill, if I recruited any Jedi to help with Naboo, Bondara would be one I'd have hoped to ask. Yet it seemed his fate was already set, and he'd died to something on the planet. While my mind instantly shifted to the Sith, there was nothing I could do to prove that. And I remembered my run-in with the taozin when I'd had to find Tedra in the lower levels. Still, I doubted even a taozin could take out Bondara, not unless he'd been distracted because of his Padawan. "Any leads?"

Rachi shook her head. "Not that I've heard, though Serra would know more than me as Master Drallig was close friends with Master Bondara." Rachi shifted closer, the smile returning as her lekku shifted. "Have you spoken to her yet?"

"Not yet. Though if time allows, I hope to do so." I kept my thoughts calm, not wanting them to wander when Serra was mentioned. Which was hard as it was so easy to bring forth the memories of her writhing in delight because of my machinations. While I doubted Rachi could sense those feelings even if they came forth, others in the Archive – including Masters Nu and Sifo-Dyas – likely would, which was a can of worms I didn't want to open. "As much as I'd love to stay and catch up further," I began, placing a hand on her forearm to suggest an interest, "I need to speak with Master Sifo-Dyas." Her cheeks darkened with my touch and her lekku wriggled. "If time allows, I might have time to speak before I depart, however, I can't promise anything." The odds weren't good as I was more likely to find Serra and speak with her, but there was no need to dismiss Rachi so coldly. And given the way her smile grew and took on a more predatory look, she was happy to hear me say what I had.

"Of course, and I hope you can. I know others wouldn't mind speaking to you or arranging a flight on your new ship." Rachi stepped forward as her voice dropped to whisper. "Serra speaks highly of how incredible her time spent there has been." She pulled back and lowered her head before I could ask what she meant by that. "Until later, Knight Shan."

I nodded in reply, choosing not to speak on the chance I incriminated myself and Serra, and then watched her walk away for a few moments – making sure to not watch the way her hips swayed – before resuming my search for Sifo-Dyas.

After asking one of the various Jedi who helped Master Nu maintain the Archives, I found him and Darihd at the far end of a thankfully empty room. "Master," I said as I neared the table, drawing the attention of both.

"Ah, Cameron. I wasn't aware you'd returned," Sifo-Dyas said as Darihd subtly pushed the datapad he was using away. That suggested he wasn't enjoying the topic or just wanted to speak with me more than study. "I sense some urgency in your presence."

I nodded. "There is, Master," I began as I moved closer, making sure the room was as empty as it appeared. "I was approached by Senator Palpatine regarding the blockade of his homeworld." Sifo-Dyas nodded to let me know to continue. "He requested my return to Coruscant to help him with the situation, yet when I returned I learnt the Council had assigned a team of Jedi to handle the matter. I was hoping you might know which Jedi were assigned."

Sifo-Dyas was silent for a moment as if considering the matter, or possibly my connection to it. Eventually, he sighed. "While I no longer sit on the Council, I'm aware which Jedi have been assigned. However, before I reveal that, might I ask what your connection is to this situation? At least if it extends beyond the Senator."

"The newly elected Queen of Naboo is a friend. Both of you have met her if you recall the evacuation of the Shadda-Bi-Borans and the Naberrie family?" Sifo-Dyas nodded quickly, making me wonder if he'd followed the galactic news to discover Padmé's election.

"She was the girl who liked your story?" Darihd asked in a confused tone.

"Yes, she was," Sifo-Dyas answered, "and from what I know, those works have been remarkably successful. Masters Fay and Dooku have mentioned how you've used the proceeds of those to help various charities and organisations like the Refugee Relief Movement. A noble and worthwhile gesture."

I smiled at Sifo-Dyas even if I wondered if that was the entire truth that he'd been told or if he was saying that so anyone who might overhear wouldn't look too deeply into the funds I had at my disposal. "Thank you, Master." I turned to Darihd. "Padmé is the new Queen of Naboo." I chuckled at the shock that spread over Darihd's face. "At the invitation of Senator Palpatine, who I've maintained a connection with ever since spending time with him on a Council-sanctioned mission," I added, simply to cover my arse if Sifo-Dyas grew concerned at me remaining in contact with the Senator, "I attended Padmé's coronation and reconnected with the new queen."

Sifo-Dyas nodded. "And with the Senate locked in debate due to the actions of the Trade Federation, and Chancellor Valorum's power waning, Senator Palpatine reached out to you for help." I nodded in confirmation, which oddly made Sifo-Dyas frown. "Hmm. It is unusual that he chose to reach out to you when there are others in the Order he has known longer, but perhaps he was playing on your friendship with the young Queen as well to expedite any help the Order could offer." He rubbed his beard in thought. "A logical move, though I feel there's more to why you seem intent on learning the identity of the Jedi assigned to the crisis."

"It has to do with matters my Masters have discussed with you and Master Nilas," I replied, still mindful of where we were. "I've been having visions… images of Jedi – ones wielding blades of blue and green – in combat against someone wielding a red double-bladed lightsaber."

"A dark sider!?" Darihd blurted out loudly. Both Sifo-Dyas and I looked at him, and he shrunk into his seat. "Sorry."

"For the longest time, I wasn't sure of what I was seeing," I explained slowly to Sifo-Dyas. "However, the visions have grown stronger and clearer, and when meditating before my knighting, I think I glimpsed the faces of the Dark Sider and one Jedi. Master Qui-Gon Jinn." Sifo-Dyas tensed fractionally. If I'd not been waiting to see that, I'd have missed it. "He's one assigned to Naboo, isn't he?"

Sifo-Dyas nodded. "Along with his Padawan, yes. It was Master Jinn that the Council assigned to investigate and, if possible, resolve the blockade." Sifo-Dyas looked away as if taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "How sure are you of these visions?" He asked when his gaze returned to me.

"I'm not a seer, so I can't be certain, but I'm as convinced by them as I can be." My reply was vague because even a Jedi Seer couldn't say for certain that a vision was one hundred per cent certain to happen. "And I fear if I brought this matter to the Council, they'd either keep me present to confirm my visions were accurate, in which case, it may well be too late to prevent them from coming to pass or dismiss my concerns entirely. Possibly even working to ensure I don't attempt to interfere with the Jedi assigned to the matter."

"Yet if you rush off, uncertain of events, then what you fear might still come to pass," Sifo-Dyas countered to which I nodded, confirming I understood that. "Still, since you failed to see your blade engaged with the red one, it lends credence to your belief that acting now may prevent the vision." He sighed and shook his head. "Sadly, for all that the Force grants us, clarity of what might be isn't one most ever have. Assuming they travelled on a Republic cruiser, then Master Jinn and his Padawan will arrive at Naboo sometime today."

I gave a nod, having expected this, yet inside I was a whirlwind of thoughts. Even with Raven, I couldn't reach them before they were attacked and then snuck down to Naboo. From there, time wasn't clear in the movie, but it seemed they left the planet the day of the invasion, or at most, the day after. Pushing Raven to her limits, I could reach Naboo before the end of tomorrow, but the odds were high that I'd miss their escape.

From there, things became more complicated. While Tatooine would be the logical place to intercept them, I felt that the reason Obi-Wan had suggested it first was due to the Force guiding him and Qui-Gon there to collect Anakin. An event I'd ensured wouldn't happen – along with others – by taking the boy and his mother to the Lokella.

That left me with three options. First was to head to Tatooine and hope they'd still go there even without Anakin and the Force to guide them. I'd be able to get there before Maul arrived; otherwise, both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would die, and Padmé would be forced to sign the Federation's treaty. However, if they went somewhere else, it might be hard to reach them before Maul as while Tatooine wasn't too far off a major hyperspace lane, it was still an isolated system.

The second option was to remain on Coruscant and wait for a message from someone on the ship or a hint from the Force about where to go. That option left it up to chance, and frankly, that just didn't sit well with me. As much as I could stand around and do nothing, I preferred to be doing something instead of simply waiting for the Force to guide me.

The third option, and the one that held the most appeal, was to head to somewhere between Naboo and Tatooine and wait. While I'd still be waiting for a holocall or hint from the Force, I'd be closer to the Naboo cruiser's likely flightpath, thus removing a fair chunk of the time needed to reach them.

"This news troubles you?"

I looked at Sifo-Dyas as he spoke, having been drawn from considering my course of action. "Only that it might already be too late to prevent my vision, Master." I sighed and shook my head, the three options still dominating my thoughts. "Perhaps I'll take some time to meditate on the matter."

Sifo-Dyas smiled. "That is what I was about to advise. While, like yourself, Master Dooku prefers to act instead of waiting for a glimpse of what to do, he understands the benefits of taking a step back and reconsidering a situation." He placed a hand on my shoulder even as he continued. "It's comforting to see that arrogance hasn't clouded your thoughts. Many new Knights struggle with understanding that there is much they cannot control, so seeing you understand this at your youthful age is encouraging." He chuckled. "Of course, from a former Padawan of Master Dooku, I'd expect nothing but excellence."

"Thank you, Master," I replied with a smile and a slight bow. "Darihd," I added, offering a nod to my friend. "My apologies for interrupting your work and my thanks for your advice."

"It's quite all right. Master Dooku is one of my closest friends, as you are with Darihd. Though I feel my Padawan has enjoyed the break from researching Grandmaster Fae perhaps a touch too much."

I chuckled as Darihd's face drained of a little colour. Before he could attempt to cover his arse, I gave the pair a last nod before turning and walking away. As I crossed into the central crossway of the Archives I saw Tedra moving with her clan but made no move to intercept them. I did need to think some more about my course of action, and I felt doing that on the Raven was a better choice than using a private meditation room in the Temple as the longer I was here, the greater the chance I'd run into a senior member of the Order and be delayed.

The only thing that did stick out as I exited the Archives was that the dates felt off. Padmé had only become queen at the very end of the last year. While no exact timeline was given in the movies, I felt the invasion took place in the middle of the year, though that might be simply because the climate around Theed appeared warm. Of course, after visiting the planet, I'd discovered that while it had rainy and cold seasons, for most of the year, Theed and the surrounding countryside enjoyed pleasant weather.

I moved quickly, slipping around the busier areas of the Temple to further minimise the chance I'd be distracted, yet as I neared the elevator to return to the hangar and Raven I felt a familiar and comforting presence close by.

[Cam.]

Turning, I saw Serra, Sia-Lan, Lorana Jinzler, and others. Serra said something to the group before moving toward me. As she did, Sia-Lan smiled widely while Lorana frowned. That reaction was odd, but I put it aside as Serra neared.

She paused a few steps from me, though I could tell she wanted to come closer. "What's wrong?" She asked as she gripped the side of her robes.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" I replied, smiling slightly at her need to grip her robes to avoid reaching out for me. I could sense some desire from her, but she was doing a decent job of hiding the truth behind something most Jedi might expect from a Padawan.

"Apart from you ignoring me calling to you?" She matched my smirk with her own. "Twice. And that I can sense concern and confusion from you ever since you entered the Temple?" She took a step closer, her hands slipping from her robes. "Even if we weren't that close," her lips threatened to erupt into a smile, "the fact you ignored everyone as you walked made it clear something's troubling you."

"Yeah, sorry," I ran a hand through my long hair. "Just got something on my mind."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I looked past her and offered the group she'd left a smile. Sia-Lan matched it, though I felt there was amusement and jealousy mixed into it, while Lorana seemed unsure how to react. "Not in public."

Serra smiled before turning and looking at her friends. The Force shifted slightly before Sia-Lan's smile grew, and she nodded. She turned to the others with her, and after a few words, they moved off. "The Gardens?" Serra suggested when she turned back to me.

I accepted the suggestion with a lowering of my head and turned. Serra slipped into step at my side, though she stayed slightly behind which I assumed was because she was a Padawan while I was a Knight. [So, what's bothering you?]

I waited until we reached the nearest flight of stairs that led to the Temple's rooftop gardens before responding. [Naboo has been blockaded by the Trade Federation.] As we emerged into the Gardens, I saw Master Sinube leading a group of Initiates through a series of Jedi callisthenics while elsewhere, a Nikto and Miralukan were sitting discussing something. I couldn't make out their faces to be sure who they were, but I knew the Miralukan wasn't Master Unduli as the robes didn't match what she normally wore. [The Council has sent two Jedi to investigate the matter. However, I fear that if I don't intervene at least one of them will die.]

Serra kept her face calm as we moved away from the stairs. [The Dark Side?] she asked as she guided me toward a familiar and friendly corner.

[Yes,] I replied as we sat. "How have you been?" I asked verbally once we were seated. Even if the seats we were on were partially hidden, if we only talked mentally, it would draw more suspicion upon us. While it was unlikely any would walk past while we sat, I felt better hiding our true talk. Along with any hint of how close we were and how much Serra meant to me. [Yes, though I'm unsure how to intervene, or even if I should as it might make the situation worse.]

Serra smiled and brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen over her eye. "Good, though everyone here's on edge." She leaned closer. "Did you hear? Master Bondara is gone." [Cam, if you feel you should intervene, then you will. You're not the sort to sit around and wait for someone to suggest a path to take.]

I bit back a chuckle at how well she knew me. [You know me that well, do you?] "Yeah. I ran into Padawan Sitra in the Archives earlier and she mentioned the details to me." Having two vastly different conversations at the same time was odd, but it was something we'd agreed upon to help hide how close our bond now was. "What happened?"

Serra's lips twitched, though I couldn't tell if it was because of the dig or the mention of Rachi. "I don't really know. My Master was close to Master Bondara, but he hasn't spoken about it much to me." [I'd say I do, though I might need some private tutoring to be sure.] "I do know that he and his Padawan went into the lower levels on a council mission, but they never returned."

"Yeah, that's all Rachi could tell me." I used Rachi's given name to draw a response from Serra. One she gave with the tensing of her jaw. [Does it bother you that I spoke to her first?] I turned and gazed out, taking in the view. As much as I didn't always feel comfortable in the Temple, the view was something I enjoyed, especially with the right company. The sight of the ships buzzing over the gleaming metal surface of Coruscant was always dazzling. At least so long as one didn't look at what lay under the shiny surface of the planet.

[No. Well, not really.] I turned back to Serra, letting my eyes take in every slight change in her face that had occurred in our time apart. [I mean, she's not that bad but…]

[But you'd prefer you were the one on top?] She blinked, and I sensed her embarrassment, curiosity and desire spike before she regained control of her emotions. "I assume the Council is investigating the matter. However, given how secretive they can appear, I doubt any below the rank of Master is allowed to discuss the findings. Though with the dangers that lurk down there," I glanced toward the nearest gap in the metal surface. Those seemed to swallow the light, almost hinting at the darkness and decay that lay hidden beneath the surface of the Republic capital. "I'm not sure anyone will ever learn the truth."

We sat silently. The public and private conversations needed a response, and while I enjoyed teasing Serra, I knew I had to be careful with how much teasing I did. Otherwise, her Master or others might sense her longing for me.

"You don't think it's odd that Master Bondara died not long after the summit on Eriadu and the attack on the Temple?" I turned back to her as she spoke. [Or that the Federation are blockading Naboo?]

"I mean. The timing isn't great," I replied slowly, "but without any proof of a connection between events, all we can do is speculate." Behind me, a cloud moved, and the sun's light shone down on us. For a moment, concerns about Naboo, the Sith and the galaxy faded away as I looked at Serra under natural light and marvelled at how much more alive and beautiful she looked when free of the artificial surroundings of the Temple. Almost as if I was seeing the real her that was hidden by this planet and the Jedi's teaching.

As the moment passed, I hardened my heart. The moment Serra knew I was going to Naboo, she'd want to come with me, and I couldn't allow that. Willingly placing her anywhere near Maul was a risk I couldn't take. I'd never forgive myself if my mistakes cost me her life. Or Bo's or Naz's, though I might not be as able to stop them coming along as I could with Serra. "You know I saw Bo before I returned to the Temple?"

Serra blinked, caught out by the sudden change in topic. Before she regained control, I sensed a faint hint of jealousy, but that was pushed away by a need for something the Order would frown upon. "Oh, how is she?" Serra did an admirable job of hiding her interest in both what I'd been up to with Bo, and the redhead herself. Of course, she wasn't perfect in hiding her physical interest, and I smirked letting her know I knew what she really wanted to know.

"She's good. So is Naz as well." Again, there was a mixed spike of jealousy and need. "We spent time sparring while I waited for my armour to be readied." I pulled back my robes, showing off the gauntlets and boots and then shifted again to show a hint of the chest piece.

Serra leaned forward, her fingers tracing the lines in the beskar of my gauntlets. I watched as those fingers crept over the various attachments I'd had added to the gauntlets, and when our eyes next met, there was a dangerous amusement in her eyes meaning she understood the gauntlets were now outfitted with ordinance. As they were always meant to have been.

"How have Bo and Naz been?" Serra asked as she pulled her fingers back before they touched my skin. "I assume they're just as… outgoing as before."

"Aye, that's one way to describe them." I laughed even as I fought the temptation to kiss Serra and give in to my urges. As much as I'd love to make things physical in the Temple, we couldn't. Not unless we wanted to be dragged in front of the High Council. While I was leaning toward eventually leaving the Order, for now being a member, and having access to their resources and knowledge, still had an appeal. As did the idea Dooku had placed in my head before I'd left the ShaDo system with Anakin.

He'd not directly addressed his idea, but I felt I had a good grasp of what he was planning. It was dangerous, almost foolhardy, and would need years of planning. But if we could pull it off… the rewards would be immense. Of course, no one, not even Serra, Fay, or Sifo-Dyas could know what he was thinking about.

"They asked how you are, and when they can next spar with you," I said, returning my thoughts to more pertinent matters. [In a circle and under the sheets.]

Serra's cheeks reddened for a moment as she failed to maintain control of her emotions. She then turned and looked away. "I… I miss my time there and would like to spar with them too. But I can't just up and leave the Temple. Unlike you, I'm just a Padawan."

I shook my head and reached out, placing a hand on hers in a way none passing by would see. Her head snapped back to me as our flesh touched. "You'll be a Knight soon enough," I said slowly. She smiled and I let thoughts of Naboo and the Sith drift away again.

I'd have to leave soon and choose my path. Until then, I'd remain here and enjoy what time I could spend with Serra.

… …

… …

The stars slowed and returned to their expected places as Raven slipped from hyperspace. A quick check of the navigation computer confirmed that we'd arrived in the Denon system, and a few hours sooner than I'd expected.

"Good girl," I said as I patted part of Raven's organic form, which set off a pattern of lights that I understood she was pleased and proud of herself. While she had a 0.7-rated hyperdrive, doing the mental calculations, it seemed we'd arrived as if she had a 0.6-rated hyperdrive. It was a minor improvement, but given most ships had 1.5-rated or higher hyperdrives, it was most impressive.

I was here as, after spending about an hour with Serra talking and enjoying the view – our location and my need to not become too distracted prevented us from trying to sneak away and do more – I'd settled on the option of going to a location that allowed quick access to Naboo and Tatooine and then making a call from there. Which was why I was in the Denon System as it was a busy interchange between the Hydian Way and the Corellian Run. The business of the system was clear as I had over a hundred vessels within a thousand kilometres of our location, which I'd only seen bested by hyperspace jump locations in key Core World systems.

The Corellian Run ran all the way to Ryloth, taking it past Tatooine while the Hydian Way was the closest major hyperspace lane from the Core to Naboo. Now I just had to determine what my next move would be. With that in mind, I turned and looked at HK who was sitting in the third seat of the cockpit. "Have you determined anything further about where they might go?" I asked as I left Simvyl to monitor the sensors as Raven piloted herself further into the system. While I didn't plan to be here long, unless the force felt like telling me where to go quickly, we'd have time to reach a starport and refuel.

"Answer: I have not, Master. Based on the information you imparted, while the list of possible systems they might travel to is not extensive, there is not enough information to go on regarding which choice they will make. Without further data, Tatooine remains the most logical course of action by a margin of zero-point-four-five per cent over any other option. Query: If you believe they will head there, and the Force also suggests this, why are you not heading there directly?"

"Because if I get this wrong, important people will die," I replied before sighing. "These people, ignoring my connection to some of them, have roles to play in events that are to come."

"Observation: If you believe your data is accurate, then there is little value or worth in not expecting events to occur as you expect. Request: I do wish you could provide me with a complete set of empirical data, Master. Or at least as much as your beliefs provide you."

"As do I, HK. As do I," I replied with another sigh. "However, the Force doesn't allow me to let you see what I do." My knowledge came from something outside the purview of the Force, but TPTB had ensured I couldn't reveal that information to anyone, not even a droid that wouldn't reveal that information to anyone else. All I could do was hint and suggest what I knew or expected to be true and when I'd tried to directly reveal that Palpatine was Darth Sidious, according to HK I'd suggested the Senator was an inbred Mon Cala from Endor. While that image made me laugh, it annoyed me that stating everything to a droid was covered by the TPTB's rules.

Droids may not be sentient in the same way as a creature of flesh and blood, but they have the capacity for independent thought.
Thus, they are also covered by the rules regarding Future Knowledge.
That said, nice thinking to check if your droid was covered by the rules.

I ignored the message from TPTB, as they'd sent something similar after my first attempt, and watched HK as his optical receptors flickered. "Conclusion: Then you must rely on your gut, Master. The Creator often spoke of doing so, and while I still cannot determine the logic in it, he was alarmingly accurate when he trusted his gut. More so than other Jedi apparently were and are."

A sigh slipped from my lips as I turned my attention back to Raven's controls. "Perhaps you're right. Set cour…" I paused mid-word as the Holonet communicator beeped. Sensing a gentle shift in the force, I accepted the call and then grinned when I saw the face that appeared. "Padmé."

Padmé smiled in return. "Cam, I… I hate to ask for your help but…"

"Senator Palpatine's already brought me up to speed about the Federation," I cut in, making her blink in surprise. "Are you with Master Jinn?"

She blinked again and I felt my smile grow at her loss for words. "How?"

"The Force," I replied, keeping a long story short. "Are you still on Naboo?" She shook her head as she seemed unable to find words at the minute. "Very well. Where are you heading?"

Padmé scowled. "Tatooine." I felt a great weight shift from my shoulders upon hearing that. I gave Simvyl a nod as my fingers flew over Raven's controls. "Our hyperdrive was damaged during our escape and Master Jinn wants to head there for repairs as it's outside Federation influence."

I nodded even as I felt Raven turn, heading for the hyperspace jump point for the Corellian run toward Ryloth. "That makes sense. Though while it's outside Federation control, it's home to two immensely powerful Hutts." I looked at the flight computer and quickly calculated how long it would take. "I can be there in a few hours."

"So soon?" Padmé blurted out, once again caught off guard at how I seemed to be a few steps ahead of her.

"I was already on my way to Naboo," I explained, drawing a small smile from the queen. "It won't take too long to alter course and head to Tatooine."

"Thank you," Padmé said as she seemed to relax. "I…" she paused as if struggling for words.

"We can talk when I arrive, though if you could refrain from kissing me in front of Master Jinn, I'd be grateful. I'd rather not have to explain how I'm being courted by royalty." I couldn't see if Padmé blushed at my teasing, but the way she glanced away suggested she was. She suddenly coughed and lifted her hand to her mouth as the cough devolved into a chuckle. "I'll see you soon," I said with a smile, glad I could bring her some relief and joy at this moment in time.

I kept the channel open as she kept chuckling, waiting for her to regain some composure.

"Ok. And Cam, thank you," she said once the laughter had died away. "I… You… you were my only hope."

… …

… …

As Raven slipped back into normal space, I grumbled at seeing the twin suns of this system. I'd already been here enough to last a lifetime, yet the Force seemed to enjoy making me return. Hopefully, this would be the last time I had to come here. Well, unless I would for some reason be making a move against Jabba and Gardulla as I'd have no issue with returning and taking out two major crime lords and their operations.

Approaching Tatooine, I was once again greeted by the baked yellow surface and the lack of anything even approaching orbital control. Yet, as Raven dropped into the planet's atmosphere, I had the sensors running at full power. Every ship I could scan might have some link to piracy and slavery and having a list of every starship that might be tangentially connected to the Hutts – and others – held the potential for future use.

I could sense Raven's dislike for this world, though that may well have come from the hot, dry air of the planet. Given where she'd been born, a planet as seemingly dry and lifeless as this was the antithesis of what she desired. Even as we dropped lower, I reached out through the Force to assure her we'd not be here long.

To help with that, as we'd raced through hyperspace, I'd left the cockpit to don my full armour. The only part not currently on was my helmet, which was resting near the cockpit door. While I could've walked around the planet as a Jedi, having three in the same settlement at the same time would quickly reach the ears of the Hutts. While they'd likely not stick their slimy necks into my business, I'd rather ensure they didn't have the chance. A Mandalorian here wouldn't stand out, at least not to the degree a Jedi might if their lightsaber was seen, and there was far less chance anyone would be dumb enough to get in my way.

As we flew lower, I reached out with Detection only to blink in confusion. Instead of the three familiar force presences I expected to sense in Mos Espa, I sensed five. That the two unexpected ones appeared to be strong in the Force – as their markers in my minimap pulsed – only added to my confusion. As we got closer and flew over the settlement, I blinked. "What the hell is she doing here?" I asked myself as I determined one of the new presences was Aayla Secura.

The one with her was likely her Master, Quinlan Vos, though what the pair were doing on the planet wasn't something I knew. I'd wager a few credits they were undercover as Aayla didn't react when I used Detection. Well, other than the general recognition of who I was within the Force. Because of that, I made no move to reach out to her mind and speak with her. Doing so might place her and Master Vos in danger, though if things turned sour in Mos Espa at least I knew there was potential backup close by.

A final approach to the settlement had me spotting the Royal cruiser. It stood out like a mithril beacon against the ravages of the planet. Since I only sensed Obi-Wan present, I dismissed the idea of landing there, instead choosing one within the city limits.

It only took a few minutes to find an empty landing area, and after bringing Raven down inside the walls of the pad, saving Raven from the dry and probably painful winds of the planet, I stood. "Stay with the ship," I said to Simvyl. "While I doubt any local will try anything, Raven's such a unique vessel some di'kut might do something foolish." Simvyl nodded even as Fenrir growled at the idea of someone touching Raven. I smiled as I moved toward him – he was lying around the third chair in the cockpit which was currently empty – and scratched him behind the ear. "Yes, if any of them do, you have my permission to kill them. Though I'd suggest not eating them as you never know where some of the locals have been." Fenrir grunted and licked my armoured hand as I pulled it back.

"I hope we won't be here long, sand does not agree with my fur," Simvyl commented as I reached the cockpit door. While I could've left Raven in orbit with Simvyl at the controls, Raven disliked almost anyone else flying her. The only ones she accepted piloting her without any complaint were Fay and Anakin. Fay made sense due to her being a part of Raven's core personality, even if it had been minimised when I'd bonded with Raven to save her. Anakin had been a surprise, but Raven had adored when the boy had taken control while we'd been in the ShaDo system and started pushing Raven into ever-increasingly insane manoeuvres. If Zonama Sekot ever reappeared, I'd pay whatever it cost to get Anakin a ship like Raven as while I was a good pilot, he was born to fly and deserved a ship worthy of his skill.

"We shouldn't be," I replied to Simvyl. "Ideally, it won't take too long to get their hyperdrive fixed." I patted a satchel on my belt. That contained a small collection of gems from the two slightly larger bags I had stored in my Inventory. I'd used Observe on most of the gems and working from that and the rough size and weight of the various gems inside, the satchel contained a little north of a million credits. That still left me with what was in the Inventory, which based on weight difference alone, should be at least four times that amount. To say nothing of the billion credits shared between the Interface and my accounts. "If it's going to take too long, I'll see about convincing the Queen to travel with us. Either way, I hope to be gone from this cesspool before the suns rise again."

"Understood."

I slipped from the cockpit while saying a mental prayer that we could leave before the Bonta Eve podrace. Sometime around then Maul would arrive on-planet, and while Jinn engaging him briefly would help convince the Council of possible Sith involvement in the Naboo crisis, I'd rather avoid Maul until Naboo. The less that Maul saw of me, or realised I was aware of him, the less prepared he'd be for me. Or at least that was my hope.

I tapped my lightsaber, making sure it was still attached. With me wearing my Mandalorian armour under a dragon-skin cloak, I'd pushed it back further to avoid anyone seeing it attached to my armour. The cloak was one of three new ones I'd made from the impressive amount of preserved skin that remained. All three were, like my armour, black, though this one didn't bear my clan sigil. I only planned to wear the one that did when in or around the Mandalore sector, and the one I wore now, and its spare were for other times. They were large enough to obscure my personal and clan sigils that were on either pauldron, meaning it would be hard for any to recognize who I was beyond being a Mandalorian.

Stepping into the airlock that doubled as the loading ramp, I saw HK standing. His rusty red colour clashed with Raven's softer, natural green. The droid was giving what looked like a final check to the EE-3 carbine he'd chosen. At one hip was a heavy DL-44 XT while other further weapons were hidden within his frame. "Query: Will there be any need for extermination, Master?" HK asked without looking up from his rifle.

I chuckled at what sounded suspiciously like hope in his tone even as I pressed the control to lower the ramp. "I'm not planning for any, but given this is a hive of scum and villainy, I'd say the odds are high that someone will test their luck."

HK looked up. "Musing: That is encouraging, Master. Statement: I wish to test my latest calibrations against live targets."

As the airlock hissed I shook my head in amusement. "If anyone is dumb enough to challenge a Mandalorian in full armour with an armed combat droid at their side, then feel free to re-educate them."

"Observation: Don't all meatbags lack intelligence, Master?"

I laughed at that but chose to not reply. Instead, after ensuring my helmet was secure, I walked down the ramp, HK's metal feet clicking along behind me. As the sun touched my amour and the sand of this accursed world crunched under my heel, I resisted an urge to snarl. Memories of events that had occurred here flashed through my thoughts and the urge to turn the nearest Trandoshan into a nice set of leather bags and boots reappeared. It wasn't the Jedi way to think such thoughts, but Trandoshans were a species that didn't deserve much care. Not when they took pleasure in hunting, hurting and killing others to feed their deranged beliefs and please their twisted sense of amusement.

Scuffling on the sand had my head snap around. A Weequay slid to a stop as I glared at him from inside my armour. The HUD noted an increase in his heart rate, which only rose further when I turned fully toward him. Beside him, a group of droids were moving, though they'd stopped when the Weequay had. "HK, if this degenerate, or others like him, attempt to coerce a fee for landing, or in any way consider approaching more than five metres toward Raven, you have my permission to test out your interrogation techniques."

I honestly hadn't known a Weequay could look faint until I finished speaking and I heard HK moving. "Exclamation: Yes, Master. Mockery: Come here little meatbag. I wish to hear your reason for bothering my Master."

The Weequay backpedalled as HK took a step forward, and when I held out an arm to stop HK, fell to their arse. "I suggest you remain a safe distance from my vessel," I growled out, enjoying the voice modulation that my helmet used to give me a deeper tone. "If not, I'm sure my droid will enjoy stretching out your interrogation for several days before you expire."

"Objection: I believe I could make it take a month, Master. Addendum: If he was in better physical and mental condition, I would expect a minimum of two, however, this meatbag is clearly a failed example of his species."

I laughed at HK's reaction, and the way the Weequay scampered back, almost hiding behind a gonk droid. As we reached the exit to the landing area, I heard a loud, threatening growl. Turning back, I saw Fenrir had moved to the ramp and had his gaze locked on the Weequay. "Fenrir! If he touches Raven he's your new toy. Try to make him last longer than the last one." I turned and stepped toward the exit, yet when the gears in the door strained to open I turned back. "And make sure to not bring him onboard. It took me a week to get the blood stains off the dinner table." While it served no purpose to torment the Weequay, it fit into the persona I was projecting in full armour. Plus, it amused me as did HK and Fenrir's accompanying behaviour.

Turning back, I saw the door had opened leaving me looking out onto a street in Mos Espa. I grimaced at seeing the squalor hidden under layers of sand and dust that covered everything. After taking a single step through the exit, I paused and reached out with Detection. Aayla and Vos were somewhere to the southwest, while Qui-Gon, Padmé and another sentient were more westward. They were close enough that I'd be surprised if the Jedi couldn't sense one another. Since there was no sense of Vos moving toward Qui-Gon, I felt I'd been right to assume he and Aayla were on a mission of their own. Obi-Wan was somewhere to the south, beyond the city limits.

I smirked when I used my mental map of the city and saw Qui-Gon was at Watto's. Or at least close enough that he'd either already been inside, or would do so soon. With a destination set, I turned and walked westward. HK fell into step just behind me and I knew his optical receptors were scanning everyone we saw for potential threats. My helmet was doing the same, making records of every face regardless of gender or species. Like the list that I'd generated when landing, every face here would be tracked for future reference. Well, except the Jawas as I couldn't – and from rumours I'd heard didn't want to – see their faces.

Most sentients had the common sense to scurry to avoid the Mandalorian and combat droid that were moving through the streets when they saw us coming. Yet as we moved down a side alley, two Trandoshans stepped into our path.

"The Scorekeeper will reward me well for your death, Mandalorian." The one that spoke was carrying a heavy repeater while his companion had a large vibroblade in each hand. Behind us, the HUD reported two more of the walking lizards move into the alley.

I kept walking, not bothered by the threat. The blade carrying Trandoshan moved to meet me only to stop when, faster than he'd expected, my beskad slipped from behind my cloak and embedded itself in his gut. Even as the thing's eyes processed my action, I pulled my arm upward. The Force boosted my strength as my blade sliced through its guts, exiting through its neck.

Before the body had dropped, I'd drawn the T-6 "Thunderer" from its place on my hip and let fire, placing a trio of pin-point accurate shots that pretty much disintegrated the Trandoshan's skull. At the same time, I heard HK's blaster spark to life, followed by the two thumps. Thanks to the HUD of my helmet, I knew the pair behind us were as dead as those in front.

"Shame we can't delay," I muttered as I stepped over the convulsing carcass of the blade wielding Trandoshan. "I have a sudden urge for grilled lizard."

"Analysis: I have access to five-hundred and sixty-seven recipes for grilling reptilian creatures, Master. While none are specifically designed for this species, I believe I could adapt them suitably."

I chuckled at the suggestion even as my HUD saw others running to the alley to rummage through the bodies while we walked away. "I'd ask why you know how to cook, but I don't think such a conversation is meant for polite company."

"Observation: We are not in such company, Master."

I laughed as we turned the corner from the alley and the bodies that would be devoid of anything of value long before we reached Qui-Gon and Padmé. "True. Go on then, tell me a story when your culinary skills were required on a mission."

"Musing: There are many that I remember, Master. However, there was one that once took me to Alderaan, and into the employ of the sector's Senator."

… …

Ten minutes, and one amusing yet morbid story later, I stepped into a wide street with several bantha and similar large beasts of burden moving through it. As I looked over the street, I saw Qui-Gon standing in an alcove holding something close to his face. Since I'd tracked his movements on my minimap, I knew he'd just come from Watto's shop, so this helped me place exactly where I was in the timeline of events.

As Qui-Gon lowered his communicator, I walked forward. My mood was soured somewhat as an expected, but entirely unwanted, large figure appeared in front of him. Wanting to settle an internal debate, I used Observe on the Gungan.

Jar Jar Binks
Race: Gungan
Level: 21
Health: 97% (mild dehydration)
Age: 20
Force Potential: Intermediate
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Gungan people (84%)
Emotional State: Hungry/Irritated/Concerned
Jar Jar dislikes the heat of this planet and it makes him hungry.
He is irritated that it appears they won't be leaving soon and is concerned about how long they will remain.
…

I'd always wondered if Jar-Jar had some Force sensitivity as he'd had an inordinate amount of luck. Yet seeing his potential was in the same range as Obi-Wans, though I doubted it was higher, was unexpected and unwanted. That said, I was glad the insane fan theory I remembered of him being a hidden Sith wasn't true.

I felt better when I saw Padmé. Her outfit was even more unflattering in person, but it helped her blend in with others. Yet, I could enjoy the fact she wasn't wearing a ton of makeup like she normally would. My mood lifted further when behind her I saw R2-D2 rolling along. Ever since getting the quest to rebuild HK, I'd been wanting to introduce the droids to each other. Something told me that the pair were going to bring so much chaos – for others, I hoped – that I'd been looking forward to their first meeting.

As I neared, Qui-Gon looked my way and tensed. No doubt he was confused as to why the Force suggested he knew me when all he saw was an unfamiliar Mandalorian. Padmé saw Qui-Gon tensing and looked my way while R2 gave out a long beep. The only one who didn't realise something was off was Jar Jar, who was looking longingly at a food stall and the roasted critters hanging there.

I moved closer, pulled back my robes, pulled out my lightsaber, and turned off the voice modulation of my helmet. "I'm here to help, Master Qui-Gon."

I watched in amusement as his eyes widened as he recognized my voice and my lightsaber. While it wasn't the same as Dooku's, it was obviously inspired by it. As he relaxed, I reached up and unsealed then removed my helmet, only to grimace as I smelt the unfiltered air of the planet. "Force, I've not missed that smell."

"Cam?" Padmé blurted out before a wide smile spread over her lips and she raced forward. I returned her hug, sensing the relief rolling off her within the Force. "You came!" She said with a wide smile as she pulled back.

"When the Queen calls, should the Knight not respond?" I replied softly, a smirk on my face. As she blushed, I turned my gaze to Qui-Gon. "It's been some time, Master."

"That it has," Qui-Gon said as he stepped closer. "I'd sensed you earlier, but I hadn't expected you to meet us, and certainly not dressed like this." His eyes wandered over my armour as one eyebrow rose.

I shrugged. "I decided to go incognito, though unlike you, I prefer to not look like a local," I replied as I took in the cheap-looking shawl he wore. "And avoid the local stench," I added as my nose wrinkled as the smell of whatever passed for meat drifted toward me.

I turned toward the smell and saw Jar Jar moving closer to the food, his tongue hanging comically out of his mouth. Before he could create a scene with Sebulba, I lifted one arm. A cable shot from my gauntlet, wrapped around the waist of a very startled Gungan, and then pulled him off his feet. "Though if this one doesn't behave, then trying to remain unnoticed will be a rather pointless gesture," I remarked as the servos in the gauntlet dragged the confused Gungan toward me.

"How wude," Jar Jar remarked as he came to a stop about a metre from me and began untangling himself from the cord. The urge to shoot him and remove him from events passed through my mind, but I repressed it. Not only would Qui-Gon have an issue with it, but if the Gungans were to fight for Naboo, Jar Jar was still needed. That said, I already knew I'd have to limit my time around him if I didn't want the urge to resurface.

"While I'm grateful to see you," Qui-Gon said as I did my best to ignore Jar Jar, "it does little to help our current situation."

I smiled at Qui-Gon. "The Queen has already spoken to me of the issue, and I came prepared." I tapped the satchel at my side before looking beyond the Jedi Master in the direction he'd come. "Does Watto still own the shop that way?"

Qui-Gon frowned. "He does, though I wasn't aware you knew him."

"I've been on this planet several times before," I explained with a shrug. "While I'd rather never return after today, my last visit brought me into contact with the Toydarian." A beep from R2 drew my attention and I smiled at the way the astromech was all but facing up to HK. "I didn't think you were the kind to travel with a droid."

Qui-Gon smiled. "I don't. However, that astromech was a large part of how we managed to escape Naboo." He glanced at Padmé who was standing close to me, almost afraid I'd leave her behind. "The Queen was insistent that it and her handmaiden accompany me into the city." He returned his gaze to the droids. "Though it seems I'm not the only one with new company."

"HK, play nice," I said as HK took a step toward R2, his grip tightening around his blaster. "I think you and he will get along great." R2 beeped and shook in clear disagreement. "Yes, I think you will, little one," I replied, having interpreted his sounds to mean he didn't agree. "HK enjoys getting into trouble, and then finding novel ways to escape."

"Indignation: I never get into trouble. I'm always exactly where I intend to be to cause maximum carnage." R2 let out a long whistle followed by a series of quick, high-pitched beeps. "Observation: So far my new Master hasn't required an astromech, but if he is anything like my Creator, he may soon need one. Addendum: I do hope you are more amenable to my methods than the last astromech I worked with."

I chuckled at the obscure mention of T3.

"Is it wise to arm the droid?"

HK turned and seemed to glare at Qui-Gon. "Indignation: There is more knowledge about combat in my memory banks than known to your entire Order, Jedi meatbag." I sighed at HK's behaviour even as R2 gave a series of amused beeps. "Explanation: They have all these squishy parts. And all that water! Every step they take has the water sloshing around, hence the term meatbag."

R2 rocked from side to side and gave off another series of beeps and whistles that I thought meant he found the reference amusing. Leaving the two to get acquainted – and prevent myself from cackling maniacally at what I'd unleashed on the galaxy – I turned back to Qui-Gon. "You'll have to forgive HK. He's a capable droid, but his creator programmed a distinct lack of manners into him. At least when not speaking about his current owner."

"I see." It was clear Qui-Gon didn't.

"Anyway," I said even as Qui-Gon continued to watch HK. "How much does Watto want for the parts you need?"

Qui-Gon looked at me, a sour expression passing over his face for a second. "Unless you have something other than Republic Credits, there's little we have of value." Qui-Gon paused, looked at Padmé and gently stroked his beard. "Though perhaps we could sell the Queen's cruiser and use the sale to purchase transport to Coruscant."

"The Queen would never allow that," Padmé countered, earning a smirk from Qui-Gon.

"What the Queen doesn't know won't concern her." From the way he smirked and the amusement I sensed from through the Force, I felt he knew Padmé was the queen, but wasn't bringing it up. "However, I feel with our friend here, that solution won't be needed."

"Aye, I think I can convince Watto to make a deal," I said, making Padmé look up at me. That drove the scowl she'd been giving Qui-Gon from her features. "Though perhaps it would be better if I did so alone as I haven't revealed to him that I'm a Jedi." Not entirely true, but I didn't want Qui-Gon present when I spoke with Watto, so he didn't ask where I'd gotten the gems. I turned to HK. "Come on HK. While I doubt Watto has anything of interest, I feel it'd be safer for the locals if you stayed near me."

"Observation: I do hope you're not suggesting they might be a threat to me, Master."

"Force no," I laughed out loud. "But I don't want to return and find you've decided the best course of action is to burn the city to the ground."

"Indignation: I would never do such a thing, Master. It would be a waste of tibanna gas. Addendum: Though, if they attacked me first, I would be forced to defend myself."

"And I'm sure you could ensure that happened with a few truthful and cutting barbs." I stepped forward, sliding from Padmé's side and waved to HK. "Come on. R2, you can come along as well if you want."

R2 let out a long whistle before shifting and letting his front leg drop. With the two droids just behind, and a confused Jedi Master and Queen watching, I moved toward Watto's shop. Once my helmet was back on, I let out the laughter I'd been holding in at arranging the meeting between these two droids. As for Watto, I didn't expect any issues, but if he gave me trouble, I'd heard enough hints from Shmi and Anakin to suggest that while a generally decent owner, he had struck them both on multiple occasions. If the Toydarian pushed me and confirmed this, HK would get another notch on his blaster.

… …

… …

I stood to one side of the private suite in 500 Republica that Palpatine had arranged for Padmé and her entourage to stay while they were on Coruscant. He'd offered me a room as well, but I'd replied that I'd rather spend my time on Raven. Though I did hint that if I needed to rest properly, I'd head elsewhere as a nod to the apartment Damask had gifted me. I'd visited it once so far, simply to give it a look over and locate the more obvious recording devices. None were out in the open, but using the force to sense unusual power sources, I'd discovered over three dozen throughout the apartment, including – rather worryingly – in the bathroom. I'd not removed any as I didn't want to hint I was concerned about such things and if I removed those, then he'd no doubt ensure new ones were located within before I returned. All I had to do was use the Force to create a bubble of silence around myself and ensure I wasn't facing any sensor with visual recording capabilities.

What I'd also done before entering this apartment, after dropping Padmé off with the Chancellor and Palpatine, was take time to go over the quest for Naboo again.

The Phantom Menace [ƍ] [֍]
The Sith are making their first obvious move. How will you counter it?
Rating: S
Objectives:
:a: Free Naboo from Trade Federation control before any treaty recognizing the occupation can be signed.
:b: Ensure that Padme Naberrie survives the invasion.
:c: Defeat Maul.
Rewards:
:a: A massive increase in Reputation with any sentient living on Naboo.
Variable Reputation gains with any who oppose the Trade Federation.
Variable changes in Reputation with members of the Jedi Order, Galactic Senate and Republic.
8000XP
:b: 2 Tests of Friendship with Padme Naberrie are passed.
A massive increase in Reputation with Padme Naberrie.
A large increase in Reputation with Padme's family and closest friends.
2500XP
:c: Variable rewards based on whether you drive him off, capture, or kill him.
Possible decrease in Reputation with Maul, Darth Sidious, and Darth Plagueis.
Possible increase in Reputation with Maul, Darth Sidious, and Darth Plagueis.
Failure:
:a: Significant loss of Reputation with any sentient living on Naboo.
Variable losses of Reputation with many sentients across the galaxy.
:b: The Possible Death of Padmé Amidala, resulting in the loss of a friend and ally.
:c: The possible death of someone important and close to you.
A high possibility that you will die.
...

That had first appeared after speaking with Palpatine in the Senate building. Everything there was expected, even down to the variable rewards for defeating Maul. I had several plans in place for how to manage that, though the more dangerous options depended on Bo and Adonai finding something I could use against Maul. I knew the technology I wanted existed as I'd encountered a minor version of it with the bracers during my time on Mandalore and on the Pius Dea ship, Mtael's Gift, but I wasn't sure if what I needed for my preferred plan for Maul existed.

Even if I just forced Maul to retreat – an unlikely outcome given his personality and which I knew would be no easy feat – and completed the other objectives, I'd clear the XP needed to reach level 30, thanks to the Boosted Growth Mk2 perk which granted a 20% bonus to XP gained. Among other benefits.

While my personal style was developing well – something Dooku had commented on when we'd sparred one last time before I'd headed to Mandalore to get HK built and collect my armour, I knew there was still a block between making my actions flow with the Force and the skill I had with each lightsaber form. After hours of meditating on the matter – in the hopes that guidance would come from the Force or a clear and centred mind – with no success, my only hope that remained for removing this block was the system upgrade at level 30. I just wished it had arrived before Naboo. Still, I'd taken all my known lightsaber forms into the lower range of the Master tier with Shii-Cho – for all its flaws – the highest non-Makashi skill at Prodigy:40.

"What options do we have, Senator?" Padmé's question to Palpatine drew my focus back to the room I was in. As Palpatine considered his answer, I replayed what he'd said while I'd been considering the Naboo quest. He'd just gone over how the Senate works – at least in terms someone who didn't have months to learn it would understand – and the current power players in it. Which was why I'd let my mind wander as I already knew this, thanks both to Palpatine's help and confirming most of what he told me via Holonet. While it had been a tedious endeavour, and one I'd not enjoyed, I felt I had to do so. Not just for ways to possibly help Padmé and Naboo, but to spot ways that might indirectly undermine Palpatine's rise to power.

Padmé was standing in her regal gowns as Queen, and frankly, they looked as absurd as I'd expected, though not as bad as the one she'd worn for her coronation. That said, I found myself preferring the unflattering clothing she'd worn on Naboo when posing as a handmaiden as the makeup she wore here made her look like a life-sized puppet. Which, I supposed, was what Palpatine hoped for when he appointed her. It was such a shame that he'd misread her so badly, but that moment was still to come.

"Our best choice would be to push for the election of a stronger supreme chancellor—one who could take control of the bureaucrats, enforce the laws, and give us justice," Palpatine replied after seeming to consider his words. "You could call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum," he added cautiously.

As much as I knew he was one of the Sith that I had to defeat, I couldn't help but respect how well he played his role of humble, unassuming Senator. Every moment like this was watching a true master in action and always helped me learn more about how to not only act diplomatically but project a different persona than my true one. Oh, I'd never ever be on his level, but the better I got now, when able to watch from his side, the easier I felt it would be for me to rise as a counter to him when things began to snowball toward galactic war.

Barring the tensing of her face – which was hard to spot under the makeup – and a similar emotional response that I could just sense through the Force, Padmé remained calm. "Valorum has been our strongest supporter. Is there no other way?"

Palpatine sighed, let his shoulders slump and shook his head. "Our only other choice would be to submit the matter to the courts…"

"The courts take even longer to decide things than the Senate," Padmé cut in. Her tone made clear her distaste for that idea, and frankly, I had to agree. The only way the courts might be of use is if we had leverage over a judge. But even if we did, the Federation could easily bribe others to ensure our case was either delayed indefinitely or dismissed. "Our people are dying—more and more each day. We must do something quickly. We must stop the Federation." While she was trying to remain serene, she was struggling, which was entirely understandable.

Palpatine sighed again and resumed his pacing. "To be realistic about the matter, Your Majesty, I believe we are going to have to accept Federation control for the time being, at least."

Even though I knew how this talk played out, I still struggled to hold back a snort at how that was going to work.

"That is something I cannot do," Padmé shot back, some venom creeping into her voice.

As the pair stood in silence, I considered how, or if, I should intervene. I had a plan in place that might help Naboo, but it was still in the planning stages. Even if the Lokella and Adonai had promised support, I couldn't be sure how much that would be, or if it would be anything more than a token gesture in the grand scheme of things. Hence why I'd not yet brought it up.

"Do you have any suggestions, Master Jedi?"

I blinked when Padmé asked that as she, Palpatine, Panaka, and her handmaidens – who were standing behind the Queen – turned to face me. While my eyes focused on Padmé, I could sense Palpatine's gaze. Based on our meeting with Hego Damask, he might hope I'd support his side to replace Valorum. A stronger Chancellor would certainly help us prepare for the Vong. Yet, knowing his true plan, and as a Jedi who was meant to remain impartial in the matter – not that I was anyway since I was present for this private meeting – I was hesitant to openly support his plan.

"First, as a Jedi, I cannot recommend an action that affects the politics of the Republic, Your Majesty," I said slowly, covering my arse if the High Council ever learnt I was at this meeting. "On a personal level, I find I must reluctantly agree with the Senator. The Chancellor is mired in problems, the most recent of which I was on hand to witness on Eriadu." As I spoke, I stepped forward, letting my robes fall down my arms and cover my gauntlets. Those and the boots were the only parts of my armour I wore here, as I'd settled on them as the 'public armour' I'd wear. The High Council might not be comfortable with it, but there was precedent for Jedi wearing some armour and I was going to exploit that until they challenged me about it. Which, given where I was, would no doubt be right after the battle for Naboo. "Replacing Valorum with a stronger, more purposeful Chancellor would, in theory, be beneficial. However, even if a new Chancellor promises in his campaign to support Naboo, there's no certainty they could make the Senate bend to that will. Or that the Federation won't still find ways to counter their power." I turned to face Palpatine. "With respect, Senator, many of your colleagues are nothing more than greedy, squabbling individuals whose only focus is their own self-interest. Not that of their constituents or the Republic at large." Palpatine gave a tired nod to say he agreed. "And that's not even counting those who you know are directly under the thumb of the Federation."

"Then we should expect no support from the Senate?"

I turned back to Padmé. While she wasn't showing any concern on her face, I could sense it through the Force. What amused me though, was the spark of defiance I could sense growing in her. That suggested the plan she would soon enact wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing, but something she'd been considering for some time.

"While there's still a small chance Valorum might stake what little remaining power he has in an effort to free Naboo, I fear that won't happen. It's entirely possible he expended what resources he had to have Master Qui-Gon sent to resolve the crisis." I glance at Palpatine for a moment, regretting what I was about to do. "If Valorum can't provide aid, or even a promise to look into the matter before the various interests in the Senate move to stop him, then I feel the Senator's suggestion of no-confidence might be your only play. The act would garner attention to Naboo's plight, which may influence some to help in some way. However, even if, for example, Senator Palpatine was elected Chancellor, it would take weeks if not months for the Senate to get off their collective arses and do anything of importance."

A small smile crept onto Palpatine's face. "While I'm flattered in the faith you have in me, Master Jedi, I doubt I would be considered for Chancellor. I represent, with respect to you, Your Highness, a minor sector of little galactic consequence from the Mid Rim."

I smiled, impressed with the self-depreciation he showed without even hinting that he already had the votes to become Chancellor. "It was merely an example, Senator," I replied. "That said, from what I've seen of your quarrelling cohorts, you would be a better choice than most." Palpatine dipped his head, accepting the praise, before I turned back to Padmé. "For now, I would advise patience. When you speak to the Senate, see how the Chancellor and others behave. While you and the Senator do that, I'll speak with a few contacts of mine. They don't have the political clout of anyone in the Senate, but they might be willing to offer a third option. One that doesn't rely on the fickle nature of career politicians, or the wait-and-see mentality of the Jedi Council."

I watched the pair as they looked at me. Padmé had a faint spark of hope in her eyes at my words, though Palpatine's were cooler. Externally, I hoped he was simply taking my words as a sign I didn't expect the Senate or Jedi Order to be of any help. Internally though, I knew he was playing what I'd said over, trying to spot how honest my opinions on the Jedi were, and how he might exploit them.

What both missed, or so I hoped, is that I had moves in play that if they worked even half as well as I hoped, would not only help Naboo but once the crisis was over, cause an uproar in the Senate and Republic. So long as I was able to free Naboo though, the blowback would be minimised by the PR victory I'd gain, and the fact the new Chancellor would owe me a massive favour for saving his homeworld.

… …

… …

I stepped from Raven and nodded at the security in 500 Republica even as a group of droids approached. While I wasn't a resident of the building, with everything going on, Palpatine had ensured I had clearance to land whenever I wanted here. A normal Senator shouldn't have that sort of pull, but I suspected that either he or Damask had some sway over the building's owners - if the Sith didn't outright own it through a myriad of shell corporations.

I'd come here from the Senate building. While I had considered standing with Padmé when she spoke to the Senate, Master Koon had been in the building at the time. After a short discussion about my connection to the Queen, he'd advised that I not stand with her. Apart from some possibly seeing it as the Jedi interfering in politics, many weren't as considerate toward the Order as most Jedi believed.

Once I'd thanked him for the advice, and promised to pass along his condolences for what had happened and that the Jedi Council was using what political capital it had to resolve the civilian crisis, I'd headed further into the Senate building. I'd moved off to find my primary target in the building. The office of the Senator from Mandalore. Oh, the person with the office didn't consider themselves a Senator, preferring to call themselves a Representative, but they were considered a Senator by the Republic.

As expected, Representative Wren hadn't been present as the Chancellor had called a full session at Padmé's request, but I was helped by their senior adjunct – and I suspected, their future replacement – Satine Kryze. Ignoring the situation, Satine had been genuinely pleased to see me and even thanked me for helping her reconnect with her sister. I'd taken her thanks and commented on her wearing beskar vambraces. From the short talk that we'd had while she connected me to Mandalore and her father, I discovered that while she still believed that peace had a purpose to play, it wasn't the path her people needed to take. That didn't mean she supported a full return to the old ways, just that now she understood the folly in the New Mandalorian ideals. I'd struggled to process the change the last few years had brought on in her, but I could tell she was genuine in her shifting beliefs.

With Satine's help, I'd held a secure call with Duke Adonai. While he couldn't directly call on the forces under his command, as what I wanted was warriors to work outside of Mandalorian space, he did promise to ensure a large enough number of warriors answered my call. That shouldn't be an issue though as I'd promised to reward everyone who came handsomely, finally having a clear and present use for the credits I'd built up over the years.

After that, I'd returned to Raven, and learning the Senate meeting was over, flew back to 500 Republica. Though not before reaching out to the Lokella. I'd spoken with Ferox, Validus and Maan and they'd promised that they'd have ships ready and moving before the day was through. When I'd offered the terms that I'd given Adonai and the Mandalorians to them, they'd flat-out rejected it. However, once Naboo was free, I'd match whatever I paid the Mandalorians with a donation to the Lokella.

A faint, musical chime let me know the elevator I'd been riding in had arrived at my floor and I stepped out. The corridor leading to Padmé's quarters was lined with her guards. After an initial flinch showing they were well trained, none reacted once they confirmed I was who I said I was, and I walked directly to the main chamber of Padmé's quarters.

"…of Alderaan and Ainlee Teem of Malastare," Panaka finished as the doors slid open for me. He was standing with Palpatine facing Padmé. She saw my arrival but didn't react as Palpatine took a step forward.

"I feel confident that our situation will generate strong support for us when the voting takes place tomorrow." As he spoke, Padmé moved off, coming to a stop near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. "I will be Chancellor."

Instead of replying to her senator, Padmé looked at me and offered a faint smile. That had the two men turn as my eyes caught Jar Jar lurking in the corner. The Gungan was trying to stay out of the way, but from the various vases around him, I knew any sudden movement from him would result in something expensive – probably belonging to Palpatine – being broken. While the idea of having that happen appealed, I had other matters beyond irritating a Sith Lord to handle.

"It seems my example was, in fact, foresight," I remarked with a chuckle. "Congratulations on the nomination, Senator. Though as I said before the session, I'm unsure of how much this will help your people in the near term."

"On that we are agreed, Master Jedi," Padmé remarked, drawing Palpatine's attention back to her. "I fear that by the time you've taken control of the Senate, there will be nothing left of our planet or people to salvage."

"I might have a possible solution," I said, stepping fully into the room.

"And what might that be?"

I smirked at Palpatine after he asked his question. "If the Senate, the Jedi, the very heart of the Republic won't lift a finger to help Naboo in its hour of need, then perhaps an option exists to ask the people for help," I spoke slowly, drawing everyone in as I moved around. "For example, I've reached out to friends I have on Mandalore and beyond, and asked for volunteers." I wasn't going to mention how much I was paying for said volunteers, but neither of them had to know that now. "Now, I can't say how many will answer my call, but Mandalorians love a good fight, especially when it's, no offence intended to you, Your Majesty, backing an underdog pushed into a corner. What I do know is that I, and at least a dozen I know and trust, will fight at your side. The Senate and Order be damned." Bo had already spoken with Naz, the rest of my team at the Institute and others like Gar, Rook and Osto. She assured me that all of them would come. The rest… that was on how well Adonai could get the word out, and how many would be willing to listen and follow a Jedi, even one who was also Mando'ade.

Both Padmé and Palpatine smiled, though I felt certain there were different motivations for that. "I'm grateful for your help, Cam," Padmé said, breaking decorum by using my name. "However, I wonder what a handful of Mandalorians can do against an army of millions of battle droids."

"With respect, Your Majesty," Palpatine began slowly. "In the days of the old Republic, there were times the Mandalorians brought the Republic and Jedi to their knees. Indeed, it was Cameron's ancestor who broke their forces in one of those last major conflicts. While the Mandalorians of today are more fractured than in previous eras, if the Jedi Order will not come to our aid, I would happily accept the support of any Mandalorian willing to fight for us. Other than the Mandalorians, few others could gather a force capable of matching a group of Jedi in battle in short order."

"Depending on the Jedi and Mandalorian in question, I'd take the Mandalorian," I remarked with a chuckle. "Thankfully, at least in my case, you get the best of both worlds at your command, Your Majesty."

"Won't the Jedi Council attempt to stop you?" Panaka asked. I smirked even as I knew Palpatine was already considering how to use this to drive a wedge between me and the Council, and possibly, with the right subtle pressures, bring the Mandalorians into play in the grand plan he and Plagueis had in motion.

"As my grandfather was fond of saying, it's better to ask forgiveness than beg for permission." Palpatine chuckled at that even as I turned my focus to Padmé. "I know what I can offer isn't much, nor can I be sure of the size of the forces I can gather, but whatever I can gather, is yours to command."

Padmé moved toward me, Palpatine and Panaka stepping aside to let her approach. Once in front of me, she smiled and reached out for my hand. "Words cannot express how much this means to me and my people, Cam." I smiled and lowered my head as I squeezed her hand, reassuring her I was with her. "Senator," she said as she turned, "I see now there is nothing more I can do here. The Senate is your arena and battleground, I must now return to mine."

"I would argue against that, Your Majesty, if it were not for the support of Master Shan," I smiled, enjoying how good that felt to hear even if I wasn't a Jedi Master. Oh, I knew he was doing that to appeal to my ego, but that didn't mean I was going to reject the flattery. "However, I must warn you that if you fail, the Federation will force you to sign the treaty."

The glare Padmé gave Palpatine could've frozen a lake. "I will sign no treaty, Senator." She turned back to me, only just realising she was still holding my hand. "How soon can your allies gather?" she asked after pulling her hand back.

"I sent word to them as soon as the session ended," I replied, making her small smile of hope grow. "Those that can gather quickly enough will meet me in four days in the Pax system." I'd chosen the system as it lay far enough away from Naboo so as to not arouse suspicion from the Federation, and not because the name of the system was an old Earth world for 'peace'.

"Then we will meet them there." Padmé turned and stepped away from me. "Captain?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Ready my ship." Panaka bowed and turned, heading to carry out her order. As he walked past me, he gave a slight nod and offered me a smile, pleased at my help.

"I realise I cannot dissuade you from this course, Your Majesty, I only ask that you stay safe. Losing you would shatter what little hope our people have."

I stepped to Padmé's side before replying to Palpatine. "Senator… uncle, as long as I draw breath, no harm will come to her."

Palpatine's eyes wandered my face as if searching for something. Having found it, he moved closer and took my hand. "Then I place her life, and the fate of my people, in your hands, my friend. May the Force be with you."

"It will, or I will make it," I replied, knowing the phrase would amuse him.

He turned to Padmé as he let go of my hand. "My thoughts will be with you, Your Majesty."

"Thank you, Senator. If you win the election, I pray you will find a way to restore sanity and compassion to the Republic."

After giving me one last look, Padmé moved off to another part of the apartment. Her handmaidens followed along as did two guards. After looking around, Jar Jar decided to follow, knocking a vase as he turned.

"Try to be more careful," I suggested as I caught the vase with the Force and moved it away from the annoying Gungan.

"Mesa sorry," he mumbled before leaving the room in a hurry. I slowly lifted the vase back onto its pedestal and then turned to Palpatine.

"I'm uncertain why the Queen keeps him around, but I'll trust her judgement for now." Mainly because I knew that even if a thousand Mandalorians and an equal number of Lokella turned up, we'd still need the Gungan army. After that, if the chance occurred, I'd decide on Jar Jar's future.

Palpatine smirked. "The Gungans are the native species to Naboo. There have been wars fought with them in the past, though there's been little interaction between them and the Naboo over the last hundred years or so." Palpatine glanced at the vase. "My thanks for the vase as it once belonged to my father." I nodded. "And for your help in supporting the Queen. I fear she is making a rash move in returning, but it warms my old heart to know she will have you protecting her."

"If all goes well, then when we next meet, Naboo will be free and you will be Chancellor," I extended my hand and gripped him by the forearm. He smiled warmly and clapped me on the shoulder with his free hand. "The Force will be with you, uncle."

He chuckled, seemingly finding amusement in the reference to my time posing as his family. "And with you, nephew."

I nodded, broke the arm clasp, turned, and moved toward the door. As it opened, I caught Palpatine's reflection. On it was the faintest hint of a smile, though not one of an old man who'd found some unexpected hope, but that of a mastermind watching new pieces slide into place for his plan.

As the doors closed behind me, and I moved to the elevator, I knew with certainty Maul would be seeking me out on Naboo, which was fine. He and I had a date with Destiny, and however it played out, only one of us would walk away from it.

And, as I rolled my fingers, finding certainty in the gauntlets I wore, I knew I'd do whatever it took to ensure that it would be me who walked away.

… …

… …

I hated waiting, especially the wait before deploying on a mission. You knew the battleplan, and various contingencies – many of which would either not be needed or would be Fubar'd before needed – the general composition of the forces in play and the like, but there was little to do but sit around and wait. And after a day and a half of waiting in the Pax system for anyone to arrive, I was reaching the end of my rope.

I'd spent time checking and cleaning every weapon built-in to my gauntlets, made sure spare gas packs, explosives, medical supplies, and rations were stored in my Inventory and given Raven a thorough check. Yet now I was bored shitless. I mean, I hadn't pushed Raven at all to reach the system, yet I'd arrived far ahead of the Naboo royal cruiser.

Now, I could've landed on Plagen, the only habitable planet in the system, but there was little reason to do so. I had stopped in at the starport and Raven refuelled, though not only was the place basic – since most ships only came there for a quick refuel and check before heading off to another system – but Raven had reacted badly to the local fuel. It was the first time she'd done that, and it made me wonder if she disliked whatever they added to the fuel locally, and would explain why she enjoyed stopping at the Jedi Temple and Senate building on Coruscant, as those places would certainly use the highest graded fuel.

The rough plan for Naboo was set. Most forces would race to the planet and try to slide past the Lucrehulk that was in orbit and its assigned vulture droids. Any gunships or corvettes would run screening fire before jumping away. They, and any heavier ships that might come, would wait a short jump away for a signal before returning when the battles on the planet and against the control ship took place. I still wasn't sure how we'd relay that signal, but the plan would change once the forces had gathered and I'd spoken with senior Mandalorians, Lokella and Padmé and her staff. While Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were coming with her, their only role was to protect Padmé.

Learning they were still coming had altered the quest slightly, adding an objective to keep Obi-Wan alive. Nothing was added for Qui-Gon but that made sense as he had a dedicated quest. Still, I'd already considered how the pair would stick close to Padmé while I made sure that whatever role I took on was easy enough that I'd be free to react as soon as I felt Maul's presence in Theed.

While there was a small chance the Zabrak Sith would be deployed somewhere else, I didn't think that likely. Sidious knew I'd be with Padmé for the most part, and the key had to be taking Theed and destroying the droid control ship. Thus, I was going to be in Theed instead of on the battlefields elsewhere.

Knowing Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were coming along was a relief, as I could trust them to guard Padmé. Still, they were the only Jedi that'd be present. After the second meeting with Padmé and Palpatine in 500 Republica, I had considered heading to the Temple to speak with others. However, I'd decided against it. If the Council learnt of my plans, they'd prevent me from leaving, and if Serra and others became aware, they'd want to come.

Now, I had spoken to Serra via the Holonet just before leaving the Coruscant system, and as expected she'd begged me to come. I'd rejected that though as the thought of losing her wasn't one I was willing to entertain. Serra was advanced for her age, but she was no match for Maul, especially if– as I expected – he was told to engage me by Sidious. Serra hadn't been happy about me leaving her behind, and I could feel she was as scared to lose me as I was to lose her, but she'd hidden it well when we finished speaking. Still, she made me promise to tell her what happened once the battles were over. That was if the Council didn't just throw me in confinement for months or years for involving myself in a matter that wasn't a concern of the Jedi. I didn't think they'd do that, but there was a chance, even when after defeating Maul I brought them proof from recordings taken by my armour.

The only break from the boredom of sitting here alone – Simvyl and Fenrir were sleeping while HK was busy going over his ordinance – was when a ship dropped out of hyperspace. Every time that happened, Raven scanned them to see if they might be the royal cruiser or one of the possible Mandalorian or Lokella ships that might turn up. I'd started ignoring those, so I didn't react until I felt amusement from Raven.

Turning my attention to the sensors, I saw that the new ship was the royal cruiser and smiled at someone finally arriving. Before I could even move my fingers, I felt Raven turning as she anticipated my actions. That made my smile grow as it showed she was learning to think for herself.

Just as Raven turned nose to nose with the sleek, polished lines of the Naboo cruiser, the comm-link beeped. "Took you long enough," I remarked as the channel opened.

"Unlike some, we've not got a ship built for speed." The reply came from Ric Olié, the captain of the royal cruiser, whose smile at seeing me slipped slightly a moment later. "Though it seems your allies aren't here."

The fact he was still smiling, and that there was no hint of hostility or doubt within the Force, meant I knew he wasn't angry about that. "Give them time. Even if they all left Mandalore as soon as I called, they have further to travel than we did. I doubt many of their ships have hyperdrives rated higher than yours, to say nothing of Raven. And trust me, even a dozen Mandalorians is something worth waiting for before going to war."

"Yeah, I've heard enough stories about their prowess. Never seen them in action though. However, they'd better get here soon. I'm not aware of her plans, but the Queen is insistent we don't delay too long. Every second we wait, another of our people could die at the hands of the Federation."

"Aye, I'd better come over and speak to her." After Olié nodded, I closed the channel and gently moved closer to the cruiser. Padmé would be intent on returning to Naboo, but we had to wait. I knew some would arrive soon, but I couldn't be sure who or how many would come.

… …

… …

I blinked as I awoke, the sound of a gentle, calming, almost musical sound echoing around my quarters as a familiar presence brushed up against my mind. As the sleep cleared from my eyes, I knew that was Raven's way of telling me to wake. A shake of my head cleared the last cobwebs before I dismissed the annoying message about how long I'd slept and how much of my FP and STAMINA had been restored. Looking around my quarters, focusing on the clock in the wall near the door, I saw it'd been about four hours since I'd laid down, and six since the Naboo cruiser had arrived in-system.

After speaking with Padmé and Qui-Gon – who while not saying anything was clearly unimpressed that I wore armour – I'd returned to the Raven and decided to get a few hours of shut-eye. While I could go over a month without sleep, I couldn't say how mentally and physically draining the coming battles were going to be, so I'd chosen to get some sleep, though something had forced Raven – and Simvyl as he was watching the sensors – to wake me.

"Yes?" I asked as I opened the intercom to the cockpit.

"Several dozen ships have entered the system," Simvyl replied. I grunted, having not expected that many Mandalorian vessels. "They're from the Lokella."

"How many exactly," I asked with a frown. While the Lokella had nearly a hundred ships, only a little over half that number were of any use in combat. While I was glad they'd responded, I was concerned they'd brought too many.

"Forty-seven, led by the Liberator."

"Fuck!" I spat with a grunt. Turning around, I summoned my robes to me, forgoing my armour for the moment. "I'll be there in a moment."

I closed the link and then slipped from my room. The ship was empty save for Fenrir who was snoozing on one of the sofas in the main area, having once again knocked half the cushions onto the floor as he struggled to get comfy. He lifted his head as I marched toward the cockpit, but remained resting after I told him to stay.

As I stepped into the cockpit, the dominating presence of the Dreadnought-class heavy cruiser Liberator filled my view. Around it were dozens of other vessels, with at least half the fleet being comprised of DP20s, CR70s and CR90s. "Kriff!" As I moved to my seat, I spotted a handful of freighters there as well, though given the size and room inside the Liberator, I wasn't sure what purpose they served flying around when most could've been carried inside the heavy cruiser. "Damnit Baalta. Why is most of the fleet here?" I asked the Togruta as she appeared as a small hologram in front of me.

Baalta blinked, shocked at my sharp tone. "The Mtael called, and we answered," she said after taking a moment to recover. "To do otherwise would be dishonourable."

I lowered my head and grumbled in annoyance. "I only wanted and expected a handful of ships, not almost the entire combat fleet."

Baalta smiled. "This is not everything, Mtael. A dozen dedicated defence vessels remain, along with an equal number of patrol craft and most of our non-combat dedicated fleet."

I looked down at the sensor readings, taking a full count of the Lokella fleet. I was impressed for sure, especially considering how much of it was liberated from slavers and retrofitted with credits I'd donated to them or that they'd taken from slavers, sales of phrik and other sources of revenue that I might not be aware of. Still, while capable of taking on a Lucrehulk – at least the current ones and not whatever refit they'd go through for the Clone Wars – the casualty rate would be immense. To say nothing of how vulnerable it left their home. "Baalta, while I'm honoured that you brought so many ships, I want half to return. I won't risk what you've built there for why I asked for the help."

Baalta's montrals fluctuated. "Do you think our people are unable or unwilling to fight against anything other than the Hutts?" She spoke with a snarl, exposing the sharp teeth of her species. While it was impressive, I knew Baalta all but worshipped me, and I had no reason to be concerned by her behaviour.

"No. I'm grateful that so many of your people would answer my call for help. However, the needs of the Lokella take precedence over the needs of anyone. Even the one they hold responsible for their freedom. I want at least sixty per cent of the fleet, including the Liberator to head home. And that split goes for whatever ground forces you brought as well."

"Mtael…"

"Baalta, this isn't up for debate," I cut in before she could argue. "I've never once used the veto the Council gave me, but I'm doing so now." I paused and released a breath to calm myself. "I'm grateful beyond words that so many of you came, but the needs of your… of our people matter far more than mine."

There was a short gap, as Baalta stared back at me, where I feared she'd keep arguing. Instead, she sighed and relaxed her posture with a short bow. "I will speak with the rest of the Council." I gave a nod and smile of thanks before the line closed. The fact she'd dropped my title was an indication of how much she disliked me putting my foot down and using the executive power the Lokella granted me. I'd never done so before, and if they were smart, they'd change the rules so I couldn't again, but I was going to use it while I could.

However, I was more concerned about the fact that with most of their military fleet here, their system was vulnerable. While I was concerned for them as a group, my main worry was Anakin. I'd placed him and his mother there to keep them safe, now though, the actions of the Lokella might've brought danger to their doorstep. The only upside, if one could call it that, was that Anakin was on Mandalore.

"I knew they respected you, but this verges on devotion."

All Simvyl got was a grunt in reply as I didn't want to comment on my issues with how the Lokella saw me. I mean, I could understand it from Baalta, Maan and the other first-generation Lokella, but seeing it from others – though I was glad Ferox, Validus and others didn't show me such blind devotion – was a concern and made me wonder if the Interface or TPTB had something to do with the behaviour or if it was a cultural thing now among the Lokella.

"Assessment: While I understand your logic for wanting the heavy cruiser gone, Master, I feel it would serve us better to ensure all the freighters left. Their combat potential is highly limited. "Addendum: Unless you are considering using them to draw fire from more valuable vessels."

"I'm not goi…" I was cut off mid-sentence by Raven alerting me to a new group of vessels emerging from hyperspace. The first ship was smaller than Raven while the next few were on par with a YT1300, however, the last three were larger. I easily recognized the largest as an old Tal'kar-class light cruiser and the two next biggest as Crusader-class corvettes. While less than a third the size of the Liberator – and certainly used far less crew – the Tal'kar class had half the firepower and was far more manoeuvrable. The fact it and the Crusaders had managed to slip all the way here without some sort of alert on Republic channels was an impressive feat and explained why the Mandalorians were the last to arrive when the hyperspace routes to the ShaDo system – where the Lokella were based – were far less travelled.

The smile that had appeared on my face at seeing the Mandalorian appear slipped when the Liberator and its escorts turned toward the oncoming Mandalorian ships. "Seriously?" My hands flew over the controls. Even as Raven surged forward, heading for the space between the two fleets, I was opening a channel to the Liberator and the Tal'kar.

"Baalta," I called out as soon as her channel opened, "stand down! Those ships are with me." Even as she nodded and turned to address someone away from the camera a second channel opened. "Osto?" I said, surprised to see him in command of the cruiser.

"Alor Cameron. It is good to see you again," Osto replied with a smile and a slight nod. "We were worried we'd arrive late because of avoiding the more populated systems."

"Ven'alor Osto," I replied slowly. "While I'm glad to see you again, I must say the cruiser is an unexpected bonus."

Osto chuckled. "While not the largest ship in my father's fleet it was the most readily available for carrying our warriors into battle." As he spoke someone came into sight and I struggled to hide my shock at seeing his mother, Lady Asta, was with him. "Our ancestor stood with yours millennia ago. How could we, now that our clans are allies, not bring something worthy of that alliance."

"Then you and Lady Asta have my thanks for the support."

"My husband would have travelled with us; however, he and Alor Adonai have a pressing issue to deal with first," Asta said with a smile that hinted at something amusing her. Of course, I had no idea what that might be. "If not for that, both would be here to greet you."

"Regardless of why they cannot be present, you and your house have my thanks, my Lady." I lowered my head as I spoke, though inside my mind was wondering why the two dukes were willing to answer my call. I mean, our clans were allied, and I'd promised a financial reward to any who chose to fight, but having the two most powerful Mandalorian leaders step forward, while impressive, would've raised a lot of eyebrows on Coruscant and beyond. "Still, I must say I'm surprised that your husband, Alor Adonai and you would be willing to answer my call."

Asta chuckled with her son. "How so?" She asked. "You are Mando'ade. Not just that, but you are the Revan'ade, the slayer of the a'oryc bes'ede of Tatooine and an allied Alor. To not answer your call to battle would insult all that we are and hold dear."

I frowned at her referring to a krayt dragon as something akin to a Mythosaur, but there was some logic in that as the beasts were supposedly of similar size. Yet, the fact she – and likely others – referred to it as that, was something I'd have to look into after Naboo was free. "Then I hope I prove worthy of your support."

Osto threw his head back and laughed. "You hear that, mother? The man who destroyed an entire base for daring to capture him fears he might be unworthy of our support?" Osto laughed loudly and again and shook his head. "On that day, and after hearing of your war beside Bo-Katan Kryze, I swore by the resol'nare that when you next called for warriors I would answer the call no matter the challenge. I do so now, forgoing any promise of reward for the honour of standing at your side."

"It is a feeling some share," Asta commented as I processed the impact I'd made on Osto. I mean, I knew he'd enjoyed my unleashing of chaos against the Bando Gora, but I didn't realise it went that far. "Though most will not turn down the reward you have promised. I do hope you can afford it."

"I can't ask you to forgo the payment, Ven'alor Osto. Others may question why I showed you and your clan such dishonour." Osto looked ready to argue even as I continued. "However, you could donate the payment to helping survivors of the Federation's invasion. It would further enhance the reputation of our people with at least the Naboo, and possibly others across the Republic."

Osto considered my words for a moment before nodding. "That is an acceptable compromise."

"Forgive me, Revan'ade?" I groaned as I remembered Baalta was sharing the call with us. I'd thought she'd closed the channel to speak with the other members of the Lokella council, but it seemed she'd not done that, instead hearing everything I'd said to the Mandalorians. "You speak of the Mtael this way?"

"The who?" Asta asked even as I watched Osto cough.

"Baalta," I cut in before the groups could compare titles they'd bestowed upon me. "Have the Lokella made a decision?" As I asked, I saw Asta frown. I couldn't be sure why, but at a guess, it might be for the size of the fleet the Lokella had brought as the last any Mandalorian bar Bo would know, they'd only had a dozen or so smaller combat craft and an equal number of freighters.

"We have, Mtael. However, our leaders first wish to speak with you and the Mandalorians. The plan for battle will determine the exacts of which ships and warriors will remain."

"An acceptable decision," Asta replied. "We welcome any allies of Clan Shan to the Getala'kara. Though this is a warship, and lacks many of the amenities most races would expect for travelling between the stars."

Baalta smirked. "While the Lokella are composed of many species, almost all of us were once slaves. I assure you; we can survive the lack of luxuries that others have spent their whole lives taking for granted."

"Oh, I like you," Asta remarked with a chuckle. "Arrive as soon as you're ready."

With that, Asta closed the channel. Baalta gave me a look, one I couldn't interpret, before closing her channel. I leaned back in my seat and sighed. "Well, at least they didn't shoot each other," I muttered, glad to avoid that trope.

"Did you think that likely?"

I laughed as I leaned forward again and felt Raven turn as my fingers brushed against the controls. "No, but you can never be too sure," I said, answering Simvyl's question. Yet as Raven rolled to face the Mandalorian fleet, I felt a faint tremor in the Force. Curious, I activated Detection. "What the…" I mumbled as I felt a strong, but hidden Force presence on the Getala'kara. It only took a split second for me to realise it was Anakin. "What the fuck is he doing here?" I asked myself, wondering what fuckery the Force was up to by having him come here when I explicitly told him to remain on Mandalore.

… …

… …

"I know I need to go, but I want to help," Anakin pleaded one final time as I led him toward the airlock of the Getala'kara.

"I know that, but this isn't the place for a child. Even one as gifted as yourself," I replied as we moved. "And I can't focus entirely on the battles to come if I have to worry about keeping you safe. How would your mother feel if she learnt we both died because I lost focus worrying about you?" It wasn't nice to use that card, but I'd keep doing so until Anakin was on the Liberator and bound for the ShaDo system.

It seemed that when Anakin overheard Bo talking with others about gathering a force to help me fight a war, Anakin had taken it upon himself to sneak aboard the ship Bo had taken to meet up with the Getala'kara. From there, he'd supposedly managed to sneak aboard a warship full of over three hundred warriors – a number that included the crew, and amusingly enough, the big-game hunter Drayy'ven Jral who I'd met on Tatooine during my verd'goten – for long enough that by the time Asta was made aware of the stowaway, there was little she could do to remove him without being late for our rendezvous.

I'd spoken to Bo when I'd first learnt Anakin was on board, and while she claimed innocence, I knew she'd helped Anakin come along. She'd hinted that she felt he could remain on the Getala'kara and learn how the crew operated in battle. I'd challenged her authority on making that call publicly, making it clear to all that I'd left instructions with her and her father for Anakin to remain on Mandalore. While she'd not been happy about me publicly dressing her down – well, save the spike in her lust I'd sensed which I wasn't going to focus on – she'd accepted being in the wrong and given her reasons for her actions.

While I knew she knew I had a connection to Anakin – as did she, though if anyone dared say she mothered the boy, she'd likely try and gut them – and was only doing what she felt was right, I wasn't going to risk Anakin on Naboo. Not only did that add another variable I had to account for, but if he was there afterwards, then Palpatine would meet him when the soon-to-be Chancellor arrived to celebrate the freedom of his people.

"That's not fair!" Anakin snapped as I continued frog-marching him through the corridors. A few Mandalorians saw me doing this, and most chuckled at the image. A few even waved to Anakin, suggesting he'd managed to worm his way into the thoughts of several of the crew and passengers.

Once we entered a quiet corridor, I stopped and looked down at him. "I know, but – and we've already been over this – it's fairer than sneaking aboard a warship as it departs for battle."

We'd gone over this point several times in the last hour, and while he was contrite about coming along, he disliked me using his mother to argue against his presence. It had lasted long enough that Padmé, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had seen Anakin. With Padmé being in make-up and him focused on me, he'd not reacted to her as he had in canon which was a relief as I knew Padmé's attraction was toward me. Not that I'd be doing anything with it until she was at least seventeen.

Qui-Gon had spent the longest watching our interaction, and I wondered if he sensed the strength of Anakin's Force connection. However, before he could say anything, Padmé had moved off and he'd been forced to follow along. Thus, so long as everything went decently, and we both made it out of the invasion alive, I would talk with Qui-Gon about Anakin. He might be able to offer some suggestions for how to teach the boy that wouldn't fit with the expected Jedi doctrine. Not that I planned to try to teach Anakin as a typical Jedi. Even avoiding the fact that Anakin wasn't typical, I knew where that path led.

"Look," I said slowly as the boy glared up at me. "How about this? If you go back with the Liberator and Baalta, when Naboo is free, I'll come to find you and start officially training you."

Any anger in his posture disappeared as hope and expectation flooded off him in an almost overpowering cascade. "Y-you mean…"

I nodded. "Yes, I'll take you as my Padawan and you'll become a Jedi."

"Ya-Hoo!" He shouted loud enough that I was surprised no one came to check on us. A moment later I had an excited boy hugging me tight enough that until I recovered, I struggled to breathe. I laughed at his enthusiasm and hugged him back.

"You seem happy."

I turned to see Baalta had moved into the corridor, likely drawn by Anakin's shout. She, along with just over half the Lokella fleet, including the Liberator, were returning home. Ferox and Validus would remain to represent the Lokella Council as they'd made clear no force in the galaxy could stop them from fighting at my side. Which many Mandalorians had been pleased with, and when I'd left to escort Anakin to the docking area, I'd heard Osto talking with the pair about arranging a few short spars between the forces to help them see what each other could do.

"I'm going to be a Jedi!" Anakin shouted, making Baalta laugh.

"Don't let Bo hear that," I said as he let go of me. "She was insistent that you'd become Mando'ade."

Anakin shrugged while a wide smile dominated his face. "I can do both! Just like you!"

"Yeah, that's true." I chuckled and ruffled his hair. He was so excited that the action did nothing to spoil his mood. "Now off you go. I'm sure your mother is waiting for you to return."

His head bounced like some sort of broken doll. "Yes, Master."

"You don't have to call me that, Anakin," I said quickly, making his smile slip. "I know you've heard me use the term with Masters Dooku and Fay, but I understand how to you, your mother, and the Lokella the term 'Master' can have a negative connotation. While I doubt other Jedi would even realise this, I'm fine with you just using 'sir'."

"Ok." Anakin walked toward Baalta. I watched as she said something quietly and then guided him away.

Once he was out of sight, she turned back to me. "Thank you for understanding our concerns, Mtael."

"It's fine. However, if something does happen to me, I need you to take Anakin to Master Dooku. While I don't expect him to train Anakin, he knows who I'd hope could ensure he has the training he needs." I'd left word with Dooku that if my path ended on Naboo, I felt Qui-Gon was the best choice to teach Anakin. Dooku hadn't questioned why I felt that, choosing instead to simply say he was glad I wasn't expecting him to teach the boy. As amusing as the idea of that would be, I knew Dooku, while a great Jedi Master, wasn't the right choice for Anakin.

"It shall be done, Mtael. However, I know in my heart this is not where your future ends."

I nodded to Baalta before we turned and headed in opposite directions. I was glad that Anakin was leaving. However, while the first leadership meeting of the combined force had taken place, I'd sensed someone else arrive. Like Anakin, Serra had not listened to me and came to the fleet. I hadn't confirmed how she'd managed to arrange this, but that was what I was about to find out.

It took me about five minutes to reach one of the training rooms aboard the Getala'kara, and inside, I saw Bo and Serra sparring. Serra was using her lightsabers, but she also had most of a set of beskar armour on. My eyes rose when I saw the sigil that was on each shoulder. There, the one she'd earned from her verd'goten – which also served as the sigil for her young clan – rested.

I wondered for a moment where the armour had come from only to remember who Serra was sparring with. It seemed Bo had maintained more contact with Serra than I'd realised to the point she's managed to find enough beskar for Serra's armour. Something I had a hunch came from the vault on planet Ordo. I wasn't complaining, as Serra looked good in the armour, and it offered her protection that Jedi robes failed to provide. But it was just odd to see her embracing Mandalorian culture.

I let the spar continue for a while, watching the pair to gauge where Serra was. She'd certainly improved, and I felt having her spar against Obi-Wan would be interesting as while he'd begun using Soresu he wasn't a master of the Form yet. Serra favoured Jar'Kai obviously, yet while she centred her style around Niman, I could see the elements of Makashi I'd taught in action along with Shien. Oh, there were still flaws in it, something Bo exploited with a trio of blasts with the final one landing against Serra's chest armour, but it was a massive improvement from when I'd last sparred with her.

"Cam!" Serra called out after realising I was here. "I… um…"

I stepped closer as the pair stopped their spar. "I believe I asked you to remain at the Temple." My voice was relaxed, but I hoped there was an air about it to make clear I was speaking to her as a Jedi Knight and not her friend and lover.

I sensed some uncertainty in her for a moment before it slipped away, and she met my gaze. "You did but I… I can't stay away." She took a step toward me. "Every time I've meditated, I've been sensing a growing malevolent darkness and recently I've known it centred on you. It's why in the Temple…" She paused as her cheeks darkened.

"I know," I said softly. There'd been a moment where I thought she was going to say something that would get us into trouble with the Order. If she had, I wouldn't have denied it, nor not said the same back. However, I was glad she didn't. I still had a need for the Temple and the Order, though I did wonder how long that would remain the case.

Behind Serra, Bo smiled though she thankfully stayed silent. "I've never been good at seeing the future. Master Drallig says I don't have the patience for it," she chuckled, enjoying some private joke. When it ended, her smile slipped. "Yet ever since we… made love, glimpses have come to me. Of the darkness you've spoken of that threatens us all. The night you left the Temple, I had another one and," she paused, having moved close enough that she could place a hand on my arm. "I know that darkness, the Sith… They wait for you on Naboo."

"I'm aware." That caught Serra and Bo unaware as both looked surprised, though it was how Serra reacted that was my primary focus. "I've known something was waiting for me for a long time. Almost as if the Force was testing me. The moment I heard of the blockade of Naboo, I knew this would be where I faced my trial. However, it's because of that I didn't want you here." I lifted a hand and cupped her cheek, happy at the way she leaned into my touch. "If something were to happen to you… I couldn't live with that."

"I feel the same, but it's not our place to make that choice for the other."

"When did you get so wise?" I asked with a chuckle.

"I guess you and Bo managed to beat some into me." I laughed happily at that before leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "I need to ask though, why didn't you bring your concerns to the Council?"

I scoffed and shook my head. "As much as I'd love to believe they'd believe me, I knew they wouldn't. Ignoring that I'm a new Knight and a young one at that, there are many in the Order who dislike and distrust me simply because of my name."

"Then they're fools," Bo remarked. "What? They are," she added when Serra and I looked at her. She waved a hand as if dismissing us or telling us to return to our conversation.

"While I'd not phrase it how Bo did," Bo chuckled at Serra using the nickname, "I do agree that they'd not believe you. But others would. I do." She glanced back at Bo before continuing. "It's why I called Bo. I… I had to be at your side, and she helped arrange for a lift from Coruscant."

"I could still send you back, Padawan." Even as I said that I felt I wouldn't. She was here now, and I swore I felt the Force move in a way that meant this was where she was meant to be. Now, I wasn't stupid or love-drunk enough to not wonder if I wasn't misreading the signs to suit my feelings, but I was slowly accepting her being here.

"You could, but I'm not here as a Jedi." She rolled her shoulder, drawing my attention to her sigil. "While I've never spoken the formal declaration, Clan Keto stands with Clan Shan from this day until our final days." I chuckled even as she took a breath as if debating something, and then kept going. "You are neither my clan head nor my Mand'alor. Only they could keep me from being at your side, and even then I would fight it."

As I brushed a strand of hair from her face, I played over everything in my mind. She was right that, as Mando'ade, she had as much right to accept my offer to fight as any. And while we had never made it official, we were allies.

"You know if you send her away, it will undermine you in front of the other clans?"

"Yes, Bo, I'm aware of that," I shot back with a roll of my eyes.

Bo smiled, raised her hands, and took a step back, making clear she'd said her piece. However, I knew she was right. Sending Serra away, and using Jedi ranks to dismiss the leader of another clan, especially one close to mine, would make many of the Mandalorians question if I was truly one of them, or if I was simply using them as mercenaries. While some likely wouldn't care, I knew I'd need the support of their people again for conflicts that came along after Naboo.

I returned my gaze to Serra. "I need you to know that this is going to be dangerous and that as much as you'll protest, I'm going to do whatever I can to keep you away from the Sith." She opened her mouth to protest but I placed a finger against her lips. "No. Whoever is waiting for me is my trial, not yours. Whatever happens, I must face them alone."

Serra stared at me for a while, as if resolving an internal struggle. "OK, but if they strike you down, I'm going after them."

"Then I'd better not fail," I shot back, earning a chuckle from her before she leaned upward and kissed me gently. "What about Master Drallig?" I asked once the chaste kiss ended. "Or the Order as a whole? They're not going to be happy with you sneaking out to come to me."

The smile on Serra's face slipped. "I-if he comes… I'll talk with him, but I'm not going back until this is over." The conviction in her words was easy to hear. "And if he does come before we reach Naboo, that'll be another blade we can use."

I chuckled at that. "Aye, that's true," I said before kissing her forehead again. "Thank you."

She leaned her forehead against my chest as I held her close, finding comfort and strength in her.

"So," Bo began, ruining the moment, "now that we're all agreed Serra's fighting with us, I think we need to practice our teamwork."

I looked at Bo, thinking she meant sparring together. Yet, when I saw the look in her eyes, I knew she had another sort of practice in mind. "As much as I'd love to get closer to both of you," a faint gasp came from Serra, "I need to return to planning out the insertion and determining how we arrange the three-pronged battle to determine the fate of Naboo."

Bo shrugged and moved closer even as I let Serra slip from my arms. "Fine," Bo said once she was next to Serra. "You go and plan. We'll head to the Raven and wait for our private briefing." Serra's cheeks reddened as she understood Bo's meaning, though she did nothing to stop the redhead as she was guided away. "Don't take too long as I'm not sure how long we can wait."

I watched the pair leave the room and then shook my head. I was being truthful in saying I had work to do, but if the pair were going to travel with me in Raven, then as soon as the planning was done, I knew exactly where I was going. Though I'd wait until we were in hyperspace as if I was going to enjoy those two, I wanted as much time as possible to do so.

… …

… …
A/N: And so it begins.
...
This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
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USSExplorer · Oct 15, 2023

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

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

The Phantom Menace 2
... ...

(Captain Dofine's POV)

Captain Daultay Dofine sat on the bridge of the Trade Federation vessel Saak'ak trying his best to not let the boredom of this, in his opinion, ill-advised invasion get to him. Apart from Dofine not agreeing with Viceroy Gunray about the need for it in the first place, once the planet was secured – bar the unexpected escape of Queen Amidala – the Viceroy had wastefully insisted that three Lucrehulk transports remain in orbit when one was more than enough.

The Queen's escape had infuriated Dofine as the captain of the transport that the Naboo royal cruiser had raced past hadn't deployed their Vulture droids, instead relying on the massive vessel's turbolasers to disable but not destroy the fast-moving cruiser. A mistake that Dofine had enjoyed reminding that captain of before the Viceroy had demoted them.

Yet while Dofine had enjoyed seeing that captain's demotion, he was still fuming internally at how subservient Gunray acted around the mysterious figure responsible for Gunray's ascension to sole leader of the Trade Federation and the one who'd pushed for the blockade and invasion of Naboo. Darth Sidious appeared to be Human and not particularly imposing, yet the Viceroy seemed to shrink whenever in this supposed Sith Lord's presence.

The prime example of this behaviour came just a few days ago when Darth Sidious contacted Gunray again and demanded that three Lucrehulks remain in orbit. While the information that Queen Amidala was returning to the system was unexpected, Dofine failed to see any military or financial reason why three Lucrehulks were needed to control a docile population or the droids controlling them. Either Vuutun Palaa or the Luuhan could control the nearly half a million droids on the planet with ease as both had been converted secretly into droid control ships. The Saak'ak, which was Dofine's personal ship and one that should've left with the rest if not for Sidious' orders, was one of a handful of Lucrehulks outfitted with armaments surpassing the Ruusan Reformations' limitations, even after the Trade Federation's enhanced permits as agreed upon with the Senate.

The longer the Saak'ak was in a potential combat zone, instead of plying its trade away from any system of current galactic note, the safer the changes the Federation was making would be. That said, Dofine was glad he hadn't been made to transfer his flag to the Vuutun Palaa to maintain orbital control. The Saak'ak was outfitted as a warship should be. Forty-eight quad turbolasers dotted the outside of the massive vessel's rings – all of which could slide into cover if the ship was anywhere the Federation didn't have complete control of – along with two-hundred point-defence lasers covering the ring and the central control sphere. Three hundred Variable Geometry Self-Propelled (Vulture) droids added to that firepower, though it all came at the cost of far lower cargo capacity, to say nothing of the need for more OOM-series droids to manage systems at the cost of around a third of the standard security-variant B1 battle droids a Lucrehulk would normally have. A fact made worse as about half of the Saak'ak's droids were deployed to the planet below along with the droid contingents of the control ships Vuutun Palaa and Luuhan.

Still, according to Sidious' sources, the Queen would return soon and the Sith's apprentice – a Zabrak that Dofine was glad to have never met directly – was already on the planet waiting to capture the Queen and deal with any Jedi that might come with her.

Of course, Dofine had a plan in place to deny the Sith the glory of the Queen's capture, snatching it for himself instead. While he was secure with his place in the viceroy's inner circle, he felt Gunray needed to see that the Federation didn't need the support of these so-called Sith. His plan was why all the Vulture droids carried by the Saak'ak were either on external deployment procedures – attached to the hull – on active patrol or ready for launch. Dofine had also borrowed a squadron from each of the other Lucrehulks. Nominally, it was to relieve some of the pressure on the droid control centres of the Vuutun Palaa and Luuhan, but it was more to ensure the other captains didn't attempt to undermine Dofine's plan in pursuit of glory for themselves.

Still, after five days of waiting since Lord Sidious had informed them the Queen was returning, Dofine found himself growing bored of another shift without reward. He stood, the fine purple shimmersilk of his robes swaying with his movements and leaving his crew in little doubt of his standing. "Dremon," he said as he took a step toward one of the two exits from the bridge, "you have command. Alert me the instant any vessel enters the system and signal Readiness Level Two if the ship is confirmed to be the Queen's."

"Yes, Captain," Jull Dremon, the Saak'ak's gunner, and Dofine's nominal second in command, replied.

Dofine moved toward the door, his robes billowing behind him, almost making him seem twice as wide as he truly was. The large circular doors slid back and as he reached them Dofine hoped he wouldn't hav…

"Captain," Dofine stopped and turned just as he crossed the threshold of the door. "Six ships have just entered the system along the anticipated route." The report came from Tpix Iinvee, the senior sensor officer on duty.

Dofine considered this arrival. Six ships arriving together wasn't entirely unusual as they'd seen such arrivals since the blockade was initiated. Any ship or convoy that had arrived, after it was determined as to why they were here – mainly cargo delivery and the odd passenger liner – had been ordered, sometimes with a squadron of Vulture droids as an escort, to vacate the system. However, since the invasion, no convoy of more than three ships had entered the system and the few that arrived over the last few days had been solitary traders, no doubt looking to make a quick buck trying to run the Federation's blockade. None had attempted that when faced with three Lucrehulks and squadrons of Vulture droids, but the uptick in traffic was something that played on Dofine's mind.

"Identify," Dofine ordered even though he knew Iinvee was already doing that.

"It's the royal cruiser, Captain." As Iinvee said that Dofine was turning. "Five escorts. A combination of Corellian CR70s and DP20s."

Dofine considered that. While those ships were little threat to the Saak'ak or the other Lucrehulks, those vessels were designed for engaging vessels of similar size or fighters. "Launch all alert Vulture squadrons," Dofine ordered, referring to the ten squadrons that were currently stationed on the hull of the Saak'ak. Even with the firepower the Queen had surprisingly managed to acquire, they were no match for over a hundred Vulture droids. Or at least, they shouldn't be. "Ready all remaining Vultures as well," Dofine added as he reached his chair.

As he sat, he pulled up a display of the convoy. The five escorts were forming a ring around the royal cruiser. "Control Officer, concentrate firepower on the royal cruiser's engines and shields. Helm, Bring the engines to power and move us to intercept. I want us ready to tractor the Queen's vessel at the first opportunity. Comms, order the other vessels to remain in position."

The crew entered Dofine's commands into their consoles. While Dofine couldn't feel the massive vessel shift from orbit, he could sense the subtle increase of power as the reactors jumped to full power.

"What of the escorts?" said Sil Unch, the droid control officer.

Dofine considered the matter for a moment. "Force them to break formation. Once done, ignore them unless they attempt to continue the battle. At which point, disable or destroy at your preference." While those ships would have some value that Dofine would normally have wanted, his focus was on Queen Amidala and her vessel. The reward for her capture outweighed anything the other vessels might bring.

With the orders given and relayed, there was little Dofine could do but watch. The Vulture droids closed rapidly on the royal cruiser and its escorts. Analysing their flightpath, Dofine determined they had likely planned to approach Naboo on a parabolic arc, hoping they could side to the planet from the far side. However, since Darth Sidious had informed Gunray of the Queen's intended return, Dofine had ensured the sensors of his vessel were focused on the locations where the connecting hyperspace lanes emerged into the system. While he disliked the Sith Lord and felt the Viceroy shouldn't do as the Human ordered, Dofine could admit that knowing Queen Amidala would be returning had ensured they were ready for this, making it highly improbable that she and whatever mercenaries she had acquired would be able to reach the surface.

"Vulture droids engaging," Unch reported even as Dofine saw that on the bridge's main holo-display. "escorts are shifting to block their attack."

Dofine leaned forward in his chair, a vicious smile creeping onto his face. "Execute attack pattern Fuuhin." As he watched, six squadrons continued forward, rushing into whatever storm of fire those Corellian ships could unleash. The Vultures would give as good as they got, but they were simply a distraction.

The remaining four squadrons broke from their attack vector. Two moved northward – relative to the system's plane – while the other two went southward. With the escort gunships focused on the direct threat, those four squadrons would be able to move over or under the defensive screen and either disable the escorts forcing them to withdraw or cripple the royal cruiser.

"Launch six more squadrons," Dofine added. While those shouldn't be needed, there was something to be said for the overwhelming use of force to acquire an objective. Even if half of the Saak'ak's Vultures were destroyed by the escorts – an unlikely event – the capture of Queen Amidala would more than compensate for the loss of the droids.

Dofine watched with a growing sense of glee as the flanking squadrons of Vulture droids angled toward the small flotilla. As the power levels of several of the escorts fluctuated, Dofine could almost taste the reward that would soon be his.

"Order half the squadrons to concentrate fire on escort Besh," He ordered as the shields on that CR70 wavered. "The moment their engines fail, or they break from formation, redirect fire to the next weakest escort. Peel them off as one would remove the layers of a runefruit."

Unch didn't respond verbally, but Dofine saw the Vulture droids shift their focus. Caught off-guard, escort Besh's shields started flickering. "Escort Besh has lost shields," Iinvee reported even as Dofine saw that from the holo-display. "They're breaking formation."

Dofine's smile grew positively vicious as the droids shifted their fire from the retreating vessel to one of its cohorts. It wouldn't be long until Queen Amidala would be in his brig and the reward for her capture would be his.

"Convoy is shifting vectors," Iinvee stated. "New projections suggest an attempt at a direct approach to the planet."

"Continue Vulture attack patterns. Helm, alter our vectors to block and intercept."

Almost as soon as he issued the order, Dofine watched another of the escort gunships break from formation and withdraw to the edge of the system. A stray thought passed through his mind that the escorts seemed to be breaking easily, but Dofine dismissed that concern. The crews were mercenaries that Queen Amidala hired, and like all mercenaries, and all organic fighters, they couldn't be relied upon to push forward and achieve an objective regardless of the cost. That was why the Federation's droid forces were superior as they obeyed any order given until the very end.

As a third escort broke from the formation, gases trailing from its engine core, any concern Dofine had faded. When a minute later a fourth escort – one of the DP20s – shuddered and turned away after being rammed by a Vulture droid, Dofine could all but smell the sweet scent of rare ingots and succulent meals that his rewards would contain.

"Captain, new vessels entering the system."

The call from Iinvee drew Dofine from thoughts of how he would invest his reward. A series of commands into the control built into the chair and the display shifted. Seven new vessels had emerged from hyperspace. Oddly, they had entered on the far side of the system, and if not for the advanced sensor pickets deployed to monitor arrivals, the Saak'ak might well have missed them.

While the presence of two Corellian freighters might be some cause for alarm given the escorts were all manufactured by the same corporation, the other five were an odd mix of freighters from different corporations, which removed that concern. Another convoy so soon after Queen Amidala's arrival was unusual, and there may be more to it, but Dofine was certain that once the royal cruiser was captured, any plans the Queen may have designed would fall apart.

"Order the Vuutun Palaa to launch two squadrons. Standing orders apply." Those orders were to transmit that the Naboo system was under Trade Federation control and that any vessel not wishing to be impounded for illegal presence should withdraw. Failure to do so would see them fired upon. That had worked on every ship that had entered the system, though some had needed a warning shot before withdrawing.

"Escort vessels are starting to jump away."

"Sir! Another convoy has entered the system!"

Dofine shifted the display again. This second convoy had exited along the same vector as the royal cruiser, which convinced Dofine they were all working together. However, with Queen Amidala exposed and without support, any mercenaries she'd hired would turn tail and run once they saw the battle wasn't in their favour.

"Again, order the Vuutun Palaa to launch Vultures." Dofine brought the display back to the pursuit of the royal cruiser. Five of the escorts had already broken from their mission, with one requiring help to do so. "Ignore the Queen's escorts for now. Once the Queen is secured, if any vessel remains in-system, you may act with your discretion to secure them for profit." Dofine would have preferred to simply ignore them, but each vessel, so long as not too heavily damaged, has a resale value of around a million credits and those that were too badly damaged could be stripped for parts. Since he had no intention of sharing his reward for Queen Amidala's capture with anyone, giving them that thread to gnaw on would ensure their continued loyalty.

"Last escort is withdrawing."

Dofine almost snarled in delight as the Naboo royal cruiser found itself surrounded and harassed by Vulture droids. As instructed, the droids were limiting their fire to the rear of the ship. "Transmit an order to stand down and surrender. Vultures are to assume positions around the cruiser. If it turns, take out their engines entirely."

He waited patiently, wondering just what the young Human queen would do. Her hope of freeing her planet was gone, and if any Jedi were with her, they would advise her to surrender. Because of their presence, Dofine would have to alter standard orders for securing hostile vessels. He did hope it was the same Jedi as before, as it still angered him that they'd managed to not only escape their execution but slip down to Naboo and free Queen Amidala.

"They've surrendered." An almost celebratory mood rippled through the organic crew on the bridge as Tey How spoke.

"Transmit landing vectors with clear instructions that deviation will result in their ship being crippled and towed," Dofine ordered. "Vulture droids are to maintain secure escort positions until the cruiser enters the bay. Afterwards, return them to their standby locations."

A review of the droid numbers showed the equivalent of five squadrons had been disabled, which while slightly higher than Dofine would've preferred, was an acceptable loss. The prize of Queen Amidala had been secured, meaning the crew wouldn't be forced to compensate the Federation for the loss of droids. "I want a squadron of Vultures to support a battalion of B1s to enter and secure the vessel."

"Sir?"

Dofine looked at Unch. "I suspect the Jedi who escaped our grasp before are with the Queen currently. If they are, I want no repeat of that debacle." Ordering half the Saak'ak's contingent of security and command droids to detain a handful of prisoners would normally be considered overkill, but given only droidekas had driven the Jedi away the last time, Dofine wasn't taking any chances while he could have ordered the two squads of droidekas to the hangar, Dofine felt safer keeping them closer to the bridge. The odds of the same event occurring again were low, but if it did, he wanted the only droids certain to discourage Jedi close at hand.

Closer and closer the Saak'ak moved to the royal cruiser, like a Kinrath stalking toward prey that had stumbled into its lair. Soon Queen Amidala would be captured, and the bounty promised by the Viceroy would be his.

"Captain! The first convoy is engaging the droids! Second convoy is accelerating."

After punching at his controls, Dofine stared at the holo-display. It was showing both convoys confirming what Iinvee had just said. Or at least the general idea as, while he watched, Dofine saw the first convoy not only engage the Vulture droids but destroy an entire squadron before the droids were able to counter.

As for the second convoy, while they too appeared to be light freighters, they were racing into the system, fast enough that Dofine determined that most had been retrofitted for extra speed, though the weapons this convoy was using were again far heavier than most freighters carried. That made Dofine sneer as he determined who they were. Bounty hunters.

While the Federation did have some bounty hunters and mercenaries in their employ – with several dozen being on Naboo to help with pacification efforts – Dofine, like all Neimoidians, disliked them. They were, even when compared to other sentients, an unruly and unreliable lot. However, as a green ship slipped to the front of the second convoy, Dofine's distaste for hired guns faded, replaced by a growing interest.

"Order the other Lucrehulks to launch all their ready Vultures," Dofine ordered as he shifted the holo-display to focus on the small, green vessel. "Once the Queen is captured, these pirates will break and run, and our droids can pick them off with ease."

Yet even as he gave the orders, Dofine activated a small private holo-display on his chair. There the image of the second convoy appeared before quickly zooming in on the dark green vessel that was leading the convoy toward the planet at an impressive speed.

He watched as it swept to one side, sliding between fire from a pair of Vulture droids and then dove between the pair close enough that Dofine was surprised not to see sparks where the hulls clipped each other. Whoever was piloting that vessel either had unnatural reflexes or had configured the odd vessel's manoeuvring thrusters to grant incredible reactions. Ones that seemed to almost match what the Vulture droids could manage.

As the green vessel banked hard, almost turning on a credit chit, to avoid a trio of flanking droids, he considered ordering the vulture droids there to engage and disable the vessel. Yet as it slipped around a volley of laser fire, Dofine rejected that. A quick mental calculation confirmed that the green vessel would reach the upper atmosphere of Naboo before the vultures could corral it, and that was without considering the other ships. Already one full squadron of Vultures droids had been taken out by the second convoy – with only one vessel in the convoy taking any seemingly significant damage. The other convoy had already reached Naboo, with only four vultures left to stop them.

"Amendment to my last order. Track the flight paths of the two convoys. Have the Vuutun Palaa ready droid patrols to head toward wherever the freighters land and engage whatever mercenary forces Queen Amidala gathered. Elimination of those forces is a priority until the Queen signs the treaty. After which, I want the vessels impounded and their computer cores dissected for information on possible smuggler hubs we can eliminate."

Truthfully, Dofine doubted those ships would have any information, however by capturing the green vessel, he could acquire what appeared to be a unique vessel for himself. While Gunray was busy patting himself on the back for the capture of Queen Amidala, and possibly peddling a story to Darth Sidious of how the Viceroy was the one who'd captured the Queen personally, Dofine would have that vessel brought to him.

Not wanting to appear distracted by the convoys, Dofine returned his gaze to the primary holo-display, shifting the image to the sight of the royal cruiser. He smiled widely as it was guided by the Saak'ak's tractors into the starboard docking arm.

"The moment the cruiser is onboard, secure all hangar blast doors. Any droid that requires repair is to divert to the port arm. Once the blast doors are secure, take us back into orbit of Naboo. However, do not contact the Viceroy. Once Queen Amidala is secure in our brig, I will speak with her personally."

As the crew responded to his orders, Dofine leaned back, savouring his moment of victory. After the events of Dorvalla, he felt he was due one.

… …

… …
(Cam's POV)

I struggled to not laugh gleefully as I guided Raven between fire from a pair of Vulture droids. Those droids could pull off moves other fighters likely couldn't normally match, yet Raven – with the Force flowing through her – was able to seemingly sense their attacks milliseconds before they occurred. As such, we'd danced between droids and blaster fire in a way that likely left anyone watching amazed at us pulling it off.

Oh, some strikes had glanced off Raven's shields, but those were still running at over eighty per cent. A laugh did slip from me as we slipped between the two droids who'd just fired on us, and Raven's sensors confirmed they'd lost their flight path enough that the modified vessels behind us could easily pick them off.

As had been planned, the two convoys made a run for Naboo and appeared, except for Raven, to be nothing more than a hodgepodge collection of light freighters. However, as any good captain would do, those ships had been upgraded and given their owners were Mandalorians, they'd outfitted their vessels with a lot of weaponry that skirted what was technically legal.

"This ship is a true marvel of the Force." That comment came from Qui-Gon. While he was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, he, along with Padmé, was nothing more than a spectator as Raven glided between the Vulture droids towards Naboo. "A fitting ship for a Jedi."

"I agree, Master Jedi," Padmé added before inhaling sharply as Raven rolled along her axis and slipped past another droid so close I could make out the warnings on the hull for technicians. I could sense Padmé's enjoyment at our insane flight, but it was pushed below a sense of unease that was likely caused by how her people were being treated. Of course, you'd never know this as she maintained a regal presence as best she could. "Though I feel credit belongs to both the man at the controls and the vessel."

"That it does, Your Majesty." Raven slipped past the last droid and entered the upper reaches of the atmosphere. "The Force flows through both in a way that I must admit makes me slightly envious."

My smile grew at Qui-Gon's comment, as I knew it was one shared by many, inside and out of the Jedi Order. However, as with the other short bursts of conversation the pair had engaged in since we'd emerged out of hyperspace, I didn't respond. My focus was guiding Raven toward the planet, angling us downward at an angle most would consider suicidal.

My target, and that of the other vessels racing toward Naboo, was to reach the swamp to the south of Theed and the Gallo mountain range. That was Gungan territory, but as the jungle was the closest place to Naboo that provided cover, it was the best place to deploy the ground teams.

As the swamp came into view as we slid through a large cloud, and sensors revealed the droids weren't pursuing us into the atmosphere, I decided to respond. "Careful, Master Jinn. I'm unsure the Council would be pleased to hear someone of your stature express such an emotional opinion."

Qui-Gon chuckled even as my fingers danced over the controls, plotting out the best location for deployment. "The Council and I," he paused as Raven pulled up suddenly, banking to sweep over the canopy of the jungle as closely as she could without hitting anything, and he and Padmé were forced to brace in concern that we'd crash. "We often disagree on many things. A position you are likely familiar with from Master Dooku," I chuckled but didn't respond verbally.

Raven's scanners had located a break in the canopy that while too small for Raven to land, was more than enough for everyone on-board to deploy through. "Right, everyone ashore that's going ashore," I said as Raven closed on the hole.

Qui-Gon stood but stopped and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Will you be able to reach the rendezvous?"

I snorted. "Ignoring the more esoteric Force abilities I enjoy using, Master, I believe I'll be fine. And on the off chance I do get lost, Fenrir will guide me."

Qui-Gon squeezed my shoulder before withdrawing the hand. "After you, Your Majesty."

Even as I heard her stand, I knew her eyes were trying to burn a hole in the back of my head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine," I said without taking my eyes off the controls. That seemed to settle her as a moment later I heard the cockpit doors slide open and then close.

About thirty seconds later, Raven came to a stop over the break in the canopy. The consoles indicated the airlock was opening and offered me the ability to override that. I didn't, a moment later HK sent up confirmation that he, Serra, Bo and the first Mandalorian unit I'd ferried were planet-side. Behind them would come Padmé, her guards, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, and then Simvyl would drop with the other units I'd ferried.

As the confirmation came that the last warrior was down, I closed the airlock and angled Raven away. While I'd already discovered a point to enter the trees to land and hide Raven, I was going to fake two longer deployments at a point several kilometres away. Since the droids hadn't pursued us – or any of the other ships that were deploying teams – into the atmosphere, it was clear they planned to observe our actions and then react. Since Raven was the only vessel that would be landing, I needed the extra fake deployments to hide both Padme's location and where Raven would land.

The other vessels would fake one more deployment before gathering and then heading around the planet before breaking for hyperspace. Once away, they'd circle around and join the ships gathered with the Getala'kara a system away. Those would return once the battles to free Naboo had commenced. Getting a signal to them would be an issue, but hopefully, Asta's team would be solving that issue at this very moment.

After slipping Raven under the canopy of the jungle, I'd need to camouflage her – something made easier thanks to the Force – before heading for the RV location at a point where the jungle met the Gallo mountains.

… …

… …
(Dofine's POV)

"Captain, all but one of the vessels from the convoys have entered the atmosphere," Iinvee reported. "The Vuutun Palaa is requesting to send squadrons of Vultures into the atmosphere."

"Denied," Dofine replied. "They are to continue tracking the flight paths of the freighters. Attack vectors can be sent to Vulture droids the moment any lands, but they aren't to launch without my express permission." While not striking at whatever personnel those fighters carried was a risk, engaging the freighters in the atmosphere ran the chance of being observed by a populace that bar a few pockets of resistance, was subdued. Any uptick in resistance might interrupt operation on the surface and disrupt credit flows.

Once Queen Amidala was secured, that resistance, even with the potential for mercenaries to join it, would melt away when she signed the treaty approving the Federation's occupation of Naboo. Those who didn't would be made an example of either by being executed or sold to groups like the Hutt Cartel. As had already happened to over a hundred thousand Naboo who had resisted, or were considered a threat to resist.

The Queen was all that mattered to Dofine, which was why his focus was on the display of the royal cruiser being brought into the hangar. The large blast doors of the docking arm slid shut behind the vessel, joining every other exit from the ring, while laser cannons deployed from the ceiling of the bay. Dofine wouldn't use them and had given express orders that if they were he would personally deliver the responsible party to the Viceroy and insist that their entire family was expunged from Neimoidian culture.

The options to secure the cruiser were solely focused on the large contingent of battle droids that flooded the outer landing zone of the arm. A battalion of B1 and OOM-series droids were gathered in the landing zone, commanded by a dozen command-model droids. Those were supported by a squadron of Vulture droids deployed for ground operations. Dofine was reluctant to use the Vultures as a stray bolt from their cannons could destroy the unshielded cruiser, but Queen Amidala didn't know that and if the Queen or whatever entourage she had on board tried anything, the Vultures would end it before it could become an issue.

"Return Vultures to rest positions. Maintain two squadrons for patrol and four squadrons for ready deployment. The rest are to dock in the port-arm for resupply and repair." The crew snapped to obey and Dofine knew that recovery vessels would be deployed. While those Vulture droids that had been destroyed were likely unsalvageable as complete vessels, sections could be reused and anything that couldn't would be sent for scrapping. Most of their frames were simple and easily replaceable, but several of the components used in the droids' brains were responsible for much of the cost of a droid.

"The royal cruiser has powered down their engines as ordered."

Dofine smiled viciously as he leaned forward. A command in his chair shifted the display to another that offered a clear sight of the royal cruiser's docking ramp. He wouldn't want to miss the moment Queen Amidala surrendered. Nor the chance to, he hoped, capture the Jedi that caused all the issues with Queen Amidala in the first place. While it wasn't confirmed they were onboard, sensors detected over two dozen Humans on the vessel.

"Order the droids to approach."

The order was relayed and Dofine watched as a group of four droids – a yellow mark over the head confirming them as command variants – moved toward the front of the vessel. There was no sound, as such a feature on cameras from the cargo hold was considered a waste of credit, but Dofine knew what the droid was saying. The order was to vacate the vessel immediately and surrender.

While Dofine expected the response to not be immediate, as the clock ticked on, and no reaction came from the royal cruiser, he grew concerned. No, not concerned. Queen Amidala was his prisoner. However, the delay was unnerving even if no doubt driven by the purely emotional need to resist. Yet, even if she had the two Jedi from before with her, there was no chance she could escape. Not with over seven hundred battle droids and a squadron of Vulture droids watching for any movement from the cruiser.

The command droids conferred with each other before one of them moved closer. It would be repeating the order to vacate and surrender. "What is she up to?" Dofine asked no one when again there was no visible response from the cruiser.

A second later, the display flickered. It only lasted for a moment, but Dofine felt a strange chill run down his spine. One he'd not felt since Dorvalla. "What is wrong?" he asked when the display flickered again, this time for nearly a second.

"Unsure," a minor crew member manning the security station responded. "We're getting some unu…"

Whatever was going to be said was cut off as an alarm sounded from the junior officer's station and a second later, the display flickered violently before going dark.

"Report!" Dofine shouted, the cold sensation slowly spreading throughout his body.

"Cameras in the bay are being blocked," Iinvee reported as the cold sensation spread to Dofine's limbs.

He opened his mouth to shout at the officer to restore the signal, only for Unch to cut in. "Captain! I've lost the control signal with the droids throughout the entire arm." As the sensation reached his extremities, leaving Dofine almost unable to think clearly, Unch spoke again. "External connections are also down!"

"Contact has been lost with the Vuutun Palaa and the Luuhan," How added.

"By the spirits, what is going on?" Dofine asked in a voice that lacked all of the confidence and power it had held a mere minute before.

… …

… …
(Command-Variant OOM153's POV)

"By order of the Trade Federation, you are ordered to disembark from your vessel after which we will escort you to processing." The lead command-variant droid vocalized the order as the programming stated it should. Beside it, three other command variants stood, and around the seized cruiser, seven hundred and eighty other battle droids and twelve Vulture droids were deployed.

To Command-Variant OOM153, the delay caused a reaction with its base programming. Prisoners for processing were expected to disembark their craft within ten-point-three-four seconds. After that, the prisoners of importance – which from transmission from Control was the Human known as Queen Amidala along with any potential Jedi – were to be segregated from the others and taken to briefing room Dorn-5.

However, as double the expected time passed, OOM153's programming began processing alternate ways to complete its orders.

"Um, they're not exiting." OOM153 turned to OOM172 and stared at it. OOM172 had a point-zero-zero-three-six variance in its vocal processors that required correction. OOM153 found the variance a disruption to its functionality, however, the creators determined that was an inefficient use of OOM172's time.

OOM153 took a step closer to the starship, separating itself from the other command-variant droids. "By order of the Trade Federation, you are ordered to disembark from your vessel after which we will escort you to processing."

The order was repeated as there was a seven-point-six-nine-two per cent chance that the organics had simply failed to hear the initial order. There was a forty-nine-point-three-six per cent chance that the organics were considering their options for far longer than most organics would. The largest probability that was occurring to OOM153 was that the organics were preparing an illogical move to attack.

OOM153 determined that, based on the crew of the vessel, and the number of droids present in the bay, the chances of such an outcome being successful was less than point-four-three per cent. The only variable of interest was Queen Amidala as orders were clear that she was to only be stunned. If the other organics used her as mobile protection, then their odds of success increased. To four-point-eight-seven per cent.

After triple the expected time had elapsed, OOM153 turned and looked at a platoon of security-variant droids. "Sergeant, advance and breach." This plan was the one with the highest chance of success based on current parameters and known variables.

"Roger, Roger," the security droid replied. It and its platoon lifted their rifles to approach under primary caution protocols. However, before any of them had taken a step, OOM153 shuddered.

Internal diagnostics quickly confirmed the issue was that the connection to the central mainframe had been severed. OOM153 fell back on internal programming and resumed carrying outstanding orders. However, only the other command and security variant droids had such programming. The rest of the battle droids present – representing five hundred and eighty-two – lacked the additional core size to support such programming. Those droids had deactivated, their limbs and blasters falling to their sides.

OOM153 quickly calculated that the most likely vector for jamming was coming from the impounded vessel. The change in droid numbers dramatically altered the chances the organics could escape the forces under OOM153's command – rising it to thirty-seven-point-six-four per cent – however, that number was still within an acceptable range for the standing orders to be carried out without waiting for reconnection to the central mainframe.

"Sergeant, advance."

"Roger, Roger." The Sergeant led what remained of its platoon forward, though just as they passed closer to the vessel than OOM153, the shared network between the droids in the bay detected movement from underneath the vessel. "Surr…"

The sergeant's order was cut off as the two figures that had dropped from the impounded vessel opened fire.

OOM153's programming activated as the security platoon was struck down by heavy blaster fire. The rifle in its arms was lifted higher, and it along with the command variants in its squad advanced. Their rifles opened fire on the new hostiles even as additional programming activated. Reconnection with the control mainframe now took priority. OOM153 turned to issue orders to other droids, however, the command it directed was blanketed out by the sound of a heavy repeater.

A Vulture droid was blasted in its control centre, with the metal there quickly succumbing to the focused heavy fire. As more combat programming engaged within OOM153, a second Vulture droid fell, two smoking holes through what an organic would consider eyes having taken out the Vulture droid's central processing. One of the Vultures fell upon a pile of deactivated battle droids, engulfing all in an explosion as one of the underslung missiles the Vulture had been equipped with somehow exploded.

As debris was thrown throughout the landing area and OOM153's programming had it duck to avoid a large section of the Vulture droid's wing, its programming shifted again. With armed combatants present, all droids would follow standard operating procedures until such time as a connection to the central mainframe was restored.

It turned to the other command variants with it. "Move t…"

OOM153's order was never completed as its head was blown clear from its frame.

The remaining command variants quickly processed this, and OOM172 was designated the new battalion commander. Yet before any order could be given, a small circular object bounced toward them. "Uh-oh," OOM172 managed to get out once its programming determined what the object was before it and the other two command variants were destroyed. The thermal detonator ensured they and the remains of OOM153 would be unsalvageable after the battle was over.

The programming on the remaining droids again reacted to the loss of the command unit and a new chain of command was established for the battalion. Yet even while that was going on, three more Vulture droids fell, taken apart by sweeping fire from a heavy repeating blaster located on the top of the impounded vessel.

As more droids fell to the effective fire of the small number of organics engaging them, the hiss of the royal cruiser's airlock failed to draw attention from any droid, save those whose visual receptors observed the ramp begin to descend.

… …
(Asta Ordo's POV)

"Go, go, go! Oya!"

The command came from Kal Skirata, leader of Traat'aliit T'ad (Team Two). He, along with Baston Tyri had deployed through the droid shaft to the top of the Naboo cruiser to provide overwatch and sniper/heavy-weapon support for this assault. Two other warriors, Kaan and Aundars, had deployed to the underside via the escape pod hatches – said pods had been removed before the cruiser had entered the system.

The ramp of the royal cruiser deployed a split-second later, and Asta led the rest of her force, totalling twenty-eight Mandalorians, out of the cruiser. Her blaster was already firing before her armoured boots hit the deck of the Trade Federation's massive transport, and she enjoyed watching droids fall.

Her focus shifted to the squad of command droids that had issued the orders for them to surrender. While Asta had expected the order to be given, it insulted her that anyone thought several hundred droids was enough to stop an assault group of Mando'ade. However, the group was already down, having been taken out by a grenade from one of the four that had deployed to form the beachhead.

A red bolt slammed into her armour making her wince at the force, though her HUD reported no damage taken. Still, she turned toward those who had fired and returned the favour. A rocket raced from her gauntlet, slammed into the leader of a squad of red-striped droids and reduced it and its squad to their component parts.

Even as the explosion from her rocket joined the symphony of chaos erupted in the hangar, Asta was moving. Around her, more Mando'ade flooded from the cruiser, engaging the Federation's droid army. The shared Battlenet the Mando'ade used, along with decades of training, helped ensure their bolts flew out, striking different targets.

Vulture droids were targeted by any with heavier weapons as soon as possible. While their cannons wouldn't pierce beskar, the concussive force would knock a warrior from their feet, maybe even kill them. A fact proven as a member of her team, Hox Bruhl, was sent tumbling from one exploding near him. The offending Vulture was taken out by a rocket from another member of the unit even as the Battlenet reported Hox was uninjured.

"Advance," Asta ordered, her rifle singing as it brought destruction to another unit of droids. She moved to a pile of crates near the wall of the landing bay, having to dive as a Vulture near her fell over; its head destroyed by a volley of heavy blaster fire.

Once in cover, Asta examined the layout of the battle. None of her force was down, though a few like Hox had been momentarily knocked over by concentrated or heavy fire. That was a relief as, bar the odd stacks of crates, like the one she was next to, there was precious little in the way of cover inside the bay.

The ceiling cannon had been destroyed. While it had deactivated along with most of the droids, the chance it could power up again and unleash carnage was too great a chance to take to not destroy it immediately after deployment. Only three Vulture droids remained standing, along with around a hundred regular droids. The majority had shut down when the jamming signal had been activated. The royal cruiser was still in one piece, though the hull had been damaged significantly once battle had commenced.

Alor Cameron had hoped to prevent that, suggesting the cruiser could be used if Asta's warriors were forced to simply cripple or destroy the Lucrehulk. Asta knew that if that objective was taken, then departing in the Naboo vessel was unlikely. Ignoring the di'kut lack of weaponry the vessel had, the fact it would be ground zero for this battle all but ensured its ability to withdraw would be compromised. Even if it hadn't, escaping from this vessel in the cruiser was foolhardy. Even without commands from this ship, the other Lucrehulks would deploy their Vulture droids, and quickly overwhelm the royal cruiser.

No, the only option was to achieve the primary objective, and then consider which vessels of the Trade Federation could be repurposed for departure.

As she popped from her cover and let loose another trio of bolts from her rifle, the Battlenet reported Traat'aliit Solus was moving to one of the exits from the hangar. While the other traat'aliite would continue the battle, Team One was tasked with forcing open a set of doors, securing them and then slicing into the massive transport's internal network. Ideally, they'd also gain control of all internal security systems and shut down the droids remotely, but Asta didn't think the Federation was sharal enough to have not avoided that design flaw.

Still, the initial intel Alor Cameron and the Jetii had provided regarding the internal nature of the Lucrehulk had proved to be accurate enough to work with. Asta was still uncertain though as to how Alor Cameron had known details that the Jetii didn't as they, unlike him, had been onboard such a vessel before.

Those thoughts were pushed aside as her HUD warned her of an approaching unit of battle droids. The Battlenet already fed her their locations and approach vectors, so her rifle was up and unloading at the droids before they could process she was aware of their approach. Two droids fell to fire from her rifle. A third fell to a powerful bolt that all but vapourised its head, and it fell to the floor, tripping the last droid. Asta put a pair of bolts into the last droid's head even as she used the Battlenet to send Baston a thanks for his assist.

Yet, as soon as that was sent, her HUD warned of a new group of droids. Asta pivoted, her rifle unloading at the droids that had managed to get close enough she wouldn't need her HUD to make out the components of the droids' fingers. Three droids took blaster fire into their mid-sections, but as one fell its mechanical hand gripped her rifle.

Not wanting to get dragged down by the droid, and thus be taken out of position, she let it fall with the droid. A kick to the falling droid drove it into the legs of the last unit. As it stumbled to one side, generating space between her and it, and ensuring its blaster fire missed her armour, Asta lifted an arm and shot the droid with her gauntlet-mounted heavy blaster.

As the last droid fell, she stepped forward and pulled her rifle from the grip of the other, a pair of bolts from her gauntlet shattered the mechanical limb.

With her rifle, one given to her by her husband Torrhen on the day they were wed, in her hands, Asta checked the Battlenet, seeking another droid to destroy. While around thirty remained, none were near her, nor was a single Vulture droid still standing.

She turned as a notice came through the Battlenet from Team One's leader, Brild Awaud, that they'd secured control of the hangar's door system, along with internal monitors throughout the arm. While not total access to the security systems, it was more than Asta had prepared for, making it a welcome bonus.

"Traataliit'ade, move teams to Taap Solus," she ordered through one channel on the Battlenet. Confirmations came in from five of the other teams, the only one not to respond was Team One as Brild's team was already in position.

As the teams moved around, Asta examined the hangar through the Battlenet. The droids were all down or destroyed, while the five teams shifted to their first locations after the initial assault. Three Mando'ade came toward her, those were her team of Hox Brahl, Mun Xath and Nia Vizsla.

Asta was comfortable having Hox and Mun on her team, as she'd known both for many years as both clans were loyal to House Ordo. Indeed, the Zabrak, Mun, had saved her life during an ambush by Duke Anzur's force during the recent civil war. However, the sister of Alor Pre and the mother of Alor Gar was another matter. Manda, if not for Cameron and Bo-Katan Kryze vouching for Nia – likely as a favour to Naz Vizsla who was close to both – Asta wouldn't have allowed the former Kyr'tsad member on the mission, she may have even made sure she disappeared.

Now, Asta had heard reports of Nia's fighting prowess during the civil war. While she'd not had any position of command as would normally be the case given her experience and relations to two powerful Alor, the simple fact she was former Death Watch meant none could trust her in such a position. However, when the call had gone out from Cameron for warriors willing to fight – be it for honour or reward – at his side, Nia had been one of the first to step forward. Because of Cameron's word in her defence, Asta had allowed her to join the assault force, though due to Asta's distrust, Nia was kept on her traat'aliit.

She shifted the comms of her armour to the secure line for her unit. "Support Traat'aliit Solus." The three confirmed the order and Asta watched as Hox and Mun ensured Nia remained in front of them. Asta shifted the comm channel again. "Traat'aliit Verde, report in."

"Primary exit secured. Local security system overridden." That report came from Brild Awaud, whose team was one of two with a slant toward technical and computer skills. While the other teams had worked to secure the beachhead in the landing bay, Team One had achieved its initial objective of securing an exit.

"Secondary access breached. Local droids neutralized," Kal Skirata, the leader of Traat'aliit T'ad reported. "Working on overriding further controls."

When Asta had learnt that a warrior of Alor Kals calibre had answered the call for warriors, she'd been surprised. While his son Tor had fought in the civil war for Duke Adonai, Kal had generally stayed out of the matter. At least when it involved Duke Anzur. When Death Watch had been involved, Alor Kal had been close to a one-man army – even by Mando'ade standards. Because of his reputation, Asta had appointed him as her second in command, above even Baston Tyri who had served House Ordo for over four decades. Once they were underway to the rendezvous, Asta had asked Kal why he answered the call.

While he had heard of Cameron – from his son, Tor who'd served at the Institute in Keldabe, and others who enjoyed retelling Alor Cameron's verd'goten – and was curious if the Jetii was what some people claimed, that wasn't what brought him along. No, beyond even the credits promised for participating, he saw potential in their people uniting in a common cause. One that would show that while they were still warriors to be feared, they were no longer the reckless conquerors of old.

"We're going to need a new extraction plan," reported Alor Kann Dur who was leading Team Three. Kann was a close friend and ally of Duke Adonai. "Cruiser is too badly damaged for repair, even without considering external enemy forces." Kaan had signed on with his son Thun to fight beside Alor Cameron over the promise of credits. While that wasn't true of many, Asta wasn't surprised by the choice.

Kann had been there during the ijaat'akaanir, so had harboured an interest in Cameron even before the Jetii became clan chief. While Kann had volunteered for this assault – as had every warrior present – his son Thun had chosen to head to Naboo. There, if all went well, Thun and many others – including Asta's son Osto – would fight at the side of Cameron, securing bonds of friendship between them that would carry over to when Thun and Osto assumed leadership of their clans.

"Tertiary egress located. Securing now." Alor Aundars Wren was, like Alor Kann, an ally of House Kryze, and unsurprisingly had almost fought with Kann over who would volunteer first. The pair were very much inseparable, however unlike Kann, Aundars had ensured his son remained behind. That was both because his heir had just welcomed his first child and as people had to stay behind to secure clan and house holdings. While Death Watch was, Asta hoped, consigned to history as a mistake, House Varaud was still present. Duke Anzur wasn't foolish enough to think he could win a new civil war after how badly he'd been beaten by Dukes Adonai and Torrhen, but he was wily enough that he might try to cause trouble for the restored Kryze-Ordo alliance. That was why Asta's daughter Alys and Dorgo Adonai weren't present in any form either, though in the case of the latter it was more because, with the civil war now over, Dorgo needed time to truly grieve for his lost family. That Asta had ensured Alys remained at his side was a small play to see if perhaps something might develop between the pair and further secure the alliances between their houses.

"Bay secured. Primary fuel targets discovered and rigged. Working on pinpointing secondary locations and any potential weapon caches." Jad Spars led Team Five and was the only team leader who wasn't either the chief or heir of their clan. He also was the only warrior in the assault team to have not been born in the Mandalorian sector, having been adopted by his father – Alor Olaf who had command of the Getala'kara – after his birth mother had died defending the old warrior. While he might not have been born within Mandalorian space, Jed was a well-respected Mando'ade as their people placed no stigma on adoption. Family was more than just blood – something Asta had learnt from her brother Tarho, who was Togruta and someone Asta had trusted to protect her children when she and Torrhen had to head into battle.

"Overwatch achieved," reported Baston Tyri. Of everyone in the assault force, Baston was the one she trusted the most. The man had been a battle brother of Torrhen since before she'd met her husband, and Baston had pulled her arse from the fire on several occasions. Something she'd done for him as well.

While teams Zero – her team – through Five would push deeper into the massive cargo vessel, Team Six under Baston's command would remain at the beachhead. The doors to the inner hangar bay were currently sealed and should remain so with Traat'aliit Solus slicing into the mainframe, but if they opened then any droids beyond – which Asta feared was many of the Vulture droids that had escorted them onto the Lucrehulk – would attack. To help with maintaining the beachhead, even if the Naboo vessel was unusable as an extraction vessel, Baston and another member of his team would maintain overwatch while the other two were in the process of bringing two heavy blaster cannons out of the royal cruiser.

With the team leaders all having reported in, and first positions secured, Asta shifted her comms to a force-wide channel. "All traataliit'ade, proceed to Taap T'ad." As every member of the assault force reported in, Asta made her way toward where her team and Team One were.

Hox gave a slight nod as she reached the blast doors that led to the corridor running along the inside of the impressive docking arm. After placing a variety of explosives and mines around the door to the inner hangar, Team Five would join them soon, and the three teams would move forward through the corridors. Kal would take another three teams through the corridors on the outside of the arm. While that path would be longer, in theory, it should be the quieter path.

"How deep did you get?" Asta asked Brild as she moved beside her. At Brild's side, Sunel Gedycs currently had cables running from her gauntlet into a dataport. Sunel's clan was a powerful one that supported Torrhen, and while she'd never worked with Sunel before, Asta had heard of her skill with computer systems during the civil war. Kaan and Baston both spoke highly of her, which was why she'd been assigned to one of the teams deployed to slice into the Federation's systems.

"Internal defences have been disabled, though only for the arm," Sunel replied even as her fingers danced over the gauntlet's interface. "Motion sensors are on a loop while cameras are," Sunel paused for a moment, "overridden."

A new notification flashed through the Battlenet. Acknowledging it, Asta smiled as she was given sight of the cameras that ran throughout the arm. While the camera access only covered the arm, a complete layout of the massive vessel filtered into her HUD. The in-built system began plotting out routes to the bridge, highlighting spots where Asta and her force would pass close to concentrations of droids.

With a command, Asta shared access to the system with Kal and Baston. Baston would use it to determine what was in the inner bay while Kal, like her, would determine his path forward. As they confirmed access, Asta programmed her HUD to monitor the various cameras for movement. While she'd prefer to have the motion sensors, she trusted that Sunel's disabling them was the safer option.

As the HUD brought up feeds of droids moving within the arm, highlighting those with markings for command and security, Asta frowned. The numbers in the arm were far lower than she'd have expected. Even after considering the number destroyed in the landing bay and that most would be deployed to the planet. She wondered if in his haste to secure Queen Amidala, the captain of this vessel had overplayed his hand and deployed what he considered overwhelming firepower to convince the queen to surrender. If they had, then Asta was more than happy to make them pay for it.

Though as she examined the state of the royal cruiser, Asta wondered how Queen Amidala would react. While she'd only met the young queen during the briefings on how to achieve planetfall and, at the minimum, cripple a Lucrehulk, Asta had been impressed with her. There was a fire there, that while buried under a preference for peace – though not to the levels shown by those di'kute who had called themselves 'New Mandalorians' – raged to free her people. Though the queen had been ill-at-ease with using warriors to free her people, or perhaps the death and destruction the coming battles would bring to her people, she'd accepted the situation. Usually after a soft word or two from Cameron.

That and other signs made clear that the young queen had a yearning for the Jetii Mando'ade, but he seemed to either ignore it or miss it entirely. However, Asta had seen that Bo-Katan and Alor Serra were both aware of the queen's feelings. That, however, was a matter for Cameron to handle. Likely once Naboo was free and those in command of this invasion had either surrendered or died for their folly.

Her HUD laid out three primary routes that would lead to the powercore and engine section of the vessel, which pulled Asta's thoughts back to the present. Whichever route they took would take them through at least two locations where the droids that remained could attempt to delay or ambush her force. Yet as she examined those locations while they waited for Team Five, Asta didn't think they'd have enough droids to do anything more than inconvenience her teams. Not unless they deployed their droidekas.

The two Jetii with Queen Amidala spoke of having to fall back when confronted by the droids, which suggested they would be a concern. However, there was no sign of any of them within the arm. Either the Lucrehulk didn't have any or the captain – displaying an odd sense of concern – had withheld them from securing the royal cruiser. Still, unless they had at least two droidekas for every warrior under her command, Asta felt even those droids wouldn't be able to stop them from completing all their objectives.

After Team Five arrived, having finished deploying the various explosives needed to help Team Six, a quick series of signals to and from Kal confirmed his unit was ready. "Advance." The single-word command had her team take the lead down the corridor. Team One moved next with Team Five securing the rear.

Reaching the first intersection, Asta's team advanced slightly down the crossing corridor. Asta scanned the corridor. Even if the HUD and sensor feed from inside the Federation ship showed they were safe, she wasn't taking any chances. Team One pushed on, crossing the intersection and after Team Five had advanced, Asta's team slipped to follow, assuming the rear position.

As they neared the next intersection, the Battlenet flickered with reports. Asta's HUD provided details that Kal's team had engaged a small unit of droids. While not all there had been combat models, all had been dispatched with ease and his unit was pushing on.

Traat'aliit Solus reached the next intersection, and confirmation that they'd engaged a squad of battle droids flashed through Asta's command within the Battlenet. Team Five moved to assist, but even as they reached the intersection, Brild reported it was secure. Team Five thus moved forward, crossing the intersection. Asta's team followed along with Team One now assuming the rear position.

While it was only a matter of time until the Federation regained control of the sensors and camera in this arm of their vessel, Asta had given clear orders that they weren't to push forward too quickly. Doing so resulted in mistakes, and while those with her were the more experienced warriors who had answered Cameron's' call – and thus already knew this – there was never anything wrong with restating common-sense orders. While getting to the bridge before the crew re-established control of the internal defences would be preferred, the sheer scale of this vessel meant that was unlikely to happen. However, if they could reach the power cores first, or at least gain access to the security systems in that section of the vessel, then Asta would consider the initial assault successful.

The third intersection took them parallel with the inner landing bay, or more accurately the middle bay as it seemed the Lucrehulk had three sections for the main bays that dominated the ships' arms. Pulling up camera feeds from inside the middle landing zone, Asta confirmed the presence of two dozen battle droids and twice that number of Vultures. Wanting to give Alor Baston's team a better chance, and avoid the risk that those droids might emerge into the corridors and flank her forces, she inputted a new, immediate objective.

As her team and Team Five secured the intersection, Team One moved toward the doors leading into the bay. While Sunel pulled the cable from her gauntlet to slice into the door controls, Asta sent a command for Alor Kal to have his technical team do the same on their side of the arm.

While Sunel was working, Asta pulled up the map of the Lucrehulk again with her HUD. The critical locations to secure or destroy the vessel had already been tagged and teams were designated for each location. While she would lead most teams toward the bridge and droid control centre, which were located in the central sphere, other teams would move to secure the power cores, external communications control and droid relay command centre. Yet, as she examined the map once more, a new location of interest was flagged by the Battlenet.

The main computer core, while a useful objective, had been expected to be heavily guarded. However, it seemed that not only was that unlikely – or at least there wasn't a dedicated defensive position the droids could hold – but that the hyperdrive navigational core was located nearby. Asta had expected that to be close to the bridge, but either that wasn't the case, or the one being marked by her HUD was a backup.

Regardless of which it was, Asta marked that core as a priority target. Not for destruction, but for downloading. If, like the Mando'ade, the Federation had hidden hyperspace routes throughout the Outer Rim, then that data would be worth a fortune; both financially and tactically. Plus, it would only require withdrawing one of the three teams assigned to the bridge assault to secure and begin securing what charts and navigational details they could.

The blast doors to the middle landing bay slammed shut, and Sunel stepped back. Brild blasted the controls, ensuring the system couldn't be overridden locally. Before she stepped away, she attached a thermal detonator to the walls. On the off chance that the droids somehow managed to force the blast doors open, the corridor would be blocked by the explosion. The pattern was repeated at the next two sets of doors that led to the inner landing bay. Each time the blast doors were sealed, and the corridor mined.

The process wasn't fully repeated with the innermost landing bay, as while there were droids inside, none were combat variants. However, the bay was still locked down after Asta examined the camera feed and determined the Federation was loading statues, sculptures, and other objects of importance to the Naboo into shipping containers. Those objects were of minor importance to the mission, but if the vessel could be secured, and then it survived the coming battle, they could return the objects to Queen Amidala. The financial reward for doing so might be slim, but the potential political value wasn't something Asta was going to ignore.

The element slowed as they moved past the now sealed-off innermost bay. The slicing carried out earlier meant the secure feeds they had access to only reached the point where the arm ended, and the massive power cores and engines were located. While they had schematics, there was no way to know what lay ahead. Plus, this crossover location was one that the Battlenet had marked as a likely ambush location. Given the previously marked locations hadn't had anything like the droids needed to delay the force, Asta expected this to be where the Federation made one of its larger stands.

For Asta's element to advance, they'd have to move through a large open hall, one that fed into a half-dozen locations, including some that had natural elevation to rain down fire on her force. The only upside was that the passage Kal's element was moving down would lead into the same location, allowing the combined assault force to flank and overwhelm any droids present.

Asta sent a check to Kal, which was replied to with a confirmation that he and his element were two minutes out. With that confirmed, Asta ordered Traat'aliit Rayshe'a forward. Jad Spars had only taken a half-dozen steps into the hall before he was knocked back by significant blaster fire.

His team pulled him back, reacting to his falling before the Battlenet confirmed he was unharmed. As Team Five returned to cover, Asta examined the feeds from their helmets.

From what was recorded, over a hundred battle droids were gathered in the hall. While not all were detectable, the vectors of fire that had rained down on Team Five revealed the location of nearly two dozen that were in cover. Based on those locations, Asta marked others as likely points where more droids could be waiting.

Hox and Mun moved to the corner that led to the hall, taking orders from Asta as she inputted cover points. As the two moved forward, drawing considerable fire, which revealed several of the points Asta had marked as possible locations as actual ones, Nia and Siri Trumda moved to the corner.

Those two were the ones outfitted with differing backpacks, and instead of the single rocket most Mando'ade carried, they each carried four. That cost them their jetpacks, but given only two teams had those for this operation, it was a minor change. As they leant forward, programming vectors into their rockets, Brild and Jad moved closer, grenades in their hands.

Like the entire assault force, the quartet about to unleash hell on the droids were enjoying themselves. While Asta was glad the civil war was over, and they could rebuild their space, she missed combat. That feeling was one many gave in to when the call to arms was sent out by Alor Cameron, overriding the desire for credits. Not that they'd turn down the reward as to do so might insult Clan Shan, and by extension Houses Kryze and Ordo.

As the first pair of rockets took off, Brild and Jad tossed their first grenade. A second pair of rockets took off a split-second later, and as the first reached the locations and exploded, Brild and Jad tossed their second grenade.

As the grenades and last two rockets exploded, Asta rushed forward, her element behind her. The closer cover the droids had been using was gone, having been blown apart by the grenades, destroying the droids behind them. The rockets had slammed into four of the locations at higher levels where droid fire had come from. Or at least three had, the fourth rocket had struck the right side of the main droid defensive line.

Blaster fire raced across the area, more fire coming at the Mando'ade than heading out. Yet Asta's warriors could take multiple strikes before being forced back, whereas a single decently placed bolt would destroy a droid. The droids continued to fire at her warriors, undeterred by the losses they'd already suffered. While that was to be expected as droids lacked the fire of the Mando'ade, the spark that granted them, and other sentients, life, Asta knew there was more to the droids' unwillingness to withdraw than just programming.

Beyond them lay the passageways that led past and to the power cores, engines, and other critical systems of the Lucrehulk. If an extended firefight or explosions broke out there, then the entire ship might be destroyed. Yes, the chance of that was low, but given Neimoidians were known to prefer to save their skins over self-sacrifice – a fact that influenced the battle plan for this assault – Asta doubted they'd risk it, not until the ship looked close to being taken.

The advance was slowed when Ella Rang – a warrior from Team Five – took a series of bolts to her side. While the beskarweave there had resisted the first two, the third bolt broke through and she'd fallen to her knees. Her team moved to cover her even as she pulled a bacta patch from her belt. The offending droids were soon gone, blown up by a rocket from Jad's gauntlet.

Still, even though the wound to Ella wasn't critical, it did stop Asta's element. Yet just as the droids started to push forward, their right flank exploded. Rockets that the droids had seemingly not expected had slammed into their lines, followed by Alor Kal's element flooding into the area.

With the droids under assault from two sides, and part of their main defensive line broken, the battle was soon over without another Mando'ade taking a wounding hit. Asta stepped forward and gave Alor Kal a nod of thanks, which he accepted with a nod of his own.

"Taap Ehn," Asta stated over the Battlenet. Her team and Kal's took the lead, pushing through the area into the engine and power section of the Lucrehulk. Behind them, the other teams followed along, clearing rooms as they advanced. A signal from Brild brought the force to a halt, and as Sunel and the slicer in Team Three – Eili Drys – moved to the dataports that had been located, Asta waited. While she could've gone over the next stage of the assault, the plan there required no alteration.

Once security had been overridden, the force would advance toward the neck leading to the central sphere. Along the way Teams Two, Three and Four would break off, heading to secure the power cores, communication suits, engines and other locations of value. While Kal's element had orders to rig the cores and engines for detonation, those would only be inputted if the assault on the central sphere failed.

In Asta's opinion, that section would place them most at risk of failing to secure the vessel. While Vulture droids couldn't enter the handful of bays along the neck, there was a chance, however small, that the captain of the Lucrehulk would choose to abandon the arms and escape with the sphere. It wasn't a function of these massive vessels that Asta had heard of, but Sunel and others confirmed it was a rumoured feature.

A notice in the Battlenet revealed that Sunel had breached the first layer of security for the cameras in this section. While Asta disliked Neimoidians and their beliefs, she could at least respect the smidgen of intelligence they'd displayed in designing their internal security. Keeping the cameras, sensors and whatever else for each section separate, prevented any intruder from gaining complete control of the vessel from the landing bay. That would've made the assault much easier, but Asta was glad it hadn't been the case as she was enjoying the battle. Even if the droids, outside of the Vultures, hadn't been a match for her warriors. That said, the fact they have full deck plans from a single dataport was a flaw, which if the Neimoidians survived the assault and upcoming space battle, Asta expected them to report to their superiors. Of course, her people would have complete plans regardless as altering the internal structure of vessels this size would take time and cost more credits than the Federation may well be willing to afford. To say nothing of the number of Lucrehulks the Federation was rumoured to possess.

A second notification in the Battlenet was followed by a new datafeed into her HUD. Opening it, Asta smiled at seeing the cameras for the engine and neck sections had been secured. A small notice confirmed that internal sensors and defensives were disabled. However, before she could examine the various routes that would lead her element to the bridge, a warning flashed in the HUD. The camera feeds from the arm had gone, along with a warning the internal sensors there had reactivated.

"Blast doors are opening," Alor Baston's voice called over the team leader's channel. "Droids advancing. Secure for now."

"Acknowledged," Asta replied. The doors to the inner landing bay were always expected to be open, but Baston and his team were prepared for it. They couldn't hold out indefinitely, not if enough Vulture droids walked through, but they were secure for now. That said, the loss of the camera feed from the arm meant two things.

First, they had an idea of how long it would take the bridge to override their slice of the security systems in their current section of the vessel. Plus, the Lucrehulk's command staff now knew who had boarded them, or at least who were deployed in the bay. With even a modicum of intelligence, they'd determine the rest of her team were also Mando'ade and adapt whatever security protocols they had. They'd also be working hard to overcome the jamming signal or destroy the royal cruiser as the source of that, which meant securing the communication suite was a higher priority.

Accessing the Battlenet, she shifted the plans for Kal's element to reflect that, and he confirmed the change. "Execute Taap Cuir."

The six teams moved forward, heading for the main elevators that connected the land bay level with the others. Once there, and after securing the room – which was devoid of droids suggesting they'd been part of the company that had attempted to stop her warriors before they left the docking arm – her and Kal's teams moved to different shafts. With the new orders, Kal's team would take the communication suite. Kaan and Aundars' teams would secure the reactor cores and engines along with the auxiliary control centres. From there, they should be able to ensure no external signal was sent even if the jamming device was destroyed.

"Oya, Manda!"

"Oya, Manda!" Asta's war cry was returned by the others with them, and after a nod to Kal and his element, her team and Team Five entered the elevator. However, instead of moving up, he sent the car down a level. The teams waited there until a signal came from Jad. His team was now in the shaft and moving upward with their jetpacks. After waiting a short while, and another signal meaning Team Five was almost at the deployment floor, Asta programmed the car to rise.

The ride was quick, though it felt like an eternity to Asta. The security systems might be down for this section, but they were still vulnerable. In theory, an override command could send the car hurtling to the base of the shaft, a fall of potentially a hundred levels. That made the moments inside the elevator the riskiest after securing the landing bay.

When the car jerked, Asta's grip on her rifle tightened. While she relaxed as the car indicated they'd arrived at their floor, she maintained a tight grip, expecting some form of resistance when the doors opened. She was the first to step out of the car, her helmet and rifle moving as one as she scanned the intersection. Even while doing this, she moved forward letting the others surge out.

Thankfully, the intersection was clear, which was a relief. While it was unlikely whatever remained of the droid forces would gather here – as there were over two dozen levels her element could've chosen to exit and advance along – the chance was always there. However, since there was no clear and present danger, she felt that any droids that might stop her element from reaching the bridge would be deployed there as no matter which level they used to move along the neck, they had to emerge on the bridge level to take it. The question was if the command crew of the Lucrehulk would do that.

The element advanced along the corridor rapidly. Each intersection or door was examined, secured, and then moved past. The rooms here were quarters, though their lack of extravagance suggested they weren't for the senior crew or important guests. Yet, as they reached the end of the section that contained the quarters, the lead members of the element came under attack.

As Hox and Mun returned fire, the Battlenet reported they were engaged by sentients. The pair slipped back, using the intersection they'd been caught as for cover and fired down the opposing corridor. Team One moved forward to support while Team Five turned and moved to the previous intersection to counter any potential ambush. While that was going on, Asta accessed the camera network for the surrounding area.

A dozen sentients – a mix of Weequay, Humans, and Nikto – were attacking the front of her element. From their lack of common armament and weaponry, they had to be mercenaries, which was odd. With the believed size of the droid army on Naboo, there didn't appear to be much need for hired guns. Well, not unless there were operations taking place that the Federation didn't want directly tied to them, though given they controlled the planet and system, there weren't many such operations that could exist.

The group at the front had deployed makeshift barriers to protect them, which along with the other two dozen moving down parallel corridors to flank her force, meant this was a planned ambush. Either the bridge still had access to the camera feeds she was using, or there was a separate system that was controlled from the sphere. Learning which it was would have to wait, and Asta sent the details of the enemy to her warriors. A second later, a standard battle plan for such situations was sent as well. The simple two-word code was enough that every warrior with her knew their roles the moment they saw the words.

Hox and Mun advanced, Brild's team supporting them. The Battlenet reported bolts striking their armour with a greater degree of accuracy, yet as the lead pair bore the brunt of the attack, Brild and his team supported. A second later explosions engulfed both corridors as grenades thrown by Team Five exploded, shattering the barriers placed by the mercenaries, and tearing limbs from bodies.

As smoke engulfed the intersection, and her warriors began mowing down the remaining enemy, Asta – with Nia at her side – moved beyond the intersection, securing the next section of the passageway. As the blaster fire from the intersection died down, Team Five returned. Asta knew Jad was smirking even as he tapped at his gauntlet and the previous intersection was engulfed in smoke and fire as well when whatever explosives the team had deployed were detonated.

Asta checked the camera feeds, however those closest to the short skirmish were down, taken out in the carnage. However, those slightly further away suggested no movement from either flanking force. While she'd have preferred to ensure the mercenaries were all eliminated, time was becoming a factor.

The element advanced quickly, Asta scanning the camera feeds for another possible ambush. None appeared and she smiled when only two members of the last ambush emerged from the flames. Given both were dragging themselves along the deck, blood trailing behind them along with missing limbs, they'd soon join the others.

The camera feeds were pushed away as the element reached the frames of massive blast doors. Those were a sign the sphere could detach and when they passed beyond the doors, Asta was relieved they'd made it this far without that happening. It had been unlikely and still was, but it was a concern floating at the rear of her thoughts.

A short corridor later, they emerged at a control point with elevator shafts. As Sunel moved to the nearest dataport, Asta opened a channel to Kal and Baston." Report."

"Primary and secondary communication suites are secured. Reactors rigged for overload. Droid control arrays overridden." As Kal's report came in, Asta sighed in relief. Even if the bridge was able to overcome the jamming, or the Naboo cruiser was destroyed, then the captain of the vessel was unable to alert the other Lucrehulks. Additionally, with the control arrays under Kal's control, if they were forced to scuttle this vessel, they could use the ships' Vulture droids to target the other Lucrehulks.

The channel shifted, though the first sounds to reach Asta's ears was that of blaster fire – of a heavy calibre – and something exploding. "Bay secure, for now. Heavy repeaters destroyed. Position at risk of overrun." Baston's voice was calm, but as Asta accessed the datafeed for the team through the Battlenet, it revealed that Ayso Tathiss, one of the heavy cannon operators, was wounded. Not enough that they couldn't fight, but such that the Battlenet reported a discernible decrease in her combat efficiency.

"Acknowledged. Withdraw from the hangar. External comms secured."

"Moving." With that, the channel closed. Once in a corridor, Team Six should be safe from Vulture droids, which were what would be causing the greatest issue. Even if they could slip into the corridors, as soon as two or three were taken out, they'd block the corridor to any other. Once the bridge was secured, shutdown commands would be sent to all internal combat droids. Those outside wouldn't be shut down as that would alert the other Lucrehulks and whatever command structure the Neimoidians had on the surface. No, it was better to leave those active, and then reveal the deception over ownership of this vessel during the major surface and space co-ordinated battle Cameron was considering with Queen Amidala.

Asta's focus shifted Brild spoke. "Can't secure security for the sphere. Appears to be controlled directly from the bridge. Cameras sliced into, but they'll see us coming."

"Understood." Asta pulled up the new camera feed and examined the viable options available. After a quick consideration, she tasked Team One with reaching the Droid Control Centre that dominated the sphere. Even if the bridge took longer to secure than expected, having all internal droids disabled would all but ensure the ship was theirs.

Brild acknowledged the change in orders and moved off with his team. While they'd need to take an elevator to another level, they wouldn't be taking this one, and by moving to another location, it would force the bridge to either split their defences, or risk allowing one unit to achieve its objective unopposed.

As with the previous elevator car, Team Five remained outside while Asta's boarded. The car moved down and remained there until the second signal from Jad Spars, at which point Asta had the car rise. While it rose, Asta was again concerned, as they were exposed, and with the bridge still having control of the security systems, they could theoretically override safety protocols and send the car crashing down the shaft. Thus, when the alert came that they'd reach the bridge level, Asta was relieved.

That relief vanished as the doors opened and she took a step forward. Rapid blaster fire slammed into her, driving her from her feet and slamming her into the rear of the car.

"Droidekas." Nia's voice came over the Battlenet as Asta felt someone dragged her to the side and blaster fire peppered her and what of the car was exposed. She gave Mun a nod of thanks while her HUD confirmed she wasn't wounded. Standing, she pushed herself against the wall, joining Mun on one side of the car while Nia and Hox did the same on the other.

The car began to shake with the volume of fire coming in, and Asta prepped for her team to charge out. While the sheer volume of fire coming toward them in a closed area meant there was a real risk one of them would be wounded, if not killed, there was little option other than a frontal assault as the controls for the car had been destroyed when a bolt had deflected off her armour. Yet there was little other option as droidekas were the ones the Jetii had warned her about, and with them lacking cover, there was no other option.

Yet before she could issue the order, Nia dropped low and swung out. Her armour was battered with bolts of plasma – her helmet taking the brunt of the damage even if she'd be feeling it in the morning – but before Hox pulled her back into cover, one of the two remaining rockets Nia carried launched.

Asta had the urge to scold Nia for her recklessness, but as the car rocked due to the explosion of the rocket, she pushed the urge aside for now. Instead, she rushed forward, using the unexpected chaos to her advantage.

Her rifle flared to life, bolts rushing from the barrel as fast as they could. Behind her, Hox and Mun's rifles did likewise. Normally she was averse to using her rifle like this, but given droidekas had shields, concentrated heavy fire was the best option. Grenades might also work, but given how close the droidekas were to the elevator exit, Asta and her team would be caught in any blast radius.

Asta's fire shifted, guided by her HUD to a droidekas that had been knocked over by the explosion. Its shields were down, and her blaster ensured it wouldn't be righting itself as she blew apart the droid's brain. She slid down behind the wreckage, using it as cover as two droidekas that were upright fired at her. The frame of their fallen comrade took the brunt of their attack as the Battlenet revealed Hox had done the same as her while Mun had reached a support that offered some protection. Nia was exiting the elevator, and while her vitals were low, they weren't critical.

Nia had barely slipped from the elevator before the car groaned loudly. A second later, as blaster fire rippled around the intersection, the car fell away. The sound of metal scraping and crashing into metal echoed through the open shaft doors, which slammed closed an instant later, no doubt due to safety protocols.

While she did that, Nia rushed forward, slamming into a droideka that had just righted itself but hadn't yet activated its shields. The droideka toppled over, and Nia dove over it, using it as cover. A warning in Asta's HUD came as the charge in her rifle's power pack dipped below fifty per cent even as she unloaded into another droideka. Its shields flared at the volume of fire coming even as it and two other droidekas fired at Asta.

She grunted as her armour took over a dozen high-powered bolts, wincing as a trio of them struck her leg. The beskarweave held, but the HUD was reporting it was weakening. Dropping low, she pulled a grenade from her belt and rolled it slowly toward the droids.

She smirked as the grenade rolled through the droideka's shield and exploded, taking out that droid and showering the other two with enough explosive force that they tumbled over. She slipped from her cover, blasting the two downed droids; something Hox also did as the Battlenet reported the weakened opponents to Asta's team.

Destroying three more droidekas was a relief, yet before Asta could target a new droid – or consider Alor Cameron's idea about slow-moving objects slipping through the droideka's shields – she stumbled forward. Over a dozen bolts slammed into her back, and she fell. Adapting, she shifted her weight and landed on one shoulder.

Her grunt of pain was hidden by her helmet, and she rolled over, her rifle returning fire at the droid that had attacked her. A click came from her rifle, and she cursed at realising the power cell was depleted. Scrambling to take cover behind another destroyed droid – even as reports in the Battlenet reported the rest of her team struggling to hold their ground – she yanked the cell from her rifle.

As she slammed a new power cell into her rifle, Asta examined her team's condition through the Battlenet. Hox was pinned down by a foursome of droidekas while Mun had been driven back down one corridor, the structural support she'd used as initial cover now looking like nothing more than a pillar of twisted metal. Nia's armour was reporting a wound on her left arm, limiting her ability to use her rifle.

All in all, even though they'd taken out some droidekas, those that remained were slowly winning the battle.

Asta's mind ran through a dozen plans, looking for a way to extract from the location, yet before she settled on one, the elevator doors exploded. A second later Jad and his team swooped out of the smoke, their rifles singing as they soared into the corridor.

The droidekas shifted fire, regarding the new group as a greater threat. While true, the weakening of fire against Asta allowed her to choose a pattern of attack. As Ella Rang swooped low, slamming into a droid moving to flank Hox, Asta sent the command through the Battlenet. Confirmations came in within seconds and by then Asta was already moving.

Racing to Nia's side, Asta grabbed the other warrior's arm and pulled her to her feet. The pair then turned, blasting at the nearest droidekas even as Hox moved toward them. Down the corridor they were backing toward, Mun held her position, and the droidekas that had pushed her away were caught in a crossfire.

Before they could react, a grenade bounced off their shields and exploded. While it hadn't disabled the droids, the concussive force knocked them over, disrupting their protection as the shields overloaded and Asta's team obliterated the pair with ease. All four used the downed droids as cover, allowing them to concentrate their fire toward the intersection.

At the same time her team had moved, Jad had split Traat'aliit Reyshe'a in half, with two members of each moving down a corridor. The droidekas had split their fire, but with eight targets to engage and thirteen droidekas, they couldn't bring enough firepower to bear against a single target to kill a Mando'ade. Only she, Nia and Pirwe Puto – a member of Team Five – had been wounded in this fight, though Ella Rang had been injured previously. None of the new injuries were anything more than minor. Yet now, Asta's warriors had the droidekas hemmed in.

On her signal, grenades came into the intersection. Some were thrown, some bounced and Asta rolled hers, wanting to see if the trick would work again. Almost as one, the grenades exploded, shaking the intersection and surrounding corridors, and the Mandalorians increased their rate of fire.

As the smoke cleared, Asta stood and moved toward the intersection, surveying the devastation. Only a few droids were still moving, though given those were missing limbs they were quickly put down by blaster fire from her warriors. She reached into a pouch and pulled a bacta patch out. While there was no faint hint of the bacta due to her helmet, she heard the faint hiss of the patch attaching to her leg and injecting healing fluid onto the wound.

Once that was done, she turned and moved. The droidekas had delayed them, but in the end, it hadn't been enough. As she moved, her team and Jad's fell into position behind her. A glance at Nia reminded Asta to speak with the other woman about her reckless actions. Yes, it had helped them escape the elevator before the car fell, but it was a risk a warrior of Nia's age and experience shouldn't be taking.

Yet Asta felt that might be why Nia had done it. Because of her time as a member of kyr'tsad, Nia had lost much of her honour in the eyes of many. Joining this assault, and possibly being ready to die in it, might just be Nia's way of regaining that honour. At least enough that it would no longer reflect on her family. The logic was there, but Asta disagreed with the need for any to throw their lives away in such a pointless manner.

The teams moved rapidly down the corridor, quickly reaching the secured blast doors to the bridge. A signal through the Battlenet had Jad lead his team into another corridor, one that would move to secure the door on the other side of the bridge. As Team Five moved off, Asta turned toward the cameras that monitored the area outside the doors.

"Open the doors," she ordered. "Your droids are disabled, and my warriors control all external communications and the reactor cores. If we must force our way in, then no guarantee for your safety will be given." While there was a chance the frogs might listen and open the doors to prevent themselves from being harmed, nothing she'd seen in this assault suggested the captain lacked that much of a backbone. If he had, then the sphere would've separated and the rings of the enormous, converted transport vessel would've detonated.

A signal in the Battlenet confirmed Jad's team had reached the other door. "Very well." She turned to the door and tapped a button on her gauntlet. Hox and Mun stepped forward, pulling shaped explosives that they'd brought specifically for this.

When she and Alor Kal had debriefed the Jetii, the elder one had revealed that the bridge had blast doors and that they'd almost managed to breach them before being driven off by droidekas. After fighting a concerted force of those droids, Asta understood why the Jetii had withdrawn, even if she might well have not done the same. However, the reveal of the blast doors, and the chance they'd have to breach such doors simply to secure their beachhead, had meant each team brought designed breaching charges.

Once Hox and Mun were finished, the entire team moved back. A signal came to Asta, letting her know Jad's team had deployed their breaching charges as well. A tap of her gauntlet was followed by an explosion that would've vaporised the ears of any nearby, though since her warriors were in armour, they were saved from the worst of the explosion even as they braced to avoid being knocked over by the shockwave that raced away from the blast doors.

Asta stepped back into view of the blast doors, wondering how the crew on the bridge had reacted to that explosion. The lights in the corridor were gone, like some of the panelling, they'd been destroyed by the shockwave, however, Asta frowned as her HUD reported the doors were still standing. As Jad confirmed with a short message the same from his side, Asta moved closer, guided by her helmet's scanners.

The doors had been breached, at least partially. It seemed that the bridge had a dual set of blast doors, and while those were shattered, the charges had forced them inward, jagging into what was probably the base door in such a way that opening it wasn't going to happen without help. The HUD analysed the doors and highlighted several points of weakness.

As she walked away, she transmitted those points to Nia. Grenades wouldn't cut it, so the rocket Nia had left would have to do. Or at least pierce the innermost door enough for a greater hole to be made with grenades. The former Kyr'tsad member moved into the corridor, moving back further from the door than the alcoves where the rest of the team was waiting.

A moment later, the rocket launched, and the corridor was again engulfed in a shockwave. While not as large as before, there was more dust and debris thrown in it, though thanks to the sensors in their armour all Asta's team could see well enough to advance.

Asta rushed toward the door, wanting to slip inside as quickly as possible if it was breached. As she neared, she saw it was, though only wide enough that they'd have to enter in a single file. A tap at her gauntlet let Jed know they'd breached the door and her hand only just returned to her rifle before she leapt through the breach.

Even as she stepped onto the bridge, blaster fire rattled against her armour. That easily held and her rifle moved, guided by her HUD toward the first target. A pair of B1s fell to accurate fire as she stepped into the storm of plasma, her rifle moving to the next target even as the first droids fell to the ground.

Another B1 fell before she slipped into one of the recesses of the bridge. As she used that as cover, Hox slipped through the gap following herself and Mun.

There were droids in the recess with her, but the HUD marked them as non-combatants, so even as she blasted another B1, Asta ignored those droids. However, when the HUD reported a Neimoidian reaching under their station, Asta put them down with a pair of bolts to their chest.

The remaining combat droids on the bridge fell before Nia had stepped through the breach, and Asta stood on the main walkway, heading toward the trio of chairs that dominated the room. The organic crew was all down in the forward recess, hiding behind anything they could find, be that a droid, a seat, or even each other.

"Who's in command?" Asta asked as Jad slipped through the breach, her voice still modulated by the armour. The Neimoidians chose to cower further than respond to her question. One of the droids manning a station fell as Asta blasted it. "I won't ask again!"

Most of the Neimoidians continued to cower, but three of the crew pointed at another. Analysing with her sensors, Asta confirmed that one's robes were of a higher quality than the others. Plus, this one wasn't cowering, instead seemingly glaring at her.

She smirked and dropped into the forward recess. "You!" she said, pointing her rifle at the Neimoidian. "Stand!"

Continuing to glare, the Neimoidian obeyed, though the glare fell when Hox marched over to them and gripped their sleeve. A look of terror flashed over their face as Hox dragged them toward Asta. That behaviour, and the fact the rest of the organic crew scurried away when Hox approached, disgusted Asta. These beings were hut'unne, having less honour or drive than any of the droids destroyed during the assault.

"Name." Asta held her rifle still, aimed at the Neimoidian's gut as he stopped in front of her.

The Neimoidian shivered for a moment before seemingly getting a hold of themselves. With a straightening back, they looked down at her. "Daultay Dofine," the Neimoidian replied, some backbone in his tone. That at least proved he deserved to be commanding the others of his species as he had some fire, pitiful as it was.

"As of now, your ship is under our control," she spoke slowly, wanting there to be no confusion about the situation. "Your crew, be they organic or droid, will obey our orders. Comply, and no further harm will come to you or your crew. Resist and well…" she tapped the barrel of her blaster.

"W-why should we obey? You'll just kill us and destroy the ship when you get whatever you want from us."

Asta chuckled, which due to the modulation of her armour, seemed to terrify the other Neimoidians. "While I could do that, and it is an option, that's not the primary reason why we're here." She slung her rifle over her shoulder, letting go once the magnetic lock was confirmed as secure by the HUD. "However, what we'd prefer to do is take our time, secure this impressive marvel of yours and consider our next move."

"We have nothing of value!" Dofine snapped, again showing some backbone. However, as Asta placed an armoured hand on his shoulder, the barrels of her vambrace blaster aimed at his head, that backbone shattered. "W-we can arrange for a ransom to be paid…"

Asta laughed in his face. "No. While that is certainly tempting, I think we'll be staying. At least for now." She gave him a gentle push and he stumbled away. "Unless, of course, you and your crew wish to die slowly and painfully."

"W-what would you have us do?" Dofine asked; trying, and failing to make himself as imposing as he'd appeared just a moment ago.

Asta turned and walked toward the largest and central chair. She sat down and placed her legs over the armrest. "First, return to your stations and disable all internal defences. Both built-in and droids. However, keep the Vulture droids outside and anything on the planet below active. We wouldn't want your friends on the other ships to get wind of the change in command. That would force me to do something none of you would enjoy."

Dofine held her gaze for a short while before sighing. As his shoulders drooped, he turned to this crew. "Do as they say."

As the Neimoidians slowly stood, some requiring a few helpful gestures from her warriors, Asta leaned back in the chair. While she disliked playing the scoundrel, the longer it took for these beings to realise she wasn't just a run-of-the-mill mercenary out to make a quick credit, the longer they could retain control of the vessel.

The Saak'ak belonged to her and House Ordo now and she had little interest in losing such a valuable asset before its purpose was served.

… …

… …
(Cam's POV)

I slowed as I neared the gathered forces. While most were outside the range of my minimap, I could already detect the sentries that were along my path. I doubted they'd fire on me as I was in my armour – sans the helmet which I was carrying under my arm – and that should connect instantly to the Battlenet, but sudden movement in the jungle of a combat location might make someone jumpy.

Now, I could've just teleported directly to the rendezvous location, but that would've meant leaving Fenrir behind and as he wasn't connected into the Mandalorian Battlenet, there was more chance he'd be fired on if moving alone. His lack of connection to the Battlenet was an issue I'd not considered until we'd gathered on the Getala'kara, so there was little I could do about it now. However, once Naboo was freed, I'd speak with Bo and others about developing a way to at least have him tracked as an ally the next time I was linked into a Battlenet.

I checked my gauntlet again, ensuring there'd been no ping from Raven. While I'd slipped her under the jungle canopy and covered her with vegetation to hide her, I was concerned droids might come looking for her. Every other vessel had dropped their passengers off and then departed, whereas Raven had landed as I wasn't willing to allow anyone else to pilot her. Certainly not when I wasn't on board.

Thankfully, there'd not been any Vulture droids buzzing the jungle, so either the Federation's commander had decided not to risk doing so, and potentially alerting the populace that something was amiss, or that Asta and her team caused enough chaos that the Federation had other issues.

While I hoped they could capture the Lucrehulk they'd landed on, even if they could only ensure its destruction before escaping, deploying most of the more experienced warriors with her would've been worthwhile. The combined fleet waiting a jump away should be able to take a single Lucrehulk, but two was going to be a challenge. Three was just impossible, so if Asta's team failed, then the only way to end the invasion was to capture Gunray.

I was pulled from those worries when my gauntlet flared with a challenge code. Recognising it easily, I sent the correct reply – which out of context, had nothing to do with the challenge code – and received clearance. A light blinked on my gauntlet and a moment later the datafeed from the Mandalorian Battlenet connected with my armour.

A small holographic map displayed the exact location, and I shifted my path to head toward it. Unlike Asta's team, the ground forces were a mixture of forces. Mandalorians and Lokella formed the bulk of the deployed force, though most of those who'd escaped with Padmé had come along. The ones that hadn't were either serving temporarily on a Lokella vessel or had remained on Coruscant with Palpatine.

While the Lokella and Naboo forces lacked the armour of the Mandalorians, I wasn't discounting them as I felt some of the Mandalorians might be doing. The Lokella had been fighting in guerrilla operations against larger and better-prepared forces for years now while the Naboo were fighting for their home. While there were going to be teething problems of getting them to all work together, I was looking forward to seeing how Lokella such as Ferox and Validus worked alongside Bo, Osto and the other Mandalorians.

That said, I had pulled Ferox aside before we'd deployed to the Naboo system as I couldn't in good conscience have him enter a battle before knowing Shmi was with child. He'd thanked me for telling him, though he'd learnt of her pregnancy before he'd departed. The couple had agreed that once Naboo was free, he would step back from frontline combat to help her raise their child. He'd also asked if, should something happen to both of them, I was willing to watch over the child – and Anakin – alongside Validus, to which I'd happily agreed. After, I informed him that I intended to train Anakin in the ways of the Force and Mandalorians after Naboo was free. While Ferox seemed uncertain about the Jedi – understandable given how little the Order had officially done to stamp out slavery in the Outer Rim – he was pleased that Anakin would be trained as a warrior.

It took me about five minutes to reach the gathering, the various guards either ignoring me – as I was connected to the Battlenet – or offering a small nod – as I was the Mtael of the Lokella. "I hope I'm not too late," I said as I moved toward where the leaders of the operation were gathered.

Padmé, Ferox, Validus, Bo, Qui-Gon and others all looked up as I approached. All were pleased to see me, though I could sense some concern from Qui-Gon. I'd sensed the same from Obi-Wan, though it had been stronger, which was likely caused because I was wearing full beskar armour along with my dragon-skin cloak. If not for the lightsaber at my hip, none would even think I had a connection to the Jedi. However, with a fight with Maul coming up, I knew I needed every advantage I could get.

I'd sparred with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan while the scouts had learnt the Federation's layout in the Naboo system. Obi-Wan had improved his Soresu greatly, but I was still able to pick his defence apart with relative ease. Qui-Gon, though, had beaten me. Oh, I'd tired him out faster than I think he'd expected, but I was still being held back by whatever was causing me problems. I was reasonably sure it was the way the Interface and the Force interacted, and hoped that things would change once I was level 30.

However, since I had to face Maul before then, I knew I needed every advantage I could get. Hence the full armour, and the various additions to my gauntlets. While none of them alone would be enough to take down a Jedi – never mind a Sith trained to kill Jedi – I had various plans to use against the Zabrak that I felt gave me a good chance to defeat him without dying in the process.

"We have been waiting for you, Master Jedi, before settling on our next step," Padmé replied. "Please, join us."

As I moved closer, Bo and Qui-Gon sent me looks. Bo's look was because she and Serra had commented on how Padmé seemed to like me. I'd ignored the teasing, and explained that even if Padmé did like me in the way they suspected, I wasn't going to pursue anything with her since I already had two companions. Bo had reminded me that it was three as I'd bedded Naz, though she had made clear not to expect any other Mandalorians to join me. Apparently, Bo and Naz were outliers in being more open-minded about relationships and having multiple partners. Most Mandalorians were monogamous once in a relationship, which it turned out, was why Bo wasn't as close to Ursa Wren as she'd been when we'd first met.

As for Qui-Gon, his issue was due to Padmé calling me a Master Jedi, which was understandable. I'd explained I didn't consider myself a Jedi Master, and that Padmé was doing it simply to show respect to me for the help I'd arranged. Qui-Gon had accepted that not having sensed any deception in my words.

The Padawan had stated his distaste for Serra being here, especially as she was doing so as a Mandalorian and, in his mind, breaking her oath as a Jedi. So far, it hadn't developed into anything more than a few glares and comments, but if he kept it up, there was a chance I'd step in and educate him.

Just before I reached the holo-map they were all gathered around – one that covered around several hundred miles in all directions from our current location, up to the edges of Theed – I paused and turned.

A few metres away, Serra was looking skyward, apprehension on her face. As I wondered what was wrong, I felt a faint shift in the Force. Not enough to suggest a threat, but enough that something unexpected, and potentially troublesome, was about to happen.

… …

… …
This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
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USSExplorer · Nov 17, 2023

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

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

Phantom Menace 3
... ...

I turned away from Serra. Whatever was bothering her, whatever event the Force was suggesting was coming soon, was a matter to focus on once the meeting was over.

My focus shifted to the large holographic map which displayed a large section of the planet. At one end of the projection was the Lianorm Swamp, with our current location marked by a pulsing red dot. At the other end, beyond the Gallo Mountain range and the great grass plains, was Theed. Another red pulsing light was there, centred around the royal palace. The sheer size of Theed on the map gave an indication of just how far away we were from the city and had me curious as to how Padmé and the others had reached there so quickly in the other timeline.

Judging by the map, it would take a week to trek to the city, and that was if we walked non-stop without the threat of interception by Vulture droids or any elements of the droid army. Said army had to be larger than in the other timeline, as this time there were three Lucrehulks in orbit. Now, the other two vessels might have been simply to reinforce the planet, but I had my doubts about that.

Ever since discovering there were three Lucrehulks in orbit, I'd been working through why that would be. The only plausible answer that remained was that Sidious wanted to test me. While the main thrust of that would come from Maul – which was a different, and much more concerning issue than the Federation's droid army – the increased droid forces would require me to adapt. He and Plagueis knew of events on Zonama Sekot, and how I'd led a small insurgent group against a larger invading force. While the Vong shouldn't be reappearing in bulk for several decades if the Invaders From the Void quest had indicated, testing me and the forces I'd assembled against a large droid force would allow the Sith to determine if I was powerful and competent enough for them to start taking me seriously as a possible ally…or an enemy that needed removal. Plus, Sidious was aware I'd put out calls for help, and if he was even a tenth as intelligent as I knew he was, then he'd have tracked my Holonet calls to the Lokella and Duke Adonai and quickly worked out where I was gathering my support from.

Once Naboo was free, the Sith would doubtlessly review my actions during the battle for Naboo to learn as much as they could about my style in combat, and willingness to engage in violence. How they'd get the recordings to review my actions I couldn't be sure of, but I knew they would as it's what I'd do in their place. Regardless, by placing three Lucrehulks around Naboo, each with their own independent contingent of droids, it meant the damage done to the Federation would be greater and the embarrassment of failing to hold the planet even higher once the planet was free.

Now, since the jungle wasn't being buzzed by Vulture droids, nor were the sentries detecting the movement of companies of droids, I felt that at least some of the threat the Federation posed had been, if not removed then at least nullified for the time being. Since there'd not been a fireball in the sky signalling the destruction of a vessel, that meant Asta's team had captured and were holding the Lucrehulk they'd boarded. Ideally, that vessel wouldn't be destroyed during the orbital battle, as it would provide a wonderful financial and technological bonus to me and my allies. However, given it would be, even with the support of the gathered fleet of Lokella and Mandalorian vessels, outgunned by the other two Lucrehulks and their Vulture droids, the odds of it being space-worthy afterwards were slim.

"Has there been any word from Lady Asta?"

The question from Padmé drew my attention, and I turned to face her, seeing HK standing behind her. His photoreceptors were scanning everyone, judging who might be a threat to the young queen. While he might not be happy about my choice to assign him to protect her, he would carry out the order with his typical lethal efficiency.

To Padmé's left were Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Captain Panaka. Panaka kept glaring at HK, not liking that a droid was guarding her, but I'd assured him that HK was more than a match for anything either the Federation or our forces might have. I stood opposite Padmé around the map while to my left were Validus and Ferox representing the Lokella ground forces, and then the Mandalorians. Bo and Osto had positions due to their houses being the main backers of my call to arms, but the senior warriors present were Shal Beroya, Vhonte Tervho and Rangemaster Dun Marod.

I knew nothing about the former two, but both came recommended by Asta, Osto, Bo, and others. Marod being here was a surprise, and I'd spoken to him before we'd jumped to Naboo, wondering why he'd come. It seemed that while he enjoyed his work teaching new generations of warriors, he missed battle and glory. When the civil war had ended and he'd survived the various battles he'd fought in, he'd grown despondent, fearing he might never die in battle as a warrior should. When the call for warriors had gone out, he'd answered quickly, and while the credits on offer were a factor, the chance to go into battle once more had been a larger factor in his choice.

"No. Operational procedures mean the only time we'll receive any signal from my mother is if they are forced to evacuate and destroy the target," Osto replied bluntly. "Unless Cameron or one of the other Jetii can add more, we won't know how successful her mission was until the orbital battle begins."

"There was nothing on the sensors when I left Raven," I added. "While they're powerful, I couldn't risk using them actively and giving away her position. Nor alerting the other Federation vessels that something might be amiss."

"While the Force isn't as forthcoming with revelations as many would believe, neither I nor my Padawan have sensed anything amiss regarding the vessels in orbit," Qui-Gon added, though I noted he specifically mentioned space and not the planet, which had me thinking he could sense something was off within the Force, meaning that Maul was waiting for us, for me, in the city.

"Has anything been heard from the local forces?"

Panaka fixed Vhonte with a glare, but the Mandalorian was unfazed by it. I wasn't sure why, but Panaka seemed to dislike the presence of the Mandalorians. Nevertheless, he was still willing to accept fighting alongside them.

"Yes, I have. However, what we have is rudimentary at best as many are working off-grid to avoid detection by Federation forces." Panaka stepped toward the map and accessed the display through a wrist-based interface. Along with the others, I watched as the map zoomed in on Theed, with lines heading toward it from smaller cities while large red blobs appeared in and around Theed. "The Federation have concentrated their forces in Theed and other major cities. Citizens from other smaller cities and towns have been rounded up and herded in or near the major population centres."

"Makes sense," Shal Beroya. "Easier to control the locals and cut down on resistance if you keep civilians in central locations, preferably near critical infrastructure as well."

"I would advise against engaging the Federation's army inside the city limits, Your Highness. The civilian casualties would be impossible to keep down."

Padmé lowered her head in acceptance of Qui-Gon's words. "Agreed, Master Jedi, which is why I feel we need to draw the Federation army, or at least most of it, out of Theed." She paused and turned, looking toward others who were close by but not part of the meeting like Serra. She was currently mingling with the former members of our team from the Institute on Mandalore, all of whom had signed on when word went out that I needed warriors for battle. "Jar Jar Binks!"

I forced down a grimace at hearing Padmé call for the Gungan. I knew she would, but I'd rather not be around him. While I was reserving judgment on the rest of his people, Jar Jar was, in simple terms, a bumbling fool. That said, the Force Potential he had – which was comparable to Mundi's – explained how he seemed to keep lucking out in every event he found himself inexplicably stuck in.

There was a delay as we waited on the Gungan to first realise he'd been summoned, and for him to then walk over. During that time, I noticed that R2-D2 was resting near HK and while he was being quiet, faint beeps and bleeps were coming from the Astromech. HK wasn't responding verbally, but I saw his hand moving. It remained near his blaster, but it was enough that the pair were having a conversation without disrupting the meeting. I'd have to ask HK about that later.

"Mesa?"

The irritating voice of Jar Jar snapped my focus back to the purpose of this meeting and I saw the Gungan had moved over, coming close to Padmé and was now pointing at himself. As if there was any other being in the galaxy with such a name. And Force was that a scary thought.

"I wish for you to return to your people as my official envoy." At Padmé's words, Jar Jar seemed to shrink in on himself, as if anyone could miss his gangly frame. "I understand you were cast out by your people," I sensed the Mandalorians and Lokella tense at hearing this, "however you are the only link we have with the leaders of Otoh Gunga."

"Mesa an envoy?" As he spoke, I saw Vhonte clench her fists, which when combined with the irritation radiating from her in waves, made it clear she disliked Jar Jar. Perhaps not to the level I did – was it bad I kept contemplating how long it would take to turn him to ash with Force Lightning? – but enough that I hoped it wouldn't colour her thoughts about the rest of his people. They did, after all, have the common sense to exile him, though I didn't know why that was beyond clumsiness and would admit to being curious about it.

"Yes, I need you to take an offer of alliance to your people. The Federation threatens both our great cultures and if we cannot unite and stand against them together, they will enslave us separately."

Jar Jar blinked and starched behind one of his long, droopy ears. "Uh, mesa no sure da Bosses will agreen wit yousa planen." I took a deep breath, letting my irritation toward the Gungan slide away. He was still needed, otherwise, the Gungan army wouldn't be around to draw the Federation out of Theed, making things a thousand times more complicated.

"Yes, I'm aware the Bosses won't like it, but we need them as much as they need us," Padmé replied with a genuine smile that proved beyond doubt she had the patience of an angel, perhaps even of Fay.

"Ok," Jar Jar replied with a shrug, "mesa try." With that, the Gungan turned and walked away, heading toward, I assumed, the nearest tributary of Lake Paonga.

"What… abilities do the Gungans possess?" Validus asked, bringing forth a question that had to be addressed.

"We're currently unaware of their exact capabilities, however, the most recent skirmish between our people and the Gungans saw them deploy over ten thousand warriors. They also have the ability to navigate the oceans that run through the planet's core."

"Which will be very useful for, among other things, slipping forces into Theed under the noses of the Federation," I added to Panaka's report. As Validus nodded, accepting the information, I gestured to the map. Panaka nodded and stepped back. "While not from this world, I visited recently to celebrate the Queen's coronation," I smiled at Padmé before highlighting the city. "These rivers run through Theed, coming in from either the Gallo mountains or a lake further away. While I'm uncertain if the Gungan vessels…"

"Bongos," Obi-Wan supplied.

"… bongos, can emerge into the rivers, I suspect they'd be able to arrive in the lake and then travel downstream provided the river is deep enough. Once we have better intel from the local resistance, we should be able to determine insertion points for both primary teams to capture the Federation's leadership and disrupt any droid forces within the city limits."

"You suspect the Federation's leaders are on-planet?"

I turned to Panaka, letting him answer Vhonte's question.

"Reports suggest Viceroy Gunray himself is still present, having taken up residence in the palace."

"What about the Gungan tech? Are we sure it's useable?"

"While Jar Jar is… strange," I began, giving Ferox a smirk to make clear I disliked him as well, "I don't think it's fair to judge his species based on our time around him. He was, after all, exiled when he encountered Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi."

"Jar Jar Binks is a peculiar creature," Qui-Gon added, drawing a snort of amusement from Ferox. "However, Cameron is correct in saying we shouldn't judge the Gungans on him. From what I and Obi-Wan observed while in their underwater city as well as on our travel through the planet's core to Theed, the Gungans while appearing primitive, have some remarkable technology."

"We'll see," muttered Shal, making his opinion clear.

"Regardless, the issue of the droid army occupying Theed, and detaining civilians means we still have other obstacles to overcome before any attempt to capture the Viceroy," Qui-Gon continued, shifting the topic away from the Gungans. "A method to either disable the droids or draw them out of Theed has to be your main focus."

"Outside of Theed, the only possible battlefields are the Great Grass Plains or the Gallo mountains," Panaka offered as he moved in close to the map again. I stepped back as he adjusted the display. "However, without a force large enough to draw the attention of the Federation's army, neither is a viable option."

"Which is why I suspect the Queen just sent Jar Jar to his people," I said, smiling at Padmé. Padmé nodded, as I sensed Bo's amusement at my antics. "Still, simply engaging them on an open field is, at best, foolish."

"Assuming the Gungan force joins us here, then they would have to move through the mountains," Validus commented as he pointed at the Gallo range. "While we wait for the Gungan response, perhaps we might scout the passages through the range. To both determine which, if any, could support a large force, and where the Federation has deployed advanced units."

"Our warriors will be capable of doing that," Osto said, drawing nods from Vhonte and Marod. "Though it would be a useful mission to further the cooperation between our men." Validus nodded in agreement while I smiled. Getting the Lokella and Mandalorians used to working and fighting side-by-side was going to be important. While some would remain with the Gungans for the battle on the plains, most would deploy to Theed. The better their understanding of each other was, the less chance there was of friendly fire incidents.

"I'll take an advanced element with jetpacks for a deeper sortie. Ideally, we can determine where, if anywhere, the droids are based within the mountains, and locations for diversionary engagements to allow our forces to slip past the Federation's outposts." That came from Marod, and while I'd rather he didn't die in a simple skirmish, I knew he'd not throw his life away recklessly to gain what he desired of death in battle. There was no honour in such a fate.

"And what of the Jetii?" Bo asked, turning her focus on Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. "Will you fight for the cause?"

"Obi-Wan and I are here simply to continue our mission to protect Queen Amidala," Qui-Gon replied, drawing a sneer from Bo. "We aren't here to fight in her war." I knew that would be his answer, but I'd hoped he might be more subtle about his motivations for being present.

"Whereas I was the one who asked all of you to come," I jumped in, looking at the Mandalorians and Lokella. "While I shouldn't become involved, it would be dishonourable of me to ask you to risk your lives in freeing this planet if I didn't do likewise." That drew nods of agreement from most, though I sensed some concern from Qui-Gon, along with distaste from Obi-Wan. "That being said, when the time comes, I feel my place is in Theed. I sense a disturbance in the Force there calling to me, and who am I to deny its will?" I asked rhetorically to Qui-Gon. That drew a nod, though there was a frown as well suggesting he could also sense the disturbance that signalled Maul was present. "However, if we can't count on the Gungans, getting to Theed is going to be a kriffing challenge." Well, not for me as I could simply Teleport while Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Serra could move fast enough that they'd be able to clear the distance quickly, though it would leave them winded when they arrived.

"The handful of resistance units I've already managed to contact say they have skimmers. Not enough to get everyone we have to Theed, but enough that if the other cells are similarly equipped, it might be possible."

"I feel that even if the Gungans have an army to rival the Federation, not all of us will be needed in the city." Vhonte stepped toward the map as she spoke. "We'll need ways to counter the overwhelming number of droids, which is where many of the Mando'ade will come in." She finished with a smile that promised chaos, and I had to bite back a chuckle at just what she and the other Mandalorians would come up with to wreck the droid army. "The Gungans need to draw out and then pin down the Federation's forces. For that, they'll need to cause as many diversions and distractions as possible."

"Once the Viceroy is in our hands, the Federation will surrender," Padmé spoke with conviction, and while some might question her certainty, everything I knew of Gunray – both from the other timeline and this one – meant he would. Of course, that left the question of what to do with him afterwards, at least before Palpatine, as the new Chancellor, arrived on the planet.

"It is a bold plan, Your Highness. However, until we learn what forces we have, and better intel on what we face, perhaps we should wait to decide on the critical aims of the battle." I knew Padmé's plan was sound, as it had worked in the other timeline, however with the changes in play here, I couldn't be certain it would work this time. That meant I needed to play it safe for now, and not commit to her seemingly reckless goal, regardless of how logical it actually was.

"Commentary: Based on the files I have reviewed regarding the… battle droids used by this Trade Federation, I believe that unless faced by numbers greater than five-hundred-to-one, then our current force would be more than sufficient, Master." I chuckled at HK's comment, having had to listen to his review of what was publicly available on the droids, and what I 'suspected' was true. While he felt the concept of the droid army was practical – as they were superior to meatbags – he was, to put it mildly, disappointed in the B1s. Now, the Vulture and droideka models he regarded as much more impressive, so much so that he was looking forward to testing himself against a unit of droidekas that might very well be guarding Gunray, but the B1s he considered an insult to what a battledroid should be. Haran, I'd learnt some new curses from his description of their failings, though I doubted I'd ever need to use such vulgar expressions.

"Our initial reports suggest over a hundred thousand battledroids in Theed alone."

HK's optical receptors flickered as he considered Panaka's words. "Observation: That is a substantial number of droids, meatbag. Addendum: I will enjoy facing such a large opposing force."

That drew laughter from the Mandalorians and Lokella even as Qui-Gon turned to face me. "I hope, perhaps, you might explain where exactly you discovered this droid." He spoke softly, but there was a firmness in his tone making clear he wasn't willing to drop the matter.

"I guess there's little point in trying to claim HK is simply a protocol droid, is there?" Given he was carrying a large, high-powered rifle, and many of his hidden features might well be revealed in the upcoming battle, I saw little point in keeping up the charade. "Did you read your copy of the holonovel I sent you?" I asked Padmé while I saw Bo trying and failing to not grin like the proverbial cat that had caught the canary.

"Yes, but I fail to…" Padmé's words trailed off. I watched as the switch flicked in her head and she turned to her newest protector with wide, disbelieving eyes. "By the Force…"

"Your Highness?" Panaka asked, his stance shifting, fearing there was a threat. He stayed still though, not risking a firefight with Padmé so close to HK.

"Observation: If I wished her dead, meatbag, there is little you could do to stop me." HK all but crackled as he spoke. "Query: May I introduce myself formally, Master?"

"Please." I suspected I was struggling as badly as Bo to not enjoy this moment.

"Greetings: I am HK-47, the personal assassin droid of the Jedi and Sith known as Revan." At the mention of an assassin, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan both drew their lightsabers as the Mandalorians and Lokella tensed. The mention of Revan had everyone turning to me.

"Where did you find this droid?" Qui-Gon asked tensely, his lightsaber still in his hands but his stance relaxing slightly.

"That is a private matter. HK is very much a family heirloom, and while I'm not Revan, I'm not going into battle again without such a legendary droid at my side." I saw Osto struggling to keep his mind focused as his eyes darted between me, HK, and Bo. It seemed he realised where I'd found HK.

"Exclamation: Such kind words, Master. Query: Are you feeling well? I know how you meatbags so often struggle due to faulty construction."

"No, HK, I'm fine. Just amused" I replied with a smile even as Qui-Gon slowly powered down his lightsaber.

"Affirmative: Yes, the reactions of the various meatbags, bar the one with red hair, are most amusing, Master." I glanced at Bo who now had a hand over her mouth as the other Mandalorians stared at her, wondering how long she'd known the truth about HK.

"I will forego many of the questions regarding how, when and why you have this droid," Qui-Gon said slowly as he gestured for Obi-Wan to lower his blade. "However, I need to know if either of your Masters are aware of this."

"Neither have explicitly mentioned HK's name and how it links to my ancestor. However, I feel Master Dooku was aware but accepting of the situation. Until a few weeks ago, HK had only been a head." I spoke calmly, pushing the moment of enjoyment at everyone's reaction to the reveal to the side. "Honestly, I'm surprised many hadn't already connected his name to Revan as it's not exactly a common droid designation."

"Commentary: While there have been imitations, none have lived up to the original, Master."

"And I would hope not," I replied to HK before returning my attention to Qui-Gon. "Until now, only those I trust implicitly were aware of the truth, but given I'd rather not go into battle with those nearby potentially caught out by HK's capabilities, I feel the need for his nature to remain hidden has passed." Once the High Council knew of this, they'd no doubt want to speak at length with me, as would Sidious. However, there was nothing anyone could say that would force me to dismantle HK, and if he played an important role in freeing Naboo, I knew Padmé would go to bat for him as well.

"While I disapprove of your keeping this from us, if, as you say, Master Dooku was aware and permitted it, then I cannot offer judgment on the matter. However, the Council may well wish to speak with you once Naboo is free."

"I'm quite sure they will." However, if all went well, they wouldn't come to Naboo as Qui-Gon would be alive. From there, I'd simply do my best to ignore their calls. That would also give me a reason to avoid Palpatine without it seeming like I was avoiding him. Well, unless he summoned me as Chancellor, in which case I'd have to get in and leave Coruscant before any member of the Order learnt of my presence. Though with Palpatine's connections, that shouldn't be too difficult. "However, that is a matter for the future."

"Yes. Yes, it is, Master Jedi," Padmé said, a wide smile still on her face. "For now, we should wait for Jar Jar Binks to return, and allow our forces to both scout the mountains and arrive with new intelligence on the Federation." There was a spark in her eyes that I took to mean she adored the idea of me granting her HK as a bodyguard. With Knights of the Old Republic: The Dark Times out, and her having read it, I was sure she understood what HK was capable of.

I nodded in agreement and then turned to the Mandalorians and Lokella. "I trust combined command codes have been established?"

"Yes," Osto said while the other Mandalorians looked at me like I'd suddenly grown a second head. "The former Rangemaster has helped the Lokella integrate their systems into the Battlenet. Once the local forces are assembled, channels will be created for them as well."

"What has made it easier is that early training for our people was done with Mandalorian support," Validus added. "While that was before myself and Ferox were freed, the training regimes they put in place are still active today." He tapped his chest, bringing attention to the phrik-laced armour he wore, which bore similarities to beskar'gam. "Though we did have to adapt some of their ideals regarding armour and weaponry to what we had on hand."

"While the Lokella'ade are not Mando'ade, phrik is an acceptable substitute for their warriors," Dun offered with a smile. "It is not Beskar, but it is almost as effective. From what I've seen of their warriors, they fight well and for a noble cause." Ferox had tensed for a moment but relaxed as Dun had continued. That said, I did notice Vhonte seemed displeased about the Lokella, either because they used Mandalorian tactics, or mimicked beskar'gam.

Feeling no need to comment, I nodded, accepting the situation, and then turned to Padmé. "Unless there is anything else to discuss, Your Majesty, perhaps we might reconvene once Jar Jar returns?"

"Agreed."

After giving her a smile, I turned away. I could see Osto and Bo wished to speak with me, but my thoughts were drawn to Serra. She'd not been at the map, but throughout the meeting, I'd sensed her growing apprehension and as I approached, I saw she was looking skyward. "You alright?" I asked as I placed a hand on her shoulder.

She turned slowly and sighed. "Cam, I'm sorry… Master Drallig is coming."

Caught out by that, I blinked and then looked skyward. For a moment I considered suggesting she was wrong, but at the time, I sensed a shift in the Force. Using Enhance Senses on my sight, I saw the faintest streak high in the atmosphere. That was the telltale sign of something entering the planet's air, and since it was alone I realised Serra was right.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked, throwing away the generic 'Are you ok' question as I didn't need the Force to tell me she wasn't. To Serra, Drallig was the closest thing she had to a father, and in coming here without telling him, she had risked damage to their relationship. While Bo saw nothing wrong with that, I knew Serra was conflicted about it, which meant this impending meeting was going to be difficult for her.

"I… I don't know." She turned, keeping my hand on her shoulder even as hers came to rest in the crook of my elbow. "But I know I'm staying. I need to be here."

I smiled at her and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Ok. Whatever happens, I'll be nearby when you're ready."

With a nod, she returned her gaze to the sky. Part of me wanted to interfere in this, as Serra was important to me, but I knew I couldn't. This was a personal matter for her, and I had to trust her to handle it.

… …

… …
(Cin Drallig's POV)

Cin Drallig took careful, measured steps as he moved through the jungle of Naboo, just as he'd done ever since his starship had landed. He wasn't meant to be here. No, this was Qui-Gon Jinn's mission. He should've been in the Temple helping instruct the various Initiates, Padawans, Knights, and even Masters seeking additional help with their style of lightsaber combat. However, his Padawan had displayed her worrying trend of recklessness, and in a move that had taken him time to decipher, travelled here as well.

Yet as he laid eyes upon his Padawan, his rhythmic walk nearly slipped.

While she was wearing the outer robe of a Jedi, what lay underneath was not how she should be attired. Instead of the expected clothing of a Jedi Padawan was armour. Specifically, that of a Mandalorian. As he neared her, he saw that while the armour was well-fitting, it wasn't entirely made of Beskar, with only the sections of armour on her boots – a holdover from her time training on Mandalore many years ago – and gauntlets being of that legendary metal. The rest of the armour appeared to be composed of durasteel, yet it was clear that while Serra was wearing the armour, she seemed ill-at-ease in it. Drallig was pleased that even with all the unnecessary armour to hide what she was, her lightsabers still hung at her side. Of course, the armour simply confirmed to Drallig why his Padawan was here.

Knight Cameron Shan.

Drallig had been, if not concerned, then uncertain of the close bond Serra shared with Knight Shan, one that went back to before either were taken as Padawans. While the story of Serra helping Shan settle into the Order was something that had further assured him that she was the correct choice to take as his Padawan, as the years had passed and their bond had continued to evolve, Drallig had grown wary of Shan. He could sense the Force wished them to remain close, remain friends, yet Drallig suspected that, within the last year, that friendship had potentially developed into something else; something that came perilously close to violating the tenets of the Jedi Order. Something that seemed too often be the case with Knight Shan.

Drallig understood that drifting close to violating the rules of the Jedi wasn't an uncommon failing of younger Jedi. Knights Vos and Kota were also both proven to skirt the rules when they felt the situation called for it, and Knight Kota was another who had come late to the Order – older still than Knight Shan – and struggled at times to find balance. Yet, when all of that was combined with Knight Shan's age, and his proclivity for entering situations that would test even a Jedi Master – to say nothing of the lineage he bore –Drallig had grown concerned about his Padawan's safety.

Yet, the Council had felt Shan was ready for Knighthood, and while his first official assignment as a Knight had almost cost Shan his life, Drallig had seen little in the last year to suggest the Council had erred in their decision. Indeed, if he felt it would be accepted, Drallig would have begun training Knight Shan to one day become the Temple's Battlemaster. The young Knight had an innate ability to make any he taught better, regardless of their age, though Drallig was at a loss to explain what Knight Shan was doing differently from himself or the various lightsaber instructors within the Temple, so much so that he'd spoken with Masters Windu and Yoda, though they too were uncertain how Knight Shan was imparting knowledge so efficiently.

Yet, for all that, Drallig knew Knight Shan wouldn't accept an offer to be anything more than a roaming lightsaber instructor. Primarily for three factors, the first of which was that Knight Shan had yet to form a style of combat that suited him fully. Now, this wasn't an uncommon issue with young Jedi – as an example, Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan had shifted his base form to Soresu several years ago, and Drallig could see it was a better fit for the Padawan – Knight Shan's issues were less from his understanding of the forms he wished to adapt, but more of a mental concern. Or at least that appeared to be the issue to Drallig. Shan was an exceptionally proficient Jedi, yet seemed unwilling or unable to allow the Force to guide his movements.

The second issue was that like many younger Jedi, Knight Shan felt a pull from the Force to head out into the wider galaxy. Much like Knight Kota and others who had come to the Order later in life – including a certain gifted but outspoken young Initiate that Knight Shan had discovered – Shan was ill-at-ease in the Temple.

The third reason that Drallig had not extended an offer to Knight Shan was because of his Padawan. Drallig knew well that a Jedi must let go of attachments, and the strengthening connection between Serra and Knight Shan certainly was part of this reason. Yet, the larger part was because Drallig cared for Serra, and he was concerned that allowing her closeness to Knight Shan to develop further, or letting her defer to his judgment as she often did, would somehow threaten her status as a Jedi and cost Drallig a skilled if impulsive apprentice.

Since Serra was here on Naboo, as was Knight Shan, the third reason for withholding the offer was reinforced in Drallig's mind. She had once more chosen to walk the path that Knight Shan was taking, and given the continual threats that appeared around Knight Shan, Drallig feared losing his latest - and he felt his last - Padawan.

Yet as he approached, he considered not the fact Serra was here, nor her status in non-Jedi clothing, but that she and the others should never have reached the planet's surface. The Trade Federation was clearly blockading the planet – just as Queen Amidala had stated to the Senate a week ago – and even with the abilities of Knight Shan's unique vessel, deploying any force to the planet should have been improbable. Yet beyond his Padawan, Drallig could sense the familiar presences of Qui-Gon Jinn, his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Knight Shan, and dozens of others.

Serra had reached out to him through the Force, letting him know where on the planet she was, and with this group that she was a part of gathered in the swamp far from the planetary capital, Drallig was curious as to how the situation had evolved. And what Serra and these others – no doubt summoned by Knight Shan – could do to alleviate the suffering of the local populace which he felt on his approach.

"Master."

Serra's greeting, and the accompanying deep bow, returned Drallig's focus entirely to his Padawan. Gently probing her thoughts through the Force, Drallig saw that while she appeared calm, internally, she was a raging cauldron of emotions. As he taught her, she wasn't drawing upon those emotions, nor displaying them openly, but having been her Master for years, he knew his way around the walls that protected her mind.

He waited until he was barely a metre away from her before replying. "Padawan. I was concerned when you failed to come to our morning spar earlier this week," he said slowly, measuring his words. "When I learnt that your reason for missing our session was because you had not only discovered a method to escape the Temple and evade Temple security my concern grew further." Drallig suspected Initiate Zill might have helped but he hadn't spoken with her since she had departed for Ilum to select her lightsaber crystal. "Discovering that you had then left the planet aboard a vessel arranged by the Mandalorian Senator raised several questions that I needed answers to."

Serra stood from her bow. "I…" She paused and licked her lips as Drallig sensed the swirling, conflicting emotions within her brewing oddly. Doubt, confusion, fear, and relief moved around and with each other in the chamber that was her being, though before any could become worryingly prevalent, Serra brought them under control enough that they no longer shone like a beacon within the Force. "I'm sorry, Master, when I learnt of the true situation on Naboo, and the unwillingness of the Senate to help, I felt I had to do something."

"And somehow this need, this desire to help resulted in you leaving the Temple, boarding a starship and departing Coruscant all without any effort to alert me." Drallig sensed Serra's thoughts drift toward Knight Shan for a second, but she didn't dwell on him. He would allow that for now, but the discussion of Serra's friendship – and perhaps more – with Knight Shan would be a topic they discussed at length.

"An innocent world has been invaded, Master, and the Senate and Jedi chose to do nothing!" As she spoke, Serra thrust out an arm, indicating the planet they were currently standing upon.

Drallig raised a single eyebrow. "Calm yourself Padawan."

Serra stared at him as if he'd suddenly turned into a Hutt, though a moment later she brought her arm back to her body and inhaled deeply several times. He sensed the swirling emotions within her lessen and was relieved to sense her release the strongest part of them into the Force, clearing her mind. However, he did note that she didn't release all her emotions.

"I'm sorry, Master, for my outburst," Serra said slowly, her voice now relaxed and centred. "But what is happening on Naboo is wrong. This is a peaceful planet which placed its faith in the Republic, and the Jedi Order, to defend it. Yet, when they needed that protection from invasion, the Senate chose to debate the matter, letting the very entity that had invaded direct the discussion. And the Council failed to act, feeling that it wasn't the place of the Jedi to protect the citizens of the galaxy!" as she spoke, Serra's tone rose and the remaining brewing emotions within her started to rise into a maelstrom. It never breached externally, but Drallig was concerned at the willingness of his Padawan to draw upon those emotions and the passion it enflamed within her.

"The Council's decision was, no matter how you or I might disagree, the correct one." Drallig's tone stayed calm, devoid of emotional influence in what he hoped was a subtle reminder to Serra. "The Order serves the Force, and guards the Republic from threat."

Drallig had spoken with Qui-Gon before he'd resumed protecting Queen Amidala regarding the situation here on Naboo. Qui-Gon had felt, much like Serra, that the Order should intervene in this matter, though he prefaced it by saying he sensed a disturbance in the Force centred around Naboo and its young monarch. While Drallig did agree that there was a rising darkness in the galaxy – something he felt had been a reason for Master Bondara's recent death – he maintained that the Council should guide the Order, not individual Jedi. Their positions on the Council and its leadership had been a long-running thorn in Drallig's friendship with Qui-Gon and his former Master, Dooku, and other more outspoken members of the Order. It had never threatened their friendships, but it had placed a strain on them, and now, standing on this world, Drallig could sense the darkness was moving here, which made him interested in speaking further with Qui-Gon.

"The Federation is a threat, Master! Not just to Naboo, but other worlds throughout the Republic!" Serra shot back, her arms flailing around her, yet before Drallig could comment on her continuing lack of control, she blinked. As she looked away, taking time to refocus, Drallig gave an almost imperceivable nod. "If the Federation is allowed to directly control Naboo through the use of force, then how long until they do so again?" Serra asked her tone now far more becoming of a Jedi. "The longer the Senate and the Order continue to not act against this unwarranted aggression, the more willing the Federation will be to use these tactics again, arguing that a precedent has now been set. Perhaps reaching a moment where the Senate will simply shrug and accept that 'this is the way of things.' That makes them a clear and present threat to the Republic and by extension the Jedi Order."

Drallig took a moment, though that was more to observe how Serra reacted to his lack of immediate response. That said, as he took his time to respond and monitor Serra's reaction, he saw that Serra's words mirrored those – though with more emotional influence, of Qui-Gon and Dooku. Drallig was certain that the source of this mentality in his Padawan could be linked to Dooku's most recent Padawan, which was something he hadn't realised had taken root so deeply within Serra.

"The Jedi serve the Force, not the Senate or the people of the Republic. There are times when a request from the Senate is accepted by the Council, or when the Jedi feel the Force wishing us to intervene, but the moments where the wishes of the Senate and the will of the Force align are far less common than when they don't. Naboo, sadly for its citizens, is one more example of the latter. Such matters are the purview of the Senate and the Chancellor, and the Jedi will not intervene unless requested, as was the case with Master Jinn being assigned the mission at the request of Chancellor Valorum. The Jedi stand as guardians of the Force and protect it and the wider galaxy against threats by those who seek to corrupt and draw upon the Dark Side."

"The Sith are gone!" Serra shot back, and Drallig's brow creased when he detected some uncertainty in her conviction. While unexpected, it would align with his thoughts on what might have influenced the deaths of Anoon Bondara and his Padawan, Darsha Assant. He had spoken with Masters Windu and Yoda about his concerns, and while they shared his opinion that the Dark Side was growing stronger, they asked that he keep such concerns private. They assured him that the Council would investigate further, but so far he had heard nothing regarding any investigation.

"You feel that, with the Sith gone, the Jedi should move from being protectors of the Force to defenders of law across the Republic? That we should become judge and jury for every criminal moment across the quadrillions of sentients that inhabit the galaxy?" Drallig asked to see how Serra would reply, and if her words, as emotionally influenced as they were, might reveal something she would otherwise prefer to keep hidden.

"No!" Serra's response was swift and firm, which relieved Drallig even as Serra sighed loudly and shook her head. "I mean, we should help protect people and defend the law, but not enforce it. Which is why I had to come here."

"And if you, and those with you, are able to drive the Federation from Naboo, what then?" Drallig watched Serra carefully, seeing this as a moment of education for her. However, before the lesson could begin, he had to determine where her thoughts on what would come after Naboo was free were. "Should the Federation's leadership be arrested and imprisoned for their actions?"

"Yes, but their punishment would be placed in the hands of the Republic."

"And what if the people of Naboo, their emotions strong and disrupting, decide that the Federation's leadership should be imprisoned, or possibly executed for this invasion? Should we, having helped free the planet and arrest those responsible, choose to either allow that to happen, or help ensure its occurrence?"

"No," Serra said firmly. "They should stand trial for their actions, by the laws of the Republic. The Jedi are not judges and never will be executioners. That is not our way."

"Indeed, it is not. However, if the Senate, after considering the Federation's actions, decides to simply release the Federation's leadership with nothing more than a slap on the wrist, would that feel like justice has been served?"

Serra stayed silent, taking her time to consider his words, which Drallig was more than willing to allow. The lesson, it seemed, had begun, and it was one that many Jedi struggled with once they experienced much of the inherent flaws that existed within the Republic. Understanding that correcting those flaws wasn't the role the Jedi should be filling, was something that took time to learn and accept. The line between doing what one knew was right, and protecting the rule of law without forcing their beliefs on others, was a fine one that young Jedi regularly struggled to discover, never mind staying on the correct side of it. The problem existed in all Jedi as they grew, but it was more pronounced by those who spent most of their time either in the Temple or only seeing various major worlds in the Republic from the surface and not examining what might lay underneath.

"I… I don't know, Master," Serra eventually replied, her eyes staying on the ground around them. "I… I feel that I'm not wise or old enough to know how I might react to such an event, or how I might respond to the Senate making such a judgment."

Drallig smiled slightly and moved toward her. He placed a hand on her shoulder – pushing aside his distaste for the armour he felt under her robe – and waited for her to meet his gaze. "That you understand how you would respond in that situation is a wise answer. One I feel many Padawans and Knights in your position would struggle to recognize, to say nothing of answering. That said, it is a thought that you should have considered before acting rashly in leaving the Temple to come here."

"They need help," Serra shot back with conviction.

"If you had spoken to me in the temple, I would have agreed with you. However, it is not a decision for either of us to make, and certainly not one to be rushed into."

As she held his gaze, Drallig sensed a firming of her convictions. For a moment, he hoped she had understood the flaw in her actions and decision-making, yet she stepped back, slipping from his touch. "I know when I return there will be repercussions for my actions, but I'm not going back until I help free the Naboo."

Drallig's smile slipped as Serra spoke. "The Naboo? Or perhaps your motives are toward helping Knight Shan and Queen Amidala?" The question came easily to him, as it had been in his head ever since he'd discovered where Serra had been heading. Normally, he wouldn't mention her friends with those outside the Order, as while uncommon, those often developed as a Jedi matured.

Drallig had long ago accepted the friendship Serra had with Knight Shan, and trusted the pair to maintain decorum in how close they were. He was also aware of the friendship that had struck up between Serra and a young Naboo noble named Padmé Naberrie, and discovering that that girl was the new Queen Amidala had been a surprise, though it did explain much.

As head of Temple security, not to mention Serra's Jedi Master, he was aware of who she was communicating with outside the Temple. Drallig had never felt any reason to examine closely the contents of the various calls – which had grown to include a Bo-Katan Kryze in the last few years – however, with hindsight, he wondered if perhaps he should have. It might well have granted a warning about Serra's intentions.

At the question, Serra's jaw fell slightly, as she hadn't expected the response. There was another flare of her emotions as uncertainty and concern mixed with a spike of anger. A flare of desire from Serra had Drallig narrow his gaze, and his thoughts wondered if perhaps the bond between Serra and Knight Shan had gone further than he'd realised, perhaps violating the rules of the Order. However, he held his tongue, wanting to grant her the chance to respond to his challenging question.

"Emotion, yet peace."

The words muttered by Serra eased some of Drallig's tensions regarding her motives, and he relaxed further as he felt the emotions bubbling away within her seep away, being released into the Force. While her words weren't the currently taught form of the Jedi Code, they were still valid for use, and he knew of several other Jedi who used the older-style Code. Since that wording seemed to resonate with her, he'd never felt a need to insist on the more common wording.

He waited patiently as she worked her way through the mantra of the Jedi, using it to let go of her emotions and help find her centre. When her eyes met his again, he saw the model Jedi he expected.

"I don't deny that I have personal connections to Cam and Padmé, however, their presence wasn't the deciding reason behind my actions, Master. Helping the people of Naboo, seeing their world free of oppression, was the correct action to take. I do though, see that I should have spoken to you before leaving Coruscant."

Drallig was slightly caught out by her saying Coruscant and not the Temple. He assumed that meant she understood that if she'd brought the matter to him within the walls of the Jedi Order, he'd have denied her intention of joining the mission.

"It is good that you understand some of your mistakes, though I would suggest that the pattern of seeking forgiveness after the fact does not replace a need for permission beforehand." Serra tensed, and Drallig suspected she expected a dressing down. However, given their current location, he felt doing so now would be counterproductive. "That discussion shall be tabled for now. In its place, might you be willing to bring me up to speed on the current situation?"

"Master?"

Drallig grinned, enjoying another moment of not acting as his Padawan expected. "While I disagree with you about this being a matter we should intervene in, and we will be discussing – at length – the repercussions of your choices to bring us here, I cannot fault your logic in why you wished to involve the Order. I can sense the suffering of the locals, and while a diplomatic solution would be preferable, I sense that moment has long passed. If we choose to remain here and simply wait for a resolution from the Senate, then the suffering of the local populace will grow. When all that is considered, alongside the fact that I doubt the Federation will allow me to leave as easily as I arrived, then it appears the Force wishes for us to help."

Serra smiled broadly, and as Drallig sensed happiness and relief radiating from her, she moved toward him. She stopped after just a single step though, and he watched in amusement as her hands patted at the side of her robes as if unsure what to do with them. While warmer emotions were always preferable to colder emotions, Drallig was still relieved to sense Serra release those emotions into the Force as she had earlier done with her darker feelings. Still, once the people of Naboo were freed and they had returned to the Temple, Drallig resolved to monitor his Padawan more closely.

"I can catch you up to speed as we move toward the camp," Serra said as she moved to one side. Drallig nodded and they walked forward. He could sense they were heading toward where Qui-Gon and others were gathered, but his eyes drifted from their path to his Padawan as she pulled back her robe. He struggled to keep a frown from his brow as he watched her tap away at the Mandalorian gauntlet she wore. While she seemed ill-at-ease in the armour, she was comfortable with the gauntlets. That would be a holdover from her time training with the Mandalorians several years ago.

If most of the sentients he could sense were from that group – and given that most of the minds he could sense were closed to even surface sensing, Drallig suspected they were – then using their communication interface was logical. However, the fact she was willing to not only use their technology but wear their armour was another thing that he would have to speak with her about once Naboo was free.

Once whatever message she sent generated a reply, she turned to him and smiled. Drallig sensed the Force shift around her before she accelerated away. He smiled as he used the Force to match her pace and opened the connection they shared within the Force, allowing her thoughts to slowly drift against his so she could explain the current situation.

… …

It took barely ten minutes to reach the encampment, which was enough time for Serra to bring Drallig up to date on the current plans. They had passed several sentries though none had moved to intercept them, choosing instead to remain hidden. Or at least hidden from one not trained to work with the Force, as Drallig had sensed every sentient as they neared, though he noted that not all were Mandalorians, with a mixture of others – predominantly human – also filling in those roles.

They slowed to a walk as they reached the centre of the encampment, and Drallig looked at those wandering or standing around. Three groups were clear to pick out: the Mandalorians, another group of fighters that were influenced by the Mandalorians, but appeared to be using something other than beskar for their armour, and a third group that was the smallest and wore very light armour. Based on the files Drallig had reviewed while enroute, these were what remained of the local security force.

Near the centre of the camp, a group was gathered around a skimmer that was displaying a large holomap on its rear. In that group, Drallig spotted Qui-Gon, Knight Shan and Queen Amidala. Serra broke away, not heading toward the map. That Drallig was pleased with as, like Padawan Kenobi, Serra had no place at any table discussing battle plans.

However, when Serra moved toward a pair of female Mandalorians, one of whom Drallig recognized as Bo-Katan Kryze, he wondered if perhaps not keeping Serra by his side was a mistake. That suspicion grew when the other Mandalorian, a blonde, said something to Serra. There was a faint rush of mixed, conflicting emotions from Serra even as Miss Kryze laughed at whatever was said. So long as whatever existed between the trio was not allowed to develop into anything serious, then there was no major issue. While attachment was forbidden, many Jedi, including Drallig, had found pleasure in the company of others. Yet, when coupled with Serra's choice to come to Naboo to help her friend Queen Amidala – and possibly grow her bond with Knight Shan – it was something that Drallig would have to monitor. Serra was at that age where many sentients were impressionable and curious about others.

"Master Drallig, I'm glad to see you here, even if the reason for your arrival wasn't the same as the rest of us." Knight Shan's words had Drallig instantly refocusing on those around the holomap with the Battlemaster's eyes drawn to Shan's attire.

As always – and in what Drallig took as a nod to Master Dooku – Shan wore the long cloak made of the krayt dragon he defeated during a Mandalorian trial. While Drallig didn't approve that both Shan and Serra had completed that trial, he could respect the challenge it presented by denying each access to the Force. However, everything else Shan wore almost had Drallig stop mid-step.

While Serra had seemed ill-at-ease in her armour, Shan not only seemed almost moulded into the armour and the faint ripples of the metal under the black colouring meant all that Drallig could see was composed of beskar. While some Jedi might question the colouring, Drallig was wise enough to know that such dark colours weren't seen by most sentients as a sign of darkness. Yet seeing that it was made entirely of beskar was a shock. That metal was extremely rare for any outside the Mandalorian culture to wear, and while Shan had completed their trial, he was a Jedi first and foremost. For a second the image of Darth Revan flashed through Drallig's mind, as while he hadn't worn beskar, he had favoured armour of black and a Mandalorian helmet.

Drallig's eyes drifted to the gauntlets, as he knew that was where Mandalorians hid various weapons. Serra's gauntlets had blasters attached though the rest were non-lethal. Shan's however, looked to have altered to a more standard Mandalorian warrior, something unbecoming of a Jedi. That impression was further enforced by the blade that hung from the small of his back, a handle made from a large fang and with a spiked knuckle guard barely visible.

Drallig's gaze returned to Shan's face, seeing the younger Jedi smiling at him even as the rest of the group turned to face Drallig. He gave a nod to Qui-Gon before replying. "Yes. I hadn't planned on an excursion from the Temple, however, my Padawan's actions left me with little choice. After speaking with her, I feel that the Force wished me to be here and offer my services in liberating the local populace."

Shan's face twitched, growing his smile which suggested he caught Drallig's hidden meaning regarding Serra. "Regardless of the exact details of why you came, I for one am glad you're here." Oddly, Drallig felt Shan was entirely honest about that, and Drallig wondered if Shan would've preferred if Serra hadn't come. That did call into question why he had allowed her to stay, but that could be discussed after the planet was free.

Shan turned, the clasp of silvery metal that held his hair in its ponytail clinging with the telltale sheen of silver chromium, drawing a small frown at the display of wealth, and looked at a young lady at his side. Even without the armour, Shan would dwarf her, yet a presence and conviction was radiating from the lady that Drallig felt would stand against anyone who opposed her. "Your Majesty, may I present Jedi Master Cin Drallig. Apart from being Serra's Master," Drallig sensed an odd burst of anger from one of the non-Mandalorian off-worlders, "he is also the Order's Battlemaster and head of security for the Temple."

Drallig bowed to the lady, who he understood was Queen Amidala outside of the regalia of office. "Your Majesty."

"Master Drallig, we are grateful for your presence, as unexpected as it is, in this trying time." The Queen looked even younger than she had in the recording of her Senate appearance, but that could easily be put down to the regalia she'd worn during that appearance, and how she appeared now. However, what caught Drallig's attention had been the brief look the Queen had given Shan before speaking to him, almost as if she was checking with Shan about him. That was unexpected, as was the faint sensation in the Force. As if the Queen was in some way important beyond her status as Naboo's leader.

"While my blade is yours, as I'm sure Master Jinn and Knight Shan have already said, a Jedi can only defend those in need. We cannot fight this war for you." That made the Queen smile oddly while the armoured figures – be they Mandalorian or other – chuckled amongst themselves, and Drallig suspected he was missing whatever odd joke was in play.

"And yet, if not for Knight Shan's actions, the force you see gathered here wouldn't be as varied or impressive as it is." Drallig frowned at the Queen's response and turned to Qui-Gon for answers.

"When the Senate failed to offer immediate help to the plight of the Naboo, Cameron reached out to contacts he had among the Mandalorians and Lokella," Qui-Gon explained with that knowing smile he seemed to always wear. "Though I should add that what you see here isn't the entirety of those who answered his request."

"I see." Drallig understood there was more he didn't know, but from how Qui-Gon spoke, it appeared Shan had acted to circumvent the rulings of the Senate and Council to provide help. An ingenious approach for a Knight, particularly a newly recognized one, to make. By reaching out to contacts, Shan had acted in a way that removed any potential questions about direct Jedi involvement, while still allowing him to place himself near the centre of the issue.

"Battlemaster Drallig," Drallig turned as the oldest Mandalorian – one perhaps his age – stepped forward. "I'm Rangemaster Dun Marod of House Kryze." At that, Marod clashed a hand to his chest, which Drallig returned with an inclining of his head. "It is an honour to see one as highly regarded and skilled as yourself join our cause, and once the battles are over, I hope we might share a drink and war stories."

Drallig smiled at the old warrior's words. "As do I, Rangemaster Marod." The others present, be they Mandalorian or Lokella – which, if Drallig recalled, was the group of slaves freed by the actions of Master Dooku and Knight Shan several years prior – were closer in age to Shan and Padawan Kenobi. Since Mandalorians placed importance on combat from birth, the young age of some of them was of no concern to Drallig.

Drallig offered nods to the others around the map and then turned back to Queen Amidala. "Forgive me if I arrived at an inopportune time, Your Majesty."

Amidala smiled. "You didn't, Master Jedi, we wer…"

"Mesa back!"

Drallig turned towards the oddly accented Basic to see an unusual sentient approaching. Thanks to its large ears, which appeared slightly too large for the skull, the being was taller than most present. The way it moved suggested it was not a species evolved to purely live upon the land, but the way the tongue half-hung out of the sentient's mouth had Drallig momentarily wondering about the overall intelligence of the sentient. This being generated an odd ripple in the Force, suggesting that it, like with Queen Amidala, was somehow important to events beyond the here and now.

"Dalee's nosa una dalee. Da city's deserted. Some sort of fighten mesa think." The sentient continued as it walked toward the map, drawing a brief burst of irritation from both Knight Shan and Padawan Kenobi.

"I assume the Gungans aren't dead, and the Federation cleared the city up afterwards," Shan said after letting go of his irritation.

"Mesa no think so. When in trouble, Gungans go to Sacred Place."

"Where?"

The alien stepped closer to the map. "Mesa show you."

Drallig watched with the others as the sentient stared at the map, its tongue hanging lopsidedly from its mouth. While Drallig knew it was often inaccurate to judge a new species based on appearance, with this sentient it was hard to not question the level of intelligence it possessed. However, this sentient appeared important to the current situation, and Drallig had to assume that it was from another race that inhabited the planet beyond the Naboo themselves.

"Jar Jar," Shan said after nearly a minute had passed of the sentient staring at the map, "can you read the map?" The irritation had returned for Shan and Kenobi as the seconds ticked away, and Drallig suspected the pair didn't enjoy the presence of this apparently slow-minded alien.

"Um, no. Mesa not understand this. Sorry." Jar Jar's shoulders slumped, which somehow made him look even less sentient, which had Drallig offering a few words of hope to the Force that this sentient wasn't in any way critical toward the plans to free the planet.

"Could you lead us there instead?" Queen Amidala asked in a tone Drallig recognized of one being polite while perhaps not feeling so. While there was no irritation coming from her, Qui-Gon, or Rangemaster Marod, it was growing in the others around the table.

Jar Jar seemed to suddenly come alive. "Oh! Yes! Mesa can do dat." He turned, his ears flying out and Shan leaned back to avoid being smacked in the face. "Come on, come on." Drallig glanced at Qui-Gon, wondering if this behaviour was common for Jar Jar, and when his fellow Jedi Master shrugged in acceptance, Drallig suspected it was.

Queen Amidala turned to follow, with her guard at her side when Shan spoke. "Perhaps it would be best if we didn't take everyone to meet the Gungan leaders," he said softly. "While I admit that I know little about their society, Your Majesty, turning up with so many armed warriors might be taken as an aggressive action."

Queen Amidala paused and after considering Shan's words, offered him a small smile. "Wise words, Master Jedi. Might I ask your opinion on who, other than yourself, should accompany me, Captain Panaka, and Master Jinn?"

As Shan lowered his head in acceptance of her request, Drallig felt a sprinkle of concern. Queen Amidala had deferred to his judgment so easily. None of the others gathered, be they Master Jinn, Captain Panaka, the Mandalorians nor the Lokella had any issue with the youngest among them having such a position of importance in Queen Amidala's leadership.

Shan turned to the warriors he'd assembled. "Osto, Marod, Validus, if you would." The three all moved toward Queen Amidala, again accepting the words of one far younger than them. Now, there was no hint of pride or arrogance from Shan at issuing the orders, but it was something Drallig would keep a close eye upon, and then once Naboo was free, speak with Qui-Gon about. "Master Drallig, we would be grateful for your counsel during this meeting."

Drallig inclined his head. "Then you shall have it." Shan nodded in thanks and then turned to Queen Amidala, offering her a smile. When she smiled back, Drallig perceived a short burst of delight and desire aimed toward Shan. While that wasn't unexpected as Shan had come to her aid with support, and was probably nothing more than a passing interest in Shan because of this, Drallig made note of it. He didn't expect it to develop into anything concerning, but it was yet another little point that would need discussing later.

Jedi often developed friendships with people of importance throughout the galaxy. Grandmaster Yoda had accumulated hundreds of such connections in his time within the Order while Master Gallia was close with the current Chancellor. However, most Jedi learnt to keep those friendships at a distance to avoid any hint of impropriety and seemingly inserting themselves into moments of importance for those friends that might question the Order's neutrality.

Knight Shan, it seemed, had yet to learn that lesson. While understandable since he was young, his apparent vested interest in the fates of Queen Amidala – and Senator Palpatine – the Mandalorians and Lokella was something the Order would need to be made aware of. Perhaps it might need a deeper investigation by the Council to ensure he wasn't acting in ways that might concern the Order.

… …

… …
(Cam's POV)

As I walked behind Padmé and many of the others, my gaze drifted to those watching us. Many Gungans had come out to see us, which made sense as the Gungans and the Naboo generally avoided each other. However, this was far from a normal time for the two peoples, so those conventions were placed to one side.

On either side rows of Gungans watched as we were escorted toward their Sacred Place, and it was easy to tell which were warriors and which weren't by the way they stood and glared – or didn't – and if they held any weapon. While their staff weapons would be little threat to us, their energy balls could be an issue. Thankfully, none of the Gungan warriors seemed intent on attacking, not when in front and behind our party were two dozen warriors, with their leaders – including Captain Tarpals – riding mounts.

Osto, Marod and Validus were behind me and before we'd been escorted in, I'd asked that they remained calm. While I doubted any of the trio would cause problems, they were variables to this meeting that I had to account for. All three kept their blasters and blades holstered, but I could sense their unease at entering potential enemy territory. Still, they were the calmer members of their groups that I could trust to not act rashly, which was why Ferox for one was left behind.

Hate, fear and distrust flooded the Force as we moved deeper into the swamp around the Gungan's Sacred Place, and I watched the behaviour of those in front of me. Drallig and Qui-Gon were just ahead, they were quiet, but I suspected they'd been discussing a multitude of subjects telepathically. Some of that would be linked to me as, apart from Drallig's problems with Serra's coming, I'd caught the slight tightening around his eyes at certain moments when we'd spoken around the holomap.

In front of them walked HK, Padmé, and Panaka. HK's optical receptors would be analysing every Gungan and assigning them a threat potential for when – he hoped – things went sideways. Panaka was probably doing something similar, though his focus would be on ensuring no Gungan hurt Padmé if things went sour while Padmé was playing her role as a humble servant to the Queen.

At the front of our little group walked Sabé, in disguise as Queen Amidala, with Jar Jar at her side.

"You Honour," Captain Tarpals began as we arrived at our destination, "Queen Amidala of the Naboo." He swept out an arm to indicate her and our group.

My eyes moved to Boss Nass and the other Gungan leaders who stood on top of statues. Each statue reminded me of ones I'd seen in my previous life, but here they would either be tributes to the Gungan deities or to another tribe of beings that might have lived on the planet before the Human colonists arrived millennia ago. Though since they were standing on the giant heads, I doubted these were the Gungan gods, as that would be highly disrespectful.

"Eh, hello there, you Big Boss Nass, Your Honour," Jar Jar said slowly with a nervous wave, the feelings of worry from him now slipping into his tone. Since he was banished, it made sense that Jar Jar wouldn't feel comfortable being in Boss Nass' presence, to say nothing of the fact he'd brought the ruler of the Naboo with him.

Boss Nass reminded me slightly of a Hutt. Oh, he wasn't as large as a Hutt, but the disdain on his face brought back memories of meeting Gardulla the Hutt several years ago. "Jar Jar Binks," he began, his disdain for Jar Jar easy to pick up on, "Who's da uss-en others?"

"I'm Queen Amidala of the Naboo," Sabé responded as she took a step forward, though as Tarpals and others tensed, she stopped. "I come before you in peace."

While this should play out as I expected, I wasn't sure. Yet, as Sabé spoke, I sensed a faint flicker in the Force. Turning my head, I tried to find the source.

"Ah, Naboo biggen. Yousa bringen da Mackineeks. Yousa all bombad."

Boss Nass' butchering of Basic was hard to not react to, but I kept my face calm as I scanned the crowd of Gungans looking for whoever had caused the flicker in the Force. My eyes soon settled on a young Gungan, though it was impossible to tell gender.

"We have searched you out as we wish to form an alliance…" as Sabé began speaking I used Observe and blinked in surprise at what it revealed.

Fle Kedta
Race: Gungan
Level: 7
Health: 100%
Age: 6
Force Potential: High
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Disliked
Affiliation Loyalty: Gungan people (65%)
Emotional State: Confused/curious
Fle is uncertain as to why you and the other Humans are here, though his father says it's your fault they have to hide at the Sacred Place.
However, he feels something odd about the three dressed more plainly and is curious about why.
…

I blinked, shocked to discover a Force Sensitive here and now, but movement from Padmé forced me to push aside questions about the young Gungan.

"Your honour," Padmé said as she slipped past her guards and moved to stand in front of Sabé.

Boss Nass reared back, as if insulted to have such a plainly dressed Human speak to him. "Whosa dis?" he asked, confusion mixed with disgust in his tone.

"I am Queen Amidala." As Padmé spoke, Jar Jar's head snapped to her so fast, I almost wished he had broken it. "This is my decoy," Padmé turned to Sabé, "my protection, my loyal bodyguard." As she continued I sensed amusement from Qui-Gon signifying he'd long since seen through the ruse, perhaps even before I met them on Tatooine.

Padmé turned back to Boss Nass and took another step forward. "I am sorry for the deception, but it was necessary to protect myself." I wondered how useful that protection was given we were outnumbered by – according to my Detection-boosted minimap – ten thousand to eleven. "Although we do not always agree, your Honour, our two great societies have always lived in peace." Boss Nass grunted off what sounded like laughter, suggesting he wasn't buying Padmé's words, which made sense. While there had generally been a peaceful avoidance between the Naboo and the Gungans, they had fought each other several times since Humans came to the planet, the most recent of those being less than a century ago at the behest of King Veruna.

"The Trade Federation has destroyed all that both our peoples have worked so hard to build," Padmé continued. "If we don't act quickly, and together, then all we have will be lost forever. I ask you," Padmé paused for a second before dropping to her knees. "No, I beg you to help us." There were murmurs from the Gungans as the entire area was engulfed in shock at her action. I looked at Panaka as his hand moved to his blaster, yet after Sabé joined her queen in kneeling, the Captain followed suit. As did Qui-Gon and Drallig. "Our fate is in your hands."

I stayed standing, as did HK and the trio behind me. Since I wasn't dressed as a Jedi, I saw no need to follow Qui-Gon and Drallig's choice. Plus, I knew the Mandalorians would question why I felt the need to submit to the Gungan leader.

"Yousa no follow yousa Queen?" Nass asked when he saw we'd not also kneeled.

"We aren't from Naboo. Queen Amidala is my friend, yes, but we're not here to concern ourselves with local politics." I spoke slowly, keeping my hands away from my waist to avoid any rash actions from the Gungan warriors around us. "We're here to fight to free your people because it is the right thing to do and, well, we enjoy a good fight." I heard the trio behind me chuckle in response. "If she asked, I would kneel for her because I know she wouldn't betray that trust. But until you and your warriors prove themselves in battle, I refuse to do so to you."

I knew there was a risk in taking this approach, but with Osto, Marod and Validus present, I knew I'd need to confront the issue head-on. While I could have left the trio behind, there needed to be representatives of their forces at this meeting. Thus, while we'd walked here, I'd gone over possible ways to handle the issue, and falling on what little I knew of Gungan culture, I'd gone for the slightly challenging approach of 'prove yourself.'

If the trio had been ordered to kneel, they would've resisted. Validus had sworn like many former slaves to never do so to another again, while for the Mandalorians, that would only come if ordered to by their Mand'alor. A position that, at least without contention, had been unclaimed for centuries.

"Yousa tinken yousa greater than us?" Nass asked, his tone hardening.

"No. I simply reserve judgment on you and your warriors until I see them in battle." I could sense trepidation from Padmé along with disapproval from Drallig. However, this wasn't the same timeline as before, so I had to adapt to the changes. "While we could easily fight right now to prove the worth of our warriors, that would only serve our mutual enemy. Instead, we should work together and focus that aggression toward the Federation's droid army."

Nass frowned, or at least I took it as a frown given how often Jar Jar did it when thinking. Around us, the Gungans shifted. Warriors tensed, expecting a battle while they moved to shield civilians, while parents tried to pull younglings back in an attempt to avoid losing them in any crossfire. Through it all, I held Nass' gaze, making clear I wasn't backing down.

A sudden deep, booming laugh from Nass punctured the air, catching everyone off-guard. "Yousa thinken Gungans great warriors?" I nodded slowly, not wanting to correct his assumption. He laughed again and then shifted his gaze to Padmé, who along with her people, Jar Jar and the two Jedi Masters, was still kneeling. "And yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans. Mesa like this, wesa bein friends."

As cheers erupted from the Gungans, the others stood. Qui-Gon and Drallig turned, and while there was no hint of annoyance on their faces, I knew what they were thinking. "Yes, that was a risk, but I knew it would come up the moment this lot," I jerked a hand at the trio behind me, "came along. They were never going to kneel to the Gungans, and thinking any former slave would do so ever again is, perhaps, a flawed approach to take. Thus, I made the call to speak for them and soothe any misunderstanding that might occur."

"Normally, I would have suggested them not coming to this meeting," Drallig began, his eyes drifting past me. "However, as they are here as allies of Queen Amidala, not bringing them would risk insulting their forces." I nodded, pleased that he understood my logic. "That said, I do wish you had informed us and Queen Amidala of this plan beforehand, and perhaps not stood with them when presented to the Gungan leader."

"Padmé knew the Mandalorians and Lokella wouldn't kneel, Master Drallig, however, she wasn't aware of my choice to speak for them. That allowed her reaction to be genuine and not be construed as some elaborate trick to get warriors close to the Gungan Bosses."

Drallig stared at me intently, as if searching for some deception in my words. He wouldn't find anything though as I was being entirely honest with him. Still, it was another little moment since his arrival where I could tell he was silently judging me and my choices and would, once Naboo was free, report it to the Council. Of course, I now had an unexpected trump card to play.

I turned, as if to speak to the trio behind me, only to stop and snap my fingers. "Oh, before I forget. I believe I've found a potential Jedi recruit among the Gungans."

I grinned wildly at the shocked expressions that flashed across the faces of the two older men. They might have schooled their features quickly, but I'd enjoy reminding them about finding a potential Jedi during this situation.

… …

… …

A few days later I was standing at the edge of the forest that separated the Gallo Mountain Range from the grass plains that stretched all the way to Theed. Boss Nass had sent out word to other Gungan groups scattered throughout the swamp and around Lake Paonga and while many were gathered with us, almost as many were still to arrive.

Our journey here had been uneventful, mainly because Vhonte and Shal had taken a unit of Mandalorians and Lokella through another, wider pass. That one had been patrolled by droids, with several lookout points set up through it. However, the combined force had taken out the hundred or so droids stationed there without loss. That had distracted any droid forces patrolling this side of the mountains and brought a large cache of blasters and replacement gas packs for our force. While none of those who had answered my call needed them, they allowed us to fully arm those Naboo who were making do with either simple hunting rifles or pistols that lacked range. Or it would if they had arrived.

The call had gone out for the local resistance groups to arrive here around lunchtime, yet as the sun slowly set over the plains, only one group had arrived. That wasn't a major issue as the Gungans still had several other forces filtering in from camps further away from their Sacred Place, still, I hoped many more groups would arrive in time for the battles.

I had used the time waiting to go over plans for Theed, with a heavy focus on Maul. In my former life, there'd been a group of people who felt Maul was not a skilled fighter since he'd lost to Obi-Wan. However, I put that down to arrogance, and Maul all but playing with his prey before killing them. With the increased number of Jedi on Naboo, and with the high probability that Maul was targeting me over anyone or anything else, I knew that moment of luck wasn't something I could count on.

Engaging him in a pure lightsaber duel was a non-starter. While I had no idea of his level, he had defeated Qui-Gon with almost contemptuous ease in the other timeline, whereas in this one I'd yet to even score a point against him in a training spar. Regardless of what exactly was blocking my advancement with a lightsaber, it wouldn't be resolved until after facing Maul, though that was part of the reason why I'd gotten my beskar'gam, and HK had been rebuilt with a phrik chassis, in the weeks before Naboo was blockaded and then invaded.

While the armour didn't cover every part of my body – a flaw that I suspected came about due to a rarity of beskar as in Revan's time they'd worn full suits of armour – the beskar underweave I wore would protect against most glancing blows from a lightsaber. The gauntlets had been outfitted, with suggestions from Bo and HK, with weaponry designed to counter a Force user along with a few ideas that, I hoped, would turn the tide of the duel in my favour. At least long enough for me to either take Maul down or get significant help from someone like Drallig.

The unexpected arrival of Serra's Master had removed a lot of my concern about her being present, at least until I'd remembered the vision I'd had of two Jedi duelling a Sith. The blade configurations and colours from that perfectly matched those used by Maul, Drallig and Serra, which had sent my mind into a tailspin for a few hours. At least until I'd resolved on a method to counter that event coming to pass. All I had to do was ensure that the pair remained as far from the hangar and palace as possible, as those were the locations Maul was most likely to be if he wanted to intercept me and Sidious had given him intelligence that I preferred to lead for the front.

While I had been fine with Serra staying close to her Master, Bo and Naz hadn't been. On several occasions, they'd come to speak with me about it, sometimes at length. They'd made clear they disliked Drallig pulling them away as she was here as a Mandalorian. I had reminded them that while that was true, Serra was uncertain of her path, and in many ways, Drallig was someone she regarded as a parental figure. Until Serra left the Order – something that Bo was excited about even if I felt it was unlikely to happen – or she was knighted, she would continue having to balance the two worlds she was a part of. Haran, even once she was knighted it would be a balancing act. However, that was a far easier situation to be in than as a Padawan.

Neither of them had liked my responses, but as I'd explained several times, so long as there was no Mand'alor, or clash between the Clans and the Republic, then Serra – and I – could walk a fine line between our choices. Or Serra could once she was a Knight, until then, she had to listen to Drallig, or do as she did here and sneak out of the Temple without permission.

That wasn't to say that I disapproved of her being here, only that I would rather she'd not come because of that vision. However, I couldn't deny how her choosing me over the Order made me feel. Nor if the situations were reversed, how I would've fought half the galaxy to reach her side.

"Master Jedi." I opened my eyes and looked down from my current location – sitting comfortably on a high branch in a tree- to see Sabé nearby. She'd not come right to the bottom of the tree as Fenrir was currently there, and while she had no reason to fear the tuk'ata, his size naturally made many wary. "The Queen requests your presence."

I smiled. "Then who am I to deny her?" I pushed off from the branch and used the Force to both guide me away from Fenrir and cushion my fall as the branch I'd settled into was a good six metres above the ground. My descent was slower than it should have been as I used Levitation to all but float down, which had Sabé looking on in awe. "I do hope this isn't some attempt to move me closer to Padmé," I teased as I approached the handmaiden.

I hadn't brought it up before, but even without using the Force or Observe I knew Sabé was still amused by what had happened at Padmé's coronation. The subtle looks and smirks she gave whenever I caught her watching Padmé while we were close, made clear her feelings on the matter. "Or an effort to convince me to somehow allow you to join us," I added as I walked past her.

While I didn't need Observe to read her, I still used it and discovered that like Padmé she was curious about me, in more than a professional way. Though again like with Padmé, I wasn't going to start anything due to a myriad of reasons. Not least that I was already balancing something with three others, we were about to go into battle, and both the queen and her handmaiden were fourteen. Still, that didn't prevent me from taking the chance to turn the tables on Sabé for what happened in Padmé's antechamber several months ago.

Fenrir had risen and reached my side before Sabé recovered, and while she petted the tuk'ata – or more accurately, he leaned toward her demanding attention – she chose not to respond to my tease. Thus, we walked the short distance to where Padmé and others were gathered in silence.

Once closer, I saw a quartet of skimmers just inside the tree line. At one of those skimmers, as was common for planning sessions, was a holomap of the area for here, Theed, and the surrounding area with the senior figures in our forces. However, there were about a dozen people gathered nearby that I didn't recognize. Since most of them wore similar attire to Panaka, I assumed they were members of the Naboo resistance, though to be sure, I used Observe on about half as we approached.

Several of the newcomers tensed as they saw me – in full armour sans the helmet – and Fenrir approach. As Padmé turned to see what had drawn their attention, I saw Jar Jar place a hand on Boss Nass' shoulder before fainting. While I'd have preferred he not be made a Bombad General, I knew it was something I'd struggle to change. All I'd have to ensure is that whoever led the non-Gungans during the battle of the plains spoke with Captain Tarpals to find the true leader of the Gungan army.

"Your Majesty," I said with a deep bow once Padmé saw me.

"Master Jedi, welcome." I stood fully and returned the smile she wore. She turned quickly to those with her and Panaka – and HK, who was watching the group like he expected every one of them to attack Padmé. "This is Jedi Knight Cameron Shan," her hand pointed toward us. "Many of you might remember him, or more likely Fenrir, his tuk'ata, from my coronation." A few of the newcomers chuckled nervously, tensing when Fenrir strode forward and brushed against Padmé's outstretched hand. "It is because of him that we have so much off-world support."

As Drallig, Qui-Gon, and the Mandalorian and Lokella leaders watched on without comment, many of the newcomers nodded in recognition. Though some seemed confused, either because I was wearing Mandalorian armour, or because Padmé was so relaxed around a beast that dwarfed her.

I'd found his behaviour a little strange around Padmé and Sabé since we'd landed on the planet as, baring Serra, Bo, and Naz, he didn't seek attention from others. Well, there was me and Simvyl, though the Cathar generally only petted Fenrir for as short a time as possible before finding something else to do. However, since we'd landed, Fenrir had made sure to brush up against, and on occasion, almost knock the two local ladies over. I put that down to him sensing my need to keep Padmé safe, and that Sabé was almost always at her side.

"Your Majesty is too kind," I replied as I moved to join the group. "I assume that we're here to determine how the battle, or battles, will go?" Apart from time thinking on Maul, I'd also gone over the plans for the three main battles that would take place simultaneously.

Without Anakin present – and the Force deus ex machina he'd had on his side then – a new plan for the orbital battle had been needed. Especially once we'd discovered three Lucrehulks in orbit. Thankfully, with Asta and her squad seemingly having taken one Lucrehulk, and the fleet waiting less than an hour away by hyperspace, then that part should be taken care of. The other battles wouldn't require too much reordering, though for the plains, I wanted to hand that over to one of the Mandalorians. They'd have ways to engage such a large force and limit Gungan casualties.

"We are, though a new matter has been brought to us by our forces." She turned back to the map, making Fenrir whine – which I always found amusing – as she used that hand to indicate one of the newcomers.

"Master Jedi," he said to me and then gave nods to Drallig and Qui-Gon with the former's face stoic even if I knew he was getting perturbed at people referring to me as Master. "The Federation has moved most of our people out of Theed and other major cities into camps nearby. They've begun looting the cities with transports leaving for orbit regularly full of anything they feel has potential value."

"I hadn't expected the Federation to resort to robbery," murmured Drallig thoughtfully.

"Assembling the fleet to blockade Naboo would have taken considerable time, and cost them credits from work those vessels would normally do," I said to Drallig. "The invasion and leaving three vessels in orbit add to a continual outlay, which they'd want to seek compensation for. To be clear, what they're doing is wrong, but to them, the logic is sound."

"Regardless of why they're doing so, that isn't the most concerning element," Padmé said as I felt a surge of anger from her and the other Naboo.

"In the last few days, the Federation have begun ferrying people into the cities, and then placing them onto their transports."

"Slaves?" Ferox growled, doing a fair impression of Fenrir.

"Yes," the man responded even as Validus placed a hand on Ferox's shoulder.

"You must forgive my friend," Validus said softly even as Ferox continued to stew. "We, like all our people, were once enslaved."

"I'm not sure we can do much for those in other cities currently, but where in Theed are your people being gathered before they board the transports?"

The man looked at Padmé, who nodded, before indicating a point on the map. One that was highlighted in red. "Here, near Jafan's Spire."

I looked at the location, noting that while it was on the same island as the hangar, it was at the point where two parts of the Solleu River Delta met.

"How many guards?" Ferox asked, his confrontational tone indicating he'd not calmed down much, which was understandable given his background.

"At last report, nearly two hundred plus some droidekas and a pair of tanks."

I tapped my chin, considering the situation. "I suspect most of those forces will deploy to meet the Gungan army, but we can't run the chance the Federation might try and rush those prisoners off-world if they feel the battle is turning against them." I looked over at Drallig. "Master Drallig, would you and Serra be able to free them?"

Drallig fixed me with a gaze as if searching for a reason why I was asking him to do this. "Yes," he said after a moment. "I believe we can free them without any loss of life. Even if the Federation forces don't decrease."

I nodded in thanks, doing my best to keep my relief at getting Serra away from where Maul would likely be from echoing into the Force. If either Jedi Master sensed that, they might wonder why I was so concerned about the situation, and if questioned, why I'd allowed Serra to accompany the combined force to Naboo. As much as I felt Drallig's blade against Maul would be useful, with the vision of them engaging Maul in battle stuck in my head, there was no way I was chancing it. If either Drallig or I confronted Maul near Serra, she'd rush in to help, and I couldn't face losing her.

Perhaps it was arrogant to think Maul would be seeking me out, as the longer the situation on Naboo dragged on, the more sympathy Palpatine would have in the first few months of his Chancellorship. However, I felt Sidious and Plagueis would want to test me, and with Maul being potentially disposable – at least to Plagueis as I'd always wondered if Sidious saw true potential in Maul or not – then throwing him at me and seeing who emerged from the battle was a fair test for both of us.

Assuming my plans allowed me to defeat Maul, then Sidious would consider me the same way he had Anakin in the other timeline, as his true apprentice for when the new Sith Empire rose from the ashes of the Republic. Of course, there was always the chance that Plagueis might not be killed before the Clone Wars broke out, but I wasn't focusing on that happening as I had little information to work off.

"I'll accompany you, Jedi," Ferox all but spat out, drawing me from my moment of introspection. His tone left no room for argument, and after a glance at me – to which I gave a fractional nod – Drallig sighed.

"Very well, however, I will be in command of our unit."

"Might I suggest a few more warriors join you, Master Drallig? The Lokella will happily agree to help, and taking a handful of Naboo will ensure the civilians are more likely to listen to your orders once you reach them. Plus, I wouldn't put it past the Federation to execute the prisoners if they feel the battle is turning against them."

Drallig rubbed his chin in that way all Jedi seemed to. "While I don't believe the Federation would do something so underhanded, your caution is warranted."

I gave Drallig another nod before returning the map. Various spots outside Theed were marked with locations where the Federation had at least a significant presence. "How many droids are there in Theed?" There'd undoubtedly be more spread across the planet, but the army that would face the Gungans would come mainly from the forces in and near the capital.

"We don't have a full count, but our estimates place their numbers, not counting their transports, tanks or aerial support, at over half a million droids."

That reply drew a lot of concern from those around the map, and I let out a low, slow whistle. "That's a lot of droids."

"Good. Means more targets for our blasters." I looked at Vhonte with a wolfish grin. It was just like a Mandalorian to enjoy facing seemingly insane odds.

Turning back to the map, I considered ways to draw more droids away from Theed without them being in the main army. That was going to be much larger than it had been in the other timeline, and as the Gungan forces would only be supported by a dozen or so others, I needed ways to limit the size of that army without too many remaining in Theed.

"These markers, they're camps where your people are being held?" Marod asked, indicating the various spots near Theed. Most were on the other side of the city from us, but some were between us and the capital.

"Yes, sir," the older Naboo guardsman who'd reported the Federation numbers replied. He gestured at the ones nearest us. "These three hold the city's population." He then pointed directly at another. "This one, Your Highness, holds many of your council including Governor Bibble." The man paused and then looked at me, Drallig and Qui-Gon. "There are also two more Jedi on the planet," he said, and I blinked in shock, not having sensed anyone. Though given I'd refused to truly push out with Detection for fear of alerting Maul of my position, that I'd missed a Jedi wasn't as surprising as the fact there were others on the planet.

"I don't recall meeting any when we first arrived," Qui-Gon commented, doing a better job of hiding his surprise than I had.

"They and others, including the son of the Ambassador from Kashyyyk, were studying at the Royal House of Learning. They and other students that escaped during the invasion are working with the Underground."

I let the entirely unoriginal name for the resistance go, instead wondering how the Padawans – which they had to be based on where they were when the invasion happened – had avoided Maul. He had to be in Theed now, so unless he considered them beneath him, which was a distinct possibility, then he'd run through them like a vibroblade through butter.

"Do you have a way to contact them from here?" Drallig asked, suggesting he wanted to either get the Padawans to safety or bring them into our forces.

"Technically yes, but any signal from here would give away Her Highness' location," Panaka responded just as the Naboo guardsman moved a hand toward his belt. "I'm sure that once we have determined a plan of attack, they can be informed when our men return to the city."

"Makes sense since we'll need the resistance cells to know the plans before we begin," I said, pulling the conversation back to the main topic. While another pair of Jedi, even Padawans, wouldn't go amiss, they were minor players in the grand scheme of things. I moved closer, examining the map carefully. "Even if every Gungan and warrior here marched onto the plains, the Federation wouldn't commit their entire force to wipe us out." I looked at the various camps as an idea took shape. "We need to draw more forces out of the city and increase the size of our force."

"You're thinking of attacking the camps?" Marod offered and I nodded. "Aye, a wise play. While many might not be willing to fight, even a false attempt on various camps would force the Federation to divert droids to them, weakening their overall number in Theed and the plains."

"What about these camps?" I asked the Naboo, pointing at two that were nearer us than Theed but hadn't been mentioned earlier. "What's being held there?"

"From what we can tell, they're being used as pens for animals. Bursas, falumpasets, gualamas, kaadus, Fambaas and the like." The names meant nothing to me, but as they were listed Boss Nass grew agitated.

"How daren daysa to da Fambaas!" Nass spat out, his temper rising rapidly. "Wesa must free thems!"

"What exactly are Fambaas?" Qui-Gon asked, which was a valid question. I knew what they were as I'd studied up on Naboo for this battle, but most people wouldn't.

"Daysa important tada gungans. Wesa usen themsa in battlen," Nass replied, and I ground my teeth, not enjoying the variant of Basic the Gungans used.

"From what records we have, the Gungans use several of those species in their army," Panaka explained.

"So, it would serve us to free these beasts for our allies?" Shal added, drawing a furious nod from Nass.

"Yes! Wesa must free themsa!" Spittle flew from Nass' mouth as he spoke and behind him I saw several Gungans who'd come closer at Nass' shift in emotions – since Tarpals was there, I assumed they were leaders of the army – nod in agreement.

"Even ignoring that the Gungans use the creatures in battle, freeing them would create chaos for the Federation and force them to divert attention to rounding them up again." The comment came from Drallig, and I found myself agreeing with it.

"That it would, Master Drallig." I turned and looked at the Mandalorians. "If a force worked with the Gungans to strike those camps first, and then once as our allies worked to take the beasts away, others moved to free the civilian camps, we could inflict several strikes against the Federation without diverting a large portion of our force."

"It would. And it would strengthen the Gungan forces for their battle," Marod agreed as he moved forward. "They will need all the support they can get."

"Wesa no scared to fight the Mackineeks."

"We know you aren't, Boss Nass," I cut in, not wanting Nass' anger toward the Federation to be misdirected, "but you said the Fambaas, and I assume others, are used by your army?"

"Wesa do."

"Then freeing them first makes sense. While Her Majesty and the Naboo understand that a great many Gungans will die in battle, I won't sanction a plan that doesn't give your warriors at least a fighting chance," I said slowly but clearly. "Simply charging onto the plains and daring the Federation to turn up will only result in the needless deaths of thousands of your warriors. With your war beasts, and some advice from your allies," I held an arm toward the Mandalorians, expecting them to have ideas to change the Battle of the Great Grass Plains into something less of a rout. "Then we can ensure your warriors not only fight with honour but live to tell the tale of their part in freeing your planet!"

I paused, taking a breath. I'd grown more passionate as I'd spoken, almost as if I'd drawn on Nass' anger for myself. I then shook my head. "Sorry, not quite the time for a rallying cry." There were some chuckles from those around the table, including Nass. Though I noticed that Drallig wasn't one of those who seemed amused. "To be clear, Boss Nass, I, and those with me, respect your people's desire to fight. However, I cannot advise Her Majesty to accept any battle plan that throws away lives needlessly."

"On this, I agree with Knight Shan," Padmé said as I felt her move to stand next to me. "We need to fight smart. Mandalorians are renowned for their experience in war. I'm sure they can offer advice that would help with planning your battle to not only save lives but ensure we defeat the Federation and drive them from our world."

"Aye, I'm sure we can come up with something," Osto added.

"Wesa have many warriors, but without da fambaas, our army has nosa coveren. Daysa carryen da shield generators." As Nass spoke I watched at the Mandalorians. While Shal, Osto and Marod seemed accepting of the Gungans, Vhonte had appeared less than happy about them. However, when shield generators were mentioned, I saw Vhonte's expression change. Haran, the troubling – for the Federation – smirk that came quickly to her lips had me curious about what she was cooking up.

"Then freeing the fambaas has to be done. Can you and your most experienced warriors work with these warriors," I gestured to the Mandalorians, "to develop battle plans?"

"Wesa can do tis," Nass said with a smile. "Yousa young, but yousa wise general. Da Naboo lucky to have yousa."

"We are all fortunate Knight Shan is here, Boss Nass," Padmé responded while giving me a soft smile.

"Let's save any thanks until after we win, huh?" I suggested with a chuckle. I then turned and looked at the group. "Perhaps it might be wise to break into teams now? Those attacking the camps or involved in the diversionary battle should head with Boss Nass. Those staying to fight in Theed should remain with Queen Amidala."

There were nods around the group and I waited, wanting to see how the divide went.

Shal, Marod, Vhonte, Ferox and about half the Naboo resistance went with Boss Nass. The rest stayed, making things a lot easier to manage.

"If I may, Your Majesty?" I asked, indicating the holomap. Padmé nodded and gestured for me to approach the controls. Quickly I focused it on Theed. "Queen Amidala has already said that Viceroy Gunray is the key to winning this war, and I'm inclined to agree. We capture him, and not only can we convince him to surrender, but he can be brought before the courts for justice."

I knew that the Republic, with Palpatine at its head, wouldn't do anything that Gunray couldn't weasel his way out of, but the others didn't, which was why I said it. Of course, handing him over to the Republic for trial only applied if he was alive by the time Palpatine would arrive to celebrate the freedom of his homeworld. Apart from justice being served for Gunray's actions, his removal might well delay the Sith plan by a few years. It wouldn't be much, but every minor delay was something I could use to prepare. Of course, so could Sidious and he'd been playing this game far longer than I had and the deck was stacked in his favour by a millennium of work done by the Sith that came before him.

"Our reports place him and his entourage in the Royal Palace." That came from the same older local as before. "Apologies, Your Highness, but it appears he has taken over your residence as his base."

Padmé tensed, and her jaw tightened for a moment before she nodded. "Then we can use that to our advantage." She indicated the controls of the map, and I stepped back, letting her take control once more. "There are hidden tunnels leading into Theed and others that allow quick access to the Palace from various locations around the city."

Five red marks appeared on the map, and from each, a line moved around with all converging on the palace, though they emerged at differing points.

"That we can certainly use," Osto commented, a grin spreading across his face. "These tunnels can be used along with the Gungan vessels to insert warriors throughout the city. Teams sent in to distract the defence forces and allow a clearer path along this route," I watched as he indicated the path that led through the hangar and near the plasma refinery, "for your forces to enter the palace unopposed."

"At least if no one has sold out to the Federation," I suggested slowly. "Or the droids didn't discover them when securing the city. Even if they haven't, then each of those locations," I pointed at the areas where the tunnels that led out Theed emerged into the city, "will be swarming with droids. The moment we emerge they'll know we're there. whatever forces that remain in the city will swarm us."

"Perhaps diversionary strikes would be helpful?" Drallig offered as he moved closer and pointed at various points on the map. Padmé marked each with a dot. "If we could have teams, perhaps no more than four to a group, emerge at these locations, it would divert attention from most of the secret passages." The idea had occurred to me, but like some other ideas, I'd waited for others to mention them. I couldn't be seen to provide every detail of the attack, as even as the nominal leader – at Padmé's insistence – I shouldn't, at my current age, be that skilled in warfare.

"I can easily assign my warriors to such actions," Osto said before turning to Validus, "would yours be able to join us?"

"They can."

Osto smiled and turned back to the map. "Then we can use the Gungan vessels to enter these teams with orders to engage Federation forces as soon as encountered. That would divert their reserves to us, not that I expect them to be able to contain us," he added as his grin turned almost feral. "Meanwhile, others can enter the palace and capture their commander."

"We'll need to see how many bongos the Gungans have, and how easily they can slip through the river, but that should work for getting boots on the ground," I said with a nod to Osto, trusting him and Validus to divide up their men as needed. "Ideally, with most of the army outside the city, and what remains inside diverted, the assault teams can move toward the palace." I paused, knowing I had to ensure my place in all this and that some wouldn't like it. "I'll lead a team to the hangar. Ideally, there will be pilots either with us from the resistance or the camps, and if so, they need to launch. We need to relay a signal to the fleet so it can engage the Lucrehulks and keep the Vulture droids occupied. Otherwise, the Gungan army will be obliterated."

"And if we have no pilots among the freed Naboo?"

I shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but I'm not going to do anything stupid like fly up by myself and engage that many Vulture droids." That, as expected, drew a round of tight smiles.

"Even if there are pilots for the Naboo starfighters, they will be seriously outgunned," Drallig remarked, though there was no hint of confusion from him. As if he expected there to be more to the orbital battle than suicidal odds.

"They would be if they were alone," I replied, glancing at Osto, "however we've already got pieces in place for that battle."

"My mother led a large team aboard on Lucrehulk as we landed, which might be why your vessel approached unopposed. Since there has been no word from them, nor the sight of such a vessel exploding from ruptured power cores, we believe the ship has been secured. When the battle commences, they will use that ship against the others while other vessels will jump into the system."

"Ignoring the dangers from assuming, then the plan is sound. However, even with a Lucrehulk on your side, you are likely to be outgunned."

Osto continued to smile at Drallig. "The forces the Clans have assembled will be more than a match for the Federations vessels." I frowned, wondering what he was on about. While the Getala'kara was well-armed, it was no match for a single Lucrehulk, even with the support vessels in the fleet. "Even if my mother has, unlikely though I feel it is, fallen in battle without completing her mission, there is a vessel at the very edge of the system monitoring the planet. Once it detects fighters from combat in orbit, it will signal the fleet to jump in with precise hyperspace coordinates to allow our vessels to deploy directly on top of the Lucrehulks."

Drallig stared at Osto for a moment, judging the plan, before offering a nod. "I will bow to your understanding of that element of the plan." He turned and looked at me and Padmé. "However, it will all depend on the quick capture of the Viceroy and convincing him to stand down his forces."

"Which is why everything else, in every location, is a diversion and distraction. Queen Amidala and the teams she'll take into the palace, are all that matters." Which was why I'd assigned HK and Simvyl to guard her. I'd have sent Fenrir, but in the close quarters of the palace, and with that much blaster fire streaking around, I wasn't comfortable letting him go. Though the same was true of the other theatres, save mine and I didn't want him anywhere near Maul.

Hopefully, by the time we deployed, I would know where he would go. If he didn't go with me, then He'd head with Bo as she was the only one besides myself that he'd obey. Even if that, when it happened, was a matter of choice and not respect.

… …

… …

Later that evening, the plans for battle were set and the various units were determined.

Shal, Ferox, Captain Tarpals, and several teams from the Naboo resistance would command the units targeting the camps, with the Gungan and those under his direct command breaking off after the first camps, which housed the various beasts the Gungan army needed, were kept. At the same time, the others would target the nearby camps, with those there brought back to the base camp by the Naboo. Shal and Ferox would move onto other camps, with the intent of not so much taking them, than on diverting more droids away from Theed.

Once the Gungans and Naboo were back here, the group heading to Theed would break away. The Gungans had provided a dozen bongos to slip units into Theed through the caverns beneath the surface, though some teams would still move over land via skimmers to avoid placing all our eggs in one basket. Padmé, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, I, and others would travel in skimmers while Sabé – who would be in the full regalia of Queen Amidala– Drallig, Serra, Bo, and most of the Mandalorians and Lokella assigned to the city-assault, would travel in a bongo.

Vhonte, Marod, and a dozen Mandalorians would remain with the Gungan army. I didn't know what they had planned to change how that battle went, but given I'd seen those warriors borrowing every piece of heavy firepower anyone could spare, I suspected it would be impressive. I didn't mind if they turned the grass plains into a crater just so long as the droid army was bogged down, and Gungan casualties were kept to a minimum.

Something that had caught my eye was the way the Mandalorians and Lokella seemed interested in some of the Gungan weaponry. Of particular interest were their energy balls – called boombas – which I knew would work well against droids, even if they were a little impractical in their larger form. Though it seemed the Gungans had them at grenade-sized, which if they shorted out all electrics, could make them very interesting to adapt. Haran, they might well be more effective than more common ion weaponry used across the galaxy. Though I doubted they'd be as effective as Ionize. While I didn't plan to use the power much, I had trained the power regularly when I could, and had it up to Master:25. Still, I'd added a handful of the smallest boombas to my Inventory for future research, or the possibility I could use them in Theed once we were deployed.

The diversion teams, led by Osto and Gar, would deploy first, doing exactly what their name implied while Padmé, Sabé's, and my teams would meet just outside the royal hangar. While they would push on toward the palace, I'd move with my team to the hangar. Amusingly, three of the seven warriors with me were Andeeld Krhul, Ginia Aran, and Huzu Cadora who had been on my team when I'd trained on Mandalore. The only other one I knew was Thun Dur, heir to Clan Dur and another warrior I remembered from the Institute. Normally we'd have two more members to our team, but numbers didn't allow it, and while we could've taken Fenrir with us, I'd decided against that. Instead, he would deploy with Bo in a distraction team – and Force he would be a distraction for the Federation – simply because it was the best place to deploy him.

While tuk'ata when matured developed skin all but immune to blaster bolts – and even glancing strikes from a lightsaber – Fenrir was years away from that. Oh, he was fully grown in height, and I hoped bulk as he was a monster when he wanted attention, his skin could barely stop my beskad from cutting it.

When I'd told Bo this and explained why I was doing so, she asked why I'd not had a beskarweave skin made for him. I'd not know such things were common, but she and Osto had explained that his father Torrhen's Raqour'daan had a weave for combat, as did other beast companions that Mando'ade considered family. While full beskar wasn't doable for many of the beasts, a beskarweave skinsuit was. Obviously, I'd facepalmed hard at discovering that, and once the battle was over, promised Fenrir we'd go to Mandalore and get him one. Since he was close to full size, there wouldn't be much need to resize it later, though I'd make sure to get at least three such suits made as they weren't as invulnerable as proper armour. For now though, he'd have to do without, and Bo promised me she'd keep an eye out for him.

My team would move to secure the refinery once the hangar was taken and any pilots available launched. We were to do that to ensure the Federation didn't attempt anything stupid like rigging it, and by extension most of Theed, to explode. Though as my team did that, I was going to break away and start hunting Maul.

Of course, before any of the plans could be initiated, the assaults on the camps had to depart. Which they would do soon, however, Padmé had insisted that everyone – at least not on sentry or otherwise indisposed – gather. That was why I was standing near her with the other leaders of our combined force. When she looked at me, I moved to her side and helped her stand upon the bonnet of a skimmer, letting everyone present see her.

What little chatter had been coming from the group of warriors fell away as they saw her watching them.

"To those who aren't aware, I am Padmé Amidala, Queen of the Naboo, and before the first teams head out to begin the liberation of the world we share with the Gungans, I wish to thank all of you for your actions. I stand before you with a heart overflowing with gratitude. Because of you, be you Naboo, Gungan, friends, or unexpected allies, we stand on a precipice of history. A moment that will show the Trade Federation and the Republic that the voices of worlds far from their corridors of power matter, that we will be heard!"

"As I look out upon the sea of faces before me, I find myself humbled by the courage, determination, and force of will that you have, and in awe of the strength of unity you represent." Padmé paused and looked to where the members of the local resistance were gathered. "To my fellow Naboo, I cannot begin to express my gratitude to you for your bravery. Faced with a threat none of us could've imagined, you have risen to the challenge and faced an unspeakable evil that has captured our world, stolen our history, and even I'm told, sold our people into slavery." Her focus then drifted to the Gungans, with Boss Nass and, Force help me, Jar Jar Binks standing at the forefront. "To our esteemed Gungan allies, I offer my heartfelt promise that every life lost in the freeing of our world, every one of your warriors that falls in the greatest battle in our planet's history, will be remembered by all the sentients of Naboo as heroes of freedom. From what we do today, a new era of peace and cooperation between our two great peoples will bloom, bringing light to our darkest hour."

As she turned to the Mandalorians and Lokella, I marvelled at her ability to hold attention. She didn't have a team of speech writers with her, so at best, she had worked on this with only Sabé for help, and was crafting a speech that, thanks to the recordings of the Mandalorians, would spread across the galaxy. "To our new, and unexpected, friends and allies from across the stars, know that whatever it was that brought you to our world, you and your descendants will always be welcome in our halls and at our feasts. With you at our side, along with our Jedi friends," she swept out an arm to where the four other Jedi were standing, "we demonstrate the power, strength, and conviction that can be brought about by alliances of like-minded individuals."

"The path we find ourselves about to embark upon is a dangerous and arduous one, but, by working shoulder to shoulder and fighting as brothers and sisters in arms, I know we have the strength of arms and will to emerge victorious. Many have already given their lives in defending this world and their ideals. However, their deaths don't, as our enemy wishes, make us cower in fear. No, their sacrifices fuel the flames of liberty, justice, and the ideals that all should be free!"

I could feel the shift in the crowd through the Force. While most had been set in their paths, many had been concerned, even fearful of what lay ahead. While that remained, it was slowly being consumed by a spark of something powerful, something that was hard to extinguish. Hope.

"We stand now on the precipice of history, of a turning point of the Republic. For centuries, the Core and those in the Senate have seen those in the Rim, be it Inner, Mid, or Outer, as irrelevant. As unimportant. Over the next day, we will show them that their disinterest, their inaction, will no longer be tolerated. That we matter!"

"We did not ask for this battle to come here, but it has. And now, a battle for freedom awaits us. Let the bonds we have forged here shine as a beacon to all throughout the galaxy who yearn for liberation, for freedom!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd, her words resonating with everyone in a way that I'd seen very few able to manage. Yet, as the cheer echoed through the forest – hopefully not enough to alert any Federation forces – Padmé remained standing on the skimmer as if she had more to say.

"To every one of you, words fail me to express how much your actions, your sacrifices, inspire me. Not as the leader of an invaded world, but one who very recently questioned the motives and priorities of those who should lead us, those who should rule for us. They chose instead to rule over us, as if our planets, our lives, are but toys to be played with. Yet from all of you, I see that the flaws I saw within the highest halls of the Republic are not a sentiment shared by the peoples of the galaxy. We stand now, together, regardless of species, creed, or belief, united together under the ideals that all hold dear. That oppression, that tyranny will never rule us!"

"Our courage in the coming hours will remind everyone, from those born with their basic liberties already taken, to those at the highest echelons of power who consider us beneath them, that our spirits cannot be broken! That, with warriors of a just and noble cause at our side, and the Force to guide us, freedom cannot, will not be denied! Tonight, the flame of hope, the fires of freedom burn brightly on Naboo, and the galaxy shall see that we, that freedom, shall not fall!"

… …

… …
A/N: To those who disliked reading Gungan-Basic, it's worse to write it.

This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
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USSExplorer · Dec 23, 2023

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

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

This chapter has multiple POVs.

The Phantom Menace 4
... ...

(Vhonte Tervho's POV)
If someone had told Vhonte a month or even a week ago that she'd be fighting to defend a planet inhabited by naak-loving fools, she'd have assumed she was being paid an extraordinary amount. After laughing endlessly at the destruction of the so-called 'New Mandalorian' faction during her people's most recent civil war, she wanted nothing to do with anyone who held similar ideals. Yet, that was where Vhonte found herself, though as she watched the lead elements of the Great Gungan Army slip from the cover of the forest onto the plains that allowed clear passage all the way to the city of Theed over a hundred kilometres away, she couldn't say she disliked where she found herself.

Unlike many in this battle, she had no connection to those responsible for the call to arms. Instead, she had come for the promise of credits. Cameron Shan was an unknown, and a curious one at that. She had heard the stories of the Mando'ade Jetii, viewed the recording of his verd'goten, and even seen the skull of the great beast that Adonai Kryze had displayed, yet she knew nothing of him personally. Nor did she care to. She was primarily here for the credits, as were many others, though some few were here at the word of Torrhen Ordo or Adonai Kryze, or to see if the descendant of Naast be Me'suums was everything others claimed him to be.

To be clear, she respected all three to varying amounts, with Torrhen Ordo being the worthiest of respect. Unlike Adonai Kryze he hadn't aligned with the dar'manda who licked at the feet of the Tsad Droten, and unlike Cameron Shan, didn't try to claim a position of power among their people while standing with the lapdogs of the Republic. None were truly worthy of any loyalty from her, as none had been since Jango Fett had abandoned his calling.

Her father had served with Jaster Mereel in the Haat Mando'ade, and when Jaster had fallen, and named Jango his heir, Vhonte's father had been ready to follow him as Mand'alor. However, after the disaster on Galidraan – which had taken the life of Vhonte's father – Jango lost faith in their people. Once Tor Vizsla was dead, Jango withdrew from Mando'ade culture, becoming a feared bounty hunter. While Vhonte also worked for the Guild, she had never been Mand'alor, never abandoned her people as Jango had, and his actions had cost her much of her hope that one day their people might reunite under a strong leader and once again threaten the stars themselves.

Yet, if not for those events, Vhonte wouldn't be here now, helping a planet and people she'd have dismissed as deserving of being invaded free itself. Nor see that, when they had to, the Naboo were willing to fight for their home.

Vhonte would have preferred to have fought in the battle for the Lucrehulk, getting a chance to serve once more alongside Kal Skirata. Failing that, if she had the power to ensure it, she'd have gone with the strike teams to Theed, where the true battle for the planet would take place. However, she, along with Dun Marod and others, was tasked with integrating Mando'ade with the other warriors who would fight in the battle on the plains, and distract most of the forces of the Trade Federation.

Which, after discovering the initial Gungan plan, was a good thing.

Vhonte was shocked that any army would consider simply marching on an open field and engaging a numerically and technologically superior army as anything less than osik. And that was before considering that the Federation would have total air superiority if the Naboo fighters couldn't launch in time to engage the Lucrehulks.

Yet, that the Gungans knew all this and were still willing to march out to their deaths, to die defending their home, was something Vhonte and other Mando'ade could respect. That was why she and Dun had argued for hours with the Gungans – enduring their odd butchering of Basic that almost made her miss listening to a Hutt – to convince them to alter the plan.

They'd hoped to arm the Gungans with modern blasters, as over a hundred had been liberated from droids while moving through the mountains, but the Gungans had refused. They would face the battle with the weapons of their people, no matter how ineffective wooden spears may be against droids, riding beasts of burden into battle.

And yet, for all the primitive appearance of the Gungans, they had some technology. Shield generators were carried on the backs of large local beasts called fambaas, and behind them, dragged by the same beasts the Gungans rode as mounts, ammunition for their siege weaponry. Spheres of plasma, harvested from deep in the planet's core – which explained why the Trade Federation had chosen this world – would be launched at the droids, potentially disabling anything they struck. Up to, and including, tanks and troop transports.

The strike teams, or at least the majority of them, for Theed, would move to their target via submersibles that while appearing organic, were marvels of organic technology that allowed the Gungans to traverse the underwater tunnels that lined this world – even passing through its very core. From what she had been told, the core was inhabited by beasts comparable to the mythosaurs of her culture's history. Vhonte respected the Gungans' bravery for travelling routes controlled by such creatures, and if the chance arose to hunt these beasts, she would be interested in doing so. While she didn't enjoy game hunting as much as others might, the appeal of challenging, and killing an apex predator was never to be overlooked.

The Gungans were, even if they lacked modern technology, warriors, and that earned them Vhonte's respect; and that of the other Mando'ade, and the Lokella'ade that had also come to fight for Naboo. Haran, if not for the speech given by the Naboo's leader, and the unexpected warrior's spirit the Naboo displayed, Vhonte would've considered the Naboo unworthy of the effort to save them, credits be damned.

With their world in danger, the Naboo had stepped forward and placed themselves into the firing line, and all that started with Queen Amidala. On the way to the rendezvous, Vhonte had watched the Queen's appearance before Tsad Droten with Kal and others. That the same, small, seemingly insignificant child was the same as the one who spoke last night was something Vhonte was still finding hard to reconcile.

That she had, after seeing the failings of the Tsad Droten, decided to return home and fight was unexpected to Vhonte, and impressed her. That feeling grew as the forces called for by Cameron Shan answered the call to arms. Queen Amidala was willing to fight for her home, and her people, and after last night, it was clear her people would follow.

That speech, one that challenged the Tsad Droten, and all those fools who placed blind faith in Coruscant, was worthy of a leader; one who would fight on the front lines for their people. Vhonte held no love for the Naboo, but seeing how their leader had inspired them, the Gungans, and the others here to fight, Vhonte saw the spark of the Warrior still resided in the Naboo. Amidala's speech, recorded by Vhonte and others, would soon make its way throughout the Galaxy, and show the masses the flaws of the Tsad Droten. It would show them that they had been deceived; that the Tsad Droten only cared about themselves and not the people they claimed to serve.

Thus, while she was here for the credits, and that would be true no matter what anyone said, Vhonte would admit to herself that now she was motivated beyond the simple desire for credits. The veil of the false peace of the Tsad Droten was slipping, and Vhonte knew in her bones that soon the truth would be understood by the masses. This battle, for a minor, seemingly insignificant world, was a spark that would light the fires of war throughout the galaxy.

Vhonte looked forward to that, almost as much as she was looking forward to the credits and battles it would bring.

… …

… …

(Cam's POV)
As we moved through the hidden tunnels that led into Theed, I once more marvelled at the data coming to me through the HUD of my armour. Now, I'd experienced the dataflow from my team when I'd trained on Mandalore, but there it had been limited to just those seven others. Here, as we advanced quickly through secret passageways hundreds of metres below the plains of Naboo and the outer building of the capital city, I understood how powerful the Battlenet truly was.

I'd had something similar in my previous life, but here the data was coming in for everything. I could watch through the cameras of any warrior connected to the Battlenet – which included the Lokella for this operation – with ease. As we walked forward, a small display in the HUD showed feed from the armour of Osto and Bo as their assault teams neared their deployment positions, then from Naz as she moved with Sabe's unit toward where we'd meet them, before quickly switching to the datafeed from Vhonte Tervho as she watched the Gungan army assembled a few kilometres from the forest where she and the warriors with her remained; hidden from the sensors of the Federation by localised jamming equipment that wouldn't stand out unless the Federation did a detailed, equally localised scan of the battlefield.

At the same time, I could pull up the condition of any of the warriors in the battle, viewing their health, weapon loadout – including spare clips, grenades, and rockets – along with their location on a superimposed map of the planet. Or at least the planet near where they were. While I could look at other sections of the planet, there was no real-time feed coming into me as there wasn't anyone connected to the Battlenet, nor in range of a booster – which normally was just another warrior at another location – to carry their signal to my feed. Amusingly, I'd set the HUD's map feed to superimpose over my minimap. So long as the HUD map remained focused on roughly the same area as the Minimap, it acted as an enhanced map combining the Force, the Interface, and the Battlenet into one.

Haran, even just focusing on what my armour was relaying to me was a marvel. Beyond knowing my condition and setup – minus my Inventory as that was outside anything any could detect so long as I didn't access it – my armour knew the model of the various blasters and other weaponry being carried by Padmé and those with her - though I had already memorised most models and weapons in my training -; including the report that one of the guards under Panaka's command was taking medication for a rash. I'd rather not have known that, nor where the rash was, but that level of detail was incredible.

The HUD also prioritised targets based on preset parameters, with protocols to shift those parameters if a hostile was of a given species or group, or if they carried highly dangerous weaponry. It also had a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision that I could call up. However, I had that disabled as I found it, when combined with the Interface, to be a sensory overload. Once Naboo was free and I was away with Anakin to teach him, I planned to get used to the system, but for now, it was turned off.

"How much further?"

The question came from Serra as we slowed our approach. I knew we were under Theed now, so it shouldn't be too long. Serra, along with Drallig and Panaka, was leading our teams through the tunnels. Padmé, HK, R2, Simvyl, and others were behind them while my unit, which included three of those from my Institute team back on Mandalore, brought up the rear.

As I looked at Serra, I once more noted how odd it was to see her in almost full armour, the only missing section being her helmet. While Drallig couldn't force me to remove mine – not that I would've even if he could – as her Master, he had ordered Serra to do that, and she had acquiesced.

Many of the Mandalorians present hadn't been happy about that, with Bo and Naz coming and complaining to me about it. They argued that Serra had come as Mando'ade to this battle and that her removing her helmet was, to some, an insult, not to mention stupid. However, I'd countered by saying that until Serra was made a Jedi Knight – and thus considered a full member of the Jedi – or she chose to leave the Order, then she was under the command of Master Drallig. Neither girl had been happy about it, but they'd accepted my word on the matter and passed it along to others, and it seemed to have sunk in as no one had challenged her about it.

That was because I'd met the one most likely to do so last night, and made clear if he had an issue with my command, he could stay behind and forfeit his pay for the battle, or close his mouth and accept my orders. Normally, he'd have the right to challenge me for command over this, but given lead elements such as striking the prison camps around Theed had already deployed, that option wasn't available. Thus, the warrior from Clan Wrajud had shut his mouth, though Osto had warned me that the warrior and others might challenge me after the battle, especially if it resulted in defeat. I'd thanked him for the warning and was prepared to deal with the matter afterwards, though I made sure to keep an eye on the unit Wrajud was serving with.

"No more than five minutes unless the exit's blocked," Panaka replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

The tunnel had, so far, been empty. Even the various passageways that led elsewhere – which had me wondering why such tunnels were built – were deserted. Either that meant the Federation didn't know about them, or they did and were waiting for us to emerge to ambush us. In their place, I'd have mined the tunnels, or at the very least, placed sensors to detect movement if I knew of them. Since we'd yet to encounter any such threats, it appeared the Force was with us.

"Assault teams, report in." The command was said internally, travelling through the Battlenet. While I could've used eye gestures to send the commands, I found it easier and more familiar, to use vocal commands, and with all the seals on my armour, any reply or command given wouldn't sneak out. Something proved as neither HK nor R2 could detect when I was speaking within the armour.

Commands filtered in from the various teams around Theed. Most were still waiting in the bongos, below the waterline and hidden from sight. The few teams that had inserted via speeder were also in position, ready to begin the various attacks to draw attention away from the palace. The commands were filtered to Osto as well, as I knew once I found him, my focus would be entirely on Maul. My free hand gently touched one of my vambraces, reassuring myself that the various weaponry I'd had installed was there. Taking Maul down was going to be a fucking pain, though a challenge I absolutely relished, but I felt I had enough aces up my sleeve that I had a fair chance of achieving my goals.

My thoughts turned from Maul as one of the speeder teams reported that they'd met local resistance and been paired up with two Jedi. Pulling up their feed, I saw that one of the Jedi was Sia-Lan Wezz, which made me pause. I had no idea she, nor Rann I-Kanu, who I only knew in passing but had sparred with several times over the years, were on the planet. Still, learning they were here added new wrinkles to the plan, though thankfully the pair were far from the hangar, and thus beyond Maul's reach.

Pushing aside thoughts on the unexpected extra help – and wondering how they'd been doing since the invasion began – I waited, letting time tick away as we slowly reached the tunnel's exit. Once Panaka signalled we were there, I spoke through the Battlenet.

"Slannar."

No direct response of command came through the Battlenet, though within seconds details of warriors engaging battledroids filtered to me. Blue marks on the city map confirmed the engagement, and if I focused on those marks, details of the various warriors connected to the Battlenet were brought forth. Updates of warrior's conditions, be that ammo rates, strikes against armour, and the like appeared in a stream that, thanks to setting up the HUD earlier, meant they arrived in the same corner of my vision as Interface notices. Having the HUD overlay the interface meant I wasn't distracted by information overload in a dozen different points of vision.

"Assault is underway," I said, using the armour's external speakers for the first time since entering the tunnels. Unlike others, I wasn't using voice modulation, as I didn't want to blend into the masses.

A faint spike of concern and apprehension came from the Naboo with us – well, bar Panaka and Padmé. The former was focused only on protecting Padmé while the young queen radiated quiet determination; understanding that what was to come had to be done. The warriors with us, be they Mando'ade or Lokella, were battle-hardened and ready for what was to come, while the Jedi drew on the Force, releasing any concerns – which were mainly coming from Serra and directed toward me – into it.

Two battles were flagged for attention, and as Panaka worked to open the hatch leading to the surface, I reviewed the feeds, seeing the teams were engaging sentients. Given the hodgepodge array of species and weaponry, those were mercenary units, and I bit back a growl at seeing Trandoshans among the mercenaries, kriffing lizards. That there were mercenary units in play wasn't unexpected, but it was concerning to see them engage assault units so quickly. I sent new orders to the assault units engaged with the mercenaries to capture at least one from each group for questioning. Naboo had been gathered for shipping off-world, so if the Federation somehow destroyed the data of where those people had been sent and sold, the mercenaries might give up that information in return for their lives.

Regardless of how we learnt that information, Ferox and Validus had already promised Padmé the support of the Lokella to find and free her people. Padmé had been grateful for their help, and for the offers that they and Osto had extended to help train Naboo's security forces once the planet was free. It would cost the Naboo to hire instructors, but it seemed that Padmé understood that after this battle, Naboo couldn't entirely go back to how things had been before.

Light filtering into the tunnel let me know the exit was open, and as Panaka, HK, and Drallig led everyone upward, I sent a signal to Naz. She was with Sabé's unit and would bring them to the meeting point close to the hangar and entrance to the set of passageways that would lead to the palace.

Emerging into Theed, my eyes were instantly scanning for threats, my main lightsaber in hand. The HUD and my minimap were giving an insanely detailed map of the combat going on in the city, but it seemed that, for the moment, we'd emerged undetected.

Looking over the section of the Solleu River we'd emerged next to, I scanned the buildings on the far side. Detection located groups of droids and sentients moving around; however, I frowned as I realised that the sentients weren't from anyone connected to the Battlenet. Pulling up the details, I passed orders to the nearest units to engage and subdue what I believed to be another team of mercenaries, with the same intent to capture at least one for questioning.

A bongo rose from the river, and the rest of my team moved to cover them as Sabé, dressed as Amidala as seen in the Senate, emerged behind Naz. Others came with her, providing protection for Sabé; none of them aware that they weren't escorting the true queen.

Around me, I could feel the Force shifting, a growing conflagration of energy making clear it knew a critical moment was drawing close. Maul, if he was still expecting to engage the Jedi or me, would be nearby, yet no report had come in of a Force user in the field. There was no chance he didn't know that the city was under attack, or that there were Jedi present. Outside of myself, none of them were making any effort to hide their Force Presence. Qui-Gon had wondered why I was doing that when we'd entered the tunnel, though he'd not given voice to his curiosity. Provided he survived, as he likely would, I already had reasoning as to why I did so that should hide my foreknowledge of Maul's presence from him during the debrief.

My eyes drifted toward the hangar, the headquarters of the Naboo Security Force, and the main power generator that was attached to it. That area was expected to have droid patrols; however, none had moved to engage us. Given a unit half a klick away, in the general direction of the palace, was battling droids, I suspected the defenders here had been pulled away to handle them.

My gaze then shifted toward Jafan's Spire, and I reached out with the Force, searching for any hint of Maul. That was the direction Drallig and Serra were heading, and it should be clear, though I couldn't be sure. While Detection wasn't sensing him, the vision of the Jedi fighting him played on my mind; something that had been increasingly common the closer we'd gotten to the city.

Drallig and Serra would be fine freeing the prisoners at the Spire, especially as there was a unit of Mandalorians there to help. Yet until Maul was located and engaged, my concerns for her would continue to bother me. Haran, I might even still be concerned for her if she didn't fight Maul as this was the first true battle that she'd fought in. If a mistake was going to be made, the odds were that it would occur when she was first put under real pressure.

As Sabé reached Padmé, messages came in through the Battlenet, continually updating me on the situation around the city. Before a quick meeting could take place, I sent instructions to teams around the battlefield, altering their assault plans. Beyond a receipt of orders, no response came, but that was enough. Additional support was being sent to three units who, while well-armed, had lucked out and encountered tank squadrons not long after the order to attack had been given. With time, I knew all three would eliminate the tanks, but I'd rather not risk their lives needlessly.

"Master Drallig," I said, getting his attention as the meeting began. "Your support units are waiting here, and here." A small map of our location was projected from my vambrace. It marked the primary route to Jafan's Spire and the location where the two support units would meet them.

"Very well. May the Force be with you." After nods from myself and Qui-Gon – who along with Obi-Wan had been escorting Sabé to complete the illusion that she was Amidala – he moved off. After a brief moment, where her eyes found mine even under my helmet, Serra went after him.

"How far to the passageways?" Qui-Gon asked. My helmet stayed toward the meeting though my eyes tracked Serra as she headed away. When she and Drallig slipped through the first archway on their path, taking them perhaps ten metres from us, I relaxed ever so slightly. They were heading away from where Maul should be, though with so much of this battle changing I couldn't trust that he'd be waiting for us at the exit of the hangar as he had in the other timeline.

"The other side of the hangar," Panaka replied, and after a nod from Sabé, turned to take the lead. I moved quickly past him, the grip on my lightsaber's hilt tightening as I moved toward the large domed hangar. To reach it we first had to slip over a promenade that ran down the edge of the river to the Virdugo waterfall. In the other timeline, there had been a tank waiting at the end of the promenade, taking shots at the fighters as they took off. Here though, resistance units had reported four tanks on the promenade, along with at least three squads of battledroids.

Reaching the edge of an intersection that opened onto the promenade, I reached out with the Force, quickly sensing nearly three dozen droids waiting. Sticking my arm out, I used the vambrace to gain a visual and confirmed two tanks and twenty droids guarding the entrance to the hangar, and the passageway that led to the Naboo Security Forces headquarters. The other Federation forces had been called away to deal with the various assaults taking place in the city, but this lot had remained behind.

At the far side of the promenade, as in the other timeline, a local resistance unit was waiting, and as before, Padmé sent them a signal with a light. After they confirmed the signal, a speeder with an attached heavy repeater slipped into view and opened fire on the droids.

Their fire glanced off the tanks, doing no damage to them, but five B1s fell before the Federation forces reacted. As the tanks turned, their turrets bearing down on the speeder, the resistance unit slipped away; taking cover behind the wall of the building they'd emerged from.

Heavy blasts from the tank slammed into the building, shattering the stone with ease. As Padmé and Panaka led the rest across the promenade, I rushed forward. The resistance fighters had risked their lives to give us an opening, and I planned to make sure their move didn't cost them.

The faint roar of my blade as it ignited drew the attention of four droids near me. Before they could turn to see what had caused the noise, I was on them. The Force accelerated my movements, making it hard for their processors to track my movements, and after barely three steps, I was moving past them; the remains of the droids sliding to the floor; edges glowing where my lightsaber had slid through their frames.

Two more droids turned, detecting that something was amiss, but a flick of my wrist sent them crashing into the side of one tank. While that did nothing to damage the tank, it took out the droids and gave me room to leap. I twisted in mid-air, bringing my blade down on the barrel of the tank even as I used my other hand to send a Force Blast at another group of battledroids.

The barrel clanked against the hull of the tank, rendering its primary weapon inoperable, though I was still moving. Another jump carried me to the top of the other tank. The command droid there, realising my intent, dropped low, pulling the hatch closed behind him. However, I landed before the hatch could close fully and my blade slipped into the darkness within, burning a hole through the droid's head.

As I pulled my blade back, I used my other hand to rip the hatch from its hinges, tossing it behind me into a group of battledroids. With the access clear, I pulled a grenade from my belt, started the timer, and dropped it down. It bounced down to the trio of droid gunners, even as I leapt away, avoiding fire from the few remaining battledroids.

I planned to land on the first tank and finish that off, but a warning from the Force had me alter my jump an instant before I leapt, and as I landed – my lightsaber coming around to destroy three battledroids – a rocket slammed into the rear of the remaining tank. The rear hatch exploded, and the tank lurched forward, the repulsor-lifts holding it up failing as the front edge dug into the tiled ground of the promenade.

Looking at where the rocket had come from, I saw my unit in action. The Battlenet reported the rocket had come from Thun Dur's back, and as the last battledroid fell, he slid a new one into the launcher.

With the small droid force destroyed in less than half a minute, I jogged back over to the others.

"I believe the intent was for a silent insertion," Qui-Gon commented with an amused smirk.

"For you and Queen Amidala, yes," I replied as I gave Sabé a nod, keeping up the deception. "However, my unit is tasked with helping the pilots launch and then securing the generator." Officially, the reasoning there was that the pilots would need flight control – which was situated above the hanger – and prevent the Federation from attempting to destroy the generator, thus damaging a large part of Theed. "The more droids we draw to us, the less you should encounter as you approach the palace."

Qui-Gon nodded, accepting my logic. Both he and Drallig were surprised I'd given myself a seemingly minor role in the battle. Perhaps they felt I'd try to take part in a bigger battle, claiming more glory for myself. That I hadn't, had most likely eased their fears about my motivations for assembling the force helping to free Naboo.

I turned to Sabé and bowed. "May the Force be with you, your Majesty."

"And with you, Master Jedi," Sabé replied. The HUD could detect the faint variance in her tone that confirmed she wasn't the queen, but that was only because I'd been around her and Padmé for some time planning the battle. Otherwise, the slight variance between Sabé's tone and Padmé's would be ignored by most as something caused by the situation.

"Oya!"

I blinked, caught flat-footed by Padmé's comment. While it fit the situation perfectly, and amused the Mandalorians with us, I hadn't realised she'd picked up any Mando'a. Before I could give her a response, she followed Sabé and the others to the hangar. My unit moved as cover for the pilots while I hung back. I needed to be ready to move the moment Maul was sighted.

Qui-Gon and Panaka reached the hangar entrance first and quickly slipped inside. Padmé, Sabé, HK, Obi-Wan, and Simvyl moved next, along with the handful of Naboo security also acting as the decoy defence team for Sabé. Behind them, a four-warrior unit led by Naz came. They'd be the security for Padmé in the palace, with HK breaking off with Padmé as well.

However, as Thun Dur and Andeeld Krhul covered the pilots as they slipped inside, I felt the Force shift.

The HUD flared as it detected movement in a nearby building. Reacting to the warning going through the Battlenet, my unit moved, facing the new threat. Trusting the force, I leapt from my cover, and a moment later the pillar I'd been using exploded as a powerful plasma bolt slammed into it.

As the pillar groaned, and began the process of falling, I landed and rolled, the tiles behind me exploding as a series of blaster bolts slammed into them.

As I reached fresh cover, the Battlenet was already relaying into my HUD. Three snipers had taken up position over the small square we'd crossed, and had the unit pinned down. Huzu Cadora had taken a hit in the chest, knocking her from her feet though the only damage from the bolt was the scorching of the paint on her beskar. Other than the embarrassment of that, the unit was fine, and she and the others were already returning fire.

Yet, as their fire forced the snipers to pull back, I growled as a new group emerged into the square. Trandoshans were my least-liked species – even the Vong were worthy of more respect in my mind – yet that was what the group was composed of.

That they were here while groups of Naboo were being sold into slavery wasn't surprising, but I'd have rather avoided the walking handbags and furniture. Biting back a snarl, I reached out with the Force, gripping one of the lizards by its neck. As it frantically scratched at the sudden lack of air, I yanked my arm to the side, slamming it into one of its brethren.

The pair were assaulted with blaster fire, their bodies twitching delightfully as they succumbed to their wounds. Yet, just as I was about to savour the chance to remove more reptiles for the galaxy – and once more insult their god, The Scorekeeper – I felt the Force shift, warning me of a greater danger.

The Dark Side flared to life, and I quickly realised the location it was coming from. The same one where I could sense Serra and Drallig; directly beyond the Trandoshans. At the same time, reports came in of the units in the hangar coming under attack by droidekas, far more than in the other timeline.

Biting back a curse at this happening at the same time, I relayed orders to my unit. Andeeld Krhul, Thun Dur, and two of the Lokella with us were to move to help the Queen's teams. Huzu Cadora, Ginia Aran, and a Rodian named Vreet Tha were to support me in removing the Trandoshans and snipers and then securing the area.

While I could've called them with me to engage Maul, that wasn't the plan. Bo, Osto and a handful of others knew my intentions though, and as I slipped from cover, the Force accelerating me toward the remaining Trandoshans, I sent them the signal.

As I reached the first walking handbag, far beyond him, I saw flashes of green and red. My blade slipped through the lizard, removing his head. I turned, ducking under the meaty arm of one of its companions.

These things wouldn't keep me from reaching Serra. While I might not be able to prevent my vision from coming to pass, and thus save Drallig, there was nothing in the galaxy that would stop me from saving Serra from Maul.

As anger rose within me, I fought to remain in control. I couldn't make the same mistake with Maul, that I'd made when I'd fought Vosa.

… …

… …

(Vhonte's POV)
Vhonte watched as the reports from snipers in the forest and sensor probes buried in the plains during the night came regarding the size of the Federation army. She knew the droid army was going to be large, but what was approaching dwarfed the initial calculations. Given the rising dust cloud as the tanks and transports inched ever closer, she knew they were in for a real fight.

That dust cloud had been creeping ever closer for about an hour after the Gungans had stationed themselves about three kilometres from the forest. The Gungans knew they were in for a fight against a superior force, and, in a display of courage she could respect, had marched out anyway. Yet knowing you're outnumbered and seeing the massive droid army approach were two different things.

Many sentients would panic, possibly withdraw from the field of battle, or even abandon their posts, yet the Gungans stood. Through the Battlenet reports coming in, she could tell many were nervous, understandably so, but they stood their ground. Vhonte had fought in hundreds of battles in her time, even a few planetary wars when the Tsad Droten had chosen to turn their backs and ignore the suffering of others. Yet, she'd never face an army the size of the one the Federation was deploying.

Twenty thousand Gungans – some barely old enough to complete a verd'goten – stood ready for battle against an army that had them dwarfed. Over a hundred tanks and their carried squads of droids were being tracked, and Vhonte had no doubt there were more still to arrive, while four times that number of transports moved behind them. Based on the size of the larger armoured transports, and the smaller skiffs where the number of battledroids was confirmed, Vhonte placed the Federation army somewhere near two hundred thousand droids.

With that many enemy combatants, and an army that was willing to stand and fight it, Vhonte had found herself reviewing the battleplan several times since the first reports of Federation forces had come in. The Gungan warriors deserved better than to fall to droids in a battle of, in the grand scheme, minor importance. While some would die, the more that survived, the happier Vhonte would be.

A signal had come from Cameron Shan, announcing the assault on Theed was underway, and updates over the Battlenet confirmed the Federation forces in the city were far lower than initial reports had suggested. Why the Federation had felt a need to send such an overwhelming force to wipe out the Gungans, Vhonte didn't know, but at least it meant Shan's plan was working.

"Phase One." The words were spoken in Basic, as many in the battle couldn't speak Mando'a, and carried over the Battlenet. The various Mando'ade and Lokella'ade that were hidden in the forest confirmed receipt of the order and readied their positions. Vhonte's attention, though, was on the Gungans. She saw the orders reach the ears of the generals commanding the Gungan forces.

It took a few seconds, but the large Gungan force slowly moved. At the centre, four fambaas activated their shields, covering around half the Gungan force as the height of the beasts allowed the shields to extend further. The edges of the long battleline however didn't engage their shields. As planned, the groups there, and the four other fambaas outfitted in the plains with shield generators, turned.

As one would expect, the large beasts took time to turn, and the Federation army sensed, as expected, a chance to attack. Their tanks rolled forward, taking lead positions, and the squads they carried with them hopped off. As soon as the tanks were free of external droids, they opened fire.

Powerful bolts of plasma slammed into the Gungan shields, sending shockwave ripples cascading over the surface. While those attacks had no effect, those that targeted the retreating flanks of the Gungan army did. Vhonte cursed as Gungans died, being either directly struck by the blasts or being tossed around as the bolts tore huge chunks out of the plains.

Thankfully, the four fambaas at the flanks, along with over ninety per cent of the Gungans with them had already slipped behind the edges of the active shields, limiting the deaths in the opening salvo. That was due to signal jammers the Mando'ade and Lokella'ade had attached to the fambaas. Those prevented the tanks from getting target locks on the large beasts, though it did nothing for targeting their frames.

The droids had seemingly not concentrated their fire against the exposed flanks, which was a critical mistake Vhonte would never have made. Nor had they deployed snipers to target any commander in the Gungan army they could locate. Though if they wished to make such mistakes, Vhonte was more than happy to allow it and, when the later phases of the battle took place, to show the droids how a battle should be fought.

Once the last of the flanks of the Gungan army were behind cover, and they understood they weren't going to succeed in penetrating the active shields, the tanks ceased firing. The transports then slipped forward, oddly passing the line of artillery. If they weren't committed to drawing in the droids, Vhonte would've ordered rocket barrages and snipers to target the now unprotected transports as they began disgorging their contents.

"Shab'ni."

The curse slipped from her lips as reports from the Battlenet viewed the droids inside the armoured transports emerging. Two racks slipped out, with each holding dozens of droids, and then they were slowly lowered so the other two racks to extend and all the droids were then activated. Watching the count come in was an odd experience for Vhonte. Outside of astromech and smaller droids that could be programmed in certain useful ways, she had no love for droids. Save perhaps the akaan beskar'ad of Naast be Me'suum that Cameron Shan had restored and rebuilt with help from Bo-Katan Kryze, though that was a droid of legend with feats worthy of respect.

Individually, the Federation's battledroids were nothing. Yet, seeing over two hundred thousand of them deployed in one large force was something to respect. With so many combatants, they required if not respect, then consideration of the sheer volume of fire they could bring to bear.

A silent prayer was offered to Kad Ha'rangir: The ancient Mando'ade god of destruction, war, and change. Vhonte didn't place much stock in those gods, but with the size of their enemy, she would take any help she could. This battle, along with the ones currently raging in Theed and the one that should soon commence in orbit, would mark a moment of change in the galaxy. Not just for the Naboo and Gungans, or even the Tsad Droten, but perhaps, just perhaps, for her people.

It had been centuries since they'd gathered to fight a battle as impressive as this outside their civil wars. To many she'd encountered in her travels, while they respected Mando'ade, they didn't truly understand the power her people could project if united in a common cause. Yes, those in the Naboo system were but a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions of her people spread across the stars, but they would help change the course of history.

As the unexpected moment of reflection on what this battle might well mean faded – at least beyond the credits she was getting paid for it – Vhonte refocused on the task at hand. The plan expected a large droid force, even up to this size, though she hadn't expected it to be called on. The change to Battleplan Variant Seven was sent to the unit commanders spread throughout the forest. The Gungan side of things, at least until Phase Eight wouldn't change, so there was no need for worry that the Gungans would have to adapt on the fly.

So long as droid fighter cover remained absent, Vhonte had little concern that they wouldn't win the battle. If the Federation deployed even a dozen Vulture droids as cover, then things would get concerning as they could've fire-bombed the gap between the Gungans and the forest. There was no tactical logic to not achieving air superiority if you could and Vhonte doubted even the Neimoidians, who only seemed to care about credits, were that tactically deficient.

Since there was no sign of such cover, Vhonte suspected Asta Ordo's assault had not only gone as intended, but that she, Kal, and those with her still held the Lucrehulk they boarded. Vhonte would've preferred to fight at Kal's side, as while they disagreed on many things, she deeply respected the man who was like an uncle to her and one of the rare sentients to whom she owed a life debt. Learning he was present for this battle had been a surprise for Vhonte, but a welcome one as she'd thought he'd retired from frontline work to raise his children after the death of his wife.

The real key regarding air cover would come when, or if, Naboo starfighters launched from Theed. Ideally, a squadron would carpet bomb the rest of the droid army, cutting them off from escape before accelerating into orbit. If that didn't happen, then contingencies were in place, and once launched, those fighters would move to engage the Vulture droids. The Naboo pilots knew they would be horribly outgunned and outnumbered, yet none had chosen not to fight, and that was worthy of respect.

A signal in her HUD alerted her that the Gungan flanks were now in position. "Phase Two."

As the droids formed up in front of their tanks, the shields at the front of the Gungan army were deactivated. Before the energy had even been fully cancelled out, the four fambaas at the rear activated their shields.

A snarl slipped from Vhonte's lips as she saw the rear rank was too far back. Their shields, as they reached the ground, didn't cover the front line of fambaas, instead stopping fractionally short of the beasts' tails. The plan had called for them to cover the lead fambaas, as now, as the four beasts turned, they were exposed; along with a considerable number of Gungans near them.

The Federation's command droids spotted this and the Battlenet alerted her to the droids shifting formations. The tanks moved forward, slipping into the gaps in the Federation's lines, and resumed their attack. Vhonte cursed whichever di'kut screwed up as a dozen Gungans died under the renewed assault. One of the fambaas stumbled as an explosion rocked the ground near its feet, and Vhonte readied a change in the battle plan. Thankfully, the large beast didn't topple, and a few more steps took all but its tail under a shield.

The tanks continued their barrage even as the front rank of fambaas slipped by those with currently active shield generators. She smirked as she saw the Gungan general from the front-rank gesture animatedly at the general for the rear rank. She made a note of that to speak with General Ceel after the battle, perhaps even share a bottle of Ne'tra Gal with him over the failure of his supposed commander.

What deranged logic had made the Gungan leaders decide that Jar Jar Binks should be the senior general was beyond Vhonte's reasoning. And as Ceel moved past Binks, the latter cowering in his saddle as if wanting to be anywhere but on the battlefield, Vhonte wondered if anyone would complain if Binks met an unfortunate end due to blaster fire once the true battle began.

As Ceel moved his fambaas into position – just inside the shields of the Bink's unit – the Federation's tanks ceased their attack. Even when they focused their fire on one specific shield, they couldn't make it fall, though the Battlenet reported that the shield had lost around twenty per cent power by the time the attack ended.

Instead of sending the order for Phase Three, Vhonte waited. If they moved now, then the tanks would quickly open fire and inflict casualties on the Gungans. What she wanted, and got half a minute later, was the droids forming up in front of the tanks once more.

"Phase Three."

The fambaas with Binks deactivated their shields, and a second later Ceel's shield activated. The droids didn't try to shift for their tanks, choosing instead to advance their ground troops toward the Gungan lines. That was a relief for Vhonte as while the shields could stand against the cannons on the tanks, each of them was rumoured to have missiles in their disk-shaped base. Those would, if outfitted even remotely correctly, have the firepower to cause chaos in the Gungan ranks, possibly even piercing the shields. Whatever the reason for the Federation not trying that attack, Vhonte was happy to let them make another mistake.

Blaster fire from the droid ground forces came in, but the Gungans were able to fall back in formation, those closest to the droids using large shields to cover themselves and their squadmates. Several large shields were attached to the rear of carts, and those covered the ammunition for the Gungan's artillery – which had yet to return fire – and the fambaas.

While the droid's blaster fire was nullified, Vhonte was glad they'd tried. The delay between the lead droids – all of which were marked with yellow stripes as the Jetii had said, four of whom were perched outside the hatches of their tanks – issuing the orders and them being carried out, was factored into the Battlenet. Those droids, along with any that relayed the orders, were filtered to the nearest sniper team until each had multiple targets. Vhonte had the senior droid assigned to her. While overall command for the droids was with the Lucrehulks in orbit, targeting those relaying the commands on the ground would cause chaos in the droid ranks once Phase Eight commenced.

However, there were still several phases to move through before then. Until it was time to attack, Vhonte kept careful watch. There was a chance the droids would alter their tactics before the Gungans had slipped back into the forest, or that the Federation wouldn't take the bait and advance into the treeline. The plan would adapt as needed, and as the droids passed the first marker for Phase Eight, Vhonte allowed herself a small smile.

Regardless of what happened between now and Phase Eight, the Federation army had entered strike distance and wouldn't emerge from this battle without significant casualties.

… …

… …

(Cin Drallig's POV)
Drallig slid to a stop as he rounded the corner of one building in Theed. In the path he and Serra were to take, stood a figure. Whoever they were, they wore a black cloak, one reaching almost to the ground. At Drallig's side, Serra tensed, her main lightsaber flying into her hand. Drallig's hand hovered near his, as he watched the figure. The Force was shifting, but it was unclear to Drallig as to why, bar that the figure intercepting them was the reason.

Slowly, the figure lifted its head, revealing a red-skinned Zabrak. Dark, foreboding lines at sharp angles marked its skin, and Drallig felt his hand grip his lightsaber, sensing the rising threat of the Dark Side radiating forth from the Zabrak, corrupting, twisting the Force as it tried to break it into a beast of burden.

Two gloved hands came up, pulling back the hood, exposing the horns of the species, however, Drallig's focus was on the Zabrak's eyes. Bright yellow pupils ringed in red stared back at him, the sign of one corrupted by the Dark Side of the Force, of one who'd given in to their baser, more emotional needs.

Drallig sensed the Zabrak's disdain in the Force. As if he and Serra were not the prey this Dark Sider sought. However, Drallig had no intent of allowing this corrupt individual to escape. There was a reason the Zabrak was here, and Drallig understood that the Force had guided him and Serra to this place to confront him.

[Master?] Serra's voice came into his thoughts, meaning she understood the Zabrak was a danger.

[Be ready,] he replied. He took a step forward, letting his robes slide from his shoulders. As they hit the ground, he unclipped and ignited his lightsaber. A moment later he heard both Serra's blades snap to life, and for the first time since chasing her to Naboo, Drallig was glad she was wearing armour. Yes, it was mainly durasteel instead of beskar such as that worn by many Mandalorians and Knight Shan, but against the clear threat in front of them, he would take what he could.

The Zabrak's lips twitched as if amused at their challenge, and as its robes slid to the floor, Drallig felt the Force shift again; the Zabrak once more exerting its will upon the Force. Drallig slid into a Soresu stance, knowing he needed to get a grasp on his opponent's style. He would expect Juyo, as that was the most aggressive of the forms, but until that was confirmed, he wouldn't be certain.

The Zabrak ignited its lightsaber, the callous, vibrant red blade common to the Sith surging into vibrant ruby life. What caught Drallig's eye was that extended hilt; one large enough for two hands to hold at considerable distance from each other. Knowing what he did about various lightsaber hilt designs, he surmised that the Zabrak preferred wide powerful strikes or used a double-bladed lightsaber. Given both Knight Shan and Serra had recently trained against training droids deployed with such blades, he wondered if perhaps the Force had alerted them to the threat of the Zabrak. That, however, was a discussion for after the Dark Sider was defeated.

[Trust in the Force to guide your actions, and look for your openings,] he said to Serra as he moved forward, taking the lead as they approached the Zabrak.

The Dark Sider sneered, once more showing disdain for them, though it didn't ignore the challenge Drallig's movements presented. Serra slipped to Drallig's right, hoping to flank the Zabrak, and jerked forward. The move was a feint, and as the Zabrak glanced at her, she pulled back and Drallig moved.

With elegant ease, his feet shifted, and he struck at the Dark Sider. However, the Zabrak was skilled, and its blade came up, blocking Drallig's strike. In the second before they disengaged from the bind, the Zabrak sized Drallig up, and Drallig felt the Zabrak now considered him a worthy fight.

Wanting to maintain the Dark Sider's focus on him, as the blade broke apart, Drallig rotated his wrists and pushed forward. The Zabrak blocked the thrust even as Serra moved in. Drallig knew the attack was too obvious, but as the Zabrak pushed his blade back and moved to defend against Serra, Drallig pressed forward.

The Dark Sider blocked Serra's attack, almost dismissively pushing her away, and then turning its blade with speed and grace to catch Drallig's attack before it could land. The Zabrak's lips twitched, and Drallig sensed that it was disappointed as if their attacks so far had been simplistic, predictable.

While pushing at the Zabraks' blade, Drallig slid one hand from the hilt, planning to use the Force to unbalance his opponent. However, before he could summon the Force to his aid, a warning echoed. He pulled back, creating just enough distance that as the second end of the Zabrak's blade ignited it failed to catch anything.

The Zabrak advanced, its blade moving rapidly. Drallig blocked a flurry of blows, each seemingly more aggressive and powerful than the last. The Zabrak stared at him and Drallig felt his presence pulse in anger. The Force moved around them, and Drallig placed his trust in it, letting it flow through him and guide his blade, catching the Zabraks' rapid flurry of angered strikes as much as needed to deflect and redirect them away from himself.

Yet, even as the Force guided him, Drallig knew he was being forced back; not by a Dark Sider, but by an actual Sith.

Drallig, like the rest of the Order, had believed the Sith were gone, that the last two were defeated and killed not long after the New Sith Wars. It seemed that, perhaps, that had not been the case. The question would be if this Sith served the same Order of Two that the last Sith encountered had, or if he was, perhaps, a member of a return to the older Sith orders that held hundreds, if not thousands, of members – rivalling the Jedi for numbers at various times in history.

Why this Sith was here, Drallig couldn't say. However, if, by the will of the Force, he was able to subdue it, Drallig intended to question it extensively as to the location of the other Sith before removing the threat the Zabrak posed.

The Force flowed through Drallig, guiding him as needed, and he allowed it to use him as a conduit to enact its will. Yet, for every strike deflected, for every blow avoided or countered, Drallig felt a gathering in the Force. The Sith was younger, stronger, and fuelled by its rage, attacking him with impressive speed and agility. Every time their blades connected, Drallig felt shockwaves – both physical and within the Force – rush through him, and each attack brought another small shift from Drallig, another centimetre of ground surrendered to the Sith.

To anyone watching, this engagement would appear as nothing more than a blur. Time had slowed for the pair, as the Force empowered them during this furious duel. The Sith's blade trailed over the ground, sending a wave of superheated dirt toward Drallig. Yet, before that even made it halfway toward him, not only had Drallig shifted to entirely avoid the dust, but he'd also defended against three dozen attacks from the Sith.

His attention on resisting the Sith's onslaught, Drallig almost missed the faintest of shifts within the Force that came from Serra. Without taking his eyes from his opponent, Drallig knew where Serra was, and wanting to give her a chance, he altered his actions. While each blow from the Zabrak was defended, the slightest of shifts in when and where his blade connected with the Sith's had them both turning.

As he sensed her closing in, Drallig backstepped a powerful slash, slipped to one side, and brought his blade around to strike at the Zabrak's hilt. The Sith reacted as Drallig expected, bringing his upper blade up, and pushing away Drallig's attack.

Yet, the opening that should've been created for Serra never materialised, and as Drallig batted away a return attack from the Sith, he was forced back. That created enough room for the Sith to pivot and intercept Serra. Drallig's Padawan unleashed a flurry of blows with her two sabers, coming in at angles that forced the Sith to continuously move. Yet, throughout Serra's assault, Drallig never sensed the Zabrak being truly pressed by it; almost as if he knew she couldn't harm him and was simply toying with her to prove a point to Drallig.

Wanting to assist his Padawan, Drallig moved forward. Yet, before he could take more than a step, he stumbled. Something had collided with his leg, and as he recovered almost instantly, he understood that during its last defensive move against Serra, the Sith had dragged its blade through the tiled ground, sending sections of it flying toward Drallig.

So concerned for his Padawan, Drallig had missed the faint warning from the Force of the action, and it prevented him from reaching Serra as the Sith turned her attacks back against her. Drallig moved again, wanting to reach his Padawan, yet he felt the Force move again. Before he was sure what it meant, he was lifted from his feet and sent hurtling back.

Turning in the air, Drallig dragged his blade along the ground, using the friction of the deep gash he left to slow himself and prevent the Sith's Force attack from slamming him into a wall. Steadying himself, he willed the force to aid him, and rushed forward, back toward the fight.

The dust from his blade scorching the ground remained almost stationary as he moved, his limbs straining as he willed the Force to push his body to its limits. Yet, even as he neared the fight, he knew he was too slow.

Serra was blocking each attack from the Sith, her body moving faster than he'd ever seen it do before. He sensed her determination, her desire to protect; to not allow the Sith to escape. Yet, for all that focus – of which Drallig was immensely proud – it was clear she was being forced back with contemptuous ease by the Sith.

Drallig understood the Sith was far beyond Serra, perhaps even himself, and as he rushed forward, he was reminded of facing Master Windu when he first developed Vaapad, when he'd come close to losing control of the power flowing through his strikes. Yet, whereas Vaapad was firmly rooted in the light, the Sith was thriving on the fury in itself, and, as much as Drallig wished it wasn't so, inside Serra. The Sith was using that rage, that fury to subsume the will of the Force to its desires, bending the Force to its will as it drove Serra back.

The Sith, sensing his approach, decided it had toyed with Serra long enough. The Force moved with it as the speed and ferocity of its attacks increased. Drallig was able to watch every shift in the Sith's body, every angle the two ends of its lightsaber took, yet for Serra it was too much.

A blow landed on her forearm, yet the Sith's blade was forced away. Drallig sensed the surprise at the strike not removing the limb and offered a small thanks to the Mandalorians for Serra's beskar bracers. Yet, the bracers could do nothing to prevent, after the Sith had swatted aside her blades, the Zabrak driving a knee into Serra's gut.

Serra doubled over, the blow driving the wind from her lungs, and her grip on her lightsabers weakened. The Sith's blade flew out, sending sparks flying as it sliced through Serra's shoto, though by the will of the Force and Serra's quick reaction, she retained her hand.

Yet, before Serra could attempt anything, even to recover from the loss of air, or Drallig was close enough his blade could do anything to distract the Zabrak.

Sensing the Sith's intent, Drallig called on the Force for aid. As the double-bladed red lightsaber came hurtling up to take off Serra's head, Drallig thrust a hand forward, sending every ounce of willpower he could with a powerful Force blast.

The blast slammed into the pair, and while Serra was only knocked to the side, the Sith was sent hurtling away.

Drallig raced to her side, sliding to a stop as he reached her. Yet, before he could check her condition, he felt the Force move. Even as he braced, the ground around them exploded and he was sent soaring away, showered in dust from whatever remained of the tiles they'd just been standing upon.

As he tumbled in the air, Drallig called on the Force for aid once more. Letting it guide him, he landed on his feet, sliding back to disperse the residual momentum the blast had imparted.

A warning from the Force accompanied a reddening of the dust around him. Knowing the strike would be too powerful to directly intercept, Drallig brought his blade up at an angle and moved. The main attack of the Sith's lightsaber slammed into the ground, sending more dust into the air, even as Drallig's blade came around, blocking the other blade.

Drallig held that blade in place trying to gain the bind, then sensing the pressure against his blade shift, leapt back, avoiding a sweep from the other end of the Sith's double-bladed weapon.

Using the small gap his jump had generated, Drallig glanced at Serra. She was slumped against a wall, and while he was too far away to see her condition, he could still sense her within the Force. Any further thoughts of his Padawan were ripped from his attention as a wave of darkness rippled through the Force, coming from the direction where Serra and Drallig had come from; from where Knight Shan was located.

Drallig knew that provided he survived this battle, he would need to speak with Serra and Knight Shan. The bond between them was greater than he'd known, perhaps going so far as to violate the Jedi Code. Any further concern with the bond between the pair was pushed aside as he sensed, entirely unexpected, delight from the Sith.

Drallig blinked, shocked to understand that the Sith wasn't here to help the Federation or target Queen Amidala, but was here for Knight Shan. When had Shan encountered the Sith, or what had he done to draw their attention? Such questions would have to wait though, as Drallig saw the Sith refocus on him.

As Drallig moved to engage the Zabrak, he knew that Shan had a small chance to defeat this Sith. Force, Drallig wondered if he could stop the Sith, and accepted, as his blade once more clashed against the Sith's, that today might well be when he became one with the Force.

If that was his fate, then he would accept it. However, before it came, he would do everything he could to defeat the Sith and protect Serra.

The Force answered his call for aid, and Drallig pushed forward, his blade moving with renewed speed and determination. The Sith blinked as it was forced back onto the defensive, and Drallig allowed himself a small smile at catching the Zabrak off-guard.

Sensing the Sith's intent to overpower his attacks, Drallig shifted. As a powerful, enraged counter-strike missed him, Drallig reached out with the Force. A second later, as his blade slapped away another attack from the Sith, he felt Serra's blade slide into his hand.

Moving even as the blade ignited, he slipped the arm low, and as the blade blocked an attack from the other end of the Sith's lightsaber, Drallig caught a whiff of burnt flesh.

The Sith stilled, anger burning brightly within it. Wanting to fuel that rage, hoping it might cause the Sith to overcommit, Drallig smiled. He was unsure how the battle would go, but he had drawn first blood and had every intention of that not being the only wound he left on the Sith.

… …

… …

(Vhonte's POV)
"Phase Seven."

Vhonte waited and watched as half of the Gungan army still outside the forest turned and slipped under the cover of the trees and the shields coming from the fambaas already in the forest. This was the last Phase before the battle would truly begin, and while it had taken longer than she'd have liked for the Federation to take the bait and close before Phases Five and Six, they'd committed to the assault.

The only flaw in the plan had come from General Binks when he shabla Phase One and left General Ceel's half of the army exposed to the Federation attack. That had cost the lives of over a hundred Gungans, but looking back on it, Vhonte suspected the slight mistake had worked to their advantage, giving the droids a false sense that the Gungan army wasn't as organised as it appeared.

That Binks had seemingly forgotten the plan that she, Dun Marod, and General Ceel had gone over with him a dozen times this morning, had her continually questioning the logic of making that particular Gungan anything but a figurehead. Still, the Gungan Bosses had left him in place, and once the battle was over, she hoped they understood the folly of giving Binks any true power.

As the last fambaas slid into the forest, disappearing into the shadows within, Vhonte waited, watching what the Federation did. So far, they'd continued to approach cautiously. Around sixty per cent of their droids had advanced with about a third of their tanks on the Gungans, with them only slowing or stopping once during Phases Five and Six.

The rear forces were split into two groups. About two-thirds of that group had closed halfway to the rest of the army along with most of the remaining tanks. The rest remained behind, guarding the troop transports. That had been one of the few times Vhonte had to compliment the enemy as it was precisely what they should do. Of course, because of that, it had been factored into the plans for Phase Eight.

The fact there were still clear gaps between the three elements of the droid army was another thing that worked in Vhonte's favour. As did the fact the droids in the front element, while moving in formation, were keeping close to the tanks. It had allowed them to fire when Phases Four through Six had been enacted, though Vhonte had been surprised when there'd been no attempt to attack during Phase Seven.

After watching the gradual withdrawal of the Gungan army, they may well have been waiting on air support to bomb the forest. That, thankfully, had yet to materialise, but with all eight fambaas that had walked out with the army, plus another four that had stayed inside the forest, all having activated their shield generators, the forces arrayed within were protected from such attacks.

Now the droids were left with three options. The first was bombarding the shields in the hopes they might fail. While the shields had shown strain under early barrages from the droids' tanks, inside the forest, the generators were working in tandem to produce their protection. That offered increased power to the shields and all but ensured the droids wouldn't punch through any shield without focusing every piece of artillery they had on it.

The second option, which Vhonte had already deemed unlikely given the droids had continued to advance as the Gungans withdrew, was for the Federation to turn and leave the field of battle. If they did decide to withdraw, then they'd have done so already as reports of battle in Theed must've reached the controllers in the vessels in orbit.

The third option and the one Phase Eight was designed for, was for them to keep advancing toward the trees. While there was a lack of logic in pressing an attack toward a clear defensive position, the sheer numbers the droids had, along with their orders seemingly being to destroy the Gungan army, meant it was the probable next step the Federation would take. And the one Phase Eight, and the various delegations of firepower Dun Marod had suggested, was designed for.

A predatory smile came to her lips as her HUD reported the front rank of droids advancing. That was corroborated by reports through the Battlenet from other locations of the Federation Army moving forward. Behind the front lines, tanks lifted their barrels and, as Dun had expected, fired deeper into the forest.

While their bolts destroyed trees when struck, it revealed the domes of the shields the Gungans had in place, and the tanks soon relented their assault. Sections of destroyed trees fell through the shields, showing their weakness to slow-moving objects. While a handful of Gungan positions inside the forest were destroyed by large sections of trees raining down, none struck a fambaas or a shield generator, removing one concern of this lull in battle that Vhonte held.

The Battlenet reported the edges of the droid army moving out, to flank the shields. Just as expected. Vhonte's smile turned dangerous as the bulk of the droid forces resumed their march forward, trickling over the Tracyn Briik. A quick check with unit commanders confirmed all primary and secondary targets were marked, awaiting her order to commence the battle. Shifting slightly, Vhonte lined her rifle up with the droid that was issuing – or relaying at least – the orders for the army.

Slow, rhythmic breathing was all Vhonte heard as her scope remained zeroed on her opposite number among the droids. She watched, still disbelieving that, with the connected network that must exist between the droids, the need for verbal relaying of orders was needed. Mando'ade hadn't been fighting like that since before the time of Te Kandosii Mand'alor four thousand years ago, yet the Federation, in a frankly di'kut display of intelligence, had decided their droid army needed to have orders relayed verbally.

Through the Battlenet she had complete access to every connected warrior on the battlefield, along with those in Theed – who were currently engaged heavily throughout the city while Naz Vizsla escorted Amidala toward the palace – yet the droids didn't, failing to use an inbuilt advantage they had. That made it another flaw in the Federation's doctrine that Vhonte and others were exploiting.

In one corner of her HUD, a number slowly rose, indicating the percentage of the lead element that had crossed the Fire Line. Thirty per cent soon became thirty-five, and then forty per cent. At the same time, a counter beside that slowly dropped, indicating how close the vanguard of the droid forces was from entering the forest.

At fifty per cent of the element having crossed the Tracyn Briik, they were ten metres from the forest. Gungans and others stood ready, at least five metres inside the treeline, ready to strike on her command. In various points, high in trees and using other natural elevated locations, snipers looked down their scopes, their spotters marking out the next set of targets. Those with rockets stood ready to unleash their first volley, striking the tanks in the lead element while Dun would have his finger over the trigger to show why the marker was termed the Fire Line.

Fifty-two per cent crossed the Fire Line, and they were eight metres out.

Fifty-five per cent, and six metres.

Fifty-eight and three metres.

Sixty per cent and one metre.

"Phase Eight," Vhonte said into the Battlenet as she squeezed the trigger of her rifle.

The bolt flew from the forest, travelling ten kilometres to strike the droid commander squarely in the chest. As the frame slumped into the tank, the field between the lead and second elements of the Federation army exploded. A wedge of earth, encircling the lead element, was torn from the ground. Those droids and tanks caught on the line were eviscerated, sections of tanks flying outward, striking nearby allies as everything along the line was engulfed in flame.

A second and then third bolt from her rifle targeted other command droids, joined by fire from other snipers. Rockets slammed into the lead element's tanks, depriving the now cut-off group of most of their fire support. Rockets then slammed into the second element's tanks; arcs of blue and white cascading across the hulls of the tanks as their systems failed and they crashed into the ground.

Not given a chance to process what was happening, large boombas from the Gungans slammed into the ground, spitting waves of blue plasma that fried the systems of any technology caught in their explosive radius.

As chaos fell on the droid forces, Vhonte sent signals through the Battlenet. The first was for fire to concentrate on any remaining active tanks in the lead element. If those broke into the forest and slipped through the shields, they could wreak havoc on the Allied forces. The second signal was to two groups of twenty warriors codenamed Galaar element.

… …

(Dun Marod's POV)
Dun Marod allowed himself to smile as the speeder he was on shot out of the forest. Two more speeders emerged just behind, and as he received confirmation that Validus' speeders were also moving, he chuckled. He might not be able to feel the wind on his face as they raced out of cover, surging toward the Federation's lines, but for the first time since the civil war, Dun felt alive.

As much as he enjoyed training new generations of warriors, he missed the battlefield, and the chance, perhaps, to die a death worthy of a warrior. Now, while he'd have preferred his return to battle hadn't occurred with another civil war for his people – the fourth in his lifetime, and sixth in the last century – he'd been content to die then.

However, it seemed his fate wasn't to die at the hands of a fellow Mando'ade, for which Dun was relieved. His people should be fighting others, proving their worth against sentients across the galaxy and reminding everyone of the might of the Mandalorians; not fighting over the scraps left behind after over a millennium of fragmented rule.

Dun didn't expect to die today; there was no honour in falling to such droids. The only advantage the Federation Army had was superior numbers, but as any good warrior knew, such an advantage was only critical when the commander was sufficiently skilled. The battledroids were designed to enforce Federation dictates, not fight major battles over planets.

That fact had been proven as the droids continued to advance on the Gungans, not once deviating majorly from their programming, which showed their controllers weren't skilled in warfare; something that Vhonte and he had designed their battleplan to take advantage of.

The Fire Line had destroyed close to Dun's highest projections, and severed the Federation Army in half, with that front element being pounded from fire inside the forest. Other Mando'ade, along with the handful of Lokella'ade that understood heavy ordinance were targeting the second element, destroying or (preferably) disabling every tank there while turning the droids to slag.

The Gungan boombas were remarkably useful for this. While the smaller hand-held balls were only capable of taking out unshielded droids, those launched from their catapults would disable a tank if they struck cleanly. Haran, even a partial strike was shutting down dozens of systems in the repulsor-lifted platforms.

As they neared the rear transports, Dun opened fire. Those with him in the skimmer, and those in the others did likewise. Droids were taken out with ease, while tanks were targeted with every piece of ion weaponry available. It had taken some work, but with support from Vhonte Tervho, Cameron Shan and Osto Ordo, Dun had convinced other Mando'ade to share their ion weaponry with the Lokella'ade; with the promise of reimbursement for any piece of ordinance used. That was going to cost Cameron Shan significantly as the Fire Line had taken most of the heavy explosives brought to the planet, but, as the transports began to turn, hoping to retreat, and the ion fire shifted to them, the purpose of sharing around the weaponry became apparent.

Attempting to take most of the tanks and transports intact was a brave call, but the thinking had been of the reward doing so would bring. The Federation would have to pay to recover each vehicle, and if they didn't others in the galaxy surely would. While the credits each warrior was getting from Cameron Shan for this battle were worth the effort, none would turn down the chance at a larger score, not even Dun who had little personal use for a large credit haul. Save perhaps, upgrading the weaponry of his armour.

As the first transports lost power and dug into the green fields, Dun examined the Battlenet. The front droid element was rapidly falling with the Gungan artillery shifting focus to the second element. There, smaller, secondary explosions had ripped through the formations of tanks, depriving them of fire support from each other, making them easy targets for those targeting them.

As another droid fell due to Dun's blaster, he allowed himself a small smile. While the droids were unworthy of being considered a worthwhile enemy, seeing so many disparaging forces ally together under a unified command lifted some of the melancholy that had held Dun's heart for decades. He didn't know if this alliance would last past the liberation of Naboo, but seeing so many Mandalorians from across the stars rally under a single banner was something he had long thought impossible.

However, if the chance again came to fight in such an alliance, Dun would be the first in line. While the Lokella'ade and the Gungans weren't Mando'ade, they were warriors. Haran, even the Naboo were proving that beneath their belief in peace and discussion if they had to, they would fight to protect what they held dear.

While the skimmer he was on slipped between the droid lines, those onboard targeting every droid and transport as they could, Dun wondered if the offer to train the Lokella was still valid. They fought for a worthy cause and working with them might bring Dun the chance to die in a battle worthy of his skill.

… …

… …

(Cam's POV)
I barely suppressed a scowl of annoyance as I slipped under the powerful – but to me – slow attack of a vibroblade. The lizard that didn't know he was nothing more than a pair of walking boots attacking me was the last of the squad I'd run into. Yet even as I cut down his companions, more mercenaries had emerged, including the return of the snipers from earlier.

While the incoming fire wasn't able to wound me, there was still a kinetic element to the bolts. Something that was proven when I stumbled as a sniper's bolt caught my shoulder. I'd been occupied removing the head of a Weequay and knew the armour could tank the blow, however, I had forgotten about the effect getting hit would have. Once I'd recovered from stumbling with a slight adjustment, I'd launched the Weequay's head toward the sniper dumb enough to hit me.

Watching the grey-skinned female duck before the head exploded inside the room she was using for cover had brought a smile to my face even as I ended the life of another annoying lizard. My lightsaber flicked out, deflecting another bolt back to its source even as I thrust my beskad forward with a passing step, grinning at the look of realization in the lizard's eyes I stepped past, ripping my blade through to send his steaming guts splattering to the floor as he tried in vain to hold them in.

Turning even as the walking belt fell to its knees, my lightsaber removing a hand that tried desperately to grasp at me, I moved forward. The HUD let me know the locations of the snipers – the grey-skinned lady having shifted rooms while I'd been finishing off the Trandoshan – and I raised my beskad, extending two fingers.

Bolts flew toward me as I walked forward in the square, though they never made it to me, slamming into the Force Barrier I'd raised to cover myself. Already the warriors with me were targeting the snipers as the last of the nearby mercenaries fell. I took a step forward, readying myself to rush to where Drallig and Serra were engaging Maul.

Fear rushed through the Force, knocking the air from my lungs and I fell to a knee as my barrier faltered.

"Serra."

Bolts slammed into the ground around me as my focus slipped and the Force Barrier fell as I understood where the rush of pain had come from.

One bolt crashed into my helmet, jerking my thoughts back to my location. With the rage I kept buried inside rising, demanding I strike back at those attacking me and my loved ones, I looked to where the bolt had come from. Snarling under my helmet, I extended my arm and clenched my fist.

The section of the building the sniper had been in imploded as I crushed it with the Force; the sniper inside had no chance to escape as the walls around him pulverised his body.

I blinked as I released my hold on the building and watched the debris tumble down what remained of the three-story building. Serra had been hurt, though not critically, and in that instant when I'd felt her pain, I'd lashed out. I'd regained control quickly afterwards, but it was a concern at how easily I could still lose control.

I'd done the same as what had happened with Vosa, and when Fay fell against the Vong, even though I thought I'd gotten a handle on my rage. Yes, I hadn't released it into the Force as a Jedi was meant to, but doing that was difficult when I remembered everything that had happened to me vividly. It was why I'd yet to even enter the same room as Vosa.

I had thought I'd gained control over that rage, to harness it only when I wanted, yet in an instant, when someone I cared deeply for had been hurt, I'd lost my focus. Though I didn't regret what I'd done to the sniper.

Refocusing on the battle around me. Time moved slowly as the Force Enhanced me; letting me watch bolts crawl forward. Stepped forward, I moved away from another sniper's bolt. That sentient and the droid squad that was emerging into the square to engage us were no longer my concern.

Maul was on the battlefield.

A second droid squad appeared this time directly in the direction I was going. I was among them before they could process it, my lightsaber craving its way through half of them in the time it took one to mutter a concerned "uh-oh."

I rushed past the remaining droids without bothering to finish them off. They weren't my target. Maul w…

My thoughts were rattled as the ground around me exploded and I was sent tumbling.

My helmet slammed into a wall, though the systems inside prevented me from getting concussed even as I shook it to clear the cobwebs. The HUD revealed I'd run directly into a unit consisting of two tanks and a dozen droids. They were likely moving toward the squad I'd left behind in my race to reach Serra and Maul.

I pushed myself to my feet, only to stagger as pain slammed into my gut, doubling me over.

Understanding Serra was hurt, perhaps fatally, I felt my control slip, and as I recovered and looked toward where the tanks were, I extended an arm. Brilliant crimson lightning, twisted and fuelled by my rage at Serra's pain, surged from my fingertips. Any droid caught in the fury's path was fried, falling to the ground in a blackened mess as the lightning slammed into the first tank.

The vehicle shuddered, sparks erupting across its frame before smoke slipped from the seals, and it fell to the ground.

The other tank fired, forcing me to shift focus. My palm opened, and the shell fired at me exploded, engulfing the barrier I'd generated in pulsating flames. As the flames receded, the few remaining droids with the tank paused, and while they couldn't see it, I smirked.

Focusing my anger, reining in my rage, I surged forward.

Another round exited the barrel of the tank.

A faint flick with my free hand forced the explosive downward. The round slammed into the ground, detonating as I leapt, the Force boosting my height far above the explosive shockwave that devastated the few remaining droids.

Surging over the peak of the shockwave, I bore down on the tank. My blade sunk through the barrel and embedded itself in the hull. Growling, I used both hands and wrenched the hilt to one side, leaving a deep, super-heated wound in the tank's hull. The sounds of the droids inside reached the armour's microphones even as I leapt again.

Landing behind the tank, I reached back with one hand and tore the hatch from its hinges. A thrust of my arm then sent a Force Blast inside the tank, shattering the droids and controls.

As the machine shuddered and then crashed to the ground – its repulsor-lifts failing – I turned. The Force propelled me forward as the tank exploded.

Somewhere just ahead, Maul was fighting Drallig. Serra was injured, but alive, which was perhaps the only reason I retained control of my rage. As the seconds ticked down until I reached my target, I did what I could to focus my anger, to not allow it to dominate me.

Around me, around Theed, the Force was flaring wildly. Whatever I was rushing to was, I understood clearly, a pivotal moment in the direction the galaxy would take. I'd changed the timeline enough that, if I didn't defeat Maul, then the original future was lost. That everything I'd done to prevent that future from coming to pass would be for nothing.

… …

… …

(Asta Ordo's POV)
While she understood the need for patience, after over a week of being forced to deal with the Neimoidian crew of the Saak'ak, Asta was fast approaching the end of what patience she had. It wasn't necessarily that the Neimoidians were snivelling, cowardly osik that would do whatever they were told for fear of their lives being threatened, or that they refused to even consider resisting. More it was that she knew a battle was raging below, but that it wasn't time yet for her and the warriors with her to do their part.

They'd heard the reports of the droids moving to meet the assembled Gungan army – which had been a surprise as the locals had managed to assemble nearly twenty thousand warriors – but since then, information had slowed to a trickle. She could see the plan being used by those on the surface but hadn't commented beyond ordering Captain Dofine to not send orders to alter the droid's instructions.

Dofine was perhaps the only Neimoidian that Asta didn't hate spending time around. That was because, unlike his crew, he appeared to have a backbone. Or at least enough of one to glare at her or whoever was keeping watch on the bridge when orders were given. The rest of the crew simply cowered and complied, sapping much of Asta's enjoyment of her new command.

The only ones onboard who hadn't accepted the new chain of command had been the remaining mercenaries. Those brief insurrections were handled appropriately, and having the crew place the bodies into the onboard incinerators ensured they remained docile. Asta knew that the Naboo, the Jetii, and the Tsad Droten might have issues with the summary execution and burning of captured combatants, but Mandalorians didn't. Leaving alive those who could be a threat in an active warzone was jare'la.

Yet, news of her actions here would reach the Naboo, the Jetii, and possibly even the Tsad Droten. However, the only reactions she was curious to see were those of Shan and Keto. While Keto's opinion was less important than Shan's, not least as she'd submitted to her Jedi Master's orders to not wear her helm, she was the first Jetii to become a Mandalorian in centuries. Shan's reaction though would go some way to determining if his path remained with the Jetii or if he would fully embrace the Resol'nare.

A beeping from the droid control station drew her focus back to the present, and she offered a silent prayer to the ancient gods that they could finally do something.

"Reports coming in from the army," the Neimoidian at the station began, a threat of panic in their voice. "Gungans have detonated a large section of the plains. Ten per cent of the army lost. The army is split by the explosions. Command and control failing."

Dofine had turned as the report came in, fixing Asta with an intense glare that might've concerned Asta if she'd been an adiik. "I assume this is the work of your people?"

"Fire coming from the forest," the control officer continued, stopping Asta from responding quickly. "Gungan and standard blaster fire."

Asta shrugged once the control officer was seemingly finished. "I honestly couldn't tell you if I wanted," she finally responded to Dofine, giving the Neimoidian a wide, shit-eating grin. When the reports of the Gungans marching out onto the plain had filtered in, she'd spoken with Kal and Baston. Kal, who was holding the power core, had detailed the basic plan he would work with. Baston, who was overseeing the transferral of the Saak'ak's computer core to transportable drives, had chimed with other suggestions. So far, everything that had been reported was in line with what they had expected.

"Reports of tanks and droids being disabled. Speeders assaulting the transports."

Asta grinned at the latest report, knowing it may well have cost her several casks of ne'tra gal with Kal as the veteran warrior had suspected Vhonte would push to capture as much of the Federation's army as possible. Asta had expected them not to pursue it simply because of the increased risk, but given many of the warriors on the planet below were fighting for credits and not for House Ordo, House Kryze, or a personal connection to Cameron Shan, she wasn't surprised to lose the bet.

Not long after taking the vessel, Asta had spent time reviewing why the Federation had targeted Naboo. The Naboo themselves were, to Asta's disgust, naak lovers. Yet, unlike the di'kute in their domed cities who claimed to be Mando'ade but were little better than osik-beetles clinging to the rear of the Tsad Droten, the Naboo had a backbone. They, led by a queen barely older than one who'd completed their verd'goten, were fighting for their home. That was worthy of respect.

The information the Federation had on the Gungans was exceedingly limited, dismissing them as primitives barely worth the cost of tibanna to exterminate them. As the droid army struggled to engage a Gungan army a tenth its size, it seemed that the report was – at least for Asta – amusingly lacking.

Watching the droids be led around like an adiik by their parent was enjoyable. It was made better by the fact that Dofine could see what was happening, but she prevented him from relaying new commands to the droids. To make sure the officer at the control station wasn't going to try anything, Nia Vizsla had her blaster pointed at the back of the Neimoidian's head. Given the original officer had tried to do that not long after the Saak'ak was captured, which resulted in their skull being split by a beskad from behind, and that their blood still marked the console, it was hardly surprising the current officer was only doing what they had to.

"However, it does sound like more than the work of just the Gungans," she said to Dofine, enjoying sticking the blade into his anger at not being able to do anything about the disaster for the Federation unfolding below. Of course, once she'd learnt about the transports lifting off from the capital, Theed, and other settlements, and what – or more accurately who – was onboard, she was going to take any chance she could to goad the Neimoidians.

"What other dastardly actions have you lot got planned?"

Asta's smile grew, and she leaned forward. "Nothing the likes of what you were doing. I hadn't realised that the Federation was so short of credits they needed to loot a planet and sell the inhabitants into slavery." Dofine looked away, suggesting he was unwilling to defend his actions, though that might be Asta misreading the alien.

When the first new transports had come up from the surface, Asta had ensured they were diverted to the Saak'ak. The Naboo and Gungans were fighting for their freedom, and when they won, they deserved to return to their cities and not find them looted by the Federation. Yet, when those transports had arrived onboard full of citizens from the planet below, it had taken considerable effort for her not to exterminate every Neimoidian onboard. And to ensure her warriors didn't do likewise.

Moving the understandably confused and scared Naboo, including children under ten, to comfortable quarters, and ensuring they were fed and treated by the vessel's medical droids had stemmed some of that anger. Though Asta had promised the others that, once the planet was free, the crew of the Saak'ak would answer for their crimes.

Dofine held her gaze for a moment before turning back to the viewscreen. Asta watched his fingers twitch, the anger at being unable to do anything on what had formerly been his vessel easy to see. Sensing the moment would soon be at hand, she slipped her helmet on, relieved to be back in the sealed protection of the armour and away from the odd smell of the Neimoidians.

With the battles in Theed and on the plains underway, it wouldn't be long until their phase of the liberation of Naboo could begin. Somewhere in the system, close to the planet and running silent was a small, modified cargo hauler. The pilot, a freelance hunter - of both bounties and big game - was waiting for a signal from her or the Naboo pilots. Once received, he'd relay it to the fleet. Currently, they should be at the very edge of the system. The hyperspace coordinates were fed to them by the gunships that had helped sell that the Naboo Royal Cruiser had carried Queen Amidala and not her and her warriors.

If all had gone to plan, then Torrhen and Adonai would be with them. Throughout the last civil war, engineers from both Clans had been working to bring long-mothballed warships online. However, Anzur Varaud had surrendered, giving over control of most of the factories and foundries under his house's control before the largest of those warships could be readied. Meanwhile, the accursed Kyr'tsad had been crushed.

Now, Asta knew that members and sympathisers of Kyr'tsad remained. However, with their bases slagged, their resources taken, and any ships they held destroyed or stripped for parts, no trace of their operations remained within Mandalorian space. If any wished to still follow their twisted ideals, they had been declared aruetiise by Torrhen, Adonai and Anzur Varaud.

Yet, even if the group were gone, Asta remained concerned they might return. While Adonai trusted Pre Vizsla, and Torrhen was accepting that Pre had not followed in his family's past, Asta couldn't bring herself to let go of her worries about the head of Clan Vizsla. Yes, he had proven himself in battle several times over, even saving her life during a skirmish on Hrthging, but his brother had founded Kyr'tsad, and it was the symbol of their house – the Darksaber – that was used as the rallying sigil of Kyr'tsad. Until that blade was found, and then crushed in the forges, she could never truly accept the group was gone, nor that Pre wasn't in some way involved with them.

"Captain! We've got reports of fighters launching from Theed!" The panic in the officer's tone sickened Asta, but knowing that her call to arms was almost here, she sent an alert through the Battlenet. Confirmation came in from Kal, Baston and the other team commanders scattered throughout the ship.

Dofine glanced at her, wondering what she knew of the intent of these fighters. "Flight vectors?" He asked the sensor officer. As Dofine spoke, Asta sent a command to Baston. The signal to the fleet was away and now it was just a matter of time until they arrived and ended their façade.

"Four banking toward the battle on the plains. The remaining sixteen are rising. Computer predicts an eighty-five per cent chance they are moving to engage us."

At this Dofine turned to her, making her chuckle. She could tell how much he wanted to launch the alert Vulture droids and order the trio of Lucrehulks to move, but he understood that, if he wished to continue breathing, such a command had to come from her.

The Federation's databanks had held specifications of the Naboo fighters, and while they were designed for form over function, from what Asta had learnt from those files, the Naboo fighters were still capable. While not as heavily armed as she would like, or as shielded, they were fast and nimble. Yet against the sheer number of Vulture droids even one Lucrehulk could launch, twenty fighters didn't stand a chance. And that was before considering the shields and firepower that each Lucrehulk had as supposedly unarmed cargo haulers.

"Well?" She said with a smile that Dofine couldn't see. "Aren't you going to launch defence fighters?"

Dofine held her gaze, wondering what exactly she was up to. Regardless of whether he determined anything or not, he soon turned to the sensor officer. "Hox, bring us closer to the planet and order the Vuutun Palaa and the Luuhan to move back to maximum control range. Nirtam, divert active squadrons to defend the fleet and launch alert fighters from all vessels to assist. Dremon, plotting firing solutions on the Gungan forces. Itab, if a need arises, assume control of planetary droid forces if the other vessels report connection difficulties from moving to higher orbits."

"I would suggest only assuming control of droids in the other cities," Asta offered. Dofine looked at her, wondering about her reasoning for helping. "With the fighting going on across the planet, it would make tactical sense to take control of the less critical ones, allowing the other vessels to focus on Theed and the battle with the Gungans." She moved forward, placing a hand on the back of Dofine's chair. "Unless, of course, you wish to focus your attention on protecting the Viceroy, in which case, assume control of the droids in Theed."

Truthfully, it was better if the Saak'ak maintained control of droids across the planet for what was to come. However, Dofine was intelligent enough to see through her logic there and would do the opposite, thus she gave him the more tactically prudent suggestion. How he responded was up to him.

The Neimoidian held her gaze, trying to determine her motives, which was another small mark in his favour. It wouldn't save him from the Reckoning coming for helping in the invasion of Naboo, the looting of its treasures and helping with selling the people into slavery, but it was something to count in his favour.

"You heard her," Dofine spat out as he continued to glare at her.

As the crew took on her advice, Asta laughed. While she couldn't feel the massive vessel move, a report from Kal stating more energy was being drawn from the power cores confirmed it. She let him know this was intended and to be ready to execute the next phase of the plan.

With little to do until the fleet arrived, Asta used the Battlenet to access datafeed from the lead squadron of Vulture droids under the control of the Saak'ak. Like most Mando'ade, she disliked droids, finding them an unworthy substitute for true warriors. The only droids safe from that determination were the basilisks of legend – though perhaps not for much longer – and the akaan beskar'ad of Naast be Me'suum that Cameron Shan had recently brought back online with help from Bo-Katan Kryze. That droid was one feared and respected by all Mando'ade, though each time she considered Cameron and Bo-Katan, she wondered when the pair might seal their relationship and unite their clans.

That was a matter for another time though, and as she watched the datafeed from the Vulture droids, she found some grudging respect for their designer. They were fast, agile, well-armed and shielded and moved in swarms that would overwhelm most fighters any species in the galaxy might deploy. Yet, as she watched, even massively outnumbered, the Naboo fighters were not only holding their own but inflicting damage on the Vultures at a three-to-one ratio.

While that was impressive, the Naboo were outnumbered close to twenty-to-one, and that was before the support wave of vultures reached them. Though she could admire their determination to fight and die for their home, their freedom. It proved the choice of Houses Ordo and Kryze to answer Clan Shan's call to arms was the correct one.

The Neimoidians were enjoying watching the Naboo die in what they regarded as a pitiful attempt to attack the Lucrehulks. Asta, however, watched stoically, her armour recording the face of every Naboo pilot who died. While she didn't know if the Naboo would return to their path of peace once they were free, on this day, they showed that, even if they had failed to prevent their planet from being invaded, they would fight to free it. That inside them beat the hearts of warriors. When the day was over, and the battle decided, their names would be remembered by all.

As she watched another Naboo fall in defence of their home, Asta considered their young leader. Queen Amidala had pleaded her case to the Tsad Droten, yet they had ignored her. Bending, instead, to the demands of the very group responsible for invading her world. While that had forced Chancellor Valorum from power, it had also lit a spark in Amidala.

Returning to fight for her people had inspired others to do likewise. Yes, most of the Mando'ade who had answered the call did so for credits. Amidala's speech to the assembled fleet before they had departed for the planet showed the fire within her, and Kal had remarked that while a politician, she had the heart of a warrior. Something that her people were showing they, too, possessed.

"Acquire firing solutions on the battle on the plains."

"Belay that," Asta snapped, her hand gripping the hilt of her beskad on the chance the weapons officer tried to enact it. She relaxed slightly as she saw Hox jam the muzzle of his rifle into the back of the Neimoidian Weapon's officer's skull. A squeak of terror escaped the Neimoidian and Asta grunted in annoyance at such weakness. "Just because I've let you deal with a false threat doesn't mean I'm going to let you do anything more."

Dofine blinked. "False threat?" she leaned forward, removing her beskad from its mounting at her side. "What have you done?" He asked as the blade caught his eye.

"Captain! Vessels dropping out of hyperspace near the planet's moon!"

Dofine's attention snapped to the viewscreen. "Display!"

Asta walked behind his chair, dragging her blade along the edge, letting the scrapping of metal-on-metal echo around the bridge. While it affected the Neimoidians, her warriors were all inside their armour, the sound muted and seen as little more than a hint of the carnage to come. As the screen shifted from images of the minor fighter engagement to display the arriving fleet, a smile that would've stopped the hearts of several of the Neimoidians came to Asta's face.

At the same time, every Neimoidian on the bridge – and throughout the ship – who wasn't either a senior officer – and thus carried ransom value – or important, died. Their bodies scorched as her warriors executed them and took true control of the Saak'ak.

"What is the meaning of this?" Dofine screeched as he leapt from his chair. "Ho…" his words died as Asta moved forward, the hilt of her beskad slamming into his skull. At the same time, the other senior officers were stunned or rendered unconscious similar to their captain.

She watched his body slump, the arm cracking as it caught and twisted awkwardly. The HUD confirmed it was broken but otherwise, the prisoner was alive. "Finally," she muttered to herself. Moving forward, she pushed Dofine away and eased herself into the command chair. It wasn't a wonderful fit, being designed for Neimoidians, but at least the ruse was over and true command of the mighty vessel was hers.

"Status?" she asked through the local Battlenet.

"Control of the vessel's droids confirmed," Nia Vizsla reported as she sat at the droid control station. "Awaiting your signal."

"Helm ready."

"Weapons primed, awaiting firing solutions."

The reports from Hox Brahl and Mun Xath confirmed the bridge was theirs. Reports team commanders confirmed the rest of the ship was secured, with all organic crew dead or incapacitated. "Open a channel to the Ne'tra Tal'ade," she said, the large command vessel at the centre of the combined fleet, a relic of a bygone era but still a terror of the battlefield, dwarfing those around it.

The display shifted, half showing the approaching fleet while the other showed her the command deck of the Black Blood Warrior. "Riduur, Adonai," she said to the two figures shown on the Ne'tra Tal'ade's bridge, her voice carried by the external speakers of her armour.

"Riduur. I assume the vessel is secure?" Torrhen asked with a slight smile. Neither he nor Adonai currently wore their helmets. From the way they stood, however, she could tell each had them under their arm.

"It is, along with any crew of value and those the Federation had taken from the planet."

Adonai growled. "What?"

"It seems that to recoup costs, the Federation was not only looting Naboo but selling the people into slavery." Both men bristled at the statement, their anger at the actions of the Trade Federation easy to see. "While we couldn't stop those sold before our arrival, nearly two thousand Naboo and Gungans are onboard."

"Do they know your vessel will soon go into battle?"

"Yes husband, they do," Asta replied, rolling her eyes at Torrhen; not that he could see the gesture. While Torrhen was a great warrior and an even worthier mate, he had a gentle heart and tried to protect those in danger when he could. "Many have chosen to help us man this vessel, and are now following the commands of my warriors."

"While we're pleased to hear that, perhaps we might keep discussions about their fate, and that of any prisoners you have, until after the battle," Adonai suggested. "What forces do you command?"

"This Lucrehulk was designed as a command vessel. While she has limited control of the droids below, over four hundred Vulture droids are at my fingertips. Along with firepower that likely breaks the Tsad Droten laws."

Adonai laughed. "That will be something I'm sure Alor Cameron and Queen Amidala will enjoy throwing in the face of the Senate. Assisted, I suspect by the new Chancellor: Sheev Palpatine of Naboo." Asta's brow rose. When the Senator for Naboo hadn't returned with Amidala, she had considered him a coward. However, it seemed he had used the chaos to become the new leader of the Tsad Droten. Not the actions of a warrior, but one of a shrewd politician. Asta would be wary of the man if she ever met him.

"The Saak'ak is ready for battle," she said, shifting the topic back to a relevant matter.

"Then let the battle commence." The signal from the Ne'tra Tal'ade ceased, returning the display to that of the approaching allied fleet.

"All stations, execute," Asta said through the Battlenet.

With full control of the Saak'ak her HUD reported the ship slowly turning, bringing her arsenal to bear on the other Lucrehulk. The droids under her command suddenly began turning on those around them. She knew that on the planet below, that might not matter and wouldn't save the droids from destruction, but in space, watching Vulture droids suddenly shift from targeting Naboo fighters to other droids, was a glorious sight.

However, a moment later, it was replaced by another.

The main cannons of the Ne'tra Tal'ade opened fire, slamming their power into the shields of the Vuutun Palaa. As the captains of the other Lucrehulks called out for orders from Dofine, the Mando'ade dreadnought pushed forward. Around it, the fleet added their firepower, swatting aside wings of vulture droids.

Asta allowed herself an amused smile as her HUD reported the Saak'ak's batteries opening fire.

For the first time since the Dral'Han, the galaxy would be reminded of the might of the Mandalorians, and the power of a dreadnought built by them.

… …

… …

(Serra's POV)
With a groan, Serra lifted a hand to her head. It was hard to focus and there was a ringing in her ears. Yet, all that failed to matter as her vision cleared and she saw lightsabers clashing not far from her. Green whirled around, engaging a far longer blade of red and she blinked, her mind refocusing as she realised her Master was engaging the Sith.

Wiping her forehead and eyes, she stood slowly, ignoring the blood on her sleeve as she watched the Sith. She'd known he was Sith before she'd arrived on Naboo, known that if she didn't do something, Cam would die to the Zabrak's blade. The visions the Force had granted her had been clear in that. Yet, she'd not expected her Master to chase after her; or at least, not arrive here before she and others could help Cam defeat the Sith.

She knew her feelings toward him, and others like Bo, were stretching the Jedi code, but Serra knew that Cam was important. There was a darkness growing in the galaxy, a fact proven by her Master currently engaging what may well be the first Sith seen in a millennium. Serra wasn't sure if Cam was the one who'd bring light to the galaxy, but she knew he was important to prevent darkness from swallowing every flicker of light.

Now, Serra didn't place any focus on the dealings of the Senate, or indeed the wider Republic, but she knew enough to see that there were big problems. Potentially ones so massive that repairing them before the darkness engulfed the galaxy might be impossible. If that was the case, then Serra knew that order and peace would need to be restored. While she felt she had a role to play in that, she knew Cam had a greater role.

Her visions of the future, of which she'd spoken to no one as she didn't know who to trust with them, showed her at his side. Perhaps not as close as others, and if that was the case she could accept it, for the greater good. However, Cam and another – a Human with blond hair if her visions were accurate – were critical to saving everything.

Serra understood that visions couldn't be entirely trusted, but she felt that within what she was being allowed to glimpse were paths the Force wanted the galaxy to take. That Cam had to survive Naboo. Which was why, as her Master forced the Sith back with a move she'd never seen before, she was glad he was here.

Without Master Drallig, she would already be dead, and Cam would probably also die at the Sith's blade. However, it was also clear that the Sith was challenging her Master, the Order's Battlemaster. While she wasn't sure if or how she could help, she wouldn't stand by and do nothing.

Using the wall behind her to steady herself, she stood and reached out a hand to summon her remaining blade. The shoto blade had been destroyed before she'd been knocked back, and without it, she felt as if a piece of her had been lost. She could still sense the crystal, so once the Sith was defeated, she would recover that and rebuild the hilt, but not having it in her hand, not feeling the Force flow through her and the blade as they moved as one, left her empty. Until then, she'd have to adapt and use her remaining blade, which had been closer to her Master than her when she'd recovered.

Once upright, and as her Master blocked a flurry of blows from the Sith, Serra called the Force for aid, allowing it to heal and numb her wounds. The speed at which Master Drallig and the Sith were duelling was impressive, flickering in and out of her ability to track

She felt she could make a difference, but she had to pick her moment to re-engage, otherwise, it would only lead to her and her Master falling, leaving Cam alone to face the Sith.

If Master Drallig could sense her thoughts now or was able to focus on them, she suspected he would be pleased. When he'd first taken her as his Padawan – one of Serra's proudest days – he'd spoken of her greatest failing; that of rushing in without thinking, without analysing a situation. She knew she still did that, particularly where her friends were concerned, but she felt she'd improved greatly at tempering that failing in herself. Master Drallig had spotted her improvement as well, commenting on it regularly after their spars. Now, she still lost to him, as was to be expected of any Padawan or young Knight, but she felt she would be able to push him within the next few years. As Master Drallig said, her heart was in the right place, but she needed to temper that desire, that emotional failing, to rush in with wisdom. To place herself under the will of the Force and allow it to guide her as needed.

Taking that moment to centre herself, she understood fully that the fight she was about to rejoin was beyond her. Perhaps it might even cost her life, but it was the right thing to do. That the Force wanted her here, at her Master's side, to engage the Sith. As Master Drallig moved back, avoiding a strike from one side of the Sith's double-bladed lightsaber, she waited and watched, seeking the moment the Force wished her to return to the fray.

Cam was approaching, and she could sense the rage in him. Part of her was delighted that the rage he displayed, which echoed out in the Force, was because he'd sensed her in danger. However, the way he seemed to not release that anger, that fury; instead drawing on it concerned her. Years ago, he had taught her that emotions could help a Force user, but she'd been uncertain of those lessons for a while. Yes, emotions like love and joy could empower a Jedi, but the risk of sensing one you cared about could easily lead to passion, anger, and rage. As she sensed in Cam.

Perhaps it was that danger, that difference about him, that had drawn her to him. That had allowed them to become friends and more. Yet, she couldn't help but fear what it could lead to if he failed to control his emotions. She would do what she could to guide him, to help him learn, but she understood and accepted that perhaps he never would fully gain control over his emotions. And that, whatever the future brought, they were tied together in the Force.

Sensing movement in the Force, she let the second of reflection pass and moved forward. Soon Cam would arrive, and with her and her Master, he would defeat the Sith. All she had to do was survive until he arrived, and then ensure he emerged victorious from the battle.

With the Force on her side, she moved forward, sensing her moment. The Zabrak had its back turned, focused on the rapid, flowing strikes her Master was unleashing. Her lightsaber ignited as she drew the Force into her, and called upon it for aid.

As time seemed to slow, as she was able to see individual flakes of dust seeming to hover in the air, the blades of the pair she was rushing toward moved in a blur. Master Drallig was attacking with controlled aggression, his blade seemingly being in three places at once. Yet the Sith was matching his attacks, almost dismissively so.

She almost stumbled as the Force shifted around them, as the Sith bent it to its will, and turned her Master's attacks back on him. While she closed in the pair, and Master Drallig gave his all to block the Sith's renewed furious attacks, Serra sensed something in the Force. Something dangerous, powerful, and familiar. Somewhere there, or perhaps deep within herself, a whisper told, almost demanded, that she take control of the Force. If she wished to save those she cared for, she had to use her power to defeat the Sith.

Leaping into the air, her blade rising high, she ignored the call of the Dark Side. It wouldn't, it couldn't grant her what it promised. Her leap reached its arc, and as the blades of the two other Force users clashed ferociously, she fell: her blade aiming for the Sith's skull.

However, as she neared, the Sith sensed her approach and turned. One of its blades blocked her strike, and it grinned at her. As her feet touched the ground, she understood that the Sith was unimpressed with her attack and that he was stronger than her.

Drawing on lessons with Master Ti, she slid back, letting the Sith's strength guide her in a way she wished. Like with Cam, she understood she'd never match the Zabrak in strength – and perhaps raw power – but instead had to rely on her other attributes. To flow and move with grace and speed, to slide around a larger, stronger, more dangerous opponent.

In the milliseconds that had passed since she landed, she moved. Her body shifted to one side, using the Sith's aggression to turn her even as her blade slid down the Sith's: aiming for his hilt. The Zabrak turned its wrist, avoiding her attack and flowing into one of its own; yet she was ready. With the Force flowing through her, guiding her, she leaned back.

Her vision turned red for a fraction of a second as the Sith's blade swooped overhead. Flickers of plasma in the blade were clear to her as it passed by, but a few stray ends of her hair burnt was all the damage the attack inflicted. Even as the Sith's blade passed over her, her blade was moving, coming up and around and the Sith was forced to lift a leg to avoid losing it. She understood her attack had missed by a wider margin, yet the fact the Force was with her renewed her conviction.

Before the Sith could attack her in turn, Master Drallig re-engaged, drawing the Zabrak's attention. Her Master had sensed her attack, and while he knew it wouldn't touch flesh, he used it, and the slight distraction she created, to his advantage.

The Sith had to block a flourish of strikes from her Master, though as their blades moved and Serra readied herself to rejoin the battle, the Zabrak turned the tables. Quicker than Serra could follow, he turned a defensive parry into a thrust, forcing her Master to surrender momentum. The Sith's twin blades whirled around, seeming to make the very air bleed, and her Master was forced to parry, deflect, or avoid every move the Sith made.

That was the moment Serra was ready again, and with the Force guiding her blade, attacked. The Sith sensed her approach and pulled a hand from the hilt of its blade. Master Drallig, sensing the shift in the force, leapt back, his blade moving while airborne to protect him from a savage thrust of the Sith's lightsaber. The ground where her Master had been standing exploded, ripped apart by the Sith crushing the tiles with the Force.

The Sith's blade came around rapidly, but with the Force as an ally, Serra was ready. When the blades clashed, the energy within each battling for dominance, Serra was shifting, turning. Her blade slid off the Sith's, and she went low, batting away an attack from the other end of the Sith's lightsaber, and then thrust forward.

To avoid being stabbed, the Zabrak was forced back. Its blade came down, slapping hers away contemptuously. However, she'd felt this coming. Rolling her wrists, her blade turned around the Sith's and flicked forward. The attack failed to land, but she was already moving, sliding back to avoid the other end of the Sith's lightsaber.

Her blade came around covering her from attack, and as it was jarred back by the ferocity of the Sith's move, one hand slid from her hilt and crashed into the Zabrak's shin. Any joy she felt from landing a blow against the Sith was short-lived as the Force seemed to buckle in on itself. Before she could brace, she was sent hurtling away, a tidal wave of Force energy slamming into her.

Rolling to control her tumble, she steadied herself just in time to have her vision turn red.

Her blade moved rapidly as she gave herself over to the Force, letting it guide her where she needed to go. Her body shifted, adapting to the will of the Force, sliding to one side to avoid an attack from the Sith even as her blade moved around and deflected another.

Behind the Zabrak, she sensed her Master moving, rushing to her aid, but her focus remained on the Sith, herself, and the Force. If she didn't, then her Master wouldn't rejoin the fray before her life was extinguished.

Shockwaves rippled through her bones each time her blade met the Sith's. The attacks came in faster than she could process, yet with the Force as an ally she was able to evade or deflect the strikes. Yet, she knew she was being driven back, losing ground and energy with each move, each clash shaking her very core. And under it all, still present and ever offering, was that small nagging voice, begging her to reach out and take the power she needed, and in her desperation, she couldn't deny the whispers. She was slowing, struggling to meet his attacks, to simply survive. Even with the Force guiding her, it wasn't enough. She needed more time, more skill, and more power.

As that realisation came to be, the Sith's blade slipped past her defence. Plasma crashed against metal, and sparks flew. She pulled her arm back, the controls on her vambrace ruined by the Zabraks' blade. If not for the beskar of the gauntlets, she'd have lost her hand.

The Sith grunted in annoyance at being denied her limb and attacked with renewed fury. Every strike she blocked felt as if it was cracking her bones, every evasion was so close what remained of her robes were gone, the durasteel of her armour melting from the lightsaber as it grazed across the surface.

Another attack broke through, crashing against her foot. Again, the beskar she had saved her limb, as it did a third and fourth time. Serra was growing desperate, adapting by necessity the beskar she wore into her defence. She knew it couldn't last, that eventually, the Sith would strike her somewhere not protected by beskar, but he was now moving so fast she simply couldn't move fast enough to keep up with even half his attacks.

Pain lanced through her side, and she stumbled back, avoiding a swipe of the Zabrak's lightsaber that would've taken her arm. She hissed, understanding why it hurt. Either the super-heated durasteel or the plasma of his blade had burnt her stomach. Her blade came around, seeking to block the Sith's next assault, but she was slow.

The strike against her blade staggered her, a hand slipping from her hilt to stabilize herself. Another strike against her blade, and it was jarred from her hand, the blade diffusing moments after the hilt slipped from her gasp.

The Force screamed a warning, and trusting it she leaned back. The heat of the Sith's blade flashed past her neck, seeping through the underweave, and making it clear how close she'd come to losing her head. As she kept moving, desperately avoiding strikes she saw one of her braided ponytails fly away, the Sith's blade having caught it in the last attack. Even as she processed that, something jammed into her gut.

She stumbled back, falling to a knee. Glancing up she saw the Sith looming large over her, a satisfied look in his eyes as his blade swirled around. Accepting her fate, her head dropped. "I'm sorry." The words slipped from her lips, hoping her Master and Cam understood she'd tried. That she'd only come here to help.

The red blade swooped down, overpowering her vision, only to be snuffed out by a vibrant green.

Looking up, warmth filled her heart as she saw her Master's blade blocking the Sith's. Determination in the set of his face and eyes. Her Master thrust out a hand, knocking the Sith back. He glanced at her, relief clear in his eyes, before rushing to re-engage the Sith.

She pulled herself to her feet as the pair clashed. Their blades moved rapidly, flying around and turning the air around them into spheres of green and red, shifting to white where the blades clashed together. Serra's eyes widened as she felt her Master drawing heavily, moving at speeds on par with any member of the High Council. The Sith, however, was matching her Master strike for strike.

Attacks of Djem So were countered and then returned with movements that she'd never seen, and it pained her to admit the Sith was good, if not brilliant. He standing his ground as the Jedi Order's Battlemaster used every nugget of knowledge he had gained over decades serving the Force and the Order.

Yet through it all, she sensed the Force shifting, twisting, twirling. The outcome of this battle was already decided, and as she realised the victor, she found herself racing forward. Her lightsaber flew into her hand, the blade igniting as the missing part of herself returned to her grasp.

Barely a metre from the pair, the Force lurched violently, and she stumbled, slipping to a knee.

Her eyes widened as the pair stopped, the red light of the Sith's blade piercing out from her Master's back. She watched in horror as Master Drallig's blade fell from his grasp, the hilt falling so slowly as time seemed to stop.

Looking deep into her master's eyes the Sith seemed to be taking satisfaction in his victory and in the next second the blade was ripped free of her Master's chest and, with a brutal back swipe, slashed his body in half. As Master Drallig's body slumped to the ground, his head turned to her. For a moment where time seemed to stop, his eyes found hers and with his last thought, he reached out to her.

Her mind did likewise, not wanting to lose the person closer to her than any other; someone she considered a father. Yet, before she could reach his thoughts, the light faded from his eyes, and she felt him become one with the Force.

The Zabrak stalked toward her, its blade scraping the ground, sending dust flying around menacingly. Serra looked at him, seeing the coldness, the contempt in the Sith's eyes. Not only did he not consider her a challenge, but he was also already looking beyond her. Toward his true target. Toward Cam.

Serra's gaze returned to the lifeless body of her Master, of his lightsaber that lay unpowered next to his dead hand. He had taken her in and trained her for over five years. And this Sith, this monster, had ended his life simply because she had come to this planet, and Master Drallig had followed.

Finding the voice inside her, the one offering her power, she stood. Her hands opened and the twin blades flew to them. Her blade and that of her Master.

The Sith paused, its eyes widening slightly as she took control of the voice, of what it offered.

The Zabrak had taken her father. He would not take the only person left that mattered to her.

With the rage of her loss, and the threat of what was at stake, swirling in her, the Force reacted to her. It did as she wanted.

The power flowed through her as she rushed toward the Sith.

He braced, readying himself for her assault.

The anger, sorrow, fear, fury, everything whirling around inside her became focused on the Sith, and with it corralled she screamed a challenge at him.

And the Force screamed with her.

… …

… …
A/N: If you have them, enjoy the holidays, and say goodbye to Battlemaster Cin Drallig.
He was a good Jedi.
… …
This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
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May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Jan 22, 2024

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

This chapter was released at least 3 weeks ago to my Patreons (with them seeing a draft version around 2 months ago) and on the story's Discord server (in GDoc form) about a week ago.
Links for both are at the end of the chapter.
Hopefully, all the little mistakes have been found and removed.

As before, this chapter has multiple POVs. However, most of the focus is where I'm sure people want it to be.

Phantom Menace 5
... ...

(Maul's POV)

He pulled himself to his feet, the Force bending to his demands, his rage powered by the shock of this Jedi's actions. Throughout the entirety of the battle with her Master, Maul hadn't been concerned by her, regarding her as nothing more than a slight obstacle. Yet, not only had she managed to get the drop on him, but she'd drawn on the Dark Side, twisted it to her desire, as well.

For all it was worth, that alone earned her Maul's consideration. She had potential, though corrupted by the Jedi's flawed teachings, even if she would never live to realise it. Still, like the Master, the Padawan wasn't his reason for being here. Nor was the planetary conflict, one that Maul's Master had arranged, his focus any longer.

No, he was here for Shan.

Lord Sidious spoke often of the young Jedi, how he had seen that Shan was a threat to the Sith and the Grand Plan, and that was why Maul was here. Yet, whenever his Master spoke of Shan, Maul sensed something else, just at the very edges of Sidious' thoughts. Hints that Sidious considered Shan interesting, useful even, not just to the Grand Plan, but as a potential replacement for Maul. For that, more than anything, Shan would die by his hands this day.

Maul's place was at Sidious' side, learning from his master as he positioned the pieces for the Sith to achieve their ultimate revenge against the Jedi. No being, certainly no Jedi, was capable of preventing that. Nor denying Maul further tutelage under Sidious until the time came, and like Sidious and the Dark Lords before them, Maul would kill and replace Sidious; taking control of the galaxy Sidious would create when the Jedi fell.

However, before that, and before Shan fell, Maul had an unexpected nuisance to eliminate. Delightful rage radiated from the female as she came at him. His blade moved, easily swatting away her first attack, and as the second attack came in, he blocked it and twisted his blade to bind hers. As their lightsabers pressed against each other, he stared at her, examining her.

This child was merely playing with the Dark Side, drawing upon it in a time of need. She didn't understand its depths, its power, its glory like he did. As their blades broke apart, Maul wondered if she might have potential as his Apprentice, but he quickly dismissed that. She was too steeped in the ill-informed dogma of the Jedi to be of use. Nor was Maul ready to replace his Master. For all that this child twisted the Dark Side to her, Maul bathed in it, savoured every shred of pain, anger, desolation, and destruction it wrought; and how he broke it to his needs. To do as he commanded.

Sliding back, he watched the Jedi's blade flash toward him. Nowhere near close enough to cut him, even if the Jedi had sensed the move coming and lunged forward, yet close enough that it would enrage her. His blade then came around, pushing her blade away faster, forcing her off-balance. The other end of his lightsaber came up, aiming to strike her head from her shoulders, but the girl sensed it coming and ducked away, using his push of her blade to hasten her retreat.

She'd barely managed to reset her footing before she attacked again, green clashing against red as he defended almost dismissively. In the brief moment where their blades pushed against each other, she snarled, her rage breaking through the calm visage one would expect of a Jedi.

A grin split his face, she may have been unable to even scratch him, but she and her master were a fine warm-up.

The Force bent to his will, flowing through and strengthening his body, making this strike strong enough that she stumbled. The other end of his lightsaber flicked up, intent on slashing her chest open. He was pleased to see that, as she moved back, she was able to bring her blade around to deflect his attack.

Once she's recovered her base, she glared at him with eyes full of malice, which caused his grin to widen. His eyes flicked to the side, to where part of her Master's body, and his lightsaber, lay. This was the Battlemaster of the Jedi, but to Maul, the Jedi he'd killed on Coruscant several months earlier was the greater threat, the more skilled fighter. Both had fallen to his blade, the gulf in skill evident.

The Padawan surged forward, her blade sweeping in. Ripping the knowledge of where she would go from the force, Maul evaded the first attack and then brought his blade up, blocking a quick second strike. Her attack had been easy to sense coming, but even if she was to die soon, he wanted to savour this before his fight with Shan.

His arm was strong and unyielding but even so he could feel the force of her strikes, an untrained surge of the Dark Side strengthening her body beyond what she had been able to muster before.

Pushing her blade away, Maul wondered what had caused her to draw on the Dark Side instead of fighting it like so many other Jedi, the padawan of the Twi'lek certainly hadn't drawn on it no matter her desperation. It was simple to sense that she'd barely hesitated and that drew Maul's curiosity. With time before Shan arrived, he strode forward making sure to press her just enough that she could still block.

Through the hazed blur generated by the plasma of their weapons fighting for dominance, he looked at her, and through the Force, slipped into her thoughts. Her mind was a mess, the death of her Master destroying much of her mental discipline, but he felt the control she was displaying over the Dark Side, and reached toward it.

Images of her Master throughout her life leaked into his thoughts, making him sneer at how pathetically the Jedi trained their warriors. How they coddled them. To build a warrior, one must break them; train them with pain and suffering. Things the Jedi failed to understand.

Their blades strived against each other, and he sensed a false belief growing in her that she could avenge her Master. Smiling at that further angered her, opening her mind wider to his probe. Pushing deeper, Maul blinked. The other end of his lightsaber flicked out like a sand viper, forcing the Jedi to move to deflect it.

The upper part of his blade was shifting around even as she deflected the lower half of his weapon, yet the killing blow failed to land. While he had pushed into her thoughts, he'd missed the slight shift of the Force and allowed her to summon another blade to hand; that of her fallen Master. Yet even so, her rearming herself with two blades failed to change anything, the Padawan attacked without restraint, Maul centring himself in the maelstrom allowed her to keep attacking, taking the fleeting moments in time between her attacks to analyse what he'd ripped from her mind.

This Jedi, this child, was important to Shan. It had been he who taught her to harness her emotions. Those methods, while inefficient and flawed as they focused on drawing on all emotions, had taken root in this child. That, and her connection to Shan, had Maul re-evaluating his target, and the girl trying to kill him.

Nothing changed in that the girl would die. Even if she was nothing more than a Padawan, Maul took pride in every Jedi he killed; in how every death brought the Grand Plan closer to fruition and she had earned a worthy death. Yet this girl shared a deep connection to his target, one that ran deep into what this Padawan was. An attachment that showed the hypocrisy of the Jedi for all it was. That attachment would do nothing more than delay her death, allowing him to use this girl against his true target.

Smiling in renewed anticipation, Maul pressed forward. Shan was close, deliciously so. His rage flaring when Maul had hurt this girl made sense now, and it granted Maul an opportunity to see how far Shan would go when that rage threatened to consume him.

From the reports and recordings Lord Sidious had given him, Maul had little doubt he could defeat Shan. Yes, the Jedi had unusual abilities, but Maul had already scoured Sith training holocrons for methods to counter such abilities, and even began, outside of his Master's knowledge, experimenting with them himself. While the droids Maul trained with couldn't entirely duplicate Shan's abilities, they granted Maul enough insight that he had several dozen counters ready should Shan foolishly try to use them. So much so that, before realising the rage in Shan, and his connection to this girl, Maul had thought he would defeat Shan even more easily than he had the Battlemaster.

Even with his ability to draw on his rage, Maul knew Shan was still falling. However, His Master had taught him, regularly and painfully, that it was easier to defeat anyone when they were off balance or distracted. This girl, who was barely able to hold her own against his mere training strikes, would serve to grant Maul that edge against Shan, as much as he would prefer to give her a quick and honourable death.

Maul flicked his hilt, feigning attack against one side. The girl, struggling to contain her rage, fell for it. One blade came around to defend against the false strike, and Maul's arms shifted. His blade danced around hers, the other end of his blade sliding inside her guard; thrusting toward where he'd wounded her earlier.

Maul could feel his respect grow as she reacted. Not only did she shift to avoid the strike, but her second blade came around, forcing Maul to abandon the idea of pushing forward for an assured strike. Doing that would've left him exposed to her second blade, and while he could ignore the pain of a glancing lightsaber blow, he wished to be in as good a condition as possible against Shan just in case he proved more difficult than expected.

Yet even as she blocked one half of his weapon he twisted around her side to take out the other blade from the line of contact while the other end flicked forward to graze her. Pain and anger flowed into the Force as she winced and as she pulled back, she felt a second source of rage join hers.

As Maul expected, Shan had sensed and reacted to Maul's attack landing. Wanting to further his target's rage, Maul's hand slipped from his hilt as he stepped in and caught her wrist as she twisted around to lash out at him. The Force bent to his demand, strengthening his grip as his fingers found the small gap between the armour on her hand and forearm.

A muted grunt of pain slipped from behind clenched teeth. Maul heard the bones cracking as the lightsaber gripped in the Padawan's hand, that of her former Master's, fell. As her other blade came around he turned off one blade on his saber as the other twisted around to catch it and twist it away before he reactivated his other blade to skim across her leg.

This time, the girl's scream was unrestrained, and Maul drank in her pain, and the flaring fury that came from Shan. If not for Maul's grip, the girl would've fallen to her knees. Without pause, he pivoted and used the Force to throw her hard across the courtyard.

Tiles and dirt were tossed up as she slammed and then bounced against the ground, her lightsaber falling away and flickering off as she struggled to control her body, and handled the sparks of pain as various wounds pounded against hard surfaces.

Maul advanced toward her, relishing the moment when realisation dawned in her eyes upon seeing him once more. Though she understood she had been defeated, that her fate lay in the imminent encounter with his blade, Maul acknowledged a certain gravity in her fear. It wasn't just about losing; it was a fear rooted in her perceived failure to protect Shan.

As her good hand extended, guided by the Force to retrieve her blade, Maul decisively brought his boot down, applying pressure to crush her hand beneath his heel. A cry of pain echoed through the courtyard as bones shattered under the force of his attack.

After grinding his foot to ensure the hand was fully out of commission, Maul stepped back. He stood poised, fully aware that he could end her life at that moment. However, he stopped for a second, giving her a subtle nod of respect, acknowledging her struggle. Sensing Shan's proximity, Maul chose to prolong the inevitable, allowing the Jedi to witness the consequences of his inability to safeguard someone dear to him. Concurrently, Maul felt the currents of the Force shifting around the girl, detecting her drawing on the Dark Side once again.

Recognizing the potential challenge she might pose upon Shan's arrival, Maul's blade came around to bring her life to a swift end. Yet, as the crimson light of his blade approached, illuminating her face, she screamed anew—the power of the Dark Side amplifying her voice.

Maul had realised at the last second he wouldn't be able to stop her, and had shifted his body, bracing for the attack as he drew the force into a barrier in front of his body. His lightsaber seared a trough in the ground, slowing his movement, and when the girl slumped, her body exhausted and her rage failing, Maul had only been driven several metres.

He advanced with purpose, seething with anger over his recent failure to anticipate her Force Scream. The first instance could be forgiven, as it wasn't in any file he possessed on the girl or Shan. However, the second occurrence was both insulting and humiliating. Aware that his Master would undoubtedly punish him for this lapse, Maul prepared his blade. Any notion of prolonging her demise to torment Shan was pushed aside by the urgency to rectify his mistake.

As he strode forward, his blade rising with lethal intent. The respect from their previous exchange lingered. His weapon poised high, ready to deliver a swift strike, he locked eyes with her. Despite the inevitability of her impending death, she met his gaze with unwavering defiance. She had accepted her fate but refused to meet it with fear. Maul's respect for her was not unearned and he resolved to make sure the strike was quick and sure.

… …
(Cam's POV)

I flinched slightly as I felt Drallig die. While that was concerning, and proof of how dangerous Maul was, I couldn't dwell upon it. Not when it was accompanied by a surge of anguish, disbelief and then fury. Then that fury lashed out, and I knew Serra had drawn on the Dark Side again. I had an idea of how she'd lashed out, in desperation over Drallig dying, but again, that wasn't important. Her attack, whatever it had been, would only anger Maul.

I could sense them both just around the corner of the building in front of me and knew Maul would strike back, ending Serra for daring to attack him with the Dark Side. Yet, as I took another step toward the last corner separating me from my targets, I felt the Force shift; or at least Serra's emotions within it.

Six steps from the corner, I felt Serra draw on and focus her anger, using it to power her actions. I remembered our lessons from years on harnessing such things, but I understood now that I'd been in error when I'd suggested that. The Dark Side was far more than just the Force used when suffering from negative emotions. Adas's holocron – which I'd only used when alone and far from the Coruscant and other Jedi – had driven that lesson home.

The Dark Side would offer her a boost, one she would, in her rage, draw upon. However, without understanding how the Dark Side worked to worm its way into someone, how it sought control over them while offering power and energy, one was at risk of losing themselves to their emotions and desires and becoming a pawn of the Dark Side. With the sorrow and wrath radiating from Serra, I knew she was in danger of just that happening; if she survived Maul long enough for me to reach her.

Five steps from the corner, there was another shift in the Force. The Dark Side was focused on a new presence. One of immense power and capability. That had to be Maul bending it to his will; proving he understood – as I'd expected – the nature of the Dark Side. While I knew I didn't, I was at least more aware of the danger it posed, and how now, even drawing on her fury, Serra was nothing more than a bug on the windshield to Maul.

Anger built inside me at the thought of how outmatched Serra was, yet as my foot crashed to the ground, bringing me ever closer to the corner, I pushed the anger down. I wasn't going to lose control against Maul. If I did for too long, he'd kill me with ease. Hell, even if I remained in control, he might still defeat me, even with all the tools I'd brought to this fight.

Maul had killed Drallig today, and Qui-Gon and countless others in the other timeline, and to defeat him, I needed to be smart and remain in control.

Vosa had toyed with me, wanting to tempt me to the Dark Side, to serve her. The Vong had been cautious against me, testing me in battle to learn what they could. In both cases, they're goal hadn't been a quick and decisive kill, and it was only through dumb luck – and perhaps some amount of skill – that I'd survived my encounters with both.

Maul was a different beast. Unlike Vosa, he wasn't just a Dark Side Adept but a full-fledged Sith. One bred to hunt and kill Jedi; one far more skilled and experienced than me.

Four steps from the corner, I felt the Force shift again, as if Maul was curious about, or contemplating something. Serra was alive still, her rage burning brightly as it focused her entirely on Maul, and it felt like she was holding her own. I knew that couldn't be true, which meant either the Dark Side was deceiving her, or she was blinded by her rage.

Maul would've had files on Serra because of me. While he might not have expected to encounter her here, if he was even half as smart as I expected, or Sidious as thorough in his training, then Maul had studied and trained for not just myself, but everyone close to me. Including Serra. Yet in the seconds that had passed since Drallig's death, Maul hadn't killed her. Almost as if he was toying with her, killing time until I arrived.

Fear grew inside me as another step toward the corner was taken. Maul was keeping her alive simply to have me watch her die. The dust launched from my foot crashing against the ground seemed stationary as my mind raced. The Force allowing me to process information and move on par with a computer, if not the processing speed of droids like R2 or HK. Normally, that allowed me to analyse everything going on, to find avenues to take. Yet here and now, it only served to grant me more time to fear for Serra; of arriving simply to watch Maul kill her.

I shifted my path toward the building, intent on rushing through it. While Teleport was not viable, as it left me momentarily disorientated when I emerged, Phase had no such limitations. I cursed as I pulled the Force to me for not thinking of the power earlier when Serra had first engaged Maul, as I could've simply rushed through the buildings to where she and Drallig were engaging Maul. Far too often, in situations where my anger or adrenaline got the better of me, I fell back on what I knew, what I trusted from my former life, and failed to use the Force to the fullest of my abilities.

Three steps from the corner, pain slammed into me, making me almost lose my grip on my anger, and forcing me to stumble slightly away from the building, back toward my original path. Serra was hurt, badly. The urge to obliterate Maul, to rend him limb from limb, surged through me. That faint voice, the whispered offer of help from the Dark Side echoed in my head, asking me to accept it, to revel in my desires. Yet, as Serra's pain continued to echo in the Force, I pushed aside that offer. Even as Maul's delight and amusement became clear; I resisted the urge to draw on my rage.

Resignation from Serra flowed into the Force as I took another step closer. She understood, through the haze of her pain, that she'd lost. She was ready to join her Master in the Force. I, however, wasn't ready to allow that.

I opened my mind, wanting to offer her hope, only to slip. A new, powerful well of anger rose within Serra, and with my mind open to her, I was bathed in it. Her anger boiled, her fury rose, and I sensed what was coming.

As I reached a single step from the corner, I stopped. The air in front of me erupted, my HUD reporting an energy-powered shockwave erupting from where I knew Serra had been. Without the armour, my ears would've likely bled as the HUD showed chunks of the wall all but vapourised by the concussive force of the wave.

Debris bounced off my armour, the only issue being the kinetic force, but with the wall taking the brunt of Serra's Scream, I was unharmed. Rounding the corner, I saw Serra on the ground, slumped over with her head hung low. Striding toward her with all the grace of a nexu, a deep gouge in the ground between them, was Maul. Flickers of rage burnt in his yellow eyes and his blade was readying itself to strike down my wounded and unarmed lover.

Even as I moved a step closer, I knew I was too far away to block Maul's blade; and any Force attack would strike them both. Left with little choice, as another step closer was taken, my saber slipped from my hand, the Force sending it racing ahead of me.

The blade spiralled through the air, cutting a swathe of black and white as it spun forward, even as it felt as if time slowed to a crawl. Mauls' blade was beginning its descent, aiming to remove Serra's head. Her eyes turned my way, either sensing my arrival or spotting my blade from the corner of her eyes. Through the Force I sensed resignation; acceptance that this was her time to become one with the Force. I, however, wasn't willing to accept that and demanded the Force accelerate my blade so it might reach her in time.

My foot crashed to the ground, dragging me ever closer as I ripped my beskad from its magnetic sheathe. Recognition flashed in Maul's eyes, and his blade altered its angle. The blades clashed together, mine sent clattering away. The hilt could've, in theory, survived a strike as I'd added sections of phrik to the casing. There were gaps in the coverage though, and I was relieved the design hadn't been tested.

As my lightsaber spun away, I instinctively reached out, pulling it back into my grasp. Maul pivoted to squarely face me, the back of his saber staff hurtling toward Serra's abdomen. Locking eyes with me, he seemed undeterred by my appearance.

Despite being a few metres away and recognizing the absence of alternatives, I knew I had no other choice. Summoning the Force to me, the hand wielding my beskad thrust forward, unleashing a concentrated Force Blast aimed directly at them. I understood the consequence – Serra would bear the brunt of the impact, defenceless in the face of the impending force. Yet, in that moment, it seemed a more merciful fate than the alternative – a lightsaber through the gut.

I could only watch as the ground in front of them exploded as the Force Blast impacted, feeling faint surprise in the Force from Maul an instant before it happened. Debris was sent hurtling everywhere, blinding my sight, but the HUD and the Force tracked both as they were struck by the Force Blast's shockwave.

Serra was unable to defend herself, and slammed into the ground about five metres away, sending more dust and debris into the air. Her hands hung uselessly as she flew, the HUD confirming both were broken, and there was a burn to her left side. Not deep enough that it was fatal, but enough that it would've slowed her in battle. And now, as she tumbled away, grunts of pain and anguish came for her each time any part of her body collided with something, and her shattered hands were preventing her from doing anything to slow or prevent the pain of each collision. Yet, for all her pain, my focus shifted to Maul.

Unlike Serra, he'd braced for the attack, and while it had driven him back, he'd landed in an easy relaxed stance. Already I could sense the Force shifting around him, and I turned, bracing myself for an attack.

We raced toward each other, the debris filling the air was no impediment to us knowing where the other was. Red light diffused in the cloud, and for any without armour or the Force, it would be near impossible to track where the weapon was.

My lightsaber clashed against the, for–now, upper section of his blade. He glared at me, rage mixed with expectation and desire. While I wanted this duel to end quickly, not just so I could help Serra but because I feared it dragging on, I knew it wouldn't. Maul was too skilled, too dangerous to fall quickly.

His arms moved, changing the angle of his lightsaber. My lightsaber moved as well, deflecting an attack from the other end of his blade. Yet, we both knew that was simply a feint and the upper section of the blade returned to the attack from my other side. However, I was ready and my beskad flicked out, stymying the attack.

A faint flicker of confusion from Maul was soon drowned out by a dark rage. He launched into a flurry of attacks, the air in front of my armour being dyed blood red. Even as my blades and I moved, blocking, deflecting, and evading the strikes, I was forced back several steps.

I knew what moves he was using, the limits of a double-bladed lightsaber, something I'd studied intently whenever I could, from Jedi Masters, the Great Holocron and any other source I could access, yet they were coming in faster than anything I'd seen unless Dooku fully drew on his power in a spar.

As the assault continued, and I kept being forced to step back, it became clear he wasn't going full out. Nor, even after killing Drallig and defeating Serra, was he close to tired. Yet, I was holding my own, at least for now.

Maul suddenly disengaged, taking a few steps back. Casual disinterest appeared on his face even as the Force shifted around him. I sensed him probing my mind, looking for insight into my thoughts; into how I'd fight. I did the same in return, though I knew neither of us would succeed in the brief mental battle for insight.

As we studied each other it granted me time to consider the flowing, aggressive nature of his attacks. As I'd expected, he was a Juyo practitioner, but I was slightly surprised by the forms that made up his base. Ataru and Djem So were standard but I had not thought to look for Soresu when facing the Zabrak.

Yet, even with all that knowledge instantly accessible via Eidetic Memory, I was unsure if I knew even half of how Maul would fight.

Knowing I had to maintain some form of advantage, I pushed forward, the vectors for my attacks already plotted out and prepared. He slid back, letting the thrust of my lightsaber miss, and then flicked the blade away with his weapon. The other end came around, blocking a low slice of the beskad. My lightsaber came in again, higher this time, followed by another flicking attack of the beskad. Those he again deflected and avoided, as he did with my next dozen attacks. As he did so, I sensed disappointment, as if my approach was beneath him.

Which it was.

Like him, my opening assault hadn't been at full speed, nor anything beyond textbook perfect. Which was something the files on me that Sidious would've given him would've stated.

He then slipped back, a small use of the Force re-establishing the distance between us. I moved forward, not wanting to give up the attack. As our blades clashed again, sparks of red and black dancing together as the plasma crackled from contact, a hand slipped from his hilt.

I could only watch as he flicked his wrist. Terror raced through me as the HUD reported a nearby building, the one Serra was slumped against the base of, cracking due to some unknown – to the HUD – force. I moved my blade, breaking the bind, planning to strike against that with my beskad, but Maul had expected this.

In the fraction of a second, after I disengaged, he attacked. His blade flicked forward, bound for my head. I had to move my lightsaber up to block, pushing his blade away. He went with the move, using my action to guide him into his next move.

My beskad went low, blocking the attack from the other end of his weapon even as he turned; my lightsaber still pushing the other end of his blade away from my head. He pivoted, exposing his back but his lightsaber twirled around his body to cover any opening that caused, forcing me to slide back to avoid a strike.

That prevented me from either attacking him or doing anything to help Serra and when I'd reset my stance, he was already facing me, directly between me and Serra. His hand was still free from the hilt, my HUD reporting further damage to the building above Serra.

One of my hands reached out, wanting to grasp Serra and pull her from danger, yet I'd barely had time to gather my thoughts on the Force, to wrap it around her body, before I was forced to abandon the move. Maul's lightsaber had struck out, and I had to defend against it.

As our blades clashed, the HUD reported the building break. Risking it, I flicked out my arm, sending a Force Blast toward Serra. The building collapsed, removing her from my sensors, and I couldn't divert attention to search for her through the Force as Maul continued his attack.

Our blades moved, a symphony of red, white, black, and shining silver swirling in the dust, and I felt my panic slowly rising: Fear of having failed to save Serra grasping my heart.

Maul must've sensed this, as when next our blades clashed, and he stepped back he said. "Another dead Jedi," he said, the voice only just carrying to the armour's audio sensors over the sounds of the nearby building crashing to the ground.

Those words, wrapped in disgust, lit the fuse. A grunt slipped from my lips as the fury inside rose, threatening to drown me. I pushed Maul back, and before attacking him, before my anger overwhelmed me, I sent a signal through the Battlenet. Osto would, I hope, respond, and move to help, yet my focus was entirely on Maul; on making him pay for hurting, and possibly killing, Serra.

Rage powered my strikes, drawing a grin from Maul as his blade swirled around, creating a barrier that my attacks failed to pierce. My attacks were aggressive, but he was a stone in the river, an eye of hate and anger that my attacks could not pierce.

Through those gaps, Maul attacked, and I was left with no recourse but to defend. Even as my anger fuelled my speed and strength, I was forced back. My blades moved around, deflecting his attacks, defending me and I was continually on the move avoiding the strikes, thrusts, and sweeps that slipped by my defences.

My anger eased slightly as I sensed Serra was alive, though the HUD couldn't confirm that. Still, I pulled back, tightening my defences, leaving my counters as late as I dared. I knew this fight still had a long way to go.

Maul must've sensed my fury subside as the ferocity of his attacks increased, driving me back further. Each blow I could only block rattled my arm. Even now, daring to hold back as much as I could, Maul wasn't pressing his advantage. At least not to the degree that I'd have expected.

Another gap in my defences wasn't punished. Instead, he pulled back, and as he reached out to finish ripping the building down my hand flashed forward, a blast ripping forth to send Maul hurtling back.

My fury rose once more at his attempt. My sight narrowed until only Maul existed, and with rage surging through my veins, I rushed forward; a desire for vengeance pumping in my heart.

… …

… …
(Asta's POV)

She watched silently from the captain's chair of the Saak'ak as the allied fleet laid into the Federation's forces.

The Naboo fighters had resulted in the Federation fleet shifting, the Saak'ak moving to defend against the threat while the Vuutun Palaa and Luuhan moved to higher orbits. Control of around half the droids in Theed, and about a tenth of those battling on the plains to the south had shifted to the Saak'ak so the other vessels could avoid even a hint of attack from the handful of fighters Naboo had launched.

Yet, that was when the Ne'tra Tal'ade had arrived at the head of the combined Mando'ade and Lokella'ade fleet. While old, the dreadnought was a relic from before the Dral'Han that had escaped the fate of her sister ships. The Black Blood Warrior was better armed than many starships of the current era, and certainly a Federation Lucrehulk.

However, three-to-one odds, even backed by the combined fleet, would've left the Ne'tra Tal'ade exposed, which was why the plan to take the Saak'ak had been hatched. Under Asta's command, it had been executed beautifully, and with the only true warship the Federation had deployed under her control, the battle had turned before the captain of the other Federation vessels understood what was happening.

The Saak'ak's Vulture droids had turned on their companions – as had any droid on the planet below – causing chaos among the main defensive approaches of the Federation. In the initial chaos, the Naboo fighters had targeted every Vulture droid they could, and Asta was amused to admit that she'd lost twice as many fighters to them than the Federation droids.

Once they understood the remaining droids weren't targeting them, they'd slid into formation with her Vulture droids, and moved to engage the Lucrehulks. As she informed them that the Saak'ak was under her control, the massive ship's cannons unleashed their fury on their supposed companions.

Caught between the Saak'ak and Ne'tra Tal'ade, the droid control ships had been trapped in a pincer. Unlike the Saak'ak and the allied fleet, the Vuutun Palaa and the Luuhan hadn't been able to focus their power on the weapons and shields facing the enemy, and because of this, their shields were rapidly failing.

What Vulture droids the control ships had launched that hadn't been obliterated when the true loyalties of the Saak'ak had been revealed, were being mowed down by combined fighter and corvette fire, leaving their capital ships to attempt to duke it out with the allied fleet.

While the Saak'ak was pulling her weight, Asta was keeping her back, avoiding the close-in fighting that the Ne'tra Tal'ade and other vessels were designed for. While some might think this was to preserve her pride, truthfully she was doing so to protect the Naboo cultural heritage onboard.

As any warrior, Asta understood that war was hardship and loss. Something she'd experienced in the recent civil war when her uncle and cousins had died. The Lokella'ade understood this too, with most of their members being former slaves. The Lokella'ade might even prefer death over the threat of being enslaved once again.

However, much of the rest of the galaxy, including the Naboo, failed to grasp an important lesson; that war served a purpose in keeping people safe and strong. There were no innocents in war; everyone, be they young, old, or infirm regardless of species or creed was a warrior. Even if they failed to understand that when war began.

The Naboo and Gungans onboard the Saak'ak understood this now, and they were serving under the command of her warriors, doing what they could to defend and free their home. That - and that alone - was what drove her to be cautious with her new ship. If they were prepared to fight and die for their people, then she would do what she could to limit their exposure to battle. At least so far as to not deny her warriors the glory of combat.

The captains of the other Lucrehulk had complained to Dofine when she'd ordered him to ensure all transports from Naboo be brought to the Saak'ak. The Luuhan's captain whined so loudly and pathetically that it had been hard to not take command then and there and remind the giant slug of his true place in the universe. She had resisted the urge though, and as the HUD fed her reports from the Saak'ak's systems, she smiled predatorily.

The Vuutun Palaa had just lost her shields, the ones facing the Saak'ak. That exposed the engines, and Hux was already focusing fire there. The complete destruction of the two other Lucrehulks would be acceptable, but she, Torrhen, and Adonai had felt when this plan was developed that it should be possible to take one or both the other Lucrehulks. With the deception being pulled off brilliantly, that was how she was commanding her warship.

The Ne'tra Tal'ade shifted its fire, focusing entirely on the Luuhan. That vessel was slowly losing power to its deflectors and what remained of its fighter screen being swatted aside as the rest of the allied fleet harried the massive, lumbering starship.

A new report came in that the Vuutun Palaa had lost power, violently so as her engines had exploded, crippling the formerly mighty vessel. With command through the HUD, the Saak'ak shifted its fire. The remaining Vulture droids were then recalled. While she had little use of droids, they could be examined for weaknesses on the chance the Federation attempted to strike back against the Mando'ade over this battle.

That was unlikely, as Asta knew, based on the data taken from the Saak'ak's computer core that the Federation would be tied up in Tsad Droten litigation for years, if not decades, to come. However, she wasn't discounting the chance they might attack her people. And after the Vulture droids had been examined, their parts could be sold for profit, or given new programming to serve others.

That, however, was a matter for tomorrow. For today, all that remained was convincing the Luuhan's captain to surrender. And with that, victory would be theirs.

… …

… …
(Padmé's POV)

"Clear."

The command came from Rook Kast, one of four Mandalorians assigned as her escort for the assault on the royal palace. The two Jedi with her, Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi stepped out first, and after having a small look around, Master Jinn turned back to her.

"It is indeed clear, Your Majesty."

Padmé smiled at the older man, finding his presence remarkably calming, and moved into the wide, spacious corridor that marked the main hall of the palace. At her side came Captain Panaka, Simvyl, and HK-47.

"Observation: It will not stay clear for long, meatbag."

Padmé had to stifle a chuckle as Sabé – dressed in full regalia in case there was a need for a decoy – two other members of the Royal Guard, four Gungan warriors, and the second pair of Mandalorians emerged from the tunnel. While the droid was incredibly blunt with everyone, she found it comforting to have HK beside her.

"I would hope not." Kast's reply sounded hopeful that they'd be intercepted, and from what Padme knew of Mandalorians, that wasn't unexpected. Yes, her only real point of contact with the culture was Bo-Katan, but having spoken to the various leaders of those who had answered Cam's summons, Padmé understood that they enjoyed battle. Far more than she or her people would consider just and right. Or at least before the invasion.

Because of this, and the injustices inflicted on her people – by both the Trade Federation's invasion and the Republic by their inactions – she was beginning to understand why Cam felt peace had to be protected with firepower. In orbit above, on the grass plains to the south, and in the streets of Theed and other cities, her people were fighting – and likely dying – alongside their newfound allies to free themselves from the Federation's tyranny. While her part in gathering and rallying these combined forces was small, that spirit of defiance, of protecting themselves was the main reason Padmé was risking it all with this assault. Capturing Viceroy Gunray would force the Federation to end their occupation, and then the Republic, perhaps under the new leadership of Sheev Palpatine, would ensure that what happened on Naboo never happened again to any world within the Republic.

A gesture from the lead Mandalorian, a man named Gar Saxon, silenced her thoughts on what would come after liberation, and their unit advanced slowly down the corridor. Saxon and Kast took the lead with the rest following.

She'd only spoken to Saxon once before the assault had begun, mainly to understand his thinking on her plan. He considered it a bold move, brash even, and approved. Padmé had asked him, Kast, and the other Mandalorians why they'd come. None had revealed their reasons then and there, though with a smile on her face, Kast had promised to tell her about her reasons after the battle.

Blaster fire echoed in the corridor as the lead Mandalorians rounded the first corner. The firefight was short, with Padmé unsure if the Federation droids had managed any returned fire, but the lead pair never stopped moving. When she reached the corner and glanced around it, Master Jinn and Captain Panaka doing their best to shield her, she saw eight droids lying on the ground, smoke rising from bolts that had slammed into their frames.

Having them along was a relief, but even if Cam wasn't happy about it, he'd allowed her to have the majority of her force composed of local fighters. He'd accepted her logic that the Naboo and Gungans needed to see their world saved by locals. While the support and sacrifice of the Mandalorians and Lokella were greatly appreciated, and Padmé knew without it they'd have had no hope, symbolism was important.

The fact Cam understood and agreed with her, had her once more wishing he wasn't a Jedi. Or that their laws against relationships weren't as restrictive. While her title as Queen wasn't hereditary, and Cam wasn't technically from their world – even if records existed to suggest he was due to a mission he'd undertaken with Senator Palpatine several years earlier – her thoughts often turned to the idea of making him her Royal Consort.

A gentle nudge from Panaka pulled her thoughts from possible, but unlikely futures, returning them once again to the present. Chiding herself for getting lost in her thoughts again, she continued moving forward, blaster at the ready and pushed any thoughts about the future from her mind.

They advanced slowly, and carefully, and as they reached the wide main chamber that ended with the regal stairs leading up to the throne room – where Gunray had his command centre – she wondered if they might reach him without any challenge. If the chaos erupting in Theed had forced Gunray to commit all his droids to the defence of the city.

That idea was driven from her thoughts as droids swarmed onto the stairs. Saxon and Kast opened fire as the first droids came into sight, but for every droid the Mandalorians took down, two more emerged ahead and above them. As Padmé was guided to cover behind a large marble column by Panaka, more droids emerged from side passageways near the base of the stairs. Several droids had metal shields, offering them protection from the blaster fire coming at them.

The Naboo and Gungans returned fire, even as some of each group fell. Padmé winced at their sacrifice, committing their names to memory for remembrance once the battle was over. The Jedi stood forward, their blades swirling around so quickly they seemed to inhabit multiple locations at once. Any incoming fire at them was sent back toward the droids.

As she lined up her shot, and then watched the bolt slam into the head of one droid, Saxon, Kast, and HK advanced. Bolts slammed into them, yet none appeared concerned about the strikes. Their blasters were unerringly accurate, and a rocket launched from Saxon's back smashed into the droid lines, shattering the defences brought out.

Yet, for all the damage they were doing to the Federation forces, Padmé could see replacements rush into the fray. She pulled back behind the column, a chunk flying off as a droid bolt crashed into it. The rear Mandalorians were keeping watch, as were Sabé and those with her. While the path behind them was clear, Padmé knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.

"We don't have time for this Captain," she said to Panaka even as Padawan Kenobi was pushed back, needing to take cover as the droids seemed to focus on him and Master Jinn.

For a moment, as he leaned out to fire off another bolt, it seemed as if Panaka hadn't heard her. She considered speaking again, only for him to look at her and then scan the corridor. a second later, he aimed at a window on the far side of the corridor. Those there – a mixture of Naboo and Gungans, and Padawan Kenobi – ducked as the window shattered; blown apart by fire from Panaka's blaster.

"Go!" Panaka called out. She rushed out, her pistol firing indiscriminately toward the Federation droids. Padawan Kenobi stepped out, providing cover with his lightsaber, which allowed her to reach the new column, the one beside the blasted window, safely.

"Thank you," she offered to the Jedi as Panaka raced across the corridor.

"All part of the service," Kenobi replied with a smile.

"Commentary: I do hope you aren't attempting to mate in the middle of a battle, meatbag. Even for a Jedi, that would be most disappointing."

Padmé covered her mouth, biting back a bout of laughter as Kenobi spluttered, caught out by HK's comment.

"Ascension guns," Panaka ordered, forcing Padmé to ignore the confused Jedi and miss his reply. If he gave one.

Padmé slipped her pistol back into its holster and then took a pistol from one of the Naboo guards. He pulled a secondary blaster from a holster as she readied the new weapon, switching the settings from blaster to the cable launcher mounted under the barrel.

She stepped out onto the ledge carefully, Panaka helping her. Her eyes drifted downward, the cliffs that the palace and Theed sat on the edge of meaning any fall from here would see her drop several kilometres before slamming onto the basin below.

Turning, she aimed the blaster upward, aiming at the top floor of this section of the palace. The cable shot up, and after it embedded into the wall several stories above her, the blaster reported the cable was secure. Yet before she, Panaka and others could ascend, there was movement at the window. Looking inward, she saw Kast and Master Jinn approaching, HK-47 just behind them; his blaster firing so constantly it appeared as if it was one continuous beam exiting the barrel and not a rapid succession of super-heated plasma bolts.

"Hope you weren't thinking of leaving us behind?" Kast commented as she moved onto the ledge, two of the Naboo guards having to shuffle away to avoid her hitting them. There was a hint of amusement in her tone, but with her armour on, and head sealed inside the helmet, Padmé was unable to read her face for a hint as to why the Mandalorian was finding this funny.

"Do you have ascension cables?" Panaka asked even as Master Jinn pulled something from his belt. Behind him, Padawan Kenobi, Simvyl, Sabé, and the others continued to engage the Federation droids. While she wasn't happy about leaving them behind, Padmé understood that they needed to remain as a diversion, and with Sabé dressed as Queen Amidala, the Federation would hopefully focus on them allowing her, Panaka, and his team to reach Gunray easily.

"Yes, but I've got something better to use."

Kast stepped off the ledge and flames burst from the rear of the Mandalorian's armour, and a few amused chuckles emanated from Kast, Padmé remembered the briefing with Saxon. Kast and another of the foursome had jetpacks while Saxon and the last member of their team had sacrificed those for extra rockets.

"After you, Your Majesty," Kast remarked as she hovered in front of Padmé, a teasing tone in her voice.

Padmé smiled at the Mandalorian, glad she would be coming along. As would Master Jinn as he fired a cable from a small device he now held. If Padmé's cable broke, she'd have a Jedi and Mandalorian on hand to save her. Turning back to the palace, she saw HK-47 stepping onto the ledge; one of the Naboo guards almost falling as the droid pushed past them.

"Query: Did you meatbags think that by taking this route you would somehow stop me from completing my assignment?" Padmé's smile, odd as it felt in the middle of combat right before they attempted something this haphazard, grew. Before she could ask if the droid had cables, HK extended a hand, and two cables launched from out of its fingertips.

"No. I was simply curious as to how you planned to complete your mission," she replied. That HK-47 was coming with them wasn't a surprise. Cam had assigned the droid to protect her at all costs; something, having enjoyed reading Knights of the Old Republic: The Dark Times, she understood that HK-47 took his assignments very seriously.

"Statement: Then you have your answer, important meatbag." Padmé chuckled, amused at the designation she'd earned from the droid. "Query: Are we going to move, or do you wish to remain here and, as meatbags seemed to want to do, enjoy the view?"

Padmé bit her lip, struggling to not laugh loudly. She feared that she might slip if she did and while she knew HK-47 wasn't being intentionally funny, it had a sense of timing that was both amusing and oddly reassuring. Almost as if, when added to the term HK used for her, Cam was here watching over her.

… …

… …
(Cam's POV)

My blades, one composed of plasma and the other shining beskar, flew around me, crashing against the red blades of my opponent. The cold, almost stony look on his face, after what he'd done to Serra, only added fuel to my fury. She was alive, but barely, and until this motherfucker was dead, I couldn't check on her.

A snarl ripped from my mouth as another attack was pushed aside contemptuously. A faint flicker of a smirk, taunting my failure to kill him, sending my anger soaring. His blade slipped around my attack, dragging against my armour. The HUD reported the strikes, but I ignored it. I knew it could take the hits, knew the beskar wouldn't break under the assault of his lightsaber. Yet every strike the HUD reported only made it harder to maintain my control, to not let my anger consume me.

My lightsaber descended with the impact of a meteor, and Maul's saber flicked out, deflecting it to the side. He swiftly retreated, leaving behind a luminous scar etched into the stone.

Another snarl slipped from my lips at this, and it grew louder as the HUD reported Maul's blade trailing over the back of my armour. I turned, small sections of what remained of my cloak whipping around in the air, my beskad crashing against his blade. Through the gap in the weapons, he continued to smirk; taunting me at another failure to kill him.

The Force offered itself to me, willing me to accept its power, take its power and strike Maul down.

My lightsaber plunged forward, aiming for Maul's heart. Yet, even with half his blade in a bind, he was able to move enough that the lower section of his weapon deflected my thrust. As the tip passed his side, he spun away, and I was unable to take advantage as my blades were engaged by his.

I pushed them away, taking a step toward him, even as the HUD reported another strike against the armour. This one was a long slash across my chest. Sparks flew up toward my helmet, suggesting his blade was at least marring the surface of the armour. My focus narrowed, only caring about Maul, about making him suffer.

Around us, I could hear the Force whispering to me. Telling me that Maul had to die for what he'd done, that it wanted and craved that as much as I did. The Force flowed through me, doing as I demanded and making me faster, and stronger.

My beskad flicked out, only to be clipped away by the very tip of Maul's blade. He took another step back, his blades swirling around, teasing, tormenting me in a constant reminder that I couldn't land a blow against him.

Black encased in white plasma crashed against red as my lightsaber was blocked, and my beskad came in low; seeking to rip open his side. Maul shifted, his lightsaber flashing out as he moved just enough to ensure my attack failed, and then pushed the blade away as it sailed past him.

I stumbled forward, not wanting to lose my grip on the weapon. The HUD sent another warning as the other end of Maul's lightsaber dragged itself against the armour under my forearm. Before I could process that properly, or regain my footing, the Force shifted.

My rage failed me as the air around me shifted. There was a split-second where the HUD warned of danger before I was taken from my feet. Alerts flared in the HUD as my body jerked to one side and was then dragged along the ground. My movement stopped when my helmet slammed hard into something.

The inbuilt mechanisms of the armour protected me from most of the force that I'd struck the wall with, but I still had to jerk my head awkwardly to pull the helmet from the wall. Turning, I summoned the Force to me and blasted it at Maul. He leapt high, sailing over the attack, yet in the time he was airborne I blinked.

As if a switch had flipped I breathed out letting my anger fade. I had been letting Maul keep me on edge since Serra had been buried. "Stupid." The word slipped from my lips as I readied myself, Maul landing closer to me after my attack failed, but still far enough away that I couldn't attack him instantly.

I turned, presenting my side, the beskad hanging low, which had Maul pause. Almost as if he was waiting to see what I did as the Force continued to move around us. During this moment of rest, I reached out into the Force, confirming with relief that while badly hurt, Serra was alive. The Battlenet reported that Osto was close to her, perhaps a minute away. Yet, in the time since I'd engaged Maul, which hadn't been more than a minute stretched into an eternity, we'd moved a fair distance away from where Serra was buried, and where Drallig's body lay.

Maul stepped forward, shifting into a Niman stance. While he seemed to prefer Juyo, Niman was adaptable enough that it could easily lead into any of the other forms if the user had sufficient skill with the form; something I had no doubt Sidious would've ensured Maul endured in his training. There was little, just the odd smirk or gesture, in his body language to hint at his feelings, though I didn't consider searching for anything through the Force for insight as would've meant exposing my thoughts to the rage radiating from him. Not that I expected to break through his mental defences, mind you.

Those, like everything else in his training, had likely come through pain and, putting it gently, aggressive instruction from Sidious. I had no idea if Plagueis was aware of Maul, or if he'd had any hand in the Zabrak's training, but he wouldn't have been any kinder than Sidious.

Even if I wanted to breach his mental defences, I had neither the skill nor inclination to do so. With the Interface I could've, in theory, learnt the fundamentals to insane degrees, but from the way Fay and Dooku had described the mind arts of the Force, I felt it simply wasn't possible for me to truly understand them. Not with how the Interface seemed to handle the Force. And that was saying nothing about how probing the minds of others, and manipulating them there wasn't how I preferred to handle issues. My focus had almost always been on Force Powers that benefited me directly.

With the Force shifting around us in anticipation, we each took a step forward. The HUD and Force – via the Interface – alerted me to how Maul was going to attack, and offered predictions on where the next attack when this one failed would come from. While the Interface offered less accurate data than the force it did help to narrow the possibilities, and I offered a small prayer of thanks to the Mandalorian armourers. Without their work, I'd have been dead long before I'd fought off the bubbling fury and regained full control of myself.

My lightsaber flicked out, a smooth Makashi parry allowing me to deflect his first attack with ease, and then it slid down, blocking a second attack from the other end of his lightsaber. With my side to him and my blade held forward, to be sure of a hit, or of drawing me out of position, he had to commit to his attacks. At some point, an attack would slip by my blade, but the beskad and my armour were ready to help when that happened.

Each time my blade caught one of his, my arm shook, the armour doing little to counter the Force-enhanced strength he was displaying. I had no idea if he was feeling the effects of our blades clashing or if my boosted strength was jarring him as much, nor did I expect to see or sense if it was. However, with that power and every other one I used for physical enhancements in combat at their maximum, I hoped he was as rattled when our blades clashed as I was.

His blade blurred forward, a false strike that I didn't fall for. However, instead of sliding in for a true attack, he circled to my side. I turned, keeping the profile I presented to him small, yet he didn't attack. Instead, he took a small, sidling step back, daring me to advance.

Behind him, one section of the Solleu River was coming into sight, and beyond that the Royal Palace. He'd led me here on purpose, which I understood, but the why I couldn't be sure of. There was no warning from the Force, no hint of any impending danger. Well, save for the chaos erupting in the city and, most prominently, Maul himself. Yet I was cautious to follow.

He was guiding me somewhere, and beyond the idea that his vessel, which was on my list of things to secure once he was defeated, might be stored inside a hangar below the palace, or on the other side of the city, I couldn't figure out what his motive was. Still, unless I wanted to let him go, to not pursue him and risk him seeking out Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Padmé, I had no choice but to follow.

Whatever it took, Maul would not be leaving Naboo to return to Sidious' side. Not while I drew breath.

… …

… …
(Vhonte's POV)

Her rifle was already moving, her HUD guiding her to the next target before the droid she'd targeted had fallen. As she lined up that shot, Vhonte wondered how much longer this battle, if one could call it that, would last.

Ever since Phase Eight had been initiated, everything had been remarkably one-sided. So much so that Vhonte had wondered when the universe would choose to drop the other boot. Yet, it hadn't, and instead a section of the Federation's army – around five per cent according to the Battlenet – had, perhaps five minutes after the battle had truly begun, turned on the rest of the droids.

Even though she remembered that had been the initial battleplan before any of them had jumped into the system, she hadn't expected it to activate as intended, nor that it would affect droids at this battle. Still, it did, and beyond sowing even more confusion into the Federation ranks, it confirmed that the Lucrehulk in orbit had been held; meaning a large bonus for every warrior who joined this war. Something Vhonte would never complain about.

Nor would she complain at the almost non-existent casualty rates among the non-Mando'ade. Vhonte wasn't pleased that the Lokella'ade styled their armour on beskar'gam, but they did say that mimicry was the sincerest form of flattery, and what warrior wouldn't want to copy the look and training of the Mando'ade? Additionally, the early members of the collection of freed slaves had been trained by them. Thus, even when the most recent civil war had broken out and those trainers returned to fight in it, the Lokella'ade had kept the training regiments and taught them to their new members.

The only odd thing about the armour wasn't that it was styled on beskar'gam, but that it was composed of phrik, a similar if inferior metal. How and where a group – especially one that was tens of thousands strong – had found enough of the rare alloy to craft armour for all their warriors was something Vhonte intended to learn after this battle, and the other ones being fought for control of the planet, were over.

However, based on the current situation here, the local battle would be over within ten minutes. About ninety per cent of the Federation army was destroyed or disabled, with the former applying to the droids while the latter applied to their equipment. Virtually every transport they brought to the battle had been disabled, along with the majority of their tanks. Or at least those that survived the initial explosion that marked the beginning of Phase Eight.

All the recoverable equipment would be gathered, and if the Federation wasn't willing to purchase back their lost weaponry, they would be sold to others throughout the galaxy. Even if that meant stripping them for parts. That alone would generate another large bonus for everyone who'd answered the call to arms from Cameron Shan.

Almost as if by design, as his name went through her thoughts, a signal came through the Battlenet. Vhonte's brow rose in surprise as it stated he'd engaged a Sith. They were meant to be long gone, destroyed by the Republic before the Dral'Han. After firing off a blast from her rifle at the next targeted droid, she paused.

This battle was over, and she was curious to see if Shan was telling the truth. However, when she accessed the Battlenet, she found his camera feed restricted. Thankfully, as one of the senior commanders in the allied forces, she had override codes.

Her breath quickened as she saw blurred red images from Shan's armour. Hers worked to slow down the images, letting her see that Shan's opponent was a red-skinned Zabrak, using a red lightsaber: as the Sith were known to do. That alone didn't confirm that the Zabrak was a Sith, but given the speed at which the battle was proceeding between it and Shan, it was clear to Vhonte that it was skilled in the Force. At least to the point of challenging Shan.

Not knowing how long the feed would remain on the Battlenet, Vhonte commanded her HUD to record the feed. While she had no interest in the battles between the Sith and Jedi, at least so far as they didn't involve her people and the chance of open war, this was a fight that she knew others would wish to see, and one she'd wish to review if the time ever came where a bounty required her to track down and eliminate a Force user.

… …

… …
(Cam's POV)

I slid a foot back and angled my body. Maul's blade missing my armour by millimetres; though it was close enough the HUD warned of potential damage to the exposed section of underweave that the blade had swooped past.

While my armour offered better coverage than the armour worn by most Mandalorians, it still had sections – mainly around my joints – where it relied on the underweave for protection. While I'd have preferred to have everything covered, I'd not yet worked out how to cover joints like my elbows and knees fully without compromising my Force-based mobility. The Mandalorian armourers had some ideas, but they'd not been able to implement them before Palpatine had called me to announce the blockade of Naboo.

That had come earlier than I'd expected, barely two months after Padmé became Queen Amidala, and so I'd been forced to head into battle aware of the weak points in the armour. And it seemed Maul was understanding this as his recent attacks had been aimed heavily toward those locations.

Now, that might not be the case, and he simply understood that with the general armour coverage, his best option was to target limbs with his blade. It was, after all, part of the standard approach to defeating a lightsaber-wielding opponent and both of us were going for such attacks, be they targeting arms, legs, or even decapitating each other. So far, neither of us had landed a blow to achieve that, but Maul was having far better success in breaching my defences than I was at breaching his.

Maul's blade slashed to my side, and then as I moved to avoid it, he twisted. The back end of his lightsaber came around and forced me to deflect it away from my thigh. When his spin had ended, and the front blade of his weapon was already coming around for another attack, I'd altered my stance; presenting an even more limited profile. It exposed a single knee and the arm wielding my lightsaber but meant he had to continue to push forward to get his blade to reach any part of my body.

His blade flicked out, drawing me into defending the thrust. As I pushed away that tip of the blade, the other end came around. Aware it was coming, I lifted my left leg, ensuring the low sweep struck my armour. However, while I knew the attack was coming, the HUD and my mind understanding the possible vectors he could take based on his weapon, it came at me faster than I could fully adapt to. Ideally, I'd have preferred to simply avoid the attack, sliding back or to the side. However, I lacked the time to do so given how fast Maul was moving. The HUD, even with all its power, was struggling to track every movement Maul made. Thankfully, between it and the Force, I was holding my own - at least for now.

He reversed the direction of his lightsaber and brought the blade back in low. My foot came down, attempting to trap the blade under my boot even as my beskad flicked out to engage the other section of his weapons. Sadly for me, he was ready for that, and my beskad missed. Only a quick shift of my arm had the red plasma slash harmlessly across the armour on the underside of my vambrace, and not over the controls of the weaponry there.

My lightsaber swept low, knocking his lower blade to one side, which forced the upper blade away from my vambrace before it slid far enough to reach the underweave near my elbow. My lightsaber clipped the ground and I tossed super-heated clumps of dirt at Maul.

He avoided them easily, melting some with his blade while the rest sailed harmlessly past, however, that allowed me time to re-open a gap between us. It had barely been two minutes since I'd fought off my anger and regained complete control of my actions. In that time though, it had become clear that if things continued the way they were going, I'd soon join Master Drallig.

Only a few minutes, perhaps no more than five had passed from when I'd learnt Drallig and Serra had engaged Maul before I reached them. Yet in that time, Maul had killed Drallig and brutalised Serra. That, along with how this fight was going, made it abundantly clear – if it hadn't been before I'd even reached Naboo – that I was never going to beat Maul in a straight-up lightsaber duel.

I placed my beskad against the small of my back, the magnetic clip securing it there.

Maul paused, seeming curious about my action. Unlike my lightsaber, the beskad simply didn't have the reach to come close to landing a blow against him, which was why it'd only been using it mostly as a parrying device. Though many of the strikes it blocked would've only clipped my armour and not reached a critical section with exposed underweave. But still, it had been useful so removing it must have caused some concern.

When nothing replaced the beskad in my grip, his lips twitched, and for a moment a snarl seemed like it would form. It didn't, but as he came forward again, planning to exploit what he saw as a critical mistake, I readied my free hand. It was time to stop fighting like a Jedi.

… …

… …
(Bo-Katan's POV)
She raced through the streets, Naz, and the rest of her squad just behind, sliding around and over the debris that littered the city. Droids lay broken around her, along with the bodies of Naboo that had fallen fighting to free their home. Those weren't of any real concern, and as Fenrir leapt down from a balcony, the arm of a droid in his mouth, Bo-Katan rounded the corner to the area marked by Cam through the Battlenet.

"Osik."

The word slipped from her lips as she took in the destruction that greeted her. Buildings were shattered, some having crumbled to nothing more than rubble. The ground, once covered in decorative tiles, was a disaster with few if any tiles remaining in place. Deep gorges radiated out from certain points as if caught in focused explosions, the remains of what was a fountain now just a clump of soggy mud.

She took a step into the square, her HUD marking out the remains of Serra's Jetii Master, the two parts having been blown away by one of the explosions. She moved into the square as Fenrir raced toward the collapsed building, her HUD marking out two lightsabers and the remains of a third. While a spike of fear reached through her as the armour identified one of the lightsabers, and the remains, as belonging to Serra, she was relieved that the other wasn't Cam's.

After scooping up the blades, securing them to her belt and placing the remains of the other weapon in a pouch around her belt, she turned to Fenrir. A second later she was racing over to him as he dug frantically at the debris. The transponder from Serra's armour was broadcasting from under the debris, and while she was still alive, her pulse was erratic and her vitals falling.

Joining Fenrir in shifting the rubble, her HUD confirmed the building had been at least three stories tall, and judging from the debris patterns, had fallen in two sections. It couldn't understand how as there was no explosive residue, but Bo-Katan did. The Force had been used here, which meant that the being Cam was fighting had intentionally brought the place down on Serra.

That made her anger flare, and she hoped Cam killed the shabuir who did this to Serra. That he made them suffer for daring to hurt their friend and lover. That anger only grew as they cleared enough of the debris that Serra's armour was able to reconnect properly to the Battlenet.

Bo-Katan blinked at the range of injuries it reported. She'd known about the shattered hands and cuts that had come before the signal had been lost – the debris seemingly having damaged the primary Battlenet transmitter – but the full list was much more concerning.

Ruptured vocal cords, internal bleeding, broken or cracked bones throughout the body, a durasteel pipe piercing her lower left leg, and numerous other, by comparison, minor injuries appeared on Bo-Katan's HUD.

It was a miracle that, even with the armour having provided an infusion of bacta, Serra was still alive.

The HUD alerted her that the rest of her squad had arrived, and she summoned them over even as she continued working with Fenrir to clear enough debris so they could remove Serra. As a field medic, Naz had the supplies they could use to stabilize Serra, but they had to reach her. While she was alive, the vitals were fading.

When the rest of her team started helping, Bo-Katan glanced toward the palace. Somewhere in that direction, on a small island near the palace, Cam was fighting the Sith. After offering a small prayer to whoever or whatever was listening that Cam would make them pay dearly for what they did to Serra, she returned her focus to the debris and freed one of her lovers.

… …

… …
(Cam's POV)
I stepped forward, keeping only a single hand on my lightsaber. Maul moved as well, bringing his blade around to meet mine.

A flick of my wrist pushed his first attack away, and then a roll of my shoulder had it slip down, catching the second half of his weapon. My arm rolled, bringing his blade with mine in a circle, hoping to push it far enough away that the other end wouldn't be able to strike out.

Maul was aware of this, and as the section of his blade against mine started moving away from where I wanted to go, I shifted my shoulder. The other end of his lightsaber flicked around, skidding off the beskar there. A little jerk pushed the blade high, away from my helmet, my lightsaber then flicked low, blocking a probing strike toward my thigh. I then lunged forward, forcing Maul to abort any attack with the high-end of his weapon.

He moved back, his blade sweeping around defensively as he turned, protecting his back in the short span where his eyes couldn't see me. As he ended the move, his blade already shifting with his arms, ready for another attack, I was primed.

Before the red blade could come at me once again, the vambrace on my free hand activated. Maul grunted, slipping back as he was assaulted by intense sonic waves generated by the vambrace. While I could've gone for a directed weapon, I'd used something similar to what I'd experienced in the Mandalmotors tower; when I'd unwittingly saved Darth Plagueis from Death Watch.

Around me, plants bent back, and dirt was ripped from the topsoil, the strength of the waves being generated great enough to affect them. Yet, with the armour protecting me, I was immune to the attack, and as Maul struggled to recover, I surged forward.

His blade came up, blocking a thrust of my lightsaber, and a growl slipped from his lips as he started adapting to the unexpected attack. His eyes, burning a bright, malignant yellow, tried to burn holes through my helmet even as my blade moved. The initial attack was never going to work, but the slight delay in Maul's reaction to it was what I wanted to gauge. With that knowledge, and knowing he'd soon adapt and overcome the sonic attack, I attacked again.

This time my blade went low towards his gut, forcing him to block and slide back on the chance my blade slipped past his defence. My weapon then came around horizontally, forcing him to shift his stance. When our blades clashed, I pushed upward, lifting his weapon with mine. My leg came around, the boot aiming for his knee.

Maul was skilled in unarmed combat though, and lifted his leg, ensuring my attack crashed into his shin instead of the knee. While the snarl that flickered on his lips suggested the blow hurt, it was better than a hard strike to the side of the knee.

His leg then pushed upward, forcing me off-balance. Turning with the shifting momentum, I brought my blade down, blocking an attack aimed at my leg even as it swept away. As my heel dug into the dirt, helping me stabilise, my blade was already moving, a passing step bringing me into a lunge.

The black blade slipped forward, and just before his lightsaber came up to deflect the strike, I disengaged the sonic disruptor. The unexpected change caught him out, and my blade crashed against his closer to the hilt, close to his hands.

Before I could slip my blade toward his hands, he moved. The double-bladed weapon came overhead, forcing my lightsaber up to defend a strike aimed at my skull. I then had to slide back, avoiding the lower end of his weapon as it skimmed in low. My lightsaber moved, blocking an attack aimed toward my neck, and then my leg lifted, letting another low attack crash against my armour, protecting the underweave near my knee.

The upper section of his lightsaber came in again, though because of how it was sliding against my beskar, I was able to lean away, letting the attack miss. My blade then flicked out, pushing that section of his blade away, aborting an attack by the other end.

With a double-bladed lightsaber, Maul was forced to follow a limited number of attack vectors, each determined by the location of the other end. However, while I knew all this, and was able to predict them, Maul wasn't someone I could study beyond his fights in TPM. His pace, strength, and ferocity, while anticipated, were greater than I'd expected, and even when I gained an advantage – as when the sonic disruptor was used – it only lasted a short time. Not nearly enough to gain a strike against him, never mind one that might turn the tide in my favour.

As I shifted again, using the beskar to defend against another blow that would've been fatal, I was glad of the armour, and when I won this battle, would be offering the armourers my thanks for their craftsmanship.

That said, I knew I couldn't keep relying on the armour to protect me. Maul's strikes were slowly zeroing in on the weak points, and after blocking a flurry of strikes, my lightsaber moving so fast the air darkened between us, I readied my next party trick.

I feigned attacking one way, my blade moving out just enough to force him to shift his stance to defend. That meant neither end of his weapon was in a position to strike as I extended my free arm. Maul tensed, readying for another blast from the sonic disruptor. However, instead of the intense aural waves, a cable shot out.

At this distance, Maul had little time to avoid the attack, and while he tried, the cable stuck his side when I jerked my arm across my body. The cable clipping his side wouldn't hurt, at least not to the point that Maul would be concerned by it. Nor of the cable bending with my action and trying to wrap around him. However, a twitch of my eyes had the HUD activate an electrical discharge.

Electricity surged down the cable, slamming into his body, and making him react. While I knew the charge wouldn't stop him – even if it was designed to take down a rancor – as Sidious had likely trained him to tank Force Lightning, it did disrupt his movement, and that was what I needed.

I moved forward, my blade coming around for an attack. Even with tens of thousands of volts coursing through his body, Maul moved to block me; sparks from the electricity flickering around his hands, bouncing against the plasma of his blades.

Our blades clashed, mine drifting away not letting him push me away. A roll of my wrists took my lightsaber low, forcing his blade downward. As they pressed against each other I winced, struggling to keep his blade trapped while the energy danced over his body. A grunt slipped from my lips as he found renewed strength and was able to force me back.

As I reset, ready to attack again, his blade spun around, severing the cable, the last vestiges of the energy dancing over his skin dying away as the cable flopped to the ground. A gesture had the HUD release the cable, ensuring Maul couldn't use the trailing section to tangle me and then Maul was upon me.

My arm barely survived the ferocity of his attack, and I was driven back as I struggled to retain the grip on my lightsaber. Another blow came in, and while I was ready for the power behind it, I still felt my feet slip back slightly. I knew he'd be angry after the cable trick, that it wouldn't do anything but piss him off, but I hoped it might unbalance him, granting me a small opening to exploit. Yet the rage he was broadcasting into the Force almost overwhelmed my senses. My connection to the Force felt off and wrong. As if he was somehow interrupting it.

My blade swirled around, generating an almost complete black-and-white shield between us, my stance keeping as much of my frame hidden from his direct sight. Yet still, his attacks slipped through. I was forced to use my armour to deflect, and block any attack bound for a weak point.

Maul's attacks rained down, my lightsaber and armour doing what they could to survive and protect me from the onslaught. Every few attacks, with only split seconds having passed for anyone who might be watching, I was forced back. The HUD continually flared, alerting me to incoming threats; the computer driving it pushed to and beyond its limits trying to predict Maul's next assault.

The ground under my feet was growing soft, dirt replacing tiles as we neared the banks of the river, the sounds of the water cascading over the falls mixing with those generated by our lightsabers as they danced and clashed to generate an oddly hypnotic, if deranged, symphony.

Maul was pressing me further even as my room to manoeuvre decreased. The rushing of water drew the HUD's attention just as much as the numerous blows on my armour. Each blow, be it glancing or full-on, was still hitting the beskar plates, but Maul was drawing a bead on the underweave; each strike getting just that little bit closer to costing me a limb, and by extension the fight.

Knowing that I couldn't continue to shift back or tank the strikes coming in, my free hand shifted back, tensing. Maul, seeing this, pulled back slightly. A flicker of annoyance flashed over his face when I unclipped my beskad, bringing that back into the fight.

As he started moving again, his blade swooping through the air, I knelt slightly, shrinking my profile even further, the beskad floating out slightly from my body. That allowed me to aim my lightsaber away slightly, covering some of my back.

Maul's irritation flooded into the Force, though whether it was aimed at me for not dying yet, or him tensing in anticipation which allowed me to draw the beskad, I couldn't be certain. Regardless, the fact I could sense it suggested he was slowly growing frustrated at not having managed to kill me yet.

I was a far easier opponent than Drallig, but by the counter in the HUD, I'd so far lasted nearly twice as long. Yes, much of that was down to the armour, but that he'd not yet killed me and departed this world as his supposed allies fell had to be nagging him; hopefully driving him to commit an error I could exploit.

Swirling, sweeping, slashes of black and red danced against each other, yet for all my hope that shrinking the area I'd have to cover with my lightsaber might grant me better protection, the areas where the red pierced through my darkened shield of energy were growing larger. Now, Maul's strikes weren't hitting my armour with as much regularity, and my beskad wasn't as active as it'd been earlier, but I knew this defensive approach wasn't fully working. Attacks were still slipping through my defences, aimed toward the weak points in the armour again.

Taking a chance, I pressed forward. Maul's blade crashed against my chest, the beskar easily taking the strike. My beskad came out, blocking the next attack from the other end of his lightsaber before I pushed my lightsaber arm forward. The blade was high, not intended to attack Maul, nor was I close enough to land a punch, but from the end of the vambrace there a thick, virulent gas emerged.

Reacting instantly, Maul pulled back even as I pulled my arm down. My lightsaber clipped a section of his robes, cutting the fabric free, but the blade failed to connect with him. The gas I'd used, that Maul had pulled back from, was a highly dangerous poison; one designed to take down Wookies and other larger and stronger sentients in minutes. Yet, even if he inhaled the gas, I knew Maul wouldn't succumb to its effects. The Force would keep his lungs clear, and defeat the poison before it could do any damage. However, for that to work, he had to concentrate on it, meaning his reactions should be a fraction slower.

With the gas still flowing from my vambrace, I moved forward, not giving Maul time to think about a cover. My blade thrust toward him, and while he deflected it, he didn't go for the obvious counter, nor step closer. Instead, he continued to backpedal. Yes, the movement was only slightly, just enough to keep out of range of the gas, but that was enough to allow me to launch into a flurry of quick, probing thrusts, slashes, and feints, keeping him on the defensive.

With the armour protecting me from the poison, and the HUD and the Force easily able to track Maul through the thick cloud spewing from my arm, I kept pushing. The gas would only last for maybe five seconds, of which one was already past, and while I hoped it would be enough for me to score a strike against him, perhaps even debilitate him, I wasn't getting my hopes up. Though even if it failed, I had other tools in the vambrace to use, and as his blade again deflected mine, I reactivated the sonic disruptor.

Sensing this was perhaps my chance to end the fight, I pushed harder, my beskad joining the fray when and where it could. While I was no longer driven by anger at Serra's fate, I knew the only way Maul was leaving Naboo was over my dead body.

… …

… …
(Padmé's POV)
Padmé slipped through the shattered window into the highest level of this section of the palace. Kast and Aran had already entered, securing the area. Just ahead of Padmé HK-47 stood, his blaster scanning the area, seeking threats to her, and as she moved away from the window, the glass crunching under her feet, Master Jinn and Captain Panaka entered.

Panaka walked past her, an arm coming out to stop her from advancing further. She disliked that, even if she understood his reasoning. The sour expression he sent the droid was one she didn't approve of though. Just like him, HK-47 was here to protect her, and he needed to see that HK-47 wasn't the same as the Federation's droids. Something displayed by the unerring precision of his blaster fire in the battle that was probably still raging on the ground floor.

Master Jinn also stepped past her, the older man giving her a reassuring smile, one she returned. While she had disagreed with him over going to Tatooine, it had worked out well as that was where Cam had met them, and he'd then escorted them back to Coruscant and Senator Palpatine. Or perhaps, if things were going as well there as here, she would be calling him Chancellor when they next met.

The columns here, like those below, were carved from marble taken from a large quarry on one of Naboo's southern continents that had been brought here when the palace had first been designed. The corridor they were in was massive, the roof high enough that Padmé felt her royal cruiser – if it was still flight-worthy – could fly down if it rotated vertically and wide enough that two Federation tanks could conceivably move down it side by side. Though for either test to take place, the statue of King Narmlé that stood at one end, in the opposite direction from which they'd be going, would have to be moved. That the statue was still there was a surprise, as the reports of the Federation stealing Naboo's cultural heritage had almost broken her heart. Only a promise from Cam and the Lokella to locate any of the artefacts and civilians shipped off-world had saved her from crying over their fates.

"Hold."

The command from Kast was accompanied by an arm stretched back toward them. Padmé saw Captain Panaka bristle, his annoyance at having to listen to the off-worlders easy for her to pick up on. The man was proud, and she knew it hurt him to have to rely on off-worlders to free their people. She hoped that once Naboo was free, the Captain would begin to soften that stance, as she had plans for the future that would see many Mandalorians and Lokella remaining on the world, perhaps even as more than trainers for an enlarged security force.

Panaka was the one who'd insisted on her having trained handmaidens when she became Queen, handpicking Sabé as the royal decoy due to their similarities. However, outside of the Jedi assigned by Chancellor Valorum, and Cam through his connection to her and Senator Palpatine, he disliked most others. While that made him a great Captain of her guard, it meant in this war, he struggled to accept the presence of others.

Kast brought her arm back to her rifle once Panaka and the other guards stopped, remaining behind cover. She and Aran then advanced. HK-47 moved as well, though he stayed back from the Mandalorians, moving in a way that partially blocked her sight of what was happening down the corridor.

The trio advanced slowly, the Mandalorians moving beside the columns, ready to use them as cover if attacked, while Hk-47 stayed in the open. Padmé had seen how resistant to blaster fire its frame was, but she still found herself concerned for the droid. Fearing that if it was damaged Cam might somehow blame her. Yes, she knew it was irrational, and that the droid would sacrifice itself to defend her, but she didn't want it destroyed. It was, beyond belonging to Cam, something Padmé found oddly reassuring to have around.

The Mandalorians moved slowly, so much so that Padmé began to feel restless; fearing Gunray might escape if they took too long to reach him. Or the Federation discovered that Sabé was a decoy. If that Neimoidian escaped them here, then it would be hard to force a surrender from the Federation forces. Even with the battles in space and on the plains going well – she had a small device given to her by Cam that allowed her to see reports from the Battlenet the Mandalorians used – without Gunray captive, then everything would be for nothing. The Federation's leader had to be made to pay; he had to stand trial for his actions against her people.

As they neared the first intersection of the corridor, the Mandalorians slowed. A moment later blaster fire erupted at them from opposite sides. The pair fell back, taking cover behind the nearest column. Their rifles returned fire as they moved, a small rocket launching from Aran's wrist generating an explosion down one corridor.

Just as they were reaching cover, droids flooded into the passageway from ahead of them led by a squad of droidekas.

"Contact!" Captain Panaka called out, turning. She did likewise to see several dozen battledroids appear near King Narmlé's statue. Panaka and his guards engaged those droids, Master Jinn stepping between the droids and her, his lightsaber swooping around, generating a powerful blue barrier to protect her. Even with his lightsaber moving so fast it appeared in several locations at once, Padmé saw Master Jinn deflecting the bolts back, with as many droids falling from the blaster fire he was redirecting as fell to her guards.

She lined up her pistol, smiling as the bolt struck a droid between its eyes.

"Observation: I've been looking forward to this."

Padmé spun, wondering what HK-47 was on about, only for her eyes to widen. The Mandalorians were holding their ground, using the columns as cover while peppering the droids flooding into the area with blaster fire. Dozens lay ruined on the ground already, most with small whiffs of smoke rising from where they'd been shot. While they were heavily outnumbered, they were more than holding their own.

However, HK-47 hadn't taken cover. Instead, with his comment made loud enough that it reached Padmé's ears over the evolving firefight, he began to walk forward. Directly toward a group of around twelve droidekas. The cannons in their arms fired on him, trying to down him, yet each blast, while possibly rattling his frame, did nothing to deter his slow, steady advance. HK-47 wasn't targeting the droidekas though; instead, he was aiming meticulously at the battledroids behind, his bolts slipping through the small gaps between, or going right over, the shields generated by the droidekas.

Once only a handful remained, HK-47, while still advancing, shifted. His rifle slung over his back as one arm extended forward. As the rifle was secured against his back, a shield was generated by the forearm facing the Federation forces. While not covering his entire form, it offered considerable protection, reminding Padmé of the shields the Gungans were using, though HK-47's shield was obviously much more advanced.

HK-47 brought his now free arm back over. As it passed his thigh, a section of his armour opened up and deposited something into his hand. As the arm moved next to the shield, Padmé saw that it had been grenades that were now bouncing slowly along the ground. Her eyes were drawn back to HK-47's arm as the underside of the forearm opened and a quad of rockets raced out.

The rockets split, a pair going to each side of the droideka line. As they exploded, the droidekas and sections of the palace were sent flying. Padmé turned, shielding her eyes as a wave of dust rushed toward her. While covering, another round of explosions erupted from the direction of the droidekas.

With the dust cloud passing, she turned back to see HK advancing; shield now down. From one arm came slower, but probably higher-powered bolts while the other spewed flames. The debris settled further, and Padmé saw the droidekas had all been knocked over. Several were nothing more than sparking pieces of debris, the one-two punch of the rockets and grenades rendering them useless. The rest were being assaulted by HK-47's weapons. And those of the Mandalorians, who seemed to understand what the droid was doing and helped to remove the droideka threat.

Padmé gulped as the short, intense battle ended. The entirety of the Federation forces that had engaged Hk-47 and the Mandalorians were smoking craters of broken electronics while that trio were entirely unharmed. She'd known that having them would be useful, but she now understood why Cam had been so insistent that they accompany her.

Yes, the Jedi were useful, but they fought defensively. The Mandalorians, HK-47, and the others Cam had brought to her planet were fighting to win. She hadn't known about the hidden features of HK-47 – there was no mention of such things in the novel she'd read – but thinking on it, and considering that Bo-Katan had likely helped with the rebuild, it made sense Cam had outfitted the droid as he had, a war droid rather than an assassin.

Without him and the Mandalorians, it was likely she'd have been forced to surrender; not wanting her security forces to be needlessly slaughtered. Unless Sabé had managed to somehow free them, it would mean that they'd have lost the planet, even if the battles on the plains and in orbit had gone their way.

"I'm concerned about the danger it represents."

Padmé turned, seeing Captain Panaka at her side, a deep scowl on his face as he looked toward HK-47.

"Hk-47 is loyal to Knight Shan; a close friend of both me and Senator Palpatine," she added the Senator's name as she knew Panaka trusted him, "I trust him with my life, and the fate of our planet."

Captain Panaka looked at her, the scowl lessening slightly. "Yes, Your Highness," he replied with a nod of acceptance.

Padmé turned back to the droids and off-world warriors and stepped forward. They'd been here long enough dealing with the Federation's assault. They couldn't delay any more as it might let Gunray escape.

The Mandalorians made no move to acknowledge her approaching, but she knew they were aware. The armour granted them complete vision of their surroundings, and while she was curious how that worked, and what it felt to wear one of their helmets, she'd not asked about it before the battle, fearing it might be culturally taboo to ask that. HK-47 also failed to acknowledge her as she moved, but the way he stepped to one side, offering the greatest possible cover if more Federation droids emerged made it clear he was aware of her presence.

That made her smile and turned her thoughts once again to Cam. When her planet was free, she'd have to figure out how exactly she'd reward him for all his help, as Queen she could not let such a thing go unacknowledged. It would have to be something the Jedi Council wouldn't have concerns about, but she felt Senator – or possibly Chancellor – Palpatine might have some idea. While his actions on Coruscant hadn't brought her the help she'd expected when she'd chosen to leave Naboo, it had brought Cam onto the scene, and with him came an allied force that put to shame any possible help – regardless of how long it would be in creating and gathering it – the Senate could provide.

… …

… …
(Cam's POV)
Red filled my vision as I jerked my head, barely avoiding a sweeping attack from Maul's lightsaber. As the blade passed, my lightsaber spun around, catching the other end of his weapon as it came in toward my knee. The blade flicked high, just managing to deflect the next attack of his sequence, though the fourth was too fast for my blade and I was forced to use my shin to block the strike; leaning into the attack so it was pushed downward.

The beskad jerked out, catching the other side of his weapon, and for a brief moment, I had both sides trapped. My lightsaber thrust forward, forcing him to pull back to avoid the tip of the blade as it rushed toward his chest.

I reset my stance, readying myself for the next section of his onslaught, which ever since I'd run out of gas, had increased in ferocity and velocity to a degree that I was lucky to block even half his attacks with my blades. I knew where his attacks were coming from, and could compute the angles faster than the HUD, yet I simply wasn't able to shift fast enough to engage every attack. To say nothing of those that were simply feints designed to draw me into a false move.

My armour was now being used as a much more active defence, and I was still struggling. The only upside to all this was that our fight had reached an isolated location. We'd eventually slipped onto a small island between the royal place and the hangar. Now, the location hadn't been isolated when we'd arrived so a few dozen battledroids had been present, though after they made the mistake of attacking us both, we'd summarily dispatched them – not working together, but just pausing our duel – before our battle resumed without further interruption. What remained of those droids had long since been dispensed with; used as projectiles in our battle.

Through the HUD, the Battlenet was sending me notifications of the battles raging across the planet, and I swore I'd seen flashes of light in the palace; however, I couldn't focus on them. any attempt to shift attention from Maul would cost me my life. All I could do was hope that everyone I cared about was still alive and the battles turning their way. I did hope that Osto Ordo was still inbound for my location. He, like a handful of others, knew of my belief that a Sith would be present on Naboo – though I'd not supplied them with a name – and had orders to, when I alerted him, come to help with the battle. I hoped I'd be victorious, but if I fell, Maul wasn't leaving the planet and Osto had orders to do whatever it took to end the threat Maul presented if he found me dead.

My lightsaber clashed with his, the time all those thoughts had passed through my mind seeming like less than a quarter-second to anyone not trained to draw on the Force. To Maul and myself, as our blades moved around so fast the air had to be a merging of red, white and black light, it felt like a dozen seconds had passed, with twice that many attacks from him coming at me.

As the newest flurry began, I leaned back, letting the first probing attack miss, and then reactivated the sonic generator. This was the sixth time I'd activated it, and while Maul was adapting to it, I kept the usage seemingly random to keep him off-balance as best I could. This time, my blade flicked forward, surging toward his hilt.

The smallest of moments occurred where it looked like I might strike the hilt, and damage his weapon, however, Maul recovered in time that he was able to pull his weapon back. At the same time, one hand moved back faster than the other, pushing the upper section of his weapon down toward me.

I shifted, my blade angling to deflect that away before it could strike my shoulder. My blade then swooped down, blocking a shot aimed at my waist. As his blade pulled back, neither of us allowing our weapons to get into a bind, the upper section of the blade suddenly lurched forward. I moved to the side, avoiding the attack, but he brought the blade down and thrust forward; more so than he'd done before.

The move placed him slightly off-balance, but with me moving to one side, neither of my blades was in a position to block, and the tip of his lightsaber caught and then dragged down my forearm: slashing through the controls of the vambrace.

Given the only unused tool there was a taser, one that would need me to directly grip Maul, the only real loss was the sonic disruptor. Still, losing what had been, until now, my most effective way of keeping Maull off-balance was an issue. One compounded as the tip of the blade slid close to my wrist before withdrawing.

My arm turned, shifting the armour around so the underweave there wasn't exposed to the plasma. The tip of his blade slid down my arm, and thanks to my moving, struck the section of gauntlet covering the back of my hand. Before it could reach my fingers – and the small gaps the armour caused because I was gripping my beskad – I pushed out with my hand and then slapped at the blade with my beskad. The move was a touch reckless, as I put power into the attack on his blade, but it forced it away. The other end of his weapon came in, but because I'd chosen the direction his upper blade moved, I knew where the lower section would be and my lightsaber was there to deflect the attack.

My beskad was already moving, ready to block the upper section of his weapon as the lower pulled back, blocked by my lightsaber. When the beskad clipped the upper blade, my lightsaber went low, thrusting toward his thigh. Maul shimmied back, the tip of my blade melting a hole into the ground. A flick of my wrist sent the super-heated dirt at him, forcing him to use the lower section of his weapon to defend himself.

The beskad surged forward, aiming toward his hilt and hands. Maul saw it coming and turned, but because he'd had to deal with the super-heated dirt, my blade slipped past the upper blade as it came down. The plasma of his weapon smashed into my shoulder. A grunt slipped from my lips as the blow drove my arm low, forcing the beskad down, and ensuring it missed the hilt; instead clipping against the other end of his lightsaber, no more than a few centimetres from his fingers.

I could sense Maul's fury at how close I'd come to if not costing him a hand, then at least damaging his lightsaber. I pulled back, expecting a new flurry of offence from him, though as I did so, I shifted sides, bringing the beskad forward into the main position and the lightsaber secondary. To counter the short reach of the beskad, I turned slightly, narrowing my profile to give him less of a target, my saber rising up beside my head to point at him.

As Maul stepped forward, his blade flicking low in what I took to be a faint, I felt myself smile. While I'd been on the defensive for almost all this duel, letting him dictate the direction and flow of the battle, I'd been enjoying it. To finally go all-out with someone, both trying to kill the other and holding nothing back was a rush I'd not felt in years.

Now, against the Vong there'd been times when I'd pushed myself, almost getting lost in the battle, but while they'd been dangerous, they weren't Force-sensitive. I couldn't sense their thoughts, their feelings mixing with mine as we battled. Something had been missing that I'd never realised until this very moment as my beskad came out, deflecting a strike from above before sliding back to avoid a sweep by the other end of Maul's lightsaber, that came with fighting another Force user. Of giving everything we had against each other in a dance of death.

The beskad flicked forward, nowhere near enough to concern Maul, but the move caught him out and I brought my back foot around in a passing step, thrusting my lightsaber past the beskad. That forced him into a defensive move, one side of his long weapon coming around to push away my thrusting blade.

While he was able to push my lightsaber down, I smirked in triumph as the blade scraped against his thigh, the HUD confirming that I'd burnt his flesh. A brief moment of pain radiated into the Force before Maul's face twitched, his enjoyment of the battle growing enough that I could feel it.

My lightsaber came back, swiftly blocking an attack aimed at my leg by his blade, before my beskad pushed out, deflecting an attack aimed at my side. The lightsaber was barely able to get around to block a strike against my other side before my beskad missed deflecting another attack. That dragged over my thigh, the beskar there taking the blow. The same happened with his next attack; his blade slid around my lightsaber and dragged over my shoulder. Only a quick shift of my body prevented the next attack from slicing through the underweave at my elbow.

My blades swirled around me, my body moving to ensure any strike that slipped by clipped the armour, and I found myself slowly taking steps back, surrendering ground once again to his renewed and furious assault. But for all that, a small well of hope grew within me. I'd caught Maul, meaning there was a real chance I might be able to defeat him.

For every attack, be it a sweep, thrust, slice, or something else, that my blades blocked, three more slipped by. The HUD was struggling to record a spot where the armour hadn't been struck. While I could accept that, as his blade clattered into my helmet for only the second time in the battle, I knew I had to blunt his assault.

After my beskad deflected a strike away, I pushed the hand forward, summoning the Force to me. Maul was already moving, leaping away, as the small Blast raced from my hand, but that granted me a moment of peace from his onslaught. I slid back, generating more room even as it finished moving away from the Force attack, settling into the more standard stance I used with dual blades. My lightsaber forward, the tip horizontal, my frame slightly to one side. The beskad sat lower, covering my front.

Maul rushed forward as soon as he landed, his anger blocking any chance of sensing anything beyond him in the Force. I braced, readying myself for the next furious blitz. My lightsaber flicked forward, tempting him into making a move, hoping that it might generate a small opening for me. Though after the battle so far, I doubted that would be the case. Maul's form was excellent; on par with anything I'd seen from senior Jedi Masters, even in some moments, greater than when I'd sparred against Yoda years ago.

His weapon thrust high. I leaned back, and the other end came in low. My armour blocked it when I leaned into the attack, letting it smash against my forearm. The upper section moved from the side, my lightsaber just getting to it before it reached my elbow. One end flicked low, below my beskad, forcing me to step back to avoid a strike near my knee. The other end swooped in, aimed for my neck. My lightsaber came up, pushing that attack high; the edge of his blade glancing off the dome of my helmet.

That generated a small respite, for perhaps a thousandth of a second, as the other end of his weapon was unable to flick around enough to be a threat. A quick shift of his shoulders had the double-bladed weapon change directions and the higher blade raced back toward my head, ending the momentary respite.

Angling my helmet down, I let the blow glance off it even as my lightsaber thrust forward. That forced him to defend, his blade aborting an attack with the lower section as he shifted; letting my blade miss him. I flicked it to the side, toward his body only for his blade to come up and push it back. A twist of his wrist had his blade roll around mine, forcing me to pull back to avoid a strike against my fingers, and the exposed underweave. That left me open for a low, sweeping strike aimed at my leg.

The attack, like perhaps a thousand before it, clattered off my armour, though as always the beskar held; doing exactly what I needed it to. Without it, I'd have died mere metres from and seconds after Serra had been buried and Maul would have escaped, returning to Sidious' side. However, for all the armour was doing, it was clear this couldn't continue, and with one vambrace destroyed, and time to summon anything from my belt or Inventory non-existent, I had to use my remaining options.

As my thoughts slipped toward considering what I could do, what I might consider to gain an advantage, I felt an odd sensation sweep over me. Suddenly, my blade was moving faster, truer, and with a grace I didn't know I possessed, it blocked a flurry of attacks from Maul with much less effort.

My lightsaber slipped low, catching his blade, and then a rolling of my wrist forced his blade upward, ensuring the other end couldn't come around as he intended. Once I had his blade up, I leaned forward, my blade searing toward his hands. Maul was forced back, a brief widening of his eyes suggesting that like me, he was unsure where that attack had come from.

The faintest of snarls came to Maul's face as he came at me again, though my blade was already moving, getting into place to deflect the attack before it fully formed. Almost as soon as our blades touched, sparks of plasma dancing into the air, my arm was moving, shifting the blade down to block the other end of his weapon. Again, it danced away from the contact, doing just enough to blunt his attack, and then raced around, catching his upper blade before the attack could generate significant power. The next attack, aimed toward my knee, was blocked by my beskad; before my lightsaber then glanced away a strike aimed at my side.

As my blades continued to move, I realised what I was experiencing was, perhaps, how I was meant to connect to the Force; how it was meant to flow with and through a user to help them; to protect and empower them. However, I didn't have time to examine the various notifications from the Interface to see if that was the case. Or if it was something else in play.

Maul's speed increased again, perhaps to as fast as he could manage though I couldn't be sure, and while my blades were still able to intercept his attacks, it was taking a fraction of a moment longer to do so. Slowly, but surely, Maul was overpowering whatever I was doing, and driving his blade closer to my armour once again. Yet, for all the ferocity he was displaying, I was matching it. Or almost so. Enough that while it was working, I had time, oddly, while the air between us became nothing but a mixing of red, white, and black, to consider what my next move would be.

Ideas formed in my head, and then were dismissed in the minute fraction of time that passed between each defensive move I made. Most were dismissed, being unworkable, but a few had potential.

I was driven from my thoughts, and the sense of completeness, as Maul's blade flicked against the armour on my shoulder. A moment later, my blade turning to block a feint that I'd fallen for, Maul's blade slipped toward my hand.

Sparks flew as I pulled my fingers back. My lightsaber winked out, the black and white plasma generated by it gone as Maul's blade clipped the hilt, destroying the weapon.

The ruined hilt fell from my hand as my beskad came around, forced into taking over the entirety of my defence. My now free hand blocked a quick follow-up slash by Maul. By flattening my hand, I sealed the small gaps in the armour that exposed the underweave creating a small shield that I used to push his blade away and pulled my hand away before the blade could clip my wrist.

As the beskad deflected an attack from the other end of his lightsaber, my free hand reached behind me, summoning the shoto to my grip. Yet as it slipped from its bindings, I sensed Maul's blade swooping in, aimed at the elbow of that arm; and the exposed underweave. Understanding the shoto would never reach me in time, I activated it with the Force, and then, as the blade ignited, guided it under my arm – even as I shifted that, ensuring my elbow wasn't in range of Maul's lightsaber – sent it hurtling toward the Zabrak.

Maul aborted his attack, needing to intercept and swat away the small, flying lightsaber. However, as he did that, it left a small window; one that, as the Force shifted around us, I took.

My hand raced forward, free of any blade, slipping past the front blade of Maul's weapon. Darts inside the vambrace, something of a last resort weapon, readied on my command.

Maul, sensing my move, twisted, his body shifting – in comparison to how he'd moved for our entire fight, awkwardly – to bring one end of his lightsaber around to strike my arm. His chest pulled back, trying to delay my fist from striking him. Yet I knew he wouldn't pull back enough, that the blade wouldn't reach me before the darts were fired. The blade would strike my upper arm, clear of any wea….

[NOOOOO!]

The powerful, high-pitched scream through the Force reverberated through my body. For a fraction of a fraction of a second, I paused; hesitating due to Anakin's pained, tortured wail that had been carried to me by the Force.

With my fist mere centimetres from Maul's chest, the darts launched.

As the four small objects impacted his chest, red light filled my sight.

My mind blanked, pain rushing through me, as I stumbled back. Maul did likewise.

My eyes went to my elbow, watching in slow motion as my forearm fell away, severed from my body. Maul's eyes went to his chest, one hand coming from his hilt to swat away the implanted projectiles.

Pain gave way to fury, and then to rage that in my moment of victory, the Force had cheated me of a clean strike. That it felt the need to test Anakin, to hurt him, just as I struck Maul, and potentially gained the advantage in our duel.

Yet before I could focus on that rage, Maul came at me. My beskad rushed up, slapping away his attacks as best I could. A whirlwind of blows crashed against beskar – be it my blade or armour – as I used everything I could to defend myself. The beskad was short, forcing me to rely on the armour more than ever, but I knew if I could avoid another painful strike, then the tide would turn.

Even with one arm all but out of commission – the Force and bacta from the armour working to numb and heal the burnt flesh – I felt time was on my side. The darts had injected senflax; a compound that acted like a sedative, keeping the person conscious while numbing all pain and sensation. It paralyzes primary muscles without affecting vital organs, ensuring the heart, lungs, and other essentials remain unaffected. However, it also clouds the mind, hindering focus and free will. The patient becomes helpless, only able to provide simple answers to direct questions, which should leave Maul unable to draw on the Force, and so long as he didn't overcome the effects too rapidly, allow me to end this battle soon.

After nearly a hundred attacks from Maul, I sensed that he hadn't managed to cleanse himself. His movements, insanely fast as they were, were slowing; the toxin slowly having an effect.

The next flurry from him confirmed this as I was able to use nothing more than the beskad to defend myself. By the next burst of attacks, I countered and even risked attacking with the Beskad, forcing him to defend for the first time since losing my forearm.

Maul seethed, fury pulsing into the Force, yet we both knew the battle was turning, perhaps for the last time. Maul was forced back, my beskad driving him onto the defensive; his blade slowing as he struggled to demand his body do as he wanted.

The Force shifted around us, Maul's rage grew brighter in it, and I found myself pushed back; the beskad was now only used for defence. Several of Maul's blows slipped past my blade, though none landed anywhere near the underweave. However, after nearly three dozen attacks, Maul stumbled back, his breath ragged.

I stepped forward, wanting to keep pushing him, making him keep going. The more he worked, the faster the toxin would shut down his organs, and end the fight. His blade came around, swooping and sweeping, blocking the various flicks, thrusts, and lunges from my beskad. None landed, but each defensive move was slower than the last, and his shoulders were starting to slump.

Again, Maul slipped back, trying to generate space, to recover from the assault on his body. Again, I stepped after him, not letting him rest. Yet just as my blade slipped forward, drawing a defensive blow from his lightsaber, the Force shifted around us. A massive, furious wave of rage grew inside Maul.

I didn't have time to prepare before I was driven back, bouncing end over end away from him. Seething hisses of pain slipped from my lips each time my wounded arm dragged against whatever I bounced off, a startled yelp escaping as it caught for a moment on something. The beskad slipped from my grip on about the twentieth collision, and a grunt emerged as my back slammed into a wall, ending my tumble.

I shook my head, clearing the stars in my vision, and slowly stood; my remaining hand helping me use the wall I'd crashed into for support. Once upright, I summoned my beskad to my hand, the blade sending mud and water flying as the blade had embedded just beyond the river's edge.

Turning, I expected Maul to be coming at me, yet I paused when I saw him fifty metres away, slumped against a wall. His lightsaber was still with him, still active, but only one hand had a grip on the hilt. I walked toward him slowly, the HUD and Interface reporting the various wounds I had and, in the armour's case, what it had done automatically to counter the damage. Outside of my arm, nothing else was damaged, the armour having tanked the damage and the internal mechanics having countered the kinetic effects enough that I wasn't suffering from anything more than a minor concussion.

I did note though that my armour had been broadcasting my fight to the leaders of the alliance, meaning a handful including Osto likely recorded my battle with Maul. Finding myself not minding that, but not wanting what happened next to be public record, I closed the link and then deployed secure commands, meaning no signals were transmitted from my armour.

After a few steps, and seeing Maul unmoving as I approached though his fury clearly painted the Force, I opened the notices from the Interface. They confirmed my injuries, which were only the lost forearm and a minor concussion. However, I also understood that the moment of clarity had come from the interface shutting off its filter for a few seconds. Realising that seemed to alert my body and the next step I took stung, my body finally letting me know how tired and in need of rest it was.

About ten metres from Maul, the HUD and the Force alerted me to approaching allies, and I saw Osto Ordo and three others arrive on the island, their jetpacks picked up by the audio sensors not long after the HUD's report came in.

"Hold," I ordered as the group landed near Maul, weapons raised and primed to end the Zabrak. "He's mine."

The group stepped back; weapons still trained on Maul as I approached. The grip on my beskad tightened as I neared. He had lost, and now his fate was mine to determine.

… …

… …
A/N: And finally, after 5 and a half years, and a near million words, Cam makes it through the Introduction to his adventures.
... ...
This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
You can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse

If you wish to - for all but the lowest level - get 2 months of advanced drafts and more for all my works, you can consider supporting my work at:
Patreon: USSExplorer
SubscribeStar: USSExplorer

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

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Jan 26, 2024

THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER!
This is me finally deciding to address publicly in one go the various issues that a percentage of the readership has with the choices and actions taken my myself and Cam in Book 2.

Right then.

After the complaints, criticisms, and 'suggestions' that have dominated the last two chapters of A New Player, I think it's time, instead of responding to individuals on various sites, to address them directly in a PSA.

I will, as best I can, avoid using language that might offend someone, but if I do, so be it.

0: The Story

A New Player is Star Wars. It is not Disney Star Wars, it is not TCW Star Wars.
A New Player is EU Star Wars.
Yes, that opens up so many avenues that Cam has no clue about, and might never know, but it matters.
Applying logic from TCW or even the movies may not work if the source used in ANP's creation comes from the EU.

1: The POV Shifts

This was done as I, and the two people involved in helping me plan out the story and provide lore, felt it was needed. The Battle of Naboo here isn't the same as the one seen in the canon timeline.
That said, the issues with the seemingly random POVs from characters people don't know, have been heard. I will, in future, try not to use that many shift changes in battle chapters/arcs. I cannot, however, say they won't exist.
I don't want to get to points of people wondering what happened elsewhere with someone or have it feel that some characters (such as HK in the most recent chapter) are getting neglected. This story is centred around Cam, but he's not the only MC.
Something that will be more obvious in Book 3, which shall begin after the next chapter.

2: The Writing Process
(This isn't an issue, but I feel the need to explain the effort and care that goes into writing this story.)

As mentioned above, 2 people help me with this story, and with my other works.
Each chapter/arc goes through the following process.
A voice chat detailing scenes for the chapter/arc takes place regularly, and then I make a rough guide based on what we decide.
That guide is turned into notes, which they offer comments on.
A draft, which is generally around 50-60% of the chapter's final length is then written. Again, the pair helping get to offer comments, as do those supporting my writing, who see that two months before the final draft is published here and elsewhere.
A redraft is carried out, and where there are issues (which, generally centre around how I write the Force) the pair work individually or together to correct them.
The chapter, before being published here and on other sites, is shown to those supporting me, and on the Discord server for the story. They are free there to offer criticisms/suggestions for how to fix issues. Most of which are taken on, or where not, explained as to why they weren't.

Also, to clarify, Discord isn't only for those who support my writing. While some channels are restricted to those people, whom I'm eternally grateful to for their support and faith, the majority of channels are open to all who join the server and select a coloured role.

3: Maul

Right, this one.
This one angers me and infuriates those who help me with the story (people who, with ease, can and will pull EU lore out to prove a point).
First, and I cannot over-stress this, Maul is not the Maul we see in TCW. This is the EU Maul.
(Using Wookieepedia isn't a valid counter as that site has altered much of the EU content since Disney bought LucasFilm to make their narrative fit their ideals. If you wish to quote the wiki, do so from a page pre-2012, or even better, before TCW was created.)
Maul was taken as a child by Sidious for, let's be nice and call it "intense training".
That involved dropping the pre-teen Zabrak on a literal Hell-world for over a month with no supplies.
Sidious returned later, and the child not only survived, but more importantly, even while starving and weak, he tried to attack Sidious.
He failed, however, this proved to Sidious that Maul had potential.
The following 2 decades of training made everything Cam endured with the Bando Gora and the Vong look like a bloody cakewalk.
Before coming to Naboo, Maul encountered a Jedi Master, Antoon Bondara on Coruscant.
On the very world where the High Council rule the Order from, he fought and defeated Bondara with ease.
Even an attempted murder-suicide by Bondara didn't stop Maul.
And, for those who don't know, Bondara was the Battlemaster before Drallig.
Both of them were regarded as some of the best fighters in the Jedi Order, comparable to many on the High Council.

3A: Obi-Wan, Maul, and Episode 1

What Obi-Wan did in Episode 1… That was the Force acting against him and Maul playing with a toy after killing the threat (Qui-Gon). And for any who have some odd belief that Obi-Wan is a great Jedi, remember that he wasn't on Naboo. He's still a Padawan in both ANP and the canon timeline. It was only through having to step up his game for training Anakin, shifting, and committing entirely to Soresu, and three years of war, that he became good.
Even then, every time he faced Dooku, he lost.
Obi-Wan was, if not for the will of the Force, bound for the agricorp in the EU. His Force Potential is, by Jedi standards, limited at best.
(No, I don't hate Obi-Wan, I simply wish to shift perceptions of him that are clouded by people regarding him as Space Jesus.)

Maul came to Naboo here to kill Cam. He was trained by Sidious to do just that, and Sidious has access to Jedi records – something the Sith have had for a good long time due to the corruption in the Senate – of Cam training or sparring in the Temple to pass along to Maul. Maul knew every trick that Cam might use as a Jedi, and prepared for them. Additionally, before Maul fought Cam, he destroyed with ease a Jedi Battlemaster and one of the more promising Padawans in the Order. A Battlemaster that Cam has never even sourced a point against in a training spar.

3B: The Duel

While the duel felt long, it only lasted maybe ten minutes, though barely half of that is shown onscreen. The reason it feels longer is that when in control of his emotions, and with the Interface filtering the Force, Cam has the time to think. It results in drawn-out combat scenes when things can only take a few moments in real-time. The first time it becomes obvious is during this battle, as Maul is the fight opponent that Cam can't beat easily while in control.
Against the Vong Cam was always partially drawing on his emotions, making him more alive and the scenes more fast-flowing. Here, he was in control for most of it, thus time seemed to move so slowly.
Also, remember that while the pair are moving as fast as they can, Maul always had a higher gear.
This was shown to be an issue for Cam a long, long time ago during a sparring duel against Yoda.
While he surprised Master Drallig with the speed he displayed, Yoda took him apart in seconds afterwards.
Cam has incredible skill with a lightsaber. He does not, nor has ever had, the ability to use the Force to guide his actions as a Jedi or Sith would.
In this duel, Cam rushed in angry. Some of you think it's stupid he's still doing that, but I suspect that if someone you cared about was in danger like Serra was, you'd not stop and go "Hmm, how should I deal with this dangerous person". If you do, then congratulations as a teenager – which, no matter how old he is mentally, he is physically – you're an unusual individual.
By rushing in, Cam made mistakes, and if not for the armour, would've died quicker than Drallig did.
The difference here when compared to fighting against the Vong or with Komari Vosa, is that he regained control. That, unless you fail to accept it, is an improvement in dealing with an issue. One that has plagued him since very early in Book 1.
Just because he has memories of a former life as a soldier doesn't mean, in a new body which is still affected by emotions, and by the Force – even if in a diluted manner because of the Interface – he's got perfect emotional control. That is something that can never be the case due to Eidetic Memory. While the name is misleading, here it means nothing he has ever experienced is forgotten, including the emotions behind it. It was a flaw I placed in with the Perk from the very beginning, and one Cam has referenced several times since events with the Cong and Bando Gora.
Through the various sections of the duel, Cam tries different things to counter and defeat Maul.
None of them worked well enough to get in a crippling shot, never mind a killing shot. Each of them also wasn't designed to outright kill Maul. At least not once Cam regained control of his emotions.
Even with all the toys added to his armour – mainly via the two vambraces he wore – Cam was losing. Only some of those are shown on-screen, as there were too many to detail.
The darts with senflax were a last resort because to use them effectively against a Force user you have to be close enough that they can't sense the attack coming and have time to avoid it. That's generally not a safe place to be against a Force user with a lightsaber as Cam, thanks to the Force, discovered.
…
As for Maul's fate… You'll find out next chapter, but consider the quest for this arc

Also, and this is something that's not touched on in Cam's thoughts on purpose for now but will be a point of development going forward, Cam was looking forward to this fight. He might move and think logically, but this was a true test of his abilities, and his attempts to overcome or circumvent them against an opponent capable of killing Jedi Masters. During that brief moment when the Force moved naturally for him, he enjoyed himself in the fight, in the heat of battle. That feeds into his desire, based on training and choice, to be a close-in fighter over a Jedi who might prefer to remain in the rear directing matters.

3C: Force Powers

Generally, Force users don't use their powers against another Force user for a very simple reason.
Every Force user has a "natural defence" that makes it difficult to use the Force against another.
It also takes time, even for Cam, to draw upon the Force and use it, so the other user has time to react. At least 99% of the time.
Either the Force user has to use something unexpected, or the one they're fighting has to get overconfident. Something that was seen in both cases with Serra and Force Scream, though the latter only had Maul knocked back slightly rather than caught fully unaware.
As for specific powers…
Teleport
This is not a Combat Power.
We see Cam stumbling out of it each time it's used. The only time shown to use against a Force user was when sparring with Dooku, who rapidly closed the distance between them and won the spar easily.
NOTE: Sidious knows of this Force power, and so would've told Maul of it.
Phase
Again, this is not a combat power.
While it's certainly quicker to run through buildings to get to a location, even the Force can't tell with 100% accuracy what's on the other side. Nor can you be certain that an ally might, seeing you step out of a building and deactivate the power, try to shoot you. The Force doesn't warn of attacks coming from those you don't consider a threat, or who act with dangerous intent.
See the Clones turning on the Jedi during Order 66.
Also, while using Phase does mean you can't be injured or killed by almost anything while the power is active, it doesn't stop an opponent from placing a lightsaber inside your frame. That isn't pleasant – which Cam referenced during various spars with Dooku – and means you can't turn off the power without impaling yourself. Also, if the other Force user channels the Force through their lightsaber, it will hurt Cam even while Phased. The power isn't the game-breaking ability some feel it is.
Telekinesis
We see this used by Maul against Serra, first when she overcommits to an attack, leaving her open, and then later, once she'd defeated, when he brings a building down on her.
We see Drallig use it at a distance, to save Serra, where it works because Maul is caught unprepared. Yet, before Drallig could reach Serra, Maul was up and attacking again.
Cam used it to save Serra later on, which only really hurt Serra. Maul landed from the attack with grace. That right there is the hint that using the Force from a distance against Maul wasn't going to work. We don't then see him use it again against Maul because frankly, I didn't want to focus on the pair throwing debris at each other. There's no tension in such scenes, nor threat as such attacks are non-threatening to either Cam or Maul.
Cam prefers to do his talking with a lightsaber, drawing on his training from Dooku and focusing on Maul. Maul prefers to use his blade to prove he's better than any Jedi with their weapon of choice.
Plus, after training against various Jedi – including Drallig and Qui-Gon – and getting easily beaten even when using the Force, and knowing Maul was trained by Sidious, Cam saw little chance of beating Maul with Force powers. The only hopes were with his blade – when overcoming the block – or by thinking outside the box. The latter he did with the Mando gear.
As for the comments that "well he ripped apart ships, he can rip apart Maul", for the love of the Force, please re-read those chapters. Cam had time to concentrate on the ships, time to feel his way through the Force, time to grasp, twist, and crush through shields and metal. Time that against a Sith Assassin, he never had. Not unless Maul picked up an idiot ball the size of Coruscant and carried it to Naboo.
And the Starkiller/Galen Marek comments about pulling a Star Destroyer from orbit. The ship was already crashing to the planet. Starkiller/Marek merely guided down quicker to prevent it from landing on him.
As for stuff Sidious does in later years (Rebellion, Dark Empire), that's peak Darth Sidious after decades of doing nothing but studying and controlling the Force. Cam… is nowhere near Sidious pre-Episode 1. Never mind him around Episode 4, or where Plagueis is now.
Other Powers
You do realise that every base combat power is essentially auto-activated, right?
Enhance Stat, Enhance Skill (focusing on those he's using in combat such as Lightsaber Forms), Force Speed, Bullet-Time and Precognition are on. The other powers… sigh, most are at levels where either they simply won't do anything to someone trained by Darth Sidious to endure insane pain and suffering or aren't ones Cam isn't comfortable using in combat.

This cannot be overstated enough.
In a pure Force user Vs Force user duel, Cam is dead inside three moves (if Maul was feeling generous).
At the time of Naboo
Maul is a far better fighter than Cam.
Maul is a far better fighter than Obi-Wan.
Maul is capable of taking down Jedi Masters, maybe even a few of the lower-tiered High Council Members.
This is exactly what a Sith Assassin with 20 years of training with High Force Potential would and should be capable of.
Maul's defeat to Obi-Wan, again, was the will of the Force mixed with Maul toying with his food.
That is why Cam used the armour and gadgets in the vambraces, to fight. He fought smart, drawing on equipment a Jedi wouldn't, and that Maul was less likely to prepare for.

4: Inventory

Cam uses this one, only once, to kill a Force user. That was right back in the Prologue against a gloating Sith trainee. Said trainee still got off half a sentence before Cam impaled them with something he drew from the Inventory.
He's never used it in close-quarters combat because after training to use it in private, the delay in mentally commanding the Inventory to open, reaching in and drawing out an object was simply too great to be useful for close-in combat. Also, we do see Cam use the Inventory when in the Coruscant lower levels during a combat scene. The action isn't instant, nor was the threat in his face.
Now, if the senflax hadn't worked, he might have tried that, or another less likely to work option. However, using an untested combat technique if you can avoid it isn't something to deploy in a life-or-death situation.

5: The Limb

First, it was the forearm, lost at the elbow. That's the same as what Anakin suffered while Luke only lost his hand. Losing a limb isn't uncommon in Star Wars, especially when fighting someone with a lightsaber.
Second, and this is out of the story, I and those helping considered this carefully, and then, uncertain of if it should happen, used a dice roll to decide. The roll was heavily weighted against it happening, but the roll went that way.
Why did we use a dice for this? Simply to inject some randomness as a way to generate how the Force can operate for Force Users.
Is it a trope that a limb is lost in a lightsaber duel? Yes, but there's a reason for that beyond simply being a way to 'weaken' or 'hurt' a protagonist. They're fighting with swords of plasma/energy. One slip when using a lightsaber at full power, and well…
The idea that Cam could defeat a focused and determined Maul without injury is fanciful at best. The reasons for this are mentioned above.

We have made plans to accept this change, which will be detailed in Book 3, but it has happened. You don't have to like it, but you do, if you are to continue reading the story, going to have to accept it.

(For the record, the arm lost was his left. While ambidextrous, it was his dominant arm. Sorry Tony )

Also, while the Force has accepted Cam, even granting him more connection with it, it still regards him as an anomaly. His actions have changed how the Force shall achieve "Balance". The word is placed in marks because what the Force sees as Balance is not guaranteed to be what any Force user would regard as Balance.
Cam has altered things insanely by moving Anakin away from meeting Qui-Gon, Padme, Obi-Wan and the Jedi.

6: Earth Tech

Not something I see a need to bring up, but one of those who helps me does.
Simply put, Earth-tech is, to be nice, stone-aged compared to anything in the Republic or the wider universe.
While there are analogue weapons, such as shotguns and flamethrowers, those aren't wonderfully useful against anything above an average Jedi Knight or equivalent. Maul is above that level, as explained above.

The reason Cam has focused on stories and songs for 'creating' is because he knows them. When people mention technology, please consider that a: Cam wasn't an engineer, mechanic, or designer on Earth and that b: it's highly unlikely that whatever we have on Earth hasn't been duplicated and made considerably better, by one of the literally uncountable sentients (Which, btw, is the in-universe term for a sentient being) that have lived and died in the 100000+ years of recorded history of the Star Wars galaxy.

7: Nerfing

Cam has not been nerfed, and I'm sick to bloody death of that claim.
In book one, he faced off against random beasts, slavers, pirates, Mandalorian children, fellow Padawans, and a Greater Krayt Dragon. Bar the last one, those are not threats to Cam. From the moment he first sparred with Dooku, it was clear he had a long way to go even with his, for his age, insanely high skill in some lightsaber forms.
That theme was driven home in Book 2 where he faced Mandalorians of a far higher level/experience with training for fighting Force users, a Dark/Fallen Jedi in Komari Vosa (who was formerly trained by Dooku) and the Vong. Each of those was a greater threat than anything he'd faced in book 1, and they tested Cam in ways he, as Fay put it, was perhaps not ready for. But he survived, grew, and improved where he could. Which given he faced them all before turning 18, even with the Player system he has – which is not a full Gamer system, nor has it ever been no matter what some people continue to foolishly believe – is more than even adult Jedi Knights could survive.
The limitations that he has have been in place for a very long time, and something Book 2 was centred around dealing with, accepting – reluctantly – and then overcoming and circumventing.
We see a hint of that in the duel where Cam is able, for a few moments, to draw on the Force naturally. Yes, it still wasn't enough to defeat Maul, but given it was his first time truly feeling and using the Force, that is entirely logical.

The next chapter and the early part of Book 3 will show Cam moving past those issues, adapting, and then growing to a point where, within a few years he'll be capable of taking on Jedi Masters. Not High Council members, or the Sith Lords right away, but the path to a place where he could be capable of doing so will be clear and obvious.

Of course, if you want to read that, then you'll have to stay around and, I hope, enjoy Cam's continual adventures.

8: Stats, Skills, etc

I have the docs for Cam's skill changes on my computer – and a dozen other places for backups.
They are updated after each arc.
I, more than anyone else, know exactly what the various skills are, how they work, and what they can do.
So please, don't say "Cam has this skill so he can do this". If he could do that with his power, then he would if the situation calls for it, and if in that moment, he decides to do so.

9: Cam letting Serra go with Drallig

This is simple to explain once you consider Cam. He's not a good Jedi, never has been, never will be. He's selfish and works to keep his friends safe. Bo is with other Mandos, and in armour hard to pick out from the masses. Serra is a Jedi, and someone the Sith know is close to Cam.
After letting her come (which he had to do to avoid offending the Mandalorians, who he needed to have to win the battle – as he had no idea what had changed so wasn't going to throw away support) and then Drallig arriving, he had three choices for her.
A: Let Serra go off on her own, either in Theed or elsewhere. Something she wouldn't accept, and I doubt Drallig would either. They don't know of Maul, and even if he told them of his visions, Drallig would still want Serra to be accompanied by another Jedi.
B: Take her with him. Drallig might accept this, but Cam couldn't. He knew Maul was going to be a problem, and having Serra around to protect was something he knew would get them both killed.
C: Send Serra with Drallig and hope that either Maul didn't go to them – which was the plan as he sent them away from where he expected the battle to take place – or if Maul found them, that Drallig could protect Serra. He did that, at the cost of his life.

Is that fair? No. But Cam only cared about keeping Serra safe. Drallig was, in his mind, expendable. And perhaps, might be able to slow or hurt Maul to make things easier for Cam. Which, as we saw, wasn't the case.

10: Reactive vs Proactive

Cam let Maul move them away from others because anyone else who got involved would be in danger. With Bo around – Fenrir is with her, which was mentioned in passing, and Naz also somewhere – Cam was happy to let Maul move them around.
His plans involved being close to Maul and slowing or wounding him.
Grenades would only cause issues for collateral damage, especially in a city like Theed. And they wouldn't do much when both were fighting at insane speeds. Especially, as some people have suggested, to use gas grenades. Those disperse easily and Maul could use the Force to avoid any toxins getting into his skin, never mind the bloodstream.

Once on the island, the fight stayed still as both combatants were happy with the location. Maul because it placed him close to his vessel for once he killed Cam. Cam because he was isolated to avoid others getting the way, and because he could use the toys he prepared for the battle.

11: Conclusion

Cam is not, omnipresent nor unbeatable.
Cam will make choices that, with the benefit of hindsight – or the opinion of those unaware of full details or an inability to remember past remarks and events – will have been the wrong ones. He is not perfect and has to learn from his mistakes, but that learning doesn't ever take place overnight. It takes years of growth and maturing, along with breaking free of any preconceptions he might hold, to achieve.
As for me, I will make mistakes with continuality and lore. I'm not infallible. However, that is why I have people who help shape the story and others who with early access – regardless of where – spot issues.
That said, I'm not going to alter entire arcs and books because a constant minority chooses to complain regularly about what they don't like in a chapter/arc. Especially when they don't have the complete arc or details to work from. Nor understanding of where Cam's character arc, and the overall story, is heading.

If all this still leaves you unable to accept events that have happened and follow a logical path that a non-perfect MC would take, then there's little I can do to change your mind. If you continue to follow the story but offer only complaints I will ignore you. I don't need the hassle of dealing with that.

Those who can accept the facts as I've listed them here are more than welcome to remain as readers, and offer constructive criticism where they see it is needed (such as the multiple POV issue), know that I'm grateful for your help and support.

Also, and I feel this might have somehow gotten confused for some, but you can join Discord without supporting the story. It's a general hangout server for the story, and now a few others, along with a place where the EU is, as it should always be, king.

Until next month,

May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Feb 23, 2024

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

This chapter was released at least 3 weeks ago to my Patreons (with them seeing a draft version around 2 months ago) and on the story's Discord server (in GDoc form) about a week ago.
Links for both are at the end of the chapter.
Hopefully, all the little mistakes have been found and removed.
Yes, this chapter is far longer than normal, but that's so everything can be handled in one go.

The Phantom Menace 6
... ...

I sat on one of a half-dozen medical beds inside a private ward of the royal palace of Naboo. The man examining my lower arm, or more accurately, where my elbow had once connected to it, ran a scanner over the burnt, sealed flesh. He wasn't, as Padmé first insisted, one of the Naboo doctors, but a fellow Mando'ade. I'd told the Queen that her people needed more help, and I knew the wound was already sealed and not infected; one odd upside of a wound coming from a lightsaber and not a vibroblade, which was why I had a Mando'ade medic giving me the once-over.

While I was glad to have survived Maul, and relieved that, in the end, the various tools I'd prepared for fighting him had worked, the fact I'd lost my forearm had to be some sort of sick joke by the Force or TPTB. I wasn't Anakin or Luke and wasn't set up as the Chosen One, yet I'd suffered the same injury as they had. The only difference was that I'd lost my left forearm whereas they'd both lost their right.

Still, from what I'd felt from Anakin, something had happened to him at the same time, so perhaps it was my connection to the true Chosen One that had resulted in me losing my forearm.

"The bacta has done its job," the medic, Mij Gilamar said, drawing me from thoughts about why I had to suffer this injury, "and there's no hint of infection. There is some damage done to the nerve endings, however, the wound was cauterised instantly by the lightsaber, saving you from any complications. Though that fact is also why the limb would be extremely difficult to restore." I nodded, understanding that issue, as while the wound was clean, Maul's lightsaber had burnt away around an inch of flesh, so if I had the hand reattached, my left arm would be fractionally shorter than my right.

"Small mercies," I muttered with a dark chuckle.

"Yes," Gilmar replied. "I can forward you a list of Mandalorian companies that specialise in replacement limbs so you can decide on what sort of replacement you wish to get."

"I didn't realise there were options." I was playing dumb as I knew Adonai's replacement leg had several after-market modifications, including – according to Bo – a built-in launcher with three rockets similar to those she used in her vambrace. What I wanted to learn about was what my options were regarding modifications for my replacement limb, and how easy it would be to hide those changes from detection by others.

"There's a large range, going from a thousand credits up to, I'm told, close to a million. The materials used in the cover and internal circuitry, along with hidden compartments of weapons. Something I'm told Alor Adonai has in his leg, though that's not something I can speak to. That said, from the other Mando'ade that I know with replacements, a hidden blaster is the most basic advantage taken from the mechanical limb." I nodded as he continued. "Though I suspect that those alterations won't be popular with either the Republic or the Jedi Order."

I chuckled and held up my left arm, displaying the missing limb. "If I'd have fought as a Jedi I'd have lost far more than just a forearm," I said with a dark chuckle.

"Fair enough," Gilamar replied with a smile. "Nor, I suspect, would you have reached out for warriors to march under your banner." While he was being friendly, there was something in his tone that had me pause.

"I wasn't trying to make a statement with the move." That was true, as while I was grateful so many had answered my call – be it because of loyalty to me, Adonai or Torrhen, or the promise of credits – I'd noticed that since Naboo was freed even Mando'ade who had held issues with my status as a Jedi seemed more tolerant of me. Not to the point that I didn't think it was still an issue, but to the extent many, if not most of the gathered Mando'ade saw me fully as one of their own. It hadn't reached a point where I'd caught suggestions I should become a leader of our people, but the hints – such as in Gilamar's tone – meant I knew I'd have to speak with Adonai, Torrhen, and others about how my actions might be misconstrued.

"I understand that, but to others, it could be seen as a statement of intent," Gilamar countered with a friendly smile. "Your status as an Alor, even one from a very minor clan, and your alliances with Houses Kryze and Ordo aside, for any Mando'ade to send out a call to arms, and have so many warriors respond, and unite under their banner, is something that others will take note of. Especially, at least to some, that you also found worthy allies to fight beside us in the Lokella." He chuckled softly. "To those already predisposed toward you, due to your heritage or verd'goten, these actions will resonate. To those who weren't, it will place your name upon their lips; either as a threat to their intentions or as someone they might have use for."

"I have no interest in trying to lead our people."

Gilamar leaned back, raising his palms defensively. "I never said you did, nor, as a Jedi, would I expect you to have it. However, to others, especially those with desires to lead our people – for better or worse – the mere chance you might is something they'll have to consider." He smiled as he stood. "Remember, that you are the first to defeat a Darjetii since before the Dral'Han; and that you did so as Mando'ade and not Jedi also affirms your stance as aligned with our people over the Jedi and Republic." He placed a hand on my right shoulder. "To many, even those with no wish to have the Clans unite, that, when combined with the number that fought under your banner, means something. Especially after another devastating war."

"Again, I don't plan to or want to lead our people. The fact I'm a Jedi as well means I simply can't." That said, I understood his thinking. It would be better, perhaps, if the Mandalorians united under the banner of someone else. Yes, I'd have to follow that person as Mando'ade myself, but having that sort of might as an ally may well be more useful than having it directly under my control. I expected it would also remove most of the issues with commanding a nation that, if the numbers I'd heard were right, numbered in the hundreds of millions, if not billions spread across the galaxy.

"That is something you will, perhaps, one day have to reconcile, as I did. Perhaps, even choose between the laws of the Republic and the Resol'nare. Know though that, as long as the Mando'ade and the Republic don't find themselves at war, I would be happy to consider you a friend."

"Vor entye Mij," I said, accepting the offer and extending my good arm.

He laughed gently as he grasped my forearm. "Ba'gedet'ye Cameron. Though it is I, and others, who should thank you." After that, we broke the clasp. "Now, I think I'll head to see if the local medics need any help. While there were few injuries among our people," he glanced behind me, to the bacta tank that supported Serra, "or the Lokella, the Naboo suffered greatly. As did the Gungans. I and the other medically trained Mando'ade have offered our services to help with the wounded, though Queen Amidala was insistent that you be checked first."

"Since you've finished then, I won't keep you." He gave me a final nod and smiled before leaving the ward. That left me alone in the place. Well, besides Serra, but she was in no condition to speak with me, and Fenrir who was resting at the base of the tank containing Serra, chewing on the remains of a battledroid that he'd had ever since the battle had ended. Fenrir had been there ever since Serra had been brought in and placed in the tank as if guarding her.

Fenrir had few marks on his skin, some from blasters and others from lacerations that didn't appear to have gone deep, but otherwise looked fine. A doctor had tried to scan him, but they'd scampered away when Fenrir had growled loudly at the unwanted attention.

When Gilamar had arrived, Bo and Naz had been with him, the pair pleased to see I was safe – bar the missing limb – and Bo had spent time checking on Serra as she floated in the tank. Bo had seemed off when she turned back from the tank, and Observe revealed she felt as if Serra's injuries – and the death of Master Drallig – were in some way her fault. I'd talk with her later about that, and hopefully clear the air, but before I could do so the pair had, at my insistence, left.

While the battle was won, Theed was in ruins and Padmé needed everyone she could get to search the rubble for survivors and bodies. Plus, if Bo remained here, having to keep seeing my lost arm and Serra's condition, I feared she might become depressed. Helping search for survivors would distract her for a while. At least until I could talk with her about what I feared had happened to Anakin. Still, with them and now Gilamar gone, I was left in my own thoughts, which centred around my friend and lover in the bacta tank.

The constant, steady beeping from the tank for her vitals filled the now silent room as the bacta worked to heal her myriad of physical wounds. Those she would recover from soon enough, but the mental wound of losing her Master – and the closest thing she had to a father – because of choices she made, was one that would take a year, or longer, to heal.

Not only did losing Drallig have major repercussions for Serra, but it would massively affect the Jedi Order. The High Council would want answers as to why he was even here, something Serra would have to face censure for, along with comments from other Padawans, and I would also be questioned for allowing my emotions to influence my choice to let her come along.

However, for all that, the biggest issue Serra was going to have with what happened here would be regarding my choice for Maul's fate. Yet, with what I knew was brewing now with Sidious as Chancellor – though I'd yet to have it confirmed – I needed insight into any plans Maul was privy to.

That could wait though, as I first had to figure out where to store him, and how, and then work to recover from our first battle, hopefully to surpass him so that when we fought again it was clear I was the better fighter. Otherwise, I doubt he'd ever consider speaking with me, never mind the more insane ideas I had for using him to help bring about the end of the Banite Sith.

However, thoughts about the future and what it would bring for me, Serra, and Maul were things I could consider over the next few days. As was heading to see Anakin and learn what had caused him to shout into the Force with such strength and pain. For now, with time alone to think, I turned my mind to the Interface, or more accurately, the messages that had come once the battle for Naboo was confirmed to be over. I'd already read them, but I still pulled them back up, wanting to go over them once again and consider my choices now that I'd finally reached Level 30.

Quest Completed!
The Phantom Menace [ƍ] [֍]
Objectives:
:a: Free Naboo from Trade Federation control before any treaty recognizing the occupation can be signed. [Yes]
:b: Ensure that Padme Naberrie survives the invasion. [Yes]
:c: Defeat Maul. [Yes - Captured]
:d: Ensure that Obi-Wan survives the invasion. [Yes]
:e: Ensure that Bo-Katan Kryze survives the invasion. [Yes]
:f: Ensure that Naz Vizsla survives the invasion. [Yes]
:g: Ensure that Serra Keto survives the invasion. [Yes]
:h: Ensure that at least one of Asta Ordo and Osto Ordo survive the invasion. [Yes - Both]
:i: Ensure that Validus and Ferox survive the invasion. [Yes]
:j: Ensure that more than 75% of those who fight in the battles survive the invasion. [Yes – 87%]
:k: Ensure that Cin Drallig survives the invasion. [No]
Rewards/Penalties:
:a: A massive increase in Reputation with any sentient living on Naboo.
Variable Reputation gains with any who oppose the Trade Federation.
Variable changes in Reputation with members of the Jedi Order, Galactic Senate, and the general populace of the Republic.
8000XP (+1600XP)
:b: 2 tests of friendship with Padme Naberrie are passed.
A massive increase in Reputation with Padme Naberrie.
A large increase in Reputation with Padme's family and closest friends.
2500XP (+500XP)
:c: Overall increases in reputation with Darth Sidious and Darth Plagueis.
A decrease in Reputation with Darth Maul.
5000XP (+1000XP)
:d: A Test of Friendship passed with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
A large increase in Reputation with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
A decent increase in Reputation with Qui-Gon Jinn.
1000XP (+200XP)
:e: A Test of Friendship passed with Bo-Katan Kryze.
A decent increase in Reputation with Bo-Katan Kryze.
A small increase in Reputation with Clan Kryze.
A small increase in Reputation with Naz Vizsla and Serra Keto.
800XP (+160XP)
:f: A Test of Friendship passed with Naz Vizsla.
A decent increase in Reputation with Naz Vizsla.
A small increase in Reputation with Clan Vizsla.
A small increase in Reputation with Bo-Katan Kryze and Serra Keto.
800XP (+160XP)
:g: A Test of Friendship passed with Serra Keto.
A decent increase in Reputation with Serra Keto.
A decent increase in Reputation with Cin Drallig.
Variable small increases in Reputation with members of the Jedi Order.
A small decrease in Reputation with members of the Jedi High Council.
A small increase in Reputation with Bo-Katan Kryze and Naz Vizsla.
800XP (+160XP)
:h: Tests of Friendship passed with Asta Ordo and Osto Ordo.
A decent increase in Reputation with Torrhen Ordo and Alys Ordo.
A small increase in Reputation with Clan Ordo.
800XP (+160XP)
:i: Tests of Friendship passed with Validus and Ferox.
A decent increase in Reputation with members of the Lokella.
A small increase in Reputation with Anakin Skywalker and Shmi Skywalker.
800XP (+160XP)
:j: Large increases in Reputation with everyone who fought in the battles to free Naboo.
1250XP (+250XP)
:k:
Decent decrease in Reputation with Serra Keto.
Variable decreases in Reputation with members of the Jedi Order.
A small decrease in Reputation with members of the Jedi High Council.
...

Quest Completed!
Changing Fate [Qui-Gon Jinn]
Objective:
:a: Prevent Qui-Gon's death at the hands of Darth Maul. [Yes]
Bonus: :b: Introduce Anakin Skywalker to Qui-Gon Jinn before the battles for Naboo. [No]
Rewards/Penalties:
:a: A decent increase in Reputation with Qui-Gon Jinn.
A small increase in Reputation with Obi-Wan Kenobi.
2000XP
:b: An almost zero chance that Anakin will be taken by Qui-Gon Jinn or Obi-Wan Kenobi as their Padawan.
…

LEVEL UP!
Level: 29 -> 30
FP: +650
PPP: +1
PP: +2
STAM: 43
SP: +6
SKP: + 41
...

CONGRATULATIONS!
You've made it to Level 30.
Well done on completing the training section of your new life and reaching the final evolution of the Interface!
This evolution of the Interface isn't like the previous evolution.
Here, the choice in how it evolves rests with the Player, though the choice is a binary one.
This choice doesn't have to be made instantly but must be completed before Level 31 is reached or the Interface will remain locked in its current configuration.
...
The choices for Interface Evolution are:
Player+
Natural Evolution
...
Player+
This is, for lack of a better term, a doubling-down on the current Player-inspired work of the Interface.
However, several important changes increase what the Player is capable of achieving with this evolution.
First, there would be an increase in the tiers of all Force Powers and Skills, allowing you to take any of them to an 8th tier. However, each new tier has skill requirements equal to 2.5x that of the previous level.
The growth rate the Player is capable of won't change, but these far larger level XP requirements will slow the development of any Force Power or Skill taken into the 7th and 8th tiers.
Once a Force Power of Skill reaches Level 100 of tier 8, then can only be improved beyond that with the purchase of a new ability: LEVEL BOOST.
This can be purchased with either a Perk Point or Player Power Point.
However, it can only be taken once every 10 levels from Level 30, and no matter how many times you take it, can only ever be applied once to a Force Power or Skill.
It grants either a 1 or 2 Tier increase to whichever Force Power or Skill it is applied to.
Perks will also be available to remove restrictions on Force Powers that the Player lacks a natural inclination toward.
However, as with LEVEL BOOST, the strength of the restriction can only be removed once every 10 levels starting from Level 30.
...
Natural Evolution
Skills will gain a new base maximum limit of Level 100 of Tier 7.
However, this evolution would, in essence, free the Force from the control of the Interface. At least when it comes to the Player and how they access it.
It would still work with the Interface, allowing the Player to use the Force in conjunction with their special abilities such as the Minimap, but the tracking of what level or tier a Force Ability is at, and the hard limits on what the Player can do with the Force would be, in general, removed.
One key caveat is that while this freeing of the Force would place the upper limits on what the Player can do with a Force Ability, all Force Powers would suffer some form of degradation.
This is due to how the Interface filters the Force for the Player versus how other Force-sensitive and trained sentients interact with the Force.
The Player will need to, to varying degrees, relearn how to use their Force Abilities and the growth rate in their Force Abilities will be determined by the strength of their connection to the Force.
Again though, the Player would be capable of doing things with the Force that, even with Player+, they would not. Perhaps, with concentrated training and effort, capable of feats that could reshape a planet, star system, or even the galaxy.
That, however, would depend entirely on the focus of the Player, their understanding of the Force, and their desire or determination to achieve it.
Note, that while Natural Evolution goes a different direction from Player+ the new ability LEVEL BOOST would still be available.
It would, however, only apply to the Player's Skills, with what it grants altered to reflect that.
Perks to grant natural inclinations toward certain rare Force Abilities would also remain.
...

NOTE
In simpler terms:
With the current Interface setup, the Player is limited to a base of Level 100 of Tier 6 of every Force Power and Skill.
With Player+ Force Powers and Skills get a new base of Level 100 of Tier 8.
Though there exists an ability, LEVEL BOOST, to lift each Force Power of Skill once to a higher Tier, to a maximum of Tier 10.
This would, for Force Powers with no usage of LEVEL BOOST, lift the Player's capacity to that of an average member of the Jedi High Council.
With Natural Evolution Skills get a new base of Level 100 of Tier 7.
With this version of LEVEL BOOST, any skill can be raised once, to either Tier 8 or Tier 9.
However, the Force is freed from Interface control, and based on the Player's current Force sensitivity, they are, potentially, capable of rivalling, and even surpassing, any mortal Force-user to ever live.
...
NOTE
With the evolution of the Interface and the choice The Player faces, another option becomes available.
If Player+ is taken, then either PLAYER's BODY or PLAYER's MIND may be cancelled, and the Perk Point returned to The Player.
If Natural Evolution is taken, then either PLAYER's BODY or PLAYER's MIND must be cancelled, and the Perk Point returned to The Player.
...
NEW ABILITY DESCRIPTION
LEVEL BOOST
With this Ability (be it purchased as a Perk or Player Power) The Player can lift the threshold of any Force Power (where applicable) or Skill by one or two tiers.
Each purchase has three applications. These can only be applied once to any Force Power (where applicable) or Skill, though it is possible to apply two at the same time, granting one Force Power (where applicable) or Skill a 2-tier increase.
This Ability can only be applied to a Force Power (where applicable) or Skill once, so choices have to be considered carefully.
...

Even though I'd read that before, I was still impressed with the choice I had for reaching Level 30, and how either option had the potential to be amazing. However, the more time I had to consider them, the more I was leaning toward Natural Evolution. While it had a lower Skill tier available and would cost me some training with the Force, the ability to match – or even surpass – beings like Yoda, Windu, Sidious and Plagueis wasn't something I could ignore.

As I'd seen with Maul, with the limits currently in place, I simply couldn't engage a Council member or higher – before leaving Maul with Osto to be taken from the battlefield, I'd used Observe on him to discover he was Level 36. I needed to improve, yet Player+ only took me to the level of a High Council member, which given how those who'd come with Windu had done against Sidious simply wasn't high enough to be capable of stopping his plans. And that was without considering my actions might've resulted in Plagueis' fate changing.

However, I also understood that I couldn't, and wouldn't, make the change now. The moment I took Natural Evolution if that was my final choice, then I'd lose Dark Side Masking, exposing the taint I no doubt had because of how often I'd drawn on the Dark Side. While that would cause massive problems with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan currently on Naboo, more than likely members of the High Council and Palpatine would be arriving soon to handle Drallig's body and celebrate the liberation of the planet.

If I took Natural Evolution then I needed time away to learn to mask my Force presence, at least enough that none could sense anything different about me to the point they'd either try to imprison me (the Jedi) or recruit me (the Sith) or attempt to kill me (possibly both).

Now, Qui-Gon, and possibly Obi-Wan though given his limited Force Potential I wasn't sure, had likely sensed my flares of anger but I could easily play those off as concern for my friend. While a Jedi Knight, I was young, and still maturing physically, so emotional reactions were prone to occurring, especially for one who's come late to the Order. Appearing without the ability to mask any taint I might have would be another matter entirely. To say nothing of the other things I'd learnt from Ada's holocron ever since I'd first activated it on Zonama Sekot.

That would ruin everything I'd done up until now, and place my slowly developing plans for the future in danger, all but handing the galaxy to the Sith.

Pushing those concerns to one side for the moment, I pulled up my base stats, wondering how they'd changed because of reaching Level 30 and my injury.

Cameron Shan
Species: Human
Title: The Player
Age: 17
Level 30
HP: 253/253
(-7.5% for lost limb)
FP: 16022/16022
(-10% for Raven)
PP:60/60
XP [11874/40000]
STAM [1213/1213]
Hunger [67/100]
STR: 21 +
VIT: 22 +
AGI: 22 +
INT: 42 +
WIS: 32 +
CHA: 32 +
Luck: 10 + [+10]
SP: 19
SKP: 179
PerkP: 0
PPP: 1
Credits: 5492463
...

Overall, that wasn't bad. The loss of HP because of my missing forearm wasn't massive, though the concept of HP when a single blaster bolt or lightsaber to the gut could, potentially, kill you made the value seemingly worthless as far as I could tell. The XP being a little over a quarter of the way to Level 31 was an indicator that even with the massive force I'd managed to bring to the planet, the way the Interface granted me XP for every droid taken down meant large-scale battles against the CIS in future would be a useful method for XP farming. At least to a degree.

Since there was no definitive reveal of how much combat XP I got, I couldn't tell how much I'd done, but I felt I'd not gained any XP from the space battle. The battles in Theed and on the grass plains had been connected to me via the Battlenet, so gaining a minute fraction for each droid, tank and transport from those battles made sense. If the space battle had been added in, then the XP gain would've been less as there were more people manning the various ships in the allied fleet engaging fewer droids when compared to those on Naboo.

I was slightly surprised that the Changing Fate [Qui-Gon] quest was complete as the objective was to ensure Maul didn't kill Qui-Gon, with nothing being stated clearly about that having to take place on Naboo. There was still a chance the quest could be retroactively failed if that occurred in the future, but if that happened then I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. While I wasn't overly close to Qui-Gon, bar us both being members of the loose – and rarely meeting – Coalition of Jedi trying to prepare for the darkness to come, as a fellow former Padawan of Dooku I felt a faint kinship toward him.

I dismissed my Stats page and those relating to the choice I had to make. Once everything regarding Naboo was over, and I was lightyears away from the Jedi and Sith, I'd see about making my choice. For now, my focus could return to the present.

I slipped from the bed, moving toward a small table nearby. There lay my beskad along with two lightsabers and the remains of two more. Like myself, Serra had lost a blade when fighting Maul, though for her it had been the shoto I'd helped her with. Most of the components hadn't been recovered, but the crystal had been found by Fenrir when He'd been helping Bo dig Serra out of the rubble, and like the two smaller ones from my main blade, it now rested on the table. My issue, however, was that one of my crystals was cracked, having been damaged when Maul destroyed the emitter.

Beside Serra's remaining blade was Master Drallig's, which Bo had placed there thinking Serra would want the connection to her former Master/father figure, which was a sentiment I agreed with. When she awoke and began to recover mentally, she'd have to decide what to do with the blade, though I half-expected her to start wielding it along with her blade, returning to dual-wielding two full-sized lightsabers.

I picked up the crystals and small krayt dragon pearl from my lightsaber, rolling them around in my palm as I considered how to handle rebuilding my blade. While I'd still go for a curved hilt as Makashi was the base of how I fought, I wanted to add more features. The ability to have it not short out when wet, or be able to alter the blade length were things I knew would be added, but I wasn't sure what other features I might add.

I knew that I wanted to add the Mantle of the Force crystal to the blade, and while the crystal was almost entirely aligned with me, having four crystals in a lightsaber was currently beyond what I could manage. Mechanics [Lightsabers] was at Professional:97, and I hoped that once I hit Master:1 I could add everything I wanted to my new blade, but only time would tell. I could manage with the shoto and beskad for now, and if I waited to rebuild my blade until Anakin had found a crystal, we could bond further over building our blades together.

That had my thoughts turn to the Chosen One, and I looked upward, wondering just what had happened to him. I could still, very faintly sense his pain, but it was just a background feeling, only able to reach me due to our bond and the strength of our force sensitivity. However, before I could consider once more what had happened to him, the door opened.

Turning I took a step back, a clearly emotional Sia-Lan Wezz bearing toward me.

"Hey," I said, though I couldn't get anything else out, nor was there a reply as she stormed past me to Serra's bacta tank.

I blinked, processing the flood of emotions rushing from my friend as she placed a hand on the tank. Sorrow and concern were the dominant emotions but a slowly growing, but powerful rage was present as well. That anger, I suspected, was directed at me, and I was fine with that. Sia-Lan was closer to Serra than me, and likely blamed me for Serra's injuries and Drallig's death; something I did as well.

"Rann," I said to the other Padawan who entered with Sia-Lan.

"Cameron," the older but lower-ranked Jedi replied. "We didn't know you were on the planet until we sensed you during the battle." His tone was calm, but I noted his mind was closed as if he didn't want to project his feelings outward. That fit with my previous interactions with him as his thoughts and feelings had always been distant and protected. Though from the way he stood, at a distance, arms crossed over his chest and slightly at an angle, it felt like he wasn't happy I was here. "Nor that Serra and Master Drallig were also present."

I opened my mouth to respond only to stop as Sia-Lan spun and marched toward me.

"Why was she here?!" The girl raged, a finger gesturing toward my face. "It's your fault that she's in that tank and Master Drallig is dead!" the finger jabbed closer, forcing me to lean back and avoid being poked in the eye.

"Padawan!" I snapped, not liking her behaviour. "Calm yourself. Now!" I used Force Persuasion as I spoke, entirely unimpressed with her behaviour. While we were roughly the same age, my rank carried weight, as did the fact that even without an arm or lightsaber I knew I could beat the shit out of both Padawans.

Normally, I wouldn't use the Force against another Jedi, but Sia-Lan's behaviour was unacceptable. No matter how right she was.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do!" She snarled back, the finger jabbing my chest as she lowered the hand. "youghd…"

Her words trailed off as I closed my fist, grasping her with the Force. Before she could get another sound out, or counter my grasp, I lifted her upward, bringing her to my eye level, which left her feet dangling below as I held her afloat via her robes.

"While we are, I hope, still friends, you are overstepping your bounds, Padawan," I said as calmly as I could, though my annoyance and irritation at her behaviour were still clear in my tone and body language. "I understand why you, why both of you," I added, glancing at Rann whose hand had drifted toward his lightsaber though he'd yet to grasp it, "are upset. But remember that you are a Jedi, and if I need to remind you of that fact again, you will regret my training."

With my piece said, and some of her anger lost by the shock of my actions, I let her go. The fall was short, as while she wasn't as tall as me, she wasn't that short, but I'd already turned away from the pair, moving toward the bacta tank. While my way to nullify her anger wasn't one most Jedi would do, I wasn't going to stand there and let her berate me for choices I, or Serra and Drallig, had made.

I placed a hand on the tank and sighed. I knew that, as a Jedi, I'd fucked up in letting Serra come along, and thus having Drallig come as well. However, as a Mandalorian, I'd been left with little choice. To dismiss an ally and friend when I'd called others to battle would've made me look weak and unworthy to gather the forces I had, never mind lead them into battle.

Turning back to the pair I saw that while Rann had relaxed, Sia-Lan's hand rested on her hilt, though she hadn't drawn the weapon yet. The narrow eyes that glared at me suggested it wouldn't take much to have her do so. As amusing as it would be to see her lose control, and then school her about the failure of doing so without proper training, I wasn't interested in that. Not when a stray move of a lightsaber could damage Serra's tank.

"Sia-Lan," Rann began, placing a hand on the elbow of the arm gripping Sia-Lan's lightsaber, "perhaps we should hear Knight Shan's reasoning before jumping to assumptions."

"I know what happened!" Sia-Lan snapped at Rann as she turned to him. That had him raising a single eyebrow. I was a little surprised when that, more than anything else, was what broke through her anger at Serra's condition. "Fine," she muttered, her shoulders slumping and the hand drifting away from her lightsaber, "but I doubt anything you say will change my mind."

I looked at her carefully, thoughts of reminding her of the Jedi Code and the concept of keeping an open mind drowned out by a need to smack her around the head for acting like a Force-damned child. "Understandable," I eventually said as I rejected both options, "but I again remind you of who and what you are." That drew a scoff as if she felt I was being hypocritical, which in a sense I was as I'd come to Naboo as more Mando'ade than Jedi. To say nothing of my tendency to ignore the Code. That said, any irritation I had with her behaviour I let go of, as staying annoyed at her was fucking waste of time, and would show that I could still act like a Jedi.

"To begin, Serra knew I was intending to come to Naboo to help with the situation. I consider both Queen Amidala and Senator Palpatine friends and felt the Force wanted me to help them. That said, I knew this battle would be dangerous, and when Serra first asked to come with me, while she was still inside the Temple, I told her to stay away."

I paused here, turning back and placing my remaining hand on the tank. "The Force, it seemed, had warned us both that if the other came to Naboo, we'd be in great danger. I didn't want her here anymore than she wanted me to go alone, but I pulled rank." My shoulders slumped as the tank continued to beep in time with her constant, but slow, heart rate. "However, Serra reached out to our common friends, and they arranged for her to leave the Temple." I didn't have to mention that those friends were Mandalorian. I was still in my armour, sans my helmet and the section I'd lost with my arm which suddenly itched, and given the warriors that had fought on Naboo, even a youngling could put two and two together. "When I discovered her at the meeting point for the allied fleet, I wanted to send her back; to order her as a Padawan to return to the Temple. She, however, convinced me to let her stay."

I turned back to the pair. While I could mention how she convinced me, by appealing to our status as Mando'ade, it would only make things worse, and drop Serra in deeper trouble with her friends and the rest of the Order. If she wanted to reveal that, it would be her choice to do so. I wasn't going to shift blame to her to save myself from rage and disappointment from others that I felt I deserved.

"Once we were planet-side, Master Drallig arrived soon after. How he slipped past the Federation's fleet I'm not sure, but he did. At that point, and after he'd spoken with his Padawan, there was little I could do to insist he not join the allied forces once he stated he would do so. He outranked me just as I outrank Serra or you. That said, during the battle, I assigned them what should've been a low-risk assignment: to find and rescue a group of Naboo who were about to be shipped off-world and sold into slavery." I sighed and looked down. "I'd hoped by doing that to keep them out of danger. The Force, however, had other ideas."

Silence fell over the room, Rann seemingly considering my words while Sia-Lan slowly calmed herself. I stood there patiently, ignoring as best I could the itching of my missing limb, waiting for their response.

Ever since the battle had ended, my mind had been replaying my choices. I should've pushed for Drallig and Serra to fight elsewhere on the planet. I should never have let them come to Theed, not when I knew Maul was there. In the end, however, I had, and now Serra was paying dearly for my mistake, though I swore on Drallig's memory that I'd not make that mistake ever again.

"Was it really a Sith?" Rann asked after perhaps a minute.

"Well, I didn't exactly stop and ask him if he was," I replied with a small smile which drew a chuckle from Rann. Sia-Lan seemed uninterested in my humour though. "By the time I reached him, he'd already killed Master Drallig and was about to dispatch Serra. I… I couldn't allow that, so I rushed in trying desperately to save her."

Another silence fell over the room, though this one was broken not by a question but by the doors to the medical centre opening and Qui-Gon walking in.

"Well, it seems I was beaten to meeting you, Cameron. I do hope that I'm not too late to hear of your battle with the Sith." He wore a smile that I suspected was meant to relax the tense atmosphere in the room, but there was a hint of, perhaps, apprehension, under it.

"You're sure it was a Sith, Master?" Rann asked, earning a small smile from the old Jedi.

"While I didn't engage him, I sensed his presence as he fought Master Drallig, Knight Shan, and Padawan Keto. I'm left with no doubt that the Zabrak was a Dark Sider, however until Padawan Keto recovers, the only proof we have of his status is Cameron's report."

"And that he defeated Master Drallig inside a few minutes," I added, wanting that point to not be forgotten. While I could understand them dismissing Maul as a Sith if he'd just fought me and Serra, Maul had dismantled Drallig in the time it took me to reach them. And there, again, I saw another mistake that I'd made and had made at times before. A flaw of not using the menagerie of powers at my disposal when they'd be most applicable.

"Yes, there is that," Qui-Gon agreed with a sigh, his shoulders drooping slightly. "While it is conceivable that a random Dark Sider, or even a failed Padawan that I'm unaware of, might be able to defeat a random Jedi Knight or Master, Master Drallig was the Order's Battlemaster and one of our most skilled duellists. That any but a trained Sith could defeat him is something I find doubtful."

Silence returned to the room as the Padawans contemplated Qui-Gon's words. As it stretched on, I considered a way that might help convince Qui-Gon and the Council that Maul was a Sith. I lifted my vambrace and went to access the controls only to stop as I moved my wounded arm over, forgetting the hand was missing.

I sighed loudly, annoyed at making that mistake, but knowing that I'd be making it for some time to come. Even after getting a replacement limb, I knew I'd suffer from phantom limb syndrome as I'd known a few former operators in my former life who'd had to deal with that.

"There is no shame in being wounded," Qui-Gon said, his hand giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze, gesturing to what Gilamar had done earlier. "The Zabrak defeated a Jedi Master and almost killed another Jedi. That you were able to defeat him is a testament to your skills; and the training of your Masters."

I nodded, accepting the praise, though it wasn't fully deserved. "I only won because of the beskar and the weapons in the vambrace," I said slowly, letting my regret seep into the Force and tone. "If I'd fought as a true Jedi, Serra and I would've shared Master Drallig's fate."

"Then it seems the Force has guided you to places where you could discover how you might survive the battle without you perhaps realising it." I looked at him, seeing the sort of wise, amused smile that I often saw from Fay. The kind that implied they knew something I didn't. "It was the Force that led you and Padawan Keto to Mandalore to train. There, like when working with Master Dooku to free those who would become the Lokella, you came into contact with others who'd be of use to you when Naboo was under threat. It also, at least with the Mandalorians, showed you another way to fight in ways not taught in the Temple. A way that, when the chits were down, allowed you to survive and defeat a Sith."

"Yes, Master," I said with a nod, accepting his words even if I didn't entirely believe them. While the Force may have played a part in my helping to establish the Lokella, going to Mandalore had been my choice. I'd wanted to head there and determine if they might be of use come the Clone Wars. Still, it was reassuring that, if nothing else, he didn't hold it against me for using non-Jedi – or less civilised as Obi-Wan famously said – methods to combat Maul.

"And I am relieved that I don't have to inform Master Dooku of your death. While it has been many, many years since I've faced it, I'd prefer to not face him once more when he is displeased."

I chuckled at that. "Aye, that's understandable," I said, well aware of the face Dooku had when annoyed, irritated, or unimpressed with someone, something, or a piece of news he disliked.

"Is he as scary as they say?"

Qui-Gon and I turned to Rann, who, realising what he'd just blurted out, brought a hand up to cover his mouth. The stuttering start of an apology began to slip through his fingers, but it died out when my earlier chuckle turned into laughter as I imagined how Dooku would react to the question. I heard a few quieter, though just as amused, chuckles slip from Qui-Gon before I got myself under control.

"Master Dooku isn't scary per se," I replied, "he's just… very strict about the high standards he expects. And while he expects that from everyone, for his Padawan the standards are considerably higher."

"A very diplomatic answer. One, I suspect, Master Fay would be proud of," Qui-Gon commented, to which I smiled in confirmation. "Now, while I'm glad you're alive and have recovered enough to joke about other matters, I must return this impromptu meeting to the Zabrak." He glanced at the bacta tank, the constant beeping of Serra's heartbeat bringing me a small amount of comfort. "The High Council is aware of what has occurred, and representatives are being dispatched to recover Master Drallig's body and speak with you directly. However, they, like myself, will no doubt wish to hear the details of your battle with the Zabrak."

"As expected, Master, and I believe I can help with that." In the original timeline, many of the Council had come to Naboo for Qui-Gon's funeral, and as Drallig was more important to the day-to-day operations of the Order, his death would have greater implications and importance.

I reached over to another table, this one holding my severed arm contained in a stasis jar. Turning it over with my remaining hand – and doing my best to ignore how awkward and painful doing this was – I accessed the still-working controls of that vambrace and ejected a datacard.

Carefully I passed it to Qui-Gon. "That's a recording from the armour's sensors up until the Sith lashed out after I struck him with poisoned darts," I explained as he took the datacard. "The poison wasn't designed to kill, simply render anything affected by it unable to move. That he was able to continue fighting afterwards was a testament to his skill, and I suspect how infuriated he was that I'd managed to drug him."

"Yes, I suspect that would anger many Dark Siders," Qui-Gon said as he moved over to a nearby console. There, after a minute or so of typing at the console, he activated a small holoprojector, and the image of Maul as I found him standing over Serra, ready to kill her emerged.

Seeing that again, my gaze drifted to Serra, and I had to control myself, lest my fury at what she'd endured resurfaced. A faint gasp of shock from Sia-Lan was accompanied by her residual anger toward me easing, though, after her earlier behaviour, I didn't care if we ever recovered our friendship.

The recording ran on, and we watched silently as my battle with Maul played out. Qui-Gon had slowed the file down slightly, though not by much as the blades were still moving rapidly around the screen. What I did notice was that Rann and Sai-Lan, even at the slower speed, were struggling to keep up with the display. The speed of the battle was still too much for them to handle.

Eventually, the recording stopped, cutting out after Maul had thrown me back, his rage at getting poisoned lashing out hard enough that the impact with the wall was a logical place to edit the recording. Now, the commanders of the allied army who had access to the Battlenet knew it had lasted slightly longer, but since all were Mando'ade and would have no interest in speaking on the matter to the Jedi – not that the Jedi knew they had the recording as well – it wasn't a deception I expected to be discovered.

One of Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose, mirroring an action Dooku used when he wanted an answer but wasn't going to directly ask the question. That made me smile even as I detailed what had happened after the recording shorted out.

"After recovering from the Zabrak's Force attack, I stood to find him slumped against a wall not far from where we'd just been fighting. My beskad had been thrown from my hand in my tumble, and at the time, I didn't know where it had gone. However, I could still sense my shoto and summoned it to me as I approached him. The Sith was down, his breathing steady but slow, the tranquiliser I'd shot him with having begun to overpower his body as the Force abandoned him."

"As is often the case for those who think the Dark Side offers power without cost."

"I thought he was down for good," I said, dismissing Qui-Gon's remark. "But he drew on his remaining strength, leapt to his feet, and charged at me." Pausing to ensure everyone was listening, I projected honesty about my words. "His attacks were slower than before. I sidestepped, wanting him alive, and drove my blade into his side. He snarled, then pushed forward, and was bisected just above the waist. He fell into the river and went over the falls."

"Did you try to recover his lightsaber?"

I cringed. "I admit that it slipped my mind as I watched the body disappear, though the last I saw it, it was still in his grasp." This was true, though the 'he' here wasn't Maul but Osto as he'd been holding the blade as the subdued Maul was taken away by the warriors in his squad.

Qui-Gon looked at me intently, as if sensing I was holding something back. I saw that Rann and Sia-Lan were also looking at me, but that was likely because they were struggling to process that I'd defeated the Sith who'd killed the Jedi Battlemaster. If Sia-Lan still wanted to blame me for Serra's injuries she could do so, though if she pushed about it again my patience would be even less than last time.

"It is unfortunate that the Sith – and after viewing your duel I have little doubt he was one – chose death over imprisonment, but it isn't unexpected," Qui-Gon said slowly, seemingly accepting my recounting of the end of the duel. "And your actions, made so soon after your injury, are entirely expected. However, I feel the Council may wish for greater detail about those final moments. Not just in how the Sith died, but regarding why he was on Naboo, and why you, if as I suspect, felt a danger here, you didn't ask the Council for support."

"I believe you said they wouldn't listen to you when you asked, Master," I said, recounting something he'd mentioned before we'd entered the system. "As for why he was here, I'd wager a good number of credits that he, and his Master as I feel he was the Apprentice, were, and possibly still are, involved in some way with the Trade Federation."

"Yes, the choice made by the Viceroy to blockade Naboo was rash, and invading downright reckless. Illogical even for one who places importance in credits over direct power." Qui-Gon paused and stroked his beard. "The Viceroy is secured in the palace. Obi-Wan, a squad of Naboo and Gungans and a unit of Mandalorians standing watch over him. When the time is right, he will be handed over to Republic security for questioning and trial."

"I suspect he might not make it there," I said slowly, seeing a way to cover my tracks if I was able to enact justice on Gunray. "If the Sith are involved, then the Master will want the Viceroy silenced before he reveals anything that might incriminate others."

"Yes, that is true. And it is something I already plan to mention to Master Yoda when he arrives," Qui-Gon replied with a smile. "I'll ensure your agreement with that is also mentioned." I nodded in thanks, pleased I wasn't being dismissed and would get some credit for the decision. While I doubted it would make any difference to how members of the Council saw me, it would help divert attention and blame from me if Gunray was removed from the board after leaving Naboo. Before that, I had to determine how, when, and where he would face justice for his actions. "Now, since you've been given the all-clear, perhaps you and the Padawans would be willing to help with the search for survivors?"

"I would Master, however, I first wish to collect Raven. During the fight, I sensed something shift in the Force, and I feel I need to investigate the matter quickly."

"This would be what brought about your moment of hesitation during the duel?" he glanced at my missing hand, making clear what he was referring to. I nodded in confirmation. "Hmm. I will speak with the Queen to arrange your departure. Though I suspect she and others will be disappointed to hear of it."

"I don't think I'll be gone long. Perhaps a week at most, and if I still can't find the source of the shift, I'll return so I'm here when the Council arrives."

"That would be advisable. I don't think Queen Amidala would be willing to hold the celebrations of victory without the one responsible for the forces that came to her planet's aid." His lips twitched. "You two may speak with Knight Shan when he returns," He continued, addressing the Padawans. "For now, our services are needed by the populace of this world."

Rann gave me a nod, which I returned. Sia-Lan stared at me, the fury she'd had earlier calmed slightly by, I suspected, seeing the duel I'd had with Maul. The trio then left the room and once the door was closed, I turned back to the bacta tank.

Placing my remaining hand on it, I sighed. "I'm sorry," I muttered, taking a moment to reach out for Serra's mind. I could sense it, though it was obscured; likely from the drugs flowing through her system that were keeping her sedated. I could sense her pain and anguish but knew there was little I could do to help with that currently.

Turning, I attached my shoto to my belt and then the beskad. Fenrir lifted his head, sensing we were leaving, and after he stood and stretched, he gave Serra a long look, one mirroring mine from moments earlier. Moving toward the door, I wondered how difficult it was going to be to fly Raven with only one hand. While we shared a connection and she could sense my intentions and react, I'd be slowed down in using the controls because of the missing limb.

I knew Anakin was still alive, but something had happened to him. What I'd felt wasn't a premonition, but a live reaction felt through the Force. Why it had to happen while I was engaging Maul only the Force could say, but it had.

Carrying my helmet under my remaining arm, I used the Force to open the door and walked out of the medical bay. Two guards stood outside, nodding as I exited; admiration and respect were easy to sense from them. As I walked away, I started playing around with ideas in my head. Gunray had to be removed before he was handed over to Palpatine, as that would simply allow the snivelling grub to return to Sidious' control. However, with the guard on him currently, it would take a bit of work to ensure the Neimoidian ended up dead without anyone being implicated.

The fact that I was contemplating the removal of Gunray by assassination - as that was what it would be - was something I'd taken a few hours to process. I could remember clearly that when I'd been captured by those who raped and abused children, including a fellow Jedi, I'd decided against executing the rapist. Yet now, less than a decade later, I was fine with ordering an assassination of an enemy that could trouble me in the future.

Pulling on my helmet, I opened a secure channel and contacted HK. If anyone knew how to remove Gunray without it being linked to me, it would be the droid. It was what Revan had constructed him for after all.
… …

… …
"Your ship is refuelled and ready for launch, Master Jedi."

I looked up and gave the technician who'd approached a smile. "Thanks." He turned and walked away, and I looked at Raven.

Finding her unharmed in the swamp had been a relief as this was the first time I'd parked her somewhere off the beaten track, and after settling in I'd flown her to the palace. Currently, she was resting in a small private hangar inside the cliff that the royal palace rested upon. The hangar was just large enough to let Raven enter, though the royal cruiser would've never fit, which was why it was usually docked in the hangars in Theed.

That said, the interesting fact was that I was in the second of two small bays, with the first being an unknown ship that had been discovered after Theed was freed. It hadn't taken me long to investigate the matter and discover that the vessel was Maul's and that it had already killed a group of technicians that had approached it before my return to the city.

Its presence raised a handful of issues as, while an impressive-looking vessel, I'd never seen or heard of it again in the knowledge I had of the future. No doubt it had come up in comics or novels, but I'd never read any, so I was at a loss here. Likely it had returned, slowly, to Sidious' control, but I wasn't willing to allow that to happen here.

While it had formidable defences – the video of a technician screaming as their body melted was one I wasn't going to forget, even if Eidetic Memory ensured that – I wanted it. The information inside would provide intel on the Sith plans. Intel that I might never get from Maul.

As such, I'd tasked HK with finding a way inside the vessel – whose name wasn't on the landing records nor the ship's hull – but already he'd run into a small issue. While a great combat and assassin droid, HK wasn't built for slicing into systems. That had, however, offered me an opportunity that I planned to take when I next spoke to Padmé.

HK would remain on Naboo while I returned to the ShaDo system to determine what had happened to Anakin. I'd tried contacting them via the Holonet, but the signal was down. While not an encouraging discovery, the fact neither he nor Dooku was dead – my quests for them and Force Bonds with them were still active – meant I wasn't panicking just yet about what had befallen the Lokella. Still, HK remaining here would also have him looking for ways to eliminate Gunray before representatives of the Republic arrived to take the Neimoidian.

HK's initial suggestions of simply vaporising the entire detention wing of the palace were shot down when I explained I needed it handled discreetly, with no links back to us. That had sparked a reaction in his optical receptors, and I suspected he was looking forward to that more than gaining entry to Maul's ship.

As I reached the Raven's ramp, I sensed two familiar presences and turning I saw Ferox lead Bo into the bay. While Bo wore her helmet, I could sense her concern, though it was drowned out by Ferox's for his newly-formed family.

"What's this about a problem with Anakin?" Ferox asked once he was closer, Fenrir growling at the Corellian's rapid approach and aggressive tone, though he refused to do anything more, content to laze around at the base of the ramp.

"During the battle, I sensed something happened to him," I replied. "I've tried to contact the station, but the signal's not getting through. Now, I know Anakin is alive, but I can't tell much more than that," I added, trying to calm his rapidly fraying nerves. "Because of that, I want you and Bo to come with me."

"The Mando'ade have gathered aboard our prize of war to celebrate."

"That can wait!" Ferox snapped at Bo, stepping toward her, and growling at her helmet. "The lives of my people, my family, matter more than any stupid celebration!"

Bo held her ground, and while she didn't audibly respond, I saw her fist clenching.

I moved forward, sliding my good arm between the pair. "Easy there," I said, moving the rest of my body between the pair. This had the potential to explode given both had fiery personalities, and that was the last thing I wanted to see. When it was clear that neither was going to add anything else, I turned my attention to Ferox.

"Ferox, Mandalorians always celebrate a victory, especially one of this magnitude. Something I know the Lokella do as well," he grunted at that and took a step back, turning in the process. That let me turn to Bo. "I'm not asking our people to delay the celebration, but tell me you wouldn't rush from a party if your family or friends were in potential danger?"

She nodded at that. "You're right, I wouldn't. Anakin and Shmi will always take priority over a victory celebration."

"I apologise for my aggressive behaviour," Ferox said, catching me off guard as he rarely apologised unless he had the issue beaten into him. The relationship with Shmi seemingly had smoothed his more unbalanced tendencies. "I am simply worried about my family."

Bo nodded, accepting the apology, and then turned to me. "How long will we be gone?"

"If I push Raven, and we don't run into any complications, perhaps a week, six days tops."

Bo nodded. "I'll inform my father and Alor Torrhen to delay festivities until then."

I frowned at hearing that as with the Ne'tra Tal'ade, Saak'ak, and Luuhan all controlled by them, and in orbit of Naboo, the longer they dallied here, the greater the chance they'd still be present when the Chancellor and High Council arrived. As much as I'd love to see their faces at the sight of a Mandalorian warship sitting peacefully in orbit of Naboo, it would be better for the ships to be gone. Then again, as Padmé had granted every warrior who'd fought to free Naboo permission to remain as long as they wished, and that so long as they weren't wanted for violating Republic law, every one of them - be they Mando'ade or Lokella - would have safe harbour in the Naboo system.

They would always be offered safe harbour – so long as they weren't being hunted by Republic security – there was no reason for the Mando'ade to leave early with their ships.

Now, the Vuutun Palaa was in orbit as well, however, she was little more than a wreck. Her engines had blown during the battle and one of the hangar arms had been breached just before they'd surrendered. From what I'd heard the Naboo were planning to have the vessel stripped for parts and sold to help with the rebuilding.

Personally, I'd have considered seeing what condition the power core and the rest of the ship were in as while it was a reminder of the invasion, as a station or defence platform it had some potential. However, I could understand why the Naboo wouldn't want a symbol of their planet's darkest moment remaining. That said, if I could, I hoped to convince Padmé to have an actual station developed that could help defend the planet, system, and nearby planets. It was unlikely to happen, but it was worth trying.

"They'll be fine with that?" I asked as Bo turned away, probably to open a channel to them through the Battlenet.

Bo stopped and looked at me as if I'd suddenly grown a second head. "Cam, you're the Akaan'lor of the battle. To celebrate without you, while appealing to many, would dishonour you, and those who fought under your banner."

I stared at her, wondering how much of that was true or not. Mandalorians enjoyed celebrating, or at least Bo did, so for her to suggest every warrior that had answered my call would simply wait for me sounded far-fetched, though I could see why she felt they would.

"Fine then. Contact them once we launch as I want us airborne inside five."

She nodded and moved toward the ramp. I looked at Ferox, and with a grunt, he followed the Mandalorian. As I moved toward Raven, Fenrir stood, sliding up to Bo, happy she would be joining us again. While I couldn't exactly speak with him, I knew the tuk'ata missed Bo, considering her a part of our pack. Truthfully, at any other time, I'd agree with the feeling, but my mind was still concerned for Serra, and I took the first step onto Raven's ramp, hoping she'd be awake by the time I returned, if not out the tank entirely.

"Cam!"

Turning, I saw Padmé entering the bay, her steps hurried enough that the guards with her were struggling to keep pace and continue to ensure the area they were entering was safe. Padmé wasn't in her royal garb, which was a relief as I found the clothing choices the Naboo had for formal occasions to be gaudy, if not pointless. I knew it was their tradition, but not all traditions made sense.

"Wh," she paused, taking a moment to regain her composure and breath. "Where are you going?"

"I need to check on something," I replied, amused at the worry I saw in her eyes. "When I fought the Sith I sensed a disturbance in the Force centred around a friend. Bo and Ferox are coming as they know this person as well."

"When will you come back?" There was a slight hint of urgency in her tone as if I was somehow important to the formal celebrations the Naboo were planning. I hoped that wouldn't be the case, but knowing my luck it would be.

"Five, maybe six days."

"Oh." Padmé relaxed at that. "OK then. I was just concerned you wouldn't be here for the celebration."

"Aye, Bo was worried about the same thing," I replied with a chuckle. "Didn't think you'd be joining the Mandalorian festivities," I added with a teasing smile.

"What?! No!" Padmé paused, realising she'd raised her voice higher than intended, and drawn the attention of several technicians in the bay. "There will be official celebrations for the liberation of the planet, the new alliance between the Naboo and the Gungans, and the election of a new Chancellor. One who will be coming here personally as his first official act." The last bit was spoken with a wide smile, which all but confirmed that this little detail of the timeline hadn't changed.

"Given your smile, I take it I know the new Chancellor?" I asked, matching her smile.

"Yes. Former Senator Palpatine was elected a few days before the battle," She replied, her smile widening as she believed this was a good thing for Naboo. "With him as Chancellor, I'm certain the Viceroy and the Federation will be forced to pay for their actions."

"I'd say losing three of their most valuable vessels along with the extent of their military might being exposed will cost them, though, I fear the Federation's sycophants in the Senate will work overtly and covertly to ensure the Viceroy and those with him escape with nothing more than a slap on the wrist."

Padmé held my gaze for a moment before sighing. "I… I fear you may be right. However, I'll reserve judgement until Chancellor Palpatine has had time to reshape the Senate into the voice of the people that it should be."

"I feel he will change the Senate, but I cannot say if that will be for the good of all," I said, adding a small seed of doubt about Palpatine's intentions to her thoughts. The speech she'd given before the battle, along with the help to free her world and people coming from those unaligned with the Republic had shown that she wasn't as ardent a supporter of the Republic as she had been in the other timeline, though I wasn't sure how much I could change her, and her planet's fate regarding the Republic.

Now, while I didn't want Naboo joining the CIS, or whatever they became here because of my actions altering plans that led to their creation, having Palpatine's homeworld, or at least its current leader and one the people would revere for her actions in liberating them, questioning some of his motives would, I hoped, lead to others to see through the blinkers the Sith Lord was placing over their eyes. All I had to do was ensure that I knew how to spin this approach once it got back to Palpatine, but I felt he'd subtly approve as it served his true intentions.

Padmé nodded, accepting my words, though her eyes soon fixed on my arm, the one missing a hand. "How is it?" She asked softly. Before I could reply, her eyes widened, and she brought her hands to her mouth. "I…"

I chuckled and lifted my good hand to cut off her apology. "It doesn't hurt, though I can still feel it. Phantom pains the doc said," I added with a chuckle. "I'll get a replacement limb when I can, and the galaxy will move on. For now, though, the disturbance in the Force takes priority. As it did when I knew I had to help you and your people." She nodded, though remained silent as if scared to make another faux pas. "There's nothing wrong with showing concern for a friend, Padmé," I added, placing my remaining hand on her shoulder. "Still, I'd rather questions about the limb came only from those I consider friends and not others who might gloat over the injury." The faces of Jon Savos and Master Belfour came to mind, and while I doubted either would say anything to my face, they and others who disliked or hated me would enjoy hearing I'd lost a limb in battle.

She nodded as her eyes met mine, a faint smile creeping back onto her face. There was a spark of something more than just concern in her eyes, and I slid my hand from her shoulder. She was only fourteen after all.

Though it all depended on Serra still wanting to pursue something with me after she recovered. For a while I expected she'd resent me for Drallig's death, which was understandable, but I hoped that, whatever became of our relationship, we'd remain friends. Serra was, and always would be, the first person in this life that I considered my friend and I'd do as much as I could to ensure that wasn't irrevocably damaged.

"I'll ensure Serra gets the best of care until you return."

And there was another reminder, however unintended it was, of Serra, my feelings toward her, and her condition that was heavily my fault.

"Thank you," I said with as natural a smile as I could manage. "And because I worry about your safety, and to ease your concern about my return, HK and Simvyl will remain behind to help ensure your safety." Currently, Simvyl was helping guard Gunray while HK was in the bay next door, which allowed me to segue into something I'd been planning to ask Padmé when I returned. "Actually, now that I think about it, HK has examined the vessel in Bay One, and has deduced he needs help accessing the ship's computer. While not what he was designed for, might I request that the R2 unit he knows be assigned to help him? I know the vessel will be turned over to the Republic and Jedi soon, but I want him to try and access it before then on the chance it might have information that could help ensure Gunray doesn't escape justice." I leaned closer, a smile widening as I spoke. "I feel, though he won't admit it, that HK misses T3, so a new companion might smooth some of his rougher edges."

Yes, I was manipulating her to get what I wanted. However, given R2's insane luck in the other timeline, the connection he'd formed with Anakin, the chaos of HK and R2 as a team, and whatever Maul's vessel contained, I had no issues with using Padmé in this way.

"I doubt HK would ever admit to that," Padmé replied with a small and gentle laugh, "but I agree with the idea that gaining access to that vessel might be of worth." She paused and looked at me. "As thanks for your services to Naboo, I'll have the R2 unit transferred to your ownership by the time you return."

"Yet another way to ensure I return, Your Majesty?" I asked jovially.

"Well, I can't have the Hero of Naboo absent for the victory celebrations," She replied with the same amusement. "May the Force be with you, Master Jedi. The thoughts and prayers of the people of Naboo and their current Queen will be."

I bowed, breaking eye contact as the spark of desire returned to her gaze. "And may the Force be with you and your people in the years ahead, Your Majesty."

I turned then and walked up the ramp into Raven.

Already I could feel the power racing through her skin, the engines slowly powering up as Bo worked to ensure Raven was ready to fly by the time I reached the cockpit. As the hatch closed, I put concerns about Serra, Padmé, my relationships, and everything else to one side. What mattered for now was Anakin, Dooku, and the Lokella.

Something bad awaited us in the ShaDo system, but I felt it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it could've been.
… …

… …
Raven slid from hyperspace, depositing us into the ShaDo system. Already I sensed her missing the exotic energies of faster-than-light travel, as if she was slowly becoming hooked on them, like an addict on spice. Or at least one of the less dangerous variants of spice as I never sensed she was becoming lost in the sensations and experiences of hyperspace, just that it seemed to excite her, making her more energetic and alive.

Thoughts on Raven's behaviour and reaction to hyperspace were driven from my thoughts as the initial sensor readings came in, confirming what I was seeing.

"The fuck?" I muttered as I scanned the debris of ruined vessels that littered the system. Now, it wasn't a massive number as the ships here were minute when compared to those around a Core or other well-developed world, but it was still a shock to see the wrecks of dozens, if not hundreds of vessels stretching from the hyperspace exit point toward Mtael's Gift and Gai.

"What happened?" that came from Ferox who sat in one of the spare seats in the cockpit behind me with Bo occupying the co-pilot's chair.

"Battle," Bo replied shortly. "A major one for the Lokella."

I bit back a sarcastic remark about stating the obvious, as this wasn't the time or place for it. Instead, as Raven slowly moved forward, I scanned the debris, noting which ships matched those I knew belonged to the Lokella and which didn't. The debris around us currently wasn't heavy, consisting of two gunships that had seemingly been overwhelmed when the attacking force had arrived, though as we neared the station, the amount and variety of debris increased.

Almost all of it around Mtael's Gift didn't match anything in Raven's logs, though one ship did. The markings on the hull that the scanners could see underneath blast marks bore a striking similarity to a vessel that had been on Tatooine when I'd gone there to meet Qui-Gon, Padmé and the others.

Before I could think on that further, a proximity alarm sounded and two battered, but still capable, CR70s slipped out from behind the wreckage of a large cargo hauler. With them came a flight of starfighters, mainly composed of Z-95 Headhunters.

Not wanting to get into a firefight, especially as Raven was unarmed, I threw open the comms. "This is Cameron Shan along with Ferox aboard the Raven. We request permission to approach and land on Mtael's Gift." While none of the approaching vessels had locked their weapons on us, I could sense their agitation and anger from here. That said, if any of them fired on Raven, I'd be having words with them; ones that they'd likely not enjoy as an annoyed Force user was not something many wanted to face.

Thankfully, before anyone could make such a mistake, the small holo-display in the cockpit flickered to life, revealing a Twi'lek that I couldn't immediately place. "Mtael," he began with a bow, "we are grateful that you and Commander Ferox have returned. However, the battle has ended and those responsible were killed, captured, or driven off."

"Yeah, I can see that," I snarked, drawing a snort of amusement from Bo. "I'll save questions until I've docked. Provided, of course, that I can?"

The Twi'lek blinked, and I thought I saw his lekku twitch, though that might just be a trick of the hologram as it flickered slightly. "Yes, Yes. I will inform the Council of your arrival." He turned as if to close the channel only to pause. "Many will be relieved that you and Commander Ferox have returned."

"Croz's twitchy," Ferox said once the channel closed, and the defence force started to change their vectors. "There's more that happened than just a space battle."

I stayed silent, as I already knew that. Anakin wouldn't have screamed into the Force so powerfully that I'd hear him from so far away for only a space battle. However, I could sense Ferox's growing fears about what might've happened and didn't want to add to them.

As Raven slipped toward the debris the corvettes and fighters had been hiding behind – which included a Valor-Class light cruiser built by TransGalMeg Industries – I reached out through the Force.

The first presence I sensed on the station was Dooku. The calm, almost cold centre he projected into the Force relaxed some of my fears even as he pushed back against my probe, letting me know he was in good health. I didn't try to speak with him telepathically, as I needed to keep my mind at least mainly focused on Raven. While I could pilot her easily enough with one hand, the increasing volume of debris along our flightpath meant I couldn't be too distracted.

Instead, I simply gave him a sense I was near and would soon be able to speak directly with him. That drew the expected cool acceptance, though there was a faint hint of concern as well. That was odd, though given the other Force presences I could sense on the station, I quickly understood why he was concerned.

Before I focused on the unexpected and unwanted one, I located Anakin. As normal, he was instinctively hiding from detection through the Force, but I was used to that and knew how to sense the faintest of shifts his natural attempts to hide caused in the Force. What helped to find him this time though was that his mind was a mess.

Anger, fear, disbelief, and despondency raged for control of him. He didn't react directly to my presence in the Force, but what he was feeling had me concerned about Shmi and her child. I kept my eyes forward, not wanting Ferox to catch my eye as his concern would only amplify if he felt I knew something he didn't.

That left me focusing on the third powerful Force presence I felt on Mtael's Gift, and wondering why Vosa was present.

Coming face-to-face with her was so far down my bucket list, that I suspected I'd have to go two systems over to find it. Yet, not only was she no longer on Gaia, as she had been ever since Dooku had started trying to rehabilitate her, but it felt as if she was unrestrained, though hopefully she wasn't armed with anything more than the Force.

My mind, as it often did when Vosa came up, returned to my time under her care, and the horrors I'd endured. My missing arm twitched, the pain of the lost limb merging with once more feeling the rage that had been brought forth by Vosa's machinations; suffering under her direction in an attempt to break and turn me.

I jerked when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up I saw Bo there, a hand on my shoulder and a concerned expression on her face. Looking out of the viewport I saw we'd moved much closer to the station, so much so that I must've gotten lost, again, in reliving my experiences with the Bando Gora.

"You ok?"

"Yeah," I replied absently. "Just… When we get there I need you to remain calm," I said, turning back to her. Bo frowned so I kept going. "Vosa's there."

Her grip on my shoulder tightened, as did her jaw and her eyes narrowed as she looked toward the rapidly approaching and growing Mtael's Gift. The slightest of twitches crept onto her face and I felt I had to intervene. "Bo," I said softly, but in a clear tone that I knew she'd listen to.

Her gaze returned to me, and I felt a surge of desire and relief at the fire burning in her eyes. However, as much as that fire was one I wanted to sate, now wasn't the time nor place to do so. I needed her to remain calm once we landed, as while she was a good fighter – possibly becoming great with a few more years of experience – Vosa was several leagues beyond her.

"Fine," Bo said eventually, some of her fury fading away as she spoke through gritted teeth. "But if she puts a hair out of line, I'm going to blow it and the head attached to it off her shoulders and then jettison the body into the star."

I chuckled at the image, finding the idea of ending Vosa extremely appealing; even if what Bo suggested felt too quick and easy for what Vosa had put me through.

"That's all I can ask for," I said with a smile before turning my focus back to Raven and the controls as landing vectors came in from the station.
… …

… …
I stood in Raven's airlock waiting patiently for the ramp to descend. Outside were dozens of sentients, though three were closer to us than the others. Dooku wasn't with them, nor was Vosa who was close but not directly with him, or Anakin. While I'd have liked to speak directly with either of them upon arrival, given the chaos that had been seen outside the station – warships and fighters on high alert while a few transports slowly moved debris away from the station – I could understand if Dooku was busy helping the Lokella and Anakin was focused on whatever had greatly upset him.

Vosa not being present was a double relief, as not only would I not have to face her as soon as I arrived, but it removed the threat Bo might react to any off-hand remark the deranged bitch might make. Ever since realising that Vosa was on the station, I'd been dreading a run-in with her to the point that, once Raven had landed, I'd been reluctant to leave my chair. My remaining hand had gripped the controls tightly as Ferox had stormed from the cockpit.

With us being alone, Bo had come over and placed a hand on my shoulder for support. She'd not said anything, simply waiting for me to prepare myself and stand, but her presence and support had helped immensely. As had the silent promise I saw in her eyes that if Vosa stepped out of line, Bo would do everything she could to put that bitch down for good. It didn't, however, stop my missing hand with itching, nor with the nagging doubt I had that if I saw Vosa I'd be able to restrain myself from trying to kill her. Preferably, as painfully as possible.

As the hatch hissed and then opened, Ferox rushed forward. Fenrir growled at the disrespect, but I wasn't offended. Ferox was, understandably, worried about his family and if our positions were reversed, I'd have done the same.

Walking forward, the recycled atmosphere of the station filled my lungs, a faint hint of cleansing agent fresh in the air. That suggested there'd been a battle in the bay, and a quick look around confirmed it as blast marks dotted the walls, discolouring them.

As the landing area came into sight, I saw Ferox meeting with three other members of the Lokella Council. While the group was led by Baalta, the fact Maan Lonwin and Tweq Ruhn were missing – when both were high in the chain of command of the Lokella and Mtael's Gift – wasn't encouraging.

"What happened?" Ferox blurted out before Baalta could acknowledge my presence. "Where's Shmi?"

"Mtael, Ferox, we are grateful you have returned," Baalta said, trying to be diplomatic, yet in her tone, and within the Force, I could sense the pain and fear of the Lokella. In fact, it was so strong that the usual worship they had when I arrived was almost non-evident.

"Where is Shmi?" Ferox asked again, his voice positively feral, which drew a growl from Fenrir as he moved to my side. I went to place my hand on his head, only to stop as I realised he was on the side with the missing limb.

Baalta looked down and sighed. "I… It would be better if we took you to her." She then turned to a Rodian with her. "Take Commander Ferox to his wife." The Rodian did as asked, though as he stepped away Ferox came over, grabbed the alien's clothing and all but dragged him away.

"What happened here?" I asked once Ferox was out of earshot of us.

Baalta sighed again and shook her head. "It seems that not all who joined our cause did so because they believed in it. When the fleet answered your call, a signal was sent out. Not long after the Mtael had insisted that most of our forces return, another fleet arrived in the system, intent on forcing our people back into chains. Those who stayed behind fought valiantly, but by the time the Liberator and the rest of the fleet arrived, only two gunships remained to defend the station, which had already been boarded." Baalta paused and looked down at the deck. "While we wanted to honour the Mtael by providing him help as he had once done for us, in our haste we over-committed and many of our people died, though I'm led to believe that none were captured and re-enslaved."

I moved forward and placed my hand on Baalta's shoulders. "The future is uncertain, even to those of us who can use the Force."

She lifted her head, the faintest of smiles creeping onto her face. "Master Dooku said as much after the battle. I… If not for him and his apprentice, I fear the loss of life on the station would've been far worse." I nodded, choosing to not vocalise any thoughts about Vosa. Especially how she wasn't Dooku's apprentice. "He is currently in the station's command centre and awaits your presence."

I glanced over to the door that Ferox had raced through, the Lokella Council member being dragged along behind him. "What happened to the Skywalkers?"

"The boy, young Anakin, is fine. While he didn't see battle, he helped where he could." the smile on her face grew. "According to reports, he used the Force as you and Master Dooku showed him where he could and, at other times, seemed to know when and where the attackers would come from." The smile fell. "Shmi, however…" she shook her head, her lekku twitching while the montrals moved. "Many people suffered because of our haste to help."

"You did what you thought was right based on what information you had at the time. That is all anyone can do. To blame yourself in hindsight, if one doesn't learn from the mistakes, only leads to recrimination and doubt."

Baalta nodded, the smile slowly returning. "The Mtael is wise. As expected of a Jed… Your arm?!" she whispered as she saw the missing limb. "What happened?"

I lifted the arm, smiling as if I found it funny that this kept coming up even when it was hard to find anything amusing about losing my dominant hand. "While the battle with the Federation went easier than I'd expected, they had unexpected help. A Dark Sider, possibly even a Sith if that word means anything to you," judging by her non-reaction it didn't, "was there. While I was able to defeat him eventually, it came at a high cost."

Baalta's eyes widened as if she was struggling to understand what I'd just said. Her hand came out, gently touching my arm slightly above the elbow where I'd lost the forearm. "You… you paid this price to free others? To protect them from enslavement?"

"He did," Bo replied as I saw an amused smirk on her face, her helmet under her arm.

"You truly are the Mtael," Baalta said; a wide, proud smile coming to her face. "To pay this price for others shows that we were right to support you. While we will mourn our dead for some time, it will offer many some respite to know the Mtael continues to fight to protect others. To end the tyranny of slavers. And we will continue to stand with you, just as you do by arriving here so soon after your battle."

I considered heading to Anakin directly, though since Ferox was heading there already, I decided that speaking with Dooku and learning more about what happened here should come first. Yes, Anakin was in pain, and it sounded like Shmi – and possibly her child – was gone. While I wanted to comfort him, Ferox should, as his stepfather, be the first to have that opportunity.

"Is Dooku's… guest still present on the station?" I asked. I knew she was, as I could sense her twisted, deranged presence in the Force, but I wanted to hear from Baalta about why Vosa was here before I spoke to Dooku.

Baalta's face tensed, and her lekku seemed to vibrate. "Yes… she is currently staying in a small room near Master Dooku. He felt it was best if she remained close, but not too close, to him."

"An airlock would be better," Bo muttered, and I found myself disagreeing simply because, with her training, Vosa might be able to survive that long enough to make it to another airlock or a nearby hatch. Now, if we opened the airlock near the system's star and accelerated away before she could recover, I might consider it a fitting action to take.

"While many share your distaste for her Lady Bo-Katan, she fought beside Master Dooku during the attack. She saved many from the slavers when they boarded the station."

"You're sure they were slavers?" Bo asked as Fenrir growled, showing his dislike for those in that profession.

"Yes. While few of them survived, thanks to the actions of Master Dooku and others, we captured several of their boarding parties. Those that chose to surrender were quite forthcoming after Master Dooku spoke with them."

"Aye, I expect they were." While a Jedi, Dooku had no issue with doing what was needed to discover the truth, especially from sentients barely worthy of the name. It was honestly surprising he remained a Jedi for as long as he did in the other timeline given his opinion of most beings in the galaxy. "Although, perhaps we might discuss this as we walk," I added as I saw many in the bay were still watching us, and while I couldn't hear their voices – or at least wasn't going to bother using the Force to enhance my hearing – I could sense the growing curiosity, confusion, and even some anger all directed toward me. "Master Dooku isn't one to tolerate being made to wait."

Baalta chuckled. "Yes, that is indeed true." She turned and indicated toward a door leading from the bay, one heading in the opposite direction from where Ferox had gone. "While we respect him for his role in creating our people, he is cold, almost strict in a way that reminds many of their former enslavers. If not for his role, and his connection to you, Mtael, I feel many would fear his presence. Much as they do with his current apprentice."

"Master Dooku is… careful to a fault. It makes him, to those who don't know him, hard to read; almost to the point where one would question whether he has a heart."

"Yes. We on the Council, and among the first generation of Lokella, have always understood his importance to our cause. While I wished it hadn't happened, the attack has shown that to those who came to us later. If not for both his and his apprentice's presence on the station, we would have suffered far more grievously."

"Who hired the attackers?" Bo asked as we reached the door exiting the bay.

I was curious about that as well. While it was possible it was just a large slaving group, I felt that was unlikely. Even with most of the fleet gone, the concentrated forces left behind would've made the venture a risky one with the loss of slaver ships and personnel not able to be covered unless every Lokella was captured.

"The Hutts. Specifically, Decca." Baalta all but spat out that name, and I reached for my lightsaber, only to be reminded that it was gone, as was the hand that would normally wield it.

Decca had been the Hutt behind the slaving and mining operation in this system when Dooku and I had stumbled upon it. He'd held a grudge against the Lokella ever since and had been the one who sent the thugs after me during my verd'goten.

I ground my teeth; the face of the walking handbag that had shot me at my moment of triumph seared into my mind without the help of Eidetic Memory. Now, I knew that incident, and a few others involving Trandoshans had coloured my opinion of the species, to the point I wouldn't stop someone from wiping out the race, but a group that pleased their God by killing others wasn't one I considered high on any list to protect. Something the Wookies – among others – agreed with.

"While gathering your forces and striking back at Decca will be appealing, I must advise caution," I said slowly, keeping my feelings toward the giant slug out of my tone. "He deserves to pay for what he's done, but his mother is Gardulla. She is, even by Hutt standards, a remarkably influential being in the criminal underworld. And that's before we consider the Kajidic, Hutt Clan, that she leads. They are only rivalled, from what I know, by one other Hutt Clan for power, influence, and greed. Moving openly against Decca, Gardulla, or even the entire Kajidic would have the rest of the Hutt Clans allying to protect them. Not because they care about those two, but because it would be an affront to their entire system."

"We are aware of this. However, the need for retaliation is strong." Baalta's response was aggressive, almost challenging, and she seemed to understand this as she blinked in shock after she finished speaking.

"There's nothing wrong with being passionate," Bo said before I could tell Baalta she didn't need to apologise. "The trick is learning to focus that passion – that rage – properly to not get lost in your emotions and lose sight of the objective when facing your target. Also, you need to find targets that won't risk another major assault. Find weak points in your enemy's lines then strike them hard and fast; cripple their operations without endangering your warriors."

"Wise words, and ones I'll pass along to the Council," Baalta said as we stepped inside an elevator. That brought a few moments of silence as Baalta used a display inside the car. "A small security measure to ensure only those with permission can access the command levels," she said as we started ascending.

"A wise precaution," I said before turning to Bo. "With the war now over, might your father, Alor Torrhen, and other trustworthy warriors be interested in resuming the training program for the Lokella's warriors?"

Bo nodded. "Aye, I think they'd be interested."

"We would be grateful for any help you or others can offer," Baalta added with a smile; one that exposed the sharp teeth her species were known for. "The initial training programs put in place by your people are still used for training our warriors, but refresher and advanced courses wouldn't go amiss. Nor, perhaps, training in ship-to-ship operations."

Bo nodded, taking on Baalta's words and I knew she was sincere in her promise to pass on the suggestion to her father and Torrhen. Her people needed a focus and, while training a small group of freed slaves might not appeal to many, it was an honourable job to take. It would, if they chose to, allow the Mando'ade who came to see battle against the slavers; a foe deserving of extermination.

The Lokella were a small group, barely a power beyond their system, but with the right training, support, and targeted assaults, they could become a small regional power. One that, in theory, could check some of the Hutt influence in this section of the Outer Rim.

"What about the settlement on Gaia?" I asked, changing the topic.

"There was some bombardment, but no true damage was done. With the credits you've provided over the years, and what we've liberated from slavers and pirates, we purchased defences for the settlement. Those included a shield generator large and powerful enough to protect both the settlement and the mine from sustained bombardment from several cruisers for a few hours. After realising this, the slavers focused their firepower on the station intending to take it out before moving on the planet."

"I'm glad the credits allowed those simply looking to start their life anew to be protected, though I'd suggest a few surface-to-air cannons at a minimum as the settlement grows." The settlement, Hope, had grown a touch north of thirty-five thousand sentients when I'd last checked on it. The people there were, by and large, ones who simply wanted to live as peaceful a life as they could but had no interest in returning to the galaxy and Republic that abandoned them.

"I will pass along the suggestion, Mtael, though since the attack many who had chosen to not involve themselves in our struggle have changed their minds. It seems the idea of being re-enslaved has sparked a desire to fight for what they have and need to protect."

"A worthy reason to fight," Bo offered. I was thankful that was all she said, as I knew her feelings about those who wouldn't fight to defend what they had, and agreed with the sentiment. It was close to the ideals those called the New Mandalorians had followed. Thankfully, that group had all but been destroyed by the latest civil war; reduced to atoms. To the extent that even prominent supporters of the concept – like Satine Kryze – now saw the flaws in peace at all costs without the ability to defend it. "And it will increase your need for skilled trainers and weaponry."

"Yes, though we no longer need to rely solely on the generosity of the Mtael. Beyond the credits taken during freeing others who are enslaved, the phrik mine is now active enough that we can begin selling it."

"I'd suggest only doing so in small quantities and in a variety of different markets. The Republic, Jedi, and others will take note if a new, decent-sized phrik mine suddenly appears," I suggested, worried that selling the phrik too rapidly might draw unwanted attention. Especially from the Sith.

"We had already considered that, and as they are allies of yours, we were interested in seeing if the Mandalorians might be curious about purchasing the alloy. While I know many of your warriors use beskar, from my understanding, many don't. While phrik isn't comparable to beskar, in both cultural and practical significance, it has some similar properties; hence, as you would've observed on Naboo, why our warriors now wear it. As such, we'd be willing to pay any of your people who agree to train our warriors in either credits or phrik."

"I'll pass along the offer to my father and others," Bo answered, once more displaying, for her, unusual tact. I didn't think many, if any, Mando'ade would be interested in using phrik for their armour, but the fact Bo hadn't called Baalta out on that was a sign she was understanding, at least to a degree, the need for diplomacy. Something I was sure Adonai would be pleased with.

The elevator stopped, and when the doors opened I saw four guards, all in phrik armour, turn our way with weapons ready but not directly aimed at us. That was a new feature; one brought on by the recent attack. Once they saw it was us, they relaxed, though their blasters remained in hand.

Walking past the guards, we reached the door for the command centre quickly, which wasn't the one the Lokella had used initially. With the growth in the size of their people and forces and the handful of merchants that came to the system, they had needed more room. From what I'd been told, this was the former bridge of the Pius Dea cathedral ship, though most of the ostentatious decorations had been removed and sold for credits to both help the Lokella and rewire much of the station.

The large, recently installed bulkhead door to the command centre opened, and I saw two more guards there. They stood just as ready as those outside, though my focus quickly shifted to Dooku as he turned and looked our way. Vosa, thankfully, wasn't present, being located a level below.

"Master," I said once we came closer, "I'm relieved to see you alive and well." Several members of the command crew glanced my way. That was likely due to me using the term Master, though when they saw it was me, they returned to their duties. Well, all but two who seemed a little starstruck at seeing the Mtael.

"As I am for you, though it appears you didn't escape the battle unharmed," he replied, his eyes flickering down to my missing forearm.

"Sadly yes, but given the other option was death I consider it a fair exchange." I tried to be flippant about it, but I could tell that I failed to convey any hint that I was comfortable with what had happened. The smile I wore also wouldn't pass muster with someone who knew me as well as Dooku did. Plus, there was the fact he'd consider the loss of a limb a sign of weakness. While he'd never commented directly on the matter, I'd inferred he felt as much from the various discussions we'd had over the years.

"If that was the only other outcome, then I can accept your injury. However, I would prefer to speak further about what, or who caused you such a wound."

I smirked as my other hand slipped into a pouch on my belt. "I thought you might say that," I said as I pulled out a small datacard. "The recording from my armour. It begins from when I first encountered the Sith," a single eyebrow rose on Dooku's face, indicating how unexpected that reveal was, "as he was about to kill Padawan Keto having already dispatched Master Drallig."

Dooku's brow rose further. "I had sensed Cin's passing, but I was unaware he had been on Naboo when it happened."

"He came because of Padawan Keto," I explained as he took the datacard. "Though before you watch it, I'd like to hear about what happened here and then speak with Anakin."

"I expected that you would come for the boy," Dooku said as he slipped the datacard into his robes. He gestured toward another exit from the command centre. Like the one we'd entered through, this one was guarded, and after a nod accepting his suggestion, I fell into step at his side.

Bo came along as I expected, though I'd thought she'd have gone with Ferox to see Anakin. As much as she might protest it, she had a soft spot for the boy.

"During a training session with Komari, I sensed a shift in the Force warning of danger. I had planned to leave her on Gaia, however she said she felt the shift as well and wanted to help. I pondered the request for a short while before granting it, feeling it would be a good test of how far she has come in recovery from what the Bando Gora did to her." I bit my tongue, not wanting to mention that she had been the one who'd ordered me broken, not another. "We arrived on the station moments before a sufficiently large force exited hyperspace causing the beginnings of panic within the station. Neither I nor Komari have the inclination toward Battle Meditation that you possess, so I felt the best place for me was in the command centre. Komari followed along, though I had her assigned to a room nearby; the same one she has returned to now that the battle has finished."

"For that, I'm glad," I commented before taking a long, deep breath to push away the memories of what I'd endured under her attention.

"Understandably so, even before considering you fought a Sith on Naboo." There was no hint in his voice that he doubted my words, which was a nice reassurance after Qui-Gon and others not entirely trusting my words at first.

"The other Jetii needed to see the recording first before believing Cam." Bo's comment wasn't entirely accurate.

Dooku glanced at me as we reached an elevator, having passed another squad of guards in the short corridor that led to it.

"Master Jinn and his Padawan had been assigned by Chancellor Valorum to defuse the blockade of Naboo. They weren't successful."

"Quite." Dooku's tone was as close to amused as he'd ever come to be in public. While he accepted Bo around me, he didn't trust her to the degree I did. Then again, he didn't trust many sentients to begin with. I, his other former Padawans like Qui-Gon, and a handful of others might be ones he considered reliable, but the majority of beings were, in his eyes, unworthy of any role other than simply existing.

"Master Jinn accepted my words enough to agree with me that the Zabrak was a Sith before viewing the recording, though that helped to confirm his suspicions. His Padawan, and two others who were by chance on Naboo during the invasion, were less convinced without the recording."

"There is no chance where the Force is concerned, though their reluctance to accept the emergence of the Sith is understandable." He paused as the doors closed and he entered the floor we would be heading to. "Have you spoken to the Council regarding this?"

"No, Master, though they are due to arrive in about a week to collect Master Drallig's body. The new Chancellor, Sheev Palpatine," that drew an interested look from Dooku, "will be arriving with them to celebrate the liberation of Naboo. However, when I sensed Anakin's distress, I knew I had to come here first with Bo and Ferox coming along due to their connection to the boy and his mother."

"Indeed." There was a slight pause before Dooku resumed speaking. "Returning to events here, when I arrived at the command centre I discovered that the attackers, which I later learnt were hired by Decca the Hutt, had breached the station. Feeling I would be of more use there, I headed to the nearest landing bay. Komari accompanied me simply because I was unwilling to leave her behind on the small chance she might somehow betray my trust." I wished she had, as Dooku would've struck her down for the action, thinking her beyond redemption. "It was fortunate I allowed her to come. While I was engaged against a large enough group of attackers to require the majority of my attention, ones that were targeting a group of children which included the Skywalker boy, Komari slipped away. When I realised this, I pursued her, unsure of her motives. I didn't sense a hint of betrayal from her, yet she had disobeyed my commands."

As the elevator slowed, he continued. "When I found her, she was surrounded by bodies. A group of perhaps ten Lokella lay dead on the ground, killed by blaster fire. Nearby four Weequay lay, their wounds brought on by one trained in the force. Komari was there, knelt over one of the Lokella, the Force shifting around her and the woman on the floor. Once I was closer I understood the woman was Shmi Skywalker." He paused there, allowing a moment of remorse. "Shmi was gravely wounded, Komari rested her head on her lap. Komari was never skilled with Force Healing, yet I could sense her using the Force to try and save the life inside Shmi. I knew there was nothing I could do to help Shmi; such things are beyond my abilities, but seeing Komari work to save the child Shmi carried was unexpected." He paused again, meeting my gaze. "Even given that Shmi had been one of the few Lokella to have interacted with Komari, displaying a degree of patience with my former Padawan that would rival that of Master Yoda." That caught me off-guard as I didn't realise the Skywalkers had any interaction with Komari, though knowing how kind Shmi was, it didn't surprise me that she would be willing to help Komari if needed. "Just as Shmi passed, the last of her life given to protect her unborn child, the boy arrived." The doors hissed there, signalling we'd arrived at our level. "I believe that his anguished scream is what you sensed?"

"Yes, though the timing was less than ideal," I held up my missing forearm, the fingers on it itching again.

"Yes, that would've been most unhelpful when battling a Sith. However, the Force often acts in ways we fail to understand, or comprehend." He stepped forward, leading us into the corridor. "Even decades later I struggle to fully grasp certain moments the Force seemed to insist that I experience."

I considered responding, suggesting I was fine with what had happened, but the words died on my lips as we rounded the first corner and I saw what lay ahead of us.

We'd arrived at the largest medical centre on the station, yet the corridor outside it was lined with beds until the next junction perhaps a hundred metres away. Some of the beds had been brought here to handle the overflow, others temporary ones constructed in a rush. Every bed was occupied; many of them had people sitting and either talking to each other or keeping to themselves; bacta patches, bandages and the like showing the various injuries they'd suffered during the attack.

The fact they were still here days later, instead of inside the centre or returning to quarters to recuperate, was an indication of just how devastating the battle had been. As were the dozen or so medical staff moving through the corridor, checking on the patients.

I moved forward slowly, taking in the sight; a voice nagging me that what had happened here was my fault. I shouldn't have asked the Lokella for help on Naboo, and shouldn't have asked them to risk their fleet to help others in need.

"Mtael."

I stopped and looked down, seeing a young Twi'lek female looking up at me, reverence on her face. Her hand, the one not held against her chest, reached over her body. "You came," she said softly as I noted one of her lekku was bandaged, the tip of it no longer there.

Hesitantly I reached out, taking her hand into mine. As much as I wanted to comfort her, I didn't want my actions to turn the admiration on her face into devotion. While I accepted many of the Lokella felt that way about me, I never tried to encourage it, nor use it to my advantage. At least not intentionally.

As my fingers grasped her hand, her eyes saw my other arm and a gasp slipped from her lips. Her eyes returned to my face, and I already knew the question forming on her lips.

"Where were you?!" The angry, snapped question took my attention from the Twi'lek to an enraged Human. The man stalked toward me, pushing past others on their bed. "Where the kriff were you while we were dying?" He raged, anger burning in his eyes and fuelling his movement. "Why did you call our ships away?" That question was accompanied by the thrusting of his hand toward me.

Behind and around him, others turned, wondering what the commotion was. While some shared his rage as they saw me, and some displaced the respect the Twi'lek granted, most were confused as to why the man was so enraged at me.

I could understand the man's rage and the pain he felt. I understood the loss of a loved one as the image of a red-skinned Togruta was broadcast into the Force so loudly that I felt they'd sense it on Coruscant. Yet, for all that anger, his behaviour here, pushing past others far more grievously injured, was unacceptable.

However, before I could answer him, Bo pushed past me, one hand floating over a blaster pistol. "Don't your osikyr dare, you shabuir!" Her snarled, venomous response had the man stopping in his tracks, though the rage in his gaze never wavered. "Cam never asked your fleet to leave!" Bo added, taking another step toward the man. "Osik, he ordered them back when we saw how many had come, and if not for that you'd not be standing there to shabyr shout at him!" she continued to close on the man, her hand grasping the pistol though she didn't draw it. "And on top of freeing another world from slavery; besting a Darjetii to do so!"

"Bo, that's enough," I said, placing my remaining hand on her shoulder even as the Togruta blinked, confused at the venom in Bo's tone. I was too, but I saw it as Bo simply defending me from what she saw as baseless accusations. "Oriam is just angry; at the world, at the slavers, the Hutts and losing the one he loved in the battle." Oriam blinked; shock at me knowing why he was angry - thank you Observe - pushing back his rage.

Bo grunted, but she allowed me to gently ease her to the side so I could pass. "Oriam," I began as I came face to face with the man, "while I don't know the full details of what everyone else here endured, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked the council for help, not even to free the citizens of another world that were invaded and bound for slavery." As I spoke, I lifted my other arm, the one missing the forearm, using the injury to show I'd suffered as well. "The safety of the Lokella matters greatly to me. Certainly more so than asking them to forgo the defences of this station or the planet below to answer my wishes." Behind him I saw most were watching us, listening to my words. "I never expected the Council to offer the majority of the fleet, never wanted them to. Just because to many, though not all, I am a figure of importance doesn't mean my wishes and my needs supersede those of your people. Something I explained to the fleet that came to help when I demanded most of it return to this station."

I watched Oriam as I spoke, noting the anger slowly fading into the background. It didn't disappear, nor should it, but it pulled back enough that when he spoke again, there was little hint of it in his voice. "Why," he paused and licked his lips. "Why did we have to help a world of the Republic? They did nothing to help us!"

"No, they didn't. Nor did the Senate, whose new Chancellor hails from Naboo; the planet we helped to free. I, however, won't stand by and do nothing. Not if it led to innocents being enslaved and abandoned by those sworn to protect them. The Trade Federation, the Hutts, and others like them, have run roughshod over the Outer Rim for centuries, doing whatever they pleased. The voices of those they hurt, those they enslave – be it officially or with contracts so one-sided they might as well be – have been ignored by those in the corridors of power; many only concerning themselves with personal power and wealth."

"Yet I knew I couldn't help the Naboo, couldn't make a stand against oppression, be it of slavers or corporations, alone. So I reached out to the Lokella and the Mandalorians." Given their history, having them help to free the oppressed was an amusing turn of events, but it would also, I hoped, help rehabilitate their image with some. "I'm sorry that my request cost you, cost all of you," I added as I looked past Oriam and took in the sentients in the corridor. "But I won't stand by and do nothing because those who should've helped the Naboo, who should've helped you, did nothing."

I stopped there, taking stock of my words while Oriam considered them. It wasn't lost on me that my words might sound like something a Separatist would say, but I suspected that for many who joined the CIS, their issues with the Republic were genuine. However, their cause was only a front used by the Sith to shatter the Republic and the Jedi and bring everything under the control of a Sith-led empire.

If I'd seen myself say that back when I'd been inserted into this galaxy, I'd have wondered what had changed. Yes, Sidious had used the Clone Wars to gain control of the galaxy, but I believed in the concept of the Republic and the GAR. Yet, after seeing how the Republic worked – or in many cases, didn't – I could no longer see myself standing with the GAR against whatever the CIS became in this timeline. Not if it was, as in the other timeline, controlled and corrupted by the corporations before they were turned on by the true puppet masters.

The issue was that, unless something changed drastically, I only had maybe ten years before galactic war broke out. Yet, before I could begin laying true foundations for what was to come, I had to sort out several critical issues. With myself, with Anakin, and with others.

Putting those thoughts to the side again, I placed my hand on Oriam's arm. "I'm sorry that you lost someone you cared for deeply, I truly am. But I cannot change the past, nor will I apologise for the choices I made that led to your loss save for wishing I'd been clearer about only wanting a small section of the Lokella Force to aid me. However, no one; not you, or me, or the most powerful Jedi to have ever lived can know for certain the repercussions of any action we take. Nor how that action can alter events across the galaxy." I removed my hand from his arm and stepped back. "If you and others wish to hate me for what happened here, then I understand and wouldn't blame you. I'm not a dictator, nor do I ever wish to become one. That said, I will continue to do what I feel, in my heart, and in the Force, is best for not just myself but the galaxy as a whole."

Having said my piece, I moved to one side and slipped past him before he could reply. I was interested in hearing his thoughts, and those of other members of the Lokella. However, I wasn't here now for them. That was a cruel thought while they were in pain, but it was the hard truth and I'd be an arrogant, deluded fool if I ignored it.

The doors to the medical centre slid open as I approached, even as those in the corridor continued, like Oriam, to consider my words. The sickly-sweet smell of bacta – one I'd grown used to after defeating Maul – grew stronger as I entered the centre.

Beds lined the walls, all occupied. Bacta patches, larger than those used outside, covered many of the sentients lying on the beds. The other beds held sentients whose eyes made clear their injuries were mental more than physical. Nurses and doctors moved around, the signs of tiredness and weariness easy to see in their movements.

Dooku and Bo were at my side as the doors closed behind us. My eyes searched the room, though I didn't see Anakin. Reaching out with Detection, I sensed Anakin in a small room near the back of the centre. Inside were two others. Ferox and one I didn't know.

I moved toward the room, ignoring the looks from those present. Like outside before my impromptu speech, the faces that watched me ranged from adulation to disgust, however, I wasn't interacting with any of them. I wasn't here for them.

The door to the small, backroom slid open with an audible hiss. Inside I saw Ferox and Anakin, the boy had his head against the Corellian's side, one of Ferox's arms around the boy, as they sat near a bed. Something was on the bed; the source of the third presence I'd felt in the Force. Yet before I could approach close, Anakin shifted, sliding from Ferox's side, and turned.

"Cam!" My name came out in a mixture of relief, shock, and fear. Yet before I could process his emotions fully, I'd dropped to a knee as he rushed toward me.

His arms grasped around my neck as mine went around his back, and a moment later, tears flowed from his eyes as he sobbed into my shoulder. With my remaining hand, I gently patted his back, letting him release his pain. As he did that, I lifted my head and looked at Ferox.

His eyes, like Anakin's, were red, though in his arms I saw a small bundle of blankets. I knew instantly that this was the child Shmi had been carrying, though before I could ask its name, or even use Observe to determine if it had any true Force Potential, Anakin lifted his head from my shoulder, drawing my attention.

"Mom died," he managed to get out between sobs, his face wet and his eyes bloodshot.

"I know," I replied, offering him a small, sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry."

My hand came around and up, intending to wipe away his tears, only for me to stop as I realised I'd once again used the arm with the missing limb.

"Your Hand!" Anakin blurted out before I could lower the arm enough he might not see the wound. "What happened?"

"He fought a Darjetii," Bo replied, drawing Anakin's attention to her and saving me from having to explain what happened without revealing it was his scream that had distracted me.

Dooku clarified. There was nothing in his voice to hint at anything else, but I sensed a faint ripple in the Force suggesting he knew more than he was letting on. "However, Cameron sensed your pain, and as soon as he was able, came to visit," my former Master added, not letting me dwell on what he might be holding back.

Anakin's gaze returned to me, his eyes widening at Dooku's words, and I offered him a smile. "I felt your pain through the Force and knew I had to come," I explained as I brought my other arm around and wiped away some of his tears. I wasn't going to mention when I'd sensed his pain, or what it'd led to, for a good, long while. Knowing Anakin, he'd blame himself for it and never fully forgive himself which wasn't something I wanted. When he was older, I'd probably tell him the full truth, but by then he'd have moved on from the event enough it wouldn't affect him psychologically.

In truth, the mistake was mine. I'd enjoyed the fight with Maul far too much and granted the Zabrak too much control over how it went and where we fought. I should've gone to the tools in my armour sooner and used them more. If I had, I might've kept my hand. However, as I was aware, hindsight was a bitch, so I wasn't going to dwell on the mistake, only learn from it going forward.

"Mum's dead," he repeated as my hand came away from his face.

"I know," I answered again. My fingers brushed back the hair on his forehead that had stuck there when he'd buried his head in my shoulder.

I wanted to help him, to take his mind off events, but I wasn't sure how. I'd already promised to take him as my Padawan, but making that official now felt wrong; cheap even. And disrespected Shmi. Around us, I could faintly feel the Force shifting as if trying to nudge me toward an action it wanted. However, as was often the case, I wasn't attuned to its intent as strongly as most other Jedi. Yet, as my fingers lifted away from Anakin's forehead, I caught sight of my vambrace, of the beskar it was made of, and an idea took root in my mind.

"Anakin," I said slowly, sorting out rapidly if this was the right idea. "I want you to know that I'll still take you as my Padawan. However, I know you're not ready for that. You need to grieve for your mother. That said, I have… an idea that I think you might like." Anakin's head tilted to one side, his curiosity shining through his grief. I looked up at Ferox. "Were you and Shmi married?" I asked. It was a touch callous to ask that now, but for the idea I had, I needed to be sure of Anakin's relationship with the Corellian.

"No," Ferox replied gently, the bundle in his arms held securely against his chest. "W.. we'd agreed to wait until after Lia's birth before making it official. We… we had hoped you might be there when we married, given your role in bringing us together."

I nodded at that, unsure what to say to him to apologise for not having considered that when I'd taken Anakin to Mandalore before the invasion of Naboo. It was nice to also have a name for Anakin's sister – one that, amusingly, was close to what his daughter had been named in another timeline. However, my curiosity about Lia Skywalker would have to wait until later. "Then, with your permission, I'd like to adopt Anakin."

"I thought Jedi couldn't have families," Anakin blurted out before Ferox could answer my request.

"While that isn't entirely accurate," Dooku replied as I was reminded of Ki-Adi-Mundi, "I believe Cameron isn't interested in making you his son in a common, Republic sense."

I turned to my former Master, curious to his thoughts on the plan brewing in my mind. The slightest, barely perceptible movement of his head gave me his blessing, though I knew he'd want to hear my reasoning for this choice at a later date. Bo, on the other hand, was trying and failing to keep a proud smile from spreading over her face.

Turning back to Anakin, I smiled gently. "A Jedi isn't normally allowed to have a family. I, however, am far from what most would consider a normal Jedi." Bo snorted out a laugh that she tried to hide behind a cough. "Nor am I only a Jedi. I am Cameron Shan, Alor – that means Chief – of Clan Shan of the Mando'ade. If you want I cou…"

"Yes!"

Anakin's response cut me off from finishing my question as his eyes radiated joy at the idea of becoming Mandalorian. The pain was still there, but for this moment at least, it was replaced by other feelings.

"Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad, Anakin." He blinked at my words, clearly not understanding them. rather amusingly, he looked up at Bo for an explanation.

"That means you are now, by the laws of our people, Anakin Skywalker, son of Cameron Shan," She said, amusement easy to detect in her voice.

Ankin offered a weak laugh, any excitement at his change in status lost under the sorrow he felt over his mother's death. I held him close, letting the mixture of emotions wash over him while around us the others stood.

Later I'd speak with Dooku about how this development would change the Master-Padawan relationship I'd have with Anakin. I also knew that I'd have to keep this development hidden from the Jedi Council, and by extension, the Sith. However, given I planned to take some time, perhaps a year or two, away to train Anakin while continuing to build a base of support for the wars to come, that shouldn't be a major hurdle.

Eventually, and thankfully before I needed to call on the Force to counter the lack of fresh oxygen entering my lungs, Anakin eased his grip. As he slid back, a wide, happy smile dominated his face. "Wait," he muttered as his eyes drifted down. "Does that mean I get armour like yours and Bo's?"

"One day, maybe," I replied with a chuckle as I ran my hand through his hair. Given his changed mood, he didn't react to the action. "However, that won't be for a good while yet, and not until after you've completed your verd'goten." He gulped at hearing that, memories of the stories of my and Bo's hunts coming to mind. "First though, I'd like to meet your sister."

"Okay," he said, turning he grabbed my hand and dragged me forward. I stood as I moved, approaching Ferox who leaned forward slightly to grant me a sight of the babe in his arms. She looked much like any other newborn, though I swore I saw the same spark of curiosity in her eyes that I often saw in Anakin's gaze. "Lia, I'd like you to meet Cameron Shan, my new father."

I blinked as Anakin said that, marvelling at how right it felt to hear him call me father. I hadn't considered the idea of having children for a long, long time. Certainly not until the wars against the Sith were over. Yet, standing here with Anakin, meeting his half-sister – who Observe confirmed had little potential with the Force – I knew I'd made the right decision.

Yes, when it was discovered, it would place an even larger target on our backs, but that, I was discovering, happened naturally the more active I was in the galaxy. With events that were still to come, regardless of whether they happened as they did in the other timeline or not, I'd rather have Anakin trained and ready to fight than risk leaving him exposed to the chaos to come.
… …

… …
Later that day, as the station's chronometer ticked toward midnight, I was almost ready to leave Mtael's Gift. Anakin had transferred his belongings to Raven not long after I'd adopted him, taking a room between mine and Bo's. Currently, he was off saying farewell – for now – to Ferox, Lia, and his friends on the station. Many of the Lokella were sad to see him go, but as it was an open secret that I'd intended to make him a Jedi, most were accepting of the change.

Bo found the idea of the adoption amusing, teasing me regularly about it, even mentioning that she'd had the idea of adopting the boy first. When I'd shot back at that saying she still could, and we could co-parent Anakin, she'd laughed so hard she'd not been able to reply for nearly a minute. While she liked the boy, she continued to claim she had no interest in having children – be they through adoption or birth – and was happy to be the fun-loving, gun-toting aunt. Though when she'd spent time holding Lia, I noticed a look in her eye that suggested she wasn't as against the idea of children as she claimed. That, however, was a discussion for, at best, several years down the road.

Ferox, for obvious reasons, would be staying on the station. Not only did he have a new-born daughter to raise, but the Lokella needed his leadership. With a child to care for, I hoped he'd temper his more aggressive approaches to life. He had, though, given me a datacard to pass to Validus – who was back on Naboo, containing information on the attack and a private message between the pair.

Before I departed, and with Anakin still off speaking to his friends, I'd found the time to speak again with Dooku. After adopting Anakin, we'd not had much time to speak, yet as I approached him on the balcony that overlooked the bay containing Raven, I knew he'd have examined the recording of my battle with Maul.

"Master," I said as I neared though he'd already been turning before I spoke.

"Cameron, I won't keep you long," he replied as I approached. "I only wish to speak with you about your duel with the Zabrak, and pass along an unexpected revelation from Komari." I tensed at the mention of the bitch, but relaxed a moment later. "Knowing your continual disinterest in meeting with her, I felt relaying the message to you would be preferable."

"My thanks, Master," I said as I reached his side, my hand coming out to grip the balcony's railing and looking down at the Raven as Lokella technicians moved around her under Bo's watchful direction. "While I have grown and changed since my time with her and the Bando Gora, I know I'm not in any condition to meet with her again."

That was, as Dooku knew, a massive understatement. Everything I'd endured at the hands of Vosa and the Bando Gora was, because of Eidetic Memory, fresh and clear whenever I thought about it. That made releasing the feelings I held toward her, and about my time with her, into the Force as a Jedi was meant to do, be extremely difficult to manage. If not downright impossible, which was why I chose to push the anger and rage that time, and other moments in my life, down deep inside. It was something that would, if not for anything else, keep me from ever being a 'good and proper' Jedi. Though given I'd never really been a proper Jedi, it was perhaps not a major issue.

"Quite." Dooku's response was succinct, to the point, and oddly amusing. "According to Komari, she fought the Zabrak at some point while you were under her care." I grimaced at referring to my time with the Bando Gora like that, but I understood Dooku was being diplomatic about the ordeal. "It seems that the Bando Gora were involved in a plot with the Zabrak to kill someone I believe you are familiar with. Hego Damask."

I blinked at hearing that. "Huh." The word slipped from my lips as I processed what I'd just learned. "That wasn't something I've heard him mention, though if the Sith were involved, then it was likely only tangentially as otherwise the Muun would've died. I'll have to see what I can learn about this, subtly of course."

Dropping a nugget like that could, if Plagueis was still alive, cause friction between him and Sidious. It hadn't been a direct attack by the Apprentice on the Master – which spoke to how powerful Plagueis was – but it was an interesting development to learn of, nonetheless.

What I didn't know though was if, in the other timeline, that was the event that enabled Sidious to kill and replace his Master, or just an early attempt that failed there as it had here. Plagueis must've died not long after Naboo, as I felt there was little chance the Muun would've stayed in the shadows while his Apprentice was Chancellor, so I'd know soon if my actions, unintentional as they were, had fucked up this timeline enough that Plagueis survived. If he had, then things would be a million times harder as for all of Sidious' power – taking down three Council members almost instantly being a prime example – Plagueis would be on another level. Perhaps beyond even Yoda and Windu together.

That was a frightening thought and meant my plans for training Anakin would have to be accelerated.

"Indeed. Though I would be cautious of whom you reveal this to. To most outside the Council, Komari is missing and presumed dead. The reveal of this information, if it reached the ear of the Zabrak's Master, would have him investigating us, and those around us intensely. That could endanger many, if not all, of the plans we are contemplating."

"The Sith might also seek to take Vosa, replacing the Zabrak," I added, which was something Sidious would be working on now. Dooku was, I was all but certain, off the table as Darth Tyrannus, but the Sith would have backup plans upon backup plans. So much so that I feared little I did would stop them from reaching a point where they could implement Order 66.

"Indeed."

"Thank you for this, Master," I said after nearly a minute of silent contemplation. "Also, can you offer my… thanks to her? While, in the grand scheme of things, it's likely this information is unimportant, it is another small thread in our investigations of what the Sith are planning. With it, we might be able to find moments between where she encountered the Zabrak and Naboo that may have been influenced by the Sith."

"I shall pass along your words, though I'm unsure of how she will take them." he paused as if considering something. "She retains an interest in you, often wondering what latest event you have found yourself involved in. That interest has only increased with your defeat of the Sith, though I fear it has also increased the interest the Sith may have toward you, and potentially the boy."

"I had feared that Master, and have some plans to limit our exposure for the next year or so. If the Force allows me the freedom to avoid incidents."

Dooku grunted, understanding the joke. "Like you, I believe the Zabrak is only the apprentice. While his form is impeccable, he was intent on defeating you with the lightsaber only. A true master of the Force, be they Jedi or Sith, wouldn't allow themselves to be so limited. If the Master focuses on you, I am concerned you will be unable to escape their machinations."

"On that, we agree, Master. And while I take the time to train Anakin, I feel I now know how to overcome my deficiencies with the Force. While I'd have preferred the clarity to have occurred before losing my hand, I'm glad it has finally come." OK, the clarity came from reaching level 30, but Dooku wouldn't, and couldn't, understand that.

I took a step back and bowed to him. "May the Force be with you, Master."

"And with you, Cameron, and your new Padawan. I sense you will both need it for what is to come."

I nodded, understanding the final warning he gave, and then turned. While I was curious about his opinions of my fight with Maul, I already knew the critiques he'd offer as they'd been the same ones he'd been giving for the last few years. By the time I met Dooku again, if all went as planned, then I'd have overcome those issues, and at the very least, I hoped I'd be able to push him into taking actions during a spar that he'd not normally wish to.

Before then though, I had to return to Naboo. I couldn't avoid meeting the High Council, or the Sith Lord that was the new Chancellor of the Republic.
… …

… …
I had Raven turn, banking her under and around one of the arms of the Saak'ak before she then swooped over the arm.

"Woo-hoo!" Anakin called out as Raven turned almost on a credit-chit to face the entrance to the hangar. That let me see what was parked there and I whistled at the sight of the Royal Naboo Cruiser.

"Damn! Padmé's going to be pissed," I muttered as Raven moved into the bay and the damage to the royal cruiser became apparent.

The superstructure was still intact, and the engines still mounted, yet the hull was peppered with holes, scorch marks, and other forms of damage including what appeared to be the arm of a Vulture droid wedged through where the cockpit was. Sections of the inner workings were exposed in several places, with the panel R2 and the other droids had exited through during the cruiser's escape from Naboo having been blown off.

"It served its purpose," Bo remarked from the co-pilot's seat as Raven flew past the royal cruiser. "I'm sure the Queen is fine with the damage given it helped free her people. But, if she does have it rebuilt, please insist that she adds some shabyr weaponry."

"I'll pass that along," I said with a chuckle as Raven turned, planning to set her down between the royal cruiser and the assortment of vessels that filled this bay, along with the next one.

"Oh!" Anakin called out, his arm thrust between Bo and me. "That's a D-17 Patrol craft! I've always wanted to see inside one! And that's a…"

"Anakin," I cut in before his enthusiasm for the collection of vessels overwhelmed him, "When we arrive I need you to not start fiddling with other people's belongings. The Lokella allowed it because they trusted you. Here, while the Mando'ade trust me, none know you're my ad. As much as Bo would no doubt enjoy me settling any grievances that are brought up, I'd rather not waste my time doing so."

"Okay," he said, much quieter than before, and pulled his arm back.

"If you're good, I'm sure my father and Alor Torrhen would be willing to let you visit the Ne'tra Tal'ade, ad'ika," Bo offered, using the Mando'a term for child or little one, which oddly, was close to Anakin's name.

"Really?" Anakin asked, not even attempting to hide his hope. Somehow, the idea of getting to see the inside of a Mandalorian dreadnought was lifting his excitement to new, untold levels. While I was a little concerned about it, I was letting it go as it kept him distracted from crying over his mother. Something he'd done each night since we'd left the ShaDo system.

"Yes. As Cam's ad, you're now an ally of my Clan and Clan Ordo." From the corner of my eye, I caught the smile on Bo's face as she talked to Anakin, once more showing her feelings toward the boy. "If not for Cam, the Ne'tra Tal'ade might've been returned to dock without seeing battle. Since it is here, and because of everything, I feel it won't take much to convince them to allow you a tour of one of our older, but powerful, warships." She leaned closer. "Perhaps, if you're really good, it might even be possible for you to fire the turbolasers at a nearby asteroid," she added in a conspiratorial tone.

"Woo-Hoo!" I winced at Anakin's volume as he was right next to my seat. "Come on Fenrir!"

As Raven reported touching down on the Lucrehulk's deck, I turned just in time to see a bemused tuk'ata follow the boy out of the cockpit. "Are you trying to spoil him?" I asked Bo as I turned to her, even as, with just one hand, I powered down Raven's systems.

"Maybe, but I'm also encouraging his shereshoy," she replied as she stood. Shereshoy was a uniquely Mando'a word that, as close as it could be translated, meant 'lust for life' in Basic. While I didn't fully understand it, I knew that term only covered part of what shereshoy truly meant. It did, though, remind me of the saying 'seize the day' from Earth. "And to show him that our ways are better than those of the Jetii."

"I remind you that I'm a Jedi," I countered as I stood.

That drew a snort of amusement from her. "Even you know you're not a good one." She took a step toward me, entering my personal space. "You fought and defeated a Darjetii as Mando'ade, not Jetii." Standing on her tiptoes, her lips moved toward my ear. "And a very emuur'la one at that," she added before nibbling gently on my ear.

I rolled my eyes as she pulled back, well aware and used to her flirting. Though I'd admit that if not for Anakin, his trouble sleeping each night, and the fact his room was next to mine, then I'd have struggled to not give in to Bo's temptations. Even with thoughts of Serra still fresh in my thoughts.

Before we'd docked with the Saak'ak, I'd contacted Theed for an update on her condition. Padmé had informed me personally that while she was still in the bacta tank, her doctors assured her that my fellow Jedi would be out of the tank before the celebrations. Padmé was also glad I'd returned as the Chancellor and Jedi Council were due to arrive tomorrow. From the way she spoke of the festivities, I suspected – and dreaded – that she planned for me to be front and centre in them.

"Come on," I said to Bo, once more ignoring her flirting. "If we don't get out there quickly enough, I fear what sort of chaos Anakin might get into."

"Knowing his buir, a lot," Bo added as she fell into step at my side as we left the cockpit.

It took about a minute to make our way through Raven and reach the exit hatch. As we entered the airlock, the sound of the ramp deploying was heard, but attention was on Anakin and the way he was struggling to not bounce from foot to foot. I could sense his excitement, along with Fenrir's amusement, as he waited to see new vessels. "Anakin," I said, drawing his attention, "remember what I said."

"Yes, sir." He wasn't calling me father, which was a relief as I wasn't sure I was ready to hear that, but I'd made it clear he didn't have to address me as Master. For former slaves that term had negative, and likely painful, connotations. In time, I'd explain how to the Jedi it was meant as one of respect, but given he wouldn't be around any Jedi bar myself and Dooku when we stopped in the ShaDo system, that wouldn't be an issue.

I took the lead once the airlock hissed open, and looking around, made note of the various ships in the hangar. To say they were an eclectic collection would be like saying Kashyyyk had big trees. There was little to no uniformity in the ships in the bay, showing how each Mando'ade was free to select a vessel that suited them. While that allowed them great freedom, it also made it hard for others to track Mandalorians based on starship types. However, it did feed into the idea that they wouldn't be unified, at least not without a strong, powerful Mand'alor to control them.

Around the bay, Federation droids moved, though these were the unarmed, cargo-type droids a ship like the Saak'ak was meant to have and not the various battledroids that it had carried to Naboo. Since there was no cargo in the bay, at least as far as I could see, the droids were likely helping with the maintenance of the various ships here.

From what I'd learnt speaking to Asta Ordo when we'd approached for docking, the remaining battledroids and Vulture droids were being stored in the port arm, along with any surviving crew from the three Lucrehulks. Well, bar the senior figures who were, unfortunately for me, held in Theed. Hopefully, HK had discovered a way to remove Gunray while I'd been gone, but if not, I'd have to try another approach to ensure he never reached a Republic jail. There was no way I was allowing Sidious to keep that piece on the board.

Once on the deck, my focus shifted to an approaching group of Mando'ade. None wore their helmets, instead, like Bo, they carried them under an arm, but I'd know each of them even if they wore the helmets. I watched them all as they came closer, though I held Osto's gaze a touch longer until he gave a subtle nod. That meant Maul was secured aboard either this ship or more likely the Ne'tra Tal'ade ready for transport to a secure Mandalorian facility designed to house and contain Force users.

I wasn't sure what my plans would be with him, but I knew he'd be of some use. The Force had been clear in that as I'd stood over him, considering my options as the sedative designed for bull rancors that I'd shot him with rendered him unconscious. In the end, I'd used the Force-suppression cuffs I held in my Inventory to secure him, and then had Osto and his squad withdraw from the city with the Zabrak. I knew I'd have to talk with Adonai, Torrhen, and the handful of others who knew about Maul, regarding what to do with the Sith, but that could wait for a few days. Though I did know I needed him out of sigh, preferably out of the system, before Palpatine arrived.

"Alor Cameron, it's good to see you again," Adonai said as he led the greeting party. He extended an arm, thankfully for my remaining hand.

"You as well, Alor Adonai," I replied as I grasped his forearm. "Though I had shab'an idea you and Alor Torrhen would turn up with a shabyr dreadnought," I added with a smile. That drew laughter from everyone within range to catch my words. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"We wanted it active for the civil war, but by the time the last upgrades were installed and checked, the war was over," Torrhen replied as I grasped his forearm while Adonai hugged his daughter, much to her annoyance. "The vessel had been powered down since then and we feared we'd have wasted the credits on improving her. Of course, that was when your call to arms came in and we felt it would be a waste to not deploy the Ne'tra Tal'ade into combat once again."

"Given the smoking hulk floating nearby, I'd say it more than lived up to design," I remarked as I greeted Asta and Ordo in turn. "And while I'm sure the Naboo are grateful for the extra firepower, I can't imagine how the Chancellor and Jedi Council will react when they arrive tomorrow."

"Aye, we're looking forward to that," Asta commented with a grin matched by the others. "It will be nice to show the Tsad Droten that Mandalore isn't the feeble backwater they believe."

"We had considered removing the Ne'tra Tal'ade to avoid an incident, but I was outvoted on the matter," Adonai added, though the smile he wore made clear he wasn't offended or upset to lose that vote. "Given reports of her travel would've reached Coruscant already, there was little point in attempting to hide her existence."

"Besides, your Queen granted every warrior and vessel that fought to free her world safe passage in their system, and a port in the storm if needed," Osto added. "So long as it's not to hide from Tsad Droten law or the Jetii."

"I'm sure the new Chancellor is going to love that," I commented with a grin, doing my best to ignore the teasing Osto used regarding my friendship with Padmé. Bar Adonai and Bo, though I couldn't see her face to confirm it, none understood what I was implying. "Until a few weeks ago, he was the Senator for the Chommell sector, being born on Naboo."

That had the group laughing in delight, which was what I expected. Having the homeworld of the Chancellor of the Republic – or Tsad Droten in Mando'a – grant Mando'ade safe passage and protection would place him in an awkward position if he ever had to censor the Mandalorian sector. Not that most Mando'ade would listen to the Republic, but it would be an interesting dilemma for Palpatine to handle.

"You mean that we didn't just save a Tsad Droten world, but the home of their new leader?" Asta asked between chuckles. My nod of confirmation only had her and the others laughing harder. "Shab elek!" She exclaimed, punching the air in delight.

As the group and those nearby heard and passed on my information, I realised that none had remarked on my missing limb. They'd all seen it, the glances impossible to hide, but none seemed concerned about it. It had been a regular thing that others asked about, but the Mando'ade here just accepted it. Now, Bo had already told me that would be the case, using her father's artificial leg as an example of how being wounded in battle wasn't something to look down upon, so long as the battle had been a worthy one, which defeating a Sith certainly qualified as. Still, seeing the lack of reaction to the wound in person was a nice experience.

As the laughter died down, Adonai's eyes drifted to those with me and Bo. "While I expected Fenrir, I hadn't expected the ad'ika to be with you," he said, looking at Anakin.

I turned and called the boy forward, placing my hand on his shoulder once he was in front of me. "Anakin, I'm sure you remember Duke Adonai."

"Hello sir," Anakin said, getting a smile from the older Mando'ade.

"To the rest, may I present Anakin Skywalker, my ad."

That statement caught everyone off guard, and they blinked as they stared at either me or Anakin. Adonai glanced at Bo, seeking confirmation, and when he returned his gaze to me I assumed she'd given it.

"M-my mother died when we were attacked by slavers hired by the Hutts," Anakin said, and I didn't need the Force to sense the shift in tone that fell over the hangar. Not just with the group in front of us, but with others nearby who were watching. "Cam was already going to make me his Padawan, but when he offered to make me Mandalorian as well, I accepted."

Adonai stepped forward, and after dropping to a knee, placed his hand on Anakin's free shoulder. "Su cuy'gar Anakin Skywalker of Clan Shan," he said softly. "While you were not born Mando'ade, you are now one of us. Aliit ori'shya tal'din."

"Family is more than blood," I explained as Anakin turned and looked up at me, he turned back and smiled at Adonai as I saw the others nod in agreement.

"Vur entye."

I chuckled at Anakin's attempt to use Mando'a. While he didn't know much, Bo had enjoyed, among other things, teaching him phrases along with telling the history of our people. So much so that Anakin was already listing ideas for his verd'goten. While I was against a sarlacc or a krayt dragon, I could see him taking on a Rancor: It would be a nice homage to what Luke did in the other timeline. That, however, was something I'd have to meditate on when he was almost thirteen.

"It's vor entye," Adonai corrected, "and ba'gedet'ye ad'ika." He squeezed Anakin's shoulder before looking up at me. "Have you taught him the remembrance chant?"

"Bo did," I replied. It had been something she did not long after I'd adopted Anakin. While she'd used it nightly ever since joining me – back at the start of the last Mandalorian civil war – I'd not joined her until our return from the ShaDo system. While I'd lost my grandfather and mother, I barely knew either of them or felt little connection to the pair. However, with Anakin now using it as well, I'd joined in and added my mother's name, letting him see that everyone suffered. I'd also explained that Jedi mourned the loss of friends like any would, however, we were expected to release our feelings into the Force. Knowing the boy, I knew he'd not do that, which was why the Mandalorian chant was something I joined in with.

"Good," Adonai said, looking at his daughter for a moment before returning his attention to Anakin. "Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum. Urin Kryze, Sellena Kryze."

"Korkie Kryze," said Bo, adding the name of her dead nephew.

"Gregar Ordo."

"Ane Keldorn."

"Ressa Shan," I added, just as I'd done for the last few nights.

"Shmi Skywalker," Anakin said after me, and I gently patted his shoulder. This was the first time he'd not seized up when saying his mother's name. He still mourned deeply for her – that I knew without using the Force – but this was the next step in his recovery from that traumatic event. Since the chant was helping him deal with his grief, I planned to continue it after we left Naboo, and I began his training.

Other voices joined in, adding the names of loved ones lost over the years. While that would help Anakin see that he wasn't alone, that he was a part of something greater than himself, as the names continued to be added, my mind shifted to other things.

As far as I knew, HK and R2 were still working to gain entry to Maul's vessel. I'd contacted HK through a secured channel, wondering how they were doing. He'd been insulted that I was concerned for him as if the idea a starship could destroy him was in some way more demeaning than letting a meatbag do so. That said, he was impressed by the security on Maul's vessel. I wasn't yet convinced of where I wanted that ship stored, but I had a few ideas. I had to get the hyperspace coordinates of the systems without the Jedi or Sith learning of my intentions which would require me to head to somewhere other than the Temple for the information I required.

"Now, ad'ika, know that you aren't alone," Adonai said, bringing my thoughts back to the hangar bay. Adonai stood then. "All suffer loss, be it of family, friends, or limbs," he added, patting his leg, the one with the artificial limb. Given how freely he moved on it, it would be easy to forget, but given the rumours of weapons built into the thing, that might be what he hoped. "However, a warrior doesn't wallow in their loss. We mourn what has been taken, we remember those we love, and in the name of those no longer with us, we keep pushing forward. Oya Manda!"

"Oya Manda!" The chant was repeated by me and others in the bay.

"Oya Manda!" Anakin added a moment later, earning a nod of approval from Adonai as the man ruffled the young boy's hair.

"Good. We'll make Mando'ade out of you." His gaze then took in me, Bo and Fenrir. "Now, all of you, come. The warriors grow restless. We have delayed the celebration of our victory far too long waiting on the War Leader's return." He moved forward and clapped an arm on my shoulder. "First a dragon, then duelling for the fate of a planet, and now defeating a Darjetii," he said with a wide smile. "The blood of a true warrior runs thick in your veins."

"To be fair, I don't go looking for trouble," I replied with a chuckle and smile, "that said, I don't deny that I do enjoy the battles."

Adonai laughed loudly at that, as did others in the hangar. "Oya!" he shouted, others joining in a second or so later.

"And many say he's not Mando'ade." The partially whispered comment came from Osto and widened the smiles worn by his parents.

Adonai turned, pulling me with him. Anakin fell into step at my side as our group merged with Adonai's and we headed into the Saak'ak. Tonight, and probably into the morning, we'd celebrate. Food, drink, song, dance and other forms of entertainment would be partaken, and until I returned to Naboo's surface, thoughts of facing the Jedi and Sith would be pushed from my thoughts.
… …

… …
(Bo-Katan POV)
Bo-Katan moved to the free seat next to Cam's son – and that was something that continued to make her chuckle -- with a wide smile on her face and a large, just-refilled mug of ne'tra gal in her hand. "Enjoying yourself ad'ika?" She asked once seated next to the boy, enjoying the fact his name was so close to the Mando'a term for 'little one'.

The boy smiled back at her; his face rosy as he nursed the single cup of ale he'd been allowed. "Yes," Anakin replied, "but I don't know what you're chanting, or what the dancing means."

She laughed and leaned closer, placing an arm – the one not holding her mug – around the boy's shoulders. She had no interest in children of her own – be they adopted or naturally born – but she liked this ad'ika. Not only was he, according to Cam, going to one day be very powerful with the Force but he was intrigued by her culture. Well, now his culture as well since Cam had adopted him.

The other thing about Anakin was, much like Cam, Bo-Katan sensed there was something special about the boy. He was jate'kara; touched by luck and had a destiny. One that, again like Cam, Bo-Katan felt a need to help shape and follow. The pair were drawn to each other, and while she felt for Anakin that he'd lost his mother, she was glad Cam had made him Mando'ade, or at least an adiik of their people.

Once the celebrations here were over, she knew Cam planned to take time away to begin Anakin's training, but he had promised her that it wouldn't just be Jetii training; that he'd begin teaching the boy what he could about the ways of the Mando'ade. Bo-Katan had, in return, promised that if he needed help with that training, or ever found himself needing an ally, she'd do what she could to help. And to Bo-Katan, this felt like one of those moments.

"Then let me teach you," She said as the group on the floor, which was most of the warriors in the chamber, restarted the Dha Werda.

"Taung sa rang broka Mando'ade ka'rta."

"The ash of the Taung beats strong within the Mandalorians' hearts," She said, translating the Mando'a into Basic. As they chanted, the warriors, led by Cam, Osto Ordo and Vonte Tervho – the generals of the ground offensive – pounded their fists against their armoured chests, setting the beat of the chant. Now, Cam wasn't able to set the beat properly, his missing limb ensuring that, but Bo-Katan knew none saw that as an insult. Cam had fought and defeated a warrior of great power and skill – one that had defeated the Jetii responsible for training all others in their ways of combat – becoming the first Mando'ade in centuries, possibly even since the Dral'Han, to defeat a Darjetii in single combat. That made his injury a mark of honour and victory, something even those who only came for the credits respected.

"Dha Werda Verda a'den tratu."

"We are the rage of The Warriors of the Shadow." As she continued her translation, Bo-Katan felt her smile grow wider as Anakin started trying, and failing, to copy the beat the warriors were pounding out. It pleased her that the boy was already becoming one with their ways, drawn in by the camaraderie the chant – and others like it – inspired in all Mando'ade.

"Manda'yaim kandosii adu."

"The first noble sons of Mandalore."

With this line, the warriors turned to their right, catching the ad'ika off guard, and continued the beat by bashing their fists against the armour of the warrior next to them.

"Duum motir ca'tra nau tracinya."

"Let all those who stand before us light the night sky in flame."

She felt Anakin wince, taken aback at the ferocity of the fists that crashed against the armour of another warrior, understanding that they weren't pulling their blows. That striking with anything but close to full fury would insult those chanting with them.

"Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a."

"Our vengeance burns brighter still." The warriors jumped and spun to their left as Bo-Katan continued her translation. The hall echoed with the sounds of armour being pounded, every blow from the assembled warriors timed to perfection, making the deck vibrate with the ferocity and certainty of their blows. Almost as if the ship understood it was now part of their culture, that it served their cause.

"I was told a Jedi shouldn't seek vengeance."

Anakin's sudden statement stopped Bo-Katan from translating the next line as she looked down at the adiik. "You're not Jetii," she scoffed, "you are Mando'ade. Vengeance isn't something to be feared; it's something we use to power through our actions. To steel our thoughts during the darkest days of a cause." She pulled him closer, hugging him against her armour. "One day, when you're older, wiser, and better prepared, you will face the one responsible for your mother's death." Bo-Katan felt a pang at never being able to do that to the hut'uun who'd killed her mother and younger brother, though she knew her father had made sure of that. "When that day comes, don't let the desire for vengeance cloud your mind. Instead, temper it, control it, like the warriors are doing with this chant, into something infinitely more powerful. Use it to steady your mind, to guide your hand, but remain the one in control."

The ad'ika fell silent at that, and Bo-Katan sat with him, not bothering to translate the next few lines of the Dha Werda for him. The pain of losing a mother was one she understood well, and was perhaps part of why she'd thrown herself into teaching him what she could as they'd returned to the Naboo system; as if she wanted to be there for her ba'ad as her father had been there for her.

"I miss her."

The words were barely audible over the chanting that reverberated around the hall, but Bo-Katan caught them as she'd been watching Anakin closely. She shook him gently with her arm, keeping him closer to her side. "We all miss those we've lost," she said as the second verse of the Dha Werda began, the warriors had returned to pound their fists against their own armour for the moment. "However, we don't cry for their loss. We celebrate their life and their accomplishments. We honour them by continuing to live, by using what they taught us to fight each day as we carry their memories with us through battle and life."

Those were, she realised after saying them, the exact words her father had said to her after her mother had died. That had Bo-Katan blinking, wondering why, in this moment, that memory, those words came so easily to her thoughts, and if they'd been passed down through her family whenever someone lost a loved one.
"I want to kill the Hutts for taking her from me."

"Aye," she replied, loosening her hug, "I'm sure you do, but you're not ready yet." he turned and looked up at her, his eyes reddened by tears shed for his mother. Using the hand holding her mug, she gently pushed back a lock of his hair that had matted against his forehead as she hugged him. "Soon your father will begin your training, to start your journey toward being a great warrior, a true Mando'ade. The journey will be long, difficult, and dangerous. There may be moments where you feel you can't go on. That it's too arduous. In those moments remember your mother, your sister, your father, and everyone that cares for and wants you to succeed. Let those memories, and your father, mould you, train you, in the ways of the Jetii and the Mando'ade so that, when you're finally ready to stand beside us as a fellow warrior, you're something greater than either." She smiled. "On that day, when you ride into battle against the ones responsible for your mother's death, Cam will ride at your side. As will I and others."

Anakin's face had slowly shifted as she spoke as if he was engraving the words onto his heart. By the time she finished, a smile had returned to his face. "I'll be the best Jedi ever!" he said with certainty. "The best Mandalorian ever!"

Bo-Katan laughed, and almost attempted to ruffle his hair with the hand holding her mug. "I know you will be," she said as she chuckled at nearly drenching him in ne'tra gal. Yet, deep down, she knew that like Cam, Anakin would face a choice. The paths chosen by the Jetii and the Mando'ade were, at their cores, simply incompatible.

Cam knew this and warred within himself over it, yet he continued to try and keep to both. Bo-Katan knew it wouldn't, and couldn't last. Cam was Mando'ade – the joy and delight on his face as he neared the end of the Dha Werda with their fellow warrior made that clear – and in time, Cam would see where his path lay. As would Anakin.

Bo-Katan didn't know when that day would come, but when Clan Shan truly embraced their destiny, their jate'kara, the galaxy would tremble at their feet. And she, Manda willing, would be there at their side, revelling in the battles it brought forth.
… …

… …
(Cam's POV)
"Certain, you are, that a Sith this Zabrak was?"

"Yes Master Yoda," I replied as I stood in the centre of a small, secured chamber inside the Royal Palace in Theed. Almost the entire Council had come to Naboo for Drallig's funeral, which had taken place this morning; the morning after the Council and Chancellor Palpatine had arrived on Naboo.

While Drallig hadn't played a major role in helping free Naboo, to the Naboo and some Gungans it still mattered. As such, his body – at least part of it – had lain in rest for many to view and pay their respects to. I suspected that to many it was a reminder that even though it had been the Mandalorians and Lokella that had been the main source of the support for Naboo, the Jedi and the Republic hadn't entirely abandoned them.

Beside Drallig's body were the remains of a unit of Lokella and Mando'ade that had fallen fighting to free Theed. The Lokella had drawn an unfortunate short straw and encountered a group of heavily armed mercenaries who'd been guarding a group of Naboo. The same group I'd originally asked Drallig and Serra to free. Without the help of the Jedi, the Lokella had suffered badly, but those they'd fought against had died and not a single Naboo was killed or shipped off-world.

The Mando'ade had encountered a squadron of tanks moving to support one of the main battles in Theed. The pair had destroyed all eight tanks and their accompanying droids, but as both had used durasteel armour, they'd succumbed to their wounds before others could reach them.

All the fallen off-world warriors were granted honorary citizenship of Naboo by Padmé in a ceremony, and along with the Naboo and Gungans who'd died fighting to free the planet, would be forever remembered as Heroes of Naboo.

Not long after Drallig's funeral, as expected, I'd been summoned to speak with the Council regarding Drallig's death and events that happened in the lead-up to and during the battles for Naboo. The meeting had begun with them watching the recording I'd provided Qui-Gon of my duel with Maul, ending as it did, before I stood to supposedly kill him unintentionally.

They'd asked about what happened after the recording ended, accepting the reason for the failure. It seemed that they also believed me when I told them the story I'd told to Qui-Gon, which was a little surprising. While I was skilled at Deception, I wasn't sure I was good enough to fool those as experienced as the Council. And I knew I couldn't entirely fake the truthfulness of my statement on Maul's fate. Yet, they'd accepted my story, and we'd now moved on to discussing Maul and his possible connection to the Sith.

"Could it not have been a simple Dark Side Force user?"

I turned to Plo Koon to answer him. "By the time I encountered him, the Zabrak had already killed Master Drallig, and after seemingly toying with Padawan Keto was about to kill her as well." I paused and glanced down, to the chest piece that along with my greaves, pauldrons and single vambrace, I still wore as I spoke to the Council. "He would've killed me as well if not for the armour I'd chosen to wear." I knew the Council hadn't and wouldn't approve of me wearing armour, but it wasn't technically against the tenets of the Order to wear armour, and even if it had been, I'd still have worn it to this meeting. It helped, I hoped, reinforce that it was only because of it that I was able to stand before them today. "The speed he moved, his skill with the blade in a variety of forms, and his ability to react and counter everything I threw at him, are comparable to anything I've faced. Even you, Master Yoda, during our brief, and very one-sided, spar."

Yoda nodded, accepting and understanding my comparison.

"Yes, the recording you gave us certainly showed the speed and ferocity of the Zabrak," Even Piell replied, "and I, for one, am inclined to believe your opinion on him being a Sith. I will, however, wait until Padawan Keto is fully recovered and able to offer her opinion before reaching a position on the matter." He paused even as I saw a few of the other members of the Council nod in agreement. "I do, however, wish you had managed to recover the body and lightsaber so we might have examined them."

"My intent had been to wound and capture him, Master."

"Yes, we understand and believe you on that," Saesee Tiin responded. "And given the clear difficulty you encountered in the duel, not to mention having to be concerned about the condition of your friend," there was the faintest of hints in his tone that he felt Serra was perhaps too close to me, but I couldn't sense anything in the Force to confirm or deny that feeling, "we commend your restraint. Even if, perhaps, an attempt to end the duel quicker might've been more advantageous to you."

"In your place, after suffering the injury you did, many a young Jedi might struggle to restrain themselves," Windu added as he took over. "That you didn't speaks well of your temperament. Though it does leave the reason you came into battle, as if you were expecting trouble, in shall we say, less than traditional Jedi clothing open to discussion."

I lowered my head, accepting the slight rebuke before giving my reasoning. "Ever since becoming a Knight, I'd understood that I had limitations that, to this day, remain in place. Add into that… concerns I've held about a general feeling of danger growing somewhere in the galaxy, and I felt that, if I was to survive this danger, I needed a method to overcome my limitations. Knowing that Jedi in the past had worn armour for battle, I felt that was a way to go, and with connections to various political figures on Mandalore, I was able to secure an armour made of beskar that, barring one small mistake, enabled me to engage and defeat the Sith."

"I cannot fault your logic for seeking a temporary solution to what has been a long-term problem for you," Plo Koon offered as he leaned forward. "However, we are concerned by this continual choice you make to interact with Mandalorians." At this, Even Piell and Saesse Tinn nodded. "Particularly how close you seem to have become to a daughter of Duke Adonai Kryze. Given his other daughter is currently being groomed to become the Senator of the Mandalore sector and your connections to this world, and several important figures from it, there are suggestions, which we do not agree with, that you are becoming too political for a Jedi."

"I'm aware of that concern, Masters," I said, speaking to the entire Council. This point had been one I'd been preparing for even before landing on Naboo, and I already knew how to use it to my advantage. "Once I have a replacement," I gestured with my hand-less arm, "I plan to withdraw from events for a time, perhaps a year or so. I hope that by taking time away, not only will I finally overcome the hurdle in my development, but I distance myself from figures of importance in the Republic."

Silence fell over the chamber, and I felt the faintest of shifts in the Force. That meant, based on previous experiences, the council were speaking about my reasons telepathically, so I stood still, waiting for their response.

"Close to the new Chancellor, you are. A concern of this Council, that is not. Connections in the Senate, many in the Order maintain. Your youth, however, a concern is. Friends with Senators, Jedi Masters usually are. Close to one, rare for a younger Jedi it is. Doubly so, the Chancellor. On this, we trust you, however."

"On other matters, we retain our concern," Windu added, taking over from Yoda. "However, we approve of your plan to commune with the Force in isolation, and will withhold further comments until you return to the Temple after your sojourn."

I nodded in acceptance; glad they'd bought my reasoning for wanting time away. That said, I kept thoughts about a certain young boy far from the front of my mind. I needed to train him away from the eyes of the Jedi and Sith, to say nothing of needing time and space to see how the final evolution of my Interface altered things and adapting to that.

With time to consider the matter more, I'd chosen Natural Evolution. While it would result in lower peaks for my skills, and degradation of my Force Powers until I truly understood how to use them, the removal of any limit on what I could accomplish with the Force made it the logical choice. Not just for the threats Sidious, and potentially Plagueis as I'd not heard any mention of Hego Damask passing on over the Holonet, posed in the coming decade, but for – provided I defeated the Banite Sith – the Vong and whatever other horrors existed in this universe.

It would also, I felt, remove the issues I held with a lightsaber. That was something I needed gone as if I struggled against Maul, then I had no chance against anyone on the level of Windu, Sidious, Yoda, or Plagueis. All the technical skill in the galaxy wouldn't save me if I had to fight even one of that group; or any that I currently shared the chamber with.

"You are free to depart on your sojourn, though I would suggest waiting until after the Naboo celebrate their liberation," Windu added, drawing me from my thoughts about the future. "However, we may contact you if we have need of you, or require further information about events that happened here."

I bowed deeply, accepting their stance, and knowing that was my dismissal, turned and walked from the chamber. Outside Simvyl and Fenrir waited, the tuk'ata stretching as the doors to the chamber slid shut.

"How'd it go?"

"As expected," I replied as Fenrir moved closer and pushed his head into my arm. "They're pleased the Sith is defeated, unhappy about my armour and the manner in which I won, and accept my reasons for wanting to take time away," I added as I used my hand to scratch Fenrir under the chin.

"And they're okay with you taking a Padawan?"

I smirked. "They never asked about it, so I simply never brought it up." Simvyl frowned slightly but didn't challenge me on the matter. "They will learn at some point, and if they have an issue with it, then I'll ask for forgiveness."

"I see you're learning from politicians," Simvyl replied with a smile that revealed sharp teeth.

I shrugged in response as we began walking away from the chamber. As Windu had said, there was still the victory celebration to come this afternoon, but until then, and hopefully afterwards, I was free to do as I pleased. Though for now, that was heading back to Raven and resting. I might contact Bo to see how Anakin was doing as he was staying on with her and should be enjoying a tour of the Ne'tra Tal'ade. The vessel was still in orbit along with the two captured and still hyperspace-capable Lucrehulks, but all three would be departing at some point this evening or tomorrow. The Lokella had, bar a single CR70 Corvette, already left, wanting to return home and help with the recovery.

"HK sent a report while you were meeting the Council," Simvyl said as we walked, reminding me that the Council hadn't brought up HK. Either Qui-Gon had failed to mention him, or they simply didn't consider it an issue compared to my armour and other actions I'd taken. There was no way they weren't aware that the first of the Knights of the Old Republic series was out, so it was odd now that I thought about it, HK hadn't been mentioned. Of course, as HK had been out of sight since the battle, people might have semi-forgotten his presence. "He and the astromech had gained access to the target. After subduing a droid and the onboard defences, they've determined the vessel is named Scimitar. They've yet to access the flight controls, but HK suspects they'll be ready to do so within a day at most."

"Good. Once they've got full control of the vessel, we'll wait until after the celebrations to have it slip away. While I could have HK take it to Coruscant, I fear the Sith's influence extends to the highest levels of government. Otherwise, the Trade Federation wouldn't have become the power they are today. The longer it takes for knowledge of the Scimitar's fate to reach the Senate, the longer the Sith remain in the dark regarding where it is. Which, as I've already stated, is why I also don't want the Jedi Temple to be aware of the ship's existence."

What I'd love was if the ship had some way to hide from sensors. If it did, it should be possible to have it slip from the bay tonight, and head to a position far enough away that others wouldn't find it. However, that would only get it off Naboo. I still had to determine where I wanted the vessel stored, though I knew it wouldn't be in the Mandalore sector. That was far too obvious a location for it and would place it close to Maul if he found a way to escape his imprisonment before I was ready to deal with him.

Adonai and Torrhen had assured me that the prison they would secure Maul in was designed specifically to contain Force users. While it hadn't seen much use over the last few centuries, no Force user had ever survived an attempted escape. The list of those that had attempted escape was small and contained a Sith Lord and a few Jedi Masters, but as none had ever managed to break free, I trusted them to keep Maul on ice for the next few years.

"I understand your logic, and agree that the Senate and Temple could be tracked by the Zabrak's Master, but I feel we could bring the Jedi Council in on your plans. So long as they agreed to keep no record of this."

"While they accept that the Zabrak was a Sith, I don't think they'd be as cautious as I feel they'd need to be." I turned and smiled. "I know you have faith in the Order, but until I'm sure of how far the Sith's influence extends through Coruscant, I want to keep my cards close to my chest."

"Very well."

I was glad Simvyl trusted me on this, as he was the only sentient who knew about my plans for Maul and his vessel. Others only knew parts of the plan. Since Simvyl would be travelling with Anakin and me – due to his bond of loyalty – I considered him the best person to run my plans by. Which was why I was glad he was accepting of my intentions.

We fell into silence as we neared the main sections of the palace, not wanting anyone to overhear us. As we walked, we passed various members of the palace staff or Royal Guard. They either smiled or nodded in recognition and appreciation. While the official ceremony wasn't until later, it seemed in my absence that the story of my actions had spread throughout the populace.

"Master Jedi." I paused as I realised they were speaking to me. Turning, I saw a squad of four Senate guards approaching, their blue armour and long rifles making it easy to know who they were.

"Yes?"

"If you have time, the Chancellor wishes to speak with you."

I kept a slight smile on my face as the lead guard spoke. "Then lead on," I replied. While I'd expected he would want to speak with me, I'd hoped it could wait until after the ceremony. Unfortunately, it seemed I wasn't going to be that lucky.

Palpatine would've heard what happened from Padmé already, but he'd want further details. I expected he would prod for greater detail of my duel with Maul, though without making it obvious he was doing so. If I were in his place, I'd also begin factoring my actions here, not just in helping free Naboo but in gathering allies to do so.

Those allies had, from what I knew, avoided the Chancellor. The Mandalorians were staying on their vessels, while Validus and the other Lokella who remained were simply staying until the ceremony and would be distracted by events back home, so the only source of intel Palpatine would have was from Padmé, those like Panaka, and myself.

My ad-hoc alliance was already changing things, as not only were the Lokella wanting to hire Mando'ade trainers, but Padmé and Panaka were interested in doing so as well. While I doubted the Naboo would ever shift entirely from their peaceful ways, the fact they'd only survived the invasion due to the actions of the small security force, concerned and eager citizens, the Gungans, and outside help seemed to have convinced Padmé to increase the size and capacity of the Naboo security forces.

It only took us about a minute to reach a corridor where more of the Senate guards stood watch, but I was again glad Anakin wasn't with me. The longer I could go without Palpatine becoming aware of him, and sinking his way into the boy's trust with his silken words, the better it would be for everyone. Yet as we moved through the guards standing watch, I pushed thoughts of Anakin, the Mando'ade and any plans about the future from my mind. I didn't need Sidious sensing anything about them. As far as I or the Interface knew, Palpatine hadn't attempted to scan my thoughts, not even my surface ones, but I wasn't taking the chance he might pick up on a stray thought and discover something I didn't want him to.

"Your companions will have to remain here," the guard who'd addressed near the temporary Council chambers said as he and those with him turned to face us.

His tone was serious, almost threatening, and I struggled to not smirk dismissively at his tone. Even without an arm, I knew I could take them by myself. Fenrir must've sensed some of my amusement, as he stepped forward and growled. It wasn't a deep or threatening growl, just one daring the guards to do something. All four of them tensed, concerned that something was about to happen.

"Of course," I replied, placing my hand between Fenrir's ears, and giving him a scratch. "Try not to make a new chew toy," I said to the tuk'ata before stepping toward the door at the end of the corridor.

The guards that had escorted us remained outside with Simvyl and Fenrir as I entered the chamber. Two more guards noted my arrival and tensed slightly, thinking I was a problem – which given the armour I wore, made sense – before they saw the lightsaber at my hip. That eased their concerns, and I moved forward, quiet voices guiding me toward my destination.

Turning around a corner, I saw Palpatine sitting on one extremely well-decorated sofa that along with a partner sat around a table that likely cost north of a hundred thousand credits. As Palpatine spoke to an older man who sat on the other sofa, Sate Prestige, who was standing behind the Chancellor and had seen me approaching, dropped down and whispered to his master.

Palpatine turned then, a wide smile coming to his face as he saw me. "Cameron, my boy," he began as he stood. The other man turned as the Chancellor approached and I recognized him as Sio Bibble, the Governor of Naboo. "The hero of the hour," the Chancellor said as he reached me, extending an arm.

"I wouldn't go that far, Chancellor," I replied as I shook his hand. He surprised me though by pulling me into a hug and laughing gently, enjoying my confusion as he patted my back. Sio and Sate smiled at the sight though there I could sense Sate not liking something about the situation. Perhaps he had known of Maul and disliked that I'd removed one of Sidious' tools, or perhaps he simply disliked that I was slowly growing closer to the hidden Sith Lord and feared for his position.

"Nonsense," Palpatine said as he pulled back, breaking the impromptu hug. His hands slid down my arms as he continued. "Without your actions, your ability to find allies in her most desperate hour, I fear my home would've become another cog in the vile grinding machine that is the Trade Federation." His hands stopped on my upper arms, just above my elbows. "Queen Amidala swears by this, and having seen the warship your allies brought, and heard tales of the battles that raged, I find myself agreeing with her. Though it seems that you paid dearly for supporting us," he added, his eyes glancing toward my missing forearm.

"Sadly, yes," I responded, ignoring the phantom itching from fingers that were no longer there. "Though it was a low price to pay to ensure millions remained free of oppression."

He smiled even as I watched Sate slowly guide Sio away from the sofas. "If I might ask, how exactly did this happen?" he said as he turned, knowing what Sate was doing, and guided me toward the seats. "and is it in any way connected to the death of the Master Drallig?"

"It appears the Federation wasn't working alone," I replied slowly, knowing exactly how I expected this conversation to go, and having a handful of contingencies if it moved in certain ways. "There was a Dark Sider present when we arrived." Palpatine reacted, as expected, with surprise. "There is a possibility he might even have been a Sith…"

"A Sith?" Palpatine cut in, his acting superb. "I-I had thought them nothing more than a legend?" He asked. Even knowing he was lying; I couldn't find even the faintest hint that he didn't believe what he said. This man, and Plagueis, were masters of hiding themselves, of convincing others they were exactly who they pretended to be. Which, given his true name, made perfect sense for Palpatine. He was insidious in ways no one could ever conceive, never mind detect.

"That, along with confirming if the Zabrak was a Sith, I leave up to the Council," I replied with a small smile. "All I will say is that he was an incredible duellist, on par with any I've seen." Truthfully, I felt Windu, Yoda, and perhaps a handful of others might be able to defeat Maul, but saying this would stroke Sidious' ego as he had been the one, from what little I know, to train the Zabrak.

"High praise from such a young and accomplished Jedi."

"I would argue against accomplished," I said, countering the Chancellor's praise, "but I thank you for the compliment." His smile widened. "I'm sure that if you inquire, the Council will keep you abreast of their investigation. If the Sith truly have returned, then they are a threat to the Order and the Republic. However, I expect the investigation to be stalled until they can recover the Zabrak's body." I offered a sheepish smile. "When the time came to end the battle, after I lost part of my arm, I… I struck him down."

This was a different story than the one the Council had received, but I felt it was a risk worth taking. I'd already opened up to him about using the Dark Side against the Vong, so hinting at doing that against Maul, because of my injury, would ease some of his concerns about how I defeated Maul. It would, no doubt, increase his and Plagueis' interest in seeing if I could be turned, but since I was all but disappearing for the next year or so, I felt this was a way to remain close to the Chancellor without him questioning how I managed to defeat Maul and going looking for answers.

HK had already deleted the recordings of the bay housing the Scimitar, but that wouldn't stop people from talking about the vessel. From there it wouldn't take long for Palpatine's spies to learn that HK was connected to me and that I had Maul's vessel. Hearing that I'd taken the vessel, but hadn't handed it over to the Council would further make them feel I was questioning my position with the Order. Which I was, but not in the way the Sith would, I hoped, believe.

"Given the grievous wound you suffered, I'm sure few would fault you for striking the Zabrak down in anger," Palpatine said, a hand coming to rest on my shoulder. "Not even the Council can expect you to forget your emotions all the time."

"They'd prefer that I did, which is perhaps why, like with the Vong, I didn't mention how I felt when the Sith died," offered him a small, slightly weak smile. "I feel many in the Order, including some of the Council, continue to question me. Even though I'm not him, some see my ancestor whenever they look at me." That included, I felt, the Sith I was sitting with, though where the Jedi might see a concern, Sidious saw an opportunity.

"While I don't understand the Force as well as you, I can understand the concerns of the Council. You are a remarkably skilled and powerful young man, Cameron. It is only natural that others, ones who've held positions of power and influence within the Order, would fear your potential."

"I wouldn't say they fear me, Chancellor. Just that many distrust me, which given my tendency to find myself in conflicts, is understandable."

Palpatine gave my shoulder a squeeze of support. "I don't share that fear, Cameron. No, if not for you, my home, and millions of my fellow Naboo, would be all but enslaved." He gestured toward where Sate and Sio Bibble had gone. "Governor Bibble was just telling me more details of what happened here, and after speaking with him, Captain Panaka, and Queen Amidala, I know with certainty that I and my people owe you a debt we can never repay. Know that, for your actions here, and elsewhere to defend the Republic, you will always have my thanks. And my support."

I gave him a wide smile and nodded. While I wasn't planning to draw on that support, it was something I might have use of in the coming decade. The idea of using Palpatine to help me bring about his downfall had a delicious sense of irony about it. "And you, Chancellor, have my support to help guide the Republic to become what it needs to be."

"I'm grateful for your support," Palpatine said as he turned to the table. "I fear that I will struggle to enact the changes needed to make the Senate what the people of the Republic need it to be," he continued as he refilled one glass that sat there and then started prepping a new glass. "As you remarked before my election, there are many there who serve only their own self-interests or serve at the behest of external influences."

"Like the Trade Federation," I said as I took the glass he offered me.

"Yes," he said with a nod. "I swear to you and my people that I'll do all in my power to ensure Viceroy Gunray gets the justice he deserves for his heinous acts here, but I fear it will take me far longer than it should."

"If you have need of me, I'll do what I can to help, uncle."

He smiled widely, enjoying me using the familial term. "For that, I'm grateful, nephew." As he raised his glass in thanks, I knew he planned to use that connection, that friendship to spin how he had more influence on what had happened here to free Naboo than he truly did. That though, had nothing to do with being a Sith, and everything to do with being a career politician. "However, I feel you have already helped more than enough and paid dearly for it."

"Aye, there does seem to be a pattern developing here," I remarked with a dark chuckle after taking a sip of the fruity wine "First it was almost losing an eye, and now an arm." I paused and shook my head. "I'm not sure I can survive another wound."

"Will you return to the Temple to have a prosthetic limb attached?" His tone was sombre now the topic had shifted to my injury.

"I'm unsure of the Jedi's position on the matter, so I'll have to wait and see."

Palpatine frowned deeply. "That is simply unacceptable." He placed his glass down and turned. "Sate," he called and a moment later his aide appeared from behind a pillar as if he'd been spying on us while we talked. "Compile a list of the best companies and figures in the field of limb replacement."

"Th-there is no need for that," I said, acting as if I'd not expected him to make this offer even as Sate nodded at the order.

"But there is, Cameron," Palpatine said as he turned back to me. "In my opinion, and that of our young Queen, you are almost wholly responsible for Naboo being free. For that alone, I shall do everything in my power to ensure your injury is handled and treated by the very best in the Republic with no expense spared. To do otherwise would be unworthy of my position as a citizen of Naboo, Chancellor of the Republic and, though it is not by blood, your uncle." He smiled widely as he finished.

"I," I paused and licked my lips, acting as if uncertain of the offer. Which I was, though not because of the offer, but because of who was making it. I knew he might make this offer, but I was still uncertain about accepting it. "I wouldn't wish to impose on your duties as Chancellor. The Senate must be divided after the unexpected removal of Chancellor Valorum and your elevation to the position."

"It is, however, I insist that you are rewarded for your actions in gathering the force to correct a mistake made by the Senate," he replied, his tone firm and unwavering. "To me, regardless of if I was the Chancellor, a Senator or simply a concerned citizen, to do otherwise would undermine everything the Republic stands for."

"I cannot accept the offer from the Chancellor," I said, keeping going before he could argue, "but I can if it comes from my uncle."

He smiled widely and raised his glass again. As my glass chinked against his, I wondered how I was going to get out of this. Or at least turn it fully to my advantage. I'd been expecting the offer or a replacement, but not for him to seek out the best in the business for the limb. That meant I'd be hard-pressed to reject the offer, and certainly couldn't leave it in a random location.

That was something I was concerned about as the odds he'd place some form of tracker inside the limb were high. Now, I knew he'd spin it as simply wanting to keep track of me out of concern for my well-being, but that would allow the Sith to track where I went, which wasn't something I could allow.

Sipping my wine and keeping a smile on my face, I realised that there were ways I could use this to my advantage. I already planned for the replacement limb to be coated in beskar, so whatever he had designed I should, in theory, be able to either have it examined closely by Mando'ade engineers, or built from scratch by them. The latter would also allow me to ensure the OS in the limb was one I knew of and wouldn't, in theory, have any hidden features that might work against me.

Of course, there was the chance Palpatine wouldn't have done anything to the replacement limb, simply using the extreme quality and cost of it as a way to further ingratiate himself with me. For now, I'd just have to wait and see how this latest development played out.

"Now," Palpatine began, leaning back on the sofa, "perhaps you might enlighten me not just to how your battle with this Sith went, but how you managed to gather so many allies in such a short amount of time." He paused and looked around almost conspiratorially before leaning forward. "I'll admit that the reaction of Masters Yoda and Windu upon seeing the Mandalorian warship was one I shall treasure for some time."

I laughed at that, wishing I could've seen it as well. "Aye, that would've been something to see. Though I admit that I only learned of the Ne'tra Tal'ade's presence after the battle as she didn't arrive at the rendezvous before we developed our plans for reaching Naboo."

Palpatine settled in, getting ready for the story of how the battles went. As I began, I already knew a few details that I'd be holding back, though so long as he didn't prod too much, there wasn't that much I wanted to keep from the Sith Lord.
… …

… …
"And again, Cam, thank you," Padmé said as she smiled at me through the holo-display. "If not for you…"

"You and your people would've found a way to regain your freedom even without my assistance, Your Majesty," I replied, as Raven swept past the wreck of the Vuutun Palaa, the first scavenger vessels – Mando'ade controlled – already working to begin stripping the massive hulk for parts.

"Perhaps, but without your help, and of those you called to your side, the death toll would've been catastrophic," Padmé countered. "I…" she paused and looked away for a moment. "Naboo owes you a debt we can never repay."

"Nor will you ever have to."

She smiled warmly at my words. "I hope that is true, but if not, then you have only to contact myself or Chancellor Palpatine and Naboo will do what we can. Until then, please, be safe, and may the Force be with you, Master Jedi."

"And with you, Your Majesty," I replied with a nod. A second later, as the faintest hints of her emotions reached me through the Force, the channel closed.

"Where to now?"

I looked over at Simvyl, seeing a smile on his face.

"First, we've got to meet up with Bo. I've got a Padawan and son to collect. After that, I'll need to contact HK and arrange a rendezvous. Where though, I'm not yet sure. I need to find somewhere out of the way to store the Scimitar; perhaps even masking its presence from the remaining Sith."

Anakin had departed with Bo aboard the Ne'tra Gal early this morning, though they'd be waiting a system or two away for me to collect the boy. While he'd wanted to head down to the celebration yesterday, I'd not allowed it. He'd not been happy, but I'd promised to explain why once we met again, though I'd only be going into the fact that the Jedi Council wouldn't allow me to train him now that he was my son and not that I wanted to keep him hidden from the Sith Lord that remained on Naboo.

HK and R2 had managed to gain enough control of the Scimitar that, during the festivities last night, with me keeping Padmé, Palpatine and the Jedi Council as distracted as I could, they'd managed to slip from the bay under the Royal Palace. Luckily, the Scimitar possessed a cloaking device, so they'd been able to slip past the Naboo and Republic scans with ease. While that would help keep the ship hidden, I still needed a location to store it.

The other issue that remained unresolved was Serra. While she'd been released from the bacta tank, the High Council had taken her into seclusion. It was possible that they were only trying to help her recover from Master Drallig's death, but a part of me wondered if the move was also about keeping distance between her and me. There was no way the Council wasn't aware that she'd snuck away to join the forces I'd assembled, and that would be something she'd have to face the music about. The Council hadn't, when I'd spoken to them, mentioned that to me, but I was sure the matter was one they were considering. Along with a few others linked to me and my choice of allies.

"Perhaps we could head to Obroa-skai? That's where the Celebratus Archive is located."

I considered Simvyl's suggestion. I'd heard of the Archive, as it was listed as one of the twenty wonders of the galaxy, and had existed for over sixteen thousand years. It was claimed that the navigational charts there were more detailed than even those held by the Jedi, but since the Jedi wouldn't let anyone prove or disprove that, it was merely a rumour. Regardless if the claim was true or not, it was a possible place to head to search for files I'd rather not have the Order now I was looking at.

While there was a Jedi Praxeum on Obroa-skai, it only helped handle the insane amount of data added to the Archive – and likely routed anything unknown to the Jedi Temple's Archive – and wasn't a full training facility. That meant that even if I interacted with the Jedi there, it was unlikely they'd be anyone of importance.

Still, I'd do what I could to keep clear of them, lest they report my searches to the Jedi, and the Sith through whatever means they had for monitoring the Temple, would also learn of my searches. I already had a location for both hiding the Scimitar and evolving my Interface in mind, but I'd have to first see if the system had been discovered by now.

Still, as Naboo slowly fell away behind me, I couldn't help but smile.

Anakin was now my Padawan and son, though while the latter hadn't been planned I could see how it would be useful. With him kept from the Jedi and Sith sight, I had the chance to train him the way he was meant to be. I just had to first train myself to ensure I didn't fail him as Obi-Wan had.

Maul was defeated and secured, on his way to a Mando'ade prison designed specifically for restraining Force users. Eventually, I would visit and begin speaking with the Zabrak. Perhaps he could be turned to my cause, perhaps not, but it was an avenue worth pursuing. His vessel was now mine, though it would take time to access all its files, and even when R2 did, I half-expected them to be empty. Any decently trained and skilled assassin wouldn't keep detailed records of where they'd been. Still, there might be technology or hints on the Scimitar that I could use for either Raven or other starships, or that might lead to unexpected threads regarding the Sith I could pull on.

With Natural Evolution just around the corner, I'd soon have full access to my Force connection, for all the good and bad that would bring. Still, it would remove my limits with the Force, and with a year or two of training, I should be at a point where I could, at the very least, challenge Dooku in a duel. Taking on any member of the Council was out of the question as news of that would reach the Sith, but if I could, before the Clone Wars – or whatever they became here – started, then I'd feel I was as ready as I could be to fight those who stood in my way.

That, however, was for further down the road.

As Raven's hyperdrive engine drew power from her core, I focused on the present, and on the steps I had to take.

The galaxy had changed on Naboo, but even with my knowledge of how events had played out in the other timeline, I couldn't be sure what effect my presence had made. All I did know was that the drums of war were beginning to sound, and the storm that would soon sweep over the galaxy was slowly forming, slowly gathering, readying itself to unleash chaos on an unsuspecting Republic.
… …

… …
A/N: Yes, taking Maul prisoner, and then having the Mandalorians hold him for a year or two is a very dangerous choice for Cam to make. However, consider that, as of now, the timeline is all but broken. What Cam knows of later events, while still probable to generally happen, won't happen how they would've before. Nor does Cam know much of events that are to happen before war breaks out across the Republic.
With that in mind, holding Maul has the potential to be useful. Yes, it might not pan out, but Cam has little other options for determining the Sith plans, beyond joining them.

A/N: Cam's adopting of Anakin might seem blunt, given Shmi's just died, but Cam felt the Force shifting around him, and interpreted that as meaning it was the right choice to make.

A/N: This is also the end of Book 2. Book 3 (The Reforged Path) will begin next month.
...
This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
You can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
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May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Mar 23, 2024

We are but a day or so away from Book 3: The Reforge Path.
To prepare you for that, enjoy an opening crawl.

USSExplorer · Mar 24, 2024

And so begins Book 3 The Reforged Path.
If you look a few posts up you'll find an opening crawl for the Book.

A/N: Thanks to those helping me write and plan out this story and checking it for continuality and logical errors.
This chapter was released at the beginning of the month to those who support my writing (with every level above tier 1 having seen a draft version, and the highest level seeing the redrafted form, around 2 months ago), and then about 2 weeks ago to those on the story's Discord server. Or at least those who are sufficiently active enough to have the required rank to see early bird releases.
Links for supporting my writing, or joining the Discord server, are at the end of the chapter.

3.01 Evolution and Adaption
... ...

I stood in silence, leaning against a wall in the training room aboard the Raven. Originally one of the ship's two sizable cargo holds, Bo had swiftly transformed it into a training space, a modification I chose to keep. At the moment, my role was merely that of an observer. In the centre of the room, Anakin was diligently practising a series of basic Jedi combat techniques that I had taught him sporadically over the past few years.

The situation had evolved since those early days, most notably because he was now my Padawan—a fact unbeknownst to the Council. The primary change in his training regimen was his use of a blinded helmet, forcing him to depend on his other senses to navigate the intricacies of the combat form. Demonstrating proficiency under these conditions was his gateway to training in the two Mandalorian martial Arts, Beskar'pel and Beskar'rev. The former was based on mobility and was generally used by children and adults of smaller physical builds. The latter was based on strength and was generally the form used by males.

Typically, a Padawan wouldn't be introduced to a non-Jedi style of combat until their teenage years. However, Anakin was an exceptional case, which is why he was undertaking this exercise as a form of Moving Meditation, or Alchaka, as Fay and the Jedi formally referred to it. My decision to have Anakin engage in this particular exercise was driven by a need to help him divert his attention from his mother's death—his grief was palpable, even without the aid of the Force. This need became especially pressing after Dooku shared a story with me just before the invasion of Naboo.

My old Master had sought Anakin out for a training session that the boy hadn't arrived for when he was meant to. He had found Anakin in one of the hangar bays on Mtael's Gift. However, instead of instantly berating the boy for missing a session, Dooku had watched Anakin as the boy disassembled, cleaned, and then reassembled various blaster rifles belonging to the Lokella. In and of itself, that wasn't surprising, as Anakin, like his mother, had a knack for technology and often improved it in slight ways others might miss.

Dooku had paused as he'd sensed the Force moving around Anakin, being drawn upon by the boy as he concentrated on nothing but his work. My Master had asked the boy about this later, to which Anakin had been surprised as he'd not actively drawn on the Force, instead saying he simply found it relaxing to do simple tasks like cleaning blasters repetitively.

That was, in essence, what Alchaka was, which was why, only a day after leaving the Naboo system, I'd already altered his training schedule to include the advanced form of meditation. And it seemed, as he pushed through one velocity and flowed gracefully into the next, that it had been the right call.

While I'd been on Naboo dealing with the Jedi Council, Palpatine, and other matters, Bo had begun teaching Anakin the basics of Beskar'pel and had been insistent that I continue my son's training. Instead of doing that right away, I was trying to find a balance in his training. While most would be, for now, centred around Jedi techniques, I allowed some time so Anakin could begin his Mando'ade training.

Bo hadn't been overly pleased with that but accepted that An'ika – her nickname for the boy that meant Little Ani – was mine to train and that he needed training as both Jedi and Mando'ade. Her need to give him a nickname, along with an insistence to be kept in the loop regarding his training and our adventures let me tease her about having a soft spot for the boy. Though when I'd suggested that she might like a child of her own, she'd denied it and demanded a spar to settle the matter.

As with every other spar we'd had since Zonama Sekot, that had ended with us sparring in more personal ways after I'd proven my dominance once more. Though the sounds she made in the personal section of the spar made it clear she didn't mind losing to me or letting me dominate her.

I was broken from thoughts of Bo, and the smile that thinking about her brought on when I spotted a mistake. "Stop," I said as I pushed off the wall. Anakin did so, and turned my way, though he remembered to keep the visor that restricted his vision in place. "Your arm should be slightly higher," I explained, my hands moving the offending limb to the correct position, feeling the rapid beating of his heart from over an hour of the exercise. "This allows you to flow easier into the next element of the velocity."

With his arm in the correct position and my words heard, I stepped back.

"C-can. I. Stop?" He asked, taking long, deep breaths between each word.

"You can still talk, correct?" I asked, a wicked smile creeping onto my face. He couldn't see that, but he did nod in affirmation. "Then you've not finished the exercise." A faint groan slipped from his lips as his shoulders slumped. "Be mindful of your stance. Now, resume."

He did as I said, and continued from where he stopped as I continued to move back.

I turned before the door opened, and saw Simvyl in the doorframe. He waited until I'd approached, taking soft, quiet steps, before speaking. "You're sure you're not pushing him too hard?"

"This is nothing compared to what Master Dooku and others subjected me to," I replied in a hushed tone, careful not to distract Anakin. "Besides ensuring his mind isn't preoccupied with thoughts of his mother, Anakin is special—far more than others perceive me to be. He has a pivotal role in the impending darkness, and I am determined not to fail in my duty to prepare him for what lies ahead."

My eyes never left the boy as I spoke, and I watched as he moved fluidly, cleanly now I'd fixed the slight mistake, through the velocity. As I'd said to Simvyl, Anakin was important, but the first reason – that of distracting Anakin – was my primary reason for pushing him so much this early on.

Done correctly, Alchaka required complete focus and mentally and physically drained a practitioner. The practitioner emerged from the meditation refreshed with their mind cleared of distractions. Now, I'd not truly experienced that, as the Interface prevented me from truly sinking into the Force, but others had seemed that way while working through various forms of Alchaka, and I hoped it would do the same for Anakin, though it would only be a temporary measure.

We were on our way to the ShaDo system to attend the funeral of several members of the Lokella, with our focus being on Shmi. However, before we could initiate the last leg of the journey, we'd stopped for a refuel. The short voyage here had seen Anakin distracted by his feelings toward his mother. I'd pushed him hard in his training, though until we'd started using Alchaka there'd been little success in distracting his thoughts.

I had considered taking him to find a lightsaber crystal, but I dismissed the idea quickly. The logical place to go was Ilum, and that required clearance from the Council; something I wished to avoid. There were other worlds to find a crystal on, and I had several in my Inventory, but I also felt it was better to wait for such an important moment in his training until he'd moved past the death of his mother.

"The engineers report we're fully fuelled and cleared to depart whenever you wish," Simvyl said, revealing the reason for his arrival, though he could simply have called over the intercom, or to my vambrace which I still wore. "The local officials have a desire to ensure we were serviced quickly and leave with haste."

I chuckled at that, sensing his confusion and concern regarding the situation. "Most officials, be they from a Core world or one deep in the Outer Rim, like to keep the Order happy. For some, it might be because they respect the Order, but I think for most it's to get us away from whatever they're involved in that they wish to remain hidden. Regardless, I'm not going to turn down preferential, and essentially free, service."

"While I wasn't with the Rangers long, I'm enjoying the faster service, though if we didn't have other business to attend to, I feel we should stay and see just why the locals want you gone quickly."

"I have little interest in sticking my nose in everyone's business-" Simvyl snorted, suggesting he didn't believe me, "-but I agree that, if time allowed, at least a cursory exploration of the station might be interesting. However, we do have other matters to handle," I added as I watched Anakin continue his moving meditation. "Keep an eye on him and let him stop when it's clear he can't go further. However, make sure either you or Fenrir are with him." The tuk'ata was, from what I could sense, lazing around the central area – likely resting on one of the sofas after pushing many, if not all, of the cushions off it.

Simvyl nodded, accepting my instructions, and I turned and slipped past him, leaving the training area. While he was a capable pilot, Raven was prickly about who she allowed to fly her. The only people other than me and Simvyl that she allowed to pilot her were Fay and Bo. Fay, because she shared a bond with Raven – though it would be some time before my former Master would get the chance to sit in Raven's cockpit as she was still searching for Tython – and Bo because she was close to me and had spent a lot of time on Raven. That said, like with Simvyl, Raven disliked allowing Bo to do anything but the simplest of actions.

As my hand ran along a wall, Raven reacted by having the lights around my fingertips blink and pulse in soothing patterns. I wondered how the bond I shared with her – and others – would change after the Interface had evolved and the Force was freed from being filtered by it.

… …

… …
"I miss her."

"I know," I replied as I walked with Anakin back to Raven. It was a few hours after the cremation service for Shmi and some others had taken place, and we'd just come from the wake. While it had been a sombre affair, the fact that the Lokella chose to celebrate the lives of those lost, and not mourn them had, I felt, helped Anakin greatly.

While we'd left Naboo after Validus and the Lokella, who had chosen not to stay for the celebrations, we'd arrived before them, even when considering we'd stopped for a refuel in the Core. That had given Anakin about a day to spend with Ferox and his sister, Lia Skywalker.

The ceremony itself had been a quiet affair, the bodies burned in groups though separately so those who wished to spread the ashes of a loved one could do so. As the bodies burnt, Baalta had read a eulogy for them all, talking about how they may have lived and been born slaves, but they had died free. She spoke of how their souls had returned to the Great Spirit, which I assumed was a Togrutan name for the Afterlife or the Force. Those words, and the promise that so long as everyone at the ceremony remembered them, then those who had perished would never truly die.

This was further assured by the names being added to a large display the Lokella had crafted not long after they'd won their freedom. The display, which took up almost an entire wall, dominated the bay in which I'd fought and defeated Girk Saxon. The mural that had been painted there remained, but now in front of it was a statue - one made of marble - showing a variety of races fighting against an unseen threat.

That statue replaced the previous one of my battle with Girk - which had been moved down to Gaia - and dominated the bay that had been converted into a memorial for all who had fallen in defence of freedom. After the most recent attack, every new name had been added, each getting a small plaque to mark their passing, and commemorate their live and death.

Baalta's words, the plaque for his mother, spending time with his sister, and the remembrance wake had eased some of Anakin's pain, and I felt he'd begun the journey to accepting and moving on from Shmi's death. Though I knew it would be some time before he was able to not dwell on his feelings regarding her death, or showing anger toward those who'd taken her from him.

Before the ceremony, Baalta had inquired whether I would speak, but I declined. Although I played a significant role for many of the Lokella, I wasn't personally close to any of the deceased, including Shmi. Moreover, while the original Lokella members held me in high esteem, I was aware that the later arrivals attributed some blame to me for the unfortunate events—a sentiment I understood and accepted. I hoped this might moderate the excessive reverence held by the group's longstanding members towards me.

During the wake, Anakin spent considerable time with Lia while I engaged in conversation with Ferox. Despite Lia lacking the potential to fully harness the Force—her capabilities being roughly equivalent to Bo's—she remained Anakin's sister. I had no intention of depriving him of time with his mother's last remaining connection.

As we sat in reflective silence, occasionally interrupted when someone approached to offer their condolences, Ferox shared his decision to step back from combat operations. With a daughter to raise, he planned to dedicate his time to training the Lokella warriors. However, he made it clear that he would rejoin the front lines when the moment arrived to confront Decca. This was in line with my expectations, and I assured him that, barring a galactic conflict, Anakin and I would stand with him in the fight against Decca and those complicit in orchestrating the attack on the Lokella.

I'd not commented on the fact that, with Anakin by my side, I'd also be stepping back from battle for a few years. Mainly because I knew that, regardless of my personal goals, The Force would have plans for me. As might TPTB, though I hoped both would allow me time to train Anakin so that when the time came to take him into battle, he was ready for it. He might be a child now, but I knew that within a decade he'd be involved in war, so the more battles he saw between now and then, the more prepared he'd be for the chaos and carnage of warfare.

What I had promised Ferox was that, when we could, we'd return to the system so Lia could know her brother. I was sure the Council, if they learnt of this, would blow a gasket, and claim it was infringing Anakin's training as a Jedi, but given what fate awaited the Order – something I wasn't sure I could truly stop – and that I'd adopted Anakin as my son, they'd have other things to concern themselves with. It also depended on when they learnt about Anakin, as I had zero intent of going anywhere near Coruscant in the next few years.

The other side was that no matter who trained him, Anakin was the sort of person to seek out, make, and protect his friends and family. While many Jedi would have issues with that, and it was how Sidious wormed his way into the boy's confidence, I didn't. Force, I would probably strengthen it as it was a 'flaw' that I also held. Plus, I'd accepted recently that I'd never be a good Jedi; at least not how the council and many of the Order would define one.

I was drawn from my thoughts as we entered the small hangar housing Raven, and I sensed a familiar presence nearby – along with one I'd rather not face again. "Go on," I said to Anakin, letting go of his hand and gently pushing him toward Raven. "I need to speak with someone before we leave."

Anakin looked up at me, confusion in his eyes, though that faded as I sensed him reaching out through the Force. A moment later, his gaze shifted behind me, toward the entrance where I knew Dooku was approaching. After returning his gaze to me, he nodded, wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his robes, and then walked toward our home.

Once he was on board, I turned and headed toward the door, my hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of my beskad as it swung open to reveal Dooku and Vosa. The former leader of the Bando Gora, responsible for the suffering I had endured at their hands, stood a step behind Dooku. Her hands were clasped in front of her—likely at Dooku's instruction—and her gaze was cast downward. However, this did little to quell the surge of fury that overwhelmed me upon seeing her for the first time since my escape from the Bando Gora.

The temptation to use the Force to drag her across the bay, to me, and crush her throat with my bare hands was overwhelming. A thousand other methods of making her pay for the agony she had inflicted upon me flashed through my mind. I could hear the faint, unmistakable whispers of the Dark Side, promising the power to achieve everything I desired—and to inflict even greater suffering on her and anyone else who had wronged me. It urged me to shatter their minds, bodies, and souls for having the audacity to harm me. Only when they fully comprehended the gravity of their mistake would I grant them the mercy of death. Yet, such mercy would be neither swift nor clean.

I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply, and pushed those desires, those thoughts as far away as I could. If I was a good Jedi, I'd let them go, but I couldn't, and not just because of Eidetic Memory but because they were mine and I refused to let them go. Thus, I did all I could to silence those voices, and those requests, and push them back into the small, isolated section of mind where they dwelled.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Dooku had approached, and thankfully Vosa had remained near the door, though there was an odd look in her eyes. Putting that aside, I bowed as Dooku came closer. "Master."

"Cameron, I hope this is a respectable time for a conversation. I had avoided you and your Padawan earlier to not intrude on his period of personal reflection." His voice carried a slight tone, but its cause was unclear to me.

"Anakin has returned to Raven," I replied, which elicited a small nod from Dooku. "We're planning to leave shortly."

"How is the boy?" Dooku inquired.

"He's managing as well as could be expected," I responded. I gestured towards a path leading away from Raven and Vosa, and Dooku agreed with a slight nod. "He's grieving for his mother, and I've been trying to find activities and training exercises that will both challenge him and help distract his thoughts as much as possible."

"A wise decision. While he, like you, possesses great potential, he is more prone to forming deep connections with those around him, to the extent that I fear he might prioritize their lives over his own, regardless of the situation."

"That's a concern I share, Master," I said with a smirk. Although Dooku hadn't spent much time around Anakin, he had seen enough to identify what was, in Jedi terms, the boy's most concerning issue. "The saving grace is that Anakin has a way of getting along with most people, even if it sometimes means going to great lengths to help them."

"A noble trait that many Jedi share. However, his propensity to form bonds and place those he trusts above his own well-being is something you'll need to monitor closely during his training. I sense that the loss of his mother has inflicted a deep wound within him. One that, if not properly addressed, could fester and lead him down paths we'd both prefer he avoid." He paused as we reached the bay's wall, an area devoid of workers as they had chosen to find other tasks upon our approach. "I assume this concern influenced your decision to adopt him?"

"I know it's not the usual Jedi way..."

"Something you have never been, nor shall you ever be," Dooku interjected.

"...but it felt like the right decision," I concluded, choosing to overlook Dooku's soft, almost teasing remark.

"Yes, I was there and sensed the shift in the Force when you made your decision. Because of that, and a feeling that it was the correct one, I chose not to question it at the time. With space to meditate on the matter, I can see why you feel it was the correct choice, and how it might help the boy. However, I caution you to be mindful that the bond you share with Anakin doesn't draw out your shared tendencies to find yourselves in dangerous situations."

"I'm aware of that concern, Master. I hoped that having someone to train and protect might temper my more… rambunctious tendencies."

"One can only hope." The response was dry and entirely devoid of emotion. Yet, I ended up chuckling at it and his delivery. "I won't ask you of your plans, as that is between you, Anakin, and the Force, but I hope that all we've spoken of, ever since you first became my Padawan, remain in your thoughts as you train the boy and yourself into the beings I believe you both should be."

"They will, Master, and thank you for all the advice you've given. Even the parts that, at the time, I failed to understand, or am still working to decipher."

Dooku gave a nod, indicating the matter was settled. He then turned and looked toward where he'd just come from, and where Vosa still stood, her eyes watching us – watching me – intently. "I am aware of your opinions on Komari, and that you feel unready to face her given what you endured. However, she was adamant to see you and Anakin depart." My brow rose at hearing of her interest in Anakin, and my remaining hand went to my beskad. "When she met you, as… shall we say, unbalanced as she was, she saw something in you. The same spark that I and Master Fay saw. Since the death of Shmi Skywalker, Komari has become convinced that the same spark of potential resides in the boy. She has even spoken of seeing… glimpses, visions perhaps, of you and him when you're both older. As much as it pains you to hear this, those glimpses align with those we, Masters Sifo-Dyas and Nilas, and others have glimpsed."

"That is concerning," I muttered, feeling the need to remove Vosa from the board growing stronger, regardless of Dooku's opinion on the matter.

"Yes, it might well appear that way. I, however, sense it might also present an opportunity." He held up a hand, stopping me from commenting. "Before you concern yourself, I'm not suggesting you allow Komari to accompany you." If he had, I'd have made sure she was jettisoned into space once we were far enough away from the station that she couldn't somehow return. "Since she glimpsed Anakin's potential, Komari has gained a new, seemingly controllable, focus. It is almost as if she feels she might have some role to play in what is to come, to work toward bringing about what she'd seen in her visions."

"That," I paused, taking a moment to collect my thoughts before I said something I couldn't take back. "I will trust your judgement in the matter, Master. However, I have grave reservations about allowing her anywhere near myself or Anakin."

At first, I'd wanted to dismiss the idea entirely, but then I remembered my intentions regarding Maul. Even if he only became a source of information on Sith activities, he could be of use, and there was a chance – however small – that Vosa might also have some use. That didn't mean I was willing to listen to them now, however, nor might I ever be. But as I'd said, I was willing to trust Dooku on the matter. He had hoped to turn Vosa into something of use, so if this was what allowed him to achieve that, then I wasn't going to deny him the chance.

"I expected you would. However, it was something that you needed to be made aware of. In addition, you should also know that, as Shmi Skywalker was one of the few Lokella to offer Komari kindness without sympathy or dismissal, Komari had an interest in protecting her during the battle. Because she failed, Komari now sees that interest transfer to Shmi Skywalker's children; with a greater focus on Anakin because of his Force potential."

I kept my gaze on Dooku, not wanting to let my eyes drift toward the deranged bitch that stood far to my left. "I… I cannot stop you from trying to redeem her, Master, nor have I ever tried to do so. That said, I know that I'm far from ready to face her, let alone allow her near my… near Anakin. However, I know that, if he wishes to speak to her whenever we return, I won't deny him the opportunity. Though I will insist that you remain present for any such meeting."

"I admit, that is a far more considerate response than I expected. A sign of maturity coming from having a Padawan, I suspect." The corners of his lips twitched, suggesting he found the fact I wasn't rushing to judgement amusing. "That you are willing to at least consider allowing her the chance to speak, and that you can stomach being in her presence – even if it is at some distance – is a sign you are slowly recovering from your ordeal. That, perhaps, is something I am more grateful for than your acceptance of Komari's wishes." He looked behind me, toward Raven. "Have you given any consideration to where you will take your Padawan to begin his training?"

"I have, though I have several errands to run first," I raised my arm, the one missing a forearm, ignoring the phantom pain that came whenever I thought about the limb. "And even then, I can't say with certainty where we will head."

I could've told him my plans, or at least the general ideas of it, but I felt better not doing so. It was unlikely the Council or the Sith would try and force that information from him, but if either wanted to know where I was and couldn't locate me, Dooku and Fay would be their first port of call. With Fay somewhere in the Deep Core, Dooku would be their primary source, thus it was better to simply not give him any information.

"That is often what the Force wishes; regardless of how it can often leave us searching to determine the purpose for our movements," Dooku said, unaware of the momentary consideration I'd given to revealing my plans to him. He stepped forward and after giving me a look over, nodded. "While you have far to go in your training, you have travelled a great distance already, and I am proud of my role in helping shape you into the man you are slowly becoming. Wherever you go, may the Force be with you, Cameron."

"And with you, Master," I replied, smiling.

With that, we turned and walked to our separate destinations. I could've continued talking with him, as there were things I might enjoy discussing, but Anakin was waiting for me on Raven, and the longer I dallied outside, the greater the chance he might emerge and seek to speak with Vosa. Until I was ready for that, or for her to be in my presence, that would be something I'd be avoiding.

… …

… …
"Will there be anything else, Master Jedi?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you for your help," I replied to the Rodian custodian who had guided me to this private terminal room. I settled into the seat in front of the terminal.

"Very well. I will head over and keep an eye on your Padawan and pilot." I waved almost dismissively at the Rodian as I examined the terminal in front of me. It was modelled on the ones in the Temple—or perhaps they were modelled on it—so figuring out how to use it wasn't a problem.

Currently, I was in the Celebratus Archive on Obroa-Skai, a place widely regarded as the foremost library in the Republic…at least outside of the Jedi Temple or the Senate library, though having enjoyed exploring the Archives' public displays – and some of the private ones – with Anakin for a few hours, I wondered if perhaps Coruscant was overplaying the importance of the facilities on the Republic capital.

The Archive had hundreds of relics, many of which were Jedi or Sith in origin – though several of the ones I'd Observed had been mislabelled as Jedi when they were Sith, or vice versa – and there appeared to be more here than in the Temple. However, I did wonder if perhaps many of the more interesting relics and the like, both here and in the Temple, were restricted to Jedi Masters.

Those mislabelled artefacts and a few others had been added to a datapad I kept stored in my Inventory in case the chance to research and examine them later was ever possible. This was the same datapad that held, among other things, the hyperspace routes to Dromund Kaas and other Sith worlds that I'd taken from the nav-computer during my trip forward in time.

It was still odd to me that, during the fight with the Sith Acolyte, the only part of the controls that had been damaged was the Hyperspace regulator, which was what regulated temporal control while in hyperspace. Or that such a small, seemingly insignificant part of the system was vitally important. Still, the fault – or design if the Force and TPTB had been involved – had given me coordinates to worlds that, in this day and age, were either lost or restricted, though I couldn't be sure of which was the case as the details of those worlds were restricted to even Jedi Knights by the Council.

I planned to return to the worlds of the former Sith Empire, the same one my many-times grand-niece had helped defeat, within the next five to ten years, and not just because failure to complete the quest linked to Dromund Kaas would result in Sidious growing even stronger. While the technology there was undoubtedly old, given it had been thousands of years since that Empire ruled half the galaxy, I had a feeling that information there was lost to the wider galaxy. Perhaps even to the Jedi and Sith.

Activating the terminal, I confirmed that whatever I searched for would be destroyed when I logged out. The Custodian had assured me of that, saying that absolute privacy was assured for those the Custodians deemed worthy of using a private terminal. But even seeing the evidence of that on the terminal, I had to wonder if that was the case. Computers, even with their memories wiped, could still, in theory, have the data recovered if no one reused the sections that had previously stored information, which was why I had plans to ensure most of my searches wouldn't be linked back to me.

Reaching out with Detection, I quickly sensed Anakin. He was with Simvyl back in the public areas of the Archive. We'd spent a few hours exploring the Archives before I'd left to carry out my research, and the boy was enjoying the information at his fingertips. Hopefully, Simvyl and the Custodian would ensure my ad didn't get into any trouble.

Returning my focus to the room I was in, even as I carried out my first search – looking up information on Onderon – I probed my more immediate surroundings, determining the locations of anyone else within a few hundred metres of me. Based on the floorplan that I'd seen, and what was added to the minimap as I was escorted to this room, it appeared there were several floors of private terminals. Most were empty, but the fact there were so many was something that would be useful.

Using Force Sight, I examined the power and data lines in the room and the walls around me. As promised, there wasn't anything that stood as a recording or monitoring device, meaning I was truly alone in the room. Save, perhaps, if someone was monitoring my searches and how long I spent on any given file.

After browsing the records on Onderon I closed the file and powered down the terminal. I then turned it back on and confirmed that, at least publicly, the search history was gone. I reopened the files on Onderon and resumed skimming them even as I downloaded everything there to a datapad I'd entered the room with.

While that was happening, I pulled up the data on Ossus, before standing and stretching my legs. Or at least it appeared as if that was what I was doing. What I was really doing was planning out my next few steps and ensuring that there were no motion sensors in the room.

When nothing caught the attention of Force Sight, I knew I was clear to proceed with my plans. Sitting back down, I browsed the files on Ossus, the location of the Jedi Temple before it was moved to Coruscant when the surface of Ossus was seemingly destroyed in the Great Sith War; something that happened before Revan.

Nothing there was particularly interesting, save that the world wasn't as destroyed as had been believed, though any plans to go there were shelved as it was monitored closely by the Republic and Jedi. Many had tried, and failed, to locate Jedi relics. Still, it was another world that, if I could do so without attracting attention, I'd like to explore.

As the data on Ossus was downloaded to the datapad, I opened files on Kashyyyk, though once they were displaying, I moved toward the wall to my left, and after confirming the room next to mine was empty, Phased through the wall. There I found another terminal, this one turning on when I sat in the chair.

At this new terminal, I began the first of my true searches, looking up everything available on Dagobah; my first choice of where to store the Scimitar. The world had managed to hide Yoda from Sidious and Vader for decades, so it was a logical place to consider when seeking a place to store a vessel with strong Dark Side connections. Yoda might not have been using the Force while in exile, but it had hidden him from the searching tendrils of the Emperor. The Scimitar would, in theory, be similarly well hidden from any efforts by the Sith to locate it. At least until I was ready to devote time to searching the vessel's databanks and capabilities.

Dagobah, it seemed, wasn't a world naturally strong in the Force – like Ossus or Ruusan – but the survey team had claimed it was teeming with life. So much so that it was odd the planet wasn't ecologically unbalanced. That abundance of life must've been what Yoda used to hide, and while not perfectly what I was after, it certainly made the world a good candidate. However, it wasn't the only world I was going to consider or search for from this terminal, and after transferring the data about Dagobah to a pad – not the one given to me by the Custodian, but an empty one that had come from my Inventory – I searched for Yavin IV.

I already knew that Yavin IV had been a base for Exar Kun during the Great Sith War – something I'd discovered by accident while a Padawan and randomly searching the Jedi Archives – but discovering that the world had been cleansed in fire by the Jedi was unexpected. The Jedi records said merely that Kun's bases had been destroyed, but the Celebratus Archive stated the Jedi and Republic had scorched the planet.

The planet had recovered in the millennia since, but it was an interesting thing to note and meant that the Dral'Han wasn't the first, or I suspected last, time that the Jedi had gone to such extremes.

As before, I chuckled when I read about Revan's connection to the world, during the time of the reconstituted Sith Empire. The reference to him being called 'Reborn' was odd, and as I read deeper into it, accessing files I'd not been able to view at the Temple, I sighed in annoyance. "That… that ruins so much," I muttered as I shook my head.

Learning that Revan had a connection to a Sith Emperor – the same one who'd led the Sith Empire several hundred years later during Satele's era – and that this Emperor, who seemingly had different names and bodies, was the reason for Revan's fall was upsetting. It made much of the reasons Revan turned for, which I'd referenced in my Knights of the Old Republic series, seem meaningless, if not downright wrong.

I'd believed Revan had turned to protect the Republic, to strengthen it against a greater threat. That the threat turned out to be the Sith Empire led by this Tenebrae, was fine. Yet here it was stated that he hadn't done so initially, only changing tack after breaking free of whatever whammy Tenebrae had unleashed on Revan and Malak's minds. According to this file, that was believed to be the reason Malak turned on Revan, but I wasn't so sure, as there were a lot of details missing, and several gaping holes left in the logic and reasoning of these reports.

"Kind of wish you'd show up and explain all this," I said to the empty room, half-hoping he'd appear, but knowing that that was a fool's hope. Force, since the cave on Ilum he'd not appeared again, but that was about what I expected from a Force Ghost.

Since I had time, and since this Sith Empire and their emperor came up in my family's history more than I'd expected, I opened the files on them and began reading. There was a lot about this particular Sith empire, which given it had lasted for several centuries, and at one point had controlled Coruscant, wasn't a surprise. Most other Sith empires lasted nowhere near as long, save the chaos brought on by the New Sith Wars, though there, the Sith had united and fractured several times over the millennia.

This Sith Empire had been united from its formation to fall, with most of that time spent under the rule of Tenebrae, at least until his apparent defeat though the files hinted at him reappearing as Emperor of another group – The Eternal Empire – as another person. Force, as another species. That was odd and interesting, and wanting to read on this further, I pulled an empty datapad from my Inventory and then attached it to the terminal.

The files I'd be downloading would take time, so I slipped through the wall returning to my assigned terminal. After spending a minute browsing the files on Kashyyyk, downloading them to a datapad I'd entered the room with, I opened the files relating to Coruscant and covered everything about it from its history and evolution, to what it was now and every rule, no matter how seemingly insignificant. That was then set to download into the datapad here, and while I didn't expect to ever need the information, I wasn't going to turn down the chance to borrow every record I could think of.

That was why, as the download began, I stood and reached out with the Force. Sensing the room below was empty, I Phased again, dropping through the floor to another terminal. At this terminal, which again activated when I touched it and was without monitoring, I began searches with orders to download the data to another datapad, for various worlds that, for various reasons, I'd not examined carefully at the Temple.

Mandalore, Kamino, Ruusan, and a half-dozen worlds that I'd known of before arriving in this galaxy, or had come across at the Temple but avoided delving too deeply into their history and lore for fear of drawing the Council's attention. The data on each world I listed in my search was added to the download queue for another datapad, one that already contained the hyperspace coordinates for Kamino, Korriban, and a dozen other worlds that had been freely available to anyone willing to pay a few credits for them. That, like many of the datapads I was using today, was stored in my Inventory so that no one else could ever know what I knew or planned.

Reaching out with Detection, I located those in the terminal rooms and outside. So far, no one was heading toward the first room I'd shifted to for some unsanctioned downloading, but I knew it was only a matter of time until a Custodian came to see what was going on.

Because of that, I located a nearby terminal room that was occupied, though I didn't Teleport directly there, instead arriving in an empty one next to it. I stumbled as the Teleport faded, having misjudged the floor, and appeared around half a metre above it.

Once I was ready, I walked toward the wall and Phased partially through. Using Observe on the Twi'lek sitting there, I confirmed they were nobody of consequence with negligible Force Potential. I then, while remaining in the wall, used the Force to stun them before entering the room. Taking note of what they were browsing, I lifted them from their seat and accessed the terminal.

With this terminal, I began searching for various Force sects that existed outside the control and close monitoring of the Jedi. Once Natural Evolution was taken, I'd need to relearn how to use certain Force Powers that I was reluctant to lose. Combining that with a curiosity about what else the Force could do, what I might teach Anakin, and the potential to learn abilities that neither the Jedi nor the Sith focused on, meant that this was one search I wanted to not be linked to me, and why a patsy was selected.

The first of the sects to appear was Dathomir, though I blinked as I read the entry to the file regarding the planet and its witches. Unlike what I'd remembered, the planet wasn't composed solely of a tribe of Dark Side-aligned witches, nor was it a red, seemingly dead world. The Nightsisters did exist, and their part of the world appeared barren, but there were multiple tribes on the planet. While that drew my attention, the planet was removed from my list of places to visit due to the various tribes all considering males little more than slaves and breeding stock.

Even if I wasn't planning to visit the planet, the files might be of use, and I had them downloaded to another datapad – once more, pulled from my Inventory – while I began searching for other sects. While I knew of a few from random searches in the Temple, there were more listed here than I'd expected, so I programmed the terminal to download everything it had on each of the sects and the worlds where they were based.

After checking the Twi'lek was still stunned, I Teleported back to my initial room, confirmed the terminal was still downloading, changed the display to another section of a file on Telos, and then Phased through the wall. The terminal there had finished downloading my research to that datapad, and I slipped the device into my Inventory before returning to my initial room and then Phasing through the floor. The terminal in the third room was still running and had time to go, I figured I'd head to another room.

Teleporting back to the room with the Twi'lek, I Phased through three walls, and at the terminal in this last room, or so I hoped, I pulled up another list of worlds. These had come from HK's memory banks and were worlds he knew of that I didn't, nor had considered. This list included Lehon, the home system of the Rakata, and the location of the Star Forge. The system was restricted, something I'd learnt in the Temple, but here I could at least determine details about it along with rough directions to the system.

There were also other worlds, including a few I'd come across when skimming Revan's file earlier that had been prominently displayed. Once again, I set the terminal to download the files for those worlds and sectors to the datapad before Teleporting back to the second room.

The terminal there was finished, and after collecting the datapad and sliding it into my Inventory, I returned to my assigned room. Once more, I spent time browsing the details of the world currently there – that being Nal Hutta – and sat down. The other downloads would take time, and it was better to remain where I was for now.

I could've easily carried out all these searches on this terminal, but not trusting that the records would be properly expunged, and not wanting to leave an obvious trail of breadcrumbs, I'd devised the plan for using multiple terminals. The fact each was inside a secured private room only made it easier for me to carry out my research at seemingly random terminals.

Sensing movement toward the second and fifth terminals I'd accessed, I Teleported to each, removed the datacard – each having completed their downloads – turned off the terminals, and Teleported to the fourth room. There, the Twi'lek was still unconscious though the download was nearing its end.

Once it was completed, I returned the screen to the one it had been on when I'd Stunned the Twi'lek, placed him back in the seat and then Phased into the wall. Just before I left, I used the Force to wake the Twi'lek and then departed.

Once back in my assigned terminal room, I sat down in the chair and allowed myself a smile. From what I could tell, everything had gone as I'd intended and my research, or at least the initial stages of it, was completed. However, not wanting to seem uninterested in the room after requesting one, I sat back and began reading the file currently being downloaded.

That was data about the Empress Teta system, where Serra's family were figures of importance. I had little interest in the system or her family, but harmless searching was precisely what I wanted it to look like I was doing. The various datapads with my true research were now stored safely inside my Inventory for review later.

It was possible that, from browsing those files I might require further data from the Archive, but if that was the case I knew I could gain it without having to ask for a private terminal. Or even enter the Archive officially. Teleport was now in the Savant range, which granted me a range of six kilometres. While that wasn't a large enough range to enter these rooms from outside the building – this place was a marvel stretching over ten kilometres wide though most of the more impressive artefacts, relics, and all the private terminals were located centrally – it would only take a double usage of the power to get here and back.

As such, while I wouldn't be spending too long on the planet, I did plan to delay my departure a few days; at least until I'd managed to browse most of what I'd downloaded. There was enough here, including a Jedi enclave that I was planning to avoid, to keep Anakin busy during the day. At least when I wasn't training him.

Now, I might be acting paranoid, but after Naboo, I knew the Jedi and Sith would be carefully monitoring me; the latter pair more than the former group. Palpatine and Damask would be attempting to track my movements and plans, as I felt they hadn't expected me to gather the force that I did to liberate Naboo. They wouldn't want to make such a mistake again, which was why I was doing my research the way I was.

Now yes, they could, through official and unofficial channels, potentially gain access to everything I'd downloaded today, perhaps everything that was downloaded from every terminal. However, by spreading the research out, and using the Twi'lek as a patsy for some of the work, I should at the very least, delay them from knowing my intentions. Haran, if they only used the data from my terminal, it would lead them on wild goose chases.

With time to kill before I was due to meet Anakin and Simvyl, I took one of the datapads from the Inventory and returned to a topic that had caught my interest earlier, placing another down so I could enter notes of anything else I might want to search for in relation to what I was about to read: the history of the Eternal Empire, their founding Emperor, Valkorion, and their role in the war fought between the Sith and Jedi during Satele's lifetime.

… …

… …
I watched Anakin as he swung the low-powered shoto lightsaber and suppressed a sigh. "Be mindful of your balance," I commented, even as I used my beskad to tap his blade downward. The movement caused him to stumble forward, showing he had over-extended in the attack, leaving himself exposed to an elementary counter. "When you attack, always be mindful not to overcommit. It will often leave you exposed to a quick counter by a skilled opponent."

Anakin grumbled, his annoyance easy to sense, as he reset his position. The velocity he was working through was an early one for Form 1, and I had already shown him before. That he was struggling with it wasn't a surprise, though, as he had only started using a lightsaber for the velocities in the last few weeks. He attacked again, and this time when my beskad blocked his swing downward, he retained his balance; his blade and arms remained closer to his body.

"Better," I said as I took a step back. "Again." As he repeated the move, I began walking around him. "While Shii-Cho is the first, and in many ways, the simplest form a traditional Force User will learn, it's not without its strengths. The Form is based around blade work and thus teaches the importance of good footwork and balance, something that carries over into every other Form you'll learn. However, as you're aware, its nature as the first Form means that not only does every lightsaber wielder know it, but they can also exploit the various issues the Form has because its base lies in weapons fundamentally different from a lightsaber. Now, that isn't to say that a skilled practitioner can't overcome those limitations, and the more advanced velocities of the Form help in that regard as well. However, it will be some time before you learn those velocities or those of other Forms."

I'd given this speech, in differing forms, to Anakin several times over the years, though now he was my Padawan and Ad, their meaning and importance grew. He was now my responsibility and knowing what was to come, I wasn't going to be lax in my training, even if that meant pushing him further and faster than he might otherwise be.

In the other timeline, Anakin had used a Djem-So base, and I felt that would still be the case with him in this timeline, but I wasn't going to assume. Before he reached the point of creating a personal style – in about four or five years I hoped – he'd have solid bases in every one of the six base Forms, their variants, and anything else I trained him in. From there, the choice of style would be his alone, though I'd continue to nurture and guide its development to overcome any flaws I saw within it. And, if the worst happened, know how to overcome him.

A beep from the intercom in the training area drew my attention and I moved toward it. Anakin would continue as he knew to not stop unless told to do so; the times he had in our first week together ensured he understood the consequences of assuming. "Yes?" I said as I answered the call.

"They're here," Simvyl responded from the cockpit.

I resisted the urge to say 'finally'. We'd been in orbit of Dagobah for three days now, waiting for HK and R2 to arrive with the Scimitar and I was beginning to fear they'd gotten into trouble. Or more accurately, HK had incited trouble to amuse himself. "I'll be there shortly," I said before closing the channel and turning to Anakin. While he'd not stopped, he had slowed his movements. "You, however, will remain here training."

"But I want to see HK and R2," he half-whined, though credit where credit was due, he didn't stop.

"I'm aware you do, but life, and the Force, rarely give us what we want, when we want it. Now continue your training." I walked toward the door, not letting him get in a reply, and exited the training area. "And you'll train every day as I instructed until I return," I added before the door closed behind me.

Anakin knew I'd be spending a few days on the planet, though like the others he thought I'd be meditating. Through the Force, as I quickly neared the central area of the ship, I sensed his disappointment and annoyance. However, he didn't dwell on them, which was a good sign.

Passing through the central area, I spotted Fenrir lazing – as usual – on one of the sofas. He lifted his head as I passed, allowing me to give him a quick scratch, but stayed there as I passed. Entering the cockpit, through the viewport I saw the faint, but growing, sight of an approaching vessel, though my attention ended up on the holo-display.

"Query: Might I ask why you chose this pitiful, empty planet to meet, Master?" Even as a small, blue hologram, HK retained his snark and presence.

"Because it's such a pitiful and empty planet, in a sense," I replied as I slipped into the pilot's seat, the chair shifting to welcome me and deepen the connection I shared with Raven. "That vessel, I feel, is important. However, I don't have the time to devote to learning its secrets currently, nor do I wish to lose the pleasure of your and R2's company by assigning you to handle the investigation. And although I could give it to the Jedi," a flicker of HK's visual receptors suggested his thoughts on the matter, "I fear they'd waste the potential the Scimitar contains, or somehow mess it up so badly the vessel ends up back with the Sith."

"Observation: Given what I've discovered about this era's Jedi, I believe you are correct in that assessment, Master. Hypothesis: I would speculate that this vessel returning to the Sith is the more likely outcome."

"Aye," I replied with a chuckle. "Dagobah is, for all intents and purposes, an empty world that no one cares about. It's full of organic life, but few if any ever venture here and it's unknown or ignored by the overwhelming majority of the galaxy, like millions of others. With the system being slightly isolated, that lowers the chance anyone would come here for any reason, making it an ideal place to store the vessel until I have time to examine it fully and repurpose it. Potentially even finding someone I'd trust to fly it for me."

I did hope that Maul might be that person, but I knew the chances of that were extremely low. He'd not have any sentimental attachment to the Scimitar, but if he could, by some miracle, be persuaded to ally with me, then returning his ship would be a good way to secure his support, if not begin to earn his trust. That, however, was a pipe dream for years down the road.

"Analysis: A logical decision, Master. However, I feel there may be better locations where this vessel could be stored. Addendum: It has many enhancements that few other ships would possess. Certainly, more than the flying meat sack you choose, Master."

The lights in the cockpit flared as random, furious patterns flicked and rushed around making clear Raven disliked the comment. It was hardly a surprise though as HK had made similar comments before, but had at least respected Raven for her speed, though he put that down to her mechanical components and me. He wouldn't, however, limit his dislike of her lack of weapons, which was something I agreed with. The issue was her organic frame made it difficult, if not impossible, to add anything without risking damage to her.

The Mandalorian mechanics that had examined Raven before Naboo had agreed with my assessment, though they, like HK, felt cutting through Raven's flesh was necessary. All of them failed to understand that Raven was alive and connected to me in ways they'd never comprehend. That said, I was hoping to find someone capable of crafting a method to add weaponry, even if it was just simple laser cannons, ion weaponry, or missiles, that wouldn't hurt Raven. The issue was finding someone skilled enough to do so, and trustworthy enough to allow them that sort of access to her.

"You and R2 can debrief me on the Scimitar's special features soon," I said as my hand moved over the controls, gently easing Raven closer to the formerly Sith vessel. "Once we're closer I'll come aboard for a tour." With that, I closed the channel and spoke to Simvyl. "As planned, I'll be heading down to the surface with the droids. I don't know what's down there, but between the three of us, I doubt it'll be a challenge. Even as damaged as I am," I added, mocking my injury. "Regardless, I need the privacy, and my presence in the Force should be camouflaged enough in a place where it's so abundant to allow me to meditate on my plans."

"Should I monitor Anakin's training?"

"Yeah. He knows what he needs to do, and how long he has to practise, but like any child, he'll be easily distracted. Something Fenrir will encourage as his boredom grows."

"I suggest you speak with Fenrir before you leave," Simvyl suggested as Raven pulled alongside the Scimitar, and I programmed the docking tube to extend once we were aligned.

"Aye, I'll do that."

Standing, I walked back to the central area and found the tuk'ata still lounging around. He lifted his head when I approached this time as if sensing I wished to speak with him. "I'm going to be gone for a few days and need you to keep an eye on Anakin and Simvyl," I said as I scratched him under the chin, drawing a content growl from him. "Just don't distract Anakin while he trains, and when I've finished I'll let you have some time to see what you can hunt on the planet."

A snort was his way of agreeing, the promise of a hunt helping him accept being stuck onboard Raven for a few more days. With that done, I turned and walked toward the docking ramp. This time I'd be using the docking tube, which was the first time it had been needed since I'd bonded with Raven.

As I neared the docking ramp, I grew curious about what features Maul's vessel contained, and what information the droids had drawn from its databanks. While most would be protected, I hoped some of it could be deciphered to allow me an insight into not only where the vessel had been, but what Sidious' plans were.

… …

"Observation: I find this world reprehensible, Master. It is covered only in flawed, chaotic, organic life." R2 let out a series of low, drawn-out beeps and whistles that I knew meant he agreed. "Addendum: The astromech agrees."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," I replied with a smirk as I moved forward slowly, taking care of my footing. With only one hand to use, I had to ensure my footing was secure before taking each step. "However, for what I need to do, this is exactly what I require," I added, glancing back toward the droids, though my gaze travelled beyond them; toward the mountain range we'd been hiking away from for about an hour.

Well, it was as close to a mountain range as existed near the swamps that covered around half of the planet. The rest of the world was covered by jungles, bayous, or cold bogs with the only difference between the various climates being temperature. For the scans we'd taken in orbit, while the planet had little in the way of lakes or seas, the majority of the land was damp.

Not wanting to store the Scimitar in a swamp, and risk it suffering the same fate as Luke's X-Wing did before Yoda freed it, I'd piloted Maul's vessel down toward one of the few points of higher elevation. Closer scans had revealed some caverns, and while none were initially ideal, one had been discovered that was closer to the size we needed.

Thankfully the cave had been easy enough to enlarge so the Scimitar could slide inside – though it was a tight fit – and the cave wasn't like the one Luke had entered near Yoda's hut. Not that I had any clue where that was on the planet, nor was I interested in discovering it.

Before the Scimitar was placed inside the enlarged cavern, the datacore had been copied to three isolated datapads. Each of those had their ability to connect to nearby networks or the Holonet disabled on the off chance that accessing the data the ship stored resulted in an automated distress signal to Sidious. Those datapads were added to a new slot in my Inventory, and while I still had room if I stored the various datapads in a small sack to take up a single slot in my Inventory, I had enough room to not yet need to do that. Even after Bo had insisted I load up my Inventory on supplies that I and Anakin might need; be that for combat or survival.

The various droids on the Sith vessel had been disabled and scanned as well, and while I had little interest in interrogation or security droids – not with HK around – the probe droids piqued my interest. When time allowed, I planned to stop off somewhere and acquire several models of the small, fast-moving droids. I wasn't sure if I'd have much need for them, at least not after Natural Evolution, but it was better to have them just in case. Plus, I suspected Anakin would enjoy taking a few apart, seeing how they worked, and determining ways to improve them.

HK had pointed out the main droid onboard the Scimitar before we'd descended, even commenting that it was a worthy opponent, and maybe even a useful ally if its programming could be altered. I'd look into that in later years, but for now, it was depowered like the other droids, and as an added protective measure, disassembled and stored in different locations aboard the vessel with the head inside a secured crate that would only open when a very long code was entered into it. Or if someone used a lightsaber or similar device to slice the crate open.

The cave had been sealed first with some larger boulders I'd lifted into place with the Force before HK had used his blasters on a different setting to melt the stones at their edges, all but fusing the cave shut. Over time, the local fauna would grow and cover the clearly sealed cave and hide the location from any that might venture to the planet, and Simvyl had used Raven to lock our coordinates so when I, or someone I sent, came to retrieve the Sith vessel I'd know where to look without having to rely on the Force.

"Query: How long will this process take?"

"I don't know, which is why you and R2 will guard me while I meditate," I replied as I used my beskad to cut a branch that was blocking our path. I could've used my shoto lightsaber but had decided against it. While the plants would grow back, there was always the slim chance that someone would come here and recognise the distinctive way a lightsaber cut and burnt a target. "You're free to eliminate any threats that approach," I continued as I saw that beyond the cut branch was a downed tree; one that I'd not be able to climb over with only one hand. "That said, I'd prefer if you didn't kill everything on the planet while I commune with the Force," I added as I used the Force to jump onto the downed tree before turning back to the droids.

"Clarification: What percentage of extermination would be acceptable, Master?" As HK asked that, I used the Force to lift R2, the astromech beeping worriedly as I did so.

"Any that approach after a warning shot are fair game, but I don't want to awake to find the earth scorched around us." As I set the rules I set R2 down on the other side of the tree. At the same time, HK leapt, the servos in his legs granting him the power to leap clear over the downed tree and me. "However, if your scanners detect a large group of creatures approaching, establish a perimeter with a five-hundred-metre radius minimum around me. Once I awake, if all goes well, I'll have Simvyl land Raven and then you and Fenrir can go hunting if you'd like."

I leapt down from the tree, my boots squelching into the mud, which made me grimace. While I detested sand because of events on Tatooine, my dislike of swamps went back to my former life and every training or active operation that had taken place in swamps, jungles, and the like. Dagobah would be useful for hiding the Scimitar and taking Natural Evolution, but I'd be happy when we left.

"Musing: While the tuk'ata is a quadrupedal meatbag, it is efficient at tracking and removing targets. Addendum: Though I would prefer if you would allow me to burn the world clean of offending organic life, Master."

"Oh, I know that," I said with a chuckle. "But the idea is to hide the Sith vessel on this world, not draw attention to the planet by having it be vastly different from Republic records by letting you be happy."

"Objection: I am a droid, Master, and as such superior to any organic and not ruled by emotions. For which I am eternally grateful." That drew another chuckle from me, though I chose not to teasingly respond that while he might be a droid, he was built by an organic.

My focus turned to the world around us. I'd had Detection on since we'd landed and had been using Sense Force ever since we'd entered the swamp proper to find an area particularly strong in the Living Force. At the same time, I wondered if the Force itself might be trying to guide me. While I couldn't fully interact with it due to the Interface, I suspected the Force wanted the blocks between us removed as well, though I did wonder if its reasoning – if it was capable of such a thing – would be the same as mine.

That concern that after Natural Evolution I'd be open to the Force guiding me places was one that had grown the closer I'd come to Dagobah, but I knew what I was doing was the right choice. The Force had hinted to others that I, alongside Anakin, had a role to play in changing the fate of the galaxy, but I assured myself that I wouldn't become like most Jedi in allowing the Force to blindly guide me toward what it desired. Nor that I'd become like a Sith and bend it to my will. Plus, there was also the fact that if I took Player+ I'd never be able to take on high-level Council members, never mind people like Sidious, Yoda, and Windu.

… …

"You remember your orders?" I said as I settled onto a section of dry ground. That I'd found even that was a small miracle and after a few hours of trekking I'd taken it and sat down upon it in a standard meditation position.

"Mockery: No, Master, I don't. the thirteen previous times you've made clear our orders since you boarded the Scimitar were insufficient for either myself or the astromech." R2 beeped and whistled in amusement at HK's response. While not yet as snarky as he'd become in the other timeline, or even close to HK, the hints of the personality that developed over a decade were there already. Given I had no plans to wipe his memory regularly, as I wouldn't with HK, that made it even more likely he'd develop the expected personality. Not wiping a droid could be a security risk, but given HK and R2 were my personal droids, and the former was skilled in killing everything from a Jawa up to a Jedi, and the latter would learn how to defend himself and be upgraded over the next few years, I felt little concern at the idea someone might learn something I didn't want them to from the droids.

"Very well. I hope you can obey them and not reduce this world to molten rock while I commune with the Force."

After getting the final word, I closed my eyes and accessed the Interface, specifically the notice regarding the upgrade for the Interface and then selected Natural Evolution.

WARNING!
The Interface will be offline while the chosen upgrade is applied.
As this evolution of the Interface will involve considerable alterations to the Interface, and by extension the Player, you will be placed into what appears to be a coma or deep meditation.
How this appears depends on the Player's position and location while the upgrade is applied.
...
Upgrade chosen: Natural Evolution
This upgrade will render the Player unable to interact with anything around them for a period of between 75 and 150 standard hours.
The variance in time is dependent on the Player's level, age, and the various levels of their Force Powers.
...
ERROR!
By selecting Natural Evolution, either Player's Mind or Player's Body MUST be removed, and the cost refunded.
The selection has not been made.
Which Player Power do you wish to be refunded?
Player's Mind/Player's Body?
...

I'd known that choice was coming as it'd been in the description, but I'd not expected it in an error message as I'd not been asked for my choice beforehand. I chose Player's Mind, as while it was a useful Power, it could be interfered with, or even overridden, when in a place strong in the Force. Since I felt I'd be heading to at least a handful of such locations in the near to middle future, and the fact that its other abilities were mimicked by true Force Abilities, I felt it was the better choice to be refunded for. While I would miss the clear-mindedness the Power brought on, so far I'd never changed a decision I'd made after reviewing it with the Power active and I felt it was the more logical Player Power to lose.

Player's Body might seem the less useful of the two in dire circumstances, but it had more obvious and useful everyday bonuses. Beyond the increased Stamina Regeneration it offered, and the fact it meant I didn't actively sweat – something several people had commented on and, if the Power was removed, they would notice – it was because of Player's Body that I was alerted when I was wounded, and was able to push on when anyone without the Power might not be able to do so. Something I'd, unfortunately, seen in a dire situation when I'd lost my forearm to Maul as without the Power, I felt I'd have gone into shock over the injury, and thus lost my duel to the Zabrak.

Player's Mind selected.
A Player Power Point will be refunded to the Player once the upgrade has been completed.
...
Do you wish to begin the upgrade now?
Yes/No?
…
WARNING!
Once 'Yes' is selected, the upgrade will commence after a short countdown.
This countdown cannot be stopped, so the Player must be sure and be resting comfortably before confirming the upgrade.
...

That was what I'd expected, as I'd had to sleep off the last upgrade to the Interface, though there I'd not had the choice of how to evolve it. That this one would take longer was entirely logical. Unlike the last one, which seemed to just unlock and adapt a few of the various sections of the Interface, Natural Evolution was going to entirely remove what was in my opinion the most critical part of its function: its regulation of and control of my Force connection.

While things like this, and many of the more technical elements of the Interface, had me still questioning if I was truly sentient, and not just a puppet for some higher power to control and manipulate, I knew there was little I could do about that. Thus, I pressed Yes and took a deep breath as the text shifted around.

Upgrade to the Interface confirmed.
The process will begin in:
5
.
4
.
3
.
2
.
1
.

… …

… …
I slumped forward, jolted awake, and blinked. My eyes scanned around, quickly finding HK and R2 standing not far away; HK's blaster was held comfortably in his grasp as he and R2 watched the area. My mouth opened to call out, to let them know I was awake, only for the sound to die in my throat.

Instead, a gasp slipped from me as my mind was submerged by… everything.

The world around me was alive, and while I'd known that before, now I could feel it, sense it, experience it. My hands came to the side of my skull as my mind was flooded with the voices(?) of everything around me, of the connection between the sparks of life – be they big or small, flora or fauna, and of every possible kind – held with the Force. And now with me.

Before I'd been able to faintly sense them through the Interface and the Force, but with the former gone, my mind was experiencing the true depth and scale of what an open connection to the Force brought. It was glorious and incredible. Even though I had known that my connection to the Force was muted in comparison to other Jedi or Sith, I had thought that I still understood what it meant to be connected, at least on an academic level.

I had no idea. It was as if I had been calling myself a painter and learning all of the best brush-strokes and techniques, but without being able to actually see any of it. Or as if I had been a musician who thought himself world-class, without realising that he was tone-deaf.

I could feel everything around me as if it was me. The rhythmic pulsing of life from a hundred million creatures, some so small I'd need a microscope to see them, some longer than Raven, was rushing into my mind, overwhelming my defences as I struggled not to become swept away by this rising tide of near-sensory overload.

They were there, I knew that, yet even though the memories of my lessons on the Force over the last decade were still present, whenever I tried to focus on one, the Force seemed to push it aside. Almost as if it wanted to take me over, to become one with me. To make me a part of it.

Somewhere to my left, I felt the exhilaration of moving in for the kill, and panic as I understood something was about to die. My head snapped to that side, wanting to understand where the sensations, the feelings, were coming from.

Instead of finding something to use as a lifeline, I found my thoughts surging outward in a hundred, possibly a thousand different directions. I could feel the wind race over feathers, even as I slid through the mud, my tongue flicking out to find food. I jumped high, clearing something in my way, and then crashed into the water at the same time I experienced my legs, all six of them, moving in sync as I worked with others to rip apart something. I pushed through something thick, almost solid, yet it felt as if I was built to do so. Every memory, every experience happened concurrently as I grasped my skull with my hand.

Rolling to one side, I dry heaved, the sensations slowly drowning me even as I understood I needed this to stop. I needed to regain control before I lost myself in the sensations I was experiencing through the Force.

The ground near me shook, and opening my eyes I saw HK standing over me. I knew he was speaking, and could make out the distinctive, sardonic tone of his vocal actuator, yet the words were lost in the chaotic symphony that was assaulting my senses. Yet, for all that I knew I needed this to stop, I wasn't sure how to do so. I was unable to bring forth the memories of closing myself from the Force to draw on the teachings.

A gasp rushed from me as I felt another presence crash against me within the Force. Yet this one was different and familiar. Locking onto it, using it as a lifeline, I understood in an instant that it was Anakin; the boy reaching out from orbit to help.

His attempt was rushed, unfocused, and unrefined, but incredibly powerful. Even as I used his presence to stabilise myself, I understood that this was what Anakin was. A storm slowly forming on the horizon, one that if unchecked, could bring about untold chaos and damage. Yet, as I slowly felt my mind return to some semblance of control, I saw a way to harness the Force storm that was Anakin. As if with the Interface no longer blocking my connection, I understood what I could help Anakin become, what I could mould him into.

That, however, would have to wait for later. For now, I needed control, and with my thoughts slowly returning to me, with my mind no longer being pulled in a myriad of directions and ways, I knew what I had to do. "E-enough," I growled through clenched teeth even as I sensed other presences with Anakin's; those of Raven and Fenrir.

The word had barely emerged from me before I felt everything dull down. Everything I'd been sensing and experiencing lessened, from the animals whose worlds I'd seen glimpses of through their eyes, the life flowing through the various fauna of the world, and even the lifelines that Anakin, Raven, and Fenrir had thrown me, slipped away. The Force, or at least my connection to it, was blunted and dulled once more and I sighed in relief as my mind was my own again.

I stayed where I was, looking up at the dull, overcast sky of Dagobah and taking long, slow, deep breaths, letting my body recover from what I'd just experienced. I'd known that removing the Interface from my connection with the Force was going to make things different, but what I'd just experienced… words failed to fully describe what it felt like to truly be connected to the Force. However, before I allowed that connection to resume as it should, I needed to train myself to limit the inflow of sensations. For now, the Force would remain distant while I locked myself off from it; held behind the barrier I'd managed to erect after Anakin's lifeline.

"Query: Master? Are you well?"

I turned to look up at the assassin droid, my heart rate returning to normal. "I," even saying the short word hurt and I gulped hard, trying to soothe my throat. I didn't think I'd been exposed to the full brunt of the Force for long, but perhaps it had been longer and more stressful than I'd realised. Not trusting my words for now, I nodded in response and using my arms, eased myself up to a seated position.

Once there, I saw the small flask I'd placed down before meditating, and after popping the cap, took a long but slow sip, soothing the rawness of my throat. "I'm fine, HK," I said once I felt ready to speak again. My voice was hoarse but at least it didn't hurt to speak. "It's just that when I emerged from my meditation, something had changed."

His optical receptors dulled, making clear he was curious or concerned, though the beeping from R2 was only the latter. HK was built to detect lies, so he'd know I wasn't being entirely truthful, but he also wouldn't push unless he felt it was important. Though that ability to sense falsehoods was one I planned to exploit heavily in the coming years, as if I could reach the point where I could convince HK that I truly believed the Republic was run by Ewoks – or something equally as insane – it would do wonders for my Charisma-based social skills, especially Deception. "I think I've overcome the block in my connection to the Force, but I can't say for sure."

"Analysis: I do hope you have done so, Master. While you are skilled, you lack the… flair one would expect of a Jedi. Especially for one descended from the Creator. Addendum: In many ways, the small meatbag designer has a better understanding of how to use the Force in non-mechanical ways than you do."

"Aye, he does. And thanks, I think," I replied slowly. The flask had been placed down while he spoke, and I'd moved around to begin to stand. "How long was I meditating?" I asked once back on my feet.

"Answer: Three days, twelve hours, Master."

"Bit longer than I expected but okay." As I spoke, I stretched my arms, mimicking what I should be doing but that, thanks to Player's Body, I didn't truly have to do so. At least not on a physical level. Three and a half days was around the mid-point of the time the Interface had said it would take to upgrade itself and free the Force from its filtering. "How much of the local fauna and flora have you reduced to atoms?"

"Statement: Not nearly as much as I would have preferred, Master. Most creatures kept their distance after a warning shot. A handful of the larger, more aggressive species failed to heed the caution, and I was most efficient in ensuring they learnt the error of their ways." R2 rocked from side to side and beeped wildly, the volume making me wince. "Amendment: The astromech also drove off several creatures, Master. Though he failed to ensure those creatures were removed permanently."

I chuckled at that and placed a hand on the assassin droid's shoulder. "Not everyone, be they organic or droid, can be as efficient as you, HK. Otherwise, the galaxy would be a far emptier and less enjoyable place."

"Affirmative: Yes, Master." HK looked past me and then R2 before continuing. "Assessment: While I would miss the chance to regularly remove meatbags, I believe those that remained would be a higher quality target. Perhaps sufficiently higher than the less regular combat would be acceptable. Addendum: I am, however, unsure if I would find the longer durations between combat tolerable."

"Speaking for myself, I wouldn't. I'd grow bored as shab with nothing to do."

Before HK could reply, my vambrace beeped. My arm came over instinctively to open the channel, only for me to pause when I saw the missing forearm. Sighing at making that mistake again, and wondering how long it would be until I could get a replacement limb – and if that might remove the phantom pains – I reached into my belt with my hand and pulled out a commlink. "Yes?" I said as I used the commlink, barely able to restrain my annoyance at myself for making the mistake again.

"Well, your response suggests you're at least awake," Simvyl replied, and while I'd limited my connection to nothing more than a trickle, I could faintly sense his amusement. "Anakin, Raven, and Fenrir all reacted badly about twenty minutes ago. Once I'd gotten them calmed down, or at least as much as I could, Anakin told me you were in trouble. Though before then, I'd not been able to stop Raven from descending no matter how much I tried to counter her behaviour."

I laughed softly at the idea my ship had disobeyed orders in an attempt to help. That was exactly the sort of thing I and Anakin would do, so it seemed more of my personality had merged with her than I'd realised. "Something did, and while it was a personal issue and might cause me problems in the short-term, in the long-term I feel it's the first step in overcoming several of my issues. As for Raven, it's fine. She, like Anakin and Fenrir, share a connection to me through the Force and would've sensed my confusion when I awoke." I looked up, knowing instinctively where Raven was, yet through the thick, grey fog that hung over this area of the planet – and possibly most of the surface – I couldn't see her. Before I'd had to actively think about using Detection to be certain where she or others were, but now, even with my connection to the Force restricted by choice, I knew with certainty where she was. Along with Anakin and Fenrir. "Should we remain here, or is there a clearing we should move toward?" I asked, pushing aside any thought of marvelling at the change in how the Force now worked, and how incredible it felt to simply know something without having to consider it.

"One moment," Simvyl said before the channel went silent for about half a minute. "There's a large enough clearing about five klicks southwest of your location. Sending coordinates now."

My vambrace beeped, confirming reception of the data. It then, on programming, displayed our location and our destination. "Got it. See you there. Oh, and tell Anakin I'm fine, and thanks." With that, I closed the channel and slipped the commlink back into its pouch. Simvyl would be confused about the thanks, but Anakin would understand, and it should reassure him that I was fine. Or as fine as I was going to be until I gained a handle on how to properly use and interact with the Force.

"Come on," I said to the droids. "While it shouldn't take us long to reach the RV, the sooner we leave, the sooner we can get off this world." I took a step before pausing and giving HK a wide smile. "If anything gets too close, feel free to respond without a need for a warning shot."

"Affirmative: That is most agreeable, Master. I have grown tired of having to warn such primitive meatbags about their purpose. Musing: I wonder if I might use some of my more advanced armaments. I was unable to use many upon Naboo due to your instructions to avoid civilian casualties and protection of the meatbag ruler."

"Again, so long as you don't level the area we're in, or risk giving way that we've been here, feel free to enjoy yourself."

"Exclamation: Oh, I will, Master, I will."

R2 gave out a long, low, sad beep and I reached over, patting his dome. "It's ok. I'm sure Anakin and HK can suggest modifications so you're better able to defend yourself and assist HK in future." R2 beeped happily at that.

"Agreement: Oh yes, Master. I have many ideas on how to enhance an astromech." I laughed at R2's reaction to HK's comment as it seemed the astromech was suddenly fearful of what the assassin had planned. Keeping the amusing thought in mind, I resumed walking, plotting out the quickest path to the rendezvous location.

As we walked, I started running through the change that had occurred. There were notices about the change flashing in the bottom corner of my vision, but I decided to leave them for a moment, focusing on how it felt as if things had changed. It was clear that with the Interface gone, I'd been blasted by the full, unfiltered connection with the Force that had held, which placed me in a unique position.

Everyone else in the galaxy was born with their connection unfiltered, be they someone with barely any connection right up to beings like Yoda, Sidious, and Anakin. They'd learnt before they could even understand what they were to accept and harness that connection. Sharing a connection with the Force was natural to everything in the galaxy, be they sentient, fauna or flora. Well, except for any race like the Vong, though they seemed to come from beyond the galaxy so perhaps that was why they weren't connected to the Force.

I, however, didn't have that natural, had always been there, connection with the Force. Or at least, I'd not had it until less than thirty minutes ago. That meant I was going to have to learn to process and accept this change, and while it would take time – something I'd expected by my research on Force sects I could visit with Anakin over the next few years – it might allow me a unique perspective and ability.

When we'd shown the Force suppression room aboard Mtael's Gift several years ago, Fay and Dooku had both reacted badly to the sudden suppression of their connections. Dooku had been unbalanced and unnerved – though he hid it well. Fay, however, had reacted as if having a limb torn from her body. Given she'd spent centuries relying on the Force, being in tune with it and having it help her slow her ageing – or so I assumed – the sudden loss of that connection had drawn a major reaction from her.

With me now being able to experience what the Force truly was, or at least have a proper connection to it, I could see how losing that connection would affect those with high Force sensitivity. I couldn't comprehend Fay's pain that day, and I hoped I never did, but I had an idea of what she'd have experienced. The difference was that I knew how to think and work without the Force, and thanks to Eidetic Memory would never forget it. In theory, if I was ever exposed to a field like that about the Lokella station again, then I'd be able to handle the sudden loss of what would feel like part of my soul. Or I would, I hoped, once I'd learnt to control and temper my connection, so it didn't overwhelm me.

I shivered as I realised that, and that with the filter provided by the Interface gone, being fully exposed to the Force – or at least the Living Force on Dagobah – I'd come very close to ending up comatose. It was only through the actions of Anakin, something I had to believe he either knew instinctively or the Force guided him to do, that I didn't and was able to retain just enough control to limit my connection to the Force.

Without knowing or understanding how, he'd reached out from orbit, to help. That spoke not just to how strong his connection was, but how deep my connection to the Force could become – or close to it anyway as I didn't have quite as high a Force Potential as him – how easily the Force came to him, and how strong, after only a few years of limited contact, that our bond had become. And it made me wonder how I'd react when I next saw Serra, as for everyone else that I would encounter, she was the one who I had the deepest connection with and was strong in the Force. However, my focus for now was on Anakin. The level of power he had to, without knowing what he was truly doing, reach out across thousands of kilometres to help me was frightening and possibly terrifying.

Now, differing species and sentients had differing definitions of what terrible meant, but even allowing for that Anakin had the potential for amazing things. Before this, I'd known he was powerful, both from what Observe revealed and from sources before my emergence into this universe, but knowing of it and experiencing it first-hand were two entirely different things. I had my first true glimpse of what he, and possibly I, could do, and the sort of power he held, and could potentially wield… I understood so much more clearly why Sidious was so interested in Anakin. Why the boy was the Chosen One.

While the gap between our midi-chlorian counts was small, at least compared to that of myself and many others, I felt the gap between us, and what we might be able to accomplish could be greater than any I might have with sentients like Yoda or Sidious. The difference there was, at least for now, those two and others like them – such as Fay, Dooku, and Plagueis – was that they had decades or centuries of training and experience to draw upon. All I could do was train Anakin to be what he should be, and at the same time learn from him how to fully understand, accept, and use the Force so that both of us could surpass everyone that had come before.

That realisation brought forth a rush of excitement, along with a hint of terror, as I understood that I had to ensure Anakin was ready for what awaited us. I also had to ensure I was ready as well, though I felt reasonably confident that I could regain my Force abilities over the next few years; training Anakin was going to push me to do so lest I fail him and by extension doom the galaxy to the rule of the Sith.

That was why I'd gone to the Celebratus Archive on Obroa-Skai before engaging the upgrade, not only to find this world but for the locations of possible Force sects and other groups that might be able to help with our training. Knowing now that I'd have to work almost from the ground up to rebuild my abilities, and ensure Anakin was trained, I'd re-examine the sects and determine which order to attend them in. All I'd need was time to do so, and while I felt I'd have that for a few years, I couldn't spend too long with the training otherwise I'd be out of the loop preparing for the wars to come.

"Query: Master, are you perhaps using the Force to ensure we are undisturbed?" I paused at HK's question and turned back to face him, curious what he was saying. "Observation: While we've only travelled one point-zero-two kilometres, the creatures nearby have all chosen to withdraw or remain further away since you awoke. Extrapolation: It appears as if they're afraid of approaching. Theory: Perhaps the change you spoke of has in some way affected the local fauna, persuading them to withdraw. Conjecture: It might also explain the marginal decrease in temperature of zero-point-three-one degrees that has occurred since you ended your meditation."

"I don't thin…" my words trailed off mid-sentence as I understood HK was onto something. "Um, yeah, that might be because of me," I said, changing tack as I worked out what the temperature change and the reason for the local animals withdrawing was.

Without the Interface, I'd lost Dark Side Masking, which meant my ability to hide my, for lack of a better word, taint from everything and everybody. While there were no other Force users around to sense it – at least bar Anakin though he was currently nearby – the beasts of Dagobah would. From what King Adas had spoken of, those strong in the Force and with some experience in bending it to their will could generate a dangerous aura. One that not only persuaded others to stay away but could alter the environment around them.

From what HK was saying, that was what was occurring, but I wasn't doing it consciously, and even with my connection to the Force heavily muted, enough of my power was radiating outward that it was having a marginal effect on the local area.

Closing my eyes, I searched inward, seeking out the Force that flowed through me. Adas had spoken of how to drop out or nullify this ability to project power, but I'd not taken it on fully back then; the Interface simply applied what he was teaching to the Force Powers of Dark Side Masking and Force Suppression. Now, with that all gone, I had to learn to use the ability properly, which with Eidetic Memory ensuring I remembered everything I'd ever seen, heard, or been taught, the lessons were quickly back at the forefront of my thoughts.

The ability to shield and cloak oneself from detection by others in the Force was something I felt Anakin – and possibly Palpatine – could do so naturally that if one didn't know the truth, or had a way to sense Force Potential as easily as I did, then they'd never realise how powerful the person they were speaking with could potentially be. I suspected with the Sith it was a taught ability, one that had evolved from lessons Adas and others had created back when the Sith were a species and not a Force sect as both Sidious and Plagueis could stand before Jedi High Council members and give no hint of the power they wielded.

Listening to Adas' words in my mind, I slowed my breathing, focusing ever deeper inward. Eventually, I felt what I was looking for: The point where it seemed as if I and the Force connected. This wasn't just a single point, but all and none of me as the Force was in everything, yet with the lessons from Adas, Dooku, and a few others to draw on, and knowing the strongest hint of the Force would be centred around my bond to Anakin, I was able to find what I needed.

The connections to the Force, and through it, others, were still there, but as I'd intended earlier, they'd dullened. I wasn't, however, fully cut off from the Force as I could faintly sense Anakin, Raven, Fenrir, and others, though bar the first three everything was far weaker, as they were far more distant or lacked the connection through the Force I shared with that trio. It was around the edges of those dullened connections that I found what I was looking for. I could sense my Force presence slipping out at those edges and permeating with the Living Force around me.

Knowing I was far from skilled enough to entirely shut off the seepage of my taint, I instead focused on dulling my connection to the Force further, though I tried my best to ensure that the link I held with Anakin wasn't affected. I didn't need him or others worrying that something else had happened to me. Concentrating on the Force as it flowed through me, the words Fay had used once to describe the sensation, I slowly sealed off the leakage of my taint into the Force around me. If another trained Force user appeared, they'd be able to sense the taint, but I hoped what I was doing would be enough to end the subtle effect I was having on my surroundings.

As the taint was slowly contained, I sensed a subtle shift through the Force. Though she was perhaps half a galaxy away, I sensed Serra and how her feelings had changed fractionally. That slight sensation was enough for my focus to jump to my bond with her, to the connection we shared that linked us through the Force. She should, from what I knew, be back at the Temple, and while I didn't know who would continue her training, Yoda had promised me that not only would a Jedi Master finish her training, but that she'd get help to deal with the emotions brought forth by Drallig's death.

Part of me longed to speak to her, to reach out through the Force and ease her burden or speak to her, but I knew I couldn't do that currently. Fear that my action would reveal the Dark Side within me to her and others, and that without understanding what I was doing I'd somehow hurt her, stopped me from doing so. Still, as gently as I could, I sent comforting thoughts to her.

While I wasn't going to return to Coruscant any time soon, as I felt her notice my lingering feelings and react, I knew I'd contact her before I left with Anakin to train him and refocus myself after the change in my connection with the Force. The issue was that just talking to her over the Holonet felt wrong, cheap even. As if I was doing her and the memory of Drallig a disservice by not speaking with her in person. However, I didn't want to step back on the Republic capital, never mind enter the Jedi Temple. Not while Anakin was with me.

I could, in theory, drop him with Bo for a week or so, but until I had a handle on the changes I'd undergone, going anywhere near the Jedi or Sith was off the table. That left me with communication through the Force. As Serra's happiness at knowing I was safe, along with confusion and curiosity – suggesting she sensed the change in my Force connection – and some fear travelled to me through the Force, I smiled. Knowing she was as well, or at least as well as she could be, was a relief, though I did note that even at the great distance between us, her feelings came through stronger and clearer. Another little hint at just what the Interface had been restricting.

"Observation: It appears whatever you are doing is working, Master. The local ambient temperature has risen by zero-point-two-seven degrees." That wasn't quite all the way back, but it was close enough for me to be satisfied.

"Hopefully that means you'll get some target practice before we're picked up," I replied as I opened my eyes and took in the dull, damp swamp around us. Nothing appeared different, but I knew I wasn't yet in tune with the Force and myself enough that I'd be able to sense anything amiss.

"Assurance: My accuracy is within acceptable levels, Master. However, one can never be too lax in ensuring quality is maintained."

"Just don't burn down the planet while we're still on it."

"Indignation: I would never do such a thing, Master! Unlike some so-called battledroids, I'm not as clumsily built or fundamentally flawed as to commit such a mistake. Appeasement: I would only burn a world under your orders, Master."

"While I don't want that today, I won't deny there are a few worlds that I wouldn't mind seeing scorched clean," I replied as I resumed walking toward the rendezvous location. "For now, you'll have to restrict yourself to whatever fails to understand that we, not it, are the apex predators of this world."

"Exclamation: I look forward to doing so, Master."

R2 gave out a long, worried beep as he shook slightly from side to side. "Don't worry," I said, stopping and placing my hand on his dome, "if anything somehow gets past HK, I'll ensure it doesn't get to you. You're far too useful to allow some giant snake or reptile to swallow or use as a chew toy. And once we're away from here, HK and Anakin can suggest modifications so the next time we come here you can be as effective as HK in achieving dominance over the locals."

A series of loud, happy beeps erupted from the astromech, which made me laugh. By the time of the Clone Wars, in the other timeline, Anakin had ensured R2 was far beyond a regular astromech. With HK and I here to help, when war finally erupted in this galaxy, R2 would be a match for almost anything the Trade Federation, The Republic, or anyone else could deploy.

Once my laughter had died down, I turned my attention to the notices from the Interface. While I could keep an eye out for local beasts that might be a problem, I felt that would restrict HK's fun and after spending three and a half days watching me meditate in this swamp, he deserved the chance to blow off some steam.

Interface Upgrade Complete!
Having chosen Natural Evolution as the final form of your Interface, the following changes have been made:
1: The Interface will no longer regulate your connection to the Force.
This means that neither your Force Powers nor your FP level will be tracked or displayed by the Interface.
FP will be replaced by a Force Exhaustion percentage so that you can monitor how close you are to hitting that barrier.
2: To use the Force, the Player must behave like any other Force user in the galaxy.
This includes all the benefits and drawbacks such behaviour brings with it.
3: The tracking of the strength and level of your Force Bonds has been removed from REPUTATION.
4: New perks specific to this upgrade have been added to the choices.
Perk Points remain available at every 4 levels.
5: New Player Powers specific to this upgrade have been added to the choices.
Player Power Points remain available every 5 levels.
6: The Player Power, Player's Mind, has been deactivated and removed.
Because of this, the Player Power Point for it has been refunded.
(Currently, you have 2 PPPs available.)
7: The Player is now susceptible to influence by the Force.
This will occur if, like many other Force users, they sink into the Force.
If they don't wish this, then they must influence the Force with their intentions and desires.
8: All skills have had a potential 7th tier (Legendary) added.
The Player still has to put in the training and effort to reach it though.
9: The quest Skill to the Max has been altered to be simply to reach the top of the 6th tier (Prodigy).
10: No training quests are possible for taking skills beyond Prodigy:100.
11: STAMINA is now calculated as Player Level *(Strength+Vitality+Agility).
This results in a boost to your STAMINA to 1950.
The Player has a STAMINA regeneration rate of (due to selected Perks) 39/min.
...
NOTE!
Bonuses for levelling, bar STAMINA, remain the same.
These are:
2+INT/20 Stat Points per level.
INT*1 Skill Points per level.
1 PP every 4 levels.
1 PPP every 5 levels.
...

That was what I'd expected, though the display of a percentage for Force Exhaustion was going to be useful in prolonged combat while the boost in STAMINA wasn't something to sniff at. I was sure Bo, Naz and others wouldn't complain about the increase, and that was before I learned how to properly use the Force to refresh and enhance myself. Being susceptible to the Force was a fear I'd had before choosing Natural Evolution, but given I needed the higher potential power levels for what was to come, I'd have to be cautious about how that went.

Waving away the notification of changes, I opened the next notice waiting for me, discovering it came from TPTB.

We must admit that we are surprised and impressed you chose to remove the protection the Interface grants you in regard to the Force.
Taking NATURAL EVOLUTION places you, and those around you, at far greater short-to-middle-term risk from threats than PLAYER+ would have.
It does, as you have surmised, grant a better chance to survive the coming chaos.
Because of you choosing to take the path of greater risk, and as we are feeling generous, we offer what shall be our final boon.
1 Perk Point has been added to your Interface.
Spend it wisely, or not.
The choice, as always, is up to you.
...

Unlike the previous message, this one was unexpected. At least regarding the free Perk Point. I'd expected something from TPTB, but they rarely if ever offered gifts, but I wasn't going to complain about it. While Perks weren't as powerful – or broken depending on how I was feeling on a given day – they were powerful and potentially offered me advantages few if any other sentient could achieve.

While I was curious about what new Perks were available to me, with 2 Player Power Points, seeing what was on offer there was my first port of call.

PLAYER POWERS
These are powers and skills that are unique to The Player and earned by spending Player Power Points [PPP].
Currently, you have 2 PPPs.
Many Player Powers have requirements that depend on the Player's level, or stat values and will remain hidden until their requirements are met.
Player Powers may 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:
Heart of the Force [2/2]
Inventory
Player's Body
Observe
Silent Interface
Upgraded Minimap
…
Available Powers:
Colour Shift
Enhanced Inventory
Enlarge/Shrink
Glamours
Greater Minimap Mark 1
Level Boost
Reveal the Hidden
Superior Inventory
Upgraded Minimap Mark 2
…

My eyes were drawn instantly to the only one I'd not seen before or been altered to appearing: Reveal the Hidden. As I read its description, it instantly went to near the top of the pile for selections, though I wasn't going to make any decision until I'd gone through the Perks list as well.

Reveal the Hidden
This Player Power will allow the Player to see the bonus objectives of all quests granted to the Player by The Powers That Be, or generated in response to the Player's actions/decisions.
...

For simpler quests, such as training ones – though I'd not taken many over the last year or so as I'd focused on preparing for Naboo over random training of specific Skills or Force Powers – this wasn't a major thing. I'd already determined what the three or four bonus objectives were from having taken and completed – or not – so many training quests previously.

For other quests, such as Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire, the Changing Fate quests, and quests linked to Bo, Pre Vizsla, Maul and others, it would be a major boon. Knowing what the additional targets were would, I suspect, change how I approached the quests, but it might also grant me insight into what I might have to do to complete the quests.

I wasn't sure how, if at all, it would affect The Promise of the Fallen quest given to me by Revan, as that quest didn't fit into the categories of quests Reveal the Hidden covered. If it didn't reveal anything there, then so be it, but there was a chance I was wrong on this.

Not wanting to dwell on one particular Player Power, I turned my attention to Level Boost, as along with Reveal the Hidden, it was the most likely Player Power to be taken. After reading the description, that feeling was only reinforced.

Level Boost
This Perk/Player Power allows the Player to raise the tier limits of their skills by 3 tiers.
This can either be used to raise 3 Skills 1 tier (to the Paragon tier) or 1 Skill 2 tiers (to the Mythic tier) and 1 Skill 1 tier.
NOTE!
No Skill can be raised more than 2 tiers.
A skill can only be raised once, though 2 tiers can be raised at a single time.
Level Boost tier lifts can be saved, though no more than 5 can be kept at any one time.
If Level Boost is selected again (which is possible once every 10 levels from level 30) as either a Perk or Player Power, and it results in more than 5 tier lifts, the excess tier lifts will be lost.
Level Boost can only be taken once per 10 levels regardless of which category it is taken from.
Therefore, if a Player Power Point is spent for it, it will disappear from both available Player Power and Perk lists.
...

I'd already known what Level Boost was going to be, but getting the full details made it clear that I'd be taking it. I wasn't yet sure which Skills I'd use it on, but I suspected I'd use it to lift one skill two tiers and then keep the last point back for consideration later.

The other Player Powers, bar Upgraded Minimap Mark 2, were the same as before. Upgraded Minimap Mark 2 extended the ability of the Minimap to locate hidden passageways and alcoves to places hidden by either the Force or other advanced methods. That was interesting, but given what was offered by Level Boost and Reveal the Hidden, it was unlikely I'd be taking it this time.

Before I made sure of my choices, I had to example the Perks available, and after dismissing the Player Powers that was what I examined.

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 perk if they so wish.
Currently, you have the following perks:
Ambidextrous
Boosted Growth Mark 2
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Enhanced Regeneration [1/3]
Force Prodigy
Heart of the Force [1/2]
…
Available Perks:
Bookworm
Brainiac Mark1
Cat's Grace Mark1
Cult of Personality Mark1
Dominant Mark1
Enhanced Regeneration Mark2
Giant's Strength Mark1
Healing Acclimatisation
Iron Skin Mark1
Level Boost
Luck of the Force Mark1
Medic Mark1
Mind Abilities Affinity
One with Beasts
One with Nature
Overdrive
Physical Regeneration Mark1
Psychometry Acclimatisation
Seer's Insight
Shatterpoint Acclimatisation
Stellar Ace
Stat Limit Boost Mark1
Style Mark1
Wisdom of the Ancients Mark1
…

Again, the list was a mix of old and new offerings. Level Boost was, as had been stated after the upgrade to Natural Evolution had been applied, listed as a Perk as well. That was much like Heart of the Force, but for that, I'd needed to spend one Perk Point and one Player Power Point to bring the increase in Force Potential to a level close, but not quite at, Anakin's. Overall, there was a larger percentage of new Perks than new Player Powers and curious about them, I worked my way through their descriptions.

Enhanced Regeneration Mark2 was a simple improvement on Enhanced Regeneration Mark1. It lifted the base regeneration for PP, STAMINA, and Force Regeneration – which was no longer tracked but I felt fed into Force Exhaustion – from two times to four times the base regeneration rates. Having the ability to delay Force Exhaustion, and then recover from it quicker was certainly appealing, but nothing ground-breaking.

Overdrive was something unexpected. It would, when activated, allow me to draw on more of the Force, however, that worked, to the extent I could push beyond the limits of Force Exhaustion. The downside of the perk was that for each minute it was active while I was Force Exhausted, I would damage my body. Any damage taken because of the perk would be immune to accelerated healing, be that from the Force or something like bacta, outside of permanent injury caused by the perk.

The ability to have a way to push far beyond my limits with the Force was interesting, and when fighting against someone on the level of the High Council or a Sith Lord, might well be useful. Though it would be, I hoped, a long time before I had to confront anyone on that level. Additionally, the perk had a time limit of an hour, and if it was active for that long, then without immediate attention, I would die from the damage taken.

It was certainly a perk to consider for the future, but as of now, was not one I was giving any serious consideration to taking. The same couldn't be said of Mind Abilities Affinity.

That perk was if I was reading the description correctly, something beyond a simple ability to use mental Force abilities. It would grant me a natural understanding of how to use the various Force powers that affected the minds of others, most of which, when I went by the old Interface listings, were Dark Side aligned. Since those powers were dangerous to use without proper training, the perk would be a massive boon, though I wasn't the sort of person inclined to manipulate the minds of others. At least not at present, and hopefully never would be.

Stellar Ace was another I'd not expected to see or had considered as possible. This perk would grant me double XP for any skill related to flying or piloting a machine. It didn't matter if the skill applied to starships in space, fighters in atmosphere, or vessels inside a liquid such as water, the XP gains would be doubled. The downside of the perk was that it would half my XP gain for any skill involved in riding a living beast. Since that wasn't something I'd done much, if at all, since emerging into this universe, it wasn't anything more than a minor inconvenience to the perk.

What did stand out about Stellar Ace, was that, if taken and then Level Boost was applied to piloting, I could, in theory, find it easier to match some of the better pilots in the Jedi Order. I didn't think I'd ever reach the level of Saesee Tiin, to say nothing of what Anakin was capable of, but it was an intriguing perk to consider. The same could be said of the Acclimatisation perks. Or at least Shatterpoint Acclimatisation.

Each Acclimatisation perk granted me the equivalent of a natural inclination toward using those powers: Force Healing, Psychometry, and Shatterpoint. It didn't, however, grant an affinity toward them, nor the ability to use the power on an almost instinctual level, such as what Master Windu was said to have with Shatterpoint.

What was interesting was that, from ten levels after taking an Acclimatisation perk, an Affinity perk would be available for it, and a further ten levels from there could offer a Naturalization perk for the power and all sub-forms of it. A further perk, which wasn't detailed or explained, would then come into play twenty more levels later that would make me one of only a handful of beings to ever truly understand the Force ability in question.

While that would be a very long road to travel, it did mean that, in theory, if I reached level 60, I could be as natural at Shatterpoint as someone like Windu. Of course, the chances of me reaching Level 60 were slim at best.

After going over the list of perks, and reviewing the older ones to see if they had changed, I found myself wondering why there weren't any for my more unusual or rare Force Powers like Phase, Teleport, and Inanimate Conversion.

That is because, in our infinite wisdom, we have chosen to be gracious.
At least regarding the majority of those powers.
For most, including Phase and Teleport, since you have shown continual effort to learn and grow those powers, we have granted you a natural affinity toward them equivalent to what you have with Battle Meditation.
Perks to make you a natural are not going to be offered because they are not needed.
With training, dedication, and perhaps a large helping of fortune, you can develop those powers to become one of the greatest to ever wield them.
Inanimate Conversion, however, is an entirely different issue.
That power, and a few like it, were not ones you were meant to discover or use.
In truth, their use aligns with a branch of Force powers commonly referred to as Force (or Sith) Alchemy.
Again, with training, effort, and the right teachers, you can learn to do what those powers once did.
And, perhaps, even more.
That, however, is something you will have to work very hard to achieve and might take you to places you will always be unwilling to go.
In the end, the choice, like it has always been, is up to you.

Not having to spend Perk Points for affinities for powers like Phase and Teleport was a relief, and the TPTB were right that I used them semi-regularly. Losing access to Inanimate Conversion was annoying as I'd hoped, at least before learning about and selecting Natural Evolution, that I could get the power to a point where I could create beskar by simply willing it. That dream was dead, though the pathway to it and other powers was there if I so chose.

Adas had spoken on the benefits of Force alchemy, and from the few records I'd found on him, it was said the axe he used in combat had been enhanced with the Force, so perhaps that was something to pursue at a later date. Oddly though, having to work to recover and reuse that power, and possibly Restore as it might fall under the same category, felt a better choice. Having to earn the right to manipulate objects at the atomic level was something that should be earned, and not simply gained for fun. Plus, as much as it now felt like a mistake, I'd stopped focusing on Inanimate Conversion in the lead-up to the invasion of Naboo.

That, however, was a matter for another time, as was making a final choice on which Perk to take, though I would admit I was leaning toward Shatterpoint Acclimatisation simply because, even at a low level, that power had game-changing potential.

Dismissing the Perks list, I saw that, in the time I'd been splitting my focus between the Player Powers and Perks and hiking, we'd almost reached our destination. I looked up as I felt the approach of a familiar and powerful presence grow stronger.

As I gazed upward, I saw Raven slip through the low-lying clouds and felt her relief at finally being able to sense me optically. Yet, my focus wasn't on that, but on how alive and vibrant she felt. I stopped walking, to avoid stumbling as I felt her relief flood my mind, and a wide smile spread over my face. I'd known that I shared a connection with Raven because of how she'd been created and my actions in saving her when Zonoma Sekot had left, but this was the first time I'd truly felt it and it was an incredible sensation.

Raven was, in a large way, a part of me, and the joy radiating from her had an almost familial sensation to it. While her thoughts weren't clear like those of a sentient, I understood her feelings with ease. Closing my eyes, I reached out through the faint opening to the wider Force that I retained, and let her know I was well and pleased to see her again.

I gasped as an almost overwhelming surge of delight came back. After recovering from the blast, I understood that she was happy not just because I was safe, but because the bond between us was stronger and more instinctual. Lifting my hand, I reached out through the Force – widening my connection to it fractionally – and truly sensed Raven for the first time.

Power flowed through her in ways that while I understood on a technical level, I'd not truly experienced in a metaphysical way. Even a few kilometres from her, I could sense how alive she was, how the power from her core flowed through her organic circuits to the various components – be they mechanical or organic – that composed her frame. How a slight shift in one section of her body shifted the flow of energy toward her anti-gravity generators to help her turn as she descended.

The feeling of the cool, damp air of Dagobah brushing over her skin, and how she enjoyed the moisture and newness of it, was easy to pick up on. As was how she saw the various airborne life on the planet, and how all of them avoided her; understanding that she was beyond them in ways they didn't fully comprehend. Yet under the pleasure of the new experience of the planet, and her joy that I was safe and soon to be reunited with her, the desire to surge between planets, to dance among the stars shone brightly. Raven was born to fly in space, and soon she would return to what she did best, and she couldn't wait to do so.

My smile widened as I opened my eyes, and took in Raven once again. Before this change, I'd known that if Raven had died, I'd have been hurt. Now, however, I understood that if something happened to her I'd burn the cosmos to make those who hurt her, who dared threaten my daughter – which in many ways she was – learn the error of their ways. Raven was something unique, something special that had to be nurtured, treasured, protected, and encouraged to grow. Deep in my soul, I knew that there was little I wouldn't do to protect her from others. A feeling I knew she held for me.

Watching happily, I observed the way she turned in the air, her engines shifting thrusts to ensure when she landed she was facing me. While Simvyl was at her helm, Raven was the one doing the flying. The landing struts, a mixture – like much of her – of organic and mechanical – slipped from her underbelly. The spots they'd emerged from were invisible before their emergence as they blended perfectly into her skin.

As I resumed my approach, I felt her change the flow of power through her frame, reducing thrust to the engines, and she touched down with a grace comparable to any dancer I'd ever seen. The ground gently sunk, accepting her presence without breaking, and as I nodded to Simvyl in the cockpit, I sensed before I heard her ramp descending.

Before it had reached the ground, two figures – one small, the other larger, and longer – emerged from the gap. I shuddered, experiencing Fenrir's delight as he bounded toward me. A delight that his pack wasn't damaged, that his family was safe pushing aside the desire to race off and assert his position as the apex predator of this new world.

"Fenrir!" I called out as I was knocked over by the giant tuk'ata, his tongue lathering my face. "Off!"

He didn't listen, continuing to lick my face and chest as his relief that I was well, and delight flowed around us. Rolling to the side to save myself, I laughed loudly at his behaviour, and at fully feeling the connection I held with him. While I didn't have the same natural connection to Fenrir that I held to Raven, I'd known the tuk'ata longer and he'd been a part of my family, or my pack, for several years.

Even as I enjoyed the increased connection, my remaining hand tried desperately to push him back. Though given his massive bulk – his shoulder stood at my neck, and I felt he still had growing to go – even with two hands I'd struggled to restrain him when he was this happy. Thankfully, after it felt as if he'd drenched every inch of my upper body in drool, he pulled back. My arm came up, wiping at my face just enough to clear my sight, though before I could growl at Fenrir, I was knocked over again.

"CAM!" I winced as Anakin, unintentionally shouted into my ear. A gasp slipped from me as his arms tightened around my neck, though the reaction also came from how powerful Anakin's relief was.

If it had been a river, I'd have drowned in the depth and strength of his presence, and even with my connection to the Force muted, because of our physical contact, I was unable to restrict the onslaught of emotions rushing forth from the boy. From my son.

The same joy and delight, mixed with relief, that Raven and Fenrir had radiated came from Anakin, though under it all, pushed down in the hopes I'd not sense it, I discovered fear. Pushing toward it even as I wrapped my arm around his back, I was assaulted by the source of that fear.

I'd known since Shmi had died, that Anakin had latched onto me, but until now I'd not realised how important I'd become to him. I was, thanks to the adoption, his father – though he saw me more as an older brother and mentor, which I was fine with – and alongside Lia, the only people that mattered to him. With Shmi's death having been so recent when I'd awoken in panic, his fear that he'd lose me had been what had driven him to reach out for my mind.

That decision had saved me, and holding him close, I understood just how powerful Anakin could be, and would be once I finished training him. Yet, under all that, I felt a tiny sliver of terror. Anakin's need, his desire, to help and protect those he cared for was what Sidious had exploited to turn him into Vader. While I'd known it was there, and could easily recall Dooku's words about the danger that Anakin would bring out that concerning tendency of mine to risk it all to help those I cared for, it was only now, with the Force unfiltered and Anakin in my arm, that I felt I fully comprehend just how powerful, and dangerous our shared need to help could be.

However, even though that was an issue, it was one for later. The more pressing one was that, with Anakin hugging me, and Fenrir and Raven close by, I was struggling to limit the emotional overflow coming from them. knowing I had to if I wanted to keep going, to say nothing of entering Raven, I closed my eyes and once more looked inward.

There I felt for the Force again, finding the connection I held with it, and the muffle I'd placed on everything bar the bonds I shared with others. Drawing on my lessons with Fay and others, I slowly followed those instructions to dampen the emotional feedback I was experiencing. I didn't want to entirely shut down the connection I held with others, but I had to dampen the sensations from them that I was experiencing.

It took time, though I couldn't say how much, but slowly I felt the emotional tidal waves coming from the trio lessen; the strength of their feelings sliding back to more manageable levels. Once I felt I'd dulled my connection to the point that I wasn't at risk of being disorientated by sharp, intense bursts of feelings, I opened my eyes and then slowly patted Anakin's head.

"I'm alright. There's no need to worry, An'ika." The word Bo had used to describe Anakin slipping easily from me. As I said it, I swore I felt a gentle, distant shift in the Force. As if it was reacting to my use of the word and, I thought, approving. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Anakin didn't pull back instantly, but after a short time he did, and I saw his face. His eyes were red, and I was sure his tears had mingled with Fenrir's drool as he'd hugged me. "I… I thought I'd lost you. L-like mum." His voice all but died out as he finished, but given he was still all but lying on my chest, it carried to my ears easily.

I lifted my hand from his back and brought it around. Since my fingers were cleanish – Fenrir's drool ending up on the back of Anakin's shirt – I gently wiped his eyes, clearing the tears and drool that had gotten stuck there when he'd hugged me. "I'm fine. I just… for a while now I've been having issues with the Force. As if I've had a block on what I can and should be able to do. During the fight with the Zabrak, just before it ended, I had an epiphany and understood what was wrong. However, to fix the issue I needed a quiet world that was strong in the Force where I could meditate without distraction. When I awoke, the barrier that I'd been experiencing was gone; however, the change caught me unawares, At least until you, Raven, and Fenrir reached out to help."

Anakin blinked; his eyes widening and a frown forming as if he understood something. "That's why you seem different," He muttered.

That comment had me frowning, though it was less that he could sense the change in me, but that he might sense the taint from my usage of the Dark Side over the years. "In what way?" I asked carefully, wondering if I could use him to gauge when I'd recovered the full ability to mask my presence – be it just the Dark Side, or the full breadth of my Force connection – from others.

His frown deepened. "I'm not sure," he began slowly, his face twisting as he thought on the matter, and I struggled to not chuckle at his expression. "It's like, before, even when you were nearby, it felt as if you were, I dunno, distant. What was there was powerful but in a good way. Now though," he paused, his eyes searching mine for something. "It's like I'm standing on a beach on Gaia, looking at an ocean." A flicker of a smile came to his face, as it always did when he thought of seeing oceans. "It's massive, stretching further than I can see but… there's clouds in the distance. A storm brewing maybe. And under the surface… there's something there. Something dangerous." He paused and his eyes widened again. "Not that, uh, you're, um, dangerous. It's, ah, like…"

I lifted my hand to stop his rambling, and as I chuckled at the attempt to pull back his words, ruffled his hair. "It's okay. I get what you're trying to say," I said with a smile, my concern that he could sense the darkness in me easing. Yes, it was still there, but it was distant and indistinct. That I could work with; at least until I fully learnt how to hide the rage buried deep inside. "As I said, I've overcome the block I felt I had. One that, as you and others have noted, kept me distant in the Force. While I've defeated that block, it seems I need to work on tempering my control." I looked around as if searching for something, before leaning forward. "The less others know of what you and I can do, and how I've changed, the less they'll ask about us and the more we can do without anyone watching," I added quietly, in a conspiratorial way that I knew would appeal to Anakin.

"Okay, I think."

I chuckled at Anakin's confusion, which I could see all over his face and sense in the Force. "I'm not sure you do," I said, my hand still ruffling his hair, "but I'll teach you." He nodded at that, and my smile grew as I removed my hand from his head. "Now, I think it's time we consider leaving this world," I added, and he slipped off my chest.

"C-cam," he began as I slowly moved to stand. I looked at him as I shifted to my knees, sensing the fear inside grow stronger. However, as I began to stand, the fear became clearer to sense, and I understood it wasn't centred on the change he could sense in me, but was a more generalised thing. "Idontwanttobeweak."

I blinked, processing what he'd said, and once I had, looked down at him. "What do you mean by weak?" My question was said softly, and while I hadn't expected that statement from him, I had a suspicion of why he'd said it.

He held my gaze for a moment before looking down at the ground. Finding a loose stone, he kicked it, sending it hurtling into a nearby bog. "I… I'm weak. I, I couldn't s-save my m-mu," he said quietly, unwilling, or unable to meet my eyes. "I… I n-need to be st-stronger."

I knelt and placed my hand on his shoulder, and when he finally decided to look at me, I spoke. "Everything dies, Anakin. That's the way of the universe." His shoulders slumped, not liking what I was saying. "However, that doesn't mean we should just roll over and accept our fate; accept that death is coming for us. If we want to do anything or have anything, in this universe, we have to be willing to fight for it, to fight to defend it. No matter what anyone says, be they a Jedi, a politician, or some random sentient you meet on some unimportant planet in the middle of nowhere, everyone seeks to be stronger. However, for those of us able to draw upon and use the Force, we must be careful with how we channel that and other desires. The Force grants us the ability to do wondrous things, but it can also be used to do terrible things. The key is in deciding how and when we wield the Force. Do we use it for personal gain, to enrich and empower ourselves? Or do we use it to protect others, to help them grow strong enough they can defend themselves and those they care about?"

"I don't want to be weak," he repeated, seemingly not getting what I was trying to say.

My hand came to his chin and lifted it so I could meet his eyes. "You're not weak, Anakin. Your mother's death wasn't because you were weak, nor are you in any way responsible for it. The fault, if it lies with anyone, should lie with me as…"

"It's not your fault!" Anakin jumped in aggressively, the Force reacting to the massive, enraged burst of anger. "Me and Mum would've still been slaves if not for you!" I blinked, struggling to comprehend the power behind the voice. While he wasn't doing it intentionally, I could feel the Force in him shifting. As if a storm of unimaginable strength was forming not far from me. Yet, for all I could feel at the beginning, the first true inklings of what that storm might bring, I knew it wasn't ready to be unleashed; that it could still be tempered and focused.

"That is a possibility," I said to Anakin, ignoring the sensations in the Force as best I could. "However, what is certain is that, in my desire to help others, I made a mistake. One that, in the end, cost the lives of many including your mother. I thought," I continued before he could cut me off again, "that because they'd grown strong enough to protect themselves, the Lokella could help protect others. My mistake, and it was one, was not considering how important I am to many of their people. Because of that, they overcommitted to help, and left themselves vulnerable to an attack."

"That wasn't your fault!" Anakin shot back, the brewing storm I felt in the Force slowly shifting around as if changing directions. "It was the Hutts who attacked us! I want them dead!"

I stayed quiet, wanting to see if a moment of silence might settle the rapidly growing fury that radiated from Anakin. Everything about his rage was, in my opinion, justified. The Hutts, specifically Decca, had chosen to attack the Lokella when they were distracted, to strike back at losing control over those he had no right to consider his property. Yet, once more, it wasn't the cause of Anakin's rage, but the raw power that surged from the boy that caught me off guard and, as much as I knew it was wrong, impressed me.

Even now, as a nine-year-old boy, Anakin was powerful, but he was a wild beast, unable or unwilling to harness, to focus that power. He needed to refine and direct it while gaining the disciple to be the one in control, otherwise, it was easy to see what would become of him. Even with his connection to Palpatine unformed, if left as he was, it wouldn't take much to turn Anakin into Vader. Though the Vader I could see in the darkest elements of the growing storm wasn't the cold, calculated one I knew, but instead a wild, untamed monster.

In the corners of my mind, I heard whispers. Faint at first, but growing stronger as Anakin continued to rage. They were louder than before, though because I'd dampened my connection to the Force they should've been weaker, yet it wasn't hard to hear their words, the offer the Dark Side was giving. All I had to do was harness Anakin's rage, to focus it toward my goals, and when combined with my power the galaxy would cower under our weight. If I moulded him to use that anger, to harness it while remaining in control, he would become a dragon of death: He would wield a power few, if any, in the galaxy could stand against.

I blinked, realising the voices in my head, the whispers of the Dark Side were distracting me, tempting me more than I needed. The loss of the Interface now meant those offers of power would be stronger, and while I'd felt muting myself to the Force would hide them, it seemed they were even stronger and louder than before. Looking at Anakin, under the rage toward the Hutts, I saw a faint hint of fear, though I knew it wasn't for himself. No, this fear was for me. Almost as if he had some inkling of understanding of what dwelled within him.

"I know you want them dead, Anakin," I said slowly, being careful of my words. "Yet, while the Jedi would tell you to simply let go of your anger, and your feelings toward your mother, I won't. Nor will I tell you to give in to that anger as a Sith might. What I will do is promise you that, with time and dedication, you can learn to control that rage, to control yourself." That, I could admit, was a bit hypocritical as I struggled with that, but I also knew I had to learn this lesson, so what better reason to have to do so than to protect and help my son? "That day, however, is far from today."

"How long will it take?" He asked; firmness in his voice and certainty in his stance.

"I don't know, but when you've finally learnt to control yourself; when I, HK, Simvyl, Bo and others have finished training you, then know that all of us will stand with you. We will be with you when it's time for you to show the galaxy that the small, scared former slave is gone, and his place stands a warrior ready to do what he must."

Anakin blinked as I spoke, his anger shifting away, though not disappearing. "Isn't that what a Jedi's meant to be?"

"No, it's not," I replied with a chuckle. "At least according to many of the senior members of the Order. However, to me it is what a Jedi should be, what everyone should strive to be. Then again, I'm far from what most of the Order would consider a good Jedi." Fenrir growled in amusement and even though he was further away, I heard Simvyl's snort of agreement.

"Commentary: The Creator wasn't considered a good Jedi in his time, Master, nor would he be seen as one now. However, I believe he would consider you a true Jedi. Musing: Perhaps that is why he so enjoyed educating other Jedi on their inaccurate views."

I bit my tongue, not wanting to comment on the fact that Revan likely carried out those education sessions while a Sith Lord. Still, it was amusing to hear HK believe that Revan would consider me a true Jedi. He had been both Jedi and Sith and while I hoped that wouldn't be my fate, I would accept the compliment HK was offering on his creator's behalf.

Imagining how others in the Order would respond if they ever heard that comment from HK was something I'd enjoy thinking about, though I had no intention of ever sharing it with them. Bo, perhaps, might like to hear it though, as would Naz and a handful of others.

I saw that Anakin was smiling, seemingly happy with HK's remark. He'd read the first of my Knights of the Old Republic series and had asked me questions about Revan and his fate. I'd answered them as best I could without spoiling the story or putting the wrong ideas in the boy's head, but I'd avoided spoiling the surprise that was due to appear in the second book, Shadow of the Sith: that the hero of the story, the one working to save the Republic, was Revan.

Padmé, Serra, and others had asked me for spoilers about the stories as well, but I'd refused to ruin the surprise, and when the book dropped – which should be early next year – I knew I'd been getting a lot of calls about the reveal. Hopefully not from the Jedi Council or the Sith, but I expected Dooku at least to reach out.

I stood, planning to walk toward Raven only to stop as I remembered a promise I'd made. "HK, Fenrir," I said to the assassin and war beast, "we'll be leaving soon, but until then feel free to go hunting. Just don't go too far."

Fenrir howled in delight and raced away, seeking out the first challenger to his position at the top of the food chain. "Affirmative: Yes, Master. I will not take too long. Exclamation: I shall, however, enjoy removing as many detestable bestial meatbags as I can."

I laughed as he turned and raced away in the general direction of Fenrir. While the droid disliked organics, he was impressed with Fenrir's combat efficiency, considering him a useful, if not ideal, combat partner.

Once the droid was a decent distance away, I turned back to Anakin and clasped his shoulder. "Now, while we wait for those two to have their fun, perhaps we might begin your training in earnest?"

"Okay," the boy replied with a wide smile, and we moved toward Raven, R2 at our heels.

As we walked, I opened a new notice, one that had appeared while I'd been speaking with Anakin.

Quest Alert! [¤] [ɸ]
Te Ad's Skira
Rating: A
Train your son to the point where he is ready and capable of gaining revenge for the death of his mother.
Objectives:
:a: Help Anakin reach level 20 before the death of Decca Besadii Diori.
:b: Ensure that Anakin is the one to end the life of Decca Besadii Diori.
:c: Make sure Decca Besadii Diori dies before the outbreak of galactic war.
:d: [?]
:e: [?]
:f: [?]
Rewards:
:a: 2000XP
A decent increase in Reputation with Anakin Skywalker.
Decent Reputation increases with Ferox and Lia Skywalker.
Small increases in Reputation with anyone in the Lokella before you took Anakin Skywalker as your Padawan.
:b: 3500XP
Pass 2 Tests of Friendship with Anakin Skywalker.
A large increase in Reputation with Anakin Skywalker.
Decent Reputation increases with Ferox and Lia Skywalker.
Decent increases in Reputation with anyone in the Lokella before you took Anakin Skywalker as your Padawan.
:c: 2500XP
Variable changes in Reputation depending on how Decca Besadii Diori dies and who kills him.
Potential to pass a Test of Friendship with Anakin Skywalker.
Failure:
:a: -1000XP
The likely death of Anakin Skywalker.
Variable losses in Reputation with members of the Lokella.
:b: -1750XP
A decent loss of Reputation with Anakin Skywalker.
Variable losses in Reputation with members of the Lokella.
:c: -1250XP
A small loss of Reputation with Anakin Skywalker.
Variable losses in Reputation with members of the Lokella.
Accept?
Yes/No
...
WARNING!
It is possible to complete one of the base three conditions of the Quest without completing the others.
In that event, Rewards and Failures will be applied accordingly.
Thus, depending on which objectives are completed, you could complete the quest but end up worse for it.
...

While the title of the quest and its description were unexpected, and a little concerning, given what I'd said to Anakin, the objectives made sense. And it would be the first of many quests I suspected that revolved around preparing Anakin for the future, and all the chaos it would bring. What was interesting was how the quest spoke of a galactic war without directly calling it the Clone Wars. That suggested that my actions had already altered the course of the galaxy and that the war wouldn't be fought by the same factions as in the other timeline.

However, before accepting it, I wanted to see where Anakin stood and used Observe on him.

Anakin Skywalker
Race: Human
Level: 12
Health: 100%
Age: 9
Force Potential: Extreme
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Trusted Confidant
Affiliation Loyalty: Cameron Shan (86%), Clan Shan (86%), Lokella (84%)
Emotional State: Relieved/hopeful/angry
Young Anakin is glad that not only are you safe, but that you will help him become strong.
He hopes that, over the next few years, he can get closer to being strong enough to protect those he loves.
Though his rage toward the Hutts, specifically Decca, colours much of his thinking.
...

Everything there was about what I'd expected, though seeing his loyalty to me was already beyond that of the Lokella was a little surprising. That there was no mention of the Jedi or Republic in his loyalties was fine, though I wondered where Bo and the Mandalorians ranked in his loyalty scale. Sadly, the Interface only ever provided the top three choices for Affiliation Loyalty; at least where they were over 50%.

Still, the targets for the Te Ad's Skira quests were achievable. Or at least the two of them were. Eight levels of growth wasn't going to be too hard to manage, not when both Anakin and I were focused on making him better and stronger. Therefore, the first objective of the quest wasn't a major issue. Ensuring Decca died before the outbreak of galactic war would also, I felt, be achievable, which left only the one to ensure Anakin was the one to remove the Hutt as a challenge.

On the overall balance, it was a worthwhile quest to take, but as it wasn't time-limited for me to accept, I wasn't going to accept it now. After the mistakes I'd made early on, which I'd paid for with the death of Master Micah Giiett and his linked quest, I'd learnt my lesson.

"Give them an hour to hunt before calling them back," I said to Simvyl as I reached the ramp. He nodded accepting my order as I headed into Raven with Anakin and R2.

Even without taking the quest, I'd be training Anakin to be capable of taking on a Jedi Master before galactic war erupted. The only questions that ran through my head were, with the changes I'd brought forth already, and those I'd cause with training Anakin, what sort of chaos would be unleashed, and how they would affect the galaxy as a whole.

All I could do was work to ensure that whatever happened, it helped with my overall goal of ensuring I didn't die when the Republic fell, and Sidious assumed control of what remained. Preferably without letting the Empire be born as anything more than a state bound to fail before it even emerged.

… …

… …
A/N: Before anyone decides to suggest it, Cam has not been nerfed. While he will have to retrain himself to use the Force, his potential is fully unlocked and, with time, he'll become capable of doing what is needed to not only survive, but potentially defeat the oncoming storm of the Banite Sith and their Grand Plan.
... ...

For that are interested, the possible Perks and Player Powers Can had to choose from at level 30.
Level 30 Perks Descriptions
Level 30 Player Power Descriptions

This story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.

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May the Force be with you. Always.

USSExplorer · Apr 30, 2024

A/N: Thanks to those helping me write and plan out this story and checking it for continuality and logical errors.

This chapter was released as an Early Bird on the story's Discord server (link at the end of the chapter) several weeks ago to those who are active on the server.
It has been available to those who support my writing (via links that are again at the end of the chapter) anywhere from the beginning of the month to 3 months in advance. For those who support my writing, and join the server, then it is possible to be 4 to 5 chapters ahead of public chapters.
Links for supporting my writing, or joining the Discord server, are at the end of the chapter.

3.02 Replacements and Invitations
... ...

The swirling, twisting vortex of hyperspace was the only view from Raven's cockpit, and while it could be maddening to stare at it for hours or days, today I didn't care. And not just because my eyes were currently closed.

I didn't know how long it had been since we'd left Dagobah, but I was still on cloud nine. I knew that I had to relearn or refocus literally every Force Power I had, but sitting in Raven, being able to fully experience the bond we shared, and her delight at racing between the stars made everything worth it.

Haran, just rising through the damp, cloudy atmosphere of the planet had been incredible. Before I'd known she felt every shift in air current, temperature and humidity over her skin, but now, with the Interface no longer filtering the Force, I could experience it as if it was my skin covering the vessel. That had been amazing, as had the incredible, all-encompassing warmth that came as we broke through the ozone layer and the full might of the solar winds from the system's star brushed against her hull. To be able to feel the shifting magnetic fields of the planets and stars as we moved through the system was beyond incredible. Even if I spent a thousand years searching, I knew I'd never find the words to describe it, nor the sheer, unmitigated joy we shared as I pushed Raven through a series of increasingly complex manoeuvres.

Before the change, Raven had been able to sense what I wanted her to do and react accordingly. Now, with the Interface filtering gone, it was as if, at times, our minds were one. Given how she'd been born, and what I'd then done to save her when Zonama Sekot had departed, there was logic behind why that was. Yet, logic barely entered my mind as Raven twisted, turned, dove, and strafed through the system. Dancing with her as we soared through an asteroid field was an experience that, like much of the short trip so far, was going to remain with me forever.

However, for all the new and incredible sensations I'd experienced as Raven and I worked as one even as she fell through space, it paled in comparison to what she, and by extension I, was feeling now. The twisting, insanely energetic vortex of hyperspace was incredible. Every little spark of energy that touched her skin felt as if it was me the energies were touching. Waves of delight rushed through her and me as the wild, untamed power of faster-than-light travel brushed and caressed her body, bringing her indescribable delight. If not for the fact my connection to her, and the Force in general, was as muted as I could currently make it, I suspected I'd have been lost to the universe: riding on a high that few other sentient beings could ever expect to experience.

Yet, even with the connection muted, I knew beyond doubt that Raven was, in every sense that the Republic classified it, sentient. She might've been grown uniquely – certainly now when any other ship built by Sekot had likely died when the planet had departed – but she was alive and aware. Indeed, more so than some beings I'd have the misfortune to encounter in my travels. However, as much as I was marvelling at this experience, I knew I couldn't spend the entire voyage doing so. Thus, with a reluctant sigh, I opened my eyes.

Looking around the cockpit, I saw I was alone, which I hadn't been when I'd closed them. It seemed that Anakin and Fenrir had grown bored with my unresponsive nature and decided to amuse themselves elsewhere. Before I even understood how, I knew where they, Simvyl, HK and R2 were; Raven supplied the information before the thought was fully formed. That made me smile, though when I glanced at the chronometer, I cringed.

What I thought had been a few hours had been most of the day. Haran, that explained why Anakin and Fenrir were so calm in the boy's cabin. the pair would be sleeping, as likely was Simvyl. The droids were in the main area; both, from what Raven provided, were recharging in their alcoves. That said, I knew HK would be alert. The assassin droid was ever mindful of danger, and after me having gotten lost in Raven's sensations for the day, I was even more glad for that than normal.

Turning my thoughts to Dagobah, I once more marvelled at the changes brought on by Natural Selection. No longer was the Force filtered or monitored by the Interface, now it was free. While I knew it was going to take time to refocus and relearn much of what I knew, or at least how to draw upon the Force to use it in the ways I had before, I already knew I'd made the right choice.

I could feel the Force all around me, flowing through everything. Many of the teachings I'd received in the Temple, or from Fay suddenly made more sense. As if with the Interface gone, the fog that was blocking me from beginning my journey into and with the Force could finally begin. While Dooku had taught such lessons at times, he was a much more practically-minded person, and with those lessons, I'd never had issues understanding and realising his motives and concepts. Which was perhaps why I was closer to the man who'd, in the other timeline, turned to the Banite Sith seeking a clearer path forward.

For how to relearn and refocus my Force Powers, I already had a few ideas, and we were enroute to the first stop on that journey. Or at least we would be after stopping in the Core and refuelling. I knew Raven disliked a lot of the fuelling options in the more remote world in the Mid and Outer Rim, and as our final destination lay along one of the major hyperspace routes, I was willing to pay the extra cost for high-quality fuel. Especially now, with my connection to her so much clearer and stronger, I didn't want to experience her distaste or fury at having to consume low-quality fuel.

As my hand moved over the controls, making sure everything was running smoothly – even if I knew that they were, the action brought an odd sense of comfort – I turned my attention to the other changes that had happened after taking Natural Selection. That being the new Player Powers and Perk I'd taken.

While it could only be applied to two current skills I'd taken Level Boost. The potential it offered was something I wasn't going to turn down, nor that the sooner I took it once, the sooner I could take it again. Getting 10 levels was going to take effort to gain, especially as the required XP was equal to every point of XP I'd needed to get to Level 30, including the XP I'd started with when I'd been inserted into this universe.

I had four skills Maxed out, at least to the base standard now I guessed, but only two, Lightsaber: Form 2 [Makashi], and Lightsaber [Standard], could have the Level Boost applied to them. That was fine as, while I wasn't going to do so now, they were two of the more likely skills to get the increased tiers. The other two skills that were Maxed were Concentration and Meditation, though they didn't have tiers, instead, like a handful of other Skills, they had one hundred total levels.

I was considering using the spare Skill points I had, which stood at 179, and getting an instant boost in Makashi to Tier 8, yet I was reluctant to do so. While using the Skill Points like that was something I'd done – with a focus on making sure I completed a few quests that I wished I'd never taken – doing it for a skill that I used regularly felt like cheating. The increased skill with Form 2 of lightsaber combat would be great, but I wanted to earn that skill, not simply have the knowledge seemingly appear in my mind. It would make the day I finally defeated Dooku in a spar all the more rewarding. Plus, having those Skill Points around meant I could use them to boost skills I either didn't have the time to focus on or to top up any Training Quests I might take in the future. Though dropping them in a skill that would allow me to understand and bond with Anakin better – such as Astrogation or Mechanics – was another option.

While a few of the other optional Player Powers had potential, the clear choice for spending the second Player Point on was Reveal The Hidden. Knowing the hidden objectives of every quest I had was something that seemed insanely useful. However, after taking the Player Power and then reading through the quests where I wanted to use it, I realised it'd made me more apprehensive about certain quests.

The Promise of the Fallen, the quest from Revan, had, as expected, revealed no new details. From the wording of Reveal The Hidden, that was what I'd expected, but I had hoped to be wrong. Sadly, it seemed I was going to have to continue fluttering around aimlessly to complete every part of that quest; waiting for my ancestor to appear again and explain what he wanted. Of course, given he hadn't done so since I'd met him in the Crystal Caves on Ilum, I suspected that wasn't going to ever happen. All I could do was hope that, by doing things like finding the Vault he'd created with Canderous Ordo, and rebuilding HK, I was at least on a path he approved of.

At least with the other quests where it could be applied, Reveal The Hidden showed its use, though for some I wished it hadn't as now I was even more concerned, and curious, about how the quest would go.

Cash in Hand was the clearest and easiest of the quests that had revealed hidden objectives. The initial objective of having a million credits in my name by the time I turned eighteen was already achieved. However, I didn't know if the quest saying 'having the money in my name' meant the money in the account under my pseudonym I used for writing – which was my name from before I'd been reborn in this universe – an account under my real name, or in my Inventory. Because of that, and as the Sith knew of my writing, I was slowly shifting my finances around. While some went to an account with a Mandalorian financial guild under my name and that of my Clan, which I knew Damask would be tracking, most was slowly heading via my Inventory into various dummy accounts.

The amounts in those dummy accounts didn't match the withdrawals from my writing account, nor were they opening in the same system as where I made the withdrawals. I knew that eventually, the Sith would discover those accounts were tied to me, but the longer it took them to find them, the better. Force, they might think it another sign that I wasn't a typical Jedi, and even a potential Sith Lord in the making, that I moved my credits around so cautiously. What they wouldn't know was that the majority of the credits I'd withdrawn, which currently sat at over fifteen million, were in my Inventory.

At the time that seemed enough to complete the bonus objective, but with Reveal The Hidden showing the uppermost objective was for fifty million in my name by the time I was eighteen, I knew I'd have to accelerate the movement of my funds. With around three-quarters of a year until I reached the cut-off, every objective was achievable, and I intend to complete them and get the XP that came with that.

For the other quests, the one that I was closest to completing the bonus objectives was for Changing Fate [Dooku]. I already knew two of those even before taking Reveal The Hidden and the final one, was to have become his Padawan. I didn't know when that quest would be considered complete – perhaps when a replacement Darth Tyrannus rose – but along with Cash in Hand, I'd be within touching distance of Level 31.

Changing Fate [Anakin] was another quest where I'd already completed the bonus objectives. However, here I'd failed one that involved keeping Shmi alive until the outbreak of galactic war. The other two bonuses, which had been to rescue Anakin from Tatooine before the Invasion of Naboo, and taking him as my Padawan or Trainee were both completed. I didn't think the main objective, of preventing him from becoming Darth Vader was at risk of being failed, but given it was one of two S*** quests, I wouldn't be considering it safe until the quest ended.

The other quest linked to Anakin, and my most recently taken quest, Te Ad's Skira, would, I felt, help ensure Darth Vader never rose. I wasn't saying that I could stop Anakin from using and controlling the Dark Side, as it would be massively hypocritical since I'd done so before and suspected I'd do so again. What the quest could do was forge the bond between us so that he'd never be tempted to turn to the Banite Sith.

Te Ad's Skira had three bonus conditions, and the first two revolved around getting Anakin to higher levels – 25 and 30 – before Decca the Hutt was killed. Those should be doable, especially if I focused heavily on pushing him and myself over the next few years. The last bonus objective, however, was going to be a challenge.

Ensuring that Gardulla the Hutt, Decca's mother, and the leader of one of the largest Hutt kajidics – clans – didn't link either Anakin or myself to Decca's death would take careful planning. Now, that bonus only came into effect if one of us killed the giant slug, but since I wanted Decca dead – though nowhere near as much as Anakin – I was reasonably certain one of us would ensure he met the end he deserved. Preferably knowing the face of the one who'd killed him.

If Gardulla learnt that we were involved in her son's death, then hell would be coming for us. It was unlikely the other Hutt kajidics would get involved, at least so long as they didn't see our actions as an assault on the entire Hutt race, but even if it was just Gardulla's clan, we'd be in trouble. She'd throw everything, including the proverbial kitchen sink, at us in an attempt to avenge her son and prove she was still powerful enough to lead the kajidic.

Now, if I had the chance, I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to remove every stinking Hutt from the galaxy, much as with Trandoshans, but I doubted I'd be able to do that. Not unless I had the firepower to rival the GAR and CIS at my full command.

Changing Fate [Miraj], which was my most recent Changing Fate quest, had a single bonus objective. That was, when galactic war broke out, that she and Zygerria aligned with whichever faction I was a part of. Just like with Anakin's quest, the fact it referred to galactic war and not The Clone Wars was interesting. As was the fact the quests seemed to think I would not side with the Jedi and the GAR. While I'd been leaning heavily against standing with the Republic for some time, I knew that, in the form it had taken in the other timeline, I'd not work with the CIS.

If a true alternative to the Republic could be formed, as was hinted at with Senator Bonteri and the Separatist Senate, then perhaps I might stand with them. However, that was something a long way off and not something to concern myself with for at least a few more years. Still, I would reach out when I could and keep in contact. That should let me gain some insight into her intentions for her people, and if I could, direct her toward a change in path.

Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas] was the last of those quests, at least currently active, and perhaps the one closest to completion. Sifo-Dyas was dead before the Clone Wars had begun, so he was due to meet that fate sometime in the next decade. The bonuses, however, were a little odd. Without even meaning to, I'd completed the first bonus which was to learn who financed the Clone Army. The reward there was to discover Sidious' Master, which I had when meeting Hego Damask, aka Darth Plagueis.

Given his public placement as head of Damask Holdings, moving around the credits to pay for the Clone Army would be trivial for Plagueis. I just hadn't realised that whatever chain of events had resulted in our meeting had meant that even if Sifo-Dyas died and I failed the quest, I'd still complete that bonus objective. What I had determined was that the pair both hoped to, at the very least, use me to bring about the fall of the Jedi, if not make into a new apprentice in the order of Banite Sith.

The other objective involved keeping the Jedi Master alive until the outbreak of galactic war. While that would be useful, I was more concerned that failure to complete the quest would result in the death of someone close to me. As Darihd was Sifo-Dyas' Padawan, that meant he was the likely candidate to die for my failure. The problem was, as things stood I simply couldn't step in and warn Darihd or Sifo-Dyas, or indeed do much to help them.

With me needing to relearn how to use the Force and hide the change in my Force presence, I couldn't risk going anywhere near a Jedi, never mind the Temple and the Senate. As bad as it might sound, I understood that to protect Anakin and have any chance of defeating the Sith, I might have to sacrifice a friend.

The last quest with bonus objectives was, in every way, the single most terrifying quest I had. And that was before I knew of the bonus objectives that awaited me. Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire was the first true quest I received, and had sat on my quest list for nearly a decade now without any hint of how to complete it. The warnings that had come with it, about not attempting it until I was at least Level 20 and had three other Force users with me, had stuck with me ever since the Quest had appeared and, in a moment of insanity, I'd accepted it.

I couldn't not do the quest, as if I didn't finish it before the Clone Wars – or whatever might replace those – occurred, then whatever was on Dromond Kaas would belong to Sidious. That would only serve to make the future Emperor even more powerful, which was something that would give me nightmares for a long while. Yet, after reading the bonus objectives, I wasn't sure that I'd be able to complete the quest at Level 40 with a dozen Force users at my side.

The first bonus dealt with a group called The Prophets of the Darkside. They, whoever they were, had to be found and then either destroyed or forced to serve me. The latter option, perhaps worryingly, carried twice as much XP for completion than simply murdering every member of the group. I didn't even know who these people were, or what they could do, but the fact that even killing them would bring me 4000XP, without considering combat XP, was a hint that it wasn't going to be easy.

The next bonus had me and my party exploring the Palace of the Emperor and each of the Inner Sanctums of the Dark Council. The simple fact that doing just one of those awarded more than subjugating the Prophets made clear how insanely dangerous that was going to be. Add in the fact that there wasn't a clear indication of how many Inner Sanctums there were, and that objective alone could take months, if not years, to complete.

The other two extra goals were, by comparison, a cakewalk. The first had me having to hide the expedition from Sidious and Plagueis, or rather insanely, reveal it to one or both. I wasn't sure what sort of insanity the Interface, and by extension, TPTB were suffering when they came up with that, though I knew I didn't want to know.

The last extra was to complete the quest before the outbreak of galactic war, which was one I'd be making even if I hadn't known about it. What was interesting was that completing this objective would double all XP gains from the quest. I wasn't sure if that extended beyond the actual objectives, and included combat XP from the planet, then it could be insanely useful. Kriff, even if it was only the other objectives it covered, then I was looking at a minimum of 27000XP for just the two base objectives, up to – assuming four members of this Dark Council – over 120000XP.

That was an insane amount of XP for a single quest, but given the insane difficulty of it – S*** – then it wasn't a huge surprise. Still, 27000 was a little under three-quarters of the full XP needed for Level 31, whereas 120000XP was almost three full levels. And all of that was before any combat XP that the planet would undoubtedly bring.

Dromond Kaas, as the capital of a Sith Empire that had lasted for at least a thousand years, would be littered with other challenges. Anything and everything from simple creatures corrupted by the Force to Sithspawn and Darkside Nexuses would likely cover the planet. That, I expected, would mean anything from two to, potentially, five or more levels was on offer from this one planet.

As insanely tempting as that amount of XP was, the whole quest was beyond insane to attempt. And that was before I'd taken Natural Selection. Now that I had, it would be some time before I dealt with that quest, as both I and Anakin, who I knew would be with me for that, needed to train and prepare for a challenge that, I felt, would show me how ready I was to take on the Banite Sith.

Still, while Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire was going to haunt my dreams for some time, I was glad to have taken Reveal The Hidden. At least now, for that quest and the others, I knew more, if not all, of what I could expect to complete them, or at least partially complete them. However, I wasn't sure if my choice for my new Perk was the correct one.

While there were more choices for Perks, in the end, I'd gone for Shatterpoint Acclimatisation. From the description, I knew it wouldn't lift me to the point where I could sense shatterpoints in people or events as Windu could, but it was the first step along that road. If I understood it correctly, I should now be capable of getting Shatterpoint back to where it had been before. Then, at its max of Professional:1 allowed me to see weak points in walls and designs, though it took time. While not immediately useful, this Perk was a long-term investment. With time and continual purchase of the next upgrade in the series for the Force Power, then by the time I approached Sidious, Fay, Plagueis, and Yoda in Level, I should hopefully be capable of seeing shatterpoints as Windu did. Hells, even if I only took it to the point where I could spot flaws and weaknesses in plans or defences that others had missed and I could exploit, it would be a worthwhile purchase.

The other Perk I'd considered, and one I was likely to take at Level 32, was Stat Boost. That would, when I took it, lift the combined limit of my Physical Stats – Strength, Agility, and Vitality – to 75 from the current 65. Given that the Human baseline was 55 for those Stats, even without the Force I was above my species, which was a good thing. Humans were, by and large, at the lower end of the spectrum for physical abilities of the races for their approximate size. With the Force, I could likely match a Wookie in a test of strength. Or at least before I'd taken Natural Selection that was possible, now I didn't know, which was why Stat Boost held an appeal.

While thinking about my Stats, I decided that it was time to spend my stored Stat Points. Intelligence was lifted to 45, Wisdom to 35, and Charisma to 40. Each of those was far above the average values of 20 for Humans, and many other species, but it was the extra boosts they'd provided to levelling up skills, which were dominated by one Stat each, and in the case of Intelligence, the increased number of Skill Points each level up brought, that made spending Stat Points worth it.

After those moves, I had 5 Stat Points left over, and figuring I should show it some love, I placed them in Luck. That lifted that score to 5, along with a bonus 10 that came from being Force Sensitive. It was unlikely those points would be useful, but given the luck I'd had with running into dangerous situations that pushed me in ways I wasn't always ready for, I'd take any help I could get. Perhaps it might not be enough to avoid such situations, but it should, I hoped, increase my chances of getting out of them unharmed.

A gentle, warm, comforting presence pushed against my senses, and I knew Raven wanted my attention. Focusing on the controls, I understood that I'd spent longer going over my choices and spending Stat Points than I'd realised as we were now close to exiting hyperspace.

The system we were emerging into was a, relatively speaking, minor one, and not where I planned to refuel or end up, but we had to exit here. It was the intersection with another Hyperspace lane we had to travel, one that would take us closer to our destination.

I supposed I could've headed to one of the various Force Sects I'd learnt about in the Celebratus Archive, but I wanted to head to Kuat first. The Mandalorian engineers and designers who'd examined Raven had been clear they lacked the understanding to add weapons to her without hurting, and potentially damaging her. Instead, they'd given me a list of a handful of companies and individuals that might be capable of helping. While it was unlikely that anyone on Kuat could help, it was worth the visit for Raven and Anakin.

The boy loved starships, even more so than designing droids, and it was an interest I wanted to encourage. I remembered seeing Centerpoint Station in the Corellia system, and the shipyards at Fondor when I'd studied there. Kuat, with a shipyard ring that encircled the planet, was meant to make both look simple by comparison, and I was looking forward to Anakin's face when he saw that, and the myriad of giant warships that Kuat had built over the centuries.

The Ruusan Reformation meant that they lacked the armaments and engines their size meant they should have, but the mighty Procurator-class and Praetor-class star-battlecruisers and the Mandator-class star-dreadnoughts were still considered some, if not the, most powerful warships in the history of the galaxy. Seeing those in the flesh was something I wanted to experience, as much as I wanted Anakin to see them.

A small part of me also wondered if those starships were the precursors of the mighty Executor and the class of Super Star Destroyers. That same part also wondered if, perhaps, learning how such vessels were built, might in some way be useful to me in the future with the war that sat just over the horizon, watching everything like a hungry dragon ready to devour everything that lay before it.

… …

… …
The small holo-display in Raven's cockpit flickered to life, revealing Chancellor Palpatine. "Cameron, my boy, how are you?" he asked with a gentle, grandfatherly smile. The robes he wore weren't easy to make out through the call, but I suspected they were some of the finest in the galaxy: as one would expect of the Chancellor of the Republic.

"Chancellor, what a welcome surprise," I replied, playing with his words during the invasion of Naboo. The slight shifting of his lips suggested he'd caught the reference. "I'm as well as I can be, thank you for asking." When I'd been informed there was a call coming in from Coruscant, I'd had Simvyl make sure Anakin stayed clear of the cockpit. Through Raven, I knew my Padawan was playing with Fenrir in the training hold, so he'd be occupied until after I'd finished speaking with the Sith Lord that led the supposedly free galaxy. "The Force hasn't yet offered me an insight into where my next adventure awaits, so I'm enjoying the freedom of simply travelling and exploring the galaxy."

Palpatine chuckled. "Ah, to be young and with the freedom to move as one likes, how I miss those days. I enjoyed racing speeders in my youth you know, but alas both that and freedom have long since deserted me. Even more so since my elevation to the Chancellorship."

"I wouldn't agree entirely, Chancellor. Anyone willing to take on the responsibility for the Republic must have the energy, and patience, to deal with every sort of person in the Senate and elsewhere. That the person who now holds the office is as trustworthy and patient as you is a relief. After decades, if not centuries, of neglect, it offers me hope for the future." Yes, I was laying it on thick, but the longer Sidious believed I was an ally, or potentially one, the longer I had to prepare for the war between us.

The Chancellor laughed gently. "I'm grateful for the compliment, and the support of the Hero of Naboo, however, I'm struggling to gain any traction to sanction the Trade Federation. They, and the various Senators they either outright or privately control, are fighting hard to ensure their overlords escape justice."

"I would offer my services to help, but I fear I would be censored by the Council, if not imprisoned, for the methods I'd use." Namely that I'd threaten those fools and sycophants with a lightsaber and Force Lightning. As much fun as it would be to fry or execute a large number of the Senators whose only focus was their pockets and not the people they served, spending the next decade or two in a Jedi prison wasn't something I wanted.

"Yes, I fear you would, though I won't deny that the thought of seeing how certain Senators reacted to being faced with an angered Jedi would amuse me greatly." He paused and looked around as if looking for someone attempting to listen in. "Preferably in ways similar to how you handled matters on Naboo."

"How is your home faring?" I asked, changing the topic slightly after a burst of laughter. While the idea of forcing the Senate to act as they should was appealing, it was the road that led Anakin to become Vader. Plus, it would only have Sidious and Plagueis believing that I was on the verge of turning, which wasn't what I wanted.

"The rebuild is progressing, though slower than either I or Queen Amidala wish." The mention of Padmé was deliberate, as it drew my thoughts to her, but it made sense as there was no chance he, and the Jedi Council, hadn't seen the way she acted around me. Especially after Naboo was liberated. "The Federation is fighting with everything they can to avoid paying for the damages, something those allied with them in the Senate are supporting. Still, the credits generated from the salvage of the Federation ship left disabled in orbit are so far sufficient to pay for everything." We shared a look of amusement at the idea the Federation had not just lost three vessels, but the one that had lost its engines was now being stripped apart for salvage. The other two vessels had, officially, vanished though both I and Palpatine knew where they were.

One of the massive ships was with the Lokella who were more likely to simply sell the vessel back to the Federation. At least so long as they were paid in full for it. If not, then it would be stripped for parts that could be used to help the Lokella grow and improve their defences. While not the best fighters around, the remaining Vulture droids added a new element to the system's defence.

The other massive vessel was taken as a war trophy by the Mandalorians, and the last I saw it was orbiting Mandalore. Many were inclined to scrap the vessel, but there was, the last I was on the planet, a growing voice to turn the vessel into a defence platform and training facility. That was my preferred option, and using my position as War Leader, I had expressed that. However, I wasn't pushing the matter as I felt it was a choice for the Mandalorians to make, not me. No matter how useful a defence platform over Mandalore would be with the coming war.

"Queen Amidala has asked me to again relay her thanks for your help in freeing our world, and ask that you might visit when you have time." There was a hint of something in Palpatine's smile. As if he suspected Padmé had ulterior motives for the invitation. "I've been informed that your villa is ready whenever you arrive."

I'd tried to get the pair to not offer me the villa, but they insisted I deserved it. Beyond being officially made a citizen of Naboo, as the Hero of Naboo, I needed an official residence. Palpatine had suggested a villa in the Lake District, somewhere close to where he and Padmé's family had residences. Padmé had agreed instantly with the idea, ignoring my concerns about a Jedi owning property. Thankfully, Palpatine hadn't mentioned the apartment Damask had granted me in Kaldani Spires, but I knew that if I'd protested too much, he'd have found a way to hint at me already having property to my name.

"I will keep the offer in mind, Chancellor. For now, I will simply wait for the Force to offer a hint of where my next adventure lies." I continued to be vague about my location and intentions to not tip my hand. He'd be able to determine which sector I was in by having someone analyse where this communication ended. Amusingly, if he'd called me a few days ago, then I'd have been able to swing over to Naboo. Dagobah was located close, relatively speaking, to the planet, but even if the call had come in then, I'd have likely not stopped by. I didn't want Padmé, or Sabé for that matter, getting the wrong idea.

"On the subject of Naboo and the Federation, I assume you've heard of the accident?" he asked, his smile falling.

"No. I've not spent much time on the Holonet, and mentions of the Federation often have me changing the signal," I replied having been out of the loop for the last few weeks.

"Entirely understandable. However, there has been an important, and unexpected development. Viceroy Gunray is missing and presumed dead along with the security escort."

"What? How?" I asked, curious to learn how HK had pulled the assassination off. Since I didn't know when or how it would happen, keeping my reactions genuine was easy. I'd even gone so far as to insist neither HK nor R2 mention anything about the plan until after it had succeeded. It now seemed that whatever plan, or series of plans as I suspected HK would've had redundancies in place, had worked.

"Can you secure your channel?" Palpatine asked. As much as I didn't want to, as it would grant him my exact location, I did as asked. What I was about to be told was obviously restricted information, and not doing as asked would lead to questions I didn't want to develop currently. After I nodded to confirm the channel was secured on my end, the Chancellor continued. "The details, as you can imagine, are under heavy security restrictions. Publicly, it's known that neither the Viceroy nor his escort and the ship he was travelling on, arrived at Coruscant. That is something my office was forced to confirm was the case. However, what I'm about to tell you cannot be repeated to anyone, not even the Jedi Council." There was the faintest of flickers of his lips, that if I didn't know the truth, might be dismissed as an issue with the Council.

"I don't think that'll be an issue," I replied, knowing full well I had no intention of speaking to any member of the Council for some time.

"The Senate Guard, working with Jedi, have concluded that the Viceroy was assassinated, however without proof of the fate of the vessel carrying him, or testimony from those escorting him, it cannot be confirmed."

"While I can't say I'm surprised that there was an attempt on his life," I said slowly, seeing no need to not be honest, "I'm shocked that it happened so suddenly. Was the ship destroyed in hyperspace?" I asked, postulating an obvious idea for why the security transport was missing and presumed lost.

"As I said, there is no proof currently, but it is the most likely outcome." He paused and looked down as if viewing a datapad or something similar. "About a day after the transport left Naboo, the ship made an unscheduled drop out of hyperspace. It was relayed to my office that the Viceroy had suffered a heart attack. The Jedi assigned to the mission were able to save him, but the preliminary report suggested the attack was the result of poison: one made from plants local to Naboo."

"I assume you've spoken with Queen Amidala and Captain Panaka about this?"

"Yes, and investigators have arrived there to search for a trail to the perpetrators. However, as I noted, the attack failed, and the ship re-entered hyperspace. That was the last time we had contact with the vessel. The working theory is that a secondary method, one that would cause an accident with the hyperspace engines, was activated when the Viceroy survived the first attempt."

I leaned back in my chair, considering the matter. "That seems likely, but that an assassin, one with a clear grudge against the Viceroy, moving from targeting him only to innocent members of the Senate Guard and Jedi Order is a rather large leap." I paused, and after realising what I was doing, pulled my hand from my chin in disgust. "Have the Council offered any insight into the matter?" I was curious as to which Jedi had been assigned to escort the Viceroy. I knew it wasn't Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but I wondered if perhaps, this incident had resulted in the death of a senior Jedi, if not a Council Member. Regardless of which Jedi had died, I knew HK would be proud that he managed to defeat another member of the Order, though I was sure he'd have preferred to do so directly.

"Beyond being as annoyingly vague as ever," Palpatine started, making me smirk in agreement, "All they have confirmed is that the Jedi Knight assigned to the mission has become one with the Force. Given the difficulty there is in killing a Jedi, that has led me to accept the Viceroy, and the men I assigned to guard him, are already dead."

"I won't comment on the Council's thinking, nor that, as much as they might not like admitting it, Jedi have been dying at a higher rate than normal the last few years," something I knew he was well aware of and was enjoying, "but I'd agree with your logic. If the assassin could kill a Jedi, then the Viceroy and the Senate Guard would be child's play in comparison."

My mind was already playing over what HK had done, and while it seemed easy to consider I knew it wouldn't have been. The poison would've required anonymous contacts with a supplier, along with a dead drop. He'd then have had to find a way to have the poison added to the Viceroy's food; probably by reprogramming the food preparation droids to ensure it passed checks. From there, he'd have had other steps to consider, but a backup to the poison was logical. Haran, I suspected he had several in place, and the destruction of the transport was just the one that had worked.

"Yes, which is why the investigators believe the ship is destroyed and everyone onboard dead. However, without proof, I cannot reveal details to the Senate, the Republic, or the people of my homeworld."

"As a Jedi, I can't find enjoyment in the Viceroy's death," I began slowly, figuring I could use this moment to improve my standing with Sidious. "However, given the suffering he caused on Naboo, and no doubt on other worlds through the Outer Rim, I find it hard to mourn his passing. That said, the loss of innocents to ensure his removal is unacceptable."

"As a son of Naboo, I agree wholeheartedly," Palpatine replied with a nod. "However, as Chancellor, I'm concerned by the impression this gives of the Republic's ability to bring criminals to justice. And of how it weakens my government when we were planning for the Viceroy's trial to be the first sign that we would move to clean up the corruption in the Senate and beyond."

"That's easy to fix," I said with a small smile. "The invasion of Naboo happened under the watch of Chancellor Valorum, as did the Senate not moving to help a sovereign world of the Republic. It is a simple matter to subtly shift the blame to him."

Palpatine nodded. "My advisors had already suggested that approach, though I was reluctant to do so. For all his flaws, Finis did the best he could with the situation in the Senate." He shook his head, a small chuckle slipping from him. "Again, for all your distaste of politics, you show skill for playing the game."

"Less an interest in the game, than the simple offer of advice for a friend," I countered. "I'll leave the screaming masses of self-interested fools to you, Chancellor. I have neither the patience nor way with words to stomach such an audience."

"I suspect you undersell yourself," Palpatine replied with a kind smile. "Still, I'm thankful for the suggestion. On other, happier matters, it might amuse you to know that I have introduced legislation to appoint a co-Chancellor so I might have support for handling the Senate."

I blinked, caught out by the announcement. "Oh? Really?" I gulped hard as a horrid idea came to mind. "Please, tell me you're not going to offer that to me?"

Palpatine's head snapped back as deep, highly amused laughter rushed from him. "Heavens no!" He replied once he'd recovered. "Beyond knowing you would want nothing to do with the position, Republic law forbids any Jedi from holding public office. While it would be amusing to see your daily reaction to the Senate, I have another in mind for the role." As he paused, I felt a shift in the Force and a sudden well of concern formed within me. "There is much that I must deal with each day that any changes I wish to bring forth are already drowning under other minor, inconsequential matters. That is why I wish to split the role between two individuals and appoint someone with the gravitas and strength of will to join me in leading the Republic."

"That makes sense," I replied slowly, the well of concern slowly growing into a pit of despair as the Force continued to shift awkwardly around me. Something was happening that would change the course of history, and while I didn't know what that was, I knew it wasn't going to be good for me.

"It does indeed. And I believe you will approve of my selection: Magister Hego Damask."

My mouth opened, yet no sound emerged as I processed that Plagueis was going to join his Apprentice as the leaders of the Republic. everything I'd been working toward, and planning for had just grown a thousand times harder as now there were two Banite Sith Lords in control of the Republic.

My mind rushed through every interaction I'd had with the Banite Sith. From posing to Palpatine's nephew during a mission, through the seemingly random meeting with Plagueis on Mandalore to our discussions on the threat posed by the Vong. Somewhere along the way, things had altered so that Sidious didn't kill his Master, and now both Banite Sith Lords sat atop the very galactic government they planned to overthrow.

"How… unexpected?" I managed to get out, struggling to comprehend just how fucked I was.

Palpatine laughed loudly again, enjoying my confusion and shock. "It is, and your reaction has won me a very expensive, and very enjoyable casket of wine from the Magister." I blinked as he lowered his head in thanks, shocked that they'd bet on my reaction. That Sidious had predicted my reaction best wasn't a surprise as I'd had more interaction with him over the years. However, that they'd been willing to make such a bet in their public personas – I dreaded to think what they might've bet in their true forms – was unexpected, and perhaps, deeply troubling.

"W-well I'm glad to have helped you there, uncle, though I'm still struggling to understand this change."

"That is very apparent," the Chancellor replied with mirth. "However, thinking about the problems I was facing as Chancellor, and then remembering our discussions about several private matters," that was a clear reference to the Vong, "I felt I could kill two kath hounds with a single shot." He leaned closer and his volume dropped slightly. "When everything has settled down, perhaps we might all gather to discuss our shared concerns and how, with the changes I'm bringing forth, we might address them."

"Of course, uncle."

I would be willing to speak with them, but things for me were unlikely to settle down. At least not for several years as I had every intention of staying as far away from the pair, the Order, and Coruscant, as I could. The plans for myself and Anakin weren't set, but they would keep me busy enough that a trip to the Chancellor's office could be delayed for long enough that, by the time I knew I had to speak with them, I'd be able to hide the changes I'd undergone. Or at least play them off as improvements I'd made while taking my sojourn.

There was the chance that the Force would have plans of its own for me as well, but I felt I could work my current plans around them. Well, unless I somehow got dragged into a quagmire of a war somewhere that I'd never heard of.

Palpatine nodded, pleased at my agreement, and the reference to our faux-status as distant family. "Good. Now, onto other matters, and the primary reason I called." The console for the holo-display beeped, indicating an incoming datapacket. "The designs for your new limb have been finished," Palpatine said as I opened the file and saw four designs appear. "Since I wanted you to have some choice, there are options and for most, various sections are interchangeable. Every design has significant sections internally that have been left empty as I suspect you'll want to add features that weren't suggested for the designs. Much as you have for the Mandalorian gauntlets you wear."

"These… these are impressive," I said as I explained the first two designs. The circuitry, at least what was shown in designs sent over the Holonet, was arranged in ways that I didn't have much hope of understanding. Still, I could see that each design was state-of-the-art. So much so that Palpatine would've had to reach out to some very important and isolated people to have the designs commissioned.

The exact material the designs used for outer shells wasn't clear, but that was fine. I had plans to have those constructed of beskar or phrik; the choice depended on what I could get my hands on. As for the internal spaces, I had some ideas.

"Please, pass along my thanks to whoever you contacted to design these, and accept mine for doing so. I know you are extremely busy installing your people and ideals on the Senate and Chancellor's office." Palpatine bowed, accepting the praise.

"I'm pleased that you're accepting the designs without complaint. The designers are some of the more eccentric individuals I've ever had the pleasure of meeting." It was clear from his tone that he didn't think dealing with the designers was a pleasure, but he'd done so anyway. "Once you've selected your preference, shall I have the designer arrive on Coruscant to help oversee the construction and fitting of the arm?"

"So long as it wouldn't cause you issues, I'd prefer to have the arm built elsewhere," I replied.

"No, there wouldn't be. The designers were informed of this when they received the order, however, each expressed interest in being present for its development. Might I inquire as to where you plan to have the limb built?"

"Mandalore. I hope to convince the ruling figures to allow me to have beskar used in its construction." There was little need to hide that as the moment I asked for further help, or needed to speak to the creator, Palpatine would know where I was. Haran, he probably already expected me to choose Mandalore.

"I had already stated that as the intended destination for the full designs," Palpatine said with a smile. "Once you have chosen the design, I'll inform the creator of your location. I expect they will contact you or Duke Kryze so that they might oversee the creation of their masterpiece."

"Once I decide, I'll alert the Duke to prepare for the creator's arrival," I replied with a nod of thanks. "And again, my thanks."

"As I and Queen Amidala have said several times already, it is we and our people who have and will continue to, thank you for your actions, Cameron. Without them, and the sacrifice you personally made, our people would have remained enslaved and at the mercy of the Federation." I could tell he wanted to ask about Maul, but he couldn't. The matter, while he was aware I fought a Sith, the Jedi Council had, with him present, forbade me from discussing the matter with anyone. While I intended to obey that with most, others – including the Mandalorians and a handful of Lokella who had access to the full Battlenet – were already aware of my duel with Maul. Haran, Osto and others had taken the defeated Sith from the planet before the Council and Chancellor had arrived. "All I ask is that, once the limb is constructed and designed, you allow me to view it. I, and Queen Amidala, will be relieved to know you've been at least partially compensated for your sacrifice."

"Of course, uncle, and again, thank you."

He smiled, and then, understanding the time was up, ended the call. Once the link was closed, I leaned back in my seat and sighed deeply. While the designs for the replacement arm were amazing, and likely far beyond what either Anakin or Luke had used – a part of me was reluctant to accept any gift from Sidious. Or Plagueis for that matter.

Now, the replacement forearm and hand were going to be built by engineers chosen by Adonai and Dred Yomaget from Mandalmotors, but I had no way of knowing if Sidious hadn't instructed the designers to insert some form of tracker. Or possibly a section of code to allow remote access. I didn't think Sidious would stoop to something so simple as a method to track me, but just in case, if it could be wrangled, I was going to have two arms built. The second model would have its wiring and coding, if I could find someone skilled enough to do so, entirely replaced. That way, if the original model was corrupted or infected, I'd have a spare.

Before I could do that though, I had to head to Mandalore. My hand moved over the controls, determining where we'd have to change hyperspace lanes. Once the changes were made, I leaned back, letting my thoughts return to the surprise of Palpatine's call.

Hego Damask becoming Co-Chancellor was, in simplest terms, a fucking nightmare. I'd never know if this had happened, or would've happened if Sidious hadn't killed Plagueis, in the other timeline, but I had to deal with it now. No matter how I looked at it, things had gotten exponentially harder for me to survive what was coming. The future, as people loved to say, wasn't written and always in motion, but having two Banite Sith ruling the Republic was not how I'd ever wanted things to go.

My only hope, which was a slim one at best, was that it would take the pair longer to begin the war that would bring about the destruction of the Republic. That and the fact that I had the Chosen One at my side. It was going to take a fucking miracle to get us both ready for what awaited us on the horizon, and I knew I couldn't slack off in our training. Haar'chak, I'd probably have to find a way to tip over the board before the game began if I wanted any chance to win. The question, and it was going to sit in my thoughts for some time, was how to do that.

… …

… …
I watched as the mechanical fingers responded to my mental commands and slowly clenched and then unclenched. The wrist then moved, rolling around in a fluid imitation of what flesh and blood should do. As with the forearm I'd lost, I couldn't see the joints in the replacement moving, though the surface wasn't solid or covered in synthflesh. Instead, small scales of beskar shifted around. There was a faint sound from them as they rubbed against each other, but not the screeching of metal I'd expected.

The entire surface was covered in beskar, blackened during the forging to give it a colour that matched my armour, though it retained the distinctive patterns of the alloy. For the joints like the wrist, the surface wasn't solid, instead, it was made up of smaller sections that shifted around each other as the hand and fingers moved. As far as I could tell, no matter which way the limb moved – and in theory it could move in unnatural ways but I'd yet to test that – the internal circuitry and servos remained covered and protected.

"How does it feel?"

I turned and looked at the Arkanian designer of the limb, Hakan Ron. The male was an egotistical shebs'palon, yet his blueprint was a masterwork in the field of high-end cybernetic replacement limbs. Even when compared to the designs submitted by other designers. So much so that, from what I'd read on the man, many approached him for replacement limbs even when they didn't need one.

"It itches," I replied as I turned to face the Arkanian, the limb reacting to my thoughts and shifting around to present itself to him.

"That is to be expected," Ron replied with a half-sneer. "While the design is flawless, and the Mandalorian technicians have done an acceptable job of constructing my creation, the phantom, imaginary belief that something is wrong is a flaw of most sentients."

I ignored the insult, aware that Arkanians saw themselves as better than everyone else. Given the race's history of genetic engineering, that was hardly a surprise as through science they'd pushed their genome to its pinnacle. While there were many sub-species of Arkanians, even the lowest of their caste system was superior to the baseline Human in almost every way.

"If I might?" a Mandalorian asked as he stepped forward, medical scanner in hand.

Ron lowered his head and moved to allow the medic, one loyal to Duke Adonai and had been the one to oversee the fitting of Adonai's replacement leg, to come closer.

The scanner ran over my elbow, where the bone had been altered to allow the limb to be attached. I could, if I so wished, remove the limb with my other hand, however, the programming of this limb meant that others couldn't. It needed me to concentrate on commanding the levers that attached the metallic replacement to my elbow, and the beskar covers there, to slide back. Of course, if anyone wanted to remove it without my permission, they could slice through the flesh just above, but given that my armour was being altered to cover the connection area, they'd need to remove the armour to get at the flesh.

"No signs of rejection or infection," the medic said as they examined their scanner, drawing a sneer of contempt from Ron. Thankfully, the Arkanian bit his tongue on whatever insult he had ready for someone questioning his work. The medic looked up at me and smiled. "I'll have some medicine sent to your quarters, with dosages to take over the next week, but with your age, health, and the Force, I suspect I won't have to see you again."

"As much as I'm happy about that doc, thanks for your help."

The medic chuckled and nodded, before turning and walking away. That allowed Ron to step closer, his eyes examining his masterwork. "From what I'd heard about beskar, I didn't think it would be suitable for my creation, but it seems even I can occasionally make a mis-determination."

"I don't think they're going to let you take any of the alloy," I said quietly, a small smirk creeping onto my face.

"Yes, I'm aware of the cultural importance they place on it. Still, it was an interesting experiment to see how it, and our rare materials such as phrik, work for such limbs. It has granted me new insights into my future projects." He paused, his eyes scanning the limb carefully, looking for any flaw in the design. I knew his gaze would focus on the sections of the forearm where a hidden compartment was, but the edges were seamless from the outside.

While those had been in the initial designs because of Palpatine's specifications to the various designers, I'd chosen Ron's not just because it was a masterpiece, but because it had the greatest internal storage. Once the choice had been made, and I'd been placed in contact with the Arkanian, I'd asked what it would take to ensure the various servos and motors could generate enough force to crush durasteel. Ron had taken only an hour to alter the design and resubmit the revised plans to the Mandalorians.

It had delayed the construction of the limb for several days as we waited for the components needed. Several of them were extremely high-end or restricted, but a call to Palpatine ensured they were released for me. Because of those new components, and the beskar casing, Ron believed the limb could remove a blast door from its hinge. The issue, as he was more than willing to point out, was that the rest of my arm lacked the necessary strength to achieve such a goal.

With the Force boosting me, it would be possible for me to duplicate that feat with ease, but I wasn't at that point yet in my retraining. Nor, once I had regained my training with the Force, would I need to use such a crude method of entry. Still, the idea that I could rip such a door from its hinges was not something to ignore. The terror factor for whoever was on the other side of seeing me do that would probably be more frightening than learning I was a Jedi.

The internal circuitry was just as advanced as the servos and overall design. However, I only knew that because Anakin and the Mandalorian designers, once they'd signed agreements to not reproduce Ron's work without his permission, had gone over the design with awe and reverence. Still, even without the experience of the Arkanian, Anakin had seen a few small tweaks that Ron had missed. The Arkanian hadn't enjoyed having a Human child discover the minor – insanely minor in most cases – improvements, though his reluctance had lessened when he learnt Anakin was training to be a Jedi.

The beskar coating ensured that beyond the destructive power the limb possessed, I could use it to deflect blaster bolts and even if needed, grasp a lightsaber blade. And that was just the beginning of the limb's extra features.

A micro-laser capable of burning through anything short of beskar and blast doors, explosive rockets of either micro or super-micro size though they had to be reloaded after one or three shots for each finger, and a data-jack to allow the arm, and the interface built into the upper section of the forearm that connected to my armour's HUD, access to any system were all in the fingers. Hidden inside the palm was a sonic generator that while not capable of killing could disrupt the balance of almost any sentient and could be transmitted through the palm or the back of the hand, along with other, less combat-orientated uses.

The forearm had fewer extras, but that was by design. The underside of the forearm was largely empty to hide whatever I wanted to place there. The section was large enough for even a standard lightsaber hilt, though not for a curved hilt. Once my main blade was rebuilt, I'd be keeping the shoto blade there in case it was ever needed. The upper side of the forearm, apart from having a similar control interface to those found on Mandalorian vambraces, held a small shield projector. The generator in the arm could power that for ten minutes before needing a recharge. Depending on how much of my armour I was wearing, that could be recharged in anything from thirty minutes to just five.

While the additional features of the limb were impressive, they wouldn't have helped greatly against Maul. There, I'd gone in with more intention of taking him down than outright killing him. While that had cost me my arm, I'd managed, just barely, to achieve that.

Maul was currently secured somewhere in the Mandalore sector, though I'd yet to ask Adonai, Torrhen, or Osto where that was. All I'd been assured of was that the location was extremely isolated, had been designed for the detention of any Jedi or Sith prisoners the Mandalorians had taken over the millennia – and from what they claimed, no Force user had ever escaped – and was isolated enough that if Maul did breach containment, the entire facility and everything with a hundred kilometres would be vaporised by the defence systems.

All that had relieved me as I didn't want Maul escaping. Not only would that return him to Sidious' side – at least if he and Plagueis hadn't officially taken on the replacement for the Zabrak and Dooku – but it would make the Banite Sith suspect I knew more about them than they'd currently thought I did. Which was to say nothing whatsoever.

Of course, with Plagueis, via his public persona, about to become Co-Chancellor – the Senate had narrowly voted to accept the change in leadership – I wasn't sure that if he did escape Maul would return to Plagueis' side. Since the Banite Sith worked on the Rule of Two, there was every chance Maul wasn't aware of Plagueis' existence or was promised by Sidious that Plagueis would be killed before Sidious became Chancellor.

It would be some time before I met with Maul, as I had to train myself and Anakin first, but that would be one of the first pieces of information I'd reveal to the Zabrak. I wasn't sure how, if it was even possible, to turn Maul against Sidious, never mind working with me, but if Dooku felt Vosa could be useful, then I was willing to attempt the same with Maul.

"I believe you are free to depart."

I looked at Ron and realised I'd become lost in my thoughts again. "Right, thanks for this," I replied as I lifted my new limb. "Not sure how I'll ever repay you."

"Beyond the considerable payment from the Chancellor's office, seeing the design built, and in the hands of a Jedi, is all the payment I require. Still, perhaps we might keep in semi-regular contact? It is unlikely that the design suffers issues, or that improvements are possible, but I would be remiss to outright reject the possibility."

"Certainly." I reached forward with the limb and gently shook his hand.

"Based on your grip, I would suggest training to determine the required strength needed for various actions." The faintest of smiles came to Ron's face as he spoke. "Though I suspect you and your companions are eager to place the limb through its paces."

"Aye, you could say that," I answered as we stopped shaking hands. Bo, Naz, and Fenrir were all waiting for me outside the clinic/mechanical centre I was currently in. While there was little issue with them being present normally, Anakin's need to ask questions, along with Fenrir's sheer bulk, had resulted in them being asked to wait outside. Anakin had left at some point while I'd been here, HK heading off with him to make sure the boy didn't get into trouble. Or perhaps it was Anakin trying to make sure HK didn't cause issues. Either way, my Padawan – and son – wasn't present, meaning I'd have to hunt him down once I left.

Moving past the Arkanian, I saw an empty cup resting on a surface. Figuring I could test both my control of the Force and grip strength at the same time, I reached out with the limb. Using the Force through the replacement felt odd, with a strange cold sensation. As if the Force disliked the artificial joints demanding it work with them.

The cup lifted from the bench after a moment's delay, something I'd noted was common ever since I'd taken Natural Selection, and moved across the space between the table and me. Unlike the first few times I'd done this – which had taken place in private aboard Raven – the cup didn't approach too fast, or deform when I tried to grasp it with the Force. While that slight delay was something I was still getting used to, it was something all Force users were meant to experience and would lessen with training, and the power I could apply with the Force now felt so much greater. Fine-tuning how much intent I had to use while using Telekinesis was something I was still working on, but as the cup reached my hand I felt I was slowly getting that understanding back. Which, given applying the Force this way was one of the most basic methods of using the Force, was understandable, and a relief that it had recovered as quickly as it had.

The limb grasped the cup, and I could sense in my mind how much pressure was being applied. My grasp was firm, but I stopped before I felt the sensors in the limb suggest the cup was struggling under the strength of the grip. Ron was right that it would take time and effort to find the limits of what a flesh and blood limb could do, and how to safely go past them, but it was just another form of training for me to master over the next two or so years.

Turning the limb around, I examined the cup, checking for any hint of damage from my grip. Finding none, I tossed it into the air and then reached out to grasp the Force with the limb. Again, it felt strange, even more so than how my connection to the Force was since taking Natural Selection, but the cup stopped in the air. It was a little later than I'd have liked, and it wobbled for a few moments until I stabilised, and then floated back to the table it'd come from.

I grunted as the cup clipped the edge of the table, my grasp wavering slightly and the cup drooping low enough to not slide onto the table as I'd intended. That was annoying, but it was another little sign that I had to keep practising my close control with this Force ability.

Once the cup was back on the table I walked toward the door, and the second it opened, a large black mass rushed in. "Fenrir!" I called out, getting my arms up to stop the tuk'ata from launching himself at me, or before he could slobber all over my face. One foot slid back, stabilising me against the mass that slammed into me, yet I was relieved and overjoyed, as for the first time in over two months I was able to keep my face safe from Fenrir's attention.

I pushed him down, using both hands to scratch him, and thus distract him from his attempt to lick me, and then to see Bo and Naz standing in the doorway.

"He wasn't the only one worried about you," Naz commented, a gentle smile on her face. Her eyes, like Bo's, were on my arms, trying to get a good look at my new appendage.

I lifted the limb from Fenrir, who whined about the loss of attention, and held it out for the ladies to inspect. "Almost as good as before," I said, then smirked as I remembered the sonic ability for the hand and thought of an interesting way to apply that. "Perhaps, in some ways, better."

They moved closer, their eyes locked on the patterns in the beskar. "Not many have such a thing made of beskar," Naz said as her fingers came out, tracing the faint lines in the metal. Her eyes darted to mine, and the spark of desire there - which radiated like an open fire in the Force and was mirrored by Bo – made it hard to look away.

"Not many can afford it," Bo countered, forcing me to turn my head to the red-haired warrior that I knew would be sharing my bed tonight. Osik, even if I tried to stop them, I knew there was nothing that would keep both from sharing my sheets or much that would stop me from letting them do so.

What did catch my attention, ever since I'd returned to Mandalore, was that while I'd spent more time with Bo than with Naz, in every way, I felt a stronger draw to the blonde. I could sense her feelings and desires easier than I could from Bo. I put that down to Pre Vizsla's daughter having enough Force potential to at least be considered for training by the Jedi if they'd have discovered her at a young age. Still, I'd have expected a deeper connection with Bo simply because of the time, in combat and elsewhere, we'd spent together. Of course, another part of it could be that Naz was far more emotive than Bo, with the redhead not, in any way, a fan of public displays of affection.

The same was true when we were in private, at least to a degree. Naz was more submissive than Bo, and because of that, seemed more willing to express herself in the bedroom, or any other room for that matter, than our shared lover. Bo had to be beaten, but once that was done she was as pliable as Naz.

Initially, I'd kept the pair away, worried how Serra might react to sensing that I was enjoying myself while she continued to mourn her dead Master. I'd not yet reached out to her but planned to do so soon. Yet, after three days of the pair making it clear I could have them if and when I wanted when they walked onto Raven on my fourth day here – which was the night before – I'd given in and enjoyed an evening with the pair. I might've had to limit what I could do with the Force helping me, but neither had seemed to mind, and both had risen late this morning.

"What does it do?" Naz asked, a curious smirk on her face as her fingers traced along the back of mine.

"I'll keep that a surprise until we get to the training ground," I replied, turning the hand to grasp her fingers between mine. "Where'd Anakin go?" I knew he was with HK, but where in the sprawling Clan Kryze complex we were staying in I wasn't sure of as much of the location I'd not yet explored.

"An'ika?" Bo shot back, her lips twitching. "He got bored of waiting and headed off to a hanger to inspect some of the clan fighters. Don't worry, your war-droid should keep him from trouble."

"More likely HK is going to encourage him to find trouble," I replied, making the redhead chuckle.

"Aye, you're probably right." She moved closer, placing a hand on my flesh-and-blood forearm. "But enough about him. We're more interested in what your new limb can do," she added, whispering into my ear. "On and off the battlefield."

… …

… …
(Anakin's POV)
He was struggling to contain his excitement as he sat in Raven's co-pilot seat. The stars were swirling around as they raced through hyperspace, something Raven enjoyed, yet Anakin couldn't wait for them to emerge. Cam had told him about Kuat, and the shipyards there, and ever since reading up on the system and company, Anakin had been struggling to contain his anticipation.

The slightest amused grunts came from his side, where Cam was flying Raven. While he wore a glove to hide the wizard new arm he'd gotten, Anakin knew it was there. He'd seen the design and still enjoyed going over it, seeing how that strange white-skinned-and-haired alien had created it.

While that alien had been smart, he'd reminded Anakin of many people on Tatooine, before Cam had freed him and his mother. The alien - Cam had said the species was Arkanian - felt himself better than everyone else, and while Anakin understood the alien was smarter than most, the way he behaved wasn't right.

There was a brief moment when, thinking about Tatooine and his mother, where Anakin felt sad. He missed her and wished she could see him now. There was also that flicker of anger to find the Hutt responsible and kill them, but he didn't dwell on that. It wasn't the way a warrior, a Jedi, should think. However, he knew that, once he'd completed his training, and Cam felt he was ready to be a proper Jedi, then he'd help free others. Cam would be with him, as would Bo, Fenrir, and others and they'd make sure that slavery could be driven from the galaxy. Something the Republic, for all its seeming power, couldn't do.

Anakin understood that the Republic had its flaws; Cam's recent mission to Naboo where he'd lost his arm was proof of that. Yet, Anakin still had hope. Not just because he was being trained to be a Jedi, but because Cam had promised him that once he was ready, they'd move against the ones responsible for the death of his mother and others. Bo and some other Mandalorians had even promised to help.

They'd only left Mandalore a few days ago, and Anakin could admit he missed the planet. Or at least time spent with Bo. Unlike many others, she'd never treated him as a child. Instead, she'd shown him how to use blasters, including how to clean and maintain them. The other Mandalorians he'd met on their world, had done likewise, and he'd enjoyed spending time with those his age. They weren't like the children of the Lokella, or the friends he just about remembered from Tatooine. No, they, like him, were training for battle. To fight for themselves, their families – though they called them clans – and others.

It was still odd to hear others call Cam his father, and he knew Cam felt the same. Yet, at the same time, it made sense. From what Anakin had learnt about the Jedi, the Knights and Masters of their Order took younglings as trainees, and helped guide and raise them into becoming full Jedi. Anakin felt that was what a father should – help their child grow powerful enough that they could protect others.

To the Mandalorians, Anakin was one of them, which before Cam had freed him from slavery, Anakin would've found strange. How could someone not born to a planet or species be considered one of the people? Yet, after years with the Lokella, and the mix of races there, he understood the idea now. He knew he wasn't a full Mandalorian, that wouldn't come until he was thirteen and he completed his hunt, but Anakin already knew he would do everything he could to pass that test. Especially as it would force Bo to stop calling him An'ika! He disliked that term, even if he understood she used it because she cared about him.

He wasn't sure if he'd be able to match Cam's kill, but he was going to try. Already he had a list of beasts that, from what the Holonet said, were comparable in danger to a greater krayt dragon, though he'd not shown the list to Cam. He knew his friend… his father, wouldn't approve. The droids did though.

HK-47 was a wizard of a droid. He knew more about combat than even Bo and was happy to teach Anakin, when Cam wasn't around, how to fight against various races and groups. Even mentioning ways that a Jedi could be killed. Anakin had thought that impossible, but Bo had revealed that the Jedi Battlemaster – one of their greatest warriors – had fallen to the Sith that Cam had defeated. While learning that a Jedi could die was shocking, Anakin was proud to be Cam's Padawan. He was learning from one of the greatest Jedi ever!

Now, Anakin disliked being called a little meatbag by HK, but he knew the old droid didn't mean anything by it. It was how he referred to everyone except Cam and the droid's creator. Anakin was amazed that HK had been built by Cam's great-grandfather, and one of the most famous Jedi to ever live. Kriff, Cam had let Anakin read the full Knights of the Old Republic series of holonovels he'd written. According to Cam and HK, who'd been there, the accounts were generally accurate, and Anakin was still struggling to process that Revan, one of the most famous Jedi of all time, had been a Sith.

From what he knew, the Sith were evil, though Cam had warned him not to think in such absolute terms. While Cam was keeping things from him, which Anakin both hated and understood, he had explained the core difference between the Jedi and Sith. The Jedi worked with the Force, accepting its judgement and guidance. The Sith bent the Force to their will and made it do what they wanted.

At the time, Anakin had thought that meant the Jedi served good and Sith evil, but the more he'd thought about it, the less certain he was. The Force, as it had been explained to him by Cam and Master Dooku – one of the few people Anakin willingly called 'Master' without any concern of the term – didn't always want to do what many would consider right. That had Anakin questioning if the Jedi did all they should to protect the galaxy, or if they didn't because the Force didn't want them to.

A faint, but familiar shift in Raven's behaviour, along with a gentle shift in the flow of power through her frame, brought Anakin's mind back to the present. That change in Raven meant they were about to drop from hyperspace.

"Not just yet," Cam said, amusement radiating from his tone and through the Force.

"But we're close," Anakin said as he looked at his father, "I can sense Raven's excitement."

As he spoke, his eyes were drawn to the glove on his left hand. The glove meant those who didn't know wouldn't see it and thus wouldn't ask about it. With the various features the limb had, Anakin understood that applying synthflesh was a mistake as the moment one of those features was activated, the synthflesh would rip.

Anakin had seen Cam practising with the limb before they'd left Mandalore, and while he didn't want to lose an arm, he could see the use of the replacement Cam had. It was like he was wearing part of the Mandalorian armour even when in nothing but Jedi robes! Of course, even under his robes Cam wore much of the armour, but Anakin was happy that even without his lightsaber, though he did have his shorter backup one, Cam wasn't unarmed.

"Fair enough," Cam replied after a moment staring at Anakin before turning his full attention to the controls.

Anakin watched as Cam's fingers moved over the controls. While Raven responded instinctively to Cam's requests, the reverse wasn't quite true. Cam had always been off in the Force, though Anakin was only now beginning to understand that. That he, a child only just beginning to understand and use the Force could sense Raven and Fenrir's feelings better than Cam had always been an odd thing.

However, ever since they stopped on that swamp world, Cam had changed. Or at least how he appeared in the Force had changed. Cam, even with him seemingly closing himself off to the Force – not that Anakin understood how that worked yet – to Anakin, it was as if whatever was blocking him from sensing Cam was gone. Like someone had suddenly thrown open the blinds of the only lit room on the darkest of nights.

Within that light, even now as muted as it was, Anakin could sense something different about Cam. There was danger there, a threat. Yet, for all that he didn't understand where that had come from – either it had always been there, or was only a recent change – Anakin wasn't scared. He knew that the danger radiating from Cam would never be directed at him. That, whatever it took, Cam would protect him, and their odd, extended family.

If Anakin told anyone about those he considered family, they'd think him crazy. While Ferox, Lia, and Cam made sense, the others wouldn't. Yet to Anakin, they were all one giant, if odd, family. From Masters Dooku and Fay down, through Bo, Simvyl, HK and R2, to Fenrir and Raven, Anakin considered them all family. While the first two came from him the rest, even him, were centred around Cam.

Master Fay, before she'd left on whatever adventure she was still on, had explained that Cam had some sort of destiny. That the Force had a plan for him, more so than it did for other Jedi. She'd also hinted that the Force had plans for him, but Anakin wasn't sure if he liked that idea. He'd been under the control of another once before, been forced to do as Watto demanded, and he didn't like nor miss it. Now, he knew the Force wasn't like Watto, but the idea that someone controlled him, and decided what he'd do and where he'd go didn't sit right. And when he considered his mother, and what had happened to her, he found himself unsure about the Force, as if it was guiding him to where it wanted him to go, why had it let her die?

Shifts in Raven's sensations confirmed they were about to exit hyperspace, and Anakin pushed thoughts of his mother and the Force aside. He leaned forward, his hands gripping the top edge of the consoles at his station – not that he used them while Raven was in hyperspace – and felt his excitement growing. An amused chuckle slipped from Cam, meaning he could sense Anakin's joy, but his father didn't say anything, and a moment later, they slipped out of hyperspace.

Anakin felt his eyes widen, trying to take in everything he was seeing. "Whoa," he muttered as their view was taken up by thousands if not hundreds of thousands of starships moving around. They varied in size, shape, colour, and every other way under a sun; almost to the point that the distant star of the system risked being blotted out by the sheer number of vessels moving around. "So many."

"Coruscant's worse," Cam commented, "and more organised."

Anakin ignored the comment. As much as he longed to see the capital of the Republic, to walk through the halls of the Jedi Temple, Anakin knew they wouldn't be going there for a while. Cam was adamant they weren't heading there anytime soon, and while he didn't understand why, Anakin felt he understood Cam's reluctance to be there.

Lines of freighters, ranging in size from about the size of Raven up to massive bulk hauliers, moved to and from the main planet of the system, as if spokes on a wheel extending out into the heavens. A pair of YT2000s broke from one line, heading toward them. No, toward the jump point. Anakin, in a flash of understanding, realised the system would have assigned jump areas for ships to come and go. Otherwise, if they dropped from hyperspace closer to the planet, or one of the long lines stretching out from it, they might cause an accident.

The freighters moved closer, a flight of four escorts moving in behind, as other smaller patrol craft buzzed around the various lines of ships. looking, when seen against the giant bulk freighters, to be little more than flies on a bantha's back.

Anakin's eyes shifted down the spears of ships that extended outward, his gaze turning to the massive metal ring that encircled the planet. "Wizard." He'd read about it on the Holonet, even seen images, but laying eyes upon it was another matter entirely.

Near the ring, rising as if moving to see its domain, the frame of a ship so massive that it dwarfed everything nearby emerged. Anakin strained, trying to see which ship that was, and the Force helped. The lines of the distant vessel became clearer and sharper, and he thrust a finger forward. "T-that's a Praetor-Class!" He called out excitedly, struggling to not jump about in his seat.

The Praetors were massive ships, at one point the largest warships ever built in the Republic at four kilometres in length. Now, centuries after their initial design, they'd been surpassed by others, but that ship dwarfed even Mtael's Gift and the giant ringed ship that was now orbiting Gaia in the ShaDo system.

"Yes, and if you look to the right and further back, that appears to be a Mandator."

Cam's statement had Anakin's gaze jumping around, trying to find the even larger vessel. If not for the belt Cam insisted he wear whenever he was in the cockpit, Anakin felt he'd have jammed his face against the transparisteel viewport to get a better look at the pride of Kuat's designs. "Wizard!" he shouted as he laid his eyes upon the shadow slowly rising over the Kuat ring.

It didn't take him long to see as at eight kilometres long, the Mandator was, according to Kuat Drive Yards, the largest warship in the Republic. It dwarfed even the Praetor as it rose, reminding Anakin of stories where a king stepped onto his throne to survey their domain. Yet, for all its size, the Mandator and those that came before were wrong.

When reading the files on the massive Star Dreadnoughts, Anakin had noted that every one of them was under-armed and underpowered for a ship their size. He'd learnt that this was because of the Ruusan Reformation, and could see the reasons for that law, but it felt stupid to Anakin. What was the point of building something that powerful, and making it unable to do its job?

A beep from the communication console broke Anakin from his thoughts on the mighty vessel, and when he turned, he saw Cam had opened the channel.

"Yes?"

The image of a Human man, older than Cam but younger than Master Dooku appeared. The uniform made clear he was some form of security officer. "This is Kuat Yards Fleet Defence. Your ship is an unscheduled arrival in our system. Please state your name, that of your vessel, and the purpose for your visit to the Kuat system." The man paused for a moment. "Failure to comply will result in penalties ranging from expulsion from the system to imprisonment for you and the impounding of your vessel."

Anakin frowned, not liking the tone the man was using toward Cam. Didn't he know he was speaking to a Jedi?

Cam, however, found the greeting amusing and chuckled before answering. "In order, I'm Jedi Knight Cameron Shan. My vessel is named the Jade Raven, and I'm here with my Padawan to explore the system, and if possible, to speak to someone of skill and importance about upgrades and repairs to my rather unusual vessel."

Anakin smirked at the reaction of the man in the holocall. "Ah, I see," he blustered, trying to recover from threatening a Jedi. "My apologies Master Jedi, for my bluntness." Anakin snorted, not buying the change in attitude for a second. "We weren't expecting a member of your Order to arrive. Certainly not on a private vessel." The man paused and turned his attention to something at his end. "Your ship… It fails to match any record we have. Might I request, for our records, where the vessel was constructed?"

"Raven is a unique starship," Anakin agreed happily with that assessment, "so it's not a surprise she's not listed in your records. She was built on Zonama Sekot by the ship creators there." A confused look flashed over the man's face, meaning he didn't know the world. Anakin didn't either, only being aware of its connection to Raven. "I doubt you've heard of it as it's a small, out-of-the-way shipbuilder deep in the Outer Rim." While Cam maintained a calm tone when speaking, Anakin could sense his amusement about some private joke.

"Very well," the officer replied slowly, as if not buying Cam's words. "I'll have your details added to our records and will arrange a flight vector to a Republic hangar for you. When you land, someone will greet you to learn more about your needs. Fleet Defence out."

The channel closed before Cam could reply, and Anakin blinked at the behaviour. "That was rude," he muttered.

Cam started laughing at that, which had Anakin frowning. He disliked private jokes, especially when they were directed against him. As much as he was happy to be a Jedi and Mandalorian, there were times when Cam, Bo, Master Dooku, and others found something amusing, but he didn't know why. It annoyed him, especially when it was a reference to his training with Cam, but he hoped that, when he was older, he'd understand the jokes he was missing out on. Though perhaps not the ones that Bo often made toward Cam and that blonde woman.

"You'll find that, for many, after weeks, months, or even years doing the same thing, politeness is often lost. Too much repetitive work, and not enough satisfaction with their job means that they can barely be bothered to go through the motions." As Cam spoke, one of Raven's consoles beeped, which Anakin knew meant she'd received new flight data. Before Cam could look at the new path, Anakin felt Raven turning, moving toward their new destination.

He'd never spoken to Cam about it, but Anakin had mentioned to Bo that he was jealous of Cam's connection to Raven, and of how the pair seemed to be of one mind at times. Bo had laughed and ruffled his hair – which he normally hated, but didn't mind from Bo or her friend – before explaining that the ship was born with a connection to Cam and Master Fay. She'd not gone into details, but the bond had shifted to Cam and grown stronger due to something that happened. That didn't help Anakin much, but when Bo said she was jealous of Raven as well, Anakin did feel better. Even if he felt she wasn't jealous in the same way he was.

"Still, he could be nicer. We're Jedi," Anakin muttered as he sat back in his seat. The annoyance at the man's behaviour faded quickly as he returned to gazing out of the viewport. While the flight path wasn't anything impressive, Anakin couldn't help but get excited as he realised they were moving closer to the Mandator.

A glance at the display meant he knew they weren't landing on the mighty starship, but they'd fly close enough that he'd be able to make out details. Which, a few minutes later, he would. Still, he understood that without the Force helping him, he'd not be able to make out the details he saw.

The lines along the hull, the various turbolaser, missile hatches, laser cannons, and other emplacements were definable. Anakin also saw slots where he felt there should be more weaponry. That there was nothing there was because of the stupid Reformation, and made the ship, at least to him, feel unfinished. As if it was going outside without all its clothes on.

Smaller ships, perhaps as big as Raven, slipped in and out of the various hangars in the Mandator, though what drew his attention was the massive bulge that rose from the top and sunk beneath the bow. It was large, though less than a quarter of the ship's length and Anakin knew that was the power core of the massive starship. That core was larger than almost all the other vessels in the system and generated enough power to keep a megacity powered for centuries. Or it would, if the core was ever fully powered as there was no need for it to ever be so. It lacked the weaponry and engines to require anything more than half power from the reactor.

Even if the Mandator, the Praetor and the other mighty vessels Kuat had built felt undressed, Anakin longed to get inside them. He wanted, no, he needed to learn how they worked, to see how the various features of such mammoth vessels were configured to work together. Perhaps if they were here long enough, Cam could arrange a tour for them.

The communication console beeped again, and Anakin wondered if the annoying officer was calling them back. Yet when the channel opened, there was a young woman there. She wore some form of uniform, but it was clear to Anakin that she didn't work from the same group as the previous caller.

"Hello there," Cam said with a friendly smile. "How can I be of assistance to a lovely young lady such as yourself?"

Anakin rolled his eyes, not liking Cam's tone. He talked that way with Bo and Naz, and while the blonde Mandalorian liked it, Bo seemed to get annoyed by it. At least that's why he thought they were busy fighting in Cam's quarters most nights. Or he hoped they were fighting as Anakin didn't want another sibling: at least not for a while.

The woman smiled back, one hand coming up to push back some hair. "Master Shan, I'm…"

"I'm not a Jedi Master," Cam cut in, giving her another smile, one that he'd used with Bo, Naz, and others. "Just a simple Jedi Knight, making my way through the galaxy." Anakin knew enough to know Cam did that to make the women happy, but only Bo seemed to not react to it. At least not immediately, but the longer he could go without thinking about what Cam was doing with Bo and Naz, the happier he'd be. All that adult stuff was gross.

"Ah, my mistake," the woman resumed, and while he didn't like seeing Cam behave this way with some random woman, Anakin could enjoy how easily his father could disrupt the woman's thinking. "Just to confirm, you're the same Cameron Shan who recently led the forces that liberated Naboo from the clutches of the Trade Federation? The same man that is friends with the Chancellor?"

"Possibly." Cam's tone was relaxed, yet Anakin could sense amusement rushing from him. As if this was all another joke that only Cam was aware of. Underneath that though, when the Chancellor was mentioned, Anakin swore he sensed something different. Not fear, but concern perhaps. Given the Chancellor was Cam's friend, was new to the job, and Cam held a clear dislike for the Senate, Anakin believed that was simply Cam showing concern for a friend. And if he was a friend of Cam's, then he was a friend of Anakin's.

"If you could manage it I require a more definitive response." The woman's tone had changed, matching the jovial one Cam was using, which meant Cam's approach was working. Anakin might not enjoy seeing this, but it was interesting to see how easily Cam could make the lady like him, and he wondered if it might work for him the next time he wanted Bo or Naz to show him some advanced weapons or technology.

"Then yes, as much as it pains me to be recognized, I'm that Cameron Shan. Though if there's someone out there pretending to be me, I'd like a word or two with them."

The woman smiled widely at the joke. "Then on behalf of my employer, I wish to extend an invitation to you and your crew to have dinner with him. He is most eager to meet the Republic's latest hero."

"If I might know who your employer is?" Anakin leaned forward, curious about that as well. That they'd want to meet Cam wasn't a surprise, as news of what had happened on Naboo was all over the Holonet. And with the changes to allow Co-Chancellors, it had returned, meaning Cam's name was back in the news. Cam disliked the attention, claiming it made it harder to do his job, but Anakin liked it. It meant he was getting trained not just by a friend, but by a hero.

"I represent the president of Sienar Design Systems, Raith Sienar." Anakin gasped, which drew a side glance from Cam. Anakin knew that name! Raith Sienar was regarded as one of the foremost names in shipbuilding, famed for several of the many innovations brought to the market by the parent company Santhe/Sienar Technologies. While SDS, and Sienar Fleet Systems – the company that produced SDS designs – mainly focused on smaller craft, the reactor cores of the Mandator and its predecessors were SFS designs. Anakin had always wondered what someone like Raith Sienar was like, and how he came up with his designs and innovations, and now the man was reaching out to meet Cam!

"I'm honoured that someone as important and respected as Raith Sienar wishes to meet me," Cam replied, keeping remarkably calm for someone learning they were meeting one of the most powerful, and in Anakin's mind impressive, people in the galaxy. "However, I'm curious as to why he wishes to meet a simple Jedi. At least beyond the reasons you mentioned when confirming my identity."

The woman smiled. "It would be better if Mister Sienar explained that to you personally." That was a non-answer, and Anakin hated those. However, if he was going to get to meet Raith Sienar, he could live with it.

Cam glanced at him, and Anakin nodded as slowly as he could, trying to hide his enthusiasm. He knew he'd fail as Cam would sense his excitement in the force, but he still tried to maintain as laid-back an appearance as possible. "Then, on behalf of myself and my Padawan, I accept," Cam said once he turned back to the woman.

"Excellent. I shall speak with Kuat flight control and have your flight vectors updated. While Santhe/Sienar Technologies doesn't maintain a permanent location in the Kuat System, Mister Sienar has rented a private section of the ring. One clear of the prying eyes of others."

"Provided I'm not about to step into a dispute between your boss and KDY, I'm happy to accept the altered flight plans."

The woman nodded, and Anakin sensed, even if she didn't show it, that she was impressed by Cam's response. "I assure you that there is nothing nefarious nor political about the invitation, Master Jedi. Mister Sienar simply wishes to meet not only a member of your Order but the Hero of Naboo."

"And someone he thinks might have the ear of the Chancellor, well one of the Co-Chancellors."

"Yes, that as well," the woman's respect for Cam ticked up slightly at him, displaying more understanding of the situation. Anakin didn't care about politics, but he knew that Cam having connections with Chancellor Palpatine would mean people knew him. He'd just not expected that friendship to result in the chance to meet Raith Sienar!

"Then I look forward to meeting your employer. I await the new flight details, though I hope Mister Sienar won't find my presence, and my lack of understanding about starships, or galactic politics disappointing."

"I assure you that Mister Sienar finds politics as distasteful as you, Master Jedi. He simply wishes to enjoy the company of a famous member of your Order." The console pinged, indicating it had received the new data. "You should have the new coordinates?" Cam nodded. "Then I, and my employer, await your arrival."

The signal cut out, and Anakin leapt. "Woo-hoo!"

"I take it you're excited about this?"

Anakin stared at Cam in disbelief. "Yes! Raith Sienar is one the greatest designers of starships alive today! And he wants to meet us!"

"Yes, he does. And by a chance of fate, SDS is one of the companies I have on my list for speaking to about upgrading Raven. Or at least seeing if it was possible to do so without hurting her." The lights in the cockpit flickered and Anakin sensed Raven's concern. "Don't worry," Cam said, placing his hand – the flesh and blood one – on a section of organic panelling. "I…" He glanced at Anakin. "We won't let anyone hurt you."

"Yeah, that's right," Anakin added, and the lights pulsed as Raven relaxed.

"Now, before we meet Sienar, I need you to be mindful of your words and actions," Cam continued now that Raven's concern was soothed. "As I said, his name, and that of SDS, were on the list given to me by Alor Dred. However, he was meant to be on Coruscant. While his presence here shouldn't suggest something is wrong, I want you to behave when we meet him."

"Yes sir," Anakin replied, even snapping off a joking salute.

Cam rolled his eyes at the action. "If we have time, which I doubt, then you can ask him a few questions about starships. But only if I allow it."

Anakin nodded rapidly. He'd behave. He would. Otherwise, Cam wouldn't let him ask his questions. The problem was he had so many questions he wanted to ask Raith kriffing Sienar that it would be hard to settle on just two or three.

… …

… …
(Cam's POV)
"Now, remember, best behaviour," I reminded Anakin as we walked down the corridor toward our meeting with Raith Sienar. However, unlike what I'd expected when his assistant had called us, we hadn't landed in a private dock, but aboard Sienar's personal cruiser, The Pride of Tion.

From the outside, the ships seemed relatively nondescript. The framework was one designed by Sienar Fleet Systems and appeared unimportant, bar the paint job which marked the ship as very clearly belonging to Santhe/Sienar Technologies. Near the bridge, under the logo for the main company, a smaller logo for Sienar Design Systems, the cutting-edge research branch that Raith had headed up until assuming full control of the company after his father's death six years ago, at the age of just twenty-two.

"I know," Anakin replied with a touch of annoyance. That was entirely unsurprising as I'd made the point to him nearly a dozen times since we'd first spoken to Sienar's assistant. She had met us when we docked with The Pride of Tion, and I'd learnt her name without the need to use Observe. I still had, of course, to see if it gave me any insight into Arle Keer, but nothing stood out beyond a faint hint of attraction. However, I didn't need Observe to sense that, and while there was little outward sign of that attraction, I still played into it while she gave us a tour of the Sienar flagship.

Well, she gave one to me and Anakin. Simvyl remained with Raven, while I'd insisted that HK and Fenrir stay behind lest they cause a scene either through an unadvised comment or action. R2 was given the chance to come with, but the astromech decided to remain on Raven as well.

The tour of the ship was, after a little over forty minutes, finally over and Keer was escorting us to the formal reception and dining section of the cruiser to meet Sienar.

What stood out, as we moved through the corridors, was that while the ship was decorated to an exceptionally high standard, nothing felt extravagant or over-the-top. Yes, the carpets we were treading on were, according to Keer, Wrodian carpets, with each section taking generations to produce. While sections of the corridors held displays of wealth, not every surface was covered with or held a podium for a work of art. Some even held models of vessels that Santhe/Sienar had a hand in developing.

Anakin had loved those, seemingly knowing every model, much to Keer's amusement, and happily answered any question the boy had, though, for a few, she had to turn to a datapad that was constantly in her arms.

The doors of the cruiser were made of chromium, with platinum edging and finishes, which I didn't particularly like as it made them seem like giant mirrors which blinded you if the bright overhead lighting caught them at the wrong angle. They did, however, have the effect of making each corridor seem larger than it was, which I had to believe was intended.

As we neared the meeting, my mind once more played over the chances of meeting one of the names at the top of Alor Dred's list. I understood that the Force tended to place me where it felt I needed to be, but this might be the first time it had – if it had been involved – ensured that I got what I wanted. Still, even accounting for the slight increase in my LUCK, I found it odd that the head of Santhe/Sienar Technologies, which was based in the Tion Cluster, would be met at Kuat. Even if they often collaborated on ship construction and design, SST and KDY were competitors in many of the same fields, so the chances of the head of SST being at Kuat when arrived were slim enough to have not been considered by me when I'd plotted our course for KDY.

As we rounded a corner, I glanced down at Anakin. His eyes were still wide, taking in everything around him, which made sense. Not only was Sienar something of an idol for my Ad, but this was his first official meeting as my Padawan. I'd gone over the rules of what was permissible before we'd left Raven and even reminded him gently at times during our tour. So far, bar his need to point things out and ask questions, he was doing well.

Keer stooped as we reached a set of doors. Unlike many of the others we'd come across, these were considerably larger, and decorated with engravings and inlaid with gems. The display was a touch gaudy to me, but if this was a room used for high-level meetings with VVIPs, then the display made sense.

"Mister Sienar will meet you inside once he has concluded his business," Keer said as he tapped a button on her datapad. The door slid open, exposing a large, almost cavernous room. "If you have any requests, be it for some food and drink or otherwise, please don't hesitate to ask one of the service droids."

"We will," I replied, placing a hand on Anakin's shoulder to stop him from racing into the room to examine the droids. "Thank you for the pleasure of your company," I added with a nod and wide smile.

Keer smiled back and returned the nod. Her outward response was otherwise calm but even with my connection to the Force dulled, I could feel her small interest. I wasn't planning to bed her, but there was no harm in being polite with the help, especially when it was as attractive as Keer.

Anakin raced into the room the moment I released my hold on him, and I chuckled. "Children these days," I said with a shrug before following him into the room. Keer remained behind, but I could feel her eyes upon me as the doors closed between us.

The room was large, with the ceiling two decks, perhaps three, above us. Murals of starships in motion, several of which I recognized as being made, or at least partially made, were dotted around sufficiently to make clear the importance of who we were about to meet. The walls themselves were dark blue, though they didn't appear to be painted but instead, some sort of decoration, while the floor was covered in a dark green carpet that, when combined with the walls, reminded me of an ocean.

In the centre of the room was a large circular table made of wood that reminded me of mahogany. Seats of the same wood, but with cushions of a similar shade to the carpet ringed the table, with each space – which was wide enough for three people to eat comfortably – having plates and cutlery made of either silver or platinum, while in the middle a large crystal starship dominated proceedings, though it wasn't of a size that it would prevent those on opposite sides of the table from seeing and speaking with each other.

"This place is wizard!" Anakin called out, his voice echoing around the room. He turned to me, his arms and with a wide smile, only to stop as I stared at him.

"What did I just say?" I asked as I walked toward him.

"Ah, right," his arms fell to his side while the smile shrunk. "Sorry. It's just that this place is amazing!"

"Yes it is," I said as I placed my artificial hand on his shoulder. "However, you need to remember that not only are you representing the Jedi Order, but our clan. As it's Alor, your failures reflect on me and may make others question our right to be in places such as this."

Perhaps it was a little underhanded to emphasise both roles we currently filled, as Jedi and Mandalorians, but I knew that Anakin had started placing more importance on the latter. Especially now that he was, to any Mando'ade we met, my son. I wasn't comfortable with thinking of him in that way, at least not often, but I expected that would change over the next few years.

"Yes sir, sorry." He looked down at the carpet and lightly shuffled his feet.

"I understand your excitement, but you need to learn to control it, not let it control you." I removed my hand and looked toward the table, wondering what ship the crystal was meant to represent. "Emotions aren't a bad thing, but you need to think before you act. Particularly when around powerful figures such as Raith Sienar."

"That is a title that could apply to you as well, Master Jedi." I turned at the voice, not having caught the faint sound of a door opening, to see a man entering. He'd come into the room from one of a half-dozen smaller doors that dotted the room, and I knew this was our host.

Raith Sienar moved closer, extending a hand as I noted his clothing. While it was of high quality, much like the decorations of this cruiser, it wasn't over-the-top or gaudy. "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting," he said as he extended his hand, "but an important matter of business ran longer than I'd anticipated."

"We've only just arrived," I replied as we shook hands. "That you're willing to meet us at all means waiting is a trivial matter. Someone in your position would, I imagine, find a hundred little matters daily that weren't intended but require your presence." As I spoke, I used Observe to get an understanding of the man, having to trust it alone for now until I felt comfortable using the Force in a complementary manner.

Raith Sienar
Race: Human
Level: 31
Health: 96% (Lack of sleep)
Age: 28
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Raith Sienar (100%)
Emotional State: Curious
Raith is interested in meeting Jedi: particularly the one behind the recent liberation of Naboo and who has a direct connection to the co-Chancellors.
However, that interest is overridden by his desire to examine your starship.
He believed that all Sekotan vessels had failed several years ago and that yours is still working has greatly intrigued him.
...

Nothing there stood out, bar perhaps him knowing of my connection to Damask. Though that might just be him thinking my friendship with Palpatine would allow access to the Munn as well. A starship designer such as him being interested in Raven wasn't a surprise, and should, in theory, make it easier to discover what, if any upgrades were possible for her.

"Yes, that is sadly true. And while many of those issues require a personal touch, most can be delegated to my assistants or others beneath me," Raith replied, keeping an open, friendly smile on his face as we stopped shaking hands. "Something the Jedi are also known to do."

I chuckled at the comment. "I'm not sure many Jedi would phrase it that way, but you're not wrong. Many, if not most of the Order focus their attention inward on the connection we share with the Force than on the day-to-day activities of those living in the galaxy."

"While I know little about the workings of the Jedi, I do feel that many in the Republic have turned against the Jedi because of their apparent disinterest in others. Though that doesn't apply to you, does it?" he stepped back and seemed to take a second look at me. "The Hero of Naboo; a man whose name is on the lips of figures of power throughout the galaxy, including, from what I understand, that of our new co-Chancellors. One of whom hails from the very world you liberated." He smiled and shook his head. "If you were anyone but a Jedi, many would suspect your actions of having political intentions behind them," he added, gesturing toward the table.

"As I've told others, including Chancellor Palpatine, I have no interest nor patience for politics and would prefer to face off against armies of battledroids than the Senate."

"A wise choice. I personally cannot stand dealing with those who say one thing yet mean entirely another." He turned at that and looked at Anakin. "And who might you be?"

"Anakin Skywalker, nice to meet you!" Anakin blurted out as he took and shook Sienar's hand before it was fully extended.

"You'll have to forgive my Padawan," I began as Sienar smiled at the boy's exuberance. "He has an interest in starship and droid design and so greatly admires you."

"Oh, is that so?" Sienar looked back at Anakin and laughed. "I never thought I'd meet a Jedi who was a fan of my work. I'd have thought you spent more time thinking about the Force than caring about how a starship works."

"I only recently became a Jedi," Anakin said quickly as he released Sienar's hand, a slightly sheepish look my way coming before he continued. "Before that, I helped my mo… others repair and improve the various starships we had. And I helped with Cam's arm!"

Sienar turned to me, an eyebrow rising in curiosity. After giving Anakin a look, suggesting I'd be talking with him about giving away such information so freely, I pulled the glove over the limb, exposing the now black beskar that covered the replacement.

"Hmm, interesting." Sienar took a step closer, his hands moving toward mine, only for him to stop. "May I?" He asked, to which I nodded and as he lifted my hand, I used the other to pull back my robe, exposing the rest of the device. "This appears to be of Adasca design, though I believe I see hints of Xi Char philosophy in the way the sections flow together." Sienar was talking more to himself than us as his fingers moved over the surface of the limb. I knew where he was touching based on sensors in the limb, but only the hand provided more than a general sense of where I was being touched. After spending some time examining the arm with his hands and eyes, he looked at me. "An impressive piece of technology. One that, if I am correct, was rumoured to have been commissioned by Chancellor Palpatine less than two weeks after the liberation of Naboo."

"It was. While I didn't ask or expect it, I'd be a fool to turn down a work of art such as this design, which came from Hakan Ron of Adasca," I added, confirming Sienar's suspicion. "The beskar was a personal touch I arranged through contacts I have in the sector."

"Impressive that they allowed it. The Mandalorians are famously jealous of allowing anyone outside their cultures access to beskar, let alone to use it." He looked me over, wondering what I'd done to earn that right. "I'm sure there is a story there, as to how you became such a respected friend of the Chancellor. Still, I admit I'm more curious about how a Jedi lost an arm. While not invincible, I've been led to believe that defeating a member of your Order is extremely difficult."

"While Jedi aren't as they're often portrayed in the media," that drew a chuckle from Raith, "and we are highly skilled, we are still mortal and can be overwhelmed."

"Yes, I suspect that's true." Sienar returned his focus to Anakin. "Now, young one, might I ask where you studied and what sort of vessels you've worked on?"

"I, um, I learnt from my m-mother." The stutter when mentioning Shmi was understandable, though Sienar wouldn't catch the meaning behind it. "After Cam freed us from slavery, we joined the Lokella, and I got to work with them on their starships. Those varied from freighters to corvettes and even a few larger vessels."

"The Lokella?" Sienar glanced at me. "I don't believe I've heard of them before."

"It's a group of former slaves who formed a community and work to free other slaves." I kept my reply short, not wanting to dwell on the Lokella. While it was unlikely Sienar had connections with the Hutts, I couldn't discount it as those grubby slugs had their hands in many pots.

"Cam founded the Lokella!" Anakin blurted out, wanting to make me sound grander to one of his idols, and in the process, ruining my intentions of keeping the Lokella far from Sienar's thoughts. "It's because of him that they have so many ships and weapons."

"I just gave them the means to remain free," I added quickly, not wanting Sienar to probe much further. "What they've done since then is entirely on them, and I'm reasonably certain Raith Sienar didn't invite me here to discuss the actions of a minor group of former slaves."

Anakin frowned at my blunt dismissal of the Lokella, and I knew I'd have to explain my logic here to him later. For now, I kept my focus on Sienar, and his on me. Our time here was going to be limited, and I needed to get down to my reason for wanting to meet him; something he shared. At least according to Observe.

"While I admit I'd love to hear more, you are correct." Sienar again gestured to the table, and we began the short walk toward it. "I admit that while I, like many, am curious about your Order, and had hoped to speak to one of your Order for some time now. At least outside an official capacity. That I get that chance with the Jedi that dominates the airwaves, the Hero of Naboo, is an unexpected pleasure." An amused smile spread on his face. "Especially when, while reviewing the Holonet, I saw images of the Mandalorian dreadnought in orbit over Naboo along with three captured Lucrehulks." I reached the table, but I waited until Sienar was at his seat as it was bad manners to sit without the host's permission. "While the design lacks grace and style, it more than makes up for in function. At least given the number and variety of weapons that appear to be on its hull. Something that, unless I miss my guess, violates the Ruusan Reformation."

He reached his seat at that point and gestured for us to sit, and after I'd done so, I replied, "The Ne'tra Tal'ade is a relic of the New Sith Wars. Or it was," I chuckled, as did Sienar. "I can't comment on its payload, but I suspect that many in the Senate are concerned to see it combat-ready and violating a ruling that the Mandalorians never agreed to."

"Indeed, the mere presence of such a vessel likely stirs concerns of a Mandalorian resurgence across the galaxy," He acknowledged.

"The Mandalorians of today differ greatly from those of the ancient Crusades," I interjected, a hint of defensiveness creeping into my tone as I spoke on behalf of my people. "While many still yearn for war, our society is fragmented. It has been centuries since a new Mand'alor, a true leader, emerged. The galaxy has little to fear from us, at least for now."

"I meant no offence to your people or their traditions," Sienar quickly clarified, his hand raised in a conciliatory gesture. "I was merely agreeing with your assessment of how various groups, like the Cathar, might react to a Mandalorian warship near a Republic planet. Chancellor Palpatine has addressed such concerns by publicly expressing gratitude for Mandalorian assistance in liberating Naboo. I've heard rumours that he's even granted Mandalorians safe passage in their system. And with Magister Damask now co-Chancellor, I suspect this issue will fade from the forefront, except for the most ardent supporters of the Reformation."

"While the Reformation may have been a necessary political manoeuvre, I believe it was overly restrictive in its scope. The Mandator class, for instance, seems crippled compared to what it should be."

Sienar's smile in response to my critique was unexpected. "It's not often I encounter a Jedi with such views, but I've heard you're anything but typical. But enough about politics and my reasons for inviting you aboard my starship; shall we dine as we continue our discussion?"

"It would be our pleasure, Mr. Sienar," I replied graciously.

"Please, call me Raith," he insisted, his hands coming together in a light clap. "I dislike formal titles; they make me feel older than I am." I couldn't help but smirk at that. It echoed my sentiments about being addressed as a Master Jedi, especially since I hadn't truly earned that title.

"In that case, Raith, please call me Cam, and my Padawan here is Anakin," I suggested, nodding towards my apprentice as a few droids approached. Initially, they seemed like standard service droids, but upon closer inspection, it was clear they'd been customized to serve as waiters and mobile trolleys.

"Care for a drink, sir?" A droid with a copper hue, resembling C-3PO, inquired in a feminine voice as it approached, bearing a tray with three bottles. "Today's selections include Domaine de la Maison sur le Lac, Chandrilan Honey-Rose, or Hapan Gold."

"As much as I've developed a taste for Maison sur le Lac, I wouldn't mind trying something different. How about the Honey-Rose?" I mused aloud.

Maison sur le Lac was a prestigious wine from Naboo, one I'd often enjoyed in conversations with Palpatine. At two thousand credits per bottle, or so it was priced before the invasion, it stood firmly in the upper echelons of Republic wines. I recalled indulging in the fruity libation during Naboo's liberation celebration, seated beside Padmé and Palpatine at the heart of the festivities.

The Council hadn't been thrilled about that, but apart from fulfilling my duties as a focal point, I relished the meal and the company. Palpatine might be my adversary in the grand scheme, but he was a captivating conversationalist, and I considered him a friend—so long as I harboured no doubts about his true intentions and plans.

"An excellent choice," Raith commended as the droid poured the Honey-Rose into my glass. "I prefer the Hapan Gold. And what of your Padawan?"

Anakin shrunk into his chair when I looked at him. "Perhaps one glass," I said with a smile. He might be young, but he was a Jedi and Mando'ade, and I didn't want him to feel left out. "Though he'll sip it slowly and if he doesn't enjoy the taste, ask for something else."

Anakin looked at the droid as it moved closer. "Um, could I try the Domaine?"

I watched in amusement as Anakin watched the wine enter his glass while taking a sniff of my wine. It had a stronger scent than the Naboo wine and was a deep burgundy whereas the Maison sur le Lac was purple.

"Now, while we wait for my chefs to create something for us," I suspected they already had the meal planned out to a T. "Perhaps I might know more about you and your Padawan? Starting, if I might, with your unusual vessel."

I took a sip of the wine, savouring the sweet taste that it brought forth. After swallowing, and getting a slightly flowery aftertaste, I responded to Raith's statement. "You may, but I can't say how much detail my answer will contain."

Raith laughed and raised his glass to me. "A wise and intelligent answer. I see your friendship with Chancellor Palpatine has taught you at least the basics of the game?" I raised my glass to confirm his suspicion. "Such behaviour adds fuel to the rumours I've heard of your position in the corridors of power. While you're young, your name and recent feats – I'm aware you were part of the diplomatic team that negotiated on Zygerria – have many I know wondering if you might seek political office."

"Rules forbid a Jedi from being Chancellor."

"Yes, but only the Chancellor. Not, from what my lawyers have told me, from other positions of importance in the Republic. Perhaps not even from becoming co-Chancellor."

"I've often told Chancellor Palpatine that I'd rather face a rancor in combat than wade into politics," I remarked with a wry grin.

Raith chuckled in agreement. "Indeed! Rancors can be more agreeable than some Senators." Anakin's sudden cough into his glass drew our attention, and he visibly shrank in his seat.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Raith waved off the apology. "No need to apologize. Might I inquire about the rumours regarding your familial ties to Chancellor Palpatine?"

I chuckled at the question, taking another sip of the Chandrilan wine before responding. Though different from Naboo's offering, it was a delightful beverage. I entertained the idea of acquiring a few bottles for storage aboard the Raven if I could find a suitable broker. Personally, I preferred ne'tra gal or a robust ale or lager, but I understood that not everyone shared my tastes.

"I was born on Talravin, but the records of my birth were altered for a mission where I had to pose as a distant nephew of the then Senator Palpatine. I'm surprised the records weren't changed back, but I suspect that the new Chancellor has likely used that connection to curry some favour with Senators predisposed toward the Jedi."

"I would be shocked if he hasn't. Just as I, if you'll permit it, might mention that we're acquainted with each other."

"I see no issues with you doing so. So long as I might do likewise when your name might open a door that would otherwise remain closed."

Raith stared at me for a moment before shaking his head and laughing gently. "You claim to not wish to play the game, yet understand how it works, and at such a young age as well. You are quite unlike anything I expected from a Jedi."

"Why be like everyone else when I can simply be me," I said in response, which drew a round of applause.

"Yes! Exactly!" Raith took a sip of his wine before he spoke again. "Now, dropping politics and such discussions, at least for now, your vessel has intrigued me ever since I saw it dock." He leaned forward, placing his glass on the table. "Unless I'm grossly mistaken, it was designed and built by the shipbuilders of Zonama Sekot.

"She was," I replied slowly, making it seem I was uncertain how he knew that. While Observe had told me he was interested in her, that he knew of Sekot, at least concerning starship design, made sense. That said, there was a faint sense in the Force that his interest went beyond the professional.

"Then I must ask how exactly it… sorry, she is still flying. I know of several individuals who possessed a ship built by the Sekotans, but around two years ago, if the rumours and snippets of information I've collected are accurate, every single vessel they'd built stopped working. The vessels, as incredible as it sounds, seemed to wither and die."

"I can't go into full details, as the Jedi Council have instructed me to not do so, but I'll reveal what I can." I knew I had Raith's interest, and was quickly determining the best way to use that to my advantage. "There was an incident on the planet as you say about two years ago. The incident was handled, but as we were leaving the planet aboard Raven, something unexpected happened. I don't know exactly what caused the issue, which you're saying happened to every vessel the Sekotan had built, but I felt Raven dying. Due to luck, perhaps some skill, and doing something my Master disapproved of with the Force, I was able to save her, and in the process, save the life of myself, my Master, and those with us."

Raith held my gaze for a while as if searching for what I wasn't saying. "Then it seems the rumours I've heard are true. The Jade Raven is, like other Sekotan vessels, partially organic."

"She is."

Raith leaned back, one hand coming up to rub his chin. "I can't claim to be an expert about the Force, but I understand that it exists in all living things." I nodded, confirming that. "Hmm, then you using the Force to save her makes, from what little I understand, sense. Something that, because they weren't trained as Jedi, none of the other owners of a Sekotan ship could achieve."

"That would be my assumption as well," I said, enjoying talking with Raith. He wasn't what I expected, at least not from the head of one of the largest companies in the galaxy. His interest in Raven made more sense now, and I didn't need the Force or Observe to know his interest in Raven was genuine, and based on a need to understand something unique in his field of interest. "The planet held some form of connection to every ship built there, and when whatever it was that happened, those vessels, for lack of a better term, died."

I'd continue to dance around what had happened on Sekot, but Raith had a far clearer understanding of everything that resulted because of the Vong attacking and then Sekot leaving than I'd expect anyone without official knowledge to have. Perhaps, with his position, he could be brought in on the truth regarding the Vong. The only downside of that would be bringing the man to the full attention of Palpatine and Damask.

He should already be on their radar for the buildup of forces they'd need for the Clone Wars, but I couldn't be sure if it was Raith, and through him, Santhe/Sienar Technologies, that much of the GAR or CIS technology came from. Or if he was a minor player in their plans, and by bringing him to their attention regarding the Vong I'd alter things in ways that would make my mission that much harder. Such as Damask becoming co-Chancellor.

That risk lay with every name Dred had given me, but Raith was one of the more powerful and prominent on that list. Which made this conversation, as oddly enjoyable as it was, far riskier than I'd expected.

"Then, with the Sekotans no longer producing vessels, and all other ships they have manufactured, for lack of a better term, dead, the Jade Raven is one-of-a-kind. There are many, both public figures and those working in the underworld, who would want such a vessel for themselves. Not that I'm one of those, I assure you," he added quickly as Anakin tensed.

"That is a wise decision," I said calmly, having used Observe to confirm he was honest in his assessment. If he hadn't been, then I'd be forced to see just what happened when I used the Force without much ability to control it. "And one I believe to be true."

"I'm relieved to hear you say that. Truly I am. However, while I have no interest in attempting to take the vessel from you, lest I anger both the Jedi and the Chancellor, I wish to ask if, perhaps, I might be allowed to examine your vessel more closely."

Even without the Force and Observe I could see the interest he held toward Raven. "Amusingly," I began as I smirked, "I had planned to seek out those with an interest in examining Raven. Your name was on that list, though I had little expectation of meeting you, it seems the Force felt that we should meet." Raith's brow rose, curiosity easy to see. "While Raven is an exceptional vessel, one I would, if you're interested, be willing to allow you a flight upon, her builders had a strict no-weapons policy. While for most of my work, that is fine, I seemed to encounter hostile situations at a higher rate than even other members of my Order. I'm unsure if weaponry can be added to her without hurting her, I hope to examine my options to increase her survivability."

"Yes, I see what you mean by the Force bringing us together. Most serendipitous but exhilarating." He laughed gently and then lifted his glass. "I eagerly accept your offer of a flight aboard the Raven and offer both myself and the minds at my company's most advanced research laboratories to examine if your wonderous ship might be improved upon."

I lifted my glass, and we clinked them together, confirming the deal, or at least the framework of one. We both knew there was more to be sorted out, but for now, we had an accord.

Just after that, the doors on one side of the room opened, and a trio of droids rolled in. Each carried several plates and behind them came another three models of protocol droids. The aromas from the plates reached us, and Anakin's stomach grumbled loudly, making Raith and me laugh.

"Perhaps," he started as the food reached us, "while we eat, I might ask some questions of a technical nature. That way I can get an inclination toward what Raven is capable of and what you're looking to improve upon."

"Of course. And once we're finished, provided your stomach can take it, I'd be happy to show you just what Raven is capable of when pushed." If things went well, that would be the first of several flights Raith Sienar would take aboard Raven, and I was sure that Raven would want to show off. She might not be sentient in a way many could understand, but she had a sense of pride and proving herself to others was something I felt she'd enjoy doing. Particularly if it led to her being improved without being hurt.

The hyperdrive and various other components the Sekotans had used in her construction were some of the most expensive units on the market, but someone like Raith Sienar would have, in theory, access to parts that weren't currently publicly available. Nor might they ever be so. However, if I could get one or two of those added or swapped into Raven, without hurting her that is, then I'd be more than willing to do so. And if the cost for that was acting as a personal pilot for Raith for a few weeks, and letting him experience Raven's full capabilities, it would be a price worth paying.

Even if, I suspected, I could afford some, if not most, of the parts.

… …

… …
A/N: Sometimes, even when you don't intend to alter events, you do.
...
This story is cross-posted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
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A New Player in the Force (SW/Lite Gamer)

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos