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

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.

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Current Date: 1 year until the Invasion of Naboo

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Knightly Diplomacy 2
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“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.

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… …

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.

… …

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… …

“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

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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.​

 

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.

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Current Date: <1 year until the Invasion of Naboo

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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.
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