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

random123abc · Jan 24, 2024

USSExplorer said:
Not going to respond to everything you've said, simply because I'm not dealing with it on an individual basis for each person on each site the story is on.

A general PSA will be coming out in a day or two that, if it doesn't clear a lot of things up, simply means that people have their own ideas - when out of the moment and backseat driving - about what should happen in my story.

The biggest takeaway I'll say for now is this:

ANP is based on the EU. It places it as high, if not higher than the movies. CW2003 and TCW will only be used if I feel I can meld EU lore and the Clone Wars Multimedia project (which stretched through games, novels and comics) and doesn't completely clash.
An example of this is the "New Mandalorians". That took a ton of effort to meld into the EU lore, and even now I feel it's not brilliant. Another would be the backstories of Maul and Ventress. Those are quite different from what most readers expect (and something the PSA will touch on).

Anyway, onto the remarks that I'm going to deal with.

Please, do not bring logic from another universe into Star Wars. That's just, frankly, insulting to both of us.
Could Cam have used other weapons/tools in the armour? Yes.
Why didn't he? Go review the quest for this arc. That's all I'm saying as it would spoil the next chapter.

You don't like Edge-lord Anakin? You don't want a full-powered Anakin who is a threat to anyone?
Have you read the ROTS novelisation? Because it's clear there - and that book is one I cannot over recommend - that Vader was always Anakin.
If you have a problem with "edge lords" then I'd suggest not reading any story where a character has to interact and use their darker impulses/powers.

If you refer to TCW Grievous, then aye.
However, this isn't TCW Grievous, this is EU Grievous.
If you have seen 2003 CW short series, then that's a bare minimum of how Grievous truly is.

I am, so beyond fucking sick of having Cam compared to Galen Marek.
Cam has trained for 9 years as a Jedi during the Rise of the Empire era.
Marek was trained by Vader in secret under insane Sith methods for longer.

They might be comparable in power, or they might not be, but comparing two vastly different characters with different ideal/training/motivations is slightly insulting to both.

... it was red.

The black was only used against the Vong.
As for using lightning around others, the ones who saw it were Mandos. Do you think, if the Jedi asked, they'd hand over the recording for the battle? Because that wouldn't happen.
The Mandos dislike -> hate the Jedi because of the Dral'Han. It was an issue Cam and Serra faced back in Book 1.

I don't mind criticism, but commenting about something without offering ways to fix it is nothing more than complaining. If I somehow upset a few readers because of my reactions, then that's their issue.

When it comes down to it, as you mention, this is my story. I write it for me.
If people want to comment, and offer valid criticism (which, btw, is what I say at the end of the story) that's fine.
Complaining because they, as a reader not in the moment that Cam is, nor involved in the planning of the story, thinks what has happened is stupid/idiotic, isn't valid. It's them projecting into a character that isn't them, nor written for them to live an adventure as.

New to the site so don't know how to exactly how do the quote for quote so ill just do it by line.

For the logic of the suit I was mainly referencing Iron man because it was modular in combat/flight. What I was trying to lead to and probably failing I meant like the rapid fire of Jango and flame thrower for disorientation, Boba' knee blasters, or Din's whistling birds to hit non critical areas or to stun/ concuss, arms, legs hands, feet, lightsaber is what I meant. and with damaged limbs/ lightsaber capturing Maul would be much easier just saying. Like when I mentioned gas bombing the area with what was in his gauntlets. If it makes sense I mean. I forget can the whistling birds be modified to not contain explosives? because those small rounds in a close encounter could cripple opponents when battling.

For Anakin, at the time I think I was more referencing the movies more at the time and was also probably thinking of the script writing. not he best not the exact worst. For the novels I think I did read/ read to quite a few of them when I was younger. Don't exactly remember all that, most got stolen by a family member. But may have to look at that novel when I have more spare time. And for dark powers I see them more as a razors edge or a sharpening tool to a knife. Sharpen a knife to much and you brake it, to little and its a pain to use. I think what I may have meant for Edge lord is when they complain about something or being dreary/ or like 8th grade syndrome if I can put it to words.

Ya I loved the 2003 series and what I was hoping for. Have you seen the 2min reanimation one person did? Anyway, I was just wondering because at this moment Dooku is not apart of the sith ( yet or if so). That with the major changes by Cam would lead to many differences with Grievous. EX, the clawed feet for resisting being pushed back or super heavy frame for using TK by the lower powered Jedi. Even the move sets that Dooku taught him would change. ( I'm sorry but, just asking what would Cam's pulse/ ion force powers, or even lightning do to the cyborg that Grievous is. not including the many other powers that Cam has at his disposal). Another point as in the 2003 series when Mace Windu did a force crush to a degree on Grievous, and crumpled his torso armor, and I do love Grievous. But with the full powers Cam has just with TK and some of his rarely used powers. Idk how other then suddenly drooping a huge amount of magna guards, snipers, Grievous and catching Cam with his pants down. ( food for thought).

Ya sorry for bringing up Galen Marek. But the whole stopping and breaking the ships in space and rag dolling the pirates instantly made me think and put Cam and Galen Marek as the inspiration/ skeleton for Cam's character. ( Off tangent do you now dislike the Force force unleashed because of the comparison, I loved playing it because it was like playing with the prop gun in Gary's mod). And I know that Cam has had it pretty relaxed in his training and the others had the forced and pain debilitating training that the system he had made up for it. And I thought personally that after the invasion by the Vong or him being captured for a year or so. That Cam would have been trying to step up the intensity of his training. One part that caught my mind was the pain training and force healing, when at the temple early on and with Bo shooting him.

It just seemed at least on the RR side that he was much more powerful and prepared/ equipped then he was here, if that makes sense. Ex, bunch of grenades of different types in the storage or already timed detonators ect ect. And with his teleport and phasing could have been use to further anger Maul. like teleporting 20ft away or up on a building for example, like this around the 38 second mark.( sorry for bringing in Warhammer but my mind went to this and couldn't think of another explanation other then a skit from Buggs Bunny I could not find at the moment). Same with the mobility of the jetpack. bouncing from place to place or quick jerking movements to reposition/ rearm, away from Maul or lead him on a chase. Kind of like the battlefront games as the jet trooper.

Ya my bad abought the lightning was a while and, I didn't reread the previous chapter because I was exited about reading this one. And I get that the Mandos wouldn't diverge the data but there are, if I'm wrong 4 other Jedi (other than Cam and Serra), and wouldn't they feel not only Cam's use of the dark side because he wasn't concentrating. But also Serra's use of it to, because she hasn't been taught a way of hiding/ suppressing it it yet. Just wondering.

For the commenting without offering ways to fix it. I can see how that would be aggravating. But they may be trying to put something out there but not understand the grand structure of the story and ways to put things out there. so they may leave it open ended or something. Which in turn would cause dissatisfaction in all people involved. To the people who are doing it in a way to get a rise out of you and others will always suck no matter what. You can say it's like the dark side of the force just trying to nibble its way in lol.

Sorry if I'm typing the same things over again and stuff like that. Trying to work and wright this on my phone at the moment. and again thank you and the others in this story. Until next time.

TheFallenJedi66 · Jan 24, 2024

USSExplorer said:
Bit of a change to talk with you here than on Discord

Yep. Though I wished we talked more than just your story and a bit more consistently. Though now your a lot more closer to America (away from the commie failure) in a better time zone hopefully we can make it happen

USSExplorer said:
Heh. I'm, at best, a decent Padawan for knowledge of Star Wars EU.
The two who help the most are High Council/Grandmaster level, which is a gift from the Force.
Even if one is a true Jedi and the other a true Sith, lol. (And me stuck in the middle trying to not get drawn too much to one side).

Yesh. That must be quite the... experience. Though this may be something a bit crass and expected from your kinsmen livin here in America on something a bit obvious and probably something you know it boils down to this: Fuck the sith and Fuck the jedi. And fuck almost everybody now that I think about it. May be due to George Carlins teachings flaring up but he was never wrong. Though my thoughts on it is i'm not sure if you get this reference, but in Fallout: New Vegas I always go for the independent Vegas ending in it and Make myself the only capable leader in control. Cause fuck everyone and anything that's not me due to the fact i'm not braindead retarded.

Same thing happening here.

USSExplorer said:
Next chapter begins to rectify that, and Book 3 is when Cam decides to fully go "fuck this, I'm doing things my way."
Naboo was, in many ways, a fixed point, and the only one Cam had before galactic war.
He worked toward that over all other goals.
with it now gone, the galaxy is his playground, so to speak.

Good. I suggest starting in the outer rim taking it over while conducting black ops operations while systematically eliminating the hutts and taking everything without any major losses whatsoever. Also, nukes. I want nukes in the story. You can never go wrong with nukes. Plus I'd like some Grand Theft Auto action, morality doesn't pay, opportunistic pragmatism does. I think I may have been playing Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, Stellaris, Star Sector, Endless Space 2, and Payday 2 a bit too much. But hey that's probably just me.

Or the ssethtzeentach videos have been watching

either or

Probably asking too much or is too out threre or whatever it may be to disqualify this but I wanted to take a chance and ask if Cam could make a IRA star wars equivalent for the memesies. Yes, those IRA. Yes, I consider them kinsmen as well. Yes, I know you are Scottish. Yes, they are your kin as well. No, you don't have to consider them kin.

USSExplorer said:
He has been building things up, very slowly. Because, until less than a year ago in-story, he was a Padawan and restricted by what he could do and how. As a Knight (and, with respect to her, Fay off on a private adventure) he's able to spread his wings.

The issue is, Cam doesn't know specific people to go after. Not unless they were in the movies of TCW. The issue with the latter is that this is a verse based on the EU, and TCW either is a square peg into a round hole, or from another toy entirely. It rarely slots in easily, with only a few people/places/events being easy to slide in without major alterations. (See the New Mandalorians - dar'manda, the lot of them - and the EU lore about Mandalore, which was a pain in the arse to merge together.)

Thats fine enough. I just want him to create an actual empire just to piss palps off and become Big Boss that is competent and cares about his people, systematically pulling ahead in technological prowess. Though I do hope you change your mind and allow Cam to use other universes he knows of and the collective knowledge he has to become unparalleled in ways this cesspit of a galactic civilization could ever dare to dream. I'd also like to see ship ramming and ship boarding. Lootzs, Alcohol guzzling, and plain ole' Scottish fun everyone else would see as insanity.

Namely going full on naked to take on the enemy, riding a ship as it plummets towards as a surfboard, and full on berserker rampage with the most glorious of glory kills.

NO. I don't want his plans to boil down to just kill everyone. Though it would be pretty funny from time to time.

TheFallenJedi66 · Jan 24, 2024

TheFallenJedi66 said:
Yep. Though I wished we talked more than just your story and a bit more consistently. Though now your a lot more closer to America (away from the commie failure) in a better time zone hopefully we can make it happen

Yesh. That must be quite the... experience. Though this may be something a bit crass and expected from your kinsmen livin here in America on something a bit obvious and probably something you know it boils down to this: Fuck the sith and Fuck the jedi. And fuck almost everybody now that I think about it. May be due to George Carlins teachings flaring up but he was never wrong. Though my thoughts on it is i'm not sure if you get this reference, but in Fallout: New Vegas I always go for the independent Vegas ending in it and Make myself the only capable leader in control. Cause fuck everyone and anything that's not me due to the fact i'm not braindead retarded.

Same thing happening here.

Good. I suggest starting in the outer rim taking it over while conducting black ops operations while systematically eliminating the hutts and taking everything without any major losses whatsoever. Also, nukes. I want nukes in the story. You can never go wrong with nukes. Plus I'd like some Grand Theft Auto action, morality doesn't pay, opportunistic pragmatism does. I think I may have been playing Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, Stellaris, Star Sector, Endless Space 2, and Payday 2 a bit too much. But hey that's probably just me.

Or the ssethtzeentach videos have been watching

either or

Probably asking too much or is too out threre or whatever it may be to disqualify this but I wanted to take a chance and ask if Cam could make a IRA star wars equivalent for the memesies. Yes, those IRA. Yes, I consider them kinsmen as well. Yes, I know you are Scottish. Yes, they are your kin as well. No, you don't have to consider them kin.

Thats fine enough. I just want him to create an actual empire just to piss palps off and become Big Boss that is competent and cares about his people, systematically pulling ahead in technological prowess. Though I do hope you change your mind and allow Cam to use other universes he knows of and the collective knowledge he has to become unparalleled in ways this cesspit of a galactic civilization could ever dare to dream. I'd also like to see ship ramming and ship boarding. Lootzs, Alcohol guzzling, and plain ole' Scottish fun everyone else would see as insanity.

Namely going full on naked to take on the enemy, riding a ship as it plummets towards as a surfboard, and full on berserker rampage with the most glorious of glory kills.

NO. I don't want his plans to boil down to just kill everyone. Though it would be pretty funny from time to time.

Almost forgot.... I forgot. Gahd damn it ta gahds arse.

Well. Since I'm here might as well ask among other things. Not sure if you have been able to ready my stories yet or have been able to read them but I'd like it if you'd give em a chance when you can and tell me what you think of em. I'd love to know what you think and where you think I can improve or work on. Links are in mah signature. If you've already have then please remind me again because i honestly do not remember.

Also, I know Star Wars has a a decent tech base but in terms of other media out there it's gar~ba'ge. Let me know if you'd like places to get ideas from. Also, since you have passed the point of no return I'd like if you didn't completely use the lore from star wars and not be afraid to mess around with creating OC characters, plots, situations, or problems that is just not possible to name them all or write them all for the galaxy. It is a big universe and I'm sure you'll do fine. Anomalies, warlords, dangerous people, dangerous items, things happening due to the force, things not happening due to the force is things I'd like for you to write. With lore-not-required™

USSExplorer · Jan 24, 2024

random123abc said:
New to the site so don't know how to exactly how do the quote for quote so ill just do it by line.

There's a help page/thread somewhere on how to do certain things.
For quotes, select a section of text. A small pop-up will appear. Select 'quote' if you've got various bits you want to touch on and 'reply' if that's all you want to respond to.
Then, go down to the message area, and chose "insert Quotes" which should be at the bottom left of the text box.

random123abc said:
Boba' knee blasters, or Din's whistling birds

I'd have to confirm the first, but the 2nd is Disney.
Cam fought some well-armed Mandos when he 'saved' Hego Damask - not a wise choice in retrospect, lol - but other than that, until this battle he's only seen Mando trainees and stuff from the movies. That limits what he would use.
Now, Bo and others could easily suggest certain weapons, but Cam went into this fight with a goal in mind.
To defeat Maul.
I'm not going into detail further there, as it would spoil the next chapter.

random123abc said:
Like when I mentioned gas bombing the area with what was in his gauntlets

Gas bombing an area would disperse the gas quickly. And at the speed the pair are moving - so fast the HUDs of other Mandos seeing the feed needed to slow it down for others to follow - Maul would leave that area faster than we could click our fingers.
And that's ignoring that the Force would sense the action being taken.

random123abc said:
For the novels I think I did read/ read to quite a few of them when I was younger

the ROTS novel is, perhaps one of the best SW books ever. Up alongside the Darth Plagueis novel and Thrawn trilogy.
Sure there are others just as good, but those are generally regarded as some if, if not the, best novels.

random123abc said:
That with the major changes by Cam would lead to many differences with Grievous. EX, the clawed feet for resisting being pushed back or super heavy frame for using TK by the lower powered Jedi. Even the move sets that Dooku taught him would change. ( I'm sorry but, just asking what would Cam's pulse/ ion force powers, or even lightning do to the cyborg that Grievous is. not including the many other powers that Cam has at his disposal).

random123abc said:
Another point as in the 2003 series when Mace Windu did a force crush to a degree on Grievous, and crumpled his torso armor, and I do love Grievous. But with the full powers Cam has just with TK and some of his rarely used powers. Idk how other then suddenly drooping a huge amount of magna guards, snipers, Grievous and catching Cam with his pants down. ( food for thought).

random123abc said:
But the whole stopping and breaking the ships in space and rag dolling the pirates instantly made me think and put Cam and Galen Marek as the inspiration/ skeleton for Cam's character.

Each of those events, be they taken by Cam or Galen, required time and concentration. Maul would never give a target that, and again he'd sense it being prepared. Serra's first attack was the only Force attack to hurt him (and that is pushing it) because he wasn't expecting it. the Force Blast from Drallig, Serra's second cream, and Cam's Force Blast did nothing to him.

Which is an example of why 99% of duels between Force users involve lightsabers and not Force powers.

random123abc said:
Off tangent do you now dislike the Force force unleashed because of the comparison, I loved playing it because it was like playing with the prop gun in Gary's mod

Honestly, it's odd to say but I never played the games. When they came out I was working aboard, and I'd moved away from playing computer games, returning to pen-and-paper before it became popular again. I did play the much older Jedi Knight series. (Kyle Katarn is space Chuck Norris!)

random123abc said:
And I know that Cam has had it pretty relaxed in his training and the others had the forced and pain debilitating training that the system he had made up for it. And I thought personally that after the invasion by the Vong or him being captured for a year or so.

Again, until he became a Knight, it was hard to push his training forward in ways he might want. And once a Knight, Naboo was 1-1.5 years away, so the focus became on, at the very least, surviving Maul/saving Qui-Gon.

random123abc said:
That Cam would have been trying to step up the intensity of his training. One part that caught my mind was the pain training and force healing, when at the temple early on and with Bo shooting him.

Bo shooting him was for Deflection and, eventually, Tutaminis. Since he generally has his lightsaber on-hand, that was more a back-up power being trained than one to use actively in combat.
The train will, now Naboo is free, step up. At least once Book 3 begins (which is after the current arc is completed next chapter).

random123abc said:
It just seemed at least on the RR side that he was much more powerful and prepared/ equipped then he was here, if that makes sense. Ex, bunch of grenades of different types in the storage or already timed detonators ect ect. And with his teleport and phasing could have been use to further anger Maul.

Sometimes I regret giving Cam those powers, but I did.
Teleport and Phase are not combat-orientated. There are rules to how they behave, and how to counter them.
Also, given Cam displayed them at the Jedi Temple, Sidious saw Cam use them in the Initiate Trials, he would've had Maul's training adapt to counter them. (It's a giant game of 4D chess that Cam is playing without knowing the full rules)

as for the Inventory, it takes time to get something out of that. Its not instant. And moving a hand into it means not having it, the tools in that vambrace, or any weapon in-hand, available to defend against Maul. That is beyond dangerous, and not something Cam had even considered doing because of that very reason.

random123abc said:
Same with the mobility of the jetpack. bouncing from place to place or quick jerking movements to reposition/ rearm, away from Maul or lead him on a chase. Kind of like the battlefront games as the jet trooper.

Ask Jango in Ep3m, or Boba in Ep6, what happens when you rely too much on a jetpack.
And, with the Force, easier to simply jump. Which Maul could easily do to follow.

random123abc said:
if I'm wrong 4 other Jedi (other than Cam and Serra), and wouldn't they feel not only Cam's use of the dark side because he wasn't concentrating. But also Serra's use of it to, because she hasn't been taught a way of hiding/ suppressing it it yet. Just wondering.

Aye, there's 4 other Jedi on the planet. (Good catch on that as think most missed the other 2)

They'd sense Cam using the Dark Side, yes, but since Qui-Gon - who was the only Jedi Master there, at least after Drallig died - would have also sensed Serra in danger, and that Cam didn't dwell on the anger, it wouldn't be a major issue. The others could, and likely will, mention it to the HC, but Qui-Gon's word matters more, as does Cam not drawing on the Dark Side again during the fight.

As for Serra, her Master - in many ways, her father - had just died. An emotional reaction from a Padawan prone to them (at least where Cam is concerned) is expected. Since she's still a Padawan, as wrong as it might be, she will have more repercussions for the action than Cam.
A, imo, flaw of the Order, but one Cam will exploit for his advantage if he's smart.

USSExplorer · Jan 24, 2024

TheFallenJedi66 said:
Though now your a lot more closer to America (away from the commie failure) in a better time zone hopefully we can make it happen

Depends on where you are in the States about the time-zone, but accessing the 'net is certainly easier now I'd back in a proper democracy. (Which, given the failings of most of them, isn't great but still better than the other options on this world).

TheFallenJedi66 said:
Fuck the sith and Fuck the jedi.

Fuck the Banite Sith. The Sith species, or the old Order has several notable people Cam might like.
(Malgus, Exar Kun, Ravan

, Adas, etc).

TheFallenJedi66 said:
I suggest starting in the outer rim taking it over while conducting black ops operations while systematically eliminating the hutts and taking everything without any major losses whatsoever.

Cam is a while from doing that, but the plans for building a base/support is already planned, as are major events that will knock over the table that the Sith have been preparing for a millennium. Doesn't mean they'll lose their pieces, only that things will change dramatically before we reach formal galactic war.

TheFallenJedi66 said:
Also, nukes. I want nukes in the story.

That's a hard no.
Nukes are nothing compared to Base Delta Zero from a ISD or a warship of similar, or greater size.

TheFallenJedi66 said:
Yes, those IRA. Yes, I consider them kinsmen as well. Yes, I know you are Scottish. Yes, they are your kin as well. No, you don't have to consider them kin.

Cam isn't Scottish, but he is kin to a large group of armed, if scattered, warriors ready, in theory to fight for a cause/ideal.

To quote Mandalore the Destroyer
"Here's why you can't exterminate us, aruetii. We're not huddled in one place—we span the galaxy. We need no lords or leaders—so you can't destroy our command. We can live without technology—so we can fight with our bare hands. We have no species or bloodline—so we can rebuild our ranks with others who want to join us. We're more than just a people or an army, aruetii. We're a culture. We're an idea. And you can't kill ideas—but we certainly can kill you."

TheFallenJedi66 said:
I just want him to create an actual empire just to piss palps off and become Big Boss that is competent and cares about his people, systematically pulling ahead in technological prowess.

Patience for that, you will need, young one.
In a day, empires aren't built.

Also, Sidious isn't the Big Boss of this story. Not if I keep it going as I planned.

S T 0 |2 M · Jan 24, 2024

Ah, authors foreshadowing. Fucking hell

USSExplorer · Jan 24, 2024

S T 0 |2 M said:
Ah, authors foreshadowing. Fucking hell

LuciferBael · Jan 24, 2024

TheFallenJedi66 said:
abusing his meta knowledge such as recruiting Bohhuah Mutdah as an extremely capable logistics commander for the army he will soon make or make use of his skills to make money a non-problem.

That would require he know about him, which he doesnt, Cam knows the movies, TCW and KOTOR 1 and 2

USSExplorer · Jan 24, 2024

LuciferBael said:
That would require he know about him, which he doesnt, Cam knows the movies, TCW and KOTOR 1 and 2

Which means, in the grand scheme of things, Cam now knows nothing. The timeline that he knew via TCW is gone, so he's working from a point of 0 intelligence of the future.
If only there was someone he could "speak with" about what the future might hold...

TheFallenJedi66 · Jan 24, 2024

USSExplorer said:
Which means, in the grand scheme of things, Cam now knows nothing. The timeline that he knew via TCW is gone, so he's working from a point of 0 intelligence of the future.
If only there was someone he could "speak with" about what the future might hold...

no. Fuck precogs and fuck oracles.

LuciferBael · Jan 24, 2024

TheFallenJedi66 said:
no. Fuck precogs and fuck oracles.

I mean the oracle in 300 was certainly fuckable

TheFallenJedi66 · Jan 24, 2024

USSExplorer said:
Fuck the Banite Sith. The Sith species, or the old Order has several notable people Cam might like.
(Malgus, Exar Kun, Ravan , Adas, etc).

Fuck all of em. Doesn't matter if they have an extra specification or not, they are all virgin arseholes all the same. Not Ravan though he's kewl, got the gal, did funny war crimes, and never did anything wrong ever.

USSExplorer said:
Cam is a while from doing that, but the plans for building a base/support is already planned, as are major events that will knock over the table that the Sith have been preparing for a millennium. Doesn't mean they'll lose their pieces, only that things will change dramatically before we reach formal galactic war.

Thats fine, though you haven't answered my tech question

USSExplorer said:
That's a hard no.
Nukes are nothing compared to Base Delta Zero from a ISD or a warship of similar, or greater size.

Just cause it's bigger or different it does not change the effective idea of a nuke which surmounts to "fuck that and everything in that general area cause I don't like it"

USSExplorer said:
Cam isn't Scottish, but he is kin to a large group of armed, if scattered, warriors ready, in theory to fight for a cause/ideal.

To quote Mandalore the Destroyer
"Here's why you can't exterminate us, aruetii. We're not huddled in one place—we span the galaxy. We need no lords or leaders—so you can't destroy our command. We can live without technology—so we can fight with our bare hands. We have no species or bloodline—so we can rebuild our ranks with others who want to join us. We're more than just a people or an army, aruetii. We're a culture. We're an idea. And you can't kill ideas—but we certainly can kill you."

Amen ta that

USSExplorer said:
Patience for that, you will need, young one.
In a day, empires aren't built.

Also, Sidious isn't the Big Boss of this story. Not if I keep it going as I planned.

No. I mean Big Boss as in cam is Big Boss, I know your not familiar with metal gear solid but thats a very important title that only one person and one person alone can have after proving themselves not to dissimilar to becoming Mandalore.

So no quests that fall under the purview of Grand Theft Auto?

TheFallenJedi66 · Jan 24, 2024

LuciferBael said:
I mean the oracle in 300 was certainly fuckable

source

random123abc · Jan 24, 2024

Jaxus said:
Alrighty, I'm just going to give you a bit of info.

1.All, if not the majority of Character info, is on the discord. There are way too many to list and edit for each of the sites, especially since they also have images associated with them. This effort is not worth replicating on all the other sites as it would take a lot of time. Dedicated fans can join the discord for the info.

2. Player's mind wouldn't have changed it and Cam still stumbles when exiting teleportation. . He's also in an active warzone so that likely would have killed him, be it teleporting into a blaster bolt barrage, a mine or into a shield array like he did in earlier chapters.
Just because he has the ability doesn't mean he can use it at that moment reliably. Cam is not omnipotent.
His knowledge stems only from the films, Kotor and the clone wars.
He's not forgotten about any of that. Maul's no ordinary sith and he's taken into consideration that he stands to lose more if he involves others in his fight against a council level threat vs if he did it with Jedi support.

Maul's been intensely trained by Sidious since he was a small child to now at the age of 22.
He's been trained to kill Jedi masters at minimum and can kill Council level Jedi.
He's wiped out Anoon Bondara and Drallig, both of which had more experience than Cam does and would have provided a better challenge than an unarmoured Cam.

Never mind the fact Maul killed Drallig and took Serra out of the fight as the bare minimum of a warm up before facing Cam.

3. Try using the rocket or nades to be released before the opponent that is faster than you, at council level, lops off your head and other limbs before you can release them. The blaster bolts would have also shared a similar fate but instead reflected uselessly. Not using some of the built in equipment in the gear wouldn't have been a dishonour as the purpose of the armour is to protect it's user. It also makes no sense to go Iron Man when that would make things way heavier vs when you can wield the force.

4. see 2. Just because Cam was a soldier doesn't mean his entire life was dominated by it. Being a soldier fighting Maul would have gotten him killed here vs being a duellist. Being Spec Ops doesn't mean you instantly win the war and what you would have known then is practically standard or even outdated for soldiers in universe now.

5. Regarding PPS, current Cam would die. If Grievous ends up anything like his 2003 version and Cam tries to use the force on him, he'd be overwhelmed. Also, MAUL is NOT similar level. MAUL is COUNCIL LEVEL.
Regarding your edit, Cam is not Starkiller or even equivalent to him. Starkiller, like Maul, went through high intensity training from the get go to the point he could hunt targets like Shaak Ti who would be high Council level. Cam is actively looking to control or reduce his dark side abilities so it doesn't corrupt or control him. He also doesn't necessarily have more knowledge on force abilities other than what he has been exposed to.
Maul knows how to counter DS abilities to an extent so it would have been useless to try that against him.

6. Regarding the comments, USS has worked on this project for 5 years. He's been given so much shit for the effort he puts in for the work we all read and enjoy. There's a major difference between giving sound advice or constructive criticism vs just being a total jerk. Everyone appreciates decent advice but when it just becomes an echo chamber of hate or people not doing their due diligence, it gets tiring and stressful real fast especially when they go to their own communities or friend groups and decry him as "THAT author" and get the rest to raid and make abusive reviews on all his works. It's just not on, especially since he and the 2 others he works with to write this story with as much accuracy to the lore and with as much life as possible have given so much.

Hope this helps!

Ya quite a bit of it dose. If I come across as nagging or cross I don't mean to and just trying to explain.

For the first bit I thought the discord was for people who were on the patron and I didn't know the full extent of the info that was on there.

The player's mind but was about him forgetting about his powers and abilities. Like in this chapter, he reminds himself to phase through the buildings. And with that I know he stumbles and the weaknesses to it. I was just saying it seemed he wanted to get there as fast as he could and it is a power he has. And I think we all know he isn't omnipotent, where would the fun be in that. About the knowledge part I had no idea of the full scope of what all he knew at the moment. and no question about Maul being no ordinary sith.

No question about Maul's training and we all know how many time that armor has saved him. And that on a skill point cam would have lost.

The missiles, and blasters would all be triggered from the helmets signal. just like the gas, electric wire, and the darts. the blasters in the armor would mainly be when both Cam and Maul are locked together with their light sabers. The dishonor part was a bit of an off tangent but, if i remember. During the Vong invasion Cam wanted Bo's help in getting them modified and is seen as an heavily trusting gesture/ symbolism. The Iron man tangent was about the mobility of flying and weapons on the suit. not exactly the flexibility and dexterity of it.

The reason I brought that up was with his thought process and past thoughts. Because with Player's mind slipping what happens with ptsd, and other stuff popping up at the worst times? I wasn't saying that he was spec ops just that he has seen action before dieing. And there's enough evidence both in irl and in universe of special units getting wiped or just having a few survivors without completing the mission. I mean order 66 Jedi would be seen as top of the line at the time and the common trooper took them down.

What I meant for similar I was talking about threats like Maul. The point with Grievous was still with the movies and 2003. I was mainly referencing to when Mace Windu crushed his chest. and was wondering with all of Cam's abilities would something similar happen but to a greater extent because of cams willingness to use his force powers at times. With star killer I was asking if it was a template not saying its him but an inspiration of the character. Both their control of the force with the ship and flinging the people around. And no dought about it that all three of them has had a lot more training than the current Cam. I was just linking it to Cam's system and its addition to his training/ powers. I agree with that Maul would know how to mitigate the DS powers I was meaning when Cam was using his lightning against the vong.

I completely agree with you there, and was honestly shocked that this has been going on for 5 years. thought haven't read the other stories yet might do when I get my sleep schedule under control.

Have a good one and nice talking with you.

random123abc · Jan 25, 2024

USSExplorer said:
There's a help page/thread somewhere on how to do certain things.
For quotes, select a section of text. A small pop-up will appear. Select 'quote' if you've got various bits you want to touch on and 'reply' if that's all you want to respond to.
Then, go down to the message area, and chose "insert Quotes" which should be at the bottom left of the text box.

I'd have to confirm the first, but the 2nd is Disney.
Cam fought some well-armed Mandos when he 'saved' Hego Damask - not a wise choice in retrospect, lol - but other than that, until this battle he's only seen Mando trainees and stuff from the movies. That limits what he would use.
Now, Bo and others could easily suggest certain weapons, but Cam went into this fight with a goal in mind.
To defeat Maul.
I'm not going into detail further there, as it would spoil the next chapter.

Gas bombing an area would disperse the gas quickly. And at the speed the pair are moving - so fast the HUDs of other Mandos seeing the feed needed to slow it down for others to follow - Maul would leave that area faster than we could click our fingers.
And that's ignoring that the Force would sense the action being taken.

the ROTS novel is, perhaps one of the best SW books ever. Up alongside the Darth Plagueis novel and Thrawn trilogy.
Sure there are others just as good, but those are generally regarded as some if, if not the, best novels.

Each of those events, be they taken by Cam or Galen, required time and concentration. Maul would never give a target that, and again he'd sense it being prepared. Serra's first attack was the only Force attack to hurt him (and that is pushing it) because he wasn't expecting it. the Force Blast from Drallig, Serra's second cream, and Cam's Force Blast did nothing to him.

Which is an example of why 99% of duels between Force users involve lightsabers and not Force powers.

Honestly, it's odd to say but I never played the games. When they came out I was working aboard, and I'd moved away from playing computer games, returning to pen-and-paper before it became popular again. I did play the much older Jedi Knight series. (Kyle Katarn is space Chuck Norris!)

Again, until he became a Knight, it was hard to push his training forward in ways he might want. And once a Knight, Naboo was 1-1.5 years away, so the focus became on, at the very least, surviving Maul/saving Qui-Gon.

Bo shooting him was for Deflection and, eventually, Tutaminis. Since he generally has his lightsaber on-hand, that was more a back-up power being trained than one to use actively in combat.
The train will, now Naboo is free, step up. At least once Book 3 begins (which is after the current arc is completed next chapter).

Sometimes I regret giving Cam those powers, but I did.
Teleport and Phase are not combat-orientated. There are rules to how they behave, and how to counter them.
Also, given Cam displayed them at the Jedi Temple, Sidious saw Cam use them in the Initiate Trials, he would've had Maul's training adapt to counter them. (It's a giant game of 4D chess that Cam is playing without knowing the full rules)

as for the Inventory, it takes time to get something out of that. Its not instant. And moving a hand into it means not having it, the tools in that vambrace, or any weapon in-hand, available to defend against Maul. That is beyond dangerous, and not something Cam had even considered doing because of that very reason.

Ask Jango in Ep3m, or Boba in Ep6, what happens when you rely too much on a jetpack.
And, with the Force, easier to simply jump. Which Maul could easily do to follow.

Aye, there's 4 other Jedi on the planet. (Good catch on that as think most missed the other 2)

They'd sense Cam using the Dark Side, yes, but since Qui-Gon - who was the only Jedi Master there, at least after Drallig died - would have also sensed Serra in danger, and that Cam didn't dwell on the anger, it wouldn't be a major issue. The others could, and likely will, mention it to the HC, but Qui-Gon's word matters more, as does Cam not drawing on the Dark Side again during the fight.

As for Serra, her Master - in many ways, her father - had just died. An emotional reaction from a Padawan prone to them (at least where Cam is concerned) is expected. Since she's still a Padawan, as wrong as it might be, she will have more repercussions for the action than Cam.
A, imo, flaw of the Order, but one Cam will exploit for his advantage if he's smart.

I tried doing it like you said but wasn't exactly working I think, will look more into latter. And thanks for all the answers and info. I'm guessing it gets pretty tiring saying the same thing to different people or close to.

Ya when I made that comment I thought you were using the past, present, and future knowledge from the known star wars universe. And in the future try and word my questions around it. Ya with Damask hindsight's a bitch, but he would have survived anyway. With the weaponry I apologize if I came off as prudent or disrespectful, it was just a thought of what may be helpful to Cam in this situation or others. Ya the foreshadowing that is happening I could give a few guesses that might happen lol.

The gas was an after thought that came to me when Cam used the one in his wrist. I kind of seen it as countermeasures on a tank in a way. And there were times that Maul stopped/ hesitated especially with Cam putting away the beskad and I seen that as a larger lull in the fight than it really was.

Ya Ill have to relook into the books, slight off tangent. How do you feel about Thrawn in the current setting. Ex the rebels and Ahsoka media.

I understand your point with Maul, Grievous, and Galen. It was more of in line when they are more mobile and in line with their force powers if it makes sense.

If you ever do have time I defiantly recommend both of the force unleashed games and dlc if they ever go on sale. And the other reason I thought that Galen was the reference for Cam, was all the abilities in the first game and said use of powers ect. Never got into the ttrpg side of star wars. Mainly did D&D 2nd edition with friends, and became a dice goblin for the time being. Sometimes i miss the older games. Question would Cam know about KOTOR 2 and the possibility of other HK modules/ copy of HK47?

Sorry about Beating the dead horse on his training. I just remember he wanted to do so much both on Coruscant and on other places, both with skills and quests.

I can under stand the difficulty in deciding what powers he should of had and the hindsight of them. Again sorry for beating a dead horse. I'm just wondering wasn't in the beginning both Teleport and Phase were used multi purpose. I think Cam said it felt funny having a lightsaber pass through him while phased or may have been a wall/ person, not 100%. I can see the downside of being phased and then being ripped out of it by Maul. And about the inventory like I said above I thought there was a larger lull in the battle then it was. And, Cam had more time then he did.

With the jet packs it was more of A after thought because it seems like Cam was relying on the system/ force and could give him space/ maneuver in other cases where force powers may not work or be restricted.

As a person that plays D&D. I thought going into the battle that everyone Bo, Serra, Drallig, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Padme and Cam were not going to split the party and were going to stay together (sorry about the run on sentence). As seeing Serra and Cam both had visions about Maul to a degree. And then they split off, and just thought whelp death is coming lol. And understandable with the other 2 Jedi, I honestly forgot if one of them was a master, knight or even one of the Jedi's assassins keeping an eye on Cam and his abilities.

Thanks for the info on every thing and it was learning more about the setting. Have a good one.

Taliesin · Jan 25, 2024

Given that run of the mill Old Republic Jedi were able to go toe to toe with the Sith of their day on equal footing, I don't think Sith training methods are inherently superior. Jedi methods must work, when they're serious about them because there's a war. Anything from EU about Maul being able to take on Council-level Jedi (some of whom took martial training at least as seriously as run of the mill Sith wars era Jedi knights) with whatever Sidious would have been willing to teach him without teaching him so much that he could be a threat to Sidious seems like EU may have been engaged in some power inflation that's hard to justify.

I think a more realistic take on an expendable Sith assassin (assassins, as opposed to true apprentices, are deliberately not taught everything) would be to use them against relatively soft targets. They could clean up against most non-force users and non-martial Jedi, but I can't see Sidious accepting the risk of giving anyone enough power to be a threat to him, even if it would make them a threat against highly skilled Jedi opponents.

USSExplorer · Jan 25, 2024

TheFallenJedi66 said:
source

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259987/

TheFallenJedi66 · Jan 25, 2024

USSExplorer said:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1259987/

Nice

TheFallenJedi66 · Jan 25, 2024

B

TheFallenJedi66 said:
Nice

But still no oracles. Even if they happens to be breedable

USSExplorer · Jan 25, 2024

random123abc said:
For the first bit I thought the discord was for people who were on the patron and I didn't know the full extent of the info that was on there.

Nah, Discord is for anyone who wants to join. There are hidden channels for those who do Patreon/Subscribestar, but the majority of the server for this story (and my ASOIAF one) are aimed at general readership.

random123abc said:
The player's mind but was about him forgetting about his powers and abilities. Like in this chapter, he reminds himself to phase through the buildings. And with that I know he stumbles and the weaknesses to it. I was just saying it seemed he wanted to get there as fast as he could and it is a power he has.

Cam is either going to have to learn to accept his PTSD, or be ruled by it. Something that will be even more of an issue from the next chapter onward into Book 3.

random123abc said:
The missiles, and blasters would all be triggered from the helmets signal. just like the gas, electric wire, and the darts. the blasters in the armor would mainly be when both Cam and Maul are locked together with their light sabers

Missiles, blasters, etc take time to reach a target. Force users move insanely fast when they channel the Force correctly, so seeing something like that come - to say nothing of sensing the potential danger - and deciding how to avoid or counter is, against a single opponent, child's play. HK, during one of the scenes in KOTOR or KOTOR2 does mention that a good way to take down a Jedi is with lots of fire from multiple locations. That, however, would still only work against most Force users. Not those above average and above. Not without insane amounts of fire were simply calling in an airstrike wouldn't be more cost effective. (Which, fyi, might still not work.)

random123abc said:
I was mainly referencing to when Mace Windu crushed his chest. and was wondering with all of Cam's abilities would something similar happen but to a greater extent because of cams willingness to use his force powers at times.

Grievous was at a distance from Windu and has no Force connection. At least not to the point that he had the ability to draw upon it.

While this is a bad comparison, think of Cam's ability with lightsaber forms to that of TCW/movie Grievous. Perfect technically ability, able to overcome many opponents. But against truly skilled foes, he can't do much.
Ofc, EU Grievous' abilities are on another level entirely, but it works, perhaps, as an example of the insanely high skill but not style that Cam currently has.

random123abc said:
thought haven't read the other stories yet might do when I get my sleep schedule under control.

One is set in ASOIAF, though I'm yet to reach the beginning of the first book.
The other is a massive AU for HP set during the time of the Marauders. And by massive AU I mean the magical world is much bigger and very different from the muggle one (which was an issue I always had with the books).

random123abc said:
I'm guessing it gets pretty tiring saying the same thing to different people or close to.

To quote Dooku, Teal'c, and many other :Indeed

random123abc said:
With the weaponry I apologize if I came off as prudent or disrespectful, it was just a thought of what may be helpful to Cam in this situation or others.

It's fine, but remember what I've said about Cam's goals against Maul. This was never about a simple killing, though that was an option for Cam to take.

random123abc said:
And there were times that Maul stopped/ hesitated especially with Cam putting away the beskad and I seen that as a larger lull in the fight than it really was.

Those moments, which are mere fractions of a fraction of a second, aren't Maul standing there waiting. Every time Cam alters strategy, Maul braces for an attack. He's not just - like in some games - going to wait and do nothing while the MC gets a new weapon. He's readying himself for the next phase of the battle.

random123abc said:
How do you feel about Thrawn in the current setting. Ex the rebels and Ahsoka media.

Never watched Rebels, nor from the clips, do I want to.
I watched Ashoka, and regretted everything about it.

That was not Thrawn. That wasn't even a discount Thrawn.
That... thing...

random123abc said:
Question would Cam know about KOTOR 2 and the possibility of other HK modules/ copy of HK47?

He does, but it's not something his HK knows of. That copy was made before Revan disappeared to hunt the Sith Emperor. (Dromund Kaas is going to be a very interesting arc, though that'll be far into the future as Cam would never survive that world as he is now).

random123abc said:
I just remember he wanted to do so much both on Coruscant and on other places, both with skills and quests.

Wanting to be able to do things, sadly, isn't the same as doing them. He only had free reign once knighted, and at that point, time was against him. He got his armour, learnt to get used to it, enjoyed some downtime with Bo and Naz (which I'm sure Pre hated) and then things kicked off a little earlier than expected.

random123abc said:
I think Cam said it felt funny having a lightsaber pass through him while phased or may have been a wall/ person, not 100%. I can see the downside of being phased and then being ripped out of it by Maul.

That's just having a lightsaber pass through him. Dooku wasn't channelling the Force through it at the time. That would hurt, and something Dooku explained. My mistake was not having it mentioned on-screen.

random123abc said:
I thought going into the battle that everyone Bo, Serra, Drallig, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Padme and Cam were not going to split the party and were going to stay together (sorry about the run on sentence). As seeing Serra and Cam both had visions about Maul to a degree. And then they split off, and just thought whelp death is coming lol. And understandable with the other 2 Jedi, I honestly forgot if one of them was a master, knight or even one of the Jedi's assassins keeping an eye on Cam and his abilities.

Against Maul, only Qui-Gon and Drallig would be of use.
The others are at best able to withdraw safely (Bo, Naz) or help though likely die (Serra, Obi-Wan) or just a target waiting to die (Padme).
Padme wanted Gunray to end the war.
Q-G and O-W were there to protect her.
The Mandos were there to win a war/get paid for doing so.
Drallig was only willing to help those in danger (the civies about to be shipped off-world and sold into slavery, which was a plot-point in other media) and keep Serra out of the main fighting - which really well - and felt Theed was the best choice for that.
Cam was there for Maul, but didn't want to lose people he considered friends or more.

Splitting the party was the safest choice.

The other 2 Jedi are not mentioned in that list above. They were studying on Naboo in the EU lore, so were added in. One has been seen before (Sia-Lan) the other hasn't. Both will have brief appearances in the aftermath of the battle.

ClassHole · Jan 26, 2024

Quite a chapter, felt like a long one! Some interesting stuff here, and its definitely neat to see him finally get over that hump of the system/force disconnect. Looking forward to seeing him explore that more. I kind of assumed he'd make that breakthrough during this fight. I enjoyed the Padme sections, mostly for HK just wrecking shop lol and the overall battle seems to be progressing pretty well. I'm looking forward to seeing who will get the shiny new Lucrehulks once this is over lol

i also quite enjoyed Cam using his Mando gadgets to bridge the gap in skill between him and Maul. Glad he got him with the darts. The whole time he was goofing around with gas and cables I was screaming in my head "WHISTLING BIRDS!" but hey, darts work too lol

Personally I think you've got Maul slightly overpowered in general here, but I do agree he should be able to beat Cam straight up usually at this point. Not only is he older, but pretty much Maul's entire focus was combat. Which was why I thought Maul suddenly having weird Mind reading powers just so he could realize Serra was important to Cam seemed like a bit of an ass pull for needless drama, but meh, whatever. I thought the duel improved a lot once they moved away from her. The Cam/Maul match up was exciting enough for me by itself, didn't need any additional drama.

I thought overall the fight scenes were solid, but honestly it dragged for me a lot in the middle. I'm not sure what could be changed but it just seemed like endless parapgraphs of "he swang, then blocked. He swang again, blocked again. He swang a bit differently, blocked differently." over and over and over again. Maybe a bit less technical and more descriptive? I don't know the answer, I'm not claiming to be a writer.... just saying I kind of zoned out a bit in the middle of the duel and was kind of skimming paragraphs for awhile waiting for something new to occur.

As for the ending, not sure why Anakin lost his shit... if the Hutts just so happened to finally attack the Lokella this one time they were away, that's mighty convient, but I guess we'll see. Hope Shmi isn't dead.

The only thing I outright disliked about the chapter was him losing his arm. As others have said, I feel like literally every single Star Wars story has this. I've honestly read dozens and I'm struggling to come up with like more than 2 or 3 where he actually still has both arms lol. He already hit one cliche with the cool gratuitous face scar... was really hoping he wasn't going to go two for two and lose an arm, but I'm not really surprised. Just not what I wanted to have happen personally. Either way, thanks for the new chapter.

Taliesin · Jan 26, 2024

I thought Anakin's reaction (given the timing) had to be to Cam losing his forearm. Anakin foresaw it just as it was about to happen and screamed through the Force. Is there a reason to interpret that otherwise?

Maybe with enough Force Healing skill he'll be able to regrow it.

USSExplorer · Jan 26, 2024

THIS IS NOT A CHAPTER!
This is me finally deciding to address publicly in one go the various issues that a percentage of the readership has with the choices and actions taken my myself and Cam in Book 2.

Right then.

After the complaints, criticisms, and 'suggestions' that have dominated the last two chapters of A New Player, I think it's time, instead of responding to individuals on various sites, to address them directly in a PSA.

I will, as best I can, avoid using language that might offend someone, but if I do, so be it.

0: The Story

A New Player is Star Wars. It is not Disney Star Wars, it is not TCW Star Wars.
A New Player is EU Star Wars.
Yes, that opens up so many avenues that Cam has no clue about, and might never know, but it matters.
Applying logic from TCW or even the movies may not work if the source used in ANP's creation comes from the EU.

1: The POV Shifts

This was done as I, and the two people involved in helping me plan out the story and provide lore, felt it was needed. The Battle of Naboo here isn't the same as the one seen in the canon timeline.
That said, the issues with the seemingly random POVs from characters people don't know, have been heard. I will, in future, try not to use that many shift changes in battle chapters/arcs. I cannot, however, say they won't exist.
I don't want to get to points of people wondering what happened elsewhere with someone or have it feel that some characters (such as HK in the most recent chapter) are getting neglected. This story is centred around Cam, but he's not the only MC.
Something that will be more obvious in Book 3, which shall begin after the next chapter.

2: The Writing Process
(This isn't an issue, but I feel the need to explain the effort and care that goes into writing this story.)

As mentioned above, 2 people help me with this story, and with my other works.
Each chapter/arc goes through the following process.
A voice chat detailing scenes for the chapter/arc takes place regularly, and then I make a rough guide based on what we decide.
That guide is turned into notes, which they offer comments on.
A draft, which is generally around 50-60% of the chapter's final length is then written. Again, the pair helping get to offer comments, as do those supporting my writing, who see that two months before the final draft is published here and elsewhere.
A redraft is carried out, and where there are issues (which, generally centre around how I write the Force) the pair work individually or together to correct them.
The chapter, before being published here and on other sites, is shown to those supporting me, and on the Discord server for the story. They are free there to offer criticisms/suggestions for how to fix issues. Most of which are taken on, or where not, explained as to why they weren't.

Also, to clarify, Discord isn't only for those who support my writing. While some channels are restricted to those people, whom I'm eternally grateful to for their support and faith, the majority of channels are open to all who join the server and select a coloured role.

3: Maul

Right, this one.
This one angers me and infuriates those who help me with the story (people who, with ease, can and will pull EU lore out to prove a point).
First, and I cannot over-stress this, Maul is not the Maul we see in TCW. This is the EU Maul.
(Using Wookieepedia isn't a valid counter as that site has altered much of the EU content since Disney bought LucasFilm to make their narrative fit their ideals. If you wish to quote the wiki, do so from a page pre-2012, or even better, before TCW was created.)
Maul was taken as a child by Sidious for, let's be nice and call it "intense training".
That involved dropping the pre-teen Zabrak on a literal Hell-world for over a month with no supplies.
Sidious returned later, and the child not only survived, but more importantly, even while starving and weak, he tried to attack Sidious.
He failed, however, this proved to Sidious that Maul had potential.
The following 2 decades of training made everything Cam endured with the Bando Gora and the Vong look like a bloody cakewalk.
Before coming to Naboo, Maul encountered a Jedi Master, Antoon Bondara on Coruscant.
On the very world where the High Council rule the Order from, he fought and defeated Bondara with ease.
Even an attempted murder-suicide by Bondara didn't stop Maul.
And, for those who don't know, Bondara was the Battlemaster before Drallig.
Both of them were regarded as some of the best fighters in the Jedi Order, comparable to many on the High Council.

3A: Obi-Wan, Maul, and Episode 1

What Obi-Wan did in Episode 1… That was the Force acting against him and Maul playing with a toy after killing the threat (Qui-Gon). And for any who have some odd belief that Obi-Wan is a great Jedi, remember that he wasn't on Naboo. He's still a Padawan in both ANP and the canon timeline. It was only through having to step up his game for training Anakin, shifting, and committing entirely to Soresu, and three years of war, that he became good.
Even then, every time he faced Dooku, he lost.
Obi-Wan was, if not for the will of the Force, bound for the agricorp in the EU. His Force Potential is, by Jedi standards, limited at best.
(No, I don't hate Obi-Wan, I simply wish to shift perceptions of him that are clouded by people regarding him as Space Jesus.)

Maul came to Naboo here to kill Cam. He was trained by Sidious to do just that, and Sidious has access to Jedi records – something the Sith have had for a good long time due to the corruption in the Senate – of Cam training or sparring in the Temple to pass along to Maul. Maul knew every trick that Cam might use as a Jedi, and prepared for them. Additionally, before Maul fought Cam, he destroyed with ease a Jedi Battlemaster and one of the more promising Padawans in the Order. A Battlemaster that Cam has never even sourced a point against in a training spar.

3B: The Duel

While the duel felt long, it only lasted maybe ten minutes, though barely half of that is shown onscreen. The reason it feels longer is that when in control of his emotions, and with the Interface filtering the Force, Cam has the time to think. It results in drawn-out combat scenes when things can only take a few moments in real-time. The first time it becomes obvious is during this battle, as Maul is the fight opponent that Cam can't beat easily while in control.
Against the Vong Cam was always partially drawing on his emotions, making him more alive and the scenes more fast-flowing. Here, he was in control for most of it, thus time seemed to move so slowly.
Also, remember that while the pair are moving as fast as they can, Maul always had a higher gear.
This was shown to be an issue for Cam a long, long time ago during a sparring duel against Yoda.
While he surprised Master Drallig with the speed he displayed, Yoda took him apart in seconds afterwards.
Cam has incredible skill with a lightsaber. He does not, nor has ever had, the ability to use the Force to guide his actions as a Jedi or Sith would.
In this duel, Cam rushed in angry. Some of you think it's stupid he's still doing that, but I suspect that if someone you cared about was in danger like Serra was, you'd not stop and go "Hmm, how should I deal with this dangerous person". If you do, then congratulations as a teenager – which, no matter how old he is mentally, he is physically – you're an unusual individual.
By rushing in, Cam made mistakes, and if not for the armour, would've died quicker than Drallig did.
The difference here when compared to fighting against the Vong or with Komari Vosa, is that he regained control. That, unless you fail to accept it, is an improvement in dealing with an issue. One that has plagued him since very early in Book 1.
Just because he has memories of a former life as a soldier doesn't mean, in a new body which is still affected by emotions, and by the Force – even if in a diluted manner because of the Interface – he's got perfect emotional control. That is something that can never be the case due to Eidetic Memory. While the name is misleading, here it means nothing he has ever experienced is forgotten, including the emotions behind it. It was a flaw I placed in with the Perk from the very beginning, and one Cam has referenced several times since events with the Cong and Bando Gora.
Through the various sections of the duel, Cam tries different things to counter and defeat Maul.
None of them worked well enough to get in a crippling shot, never mind a killing shot. Each of them also wasn't designed to outright kill Maul. At least not once Cam regained control of his emotions.
Even with all the toys added to his armour – mainly via the two vambraces he wore – Cam was losing. Only some of those are shown on-screen, as there were too many to detail.
The darts with senflax were a last resort because to use them effectively against a Force user you have to be close enough that they can't sense the attack coming and have time to avoid it. That's generally not a safe place to be against a Force user with a lightsaber as Cam, thanks to the Force, discovered.
…
As for Maul's fate… You'll find out next chapter, but consider the quest for this arc

Also, and this is something that's not touched on in Cam's thoughts on purpose for now but will be a point of development going forward, Cam was looking forward to this fight. He might move and think logically, but this was a true test of his abilities, and his attempts to overcome or circumvent them against an opponent capable of killing Jedi Masters. During that brief moment when the Force moved naturally for him, he enjoyed himself in the fight, in the heat of battle. That feeds into his desire, based on training and choice, to be a close-in fighter over a Jedi who might prefer to remain in the rear directing matters.

3C: Force Powers

Generally, Force users don't use their powers against another Force user for a very simple reason.
Every Force user has a "natural defence" that makes it difficult to use the Force against another.
It also takes time, even for Cam, to draw upon the Force and use it, so the other user has time to react. At least 99% of the time.
Either the Force user has to use something unexpected, or the one they're fighting has to get overconfident. Something that was seen in both cases with Serra and Force Scream, though the latter only had Maul knocked back slightly rather than caught fully unaware.
As for specific powers…
Teleport
This is not a Combat Power.
We see Cam stumbling out of it each time it's used. The only time shown to use against a Force user was when sparring with Dooku, who rapidly closed the distance between them and won the spar easily.
NOTE: Sidious knows of this Force power, and so would've told Maul of it.
Phase
Again, this is not a combat power.
While it's certainly quicker to run through buildings to get to a location, even the Force can't tell with 100% accuracy what's on the other side. Nor can you be certain that an ally might, seeing you step out of a building and deactivate the power, try to shoot you. The Force doesn't warn of attacks coming from those you don't consider a threat, or who act with dangerous intent.
See the Clones turning on the Jedi during Order 66.
Also, while using Phase does mean you can't be injured or killed by almost anything while the power is active, it doesn't stop an opponent from placing a lightsaber inside your frame. That isn't pleasant – which Cam referenced during various spars with Dooku – and means you can't turn off the power without impaling yourself. Also, if the other Force user channels the Force through their lightsaber, it will hurt Cam even while Phased. The power isn't the game-breaking ability some feel it is.
Telekinesis
We see this used by Maul against Serra, first when she overcommits to an attack, leaving her open, and then later, once she'd defeated, when he brings a building down on her.
We see Drallig use it at a distance, to save Serra, where it works because Maul is caught unprepared. Yet, before Drallig could reach Serra, Maul was up and attacking again.
Cam used it to save Serra later on, which only really hurt Serra. Maul landed from the attack with grace. That right there is the hint that using the Force from a distance against Maul wasn't going to work. We don't then see him use it again against Maul because frankly, I didn't want to focus on the pair throwing debris at each other. There's no tension in such scenes, nor threat as such attacks are non-threatening to either Cam or Maul.
Cam prefers to do his talking with a lightsaber, drawing on his training from Dooku and focusing on Maul. Maul prefers to use his blade to prove he's better than any Jedi with their weapon of choice.
Plus, after training against various Jedi – including Drallig and Qui-Gon – and getting easily beaten even when using the Force, and knowing Maul was trained by Sidious, Cam saw little chance of beating Maul with Force powers. The only hopes were with his blade – when overcoming the block – or by thinking outside the box. The latter he did with the Mando gear.
As for the comments that "well he ripped apart ships, he can rip apart Maul", for the love of the Force, please re-read those chapters. Cam had time to concentrate on the ships, time to feel his way through the Force, time to grasp, twist, and crush through shields and metal. Time that against a Sith Assassin, he never had. Not unless Maul picked up an idiot ball the size of Coruscant and carried it to Naboo.
And the Starkiller/Galen Marek comments about pulling a Star Destroyer from orbit. The ship was already crashing to the planet. Starkiller/Marek merely guided down quicker to prevent it from landing on him.
As for stuff Sidious does in later years (Rebellion, Dark Empire), that's peak Darth Sidious after decades of doing nothing but studying and controlling the Force. Cam… is nowhere near Sidious pre-Episode 1. Never mind him around Episode 4, or where Plagueis is now.
Other Powers
You do realise that every base combat power is essentially auto-activated, right?
Enhance Stat, Enhance Skill (focusing on those he's using in combat such as Lightsaber Forms), Force Speed, Bullet-Time and Precognition are on. The other powers… sigh, most are at levels where either they simply won't do anything to someone trained by Darth Sidious to endure insane pain and suffering or aren't ones Cam isn't comfortable using in combat.

This cannot be overstated enough.
In a pure Force user Vs Force user duel, Cam is dead inside three moves (if Maul was feeling generous).
At the time of Naboo
Maul is a far better fighter than Cam.
Maul is a far better fighter than Obi-Wan.
Maul is capable of taking down Jedi Masters, maybe even a few of the lower-tiered High Council Members.
This is exactly what a Sith Assassin with 20 years of training with High Force Potential would and should be capable of.
Maul's defeat to Obi-Wan, again, was the will of the Force mixed with Maul toying with his food.
That is why Cam used the armour and gadgets in the vambraces, to fight. He fought smart, drawing on equipment a Jedi wouldn't, and that Maul was less likely to prepare for.

4: Inventory

Cam uses this one, only once, to kill a Force user. That was right back in the Prologue against a gloating Sith trainee. Said trainee still got off half a sentence before Cam impaled them with something he drew from the Inventory.
He's never used it in close-quarters combat because after training to use it in private, the delay in mentally commanding the Inventory to open, reaching in and drawing out an object was simply too great to be useful for close-in combat. Also, we do see Cam use the Inventory when in the Coruscant lower levels during a combat scene. The action isn't instant, nor was the threat in his face.
Now, if the senflax hadn't worked, he might have tried that, or another less likely to work option. However, using an untested combat technique if you can avoid it isn't something to deploy in a life-or-death situation.

5: The Limb

First, it was the forearm, lost at the elbow. That's the same as what Anakin suffered while Luke only lost his hand. Losing a limb isn't uncommon in Star Wars, especially when fighting someone with a lightsaber.
Second, and this is out of the story, I and those helping considered this carefully, and then, uncertain of if it should happen, used a dice roll to decide. The roll was heavily weighted against it happening, but the roll went that way.
Why did we use a dice for this? Simply to inject some randomness as a way to generate how the Force can operate for Force Users.
Is it a trope that a limb is lost in a lightsaber duel? Yes, but there's a reason for that beyond simply being a way to 'weaken' or 'hurt' a protagonist. They're fighting with swords of plasma/energy. One slip when using a lightsaber at full power, and well…
The idea that Cam could defeat a focused and determined Maul without injury is fanciful at best. The reasons for this are mentioned above.

We have made plans to accept this change, which will be detailed in Book 3, but it has happened. You don't have to like it, but you do, if you are to continue reading the story, going to have to accept it.

(For the record, the arm lost was his left. While ambidextrous, it was his dominant arm. Sorry Tony )

Also, while the Force has accepted Cam, even granting him more connection with it, it still regards him as an anomaly. His actions have changed how the Force shall achieve "Balance". The word is placed in marks because what the Force sees as Balance is not guaranteed to be what any Force user would regard as Balance.
Cam has altered things insanely by moving Anakin away from meeting Qui-Gon, Padme, Obi-Wan and the Jedi.

6: Earth Tech

Not something I see a need to bring up, but one of those who helps me does.
Simply put, Earth-tech is, to be nice, stone-aged compared to anything in the Republic or the wider universe.
While there are analogue weapons, such as shotguns and flamethrowers, those aren't wonderfully useful against anything above an average Jedi Knight or equivalent. Maul is above that level, as explained above.

The reason Cam has focused on stories and songs for 'creating' is because he knows them. When people mention technology, please consider that a: Cam wasn't an engineer, mechanic, or designer on Earth and that b: it's highly unlikely that whatever we have on Earth hasn't been duplicated and made considerably better, by one of the literally uncountable sentients (Which, btw, is the in-universe term for a sentient being) that have lived and died in the 100000+ years of recorded history of the Star Wars galaxy.

7: Nerfing

Cam has not been nerfed, and I'm sick to bloody death of that claim.
In book one, he faced off against random beasts, slavers, pirates, Mandalorian children, fellow Padawans, and a Greater Krayt Dragon. Bar the last one, those are not threats to Cam. From the moment he first sparred with Dooku, it was clear he had a long way to go even with his, for his age, insanely high skill in some lightsaber forms.
That theme was driven home in Book 2 where he faced Mandalorians of a far higher level/experience with training for fighting Force users, a Dark/Fallen Jedi in Komari Vosa (who was formerly trained by Dooku) and the Vong. Each of those was a greater threat than anything he'd faced in book 1, and they tested Cam in ways he, as Fay put it, was perhaps not ready for. But he survived, grew, and improved where he could. Which given he faced them all before turning 18, even with the Player system he has – which is not a full Gamer system, nor has it ever been no matter what some people continue to foolishly believe – is more than even adult Jedi Knights could survive.
The limitations that he has have been in place for a very long time, and something Book 2 was centred around dealing with, accepting – reluctantly – and then overcoming and circumventing.
We see a hint of that in the duel where Cam is able, for a few moments, to draw on the Force naturally. Yes, it still wasn't enough to defeat Maul, but given it was his first time truly feeling and using the Force, that is entirely logical.

The next chapter and the early part of Book 3 will show Cam moving past those issues, adapting, and then growing to a point where, within a few years he'll be capable of taking on Jedi Masters. Not High Council members, or the Sith Lords right away, but the path to a place where he could be capable of doing so will be clear and obvious.

Of course, if you want to read that, then you'll have to stay around and, I hope, enjoy Cam's continual adventures.

8: Stats, Skills, etc

I have the docs for Cam's skill changes on my computer – and a dozen other places for backups.
They are updated after each arc.
I, more than anyone else, know exactly what the various skills are, how they work, and what they can do.
So please, don't say "Cam has this skill so he can do this". If he could do that with his power, then he would if the situation calls for it, and if in that moment, he decides to do so.

9: Cam letting Serra go with Drallig

This is simple to explain once you consider Cam. He's not a good Jedi, never has been, never will be. He's selfish and works to keep his friends safe. Bo is with other Mandos, and in armour hard to pick out from the masses. Serra is a Jedi, and someone the Sith know is close to Cam.
After letting her come (which he had to do to avoid offending the Mandalorians, who he needed to have to win the battle – as he had no idea what had changed so wasn't going to throw away support) and then Drallig arriving, he had three choices for her.
A: Let Serra go off on her own, either in Theed or elsewhere. Something she wouldn't accept, and I doubt Drallig would either. They don't know of Maul, and even if he told them of his visions, Drallig would still want Serra to be accompanied by another Jedi.
B: Take her with him. Drallig might accept this, but Cam couldn't. He knew Maul was going to be a problem, and having Serra around to protect was something he knew would get them both killed.
C: Send Serra with Drallig and hope that either Maul didn't go to them – which was the plan as he sent them away from where he expected the battle to take place – or if Maul found them, that Drallig could protect Serra. He did that, at the cost of his life.

Is that fair? No. But Cam only cared about keeping Serra safe. Drallig was, in his mind, expendable. And perhaps, might be able to slow or hurt Maul to make things easier for Cam. Which, as we saw, wasn't the case.

10: Reactive vs Proactive

Cam let Maul move them away from others because anyone else who got involved would be in danger. With Bo around – Fenrir is with her, which was mentioned in passing, and Naz also somewhere – Cam was happy to let Maul move them around.
His plans involved being close to Maul and slowing or wounding him.
Grenades would only cause issues for collateral damage, especially in a city like Theed. And they wouldn't do much when both were fighting at insane speeds. Especially, as some people have suggested, to use gas grenades. Those disperse easily and Maul could use the Force to avoid any toxins getting into his skin, never mind the bloodstream.

Once on the island, the fight stayed still as both combatants were happy with the location. Maul because it placed him close to his vessel for once he killed Cam. Cam because he was isolated to avoid others getting the way, and because he could use the toys he prepared for the battle.

11: Conclusion

Cam is not, omnipresent nor unbeatable.
Cam will make choices that, with the benefit of hindsight – or the opinion of those unaware of full details or an inability to remember past remarks and events – will have been the wrong ones. He is not perfect and has to learn from his mistakes, but that learning doesn't ever take place overnight. It takes years of growth and maturing, along with breaking free of any preconceptions he might hold, to achieve.
As for me, I will make mistakes with continuality and lore. I'm not infallible. However, that is why I have people who help shape the story and others who with early access – regardless of where – spot issues.
That said, I'm not going to alter entire arcs and books because a constant minority chooses to complain regularly about what they don't like in a chapter/arc. Especially when they don't have the complete arc or details to work from. Nor understanding of where Cam's character arc, and the overall story, is heading.

If all this still leaves you unable to accept events that have happened and follow a logical path that a non-perfect MC would take, then there's little I can do to change your mind. If you continue to follow the story but offer only complaints I will ignore you. I don't need the hassle of dealing with that.

Those who can accept the facts as I've listed them here are more than welcome to remain as readers, and offer constructive criticism where they see it is needed (such as the multiple POV issue), know that I'm grateful for your help and support.

Also, and I feel this might have somehow gotten confused for some, but you can join Discord without supporting the story. It's a general hangout server for the story, and now a few others, along with a place where the EU is, as it should always be, king.

Until next month,

May the Force be with you. Always.

LandWhale172 · Jan 26, 2024

USSExplorer said:
1: The POV Shifts

This was done as I, and the two people involved in helping me plan out the story and provide lore, felt it was needed. The Battle of Naboo here isn't the same as the one seen in the canon timeline.
That said, the issues with the seemingly random POVs from characters people don't know, have been heard. I will, in future, try not to use that many shift changes in battle chapters/arcs. I cannot, however, say they won't exist.

Trying to keep POV to known actors is definitely an excellent way to mitigate any confusion, at least in my opinion, so that's a good idea, but don't go too far out of your way though, it's your story, and if people have a problem with multiple POVs they can man up and skip forward, I say this in fact as someone who does exactly that at times in order to get to the action before re-reading at a later date to make sure I didn't miss anything. If they want a different story, they can write their own.

Anonymous Fapper · Jan 26, 2024

USSExplorer said:
The POV Shifts

I find the pov shifts sometime annoying but everything else is fine people just whining lol.

Saraphima · Jan 26, 2024

I for one am just enjoying the story. Also, given they presumedly still have his forearm, couldn't they reattach it? Luke couldn't because his hand fell into a bottomless pit. Not sure what happened to Anakin's arm.

LuciferBael · Jan 26, 2024

Saraphima said:
I for one am just enjoying the story. Also, given they presumedly still have his forearm, couldn't they reattach it? Luke couldn't because his hand fell into a bottomless pit. Not sure what happened to Anakin's arm.

Nah, you cant reattach a limb cut off with a saber, it vaporizes like an inch of meat, blood vessels and bone

Saraphima · Jan 26, 2024

LuciferBael said:
Nah, you cant reattach a limb cut off with a saber, it vaporizes like an inch of meat, blood vessels and bone

That's fair. Forgot lightsabers actually destroy material where swords just cut.

USSExplorer · Jan 26, 2024

1st: Drunk Ruby is best Ruby.

LandWhale172 said:
Trying to keep POV to known actors is definitely an excellent way to mitigate any confusion, at least in my opinion, so that's a good idea, but don't go too far out of your way though, it's your story, and if people have a problem with multiple POVs they can man up and skip forward, I say this in fact as someone who does exactly that at times in order to get to the action before re-reading at a later date to make sure I didn't miss anything.

The only new to the story POV was Vhonte, and she comes from the EU. She was used for a purpose that comes much later on.
Asta, and Marod were introduced back in book 1.

Still, the point about POV shifting like that has been heard and will be, where it can be, avoided.

LandWhale172 said:
If they want a different story, they can write their own.

I, for one, would love to see more EU-based Star Wars works.

ForgottenSovereign · Jan 26, 2024

LuciferBael said:
Nah, you cant reattach a limb cut off with a saber, it vaporizes like an inch of meat, blood vessels and bone

With the level of biotech they have by being able to make full on clones? They should be able to, it'd just be a longer more involved process... which cybernetics is probably faster than... assuming no force fuckery going on.

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

Getting some practice in, huh?

Big Boss

Big Boss

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Mand'alor Te Talyc

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Big Boss

Mand'alor Te Talyc

Big Boss

Big Boss

Getting some practice in, huh?

Getting some practice in, huh?

Know what you're doing yet?

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

Big Boss

Big Boss

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Know what you're doing yet?

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

I trust you know where the happy button is?

High Lord Sarasuu Taalon

Getting sticky.

Mand'alor Te Talyc

Getting sticky.

Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos

nilgh'rinah aimgr'luhh ahorna ain'ghft vulgtmnah

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