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Cathedral of the Past 4
I came out of my meditation to the sound of an alarm blaring and looked up at the main display even as I reached out with the Force.

The screen showed, and the Force confirmed, that all five attacking ships were now close to our cathedral-ship; and I needed to come up with a better name for this place.

There was no way I was using the official name – Anvil of Ryloth – when most of the freed slaves were non-Human, and thus their ancestors would have been targets for the Pius Dea crusades.

That fact was something I only knew thanks to Dooku giving me a brief overview of the Pius Dea era of the old Republic. Suffice to say, it was not a good time to be non-Human.

The two raiders were circling us, taking pot-shots at the hull, while the three larger vessels were spread out. The freighter was heading for the main landing bay, where it could land but the two larger transports couldn't. Those two ships were angling towards the sealed bays, and if I had to guess, were planning to breach there.

My attention was drawn away from the main display as a quest alert appeared.

Quest Alert!
Land of the Lokella [֍]
Help the Lokella drive off the reprisal attacked ordered by the Hutt behind the operation.
Rating: A
Objectives:
Ensure as many of the Lokella survive as you can [?/213]
Kill/capture as many of the attackers as you can [?/536]
Rewards:
30XP/Lokella member still living
Minor reputation boost with all Lokella/Lokella member still living.
10XP/attacker captured
5XP/attacker killed
Failure:
Re-enslavement of any captured member of the Lokella
Massive loss of reputation with any surviving Lokella
Likely enslavement for yourself
Possible death

Accept?
Yes/No
(30)

The number was slowly counting down as I remembered that the quest was an Incident Quest – the symbol beside the name giving it away.

That was one of a handful of new quest types that had been added with the update, with all quests now carrying symbols to better identify what type of quest they were. The only ones that didn't were quests offered up by the interface, which I had to assume were suggestions given by TPTB; though given to the fact Revan had generated a quest, there was a chance some or all of those quests were offered by the Force itself.

Those quests, or at least the Changing Fate ones, were ones that I generally regretted taking as they were very open-ended and flawed. I'd been a bit too eager to take any quest offered in my first year in this life. Hopefully, I wouldn't come to regret that mistake.

Incident Quests were quests that were generated when I was in a situation – be it a battle, competition, or the like – where I had a no time to prepare and a desired goal to achieve.

The timer was simply there as if I didn't respond to the quest quickly enough, it would auto-accept, and I had no way to turn it off. That meant I'd have to always examine any new quest that came in right before a battle, but with Bullet-Time seemingly slowing down time around me – I had checked that using a chronometer – I should have the time in most situations to examine the quest before the timer expired.

Incident Quests also helped counter a concern I'd had since the update had revealed the way party XP worked.

The larger the number of allies I had, the smaller the amount of XP I gained from each opponent that I killed, stunned, or disabled while in the battle. Clearly, that would make the XP gain from most battles pitiful and make me seeking combat in such situations a waste for potential XP gains.

With this quest – and assuming it held for future battles as well – while the XP gain would still be lower than if I handled the battle all by myself, it had at least made the battle worthwhile from an XP standpoint. And I could only hope that the secondary rewards, in this case Reputation boosts, would make up for the XP shortfall.

I did wonder, however, why the quest was directing me to capture, and not kill, the attackers even as I tried to ignore the feeling that my life had become more about XP at times that living.

"About farking time!" Pad snapped, pulling me out of my thoughts about the quest, and making me mentally accept it. I twiddled my fingers, getting the feeling back in them after having unknowingly tightly clenched my fists. "They're about to board but we're ready to bottle them in from the outer corridors."

I frowned and moved to a small station that was manned by a Cathar male who was missing his left ear.

"Pull up the logs of where the raiders have been striking the hull," I ordered.

The Cathar glanced for a moment at Pad, who had already turned back to the main display, before relenting and doing as I asked.

As the data appeared on screen, I watched as the known points of attack – the sensors on this massive ship were not all working, nor was our raider able to approach close enough to detect where the hits were landing – appeared on an overlay of the hull.

My frown deepened as I placed where the hits we could track were landing with where several Lokella counter-strike teams were gathered.

"It's a trap!" I shouted out, drawing the attention of many in the command centre. "Get teams three, four, six and seven to pull back to secondary locations."

"If we do that, we can't stop them taking the other landing bays," Pad challenged as I pushed the Cather out of the way, making him squawk, and sent the data I was seeing to the main display.

"Their shots, while looking random, are weakening the outer hull at locations where those teams are gathered," I explained even as I used the console to highlight the targeted areas. "Before they land, they'll further concentrate on those points and expose everyone inside to space."

Everyone in the command centre took a few moments to review what I'd said before they sprang into action.

"Get those teams out of there!" Pad screamed with wide eyes as his lekku swung around wildly.

Even as he reaffirmed my orders, others were already making the necessary calls.

"Once they've moved, lower the secondary bulkheads and open sections twenty-three-a, fourteen-c and all of corridors eleven and nineteen to space," I added as I examined the map and worked out the logical attack paths for the breach teams.

Pad glared at me with narrow eyes and a few exposed teeth even as others did as I instructed.

"By cutting off those passageways, we can funnel their teams through corridors with little to no cover and dead-locked doors," I explained loudly so everyone could hear and understand, taking pleasure in showing Pad who was really in-charge.

I watched the movement of the teams in the exposed corridors via Detection and the minimap. "There's no way we can stop them boarding now so we hav…"

I stumbled backwards as I felt as though someone had punched me hard in the stomach and I clenched my eyes shut as I felt… voices, calling out in terror.

I stayed there for a moment as the feeling of nausea washed over me, then groaned quietly and gently shook my head as the feeling passed.

"Hull breach in section four!" someone called out and I glanced at the minimap – instantly regretting the speed I'd done so as the room spun for a second – and saw that half of one of the reaction teams was gone. Even as I watched, another light blinked out.

"Dammit!" I growled as I stood, noticing that the Cathar was offering me support.

I gave him a smile in thanks and waved him off. Even if I likely needed the help to stand as my mind was flooded with the feelings of pain, suffering and remorse, I couldn't look weak in case someone – mainly Pad – did something stupid and cost us the battle.

"We've lost team three, or most of them," I stated quietly, but my voice carried across the room with ease and I sensed the growing fear and confusion within everyone on the station.

"Wha… How?" Pad asked, his lekku flicking around as his head spun to face me.

"Because you failed to listen!" Saliva flew out of my mouth as I snarled back at him as the lights dimmed and flickered.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get the rising anger and chaos I felt under control. Some of it was my own, but most of it came being connected to the emotions of others through the Force at the moment they died.
I could remember the lessons I'd had during my short time as an Initiate about the danger of touching someone's mind when they experienced pain, but I had honestly expected the interface to protect me from that.


Being wrong had not been nice, and once this battle was over, I'd have to check the settings to see if I could prevent a repeat experience.

"We're kriffed!" Someone whined as I turned my attention to the main display and correlated what it showed with what I was seeing on my minimap.

I had to find a way to save most of these people, quest be dammed. But how?

I could use TK to take every one of the attackers out, but I wanted to try and get a few prisoners. The quest had hinted that a Hutt was behind this operation and I wanted to know which one.
And if I again did everything for these people, how would they be able to survive when the time came for me to leave?


While I could probably take out any small group in combat, I couldn't engage everyone simultaneously and given to the confined space of the ship's corridors, I'd be limited in how I could use my lightsaber.
If only I…


A smile broke across my face as I hopped back up on the table and settled into a meditation position.

"What? Do something!!!" Pad's eyes threatened to explode out of their sockets as he saw what I was doing.

"I am," I replied, smirking at him and taking enjoyment at how that only seemed to confuse/enrage him further.

I closed my eyes and reached out to touch every mind on the ship. "Everyone relax. The Force is with us, and we are one with the Force." I added as I achieved serenity and began to meditate on the battle.

A few gasps could be heard as I touched the minds of everyone in the room and sensed others freezing, stumbling, and slipping as I touched all one hundred and ninety-five minds that remained on the station.

Slowly, carefully, I began to fill their minds with hope. Instilling the belief that they would not only survive but emerge victorious from the battle and giving them the strength of will to do what they must.

In my mind, they appeared as images on a superimposed map of the cathedral-ship that I was able to generate thanks to Eidetic Memory.

I could sense where everyone was and felt that I could guide their actions with gentle pushes and convince them to move as I suggested; even if some were less willing than others to listen.

Once this was done, I reached out further, sensing the minds in the vessels around ours.

As the quest had stated, there were five hundred and thirty-six minds aboard the five vessels. An overwhelming show of force if facing merely freed slaves.

Sadly for them, that wasn't what they were facing.

Repeating the process, I attempted touched each of their minds in turn, though a few were able to actively resist. I suspected I could push past the blocks on their minds given time. However, doing so would likely make it difficult to keep a link with everyone else and there was a chance that they would sense my actions. Thus, I left those minds alone but made a note of their location in case they became a problem as the battle progressed.

Focusing on the overwhelming majority that I had mentally touched; I began to slowly fill their heads with concern and anxiety, hoping to give them a feeling that things were not right.

As the first of the larger ships moved against the hull of our vessel, I gently increased those feelings; making them feel afraid and uneasy.

The moment the first one stepped on this ship, I ramped up those feelings, filling them with dread. I also began whispering to them that they would fail and die here.

Even while doing that, I continued to build up a sense of hope and courage in the Lokella.

The map, in my mind's eye, allowed me to sense everyone; how they were feeling, where they were and a general sense of what they were thinking.

It was like playing a game where you could control both sides.

Though this was no game.

A point I proved by making one slaver so frightened that he spun and fired on another of his number when they appeared unexpectedly at his side.

As the first group of slavers began to waver and point their blasters at each other, I attempted to prompt to the nearest strike teams to move. And move they did.

While outnumbered nearly four-to-one – mainly due to the fact team three was decimated and team four had been forced to fall back further than I'd expected due to the hull targeting – the Lokella counter-assault quickly broke the slaver vanguard and drove them back to their breaching point.

From there that battle began to stalemate. The Lokella had the few crates and other objects needed to secure their positions near the doors to the bay, and their shots were unerringly accurate for even someone with my former military training, but they were unable to push across the empty space to reach the breach point.

There, using their own ship as cover, the slavers were safe but bottled down.

*FEAR* *DREAD* *HELPLESS* *FLEE*

The burst of emotions/desires came from a group that had stayed still on the first transport, even as the rest of the crew had rushed into the beech.

I focused more on those feelings, and the people they were coming from and discovered it was the crew of the transport and their reaction to my inducement of fear and dread had them engaging their flight response.

Knowing I couldn't let them escape, more because of the violent decompressions it would cause where they had breached the hull then if they got away, I reached out with TK, and grabbed everyone in what I assumed was the cockpit and tossed them around like rag dolls.

As I released the bodies – their life signs gone from Detection – I sensed that the second transport had begun to breach another sealed bay and the freighter landed, I continued to ramp up the fear felt by the slavers while giving the Lokella unwavering belief that they would win the day.

The shots from the Lokella continued to rain down with precision as more and more of the slaver's actions became erratic.

The attack force in the main landing bay, in a mirror of the first breeching, was first stopped then driven back to their ship. However here, they lacked the ease of cover for their landing ramp, and the strike teams there began to slowly approach the freighter; whittling down the slavers whenever one made a mistake and exposed themselves to fire. Generally, when I sent them a burst of fear that resulted in an instinctual need to move.

This pattern, while also happening at the second breaching point, was not as successful.

As I focused on that skirmish – and ramped up the terror felt by the attackers – I noted that three individuals in with this group were among the half-dozen or so who had managed to resist my initial attempt at touching their minds.

They were able to stay strong, which was countering the terror felt by the companions, and I noted that the two strike teams holding them back was losing members at a far greater rate than the other battles combined.

Since I was so immersed in the Force and using my abilities, I couldn't risk breaking the link to warn the others in the room with me and could only hope that someone was alerted to this and sent teams seven and eight to support that battle.

Sensing an opportunity and deciding to repeat my trick with the first transport, I grabbed hold of the small number of slavers that had stayed onboard the other transport and the freighter and disabled them violently with the Force.

Unexpectedly, one of the minds of the Lokella became open to me, and I was able to implicitly order them where to move and when.

Whether that was due to them now trusting me, or my ability with Battle Meditation increasing, I did not know. Nor did I have time to contemplate it.

I simply used it to give them commands that they then issued to the others in their team.

The three battles continued even as I sensed more minds joining the ones at the second breaching point. Someone must have ordered the reserve teams there as I'd hoped.

Time seemed to slow as I kept inspiring the Lokella while demoralising the attackers, and after what felt like an hour, but couldn't have been more than ten minutes since the initial breach, I sensed a growing number of the attackers were not just wavering, but seeking to surrender.

This happened first in the main landing bay around the freighter then around the first breach.

Shifting my attention to the second breach, and the only place where a battle was showing no sign of stopping, I noted that even with the arrival of two other teams the Lokella were unable to push the attackers back to their vessel.

Taking advantage of the links through which I could issue orders, I instructed them to move as many free fighters to that battle, though without risking the attackers who had surrendered thinking they should restart the other two fights.

After doing this, and only after making sure to give the slavers one last, massive bout of terror – via imagines of the Aliens from the movie of the same name – did I slowly pull back from touching the minds of everyone in the battle.

"How… What did you do?" the Cathar asked as I opened my eyes and slid off the table.

His eyes were wide, and his face was lacking some of the colour it had held before I entered Battle Meditation. I noted that the others in the room looked the same, though a few were also struggling to keep their eyes open.

"I used the Force," I replied as I unclipped my lightsaber from my belt. "Just like this."

With a thought, I teleported myself to a point just outside the only remaining battle on the station, even as I marvelled that thanks to the Heart of the Force upgrade, I could use passive Battle Meditation with Serenity and not suffer any FP loss, and once the power was maxed, I would be able to do so without even needing Serenity.

Activating Bullet-Time and Precognition, I stepped into the bay; casually ducking a blaster bolt.

A few of the Lokella saw me, and I motioned for them to hold their fire even as I stepped out into the sight of the attackers; trusting in my powers as I kept my lightsaber unlit.

"Slavers!" I called out, suddenly wondering if there was a way to boost my voice to make it easier to hear, "your fellow attackers are all either now dead or captured. Surrender and I promise the Republic will show you mercy."
"Why would we believe that from a Jetii?" A voice shouted back with anger. "Especially an adiik."


This was tactically a stupid decision, but, as a Jedi, it was what was expected of me. And it had the highest chance of ending this skirmish without further loss of life for my allies. Provided the attackers did surrender.
An armoured man stepped out from behind cover, a pair of blaster pistols in his hands.


While I could not see his face, nor anything else about him, the armour he wore left me in no doubt as to who – what – he was.

It, like the symbol born proudly on the centre of his chest, marked him out as a Mandalorian and a member of Death Watch.

"Because, unlike most Jedi, I have already fought in battle. Already taken a life and claimed my honour." I replied, praying everything I had learnt about their culture and traditions – from KOTOR, the Jedi Archives and the Holonet – was accurate.

The man chuckled, looked around and used one of the blasters to point at me. "Honour? From a Jetii? You who are responsible for the Dral'Han? Nuh'la."

I sighed and shook my head at what he was referring to. The bombing of Mandalore, and other worlds in the sector, by a Jedi-led Republic strike force nearly eight hundred years ago.

"The Jedi then were weak, scared, of what a strong Mandalore and her people could do. They'd given up their positions in the Republic and lashed out without thinking." I said slowly, figuring there was no harm in throwing long-dead Jedi under the bus. "I am not them. And here, now, I stand before you and offer you a chance to save the lives of those under your command."

"Ah, so you are like other Jedi. Issuing orders that others are expected to obey," the man responded before turning to look at his men. "See this? This is why the Jedi are so rarely seen outside of the Core. They know nothing of how the real galaxy works. All they do is preach and think about what their beloved Force tells them to do while acting as lapdogs of a corrupt senate."

Some of the slavers chuckled, but most stayed silent, preferring to keep their weapons trained on me. Which was fine, as that meant they weren't trained on any of the Lokella.

"Yeah, the Senate is corrupt, and many Jedi do have a stick so far up their backends that they could clean their teeth with them," I said, eliciting a few chuckles from both sides, "but as I said, I am not them."

"Then prove it," the man challenged, taking a step forward as he opened his arms wide. "Face me in single combat."

"Ignoring the fact your attack has already failed, what are your terms?" I asked, hoping that not only were the terms reasonable but that he'd obey them when he was defeated.

Though I had my doubts he would, as displayed proudly on one of his shoulders, was the mark of Death Watch.

"The winner is declared when the other is unable to defend themselves," he stated confidently, "and when I win, we take back control of this station and the former slaves are re-enslav…"

"Unacceptable," my eyes narrowing as I cut in, "I'll put the station on the line, but these people will not be going back into slavery."

The man stared at me, though I met him with a glare of my own. Which was weird, as I could only glare at the mask, not the man.

"Very well." He finally replied. That seemed to indicate that he was more interested in getting the operation back under the control of whomever he was working for than the slaves. They probably figured that they could move new slaves into the system later. "And if you win, my men will leave and never return."

"While I hope you would keep that arrangement, I doubt your employer would agree to it. The mine on the planet is far too valuable for them to just let go of."

"Then what do you propose?"

I considered the logistics of having to hold three to four hundred prisoners before smirking as an idea came to me. "When I win, not only will your men leave, but your navigational charts of this system will be erased, and you and the other leaders of your force must surrender, face Republic justice and detail whom you are working for."

Holding every prisoner just was not visible; either with the bodies the Lokella had, or the food situation. Taking just the leaders made more sense and sending the grunts back to face their employer would remove them from here and give their employer a vent for their anger at the failure of the attack.

He laughed loudly, his pistols shaking gently in his hands, "You might be an adiik, but you've got a set. Very well, I accept the terms," he paused and handed his blasters to a Rodian to his left. "We fight with bladed weapons only. No lightsaber for you, and none of your magic tricks either."

"Impossible," I stated flatly. "Those "magic tricks" as you mockingly refer to them, are a part of me and my life. They make me the fighter I am. I could no more part with them than you could part with your decades of training and experience. I'll agree to the absence of energy weapons, however. And out of respect to your culture, I'll also refrain from any directed attacks."

"Directed attacks?" The figure began. "What're you-" And then he stopped.

His whole body froze up. He made a grunting sound, straining, but the bindings I had laid on him were too strong.

"This," I said, as I calmly regarded him. "Is what I would consider an unfair advantage. I could easily render you immobile, slow your body movements, or simply hurl you out of the hangar into space, as I did to countless other slavers."

"However," The bindings suddenly dropped, and the man collapsed to the floor, while I continued speaking without pause. "I understand and value honour. I will not take such cheap shots at someone who cannot retaliate. You yourself have advantages over me. You are older, physically stronger, and likely much faster. By enhancing my own reflexes through the force, it will allow us to fight on a more even playing field, so I view it as fair play."

I was lying on that last bit. Though that might be true for a normal padawan of my age, I had far surpassed many knights in terms of force-based physical and reflex enhancement. But he needn't know that.

The Figure considered me for a long time, as the other armoured figures behind them murmured quietly to each other. I could tell he was hesitating, my display of power obviously unnerving him. I decided to stoke his Mandalorian thirst for combat a bit. "Without the Force, I'd merely be any other child, no one of note to you or your clan. However, are you really willing to pass up the opportunity to test yourself against a Jedi?"

The helmet tilted, and finally a chuckle was released. "Kid, the thing is, I know you're playing me...and I do. I accept those terms."

"Then it's settled," I replied and handed my lightsaber to one of the Lokella even as I cast Observe on him.
Girk Saxon
Race: Human
Level: 35
Health: 100%
Age: 46
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Intermediate
Emotional State: Calm/Amused/Eager
Girk is the leader of a Death Watch unit hired to regain the Phrikite mine.
He honestly doesn't care about the slaves, only the job.
However, he is amused by your behaviour and hoping a fight with a Jedi will make the mission worthwhile.

As I wondered how close to Pre Vizsla Girk was, he stepped into the no-man's land between our two forces and pulled two knives from his belt. With more strength than I felt was needed, he tossed one to me.

I caught it easily, B-T making it easy to track as it spun, which earned a nod from the man.

"Heh, maybe this will be a challenge after all," he muttered as he adopted what I could only assume was a Mandalorian combat stance. "Your death will earn me a fine bonus."

"You'd have to kill me first," I replied, slipping into a stance from my old life and activated Force Speed, "and you're nowhere near good enough to do that."

He growled under his helmet and came at me.

His knife-hand plunged forward, seeking an instant kill, but I slid one foot, avoid the thrust.

His free hand came thundering in, looking to take advantage of my defensive move, only for my knife to slash against his armoured gauntlet, sending a few sparks flying as the blade scraped against his armour.
The knife lunged, forcing me to step back and away.


An elbow strike was blocked by my forearm, allowing me to land a blow against his side; though the armour made me suspect he barely felt it.

I parried his blade with my own, allowing it to only lash my robes and not my skin.

He swung a hard punch at my head, which I ducked.

Activating Enhance Stat for Strength, as I grabbed the trailing arm, twisted and launched him across the bay; his armour clattering as it smashed into the metal floor tiles.

I felt a smile creep onto my face at being able to finally cut loose and fight as I had in my old life.

"Heh, not bad kid," he muttered as he stood, "you know how to fight."

"As do you," I replied as I settled into another stance. "If you would do me the honour, I wish to see the face of the man I fight."

He stepped back, though his posture did not relax, and remove his helmet.

His hair, while greying, still held hints of blonde around the temples and his dark, heavy-set eyes bore into me as I noted a scar running down his cheek from the ear to his mouth, drawing attention to the angular nature of his chin. I could only assume he kept the scar as a mark of honour, or some such nonsense, instead of having it healed with medical technology.

"I am Girk of clan Saxon, warrior of Mandalore and your soon to be death," Girk snarled as his eyes stayed focused on me.

I slipped my robe off, absently noting that there were a few cuts in it that I'd have to repair later and that one was stained red with blood – the update had altered Player's Body so that I bled even as I lost HP – even as he spoke.

"I am Cameron Shan great-grandson of the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan and Dark Lord of the Sith, Revan," his eyes widened, and his brow rose at my words, "and I'm shocked that this is the best that the warriors of Mandalore have to offer in this day and age. You were once the peak of what warriors across the galaxy aspired to. I expected an honourable battle for the ages. I find myself...disappointed. A lack of refinement, coupled with overwhelming arrogance..." I shook my head and pointed my blade at him. "You are no son of Mandalore. You are nothing more than a thug and a coward."

He snarled, exposing some teeth as his eyebrows threatened to cover his eyes.

"You will pay for that," he snarled out and charged. It seemed my taunt had worked.

This time, having seen his style was based on aggression and power, I decided to alter my strategy, as I thought I sensed something from a few other attackers at the mention of my name.

Every thrust, punch, strike and blow he attempted was avoided or guided away with as little effort as I could while trying to make it clear that I was unconcerned by his attacks. Which thanks to the combination of Bullet-Time, Precog and Speed, was not too far from the truth.

Those three powers combined were just over-powered against any non-Force sensitive.

His eyebrows began to knot, causing several large crinkles to appear on his brow, and his mouth opened, exposing more teeth as he grew more and more frustrated at my disregard of him as a threat.

"DIE!" He screeched as he put everything he had into a frontal attack.

Sensing that this was the moment to counterstrike, I tilted, allowing his extended knife hand to pass by me, before sliding my arm over it and pulling his arm down and against my body.

This trapped his knife away from me and exposed a clear weak point of any armour, the armpit.

My knife easily pierced the protection there, and I pushed it upwards into the shoulder.

His knife clattered to the floor as he became unable to continue holding it.

I pivoted, taking him with me, and drove my knee into the back of his, forcing him down face-first into the deck.

The unmistakable sound of face hitting metal was heard as I placed my forearm against the base of his neck.

"Surrender!" I growled into his ear, "or die." I added with a firm whisper that only he could hear as I laced my voice with the Force to convince him to accept.

I pushed down on the neck, making it clear I would carry out my threat, even as I tightened the grip on my knife.

He coughed, spitting out blood and a tooth. "I, I surrender." He murmured.

My elbow caught an ear. "Louder! So everyone can hear." My blade moving so he could see his blood upon it.

"I surrender!" he shouted.

With no ceremony or concern, I stood, pushing his face down into the floor once more, and turned to the attackers.

"Your leader is beaten. Lay down your arms. Now!" Again, I used the Force to strengthen my words even as I held the blood-soaked knife up for all to see and summoned my lightsaber to my free hand.

Most of the attackers, began to lower their weapons, though a few hesitated.

"Do not delay. The people behind me would be more than eager to remove more slavers from the galaxy."

That seemed to do the trick as the rest began lowered the weapons, with the sounds of many clattering to the ground echoing around the bay.

"I must say, I did not expect a Jedi, especially one as young as yourself, to fight so well," a female voice said and I turned to see another Mandalorian, and Death Watch member based on the insignia on her armour, casually leaning against a crate-loader that she had no doubt been using as cover during the battle. I relaxed my stance as neither Precog, nor Danger Sense gave any hint of her being a threat.

"Will you honour the terms?" I asked as my grip retightened around the knife. Just because my powers didn't sense a threat didn't mean I wasn't going to be ready for an attack from a member of Death Watch.

Her eyes glanced down before she chuckled. "Of course. Haat, ijaa, haa'it."

I felt most of the tension leave my body and tossed the knife down beside Girk. "Good. I'd rather not have to kill anymore today."

"You didn't kill him," the female said, gesturing down at Girk. It might have been my imagination, but she sounded disappointed that he was still breathing.

"No, but the crews of all three of your ships died by my actions," I replied.

She bounced off the crate-loader and her head snapped round to the ship. "Gresh, come in," she called into her vambrace. "Gresh?"

With no reply coming, she lowered her arm and looked back at me. Her head tilted as she gave me a once over before she chuckled. "Haar'chak, where did the Jedi find you, kid?"

"In a four-thousand-year-old ship that got lost in time," I replied with a chuckle as I clipped my lightsaber to my belt.

With the fighting over, Bullet-Time, Speed and Precognition all turned off automatically, however, since I was expecting something to go wrong with the surrender, I re-engaged Precog.

I made a mental note to alter its combat setting as I planned to keep the power on permanently going forward. It was just too useful a power to not do so with, and with my PF upgrade, it wasn't a major drain on my FP anymore.

"Come again?" She asked as she pulled off her helmet as the Lokella began to corral the attackers into smaller, more manageable groups. A few bangs of blond hair fell, drawing my attention to her face, but most was tied tightly against her head as her greyish eyes focused on me.

"It's a long story," I paused as I heard Girk groan. "Make sure he behaves." My eyes scanned her face, taking in the shape of her cheeks, and the fullness of her lips before I spun, not waiting for her reply, and headed for the door.

The attackers would need accommodation until Dooku returned, and probably protection as I expected several of the Lokella to seek justice for their fallen friends.

"Search the Mandalorians twice," I ordered a male Duros named Maan who had been working in the mines for over two years. While he was one of the first to sign up for not just defending this place but attacking Hutt/slaver operations, he was more reserved about his desire for revenge than Pad, and as such, someone I had been pushing to assume leadership of the Lokella.

"Actually, get them out of their armour as soon as you can, especially forearms and gauntlets," I added as I used Eidetic Memory to review everything I had seen/read about their weapons and armour and remembered that many had built weaponry into their armour.

"Will do," he replied as I moved to walk past him, only for his hand to grip my arm. "I don't understand what you did but, thank you."

His large eyes met mine and I found myself standing a little taller.

"Thank the Force. I simply used it to guide us to victory."

Maan's eyes widened to a size that would look worrying on a Human face. "That… I did not know that the Jedi could do such things."

"Not many can. I…"

I spun as Precognition warned me of an attack from behind and ignited my lightsaber even as Bullet-Time auto-engaged.

Without giving it any thought, I deflected a blaster bolt back to where it had come from.

My mouth fell open as I watched Girk slump backwards, a burn mark now scaring his face forever as the pistol he had been holding clattered to the floor.

All around the room, beings froze. Their eyes, regardless of species, bounced between Girk's now dead body and me as if they were only seeing me for the first time.

"Hol…" my words were drowned out as people on both sides began to fire once more.

Reacting as fast as I could, I generated a barrier between the two groups, letting their blasts harmlessly dissipate against a wall of the Force.

"CEASE FIRE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, spotting the female Mandalorian crack a Klatooinian hard across the jaw. "I SAID CEASE FIRE!!"

The lights in the bay flickered and something behind me exploded as I felt the anger in me rise at the idiots on both sides who were more willing to die than to live.

It took a while, but slowly, cautiously, the rate of fire against my barrier decreased.

I heard more voices join my own, calling for everyone to stop and saw a third Mandalorian, one who I hadn't spotted before, actually shoot a Gamorrean in the head to get several of the slavers to stop fighting.

"Dammit," I growled as I dropped the barrier, though I left my lightsaber ignited as a deterrent to the surrender failing once more.

"I thought you said you accepted the terms?" I snapped at the female as I noted my knuckles whiten.

The female sighed. Her lips were firmly pressed together, and her shoulders slumped as she looked down at the body.

"I did. Girk did not," she replied in a monotonic voice. "My husband… well, he never was one for honour."

"Your…" My words caught in my throat and my lightsaber almost slipped from my grip. I gulped. "I'm sorry."

"No, he chose the terms. The dishonour is his alone. And his death was quick and clean."

As her gaze moved from the body of her husband to me, she suddenly inhaled sharply as her eyes widened.

"By the… Your lightsaber, where did you get that?" She asked breathlessly.

I lifted the blade cautiously, wondering if her sudden fasciation was a feint before she attacked. "I built it myself," I replied slowly as I watched her eyes follow the blade, "but I am aware of its similarity to another blade."

"The Darksaber," she whispered almost reverently. "To think that another Jedi would build such a blade…" She continued to stare at my lightsaber. Feeling a bit self-conscious for some reason, I deactivated it.

"Um, about your husband…" I offered, wishing to move her attention away from my weapon and back to the dead body.

A soft sound I couldn't quite catch, escaped her lips before she slowly looked down at Girk's body.

"As I said, he agreed to the terms and lost. Ori'buyce, kih'kovi," she muttered in a flat tone as her head lowered.

I couldn't understand the language she used there, or at times from her and Girk before, but given to the pair of new skill notices in my log, I suspected I was going to have a very basic understanding soon.

"Will, um," I stammered and wet my lips, "will this be a problem for you?"

I shook my head at the stupidity of my own words as she refocused her attention on me.

"Sorry, that was…"

"No. I understand your intent," She gave the body one last glance before stepping towards me. Her shoulders began to droop as she did, and her brow creased a touch.

"There was never much love between us anyway." She sighed and looked over to where the other attackers were being corralled, rubbing her upper arm a few times. "My brother, however, will not take this well. Nor my son."

"Forgive me for prying, but who are you and they?" My words came out slowly as I played them over in my head before speaking.

Everything about her body language indicated she accepted Girk's death, but a feeling in the back of my mind whispered that I should still be cautious with my words.

"Ah, forgive me. I am Nia Vizsla," I couldn't stop my face from reacting to hearing her name. "You know of Clan Vizsla?"

"I am the Padawan of Jedi Master Dooku."

A single eyebrow rose. "Ah, the butcher of Galidraan. Yes, that explains much." She smiled, though it did not reach her eyes. "My brother is Pre Vizsla, and while he is a member of the New Mandalorian faction lead by Duke Adonai," she was unable to keep a sneer from her face as she said the name of Satine and Bo's father – and the current ruler of Mandalore – "he will not take the death of his brother-by-unity well. Nor will my son, who is now the leader of Clan Saxon."

"That was not my intention," I said I rubbed the back of my neck. "I wanted to avoid more bloodshed."

"Yes, I am aware. And I will tell others of that. However, I expect many will seek you out; both to prove themselves against the boy who killed a leader of Death Watch and to claim your blade." The corner of her lips twitched upwards into a grin. "Though from what I saw here today, they would be foolish to try."

"That they would." I cringed at sounding so arrogant. "I mean…"

A single hand raised stopped me from explaining further.

"I understand your meaning adiik," the twitch had turned into a small smile, though it fell as three members of the Lokella approached. "It seems our time to speak is at an end."

"For now." I depowered my blade and reclipped it to my belt. "Your weapons?"

Slowly, taking time to not startle the members of the Lokella, she pulled a pair of blaster pistols that appeared to be the same as those used by Jango from her belt.

Bringing herself to her full height, she stepped forward confidently and handed them to me. "You have earned my respect today, Cameron Shan. I hope that one day we may get the chance to fight together in battle."

I felt a need to straighten my stance as I took the pistols.

"As do I," I replied before focusing on the insignia on her chest. "However, for as long as you wear that mark, that day will not come."

She barked out a short laugh and met my gaze. "That is true." She stepped back at turned to the go and join the other captured attackers, before pausing and looking back at me.

Her eyes almost clinically examined my frame as I slipped her pistols into my belt.

"Such a shame you are a Jedi."

I felt my brow crease at her words but said nothing as she was led away, and I watched her leave in silence.

"What was that about?"

I turned at the voice and came eye-to-breast with Baalta.

After saying a small prayer of thanks that I hadn't yet hit puberty, and one to help me cope when I did, I replied.

"Common ground."

Baalta's eyes narrowed and she attempted to stare a hole through the departing Mandalorian. "She's a slaver." She spat as her lips twisted into a snarl.

"No, she's a mercenary," I replied as I used Observe.
Nia Vizsla
Race: Human
Level: 31
Health: 100%
Age: 38
Force Potential: Intermediate
Threat Potential: Intermediate
Emotional State: Dejected/Accepting/Curious
Nia is a believer in a return to the Old Mandalorian ways but a reluctant member of Death Watch.
She is saddened to see her husband, and the father of her children, die.
However, she bears you no ill-will as the death was Girk's dishonour, not yours.
She wonders what the colour of your lightsaber means for her and her people.

"The Mandalorians were, are, warriors and many yearn for the old ways of honour through combat," I explained to Baalta, whose gaze was still focused on Nia even as her head-tails twitched in a seemingly random pattern. "Death Watch, that's the group these people are a part of, is about the only way that they can embrace that.

"At a guess, I'd say they were working for the Hutts for money to help their group," Baalta finally turned her attention to me, though only because Nia was now out of sight. "And since they're not loyal to the ones who were running this slaving ring, they might be willing to provide details."

"You expect her to freely tell you that?" Her nose crinkled as her montrals seemed to ripple.

"No, but I can probably barter for it." I paused as a thought came to me. "Were there any others like those two in the assault?"

She gently rubbed her head-tail near her left ear. "There were two were I was, though one's dead. I'm not sure about the other battle."

"Find out and have them all segregated away from the others. Make it clear that if anyone tries to harm them, I will deal with them. Provided the Mandalorians don't kill them first."

"They're unarmed," Baalta replied after blinking.

"I doubt that," I commented as I stepped away, wanting some privacy to see what the notices were and how I'd done in the quest linked to this battle. "Oh, make sure that their armour is removed, but treat it with respect. The armour means much to them but is often full of hidden weapons and tools."

"And if they refuse?" Baalta asked as her jawed tightened.

"Come and find me. I'll be in my quarters." I replied before rubbing my forehead. Somehow, I just knew that getting the Lokella to treat the Mandalorians carefully was going to be a problem. One that would place me between the two groups.

Yet, if I let the Lokella treat them as other slavers it would only result in trouble that I felt had the greater potential for death and destruction that what I had ordered.

"Yes, mtael."

I looked up at her, my brow rising at the new word. However, she had already turned and moved off, heading in the direction that Maan had taken Nia.

"Eh, whatever."

Turning, I left the bay through another door before ducking into one of the small, and empty, storerooms nearby.

From what I could gather, these had been built to store commonly needed parts for smaller craft carried by this vessel and had been later used by the slavers to store ore from the planet below.

As the door hissed shut, I opened all the notices I had, though I noted that one – a quest alert – wouldn't; instead showing a red slash through it.
Skill Learnt!
Language [Mando'a]
Ruling stat: Intelligence
The traditional language spoken by the Mandalorian people.

Skill Learnt!
Martial Art: Beskar'rev
Ruling stat: Strength
One of two traditional fighting styles of the Mando'ade.
Emphasizes hard, fast, devastating attacks.

Quest Completed!
Saxon Raider [ɸ]
Objectives:
Defeat Girk Saxon in a duel to determine the fate of the Lokella
[?] Do so without actively using the Force [Yes]
[?] Avoid the loss of any HP [No]
Rewards:
2000XP (+200XP)
500XP (+50XP)
Increased reputation with present Mandalorians
Massively decreased reputation with Girk Saxon

Quest Completed
Land of the Lokella [֍]
Objectives:
Ensure as many of the Lokella survive as you can [173 of 213]
Kill/capture as many of the attackers as you can [222/314 of 536]
Rewards:
Increased reputation with the Lokella faction [x173]
5190XP (+519XP)
3140XP (+314XP)
1110XP (+111XP)

While new skills weren't unexpected – it had happened with the Togruti language after hearing a few members of the species arguing in their native tongue last week – I was a little surprised that the Mandalorian fighting style was listed as a unique martial art.

Still, new skills meant new things to learn; and new ways to gain the levels needed for a bonus stat point.

The quest Saxon Raider was marked as a challenge quest, so I had to assume that the struck through quest alert was for the creation of said quest. And the 'reward' of a large loss in rep with Girk wasn't an issue, though it did explain why he tried to cheap-shot me.

All that XP, plus the much smaller amount I'd received from the Party XP mechanics, took me over three-quarters of the way to level 21.

I pulled up my Reputation menu and noted that there was now a new option; Lokella. Listed there was every one of the members of the Lokella that had survived the battle, and I noted that many now listed me as Trusted with a few, such as Baalta and Maan, seeing me as Honoured, which might explain why she had called me 'mtael'. Whatever that meant.

Dismissing all the notices and the menu, I exited the storage space, only to hear raised voices coming from one of the large prayer rooms that had served as a temporary jail for the slavers before Dooku had transported them back to the Republic.

I sighed loudly and looked upwards for a moment before I walked towards the noise, hopeful it wasn't anything major. Yet somehow, I knew it was only the beginnings of the issues I would now have to deal with.

And I mentally began working out how long the food supplies we had would last with an extra three hundred mouths to feed. And how long it would take to sort through the carnage of the battle, prepare the ships and send the surviving attackers back to their superiors.




I rubbed my eyes as I collapsed into the chair in my quarters and let out a long, loud sigh.


It had been four days since the battle and in that time, I'd been, dealing with, day and night, small, niggling issues.

Issues, which for some inane reason, the Lokella suddenly felt the need to run past me instead of handling it themselves as they had done for the past few weeks.

Most of those issues centred around the roughly three hundred captives we had taken after the battle.

The least critical issue, but loudest and most persistent, was dealing with Pad Keba. He, and a loyal band of about thirty, had been less than keen to keep to my agreement with the Death Watch unit that had led the attack.

Indeed, six of that group had felt that because they were armed, and the Mandalorians were not, that they could renegotiate the terms.

To say it hadn't gone as they planned would be an understatement.

Nineteen broken bones, including a rather gruesome fibula that had been forced through a knee, and one missing eye was the result of their attempted renegotiation. And all of that had happened to the Lokella.

Pad had demanded revenge, though I had shouted him down with the threat that the next person to harm one of our prisoners would meet my blade.

It wasn't the Jedi way to use their anger to control a situation, but the High Council wasn't here; nor were they going to hear about these instances in any report they made me submit about my time here.

Pad had stormed off after my threat, and I hadn't seen him in over a day since, but thankfully, all but the identified leaders of the attack were now gone.

As for the Mandalorians, I was confused.

While all had admitted to their part in the attack, and as being members of Death Watch, they had identified a small group that reported directly to Decca the Hutt. Said group was now being held under guards – ones that I knew thanks to the interface and my powers had no connection to Pad Keba – for transport to a republic stronghold for trial.

For that help, I had allowed the Mandalorians to leave and even placed one of the captured raiders at their disposal, but they had instead stayed and were now helping with the training of the Lokella.

Many of the Lokella had been reluctant to take that training, but some were willing and while it was aggressive, verging on brutal, I couldn't fault its effectiveness.

I'd used the Force and Observe on the Mandos to try to determine their plans, but only Nia seemed to know anything and her mental discipline was strong enough that I couldn't tell what she was thinking without her sensing my probes. Yet, I didn't have a bad feeling about her actions.

Though discovering that one of the four surviving Mandos was from Clan Ordo was a nice surprise; even if the way he looked at me was a touch unnerving.

The more major, but less taxing, issue that I had dumped on me was organizing plans for the establishment of a settlement on the planet below for the growing of crops and potential mining phrikite.

Every time that issue had been brought to me, I'd informed the Lokella that it was an issue for them to handle themselves. They had always countered with some variant of the argument that because of my actions, every major decision was to be confirmed by me. How, when and why I had fallen into the position of de facto leader of the Lokella, I honestly, didn't care about. Only that I was growing to hate having to deal with multiple minor daily issues for a group was as large as a village.

My respect for Palpatine, Padme and others for dealing with issues in the Senate had increased dramatically over the last few days and it reaffirmed my statement to Palatine about not wanting to be a Senator.

Gently, sighing tiredly as I did, I prised my head from my hands and stood, stumbling a little as I began to move.

While Player's Body meant I couldn't get physically tired like a normal person – only having to watch my stamina and hunger levels – Ii appeared that could still get mentally tired. Or at least I could since the update.

While I could use Player's Mind to clear the tiredness and building headache, I did not like the way that power negated my emotions to such a degree that I felt less than sentient when I used it. And I was looking forward to a good, long sleep.

My robes, restored to pristine condition with the Force, fell to the floor as I crashed onto my bunk, humming as the soft mattress shifted under my weight.

My eyes closed and I sighed at finally, finally getting to…

-BUZZ-

My fingers dragged across my face as the door intercom buzzed for attention.

Perhaps if I ignored it, it wou…

-BUZZ-

"Argh!" I growled as my feet slammed loudly against the floor. "Yes?" I half-shouted, half growled as I pulled my robes to me and slipped them back on.

The door opened and Reithe began to step inside.

His eyes widened as he met my glare and he stopped in the doorframe.

"Um, they, uh, need you in command," he said in a higher pitch than normal.

"What is it this time?" I moaned as I stood and pulled my robes to me.

"Um, th… there's a new ship in the system," he replied as he began to fidget.

I looked upwards and sighed loudly. "Bloody hell," I mumbled and shook my head. "Fine, let's go and see what the adults need a damm child for this time."

I marched past him, making him leap back to avoid me hitting him, and stormed down the corridor, engaging Player's Mind just long enough to clear my head and centre myself.

"H-hey!" Reithe called and I heard the door close as he ran to catch up with me.

As we moved through the corridors of the massive cathedral-ship, I watched as many we ran into lowered their head as we passed. This was linked to the word Baalta had used; mtael. A word in Togruti which, when translated into Basic, meant Nature's Chosen.

As such, I hated it.

Yet, the more I protested at her using the term, the more others had begun to use it freely. It seemed that using Battle Meditation and helping them survive the reprisal attack had more of an effect than just raising their opinions of me.

"Mtael, welcome," an older yellow-skinned Togruta with four head-tails named Ezan said as I entered the command centre.

I managed to force myself to give him a civil smile as he partially bowed. "We have visitors?" I asked slowly, using every mental trick I had short of reengaging Player's Mind to keep my anger and annoyance under control at having to deal with another issue that the Lokella should be handling themselves.

"Yes, a small ship has been detected on the edge of the system," he pointed at the main display which showed the approaching vessel. "Our patrol is on the other side of the system, guarding the hyperspace route into Hutt Space."

"Then who…"

"We have an incoming signal," a Rodian called out from one of the stations.

"Respond." I snapped out, wanting to get back to my bed as quickly as possible.

The display shifted from the holographic map into three figures.

"Greetings Padawan, I do hope we are not inconveniencing you," Master Plo Koon said as he stood beside Fay and Dooku. Somehow, I knew he could sense my feelings even at the distance and was taking some enjoyment from it.

"No, sir," I began, "I'm simply tired from dealing with the aftermath of the attack by the Hutts."

The three Jedi Masters shared a look.

"Are you well?" Dooku asked, his voice calm as his brow knotted just a little.

"Yes. I.. Perhaps it is better if we talk in person?" I said slowly, not sure how he would react to discovering that I had Death Watch members on the station.

"Yes, I believe that would be best," Plo Koon replied as I silently wondered why a member of the High Council had come. "I'm sure your tale will be most illuminating."

The display shifted back to that of the surrounding space once more.

"YES!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, shocking everyone else in the room.

Even as they all blinked and stared at me with various expressions, I turned on my heels and set off for the bay, whistling.

I ignored the looks several members of the Lokella gave me as I almost bounced between steps, happy that someone else would have to deal with all the stupid, annoying hassles of this place.
...
 
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Cathedral of the Past 5
A few hours later, I found myself standing in the main landing bay as the Jedi vessel – which was one of the raiders that Dooku took with him – touched down.

In that time – beyond dealing with a few more minor, annoying issues for the Lokella – I'd mentally gone over the possible reasons for a High Council member to accompany Dooku back to this system.

While there was a chance it was to simply to satiate his curiosity about the Pius Dea ship, I was more inclined to believe that the High Council, or at least a faction within it, had all but ordered Dooku to allow a member to accompany him.

As far as I knew, Koon wasn't a member of this faction that I felt was centred around Windu and Belfarr, so he may have been the neutral choice, but until I knew where he stood concerning me and my position within the Order, I was going to have to be careful about what I said around him. Which probably also rang true for any Jedi assigned to study this massive vessel.

Though given the fact the engines had been destroyed at some point in the past – whether from whatever event caused it to become stranded here or the general wear-and-tear of time, I couldn't say – the Lokella had taken to referring to it as a station and named it. One, like many of the names they had chosen, I had a feeling was less going to be than thrilled about.

"Why have the other Jedi come with Master Dooku?" Maan asked from my far right where he stood with Baalta. On my left were Pad and a Rodian named Tweq. These four comprised the leadership of the Lokella, which I guess, was why so much useless crud was brought to me as they couldn't make decisions with four votes.

This situation, which I had only just learnt about, explained why I had had to deal with so many issues over the past few days and why I now stood with this ruling council to greet the Jedi.

"As I explained before, this ship is ancient. I suppose that the Jedi, who were active in the galaxy even back then, have an interest in the history of the place and any knowledge it might contain in its databanks."

"They will not force us to return to the Republic?"

I gave Tweq a shake of my head. "Unlikely. While I admit my knowledge of salvage law is lacking, I think the fact you are in control of this vessel and the system grants you some protection from being forcibly removed."

"If they try to make us…" Pad growled out as the ramp hissed and began to lower.

"Then you'll be leaving," I replied with another shake of my head. "All of them are more powerful and better trained than I with the Force. Master Koon is a member of the High Council while Master Fay is… far older than her appearance belies." That was a half-truth. Since I was now considered a Vergence in the Force like Anakin, the depths of my power were beyond any current Jedi.

However, the part about the lack of training was most certainly true. I lacked the real-world experience of using the Force in a real battle, outside of a few small instances, that beings like Fay, Dooku and Koon had accumulated. With time, however, that disadvantage would be removed.

"You like her," Baalta whispered as she gave me a gentle push with her elbow, only to suck in her breath as the Jedi stepped onto the temple-ship. "Hmm, oh hello there." A shiver went up my spine at the way she said those words.

I felt my brow rise as I saw the three Jedi masters I expected, plus Jocasta Nu, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Knight Pana and one other who I did not recognize exit the raider. My eyes travelled to the youngest, and only unknown, of the arriving Jedi.

The Twi'lek looked to be in her early teens and had a skin tone that was royal purple which had me mentally wondering which of her and Baalta had the darker shade of purple. And if the tone was the same all over.

I shook my head, clearing those thoughts – and cursed the beginning of puberty – as I considered why everyone else was here.

Master Nu, and the two who were following her, were almost certainly here to study the Pius Dea vessel, Fay and Dooku were obviously here because of me, with Koon having been sent by the High Council. However, seeing Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan again was a surprise.

Maan stepped forward and bowed, "Master Jedi, welcome to the ShaDo system."

I bit my tongue to avoid groaning at him using the name the Lokella had chosen for the system.

"I was unaware this system had any official name," Plo Koon stated calmly even as his eyes found mine.

"We chose the name a few days ago. It honours those who helped free us for our enslavement," Tweq explained as I saw Fay's lip twitch.

"Hmm, that would be Master Dooku and Padawan Shan, correct?" Tweq nodded in answer to the council member's question. "I must admit, I am curious about why the student comes before the teacher."

"With respect, we owe Mtael more than Jedi Master Dooku," Maan explained as Baalta gave me another gentle elbow poke. "His actions during the reprisal are the reason any of us are here to greet your arrival."

"That sounds like a most interesting story," Koon said, rubbing the base of his breathing mask. "One I, and my fellow Jedi, would greatly like to hear. Ah, but where are my manners.

"I am Jedi Master Plo Koon, representative of the Jedi High Council. These are Jedi Masters Fay and Jinn and Padawan Kenobi and over there is Jedi Master Nu and her support staff; Knight Pana and Padawan Sitra. I believe you are already acquainted with Master Dooku."

My eyes turned back to Nu's party, as I placed a name to the Padawan. Sitra was not a name I could remember hearing from my time as an Initiate. However, given that my interactions back then had centred around only one of ten clans, that wasn't a huge surprise.

"I am Maan Lonwin. This is Tweq Ruhn, Baalta Iradel and Pad Keba. We along with Padawan Shan comprise the governing council of the Lokella."

"What?!" I called out, my head snapping around to look at the leaders of the Lokella so fast I swore I heard my neck crack. "I never… When… What?" I paused, ignored the chuckles from everyone except Dooku and Pad – though the Jedi did at least smile at my reaction – and took a second to process that I had somehow been placed on this council without my prior knowledge; nor permission.

In retrospect, it fully explained why the Lokella had been coming to me for weeks to handle small issues before the battle, and why I was involved in almost every decision taken since. But it left me in an awkward position.

"I was not told about this," I said slowly, having gotten my emotions under control. "And if I was, I would not have accepted."

"That is why we did not inform you directly, Mtael," Baalta replied with a grin that exposed a few teeth as she leaned against me and I kept my eyes up, ignoring the way her breasts rubbed against my shoulder. "You are far too noble to seek such a position."

"Yet without your actions, we would all either be dead or still enslaved. For that, your position was unanimous," Maan finished as I spotted Obi-Wan cover his face with his robes, which made me glare at him. Though that only served to make his amusement even more obvious as his shoulders began to shake.

"Indeed? Then I am now even more intrigued as to what a mere Padawan, even one as skilled as young Cameron here, did that would grant him such an esteemed position," Koon said in a tone that did nothing to hide his amusement at my situation and reaction. "Perhaps we might retire so you can regale us with the story?"

"Of course, Master Jedi," Maan replied with a small bow. "We have prepared one of the smaller rooms on this station as a conference room."

"I thought this was a starship?" Obi-Wan blurted out, earning him a short glare from Dooku.

"It is. However, without working engines, and given to its role in orbit of the planet below, we have decided to refer to it as a station. It avoids confusion as to its function," Tweq replied. He was in charge of the technical and engineering areas of Lokella operations and had been the first to suggest the designation change. I wasn't aware of the name given to it yet, but I had a bad feeling it was going to be another name that I disliked.

"Of course, though perhaps you could arrange from someone to escort Master Nu and her team to the main computer terminal. They are eager to begin their investigations regarding this impressive structure's history."

"Certainly," Maan called off to one of the children floating around the place and directed them to act as guides for Nu and her team.

Those teenagers, when not following me around like a pack of lost dogs or running messages between areas of the station that still lacked internal comms, spent most of their time in one of the grand halls that I had helped convert into a training centre.

"Was Tedra accepted into the Order?" I asked Dooku as I fell into step beside him and Fay. Koon was at the front with Maan and Tweq as Baalta had moved up close to Obi-Wan. While Obi-Wan seemed unsure of why that was, the way his eyes roamed her body indicated he wasn't upset about the situation, even as I fought off a sudden wave of envy at seeing him close to her.

Pad, as always, followed along at the rear, muttering a few things under his breath.

Thankfully, since the attack – and then the failed attempt to attack the Mandalorians – he'd become more isolated among the Lokella as it seemed that news of his delay in following my orders had resulted in the deaths of team three.

While I doubted it would have made any difference if he had listened, the perception that he'd been more willing to put himself above others in a time of crisis had cost him a good deal of support. Though sadly not enough to remove him from the governing council.

"While there were a few reservations, she was placed with one of the Initiate clans," Dooku responded. "The Council was curious about what we had discovered here, and upon learning about this craft, felt they needed to examine it; hence why Masters Koon and Nu, and her team, accompanied Master Fay back."

"And I felt that learning something about the history of the Republic would do Obi-Wan some good," Qui-Gon added in, and I glanced around to see that Baalta had hooked her arm around Obi-Wan's, both of them smiling as they talked quietly to each other.

A frown passed across my brow as I pushed down a sudden feeling of jealousy before I turned my attention back to where we were going while silently cursing, again, the early onset of puberty.

"How did the Lokella fare during the battle?" Dooku asked, seemingly unbothered by my reaction to Baalta's closeness to Obi-Wan, though I caught the faintest of smiles dance over Fay's lips.

"Ah, so this is the Butcher," Nia's voice cut off my reply as we reached an intersection to find her leaning against a doorframe that led to one of the converted halls where combat training took place.

"I beg your pardon?" Dooku asked, his hand moving slowly towards his lightsaber as his eyes locked on Nia; or more likely, the Death Watch logo on her armour. Though that emblem now had a sliver bar across it.

"Be at ease Jedi. I do not wish to fight you, nor do I any longer follow the ways of Death Watch," she paused and gave me a wink at that. "I merely wished to meet the man responsible for training the adiik's bajur. And the Butcher of Galidraan."

Dooku's knuckles whitened as he gripped the hilt of his lightsaber. "That battle was… a mistake. One brought on by the failure of the Order to investigate before acting."

My eyes shifted from Dooku to Koon, but he seemed unbothered by his fellow Jedi's harsh words at the lack of foresight shown by the High Council, who had sanctioned the mission.

"It was a good battle," Nia replied slowly. "While I am not overjoyed that it led to the death of several of my fellow Mandalorians, they died as warriors. For that, and the behaviour of your Padawan, I bear you no ill will."

She paused and turned her attention to me even as she spoke once more to Dooku. "Your hibir, your Padawan, fights well, a testament to your training."

I could hear Dooku take a few measured breaths before he replied.

"While I do not concern myself that he impresses a member of Death Watch, neither I nor Master Fay can claim all the credit for his abilities. Young Cameron is… gifted in a way few Jedi are."

Dooku's words were measured and precise, but it was easy for everyone to catch the insult aimed at Nia's former life choice.

Nia did not respond however, instead, she gave me another once-over before turning to glance behind her.

After a subtle nod, another of her group came out of the room where she had come from; Thur Ordo.

He licked his lips twice before he spoke. "Master Jedi, I am Thur Ordo, and I was wondering if you might confirm something for me," he began, his fingers gently tapping against his leg until Nia glared at him.

Thur was in his early twenties – twenty-two according to Observe – and while not particularly tall, was broad-shouldered and well built. He, like the other Mandalorians, had spent time training the Lokella, but I caught him glancing my way often when I entered the room. Perhaps this impromptu meeting would reveal why.

"And what is that?" Dooku began, though I noted that he shared a blink-and-you'd miss-it look with Fay.

"During the battle, your Padawan stated he was the descendant of the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan and the Sith Lord Revan. Is this true?"

Every Jedi turned to look at me, and while all were curious about why I had revealed that, only Dooku showed any sign of annoyance as his brow began to knot.

"I was challenged by their leader and he stated his name and clan. I felt it appropriate to reply in kind," I explained, unconcerned with the gazes of four Jedi Masters upon me.

"As he should have," Nia added, drawing the attention of Koon and Jinn. Fay and Dooku focused on me. "It was a good duel until Girk dishonoured himself."

[Did you plan this?] Dooku asked in my mind.

[No, master. I was seeking a way to end the battle without any further loss of life.]

[And this required you to reveal your ancestry? To a group of Mandalorians?] Fay asked, making me realise this was a telepathic group-chat.

[From what I have learnt about their people, to not reply carried the chance that my plan would not work. I didn't see much of an issue with it as what I said referred to people dead for millennia.]

[We will discuss this matter at a later date,] Dooku stated with certainty before he turned to look at the pair of Mandalorians. "While neither I nor Master Fay are concerned about his familial bloodlines, the Padawan is indeed the descendant of Bastila Shan and Revan."

"Th-this is confirmed by the Jedi Council?" Thur asked, his eyes wide, as he turned Koon, who nodded.

"Indeed. While we were, reluctant, to believe his story, every piece of evidence supported it. As such, the Jedi Council has accepted it. As has the Chancellor of the Republic." Koon explained, doing an admirable job of ignoring the crap I'd had to deal with from council member Belfarr since arriving in this time period regarding my ancestry and early time in the Order.

"This is a waste of time," Pad muttered, drawing my attention. His lekku twitched and he shuffled back half as step as both Mandalorians fixed him with glares that would have left the Twi'lek a pile of ash is they were capable of doing so.

I made a quick mental note to ask if such thing was possible with the Force, though I was well aware if anything like that did exist, it would be a dark side power, even as Koon spoke once more.

"Perhaps we might table discussions regarding the Padawan's linage until after the debriefing," he said in his usual, slightly muffled voice. "Would you be willing to join us?" he asked Nia and Thur. "I am curious how two former members of a terrorist organization ended up in this place."

Nia gave him a half-grin that exposed a few of her teeth. "Provided we are not required to reveal anything I have already stated we won't." Her smile widened as she looked at me, as did everyone else.

"I, uh, may have cut a deal with the Mandalorians to learn more about who was responsible for this operation and the attack," I explained. "And the true leaders are under guard a few levels for here to await justice from the Republic."

Ok, it was more Nia stating her terms and me agreeing to them as, firstly, they were willing to reveal who was behind the operation, and secondly, I'd hoped they'd leave soon after.

Instead, they had stayed, apparently to confirm my lineage, though why that was important to them, I didn't know. Hopefully, the meeting might reveal some of the reason why.

As for the attackers facing justice, it was unlikely. This system, while nominally in Republic space, was so close to Hutt space that I suspected the Republic would wash their hands of the whole thing to avoid upsetting the Hutts. Which was just bullshit, but something that could be used to galvanise the Lokella in their fight against slavery.

"A logical decision Padawan, and one I may have well made in your place," Koon said before turning back to Nia and Thur. "Very well. I will honour the deal Padawan Shan has negotiated."
Nia smirked "Good."


"Excellent, now I believe we have dallied long enough," Koon stated as he turned to face Tweq and Maan.

"Yes, right this way."

Maan took the lead and we began to walk, Nia and Thur falling into step behind myself, Fay and Dooku.

Neither of my masters spoke, and the closer we got to the conference room, the more I was dreading how the Lokella would play up my actions during the attack. And the way the other Jedi would react to the Lokella's descriptions.

……
Two hours later, after listening to the Lokella, and Nia, detail the battle – and sing my praises to the Jedi – I found myself in a smaller room with both my masters and Plo Koon.


"While I will leave this discussion to your masters, I will state that I am impressed with your actions here. Even if they were, perhaps, unorthodox," Plo began, his mask hiding enough of his face that I couldn't read anything from it. "Also, I believe that Master Giiett may wish to speak with you when you return to the Temple about both your findings of the Hutts actions and about your path within the Order."

He gave both Fay and Dooku nods, which they returned, before leaving the room, the doors hissing closed behind him.

The three of us stood in silence before Fay sighed.

"Cameron, while we are impressed with your actions in the battle, and your ease with Battle Meditation, we are concerned that you may have gone too far in invoking fear in the minds of the attackers and by speaking directly to the minds of the Lokella," she began. Her voice was gentle, but there was a hint of concern in her tone. "Do you understand why?"

"For the attackers, it was a mistake," I began slowly, having figured this talk was coming and already decided on my reasoning. "I just wanted them to leave without attacking and hoped that scaring them would be successful in driving them away in order to avoid loss of life."

"While the end goal is preferred, influencing the minds of others to invoke fear is not something the High Council would approve of," Dooku said as I took note of the fact he did not say he had an issue with my actions towards the attackers.

"Yes, Master."

"And the Lokella? Do you understand why this action is considered a more troublesome action than invoking fear in others?" Fay asked slowly, her eyes locking on to mine even as the interface noted an attempt to sense my emotional state.

"Because influencing minds is dangerous and, if not understood, a path that easily leads to the dark side," I replied, quoting from one of my early lessons with Master Rancisis about the effects of Battle Meditation.

"Yes. What you were not told when you began your training with Battle Meditation, was that being able to directly plant words and thoughts in the mind of another can allow a user of the Force to not only alter someone's memories but even, if taken to the extreme, allow one to control the minds of others." Explained Dooku, his lips pinched to one side.

I ignored the new Force Power alert notices that appeared as I countered. "I didn't force my way into Baalta's mind, or any of the others. They opened themselves to me."

Fay raised an open hand, her palm facing me. "We are aware of that, and her words were truthful when she revealed this to us and Master Koon. However, many in the Order would not believe you or would seek to… caution you about what you did.

"While we do not agree with those individuals, we need you to be aware that they exist."

I nodded. "I think I know who you are talking about," I said as images of Windu and Belfarr appeared in my mind's eye. They had been the most vocal about me being a Jedi and the way I did things and I could see them trying to use what had happened here to paint me in a bad light.

"Good, now there are a few other issues we wish to discuss." Fay moved to a small table in the room and sat, Dooku and I following.

"While you have been travelling with Master Dooku, I have visited several of the relocation sites for the Shadda-Bi-Borans. While most are doing well, in no small part to the steady supply of money being routed to them from your first literacy masterpiece, one colony has failed. About three million beings perished before the remainder could be evacuated in time."

My brow creased at hearing that. Forgetting about the quest, just having that many beings die was not an easy thing to hear.

"The deaths are not your fault," Fay added, likely having sensed my discomfort through our Force Bond, "the planet was struck by a rogue meteor that was not discovered in the initial scans of the system."

"Master Fay is correct. Indeed, without your actions and support, I sense a great many more Borans would have died when their star began to die, and the planet's ecosystem collapsed."

"I know. But I'm still angry about the initial reaction of people on Coruscant, and I would assume beyond, to their plight. I mean, wearing kerchiefs and armbands made of Shadda silk? That's nothing but paper support."

Fay smiled, though her lips were pressed tightly together. "Sadly, many in the galaxy will only offer words of support instead of taking action."

"Deeds not actions are what matter," Dooku added in agreement. "A fact sadly lost on many; civilian and Jedi alike."

A moment of silence passed between the three of us before Fay spoke.

"On a related note, I have spoken to the publishing site regarding your next work of fiction. They are preparing to publish it, however, I discovered that a flaw was made in the release of 'Fellowship of the Ring'.

"It appears, either due to an error on young Miss Naberrie's part, or that of the publishers, that your first work was initially only published across Coruscant and its sector. This allowed the more unscrupulous publishers to release the book across other sectors without either your consent or with any intention of sending the proceeds to the Refugee Relief Movement."

"Can we recover those funds?" I asked as I quickly handled the numbers in my head. If Fellowship sold sixty million copies across Coruscant, a planet with a population of around a trillion people, earning the RRM over eight million credits, then it should have sold for two or three times that, at least, across the galaxy.

My brow knotted as I realised, money earmarked for relief efforts had been taken by those other publishers and I had to take a deep breath to calm myself.

"While it is possible, the litigation would take years to clear the courts, and then there is the likely chance of them trying to overturn any decision that went against them," Dooku explained with a tone that hinted at his annoyance about a related subject.

"True. To counter this, your publishers are establishing rights for your next work, and anything else you publish, in every sector from the Deep Core to the Mid-Rim. It will take time, but they have assured me that they will not release the Two Towers until they have done so." Fay added, detailing the actions that were going to take place.

I nodded, only to pause as a random thought that kept bouncing around my head came back to the forefront.

"Um, why are you both so... comfortable with me publishing these stories, and making millions in credits from them?" The way of the Jedi prohibited the acquisition of wealth, yet neither of my masters had argued against me publishing either 'The Fellowship' or the 'Two Towers'.

The pair shared a look before Dooku answered.

"While we are not overly comfortable with you earning credits so brazenly, we understand that your motivations are to help others, for example, the Borans, and to fund the goals of the coalition. Neither Master Fay nor I are blind to the simple fact that to accomplish what has been discussed will require capital. And since we agree with you that this is not a matter for any outside the Order, or even our group currently, we are willing to look past our concerns. For now."

"We would, however, like to know what your plans are with the new book," Fay tacked on as she leaned forward, her lips twisting upwards.

"I, um, was thinking that I could divert some of the funds to help the Lokella. I mean, they currently only have three beaten-down patrol ships and a freighter for defence. Not to mention that they lack supplies to establish a small colony on the surface and prepare defences for any reprisal from the Decca the Hutt, or attacks for random pirates or slavers." I replied, starting slowly to make it seem like I was unsure of my intentions. Which I was.

I had not been expecting the information that I'd lost millions of credits because of unscrupulous arseholes around the galaxy.

With the, hopefully, massive increase in my credit flow, I was going to have to think carefully about how to use the rest of the funds.

"That is a worthy goal. One we are more than willing to help you accomplish," Dooku said, the slightest of smiles beginning to creep onto his face. "And your other plans?"

"I, uh, don't really have any," I replied as I scratched the back of my neck. "I wasn't expecting to learn about the loss of credits from Fellowship."

"Understandable. Perhaps it would help if over the coming days we discussed possible ventures that might serve our goals, though only in private." Fay suggested.

"Yes, master."

"Yes. I will speak with Qui-Gon and see if he has any suggestions of his own," Dooku added as he stood. "Now, however, I think Master Fay would be interested in a tour of Mtael's Gift."

I groaned loudly at him using the name given to the station as Fay also stood. I did not approve of the name, but after hearing the first choice – Shan's Legacy – I had to accept that it would only resonate with those who knew that I was Mtael to the Lokella.

As I stood and began to follow the two Jedi Masters, I opened the notices.
Force Power Discovered!
Dominate Mind
The ability to take control of the mind of another.
While difficult to resist, those with great mental fortitude and/or a strong connection to the Force have a chance to do so.
It is regarded as a dark side power by most.

WARNING!
Dominate Mind is locked until Telepathy, Mind Probe and Alter Mind are all at Master:50 or greater.

Force Power Discovered!
Alter Mind
The ability to subtly remove the memories of other living beings.
At higher levels it is possible to implant false memories that are indistinguishable from a real one.

WARNING!
Alter Mind is locked until Compulsion is at Savant:1 or greater and Mind Probe and Telepathy are at Professional:1 or greater.
It was interesting that Alter Mind was not considered 'dark', though I imagined that the High Council regarded in a less than favourable light due to what it could lead to.

Both powers were currently out of my reach due to the interface placing restrictions on my direction of growth. And while I was not happy about that, I could see why having the grounding in other powers made sense.

I waved away the notices and followed my masters from the room to begin their tour of the station.






"This is the room I wished to show you," Nia started as I, Fay and Dooku followed her into a room I couldn't remember entering over the last month.

Like most rooms on the station, it was empty, lacking any sign of the formerly ornate decoration of a Pius Dea cathedral ship. However, unlike the larger great halls that I suspected had been sued for worship, the walls of this room were made of what appeared to be a unique alloy. It had a starkly different colour and texture than what was uniform within the rest of the station. Positioned around the room were several empty racks that looked to have held a verity of weapons in the distant past.

There were three small doors along the left side of the room that, thanks to my minimap having an overlay of the station's corridors, I knew led to the holding cells were the leaders of the attack were being detained.

"Judging from the empty racks, I would guess that this was one of the training rooms used by Pius Dea solders," Dooku offered, having spotted the same rack as I had.

"Yes, but that is not the main reason why I brought you here," Nia said as she moved towards a raised platform with a circular console at the far end of the room. Its location gave it clear lines of sight of the whole place, and I suspected that it was used as a monitoring station.

"To be clear, this is not a prelude to an attack," Nia added as she moved behind the console. "I simply felt that you needed to be made aware of what this room is capable of."

"Continue," Dooku stated through a tightened jaw while I noted the colour had drained a little from Fay's cheeks. The two seemingly had a suspicion of what Nia was about to do.

There was a loud rumble and a hum as the walls started to vibrate very quickly. Almost becoming a haze. In fact, it seemed that the entire room we were in was becoming hazy. The air grew heavy, oppressive, and dense, and I felt as though a current was running along my skin.

Then, without any further warning, I heard a sharp, high-pitched sound and slapped my hands over my ears in an attempt to muffle it even as I noted Dooku stagger and Fay double over and fall to the floor as a warning notification flashed in my interface.
WARNING!
Force disruption field encountered.
While inside the field, all Force powers cost 1500% more to use and you suffer stamina loss at a rate of 1STAM/second.

Before any of us could call out, the field lifted, and the warning vanished.

"A. Force. Suppression. Field." Dooku explained slowly, his words separated by his breaths. Fay had slowly risen from the floor to a kneeling position, trying to catch her breath while I was able to stand fully now that the deafening noise was gone.

"Are you ok?" I asked her, concerned. While it was indeed severely uncomfortable, neither Dooku nor I had as adverse of a reaction as she did.

"It...will pass." Fay murmured.

"I guess...the rumours are true then," Dooku said, still taking halting breaths. "I was suspicious, as most of your people don't age quite as well as you."

"When 500 years old we reach, look as good we will not, hmm?" I said in my best Yoda impression. Three sets of incredulous eyes turned to me, although likely for different reasons.
"Five? Try Seven," Fay corrected gently.


My eyebrows flew up. Even though I knew she was old, I didn't expect her to actually be that old. She was in fact, closer to Yoda's age than Yaddle was!

"But in any case," She continued, rising from the floor. "It does lead to some harsh drawbacks when dealing with restraints meant for Jedi."

I shuddered, not wanting to think about how that would feel to have relied on the Force for that long, only to have it cut off, even temporarily. If that was what a disruption field felt like, I couldn't even begin to think of the pain involved when a being was actually cut off from the Force permanently.

I suspected that the reason I was not as severely affected by the field was due to the interface, but I couldn't reveal that and began thinking of excuses for the questions that were incoming. Nor could I comment on the fact the room disrupted the Force, not suppressed it as Dooku had said.

"Yes. I believe this room was used by the Pius Dea to either fight with, or torture captured Jedi," Nia explained as she moved back over to us, her eyes lingering on Fay "I do apologize for your increased discomfort, Master Jedi. I did not know how gravely it would affect you, nor was it my intent to exploit such a vulnerability." Fay nodded her forgiveness, and Nia's eyes travelled to me. "You seem less disorientated than your masters."

I shrugged. "Probably because I'm younger, and thus less in-tune with the Force, or because I learnt how to go without it before joining the Order." I bullshitted.

"Perhaps. Regardless, the fact that you can endure it says much about your character," Nia said, her eyes for the hundredth time – I had been counting – examined me closely. "Most impressive."

"That was indeed…unpleasant," Fay said as she stood tall, the colour returning to her cheeks. "But beyond revealing this to us, why did you bring us here?"

Nia sized Fay up began chuckling. "Very well. I brought you here as I wish to spar with your Padawan in a place that nullifies his connection to the Force." I noted a quest alert had been generated and opened it.
Quest Alert!
Proof of Power [ɸ]
Prove your defeat of her husband was no fluke, nor because of your connection to the Force.
Rating: B
Objectives:
Survive five minutes in a spar with Nia Vizsla in a location that, supposedly negates your Force Connection.
Win by drawing first blood
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
2000XP
Reputation boost with former Death Watch members on the Mtael's Gift station.
800XP
Reputation boost with Nia Vizsla.
Failure:
-800XP
Reputation loss with former Death Watch members the Mtael's Gift station.
Accept?
Yes/No
(30)
"For what purpose?" Dooku demanded as he stepped between me and Nia as I ignored the name of the station chosen by the Lokella and considered the quest.

"I wish to judge if he beat my husband with skill or the Force," Nia replied not reacting in the slightest to Dooku's protective gesture. "The spar would be until first blood or until five minutes have elapsed."

"I'm game," I answered, accepting the challenge and quest. While the field would restrict my Force abilities, at fifteen hundred per cent increase in cost, that only made Precognition cost nine hundred FP a minute. After countering that with my regen of two-thirty, I could run the power for the entirety of the spar without issue and still have room to use at least two of Speed, Bullet-Time and Enhance Stat even with Telepathic-Shield still running (and now costing 300FP per minute).

I discounted Speed and Bullet-Time as they would be too noticeable, but a sudden boost to my strength or agility at the right moment, could possibly help me not just survive, but win the duel.
"Padawan?" Dooku asked, turning his head to look at me.


"I'll be fine. If she attempts anything, I have an entire station willing to hunt her down as well as eight Jedi," I replied, which made Nia chuckle at the implied threat.

"He is right. If I wished him harm, I would have arranged this spar before you Jedi had arrived."

"Be at peace Dooku," Fay said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "She is being truthful, though there is more to her desire to spar than she had revealed."

"As is to be expected of Death Watch, even former members," Dooku growled out before the tension left his body, making his shoulders slump, and he stepped back. "Very well. But if you attempt to harm Cameron…"

"Understood," Nia replied dismissively to the open-ended threat before walking across the room.

After removing my robes and handing my lightsaber to Dooku, I moved to the centre of the room.

She smiled as she spotted something hanging from my belt.

"Good, you still have it," she said as I unsheathed the blade that Girk had thrown me before our duel.

The day after the attack, I had gone to return it to Nia, but she insisted I keep it saying; "You defeated Girk in combat, then ended him for his dishonour. By rite of combat, it is yours now."

I had accepted that reluctantly, though that changed once I used Observe on the blade and discovered it was made of beskar. Now it was permanently attached to my belt, with one of the phrik-coated knives stored safely in my Inventory.

I watched as she reached the console, trying not to smirk as my masters both shimmied towards the door and braced themselves, and flicked on the disruption field. I grimaced at the noise, but thanks to knowing it was coming this time I was ready for it.

"Prepare yourself," Nia stated as she pulled a knife of her own from her belt and stepped towards me.

Thanks to Precog, I knew when and where every thrust, feint and attack she used was going and was easily able to avoid them, though I made sure to not be too obvious in doing so.

The time allowed me to note that her style, while still being aggressive, placed more emphasis on precision and speed than Beskar'rev; martial art that Girk had used. Which made sense as Nia's frame was far more flexible and agile that Girk's.

I shifted backwards with one foot, barely avoiding a thrust and cursed my mind for letting it wander to the shape of Nia's form.

"Concentrate," Nia growled out even as she attacked again, having sensed my mind wandering.

Realising that I could easily survive the five minutes – thanks to Precog – I decided to go on the offensive.

I activated Enhance Stat for Agility – knowing I could only run it for a minute under the force suppression field – and waited.

When Nia next attacked, I bent quicker than before, thanks to the force boost, and latched a hand onto Nia's forearm.

Her eyes widened as I twisted and pulled, making her tumble past me.

She rolled, coming up facing me her blade still in hand and snarled.

"I believe that is the spar," Dooku stated.

Nia's eyes darted to him, and he tapped his shoulder. She touched her own and blinked at finding her fingers stained red.

She chuckled once, then stood, slipping her blade back into her belt. "Most impressive." Pivoting, she turned to Fay and Dooku. "Your Padawan serves you well."

Fay smiled at her, though Dooku's face did not indicate how he felt.

"You fought differently from your husband," I commented as I slid my blade back into its sheath.

"Yes. That was Beskar'pel; Iron skin. It focuses on movement and fluidity in attacks. Girk, as you are aware, fought with Beskar'rev; Iron fist."

I nodded. "Yeah, Thur had shown me the basics of style," I replied. Thur had been kind enough to do so, and since that skill was now at Novice 10, I could train it up myself. Just as I hoped I could do with Beskar'pel before the Mandalorians left. "Though I think your style would suit me more."

Nia nodded as her lips crept upwards. "Yes, your current build, while far stronger than I would expect for one your age, is more suitable for Beskar'pel. If your masters agree, I am willing to show you the basics. On one condition."

"Which is?" Dooku asked as he stepped closer to me, his hand once more moving towards his waist.

"That before he is thirteen, Cameron visits Mandalore, and Ordo," Nia replied, and I felt my brow rise in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"You wish for him to undergo the verd'goten?" Fay asked, making my head turn to her. Though not before seeing Nia's brow rise.

"You… While that is not the only reason, I will not deny that that is something he should do once he arrives in Mandalorian space." Nia explained, her eyes now locked on Fay, as were my own.

Nothing in any of our conversations of the last few years had hinted that she knew anything about Mandalorian culture. Then again, I had never spoken with her directly about the planet/people/culture. Only with Dooku.

"And the other reason you wish for him to visit?" Dooku asked, though his tone made it sound more like a demand as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"There is… a legend among many Mandalorians, especially Clan Ordo. While I am not well versed in it, Thur has told me the generalities. If young Cameron is truly a child of Revan…" Her voice trailed off and she turned to face me. Her eyebrows tilting downwards at the edges.

"If he is, then it could change a great many things," She finished, her voice now softer as her smile became tighter.

"We would like to know more than that." Dooku's tone was still firm.

Nia faced him, her body shifting to match his stance. "I am sure you would. However, it is an internal matter and while I do not place much importance in Republic or Jedi laws, the rights of member systems prevent you from demanding to know more than we are willing to reveal." Her tone was clipped, precise and it reminded me of times in my old life when I had asked for information that was above my paygrade.

"We will consider your offer," Fay stated gently, attempting to defuse the stand-off between the two. "However, any such visit is unlikely for now as we and Cameron are needed here."

Nia lowered her head at Fay's words. "Understandable. Still, the offer to visit stands, even if that is after your Padawan has reached the age of responsibility."

Without saying anything more, or offering a goodbye, Nia walked past us and exited the room.

I watched her go, silently wondering what legend her people held about Revan. And how it linked to me. Was this linked to the hidden quest he had left me or was it due to actions taken by Canderous during his time as Mandalore?

Whatever the reason, I was curious, and I had been pushing Dooku to allow me to travel to the world.

"You are interested in what she has said," Fay stated having picked up my thoughts through the Force Bond we shared.

"Yes. To know about my past, about my family…" I paused and sighed, running a hand through my hair, and instinctively flicking away the Padawan braid. "I know it isn't the Jedi way…"

"But you wish to know more about your ancestry," Dooku finished. I nodded and he grunted. "While I am, adverse, to letting you head to Mandalore, to deny you the chance to discover your roots would be hypocritical." He paused, and after a moment, waved his hand to close the door with the Force.

"How much do you know of my past?"

I shrugged. "I know you were Yoda's Padawan and that you came from an important family in the Rim. But beyond that, and a few rumours that I think are nothing more than gossip, that's it."

"What you know is true. My family, the House of Dooku, is one of the six ruling families of Serenno. By chance or will of the Force, I met my family when I was a youngling. My father… was not a fan of the Jedi, though I did spend time connecting with my sister, Jenza.

"While the High Council frown upon us learning about our families, or making connections outside the Order, they fail to see that it is those connections that drive us to serve the galaxy. Not a corrupt and decadent Republic."

Dooku paused and closed his eyes. He sighed deeply before opening his eyes and meeting mine.

"Thus, once we have finished here, if the Force wills it, we will travel to Mandalore."

I fought and failed, to keep a smile from my face.

"However, we will not be abandoning these people. Not after you have restored their faith in the Jedi and the Force," he continued before his lips twitched and he turned towards the door. "Nor will I neglect the opportunity to enjoy their idolization of your actions."

"Oh come on," I groaned out, which only made Fay laugh gently as she turned as well. "I thought it was against the Jedi way to allow people to idolise you?"

"It is," Fay replied as they reached the door. "However, it is not us they are idolising. And it will motivate us to ensure you do not become enamoured with the Lokella's newfound devotion to you."

The doors closed behind them as a cold shiver went up my spine. While I knew they were joking, I had a bad feeling about where this would lead.

Ignoring the concern about the teasing the two were going to unleash on me regarding my status among the Lokella, I opened my newest notifications.
Quest Completed
Proof of Power [ɸ]
Objectives:
Survive five minutes in a spar with Nia Vizsla in a location that, supposedly negates your Force Connection.
Win the spar [Yes]
[?] Do not use any overt force powers in the spar [No]
Rewards:
2000XP [+200XP]
Reputation boost with former Death Watch members on the Mtael's Gift station.
800XP [+80XP]
Reputation boost with Nia Vizsla.

LEVEL UP!
Level: 20 ->21
FP: +650
PP: +2
STAM: +38
SP: +3
SKP: 20

Skill Learnt!
Martial Art: Beskar'pel
One of two traditional fighting style of the Mando'ade.
Emphasizes fast, flowing, continuous strikes to take down opponents.
I smirked as began to leave the room. Boosted Growth was such a useful perk and I'd gained another new skill.






"On what planet is this fair?" I asked as I stood in one of the converted training rooms looking across the sparring area at Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rachi Sitra and Nodro Pana. All three were still wearing their robes; mine was lying in a heap beside my masters as I was not sparring in that. It just got in the way.

"You have handily defeated each of them in duels throughout the week," Dooku replied from where he stood off to one side with Fay, Qui-Gon and a handful of Lokella, including Baalta who had started spending a lot of time around Obi-Wan. "We feel it would be a truer test of your skills if you engaged multiple opponents."

"But three on one?" I countered as they all unclipped their lightsabers from their belts. Oh sure, I had a quest for this – One over Three, which was C ranked – but that wasn't a factor in my reaction to the spar. The fact that I was expected to face off against more than one lightsaber-wielding opponent was.

"While we do not expect you to win, nor do we ever expect you to need to face off against multiple lightsabers wielding foes at once, we wish to examine just how far you have come in your training," Koon explained as his face shifted and I just knew he was smiling under his respirator.

"Hmm, I believe that Padawan Shan is correct," Dooku muttered as he rubbed his beard. "The spar is unbalanced."

I felt a tug at my waist, and my lightsaber flew across the room, into Dooku's outstretched hand.

"Your goal remains the same, survive five minutes or win by defeating all three of your opponents," he stated as he gripped my lightsaber, the corners of his lips twitching upwards as he spoke. "There is no shame in losing against superior odds." A notice flashed in the corner of my interface, but I ignored it as I rapidly adjusted my strategy for the spar.

"Just do the best you can," Fay added in, her smile easier to spot that Dooku's, "though if you lose, I expect a song." She finished, making me chuckle. Ever since discovering I was writing songs; she had been pushing for me to sing for her. I had avoided singing for her so far as I didn't want to sing in a child's voice.

Baalta turned to Fay and whispered something as I glared at Dooku, though it failed to have any effect on the older man, before turning back to face the other three Jedi even as I mentally cursed him out for making this harder than it had been.

I considered each in turn.

Nodro, while the oldest, was easily the weakest of the three with a lightsaber and was barely proficient with Niman.

Rachi, while the youngest of the three, was very comfortable with her blade, favouring Shii-Cho with elements of Shien mixed in.

Obi-Wan was probably the most competent with the blade, favouring Ataru like Qui-Gon, though he lacked the force reserves to keep the style up for… my thoughts trailed off as I watched Obi-Wan settle into a Soresu stance.

My brow creased as I wondered why he was adopting a defensive stance when his side had a clear advantage, only to realise that he knew that even without my lightsaber I was a threat.

Obi-Wan's change to Soresu told me he expected me to go all out early with Force-powered attacks, which made sense as it was the logical thing to do.

Yet, with the levels of my Precog, Speed and Bullet-Time force powers – which thanks to my now increased regen could be run for double the length of this spar and I had just activated – I planned to do things differently.

"Begin."

The moment Dooku called out, Rachi leapt into an attack, and Pana also stepped forward while Obi-Wan braced.

I watched as Rachi began her descent, her blade gripped tightly in two hands behind her head for a downward smash as she landed. The attack was a textbook Ataru manoeuvre, designed to overpower an opponent. Yet against someone able to see and move quicker than most, it was doomed to fail.

I slid backwards as her blade smashed down and my elbow struck her where her kidneys would be if she were Human.

Even as she grunted – which appeared to be happening in slow motion – I moved my hand to her wrists and struck again, weakening her grip on her blade.

A warning from the Force had me feeling my body move almost unconsciously as Pana's green blade slid past me, crackling as it glanced against Rachi's lightsaber.

I slid backwards and leapt, letting the green blade sail harmlessly under me, even as I twisted in mid-air and struck Pana in the chest with a spinning heal.

As he tumbled away, again in what felt like slow motion to me, I landed and let myself fall forwards and kicked out like a horse.

"Oof!"

Rachi's blue blade stabbed fruitlessly at the air where my head had been as I heard her grunt out as my feet connected with her chest.

I pushed up from the position on the ground, pivoted and moved towards the girl as she stumbled backwards quicker than she could react.

Her eyes widened as my hands gripped her lightsaber hilt and I pulled her blade towards me; ripping it from her grasp. Before she could fully comprehend what I had down, I sent her tumbling away with a Force Blast, though I made sure the power was only enough to send her tumbling out of the sparring circle and into some of the Lokella who were watching instead. No point in hurting the girl, especially not one as cute as her.

I turned back to face Pana, lightsaber in hand, and saw he had regained his balance; and that Obi-Wan had moved up beside him.

A glance and quick use of Observe at Rachi's lightsaber had me frowning. The blade was not attuned to me, meaning it wasn't ideal – though what that meant in exact terms, the interface wouldn't say – nor was it efficient for Makashi since it was a standard hilt.

Still, it would have to do.

Pana and Obi-Wan shared a look before splitting with each headed to opposite sides of the sparring area.

I knew it was the best option for them, given to Makashi's problems against stronger opponents or more than one combatant.

Thankfully for me, my physical stats were all 20, putting them above average for a Human, and with my skill with Form II maxed out, I suspected I could overcome the weakness of facing two adversaries. Throw in the fact that most of my combat-orientated Force Powers were in the master range, with Precog being almost maxed out, and I felt I had a fair chance of winning the spar.

My body seemed to move of its own accord as I ducked and pivoted; avoiding a probing stab by Pana before I raised my blade and pushed away and attack from Obi-Wan.

I lifted one leg, avoiding a sweep from Pana, then spun it to catch Obi-Wan in his ribs.

He shuffled backwards, a hand coming to his chest, but I was unable to exploit the situation as Pana stepped up behind me.

My lack of height helped as I tilted my body almost unnaturally to avoid his elbow before I gave his foot a quick pull with the Force.

He lost his balance and stumbled before falling to the floor. However, my killing strike was blocked by Obi-Wan who then began to try and push my blade upwards with his own; seeming to strain as he did so.

I fought against the push for a moment, before going with it. Letting the momentum carry me I pivoted, my elbow clipping Obi-Wan as he lost his balance when I suddenly stopped pushing against his blade.

Both opponents stepped backwards, restoring the distance between us.

"You have adapted Force-based attacks into Makashi," Pana commented as he and Obi-Wan readied themselves. "Unusual."

I smirked. "Why should I do what someone expects," I replied before moving forward and attacking with a Djem So kata.

Given to the way both sets of eyes widened, I knew my attack had surprised them, and I fuelled that confusion by stopping short and throwing a Force Blast at them.

Obi-Wan, having duelled me the most and aware of my tendency to adapt Force-based attacks into my combat, leapt high above the blast.

Pana was not so lucky, and while not all of the blast caught him, enough did that he was sent spinning backwards, though not far enough to drive him from the combat area.

Again, I was unable to take advantage of Pana's situation as Obi-Wan came down from his leap almost on top of me. That forced me to twist and block the strike.

Obi-Wan rolled away, my acquired lightsaber a split-second too slow to tag him and came to a stop in a position that again forced me to deal with my two opponents on opposite sides of the ring.
Following a wordless agreement, they both came at me at the same time.


I blocked a stab from Obi-Wan, tilted to avoid Pana's thrust and then pushed Obi-Wan's next attack passed me so that he blocked Pana's slash for me.

Using their unintended collision, I used the Force to push myself backwards far enough that their separate angles of attack merged.

The pattern of the spar continued.

They attacked together, their angles of approach changing with each phase of the spar. I was able to handle these attacks with ease and often managed to place one of them in a position of weakness, only for the other to prevent me from exploiting that weakness.

After the seventh such phase of the spar, I could sense them both beginning to tire. Obi-Wan, while skilled, lacked the force potential to keep up this kind of duel for long and Pana was more interested in being a historian than a warrior, thus lacked the stamina of many other Jedi.

"The time limit has expired," Koon called out, setting off a wave of applause from the Lokella as a quest completion notice appeared in the bottom corner of my interface.

I ignored that, instead I moved towards Obi-Wan. "Started learning Soresu?" I asked.

He shrugged. "After our first spar, and my master's words about the weaknesses of Ataru, I felt learning a second form was prudent. Soresu felt… right."

I chuckled at hearing him say that. I had never given much thought to the various styles of lightsaber combat in my old life, though after learning them in this one, I had quickly realised that Obi-Wan had changed his form after the death of Qui-Gon.

Learning that he had started that change earlier due to my actions was unexpected and learning that even now Soresu called to him amused me.

"When something just 'feels right', it is usually the will of the Force telling you something," Pana said with a small smile of his own.


"Knight Pana speaks the truth," Dooku added as he approached with the other Jedi. "Padawan Kenobi, your Ataru, while passable, is unsuitable for fighting opponents that you cannot overpower quickly. Soresu is a suitable counter to this issue if one lacking in finesse and the ability to exploit weaknesses."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied after a moment where he seemed unsure of what to say.

"A most impressive performance from all of you," Koon said. "Knight Pana, Padawan Kenobi; when faced with a difficult opponent, you quickly began to work together to engage him and cover for each other."

Pana laughed once. "We had too. We are all aware of just how skilled Padawan Shan is with a lightsaber. To do anything less would have handed him the fight instantly."

"Indeed." Koon turned to face me. "Padawan, your ability to adapt on the move to situations where you are outnumbered and overpowered is impressive. Few Jedi can engage and survive multiple attackers so successfully on their first attempt."

"With respect, Master Koon, I think that if not for the time limit, Cameron would have won," Obi-Wan offered.

I kept my face as neutral as possible, even if I agreed, and noted that Dooku's lips twitched in amusement.

"I agree with your assessment of the spar, Padawan," Koon replied. "Yet that does not take anything away from your performance. Your fellow Padawan is, gifted, with a lightsaber. Especially with Makashi."

"Your blade," Dooku said bluntly as he held out my lightsaber. I took it, then realised I was still holding Rachi's.

"If you will excuse me, masters," the males nodded while Fay smiled with a tilted head.

I walked quickly towards where Rachi was standing. A frown marred her face as she looked down at the floor.

"I think you dropped this," I said with a small grin as I held out her lightsaber.

Her head snapped up at my voice as her eyes caught mine and her cheeks turned a darker shade of purple as our hands met when she reached for her weapon.

"Th-thanks," she mumbled out before looking back at the floor.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, not liking the way her brow crinkled.

"N-no," She replied quietly as she clipped his lightsaber to her belt.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. I took you out first as you were the greatest threat," I said, placing my hand on her shoulder as I spoke.

"R-Really?" She asked ash her head turned so our eyes could me.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah. You change styles more than either Obi-Wan or Knight Pana, which makes you the most troublesome to engage."

The frown broke and the corners of her lips began to twitch upwards. "I guess. But you still took me out so easily."

"Master Dooku has repeatedly stressed the importance of removing threats quickly and controlling the narrative of a fight," I replied with a shrug. "Though it was nice to not be the one getting tossed around like a toy."

Rachi laughed gently. It was a soft, sweet sound and only my experience of puberty prevented me from glancing down at the way her developing chest bounced as she laughed.

"I can understand that. No offence, but your master scares me a little."

Now it was my turn to chuckle. "He does that to everyone. But I assure that underneath it all he's as soft as Bantha wool."

That had her laughing once more, this time loud enough that several people glanced my way. Baalta, form where she was standing with Obi-Wan, smiled at me even as her eyebrows arched upwards.

"Somehow I doubt that," Rachi stated once she stopped laughing. Her smile fell and she bit her bottom lip. "You know, when you arrived at the Temple, I did some reading about your ancestor."

"Oh?" I asked, curious about where that had come from even as one of my eyebrows rose.

"Y-yeah. I, I've always had a passion for history," she began, whispering the word 'passion', "and discovering that there was a living, breathing example of it in the Temple…"

Her words trailed off and I leaned back and extended my arms outward with palms up. "So, what do you think?" I asked before pirouetting.

She lightly slapped my shoulder, which brought back the darker shape of purple to her cheeks. "Stop that!"

We both laughed for a moment before she spoke again.

"Wh-what I wanted to know was, are the stories in the archives about Revan true?"

"Which ones," I asked. I had read the records. While accurate, they lacked detail and were very bland in their style.

"About how he fell, then came back to the light. About how he fell for Bastila and saved her from the dark side," her brow rose as she spoke, and she began to lean towards me. "About how their love saved them both?"

"You got all that from the records?" I asked, trying to ignore just how close she was, and the fact I could now easily detect that she smelt of old paper with a hint of mint.

Her cheeks darkened again, and she leaned even closer as her voice dropped to a whisper. "I may have browsed some of the restricted files on Revan and searched the HoloNet for more details."
"Smart girl," I whispered back, making the dark purple spread further up her cheeks.


I thought occurred to me as I considered her words, one that evolved into an idea I could exploit. "Well, my grandfather, their son, did tell me the story of how they met a few times. If you like I'd be happy to retell it to you?"

"You would? Thank you!"

Before I knew it, she'd wrapped her arms around me and pulled our bodies together.

It took a lot of restraint to control myself as her chest pressed against mine and her scent overwhelmed everything else. I was thankful, and a little upset, when she pulled back.

Her face was dark purple from her jaw all the way to her lekku, and I knew my cheeks were probably a little red because of her display.

"Uh, um…" I rubbed the back of my neck as I felt the eyes of everyone in the room now upon us. "Yeah. I'd be happy to tell you the story. Though perhaps at a later date?"

Her eyes darted around the room, growing large as she looked to where I knew the other Jedi – bar Obi-Wan, who was creeping away from the room with Baalta at his side – were standing.

I knew that Fay was going to tease me about this, but I could live with it. Rachi was nice enough to be around, and she'd given me an idea for another series of novels to publish; ones based around the events of KOTOR 1 and 2.

As her cheeks once more turned a dark shade of purple I opened and dismissed the notices. As I suspected the duel quest – Three into One – had been upgraded to B. I'd also completed part of the bonus for taking out Rachi in the time limit and thus I'd earned a total of 2750XP for the quest.

Thank you, Dooku.

"I, uh, um… bye," Rachi spluttered out before leaving the room at a pace only just below running, which made me chuckle.

If nothing else, having a Padawan my own age around was going make for a nice change of pace.



A/N: Since I've had a few people ask (on FFN) about recommendations, here's a pile of Gamer stories.
There's no pressure on anyone to read them, but if you enjoy Gamer stories, I'd say give them a try.
And I think only Shiro and Mirlnir post on QQ, though everyone is on FFN.
The Dark Wolf Shiro (all his works are Gamer stories)
Play The Game Differently + Optimistic Game (both by Mirlnir)
What is Real (Etherdir)
Solo Leveling + Selling Your Soul For Pleasure and Profit (both by Jarl Draven)
An Electric Game (AgelessReaper)
To Fasten And Suture (The Axe Guy)
The Z Gamer (Zero Rewind)
The Gamer of the Shop (Ghost83)
Gamer Escalation: Conquest (Nexeon)


WARNING:
Most of those Gamers are not as nice as Cam and are more mature in nature than ANP.
If you enjoy those stories or want to talk with me, you can find me in Shiro's omniverse at discord . gg/ wd3tUYWVCd


Since this is QQ and not FFN, I shall forego the warning about the dangers of joining the omniverse.
If you read here, you should have some idea of what awaits you within.


 
Last edited:
Cathedral of the Past 6
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To theshadowchaser, vargos, Kalvernus, DylanTheDemon and HighFlyingWings for help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.
All of whom are on FFN though some are here are well ;)
...


It had been just under four months since Dooku and I had discovered the slaving/mining operation in the now named ShaDo system, and just over three months since Dooku and Fay had returned to the now-named Mtael's Gift station.

About a week after my spar with Nia, she and the other former Death Watch soldiers had left the station in the dead of the night – taking the bodies of their fallen comrades with them – leaving no notice except a message from her re-confirming her offer for me to visit Mandalorian space; preferably before my thirteenth birthday.

One good thing about having the extra Jedi around was that it allowed me to gain training from Plo in Shien, and I managed to complete the second training quest – Competent Deflector – for the form, along with the first bonus, before he left, which was a just over a week after the Mandalorians.

I had also taken and completed several training quests covering Niman (both the Trainee and Competent quests), the Mando'a and Togruti languages, and both Mandalorian martial arts.

Currently, I was working on another lightsaber training quest, Legendary Swordsman.

That was for me to lift Shii-Cho to Prodigy 1 by the time we left the Lokella C system. Currently, I was just a single level from reaching the base target, and I felt I had an outside shot at making at least the first bonus reward for reaching Prodigy 25.

I could make that if I spent my spare Skill Points, but I was keeping them aside in case I had problems with the two quests that ran the risk of freezing some skills – You Can't Hurt Me and Just Don't Get Caught – though I was reasonably sure I could make the base objective of the latter as all three skills were in the Professional range when I needed them to reach Master 1.

Still, with all the XP I'd earned over the last few months – from training and mission quests – even the base level of Legendary Swordsman would be more than enough to get me to level 22.

I had also spent some time with Plo learning some more esoteric uses of the Force.

Apart from a small XP bonus from studying in his presence, it had resulted in me learning four new powers – Aerokinesis, Hydrokinesis, Electrokinesis, and Geokinesis.

That last power, while not as powerful or expensive as Force Lightning, was more adaptable; or at least I suspected it was as I hadn't spent too much time training with it. Or any of them, instead, I was working on maxing out powers, such as the three Enhance powers, that were what I would call passive as thanks to my increased FP regen, I could now run several powers constantly. I had even added Precognition to Telepathic Shield as permanent active powers and I still had a regen of nearly 200FP/minute leftover.

Plo was seemingly satisfied with everything that had happened in the system, though he had again warned me of the dangers of touching the mind of others without their consent, invoking fear in others and the risks of allowing others to idolize me. The warnings, however, did not stop him making fun of me about my title with the Lokella.

Master Nu had left with him, though she had returned then left again a few times in the intervening months; each time bringing with her a different Jedi or two to study the Pius Dea vessel. The only member of the revolving group who stayed for more than a month was Rachi.

As a result, we began to spend more and more time together, stoically withstanding the teasing from my masters, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, of course.

It started with me telling her the story of KOTOR 1, though with a few alterations to avoid giving her ideas about seeking out the Star Maps, as I didn't feel that any of the group were ready for that information yet.

Although Rachi liked me, she was still a potential information leak if she'd want to share what she learned with Master Nu. She'd possibly try to pass it on an attempt to impress the ageing archivist. So I stuck with the elements of the story that I doubted would raise the ire of the High Council, whom I had no illusions about Nu reporting to.

Once that was finished, she continued to spend at least an hour a day with me outside of sparring. Most of that time was spent talking about anything that took her fancy, but I wasn't complaining about the company.

And I had thankfully, begun to control the urges my body was feeling being around someone attractive. Even if she was young, she was physically a few years older than me and starting to mature nicely.

Around Fay it was both harder and easier to control myself; as she was far more beautiful, but also far less 'touchy-feely'.

Though it didn't help that Rachi was a fangirl for Revan – somewhere I just knew he was laughing about that – and merged that interest with her own about me.

Apart from being easy on the eye, Rachi was smart, funny, and probably most importantly, not dismissive of my criticisms of the Order. She readily agreed with me that the Jedi should do more to help people like the Lokella and her own, and I made a mental note to see what I could do in the future to help the Twi'leks. Though I wasn't hopeful of doing anything as she told me Ryloth lacked a lot of natural resources that could be easily collected and was a harsh place to live. Especially since it was a tidally locked world.

From my memories of The Clone Wars, what she was saying about Ryloth didn't fully line up with what I knew. That suggested that the galaxy was based on more than just the movies, games and TV shows. And had me wishing once more that I'd spent time learning more about Star Wars in my old life.

Rachi was less comfortable about my suggestion that denying one's emotions was a mistake, but she didn't reject it outright; instead, she kept debating with me the virtues of the Jedi Code. Though those debates had lessened in the months we'd been on the Lokella station.

She also liked to spend time talking with Master Fay, which Fay seemed to enjoy as I often spotted them talking about something that had happened during Fay's lifetime.

It took a lot to wrap my head around the fact Fay was seven hundred years old and look in her mid-twenties, but it did have me wondering how the Force could slow down someone's age. I was also curious if I would age once I reached maturity as RPG characters generally didn't, and while the interface/TPTB hadn't responded, it was something I'd have to consider as I grew up.

One thing I did note was the fact Master Fay always smiled fondly whenever I spent time privately talking with Rachi. Though if I wasn't mentally older than I looked, I might not have seen the hints of sadness that crept into those smiles when she felt I was no longer looking.

The biggest event in my personal life had been my birthday, a few weeks after the new year. It was the first I'd spent with anyone other than Fay, Dooku or Vaner around me; though I'd only met my grandfather on my eighth birthday when I'd appeared in this universe.

Instead of the old one-third of my current level's XP, as I had received on before the interface update, I only received one-sixth. This would last until I was eighteen, after which, according to the interface, the free XP gifts would cease.

The Lokella had thrown a large party in my honour – much to my embarrassment and the amusement of the other Jedi – and most of us had spent time dancing around while others played music. Rachi had dragged me to the dance floor a few times; often, that had been just after a female member of the Lokella had danced with me.

Fay managed to use this time to make me sing a few of my songs for her and the others and had prepared a synthtar me to use. While I had glared at her over basically trapping me into playing and wondered when and where she'd managed to get a synthtar, I wasn't that upset about it.

Everyone commented on how different the songs I played and sang were to anything they had heard before, but no-one seemed to complain openly about them, even with me having to change a few lyrics here and there to make them better suit this universe. I even began to hear the Lokella sing 'Living on a Prayer', 'Wanted Dead or Alive' and 'We Will Rock you' among themselves.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had left a few days after my birthday with Qui-Gon saying that the Force was calling them to travel once more. Baalta had been less than happy when Obi-Wan had left, but eventually, she had gotten over it; mainly by teasing me and Rachi about our growing closeness.

The strangest day of the last few months had been when I'd gotten Inanimate Conversion to Professional 1. That allowed me to begin altering liquids and I'd had the horrible/insane thought that I could alter water into mercury and use it as poison. That idea had come after one meeting of the Lokella where Pad had pushed for all-out war with the Hutts and was unwilling to listen to reason until Fay made him sleep using the Force. She claimed it was better for everyone if he was allowed to rest until his mind cleared. No-one had argued against her suggestion.

Anyway, the interface had explained that while mercury was a liquid at room temperature and standard pressure, it was a metal and not something I could alter currently. Though I would be able to do so once I reached Master 1.

It had also clarified that altering the water in a person's body into another substance was no possible with my current power as the closest of organic material – read the water was inside the body – meant it could not be affected by Inanimate Conversion.

That hinted that there was perhaps a Force ability that would allow me to do such a thing, however, the Interface was not willing to reveal that power and I was unwilling to learn about it currently.

While the months had generally been quiet – with no new attacks from slavers – the Lokella had not been quiet.

A captured freighter had been stripped for parts and used to establish a more secure base camp on the planet below with the freighter's shields being adapted to protect the colony. Crops had been planted and the mine partially reopened with all members of the Lokella spending some time working on the farms and mine.

Politically, I wasn't sure about such a setup, but for many of the species, communal living and work were the norm, so I didn't comment. Also, I knew that if I did, they'd probably expect me to come up with another way to do things, and I had no interest in doing so.

Apart from establishing their colony on the planet below and getting Mtael's Gift back to close to working order after the attack, they had launched four raids against slaving operations by Decca the Hutt in the Outer Rim while making sure to not enter Hutt Space – after a warning from Koon and Dooku about how the Jedi could not get involved if they were captured in Hutt Space.

While I was banned from joining the actual raids, I was able to persuade my masters to allow me to accompany the Lokella strike teams; mainly so I could continue to improve my Battle Meditation.

I had only used the power on the Lokella as both my masters were adamant that the Lokella had to learn to fight for themselves and Fay did not want me invoking fear in others. Dooku was less concerned about the slavers.

Each of those attacks had carried C-ranked quests that offered me XP and Reputation with the Lokella based on how many slaves were freed and how many of the Lokella survived the battle.

While they were reluctant to let me join the Lokella's missions – even with one of the min attendance – they were unconcerned about me teaching the Lokella combat.

They were, however, surprised and impressed by how comfortable I was with weapons and combat tactics. I had managed to explain away why I was so good by stating that my grandfather had trained me with a blaster since I was six and I was always curious about combat tactics as I had wished to be a hero of the Old Republic, like my great-grandparents, when I was younger.

"Exiting hyperspace in thirty seconds."

The words of the helm operator – a Twi'lek named Orsep – snapped my thoughts back to the present.

I was standing on the bridge of the freighter Freerunner with Master Fay – my masters rotated who came along on these missions – as it and three raider-class patrol ships travelled to the Piroket.

Unlike the previous mission undertaken by the Lokella, this mission was not about freeing slaves.

Instead, during the last operation, intelligence was discovered that Decca the Hutt, a minor member of the Besadii clan of Hutts and the one responsible for the operation in the ShaDo system, was staying on a retreat isolated in the mountains of one of the southern continents of the planet Piroket; which was in the system of the same name.

While I and my masters were against launching a direct attack against Decca, the Lokella – now numbering around twelve hundred sentients – had generally supported of Pad's plan for taking out the one responsible for their enslavement.

I had argued against the plan – which was flimsy and simplistic at best – and even warned that it was likely a trap by pointing out the series of events that must have led to discovering Decca's location.

Sadly, Pad's rabble-rousing of many of newer members of the Lokella – read those with whom my reputation wasn't Trusted or higher – had been enough to get the plan passed during an open vote.

The plan was for the four patrol craft – what I had formerly called raiders were, in fact, classed as system patrol vessels – to lead the way, engaging any defensive vessels while the Freerunner was to land, locate and capture Decca.

Provided that everything up to that point went off without any major problems – famous last words – there was confusion about how to deal with the Hutt.

Many, led by Pad, wished to execute Decca; though I suspected that Pad wanted to drag out the Hutt's death. Others wanted to interrogate – read torture – the Hutt for information about other slaving rings in and around Hutt space.

While that information would be useful, I remembered from my former life that torture was not the most reliable method for information extraction. Too often a target would tell you anything you wanted to hear to avoid further pain, even if they knew nothing of use.

I suspected that by using the Force to either convince a person to reveal the truth or to simply monitor them would remove that risk of false information. Although it was generally tough to counter, there were some races, such as the Hutts and Toydarians, that were nearly immune to the mental aspects of the Force.

Still, the general concept of torture did not sit well with me as it often went too far and was unreliable for non-Force users. Yet I knew that one day I'd have to deal with that issue and see just how far I was willing to go to get the information I needed.

Fay and Dooku had managed to dissuade those two groups from following their intentions, but we were all aware that if the Lokella as a whole decided to carry out either option, there was little we could do to stop them as Jedi as this system existed in a legal grey area as it was within Republic controlled space, but was not an active member of the Republic.

As a member of the Lokella Council – no matter how much I protested and argued to be removed – I could not bring myself to outright speak against executing the Hutt for actively engaging in slavery, and I understood the need to interrogate Decca. However, I had warned the Lokella that if any interrogation drifted from information extraction to petty revenge, then I would leave the system and never return.

I had also expressed my concern regarding the fact that taking out Decca may draw the ire of either his clan, or the Hutts in general, and in that event, there was little that Fay, Dooku or I could do to stop the Hutts. I did not agree with the Republic laws with the Hutts, but I was also not in a place where I could simply ignore said laws. Not yet, at least.

That fact, when you ignored the bravado shown by a small number of the Lokella, seemed to do more to temper the growing desire of the Lokella to strike out against all Hutts.

Still, the mission had been approved by a slim majority, which was why I found myself on the bridge of the Freerunner on our final approach to Piroket.

A growing sense of unease was building within me and I had a bad feeling about this mission. A feeling that suddenly felt almost oppressive as we exited hyperspace.

"S-son… W-we've got corvettes inbound!" A Rodian manning the sensors called out; not that they needed to as the two vessels were directly in our flight path. Which was impressive as we had not chosen one of the main hyperspace vectors for entrance into the system, instead we had taken one that was supposedly known only to smugglers.

That suggested there was a leak in the Lokella. One I would have to plug when we escaped this trap.
The two vessels were larger than the Freerunner, looking to be about a hundred and fifty metres in length – thank you Enhance Senses for boosting my sight – and had two main dual turbolaser batteries each.

"Evas…" the order was never finished as the corvettes opened fire.

I stumbled as the freighter's shields and the ship shook under the intensity of the barrage.

One of the small groups of Lokella vanished from my Detection-boosted minimap and I ignored the voice that called out at the loss of one of the raiders.

"Turn us around," the freighter's captain called out even as Fay whispered to me.

"Can you concentrate during this?" she asked, furrows appearing to mar her brow.

I frowned. "Possibly, but it won't be easy." I felt that I could still use Battle Meditation, but I doubted I could manage to affect every one of the slavers before the Lokella attack force was destroyed.

"Shields are failing," a voice called out as I turned back to the viewport.

Another of the Lokella vessels shuddered and was rocked by explosions as its shield failed.

The shields of the Freerunner flickered and died as a console to my left exploded.

I stumbled backwards as I sensed the fear, terror, and anger of everyone aboard the Lokella vessels – around three hundred souls – through my Empathy-boosted Detection. Those feelings threatened to overwhelm my senses as the ship once more rocked, and twelve beings vanished from my minimap.

Ignoring the nagging question of why that always happened, I raised a hand and reached out with the Force, and in desperation, extended a Force Barrier – which was now at Master 50 – around the freighter; directing the emotions I could sense from myself and others into powering the barrier.

I knew that channelling anger, even that of others, wasn't something the Jedi would approve of, but it did appear to grant at least a temporary power boost to dark-side practitioners and I felt I would need that boost here.

Though just to be safe, I activated Player's Mind. I didn't feel I was in danger of 'falling', but it was better to not take the chance with all the negative emotions flying around.

As the first turbolaser blasts struck my barrier, I grunted, took a small step backwards and closed my eyes to concentrate on maintaining the construct. The power being directed against the barrier was greater than anything I'd felt so far, yet it was nowhere near as severe as I expected.

"How…" "What..." "Kirffing…" "By the…"

The confused and disbelieving voices of the bridge crew faded into the background as I pushed more of my FP into the barrier to counter the damage done to it by the incoming blasts.

It was holding, but the energy feedback was… less than pleasant.

Every strike sent a shock coursing through my nerves, as though I was being electrocuted by a weak, but irritating current and I offered a silent prayer that it was only corvettes, and not anything bigger, that were attacking us.

I had to open my eyes though to see the interface clearly as when my eyes were closed it dulled so that it wouldn't stop me from sleeping. That feature had me hoping that there would be an option one day to allow me to fully turn off the interface at times as having the HUD be the last thing I saw before I slept – and then the first I saw when I woke – was… well, irritating didn't quite cover it.

According to the interface, my FP was negligible, and the barrier was holding firm, which was a little frightening. If I could hold it so easily against two corvettes when it was only in the middle of the fourth tier, what could this power do when maxed out?

[Cameron?] I heard Fay's voice in my mind, though I didn't turn to face her, instead, I kept my eyes locked on the two corvettes. [You are doing this?]

[Yes!] I shouted back as several blasts struck the barrier in unison, draining a few percentage points from my FP.

[Can you hold it?]

[For now] My mental voice much calmer than before, even as I noted that my FP had drained further. [But it would help if we could leave quickly]

I suspected I could only hold this for around ten minutes as each time a blast struck my barrier, my FP blinked which I had to assume meant that it was draining. During my training, I could easily hold my barrier thirty minutes but since this barrier was under fire, it made sense it wouldn't hold for as long.

I felt her amusement as the link closed for a perhaps a minute before reopening.

[The hyperdrive was struck just before your barrier was raised.] Fay reported in a calm voice, but with the bond between us opened so we could speak telepathically, I could sense her worry and concern; however, it felt as though it was centred around me and not herself.

[And the shields?] Again, there was a long moment of silence, during which my FP bar continued to flash with as each new turbolaser blast struck my barrier, before Fay replied.

[They say it will take at least ten minutes to restore them]

[Wonderful] I grunted as my FP fell to about sixty per cent.

[Do you require any help?]
I shook my head on instinct as I replied. [No. I think I'm ok for now]
[Very well. However, I will jump in if I feel you are struggling] Fay sent back before the link closed and I wondered why she didn't just help automatically. Perhaps she wished to see just how powerful my barriers had become, or she had faith in me not failing.

I also made a mental note to train Force Barrier to the max. While the concept of what this ability could do when maxed was a little concerning, it would definitely be useful in future combat situations.

I pushed out with Detection, unconcerned that beyond a kilometre, the minimap wouldn't give me exact details, until I had a bearing and rough distance to both corvettes.

In the future, I'd see about taking an upgrade for the range of my minimap to help exploit the usefulness of Detection, but for now, even rough details should be enough.

I continued to ignore the eyes of the crew, who to a being, had all at least glanced from my outstretched hand to the corvettes at random moments. The looks of awe ranged from shock to something akin to devotion – which sent a shiver of another kind up my spine – as I focused on the corvettes and determined their distance and bearing from what I could see – using Enhance Sense for my sight – and what my minimap told me to determine the rough locations of each vessels engines and weapon emplacements.

Once I was as sure as I could be, I raised my other hand and reached out with the Force towards where the Force sensed the life energy of the attackers.

Just as I could almost grasp those lifeforms, something that had to be the vessel's shields blocked me.

I grunted as I pushed against the shield with TK, slowly increasing the pressure until I felt the resistance waver, and then weaken.

"How… Captain, one of the attackers have lost shields," a voice called out in the background as used TK to grip the largest cannon on the vessel and began to pull. "No, they're back. But weaker."

I didn't want to simply rip the vessel in two as firstly, I wanted prisoners to question and secondly, Fay would not be impressed with me so wantonly killing other sentients.

Sadly, the cannon mount resisted even as I increased the strength of my pull, so I rotated my hand and used my lowest two fingers to push away while the others gripped my palm.

This resulted in the mount now being under the effect of a dual TK effect; one pulling the mount towards me, the other pushing the corvette away.

I continued to increase the strength of my TK pulls until I felt the mount buck and then break free dramatically.

"C-captain! The vessel to starboard! It's just lost a turbolaser battery!"

"What?"

"Look! There!"

I ignored the voices, and the growing feelings of shock, confusion and terror, and released the now useless cannon mount, which was now tumbling away from the corvette, and shifted my attention to the next weapon hardpoint.

Even as the starboard corvette attempted to re-orientate itself at the loss of one of its main weapon mounts, I shifted my attention to the other.

This time the vessel's shield barely put up any challenge, probably because losing a turbolaser battery disrupted their power supply badly, and soon enough the second batter joined the first in floating away from the corvette; which massively defanged the vessel.

I quickly removed all the smaller weapon mounts before turning my attention to the portside corvette.

That corvette, having seen what was happening and, based on the fear and confusion that was flooding from the vessel's crew, having no clue as what was causing it, had decided that fleeing was the safer course of action.

By turning, they'd removed us from the line of fire from their two main turbolaser mounts, which along with my crippling of the starboard ship, resulted in the attacks against my barrier dropping to a trickle. Though it did expose their engines.

Since I could no longer see those mounts, and I didn't want anyone escaping, I reached out for the engines, but as I felt the shields stop my Force-based attack, a new plan came to mind.

Instead of attempting to push through the shields and rip out the engines, I simply gripped the shields and pulled back.

The corvette violently stopped its turn even as someone called that out and I smiled at realising just how overpowered one of the simplest Force techniques was if used creatively.

The shield began to waver as it strained against my grip and the instant it failed, the corvette lurched forwards, only to jerk to a stop as I gripped the hull instead.

I grunted at the strain as the enemy vessel – judging by the increased glare from their engines – increased thruster output to the maximum, but I held firm and the corvette failed to move even as the engine exhaust began to glow white.

My FP was dropping rapidly, but I held on even as the first corvette drifted away aimlessly; lights and engines flickering randomly as the crew likely worked frantically to stabilise their ship.

"Kriffing… Captain, the port corvette is moving towards us!"

"H-how?" The captain asked with an extremely shaky voice.

"Dammed if I know, Captain. But it is getting closer."

I turned to the communication station and focused on the Rodian standing there. "Hail them," I ordered, ignoring how silly it sounded to do so as a pre-teen.

He didn't even look at the Captain before he worked his console. "Channel open, Mtael."

"This is Cameron Shan of the Lokella. I have crippled one of your vessels and am stopping the other from moving. Surrender now." I ordered even as continued to reel in the second corvette; even as its engines burned brightly enough that it was hard to focus on the vessel. "Failure to comply would be unwise."

[A Jedi does not make threats] Fay said via our bond even as I indicated for the Duros to close the open comm channel.

[Master, they fired on us the instant we exited hyperspace. This was a trap, and one in which both you and I may have died if I had not acted]

[I am aware of that. Still, you should not use a threat to coerce the desired outcome] Her disappointment at my tone with the attackers was easy to sense, but there was also pride and amazement that I had even been able to do so buried underneath.

[Yes, Master] Even if it struck me as hypocritical for most Jedi to say that when they are willing to alter a person's mind to convince them of something, I wasn't going to argue with Fay about it. At least, not at this moment in time.

"Mtael, the corvettes are signalling their surrender," the captain of the freighter, a Human by the name of Ranze Faar, said, drawing my attention back to the bridge of the Freerunner.
"Good. How are the other ships?"

"We lost the Swiftsurebut the Uhara, the Iluami and the Geskyria are both serviceable," replied the Rodian female at the comm station.

"Have them move to capture the corvettes."

"Belay that," I called out, countermanding Faar's order, his brow rising at hearing my words. "We need to be sure we're not about to be attacked again."

Faar's shoulders slumped as his eyes widened. "Ah, r-right."

There was a short lull before someone spoke.

"I've got several dozen ships in orbit of the planet, including six corvettes that the shape and size of the two who have surrendered, but none are turning this way."

I took my time to examine the holo-display – the crewmember who'd spoken having sent the scans to it.

There were various ships in orbit of the planet, ranging in size from things as small as the Lokella raiders up to a transport that was almost a kilometre in length, yet none appeared even the slightest bothered by the battle that had just taken place near Piroket.

The number, size and variety of ships made sense as Piroket was a trading planet, one with links to the Hutts. Which is why the idea that Decca would be here for a meeting was believable enough that the Lokella would risk attacking.

Though clearly, that had been the plan.

Where Decca had gotten the two corvettes, or who he had bribed to get them, was not something I currently knew. However, even if Decca was not actually on Piroket, the loss of two dedicated combat ships would hurt his operations; or cost him the support of whomever he bribed to attack us. Though the first corvette wasn't lost, it was all but a write off due to the damage I'd inflicted upon it.

The second ship, however… well, I should get something for my troubles, and it would be a nice gift to further solidify my standing among the Lokella. Though I did wish they'd stop referring to me by THAT title. I got enough Chosen One crap from the Jedi.

"Captain, you should be safe to secure the corvettes now, but I'd keep an eye on those ships. If any other them begin to move this way, we may need to leave in a hurry." I suggested in a tone that was a step down from an order.

"Yes, Mtael," Faar replied with lowering of his head as several other bridge members copied the gesture, which made me frown.

I turned and walked over to the bridge entrance, where Fay had moved to after the attackers had surrendered.

Her face was its usual calm sereneness, but though our bond I could still sense her feelings about my actions.

"What about the mission?" Faar asked, and I stopped and turned back to face him.

"For now, it's on hold. Secure the corvettes, speak to their crews then we can see what our next step is."

Again, he lowered his head, though there was no verbal response this time and I mentally sighed. The adulation was starting to grate after almost four months.

"I was under the impression we were only here to observe and allow you to practice your Battle Meditation," Fay said calmly as I reached her. Her lips twitched upwards at the corners even as her eyes found mine.

"Yes, Master. However, if I didn't do something, we would have died." I replied.

"I am aware of that Cameron. I am just, concerned at how comfortable you seem at taking command; especially in combat."

"I…" I paused as I considered how to reply to her without revealing that I had previous combat experience.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of," Fay said, interpreting my silence as uncertainly, though maybe not for the reasons she suspected, "the Lokella are new to working together and they need guidance. However, combat should not be the first instinct of a Jedi. Nor using the Force to attack a starship."

"It wasn't, Master. I only did that once it was clear we could not escape. I, I know what I can do with the Force and while more aggressive than a Jedi should be, it was the best option available to me at that moment."

Fay held my gaze for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "When Master Yaddle informed me that you had lifted the stones of Muntuur, I wondered if she was playing a joke on me. You have since proved it was no joke."

"Yet, to see you so easily vandalise one ship while stopping another in its tracks…" She paused and shook her head. "The growth of your abilities, and ease with using the Force, continues to both impress and unnerve."

"Master?" I asked, playing the role of uncertain Padawan, even if I suspected I understood what she was meaning. "Have I done something to offend you?"

She smiled and gently brushed a loose bang of hair from my face. "I am not one of your fellow Padawans, Cameron. I am not so easily swayed by a soft face or a kind word."

I chuckled. "Yes, Master."

"Still, you channelled the emotions of those around us to enhance your abilities. That is not something a Jedi would normally do, nor something that most Jedi would approve of. Still, you did not use your own emotions and we are both aware you are far from an average Jedi."

The words were warm and friendly, but I could easily hear the warning about channelling emotions with the Force and how others might react to me doing so.

"Yes, Master."

She smiled at my deeper understanding and turned towards the door, which slid open as she stepped towards it.

"Good. Now come. I feel our presence would be more beneficial in the infirmary than here."

I followed along behind her and opened notices that, in the heat of battle, I had missed.
Quest Completed
It's a Hutt Trap [֍]
Objectives:

  • Survive the ambush arranged for the Lokella by Decca the Hutt
  • Help the Lokella Survive [256 of 315]
  • Disable/capture an enemy vessel [2/2]
  • Capture prisoners [163 of 217]
Rewards:
  • 5000XP (+500XP)
  • 2560XP (+256XP)
Increased reputation with the Lokella​
  • 3000XP (+300XP)​
  • 815XP (+81XP)​
…​


LEVEL UP!
Level: 21 -> 22
FP: +650
PP: +2
STAM: +40
SP: +3
SKP: +20

I allowed myself a small smile at seeing that not only had a quest been generated as the battle began, but that I'd completed it and levelled up. Now I was the same level as Knight Pana, and a few other of the younger/newer knights; though I still had a long way to go as the few Jedi Masters I'd used Observe on had been level 30 or higher.

And Fay, the highest person I had so far Observed, was level 50.

Still, after everything that had happened today, I was still generally happy with the outcome.





"I had expected you to return with a Hutt. I must say, while I fail to see or smell one, a fully armed warship is a definite improvement," Dooku deadpanned as Fay and I stepped from the Freerunner into the deck of Mtael's Gift, and I barely managed to hold in a chuckle at the comment. "Though I am curious as to how you managed such a thing."

I shrugged and glanced out of the landing bay to see the new corvette floating outside as a shuttle from the station headed towards it.

"Well they destroyed one of our raiders," I replied while keeping my face as neutral as I could, "so I asked them nicely and they decided to give it to me."

Dooku's brow rose and he shifted his gaze from me to Fay. "Is that so?"

Fay laughed softly before explaining. "The mission was a trap. The Swiftsure was lost almost as soon as we exited hyperspace, and the Iluami was heavily damaged soon after. If not for Cameron's quick thinking, we would all have surely died." She smiled at me before continuing. "He was able to, disable, both that corvette and another with nothing but the Force."

To anyone not used to Dooku, they would think he was not bothered about what Fay had said. But after being around him for a few years, and with the benefit of Eidetic Memory, it was easy to spot the subtle hints of shock that touched his face.

"Indeed," Dooku said, though the tone indicated it was as much a question as a statement.
"Yes," Fay chuckled at her fellow Jedi's reaction even as her stomach rumbled. "Perhaps we can regale you over lunch?"

"Certainly," Dooku stepped to the side and indicated for Fay walk with him.
I began to follow him.

"Cam!"

I stopped at the sound of my voice and twisted my head to see Rachi walking at a speed just short of a run towards me.

"You're back," she added with a smile as her lekku twitched as she came closer.

"Yup. No scratches and I even managed to find a new toy," I said as I pivoted – ignoring the way my Padawan braid slapped against my head as I finished – then pointed out of the landing bay.

"Wha.. How did you capture that?" Rachi asked, her eyes widening a touch at seeing the corvette floating quietly in space.

I chuckled and began to move after my masters. "Master Fay was just about to tell Master Dooku about the mission. Care to join us?" I asked, extending my arm.

Her cheeks turned a familiar shade of dark purple before she laughed and pushed my arm away.
"Fine, but you're buying." She replied as we moved to follow the two elder Jedi.

I pointedly ignored the smirk Baalta sent my way as we passed her. While Rachi was a few years older than me, nothing was going to happen as we were both still children. And letting my mind wander there was… unsettling.

I was mentally an adult and knew that it was wrong, but my body reacted to Rachi in the way any young male would. Thus, I had decided to just use the time to get comfortable again around females that showed an interest in me.

And put off the issues that the difference between my mental age versus my physical age raised until the later was closer to the former.





"Padawan Shan," I looked up from my datapad, where I was busy making notes on my next writing project for after Lord of the Rings – a series detailing the Mandalorian Wars and Revan's adventures – and saw a Devaronian standing over me.

"The High Council wishes to speak with you." He stated firmly with a creased brow and narrowed eyes.

Without waiting for me to put down my pad, or even turn it off, the Devaronian turned and began to walk away. I, however, kept using my pad. Something about his tone just irked me.

He stopped at the door to the small room I was using for my writing and looked back.

"Now." He ordered, his eyes somehow getting even smaller are he glared at me in what I had to assume was contempt.

I clicked fingers then held my index finger upwards. "Sure, just let me check my schedule," I said as I slowly flipped through an imaginary book in the air in front of me.

"This is not a request," the Devaronian stated as his lips twisted so I could see his teeth and he folded his arms. "The Council is in session and waiting for you now."

"Ah," I closed the imaginary book and stood, slipping the pad into my Inventory via my robes. "Perhaps you should have led with that."

I kept my tone friendly and playful though inside I was less than impressed with the behaviour of the Jedi in front of me. While he was older, his general tone and attitude just rubbed me the wrong way.

His teeth became more obvious as he grounded them together before he pivoted sharply and marched off.

as I slowly followed him out, I cast Observe.
Rortath Drehk
Race:
Devaronian
Level: 23
Health: 100%
Age: 26
Force Potential: Intermediate
Threat Potential: Low
Affiliation Loyalty: Jedi Order (85%) Galactic Republic (70%)
Reputation: Disliked
Emotional State: Displeased/Accepting/Irritated
Rortath is less than pleased with having to collect you; though he is content to see you in trouble with the High Council once more
He feels you are far too disobedient and disrespectful to make a good Jedi.
Also, he would much rather be studying the Jedi Code than having to deal with your insolence

The ability to see my Reputation with someone had occurred once Observe passed level 80, with affiliation loyalty becoming visible at level 90 with both happening as I abused Observe daily upon every member of the Lokella and captured slaver while away from the prying eyes of the Jedi.​

Seeing Reputation when using Observe was a useful change while Affiliation would, in time become unbelievably valuable.

According to the interface help, Affiliation was a list of groups a being or droid was loyal too. If that loyalty fell below fifty per cent, then there was a good chance they would look to leave, if they could. Or if not, make them more flexible in their willingness to follow the rules of that group.

Also, if their loyalty to me, or a faction that was attached to me – which was not something I currently had, if you ignored the way many in the Lokella felt about me – was above forty per cent, I could potentially recruit them. And the higher their loyalty, the easier their recruitment would be.

I'd already used the Affiliation display to determine that the spy in the Lokella was a Rodian and had...persuaded him to reveal how and why he was undercover with the Lokella.

It seemed that Decca had begun inserting paid operatives into his operations on the chance that the Lokella – or others since others within the Cartels had sensed a weakness as the Lokella had grown bolder and begun attacking Decca as well – would attack and then lead them into a trap.

While this proved that the Lokella were affecting his slaving operations, it also highlighted that the Hutt was not to be underestimated.

Thankfully, the Lokella had taken my warnings to be careful about attacking the Hutt directly seriously and in the time before we'd left, they'd only carried out one more raid, taking their total numbers to a just under two thousand.

Though that did not include the hundreds who had not wished to stay with the Lokella; or needed to return to the Republic for treatment.

And that last attack… It had been the second time I had seen what problems existed under the surface of the 'peaceful and safe' Republic; the first being the kidnapping and slavery ring that had been operation right here on the Republic capital world.

During the last Lokella mission that I had taken part in, we had liberated a slave processing facility, but what we had found inside; well, it had resulted in me sensing anger and hate from Master Fay. Not that she ever displayed those emotions outwardly, but if she had shown them, I would not have blamed her.

As the facility was used primarily for the training, disciplining, and selling of minors into slavery.
Nearly a thousand children of various ages – the youngest being Tedra's age – were held in cramped cells.

Other rooms within the facility were littered with object and 'tools' that I wished I had never seen – and would sadly now never be able to forget thanks to Eidetic Memory.

Many of the rooms had bloodstains on the walls, floors and, in a few rooms where my anger threatened to explode, on dirty bedrolls.

Those… rooms… even now, a few weeks later sickened me and I had to stop and take a few deep breaths to re-centre myself.

Though the look of terror that flashed across Rortath's face did help soothe my anger a touch.

On that day, if not for the presence of Fay to calm me – with words, calming thoughts, meditation and the promise that we'd do everything we could to help those children, I suspect I would've gone on a murder spree.

Instead, the punishment of the slavers was left up to the Lokella, and they had been, swift in their judgments.

Instead of handling punishment, Fay made sure that we both spent the time helping the now freed children, healing their physical wounds – which I could now take a more active role in as I'd raised Force Heal to Professional 1, which allowed me to heal others with the Force.

Sadly, however, neither of us could do much for the mental wounds many of the children now carried. And from the moment we had discovered the children, until we returned to the Temple and placed those that wished, or needed, to return to the Republic with the appropriate professionals, I had not seen Fay smile.

Instead, her face became as impasse as Dooku's, though I often caught her rubbing her tattoos as though seeking comfort from them. One day, I resolved, I would ask her what they meant, but not until I was knighted at the very least.

After returning to the Temple, and having placed the children with carers and officials that Fay had ensured knew that the Jedi would be checking up on the children, I had spoken with both my masters about arranging a fund from the sales for 'The Two Towers' to help with the healing, housing and education of those children and the others we had rescued.

Both had agreed and when Dooku had stated that in the slightly more than one month since the second book in the series had been released it had earned close to 5 million credits, I almost slipped from my seat. Then I had cursed the greedy bastards who had stolen the money from 'The Fellowship of the Ring' and made a mental note to one day locate as many of those individuals as I could and convince them of the error of their ways.

Still, that was for the future.

For the present, while I was here in the Temple, I planned to examine most of my fellow Padawans to see where everyone stood. There was no point in persuading those fully loyal to the Jedi and the Republic to join the Coalition but any who were wavering and had some loyalty towards me would be logical potential recruits.

Sadly, while a new column for Affiliation was now viewable in my Reputation tables, the value was missing from anyone who I hadn't used Observe on after the ability past level 90, which meant I'd have to re-observe every one again for updated information. Which, while logical, was irritating and time-consuming since not all of them were likely to be in the Temple while I was.

As Rortath and I entered one of the lifts of the southwest tower, I brought my thoughts back to the present and considered what the meeting would be about.

Since I'd only been back a few days and I had yet to do anything that would annoy the High Council – that I knew of – it would likely just be a review of the events dealing with the Lokella, with probably a warning about the dangers of touching/taking control of another sentient's mind and invoking fear in others.

The lift slowed, and the doors opened to show the waiting area just outside the council chambers, where I was a little surprised to see Rachi standing with her master, Jocasta Nu.

"Oh, hey Cam," Rachi said, her voice lacking much of its normal energy and her lekku seemed to flop down her shoulders instead of bouncing around as usual.

"Hi, Rachi. Master Nu. Would I be right to assume that the Council called you to discuss your findings on the vessel-slash-station that was formerly known as the Anvil of Ryloth?"

Rachi moved to reply only for Nu to silence her by clearing her throat.

"You are correct Padawan," she began, her face free of emotion save for a slight downturn of her eyebrows near her nose. "The Council wished a report on our findings while we were in the ShaDo system."

Something about her tone and stance, and the fact Rachi wouldn't meet my eyes as her master spoke, made me think her report covered more than just the Pius Dea ship. Likely me.

Why the Council felt the need to send two people to check up on me, I didn't know, but there was also the chance that Master Nu's assignment was given to her by just a few members of the Council, not the whole body.

"Padawan Shan, The Council is waiting," Drehk said. While his tone was far calmer than before – probably due to the fact Master Nu was present – the way he clenched his fists hinted that his annoyance with me hasn't lessened, which made me smirk for a moment.

I sighed loudly while dropping my shoulder dramatically. "Oh, very well." I glanced at Rachi and winked. "See you around."

Rachi smiled but said nothing, probably due to the stern gaze Nu sent her way, and I walked into the council chambers.

I nodded at a few members of the Council even as I moved to stand with Fay and Dooku in the centre of the room. Both my masters looked about as happy as I felt at being here, yet if you didn't know them well you would miss the subtle signs that hinted at their annoyance.

And given to the fact that every Council member knew at least one of them, that meant the Council well as aware as I was of their annoyance.

"Ah Padawan Shan, good to see you again, it is," Yoda said, drawing my attention to him. The Grandmaster seemed his usual calm self, but the Master of Order, Windu, was watching me intently; his eyes narrowing as he focused on me, though I ignored him and kept my attention on the nine-hundred-year-old being to his right.

"And you, Master. Though I am curious as to why I find myself in front of the High Council again," I replied with a small smile.

Yoda's ears twitched upwards. "In trouble, you are not. Merely a review of your mission, this is."
I nodded and at a prompt from the aged Grandmaster, I began to recite the events of the last half-year.



"May we enter?" Fay asked as the doors to my quarters opened to reveal both her and Dooku standing there.

I nodded in affirmation and the pair stepped into the small room I was assigned at the Temple.
It had been a few hours since the meeting with the High Council, that had gone exactly as I had expected.

After recounting the major events of the last few months, the Council had behaved pretty much as I had anticipated.

I had received notes of congratulations for my actions during the initial assault by Dooku and myself and for my handling of the later reprisal attack with Yaddle commenting on my ability to defuse a situation which many Jedi Knights would've struggled to do and Giiett had expressed interest in what capacity I wished to serve the Order in once I was knighted.

I answered vaguely by saying that I served the Force, which pleased several of the Council, though it appeared that a few, such as Belfarr and Piell, did not believe my words.

After that came the warning about touching the minds of others and invoking fear in enemy combatants. During those warnings, Masters Belfarr and Piell had attempted to turn the warning into a punishment, but Yaddle, Giiett and Plo had shut that argument down before Yoda had stated the matter was closed.

Windu had sat silently as the Council debated openly if I should be punished, though I did note that the same vein that had appeared to pulse the last time I was hauled over the fire by the High Council was again prominent as he locked his eyes on me.

Both Fay and Dooku bristled at the behaviour of a part of the Council, though only Dooku displayed any outward sign of this.

His tone, which hadn't started in the most polite manner, became very direct and blunt, even for him and if not for the presence of Sifo-Dyas to calm him, I suspect Dooku may have expressed his true feelings about the council openly.

When it came to my capture of the corvette – a new name for which hadn't been determined before we had left the ShaDo system – there was no warning; only open praise from Yaddle, Yoda and surprisingly, Windu.

All three were impressed and encouraged that I not only saved the lives of everyone on the ship with me but disabled the attackers with a minimal loss of life.

Again, it was noted that many more senior Jedi would not have been able to do such a thing.
Since Fay and Dooku had spoken with me privately about using emotions, especially negative ones, to power my actions, they hadn't felt the need to inform the Council and neither Rachi nor Master Nu had been made aware of the incident.

The same was also true of my invitation to visit Mandalore; though that was because Dooku had been insistent we did not. He felt that doing so would only add to the concerns that elements of the Council had regarding me. His feelings about Mandalorians and the council – likely linked to Galidraan – had been easy to sense through our bond, though I said nothing as I felt he would only talk about them openly when he felt we were both ready.

Once the Council had finished discussing the operation with the Lokella, I was rather bluntly dismissed by Windu – I put that down to his style more than his issues surrounding me – though my masters were asked to stay.

As Fay and Dooku stepped into my room, I stood and floated the table I had been using and its two chairs closer to the bed.

Neither Jedi Master said anything about my casual use of the Force for a trivial matter and soon we were all seated around the table.

They shared a look, one that I knew now meant they were communicating telepathically before, in unison, they turned to face me.

"Cameron, there are a few issues we wish to discuss with you," Fay began, her face having still not having regained its usual serenity.

"Okay," I said. Nothing in their body language indicated I was in trouble, so I hoped this was just them explaining what the Council wished to discuss with them after I was dismissed.

"To be clear, you are not in any trouble," Fay began with a slight upwards twitch of her lips, "we simply wish to discuss a few matters that have been brought to our attention."

"Do you remember your lectures as an Initiate regarding midi-chlorians and the role they play in allowing us to connect to the Force?" Dooku asked, taking up the reins from Fay. His face was its usual seemingly impassive self, but the small signs I knew to look for hinted he was annoyed about something. I couldn't pick up anything through our bond though, as both of them had locked down their emotions, which was troubling.

"Yes, Master," I replied, now having a suspicion of where this part of the conversation was going. "They are a part of every living thing that allows us to hear the Force and allow us to work with the Force towards balance."

Fay laughed that soft, melodic laugh of hers, which brought a small smile to my lips as it had been some time now since she had laughed. "I do not think that is exactly how it is taught to Initiates, Padawan. Still, your interpretation is not what we wish to discuss."

"You remember the discussions about how one's count does not vary much during their life? That it stays relatively stable except in some rare and unusual cases?" I nodded to answer her question.
"Well, it appears that you are one such case, though your change was large enough to… concern the Council." Dooku snorted at her choice of words but was otherwise silent. I took that moment to amuse myself imaging what their actual reactions must have been.

"Hmm," I began, figuring that playing dumb here would not be the right approach. "I thought it was easier to use my abilities during the reprisal attack. A strengthening of my connection to the Force would explain that, but why would it happen?" I pondered while letting confusion bounce around my mind by asking random questions to which I did not know the answer.

The two shared another look, hopefully as they could pick up on my apparent confusion over the bond before Dooku replied.

"Padawan, your count did not increase by a few hundred, but several thousand. You now have a count of over twenty-five thousand," he said and even though I knew my Force potential was now in vergence range, hearing it was such a large number made my shock and surprise genuine.

I knew that Anakin's count had been over twenty thousand, but no exact figure was mentioned in the movie, and I had assumed it was within one-to-two thousand of the twenty thousand mark. Thus, to hear that I was, potentially even more powerful than him was… shocking. I expected it to have gone just beyond twenty thousand, but not that far beyond.

"Um, just out of curiosity, but what was I before?" I asked as no-one had ever mentioned it to me, with most preferring to just say I had a strong connection to the Force and my curiosity got the better of me at that the moment.

"Around nineteen thousand," Dooku replied from behind tightly pressed lips, "a count that was, at the time, higher than even Grandmaster Yoda, the highest on record since, at least, the Ruusan Reformation."

It was clear that neither he nor Fay knew exactly how to react to this, and honestly, I couldn't blame them.

My initial count had been incredibly high, yet it had now increased by more than thirty per cent and had gone into a place not seen in over a thousand years.

"I… uh… wow," was all I could come up with. I had known my original count had been high, but I expected to have been on a level with Yoda, not already beyond his. Add that to the fact I was now, possibly, beyond Anakin…

In all honesty, it was a little intimidating.

"Cameron, while we are not angry about this, the Council has some concerns about how this happened; as do we," Fay said slowly with one eyebrow raised slightly above the other. "Do you know exactly how this happened?"

"I…" I paused as I realised that outright lying wasn't going to work. "Just after Master Dooku left the system, I felt… something change, I guess, while I was meditating. It felt like the Force was speaking to me, but I dismissed it. Perhaps, perhaps, that was when things changed."

I had had this story prepared for a while, but I hadn't expected to use it so soon, or that my count would be so much higher than I expected. That confusion and shock actually helped me to now sell my lie about when and where the jump in my count had occurred.

Dooku leaned forward, his lips partly just a fraction. "Why did you not mention this earlier?"

"I, I felt it was silly. Why would the Force speak directly to me? I'm not the Chosen One."

"You are not, yet you are," Fay said, paraphrasing Master Nilas' words. "A change in your Force sensitivity like this only increases the belief among many that you are."

"And makes others dislike me even more," I countered, thinking of how people like Jon Savos would react to this information, and now understanding that I had witnessed it first-hand at the Council meeting earlier today. "Would it be too much to hope that this doesn't get out?"

"While the Council will not air it over the intercoms of the temple," Dooku began wryly. "All Jedi's midi-chlorian counts are recorded in their Jedi Order profile, which would be accessible to anyone of padawan rank or higher."

"Great, so all we have is the Council's promise of discretion, which is about as useful to us as an air cooler on Ilum," I grumbled."

"Indeed," commented Dooku, while Fay laughed gently at the comparison. "And another issue is that with the Sith likely still active, we have to assume they have a way to monitor the Jedi."

"Meaning that the Sith will soon know of my count. Making me even more of a target. Brilliant," I drawled out.

"They would already have been observing you due to your rather unique methods of joining the Order," Fay replied with the faintest of smiles, "so it changes nothing. The same is true of your increased count."

"Indeed," Dooku add with a single nod of agreement, "and, if you say this change in your midi-chlorian count was not something you knew about nor intentionally brought on, then we feel there is no need to discipline you," Dooku paused, and his brow furrowed a fraction, "the Council, on the other hand, are less… trusting."

I groaned once more and slumped into my seat. "How long are we stuck here?" I asked, well aware that the Council would want to keep me under observation for some time now.

It seemed that even though none of us wished to spend any length of time in the Temple, or on Coruscant, we kept getting stuck here after each adventure.

Still, I could use this to my advantage. I could re-Observe every one of my friends and fellow Padawans and use the Temples Force Power XP bonus to help level up my abilities faster
Fay smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "A month, perhaps two. While the Council can offer advice, it cannot interfere in the way a Master instructs their Padawan. Not without breaking the pairing and bringing into question the Master. And while there are voices on the Council who may be pushing for that, the majority are not prepared to go that far."

I nodded at hearing the time stuck here was not going to be too long but wondered how I'd react if the Council did try to take me from Fay and Dooku.

Actually, I didn't have to wonder, I knew exactly what I'd do. Leave but keep in contact with Jedi like my masters, Serra and Darihd.

But it would not come to that, as the Jedi were too concerned about me being their Chosen One for them to risk me walking away from the Order, and trying to force me to stay would only guarantee I, and others I suspected, grow to resent them.

"There is a split in the Council?" I asked, latching onto Fay's words as they meshed with what I had seen and heard myself, and as a way to move the topic away from my increased midi-chlorian count.

"Less a split, and more of a disagreement. Centred around you," Dooku countered as Fay removed her hand and sat back. "Though you are already aware of why this is."

My bloodline, method of arrival, general approach to being a Jedi and my now insanely high midi-chlorian count were each unique enough to draw the attention of the High Council.

The four of them together…

Well, if I didn't know what the future held – or should hold as my actions were likely changing the timeline – then I would be worried about my place within the Order as well.

As it was, I simply would have to adapt my plans – rough as they still were – to account for even more oversight/observation from the High Council.

"Yes, Master," I replied as I nodded.

"We shall discuss the issues with the Council, and it's uncertainty regarding you in the future, at a more private location," Fay added after sharing a look with Dooku and I nodded in understanding.
While we had some support for the Coalition of two Jedi Council members – in Sifo Dyas and Nilas – it was better if we limited the amount of time that I spent around those two.

After spending time on Mtael's Gift discussing this, it had been decided that Fay would be the point of contact with Nilas and a few others she felt were sympathetic to our goals, like Yaddle.

Dooku would speak with Sifo-Dyas, Qui-Gon and other Jedi he felt could contribute while I dealt with any potential allies among the Padawans. A job made much easier thanks to Observe now showing my reputation with a target and their affiliation loyalty.

Man, I was going to abuse the hell out of that ability.

"While this request to stay at the Temple was not planned, it also does not change our plans," Dooku said, changing the topic once more, as I fought, and failed, to keep a smile from creeping onto my face.

"I am still to be allowed to go to Mandalore?"

Dooku nodded very slowly. "Yes. However, there are some ground rules we wish to cover." His brow knotting as he answered.

"Though we will do so closer to the time," Fay added, cutting off Dooku before he could continue.

"Yes, Masters," I replied. I could imagine the rules were to do with not revealing my lineage nor the fact I was a Jedi openly. There might be more, but I'd just have to wait until closer to the time to learn what they were.

"Good, now come. I believe there is a new Initiate that would be quite happy to see you again," Fay said as she stood, a small smile touching her lips.

As we all left my quarters, I placed my thoughts on Mandalore to the back of my mind. I was curious as to how well Tedra had settled into Temple life. And provided there were no problems from her clan minders, I would see about arranged some private tutelage for her in lightsaber combat.



Again, if you want to talk about ANP, SW, other Gamer stories, or just general stuff, you can find me on discord in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse: discord . gg /wd3tUYWVCd
If you join, please do remember to read the rules, join the cults for the stories you like; such as the Cult of Revan for ANP ;)
And it's not that crazy a place, I swear. And there are now game channels.
And this month's recommendations are:
Fate Denied: A Star Wars SI over on Sufficient Velocity
Yami The Gamer Kage Not a big Naruto fan, but I'm told it's a good non-dark Gamer
The Hunt, The Game (axis1247) The author is in the Omniverse and it's also not a dark Gamer currently.
Faust: The Horseman Gamer (Forzarismo) Again, the author is in the Omniverse and the OC is Chaotic Neutral
A Game of Rebirth and Hope (DatXeno91) Yup, this author's also in the Omniverse and the OC is neutral.
(Seeing a pattern here? :p )

Also, I will be busy with real-life family issues for the next week or two, so the next chapter may be a touch later than normal.
Though I should still be able to respond to messages and will be on Discord


 
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Status after the Cathedral of the Past Arc
Stats, Skills, Powers, Perks and Player Powers 3
This is just a listing of the current level, stats, skills, powers, perks and titles of Cameron.
If you are not too interested in the values that run behind the scenes, then you don't need to bother reading.​

Current date: Month 4 Year 963sRR (since Russan Reformation)
[Or 37BBY in the canon timeline]​


  • Cameron Shan
    Species: Human
    Title: The Player
    Age: 12
    Level 22
    HP: 250/250
    FP: 14300/14300
    PP:44/44
    XP [15626/24000]
    STAM [880/880]
    Hunger [86/100]
    STR: 20 +
    VIT: 20 +
    AGI: 20 +
    INT: 21 +
    WIS: 20 +
    CHA: 20 +
    Luck: 0 + [+10]
    SP: 18
    SKP: 320
    PerkP: 0
    PPP: 0
    Credits: 271532


    • Form I: Shii-Cho
      Prodigy 2
      Form II: Makashi
      MAXED
      Form III: Soresu
      Master 29
      Form IV: Ataru
      Adept 50
      Form V: Shien
      Professional 34
      Form V: Djem-So
      Adept 50
      Form VI: Niman
      Professional 26

    • Lightsaber Standard
      MAXED
      Marksmanship
      Master 25
      Melee Weapons [1-handed]
      Professional 20
      Melee Weapons [2-handed]
      Adept 1
      Melee Weapons [Thrown]
      Adept 50
      Ranged Weapons [1-handed]
      Master 6
      Ranged Weapons [2-handed]
      Master 25
      Ranged Weapons [Heavy]
      Adept 2

    • Athletics
      Professional 41
      Damage Resistance [Energy]
      Master 88
      Damage Resistance [Physical]
      Adept 14
      Damage Resistance [Sonic]
      Novice 2
      Damage Resistance [Thermal]
      Novice 2
      Hand to Hand
      Professional 55
      Martial Art: Beskar'pel
      Adept 4
      Martial Art: Beskar'rev
      Adept 2
      Martial Art: Teräs Käsi
      Novice 24
      Swimming
      Professional 13

    • Astrogation
      Adept 90
      Piloting [Atmospheric]
      Adept 12
      Piloting [Space]
      Adept 45
      Riding [4-legged]
      Novice 73

    • Lockpicking
      Novice 16
      Sleight of Hand
      Novice 47
      Stealth
      Professional 3

    • Computer [Electronics]
      Professional 22
      Computer [Programming]
      Professional 3
      Computer [Slicing]
      Professional 60
      Mechanics [Droids]
      Adept 40
      Mechanics [Engines]
      Professional 50
      Mechanics [Fighters]
      Professional 42
      Mechanics [Lightsaber]
      Adept 10
      Mechanics [Speeders]
      Adept 25
      Mechanics [Starships]
      Master 13

    • Language [Basic]
      Savant 61
      Language [Binary]
      Professional 1
      Language [Durese]
      Novice 13
      Language [German]
      Adept 12
      Language [Huttese]
      Professional 13
      Language [Mando'a]
      Adept 1
      Language [Rodese]
      Novice 15
      Language [Ryl]
      Adept 27
      Language [Shaddaboranese]
      Professional 27
      Language [Sullustese]
      Novice 25
      Language [Togruti]
      Adept 4

    • Anatomy [Duros]
      Novice 10
      Anatomy [Human]
      Adept 65
      Anatomy [Ithorian]
      Novice 9
      Anatomy [Rodian]
      Novice 2
      Anatomy [Sullustan]
      Novice 4
      Anatomy [Togruta]
      Novice 5
      Anatomy [Trandoshan]
      Novice 2
      Anatomy [Twi'lek]
      Novice 28
      Anatomy [Weequay]
      Novice 2
      Anatomy [Zabrak]
      Novice 30
      Forensics
      Adept 1
      Medicine [First Aid]
      Professional 30
      Medicine [Hospital]
      Adept 8

    • Warfare [Ground]
      Professional 50
      Warfare [Space]
      Novice 98

    • Concentration
      MAXED
      Composure
      55/100
      Danger Sense
      43/100
      Meditation
      MAXED
      Teaching
      Professional 42

    • Deception
      Professional 61
      Intimidation/Taunting
      Professional 35
      Lie Detection
      Professional 45
      Musical Instrument [Synthtar]
      Adept 16
      Negotiation
      Adept 30
      Perception
      Professional 35
      Persuasion
      Professional 63
      Seduction/Flirting
      Novice 92
      Singing
      Adept 61
      Survival
      Adept 88

    • Kissing
      Adept 12
      Massage
      Novice 45

    • Cleaning
      Adept 71
      Cooking
      Adept 11
      Economics
      Adept 25

    • Absorb Energy [Tutaminis]
      Novice 1 [LOCKED]
      Breath Control
      Adept 37
      Enhance Senses
      Prodigy 24
      Enhance Skill
      MAXED
      Enhance Stat
      MAXED
      Empathic Shield
      MAXED
      Heal
      Professional 1
      Negate Hunger
      Professional 52
      Restore Stamina
      Savant 84
      Speed
      Master 6
      Serenity
      MAXED
      Telepathic Shield
      MAXED

    • Bullet-Time [Reflex]
      Master 46
      Comprehend Speech
      Prodigy 1
      Detection
      Prodigy 11
      Empathy
      Savant 45
      Force Attune
      Novice 56
      Precognition
      MAXED
      Sight
      Professional 25
      Sense Force
      Adept 1
      Telepathy
      Professional 68
      Vision
      Novice 4

    • Aerokinesis
      Novice 1
      Alter Mind
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Barrier
      Savant 72
      Battle Meditation (Active)
      Novice 1
      Battle Meditation (Passive)
      Savant 11
      Blast
      Professional 11
      Camouflage
      Novice 5
      Cloak
      MAXED
      Compulsion [Mind Trick]
      Master 49
      Control Beast
      Adept 5
      Cryokinesis
      Professional 38
      Deflection
      Adept 1
      Dominate Mind
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Electrokinesis
      Novice 1
      Force Crush
      Novice 68
      Force Drain
      Novice 1
      Force Persuasion
      Master 35
      Force Scream
      Novice 1
      Force Slow [Force Weaken]
      Novice 1
      Hydrokinesis
      Novice 1
      Inanimate Conversion [Matter Rearrangement]
      Professional 1
      Inertia
      Master 6
      Ionize
      Novice 5
      Jump
      Prodigy 80
      Levitation
      Adept 42
      Lightning
      Novice 21
      Lightsaber Telekinesis
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Mind Probe
      Novice 1
      Phase
      Master 48
      Plant Control
      Novice 5
      Pyrokinesis
      Professional 38
      Restore
      Novice 5
      Repulse /Shockwave
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Stun
      Master 59
      Suppression
      Novice 87
      Telekinesis
      MAXED
      Teleport
      Adept 23
      Wave/ Whirlwind
      Novice 1

    • Oneness
      Novice 1 [LOCKED]

    • Ambidextrous
      Boosted Growth
      Eidetic Memory
      Empathy
      Heart of the Force [1/2]

    • Heart of the Force [2/2]
      Inventory
      Observe
      Player's Body
      Player's Mind
      Silent Interface

    • Jedi [2/5]
      Leader [4/10]
      Mtael
      The Player

  • (Letter under a quest is it's rating)

    Cash in Hand [¤]
    -B-
    Changing Fate [Anakin]
    -S***-
    Changing Fate [Dooku]
    -A-
    Changing Fate [Giiett]
    -B-
    Changing Fate [Qui-Gon]
    -B-
    Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas]
    -B-
    Force to the Max [¤]
    -C-
    Forge your own Path
    -N/A-
    Hope of the Borans [¤]
    -B-
    Just Don't Get Caught [¤]
    -C-
    Knight Before Queen [¤]
    -C-
    Legendary Swordsman [¤]
    -A-
    Skilled to the Max [¤]
    -D-
    Sister of the Night [¤]
    -A-
    The Promise of the Fallen [ꝏ]
    -B-
    Training Superiority [¤]
    -Variable-
    Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire
    -S***-
    You Can't Hurt Me. [¤]
    -B-​



I am not going to list all the allies and other characters of importance here. The lists would just be too long.
I may, however, do one with people who are members of the Coalition or at least allied with Cam at a later date.

As always, if you wish to discuss the story, you can find me in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse at discord . gg /pSgE54Q
If you do join or are already a member but haven't done so, do remember to pick a colour and join the cults for stories you like.

 
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Interlude at the Temple
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To theshadowchaser, vargos, Kalvernus, DylanTheDemon and HighFlyingWings for help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story (though that's only over on FFN)
Also, a special thanks to Raven in the Omniverse for checking over the 2nd scene.

"Cam! Thank the Force!"

I turned at hearing my name called out from the other side of the archive room I was in at the Jedi Temple to see Dastod Slamon racing across the room toward me.

In the weeks since arriving back at the Temple, I'd split my time between improving my lightsaber forms, catching up with my friends, planning out the next set of novels – adapting a game into a story was more difficult than I expected – and making contacts among the other Padawans. Dastod being one of those other Padawans.

A former member of Thranta Clan, Dastod was a rare Padawan who focused on understanding the inner workings of holocrons and preferred to use the Force for artistic endeavours rather than learning to be a Jedi Guardian or Consular.

Then again, I didn't appear to fit into either of those classes, which was probably why Master Giiett had spent some time talking with me about the work of Jedi Sentinels, particularly the work done by Investigators.

While Dastod was not as uncertain about the Order as most of the Padawans I'd been seeking out, his knowledge and understanding of holocrons made him an interesting individual to know. And I wondered if he'd give me any insight into the Sith Holocron from the past that I'd kept since arriving in this era.

While I had used it a few times, it did not have that much useful information; instead, it served as a basic teaching tool for Sith Apprentices and sprouting Sith propaganda that confirmed, to me at least, that the Sith were just as flawed as the Jedi.

And while the Sith Code certainly sounded more fun than the Jedi one, both felt… constricting and unbalanced to me.

The fact that the holocron had no dark-side taint was surprising, as I had been warned repeatedly about the dangers of such things, but given it was more a basic teaching tool than a storage device for Sith knowledge, it was understandable.

The only reason I kept the holocron now was that I wasn't inclined to just drop it where anyone could find it and because it might hold more information that I could access; hence why I'd developed a friendship with Dastod.

"Hey Das," I replied as he drew near. As he stopped beside me, I noticed he was sweating and his movements seemed jittery. "What's wrong?"

"It's Serra and Rachi. They're about to have a spar," he explained as he scratched at his sleeve.
I sighed, pinched the bridge of my nose and slumped a little in my seat. "Again?"

"Y-yeah. Darihd sent me and a few others to find you." Dastod explained as I stood.

"Wonderful," I grumbled as I lazily turned off the datapad I'd been using and began to walk out of the room. "Come on then."

He tried to run again, but I grabbed his robes. "This is the Archives." I hissed, though without any venom as I could understand his need to rush.

"Ah, right," he mumbled out as I spotted his Master, a Knight who worked as a researcher for the Order glare in our direction.

Dastod, however, didn't spot him and we left as quickly as we could before jogging through the maze-like passageways of the temple, which let my mind play over why these particular spars were so annoying.

Since arriving back from the ShaDo system, Rachi had taken to teasing Serra about her time there. In particular, the time that she spent with me as she made sure to really drive home the fact that we spent most of it alone, away from the other Jedi.

Nothing had happened – mainly because I was not going to let anything start while I was a pre-teen and still trying to get a handle on going through puberty for a second time – but Serra didn't know that and her feelings about me were an open secret among many Padawans in our age group.

This made her an easy target to teasing and often led it her been warned by her master to gain better control of her emotions.

However, to help her channel her emotions, I had suggested sparring. I had meant with me – which admittedly we had done daily – but she had also taken it to mean sparring with Rachi.

The pair had sparred nearly a dozen times in the last few weeks, but in each of those cases the spars had grown more and more aggressive – or at least Serra had – and I'd only learnt about them after they had occurred.

Because of this, Darihd, Sia-Lan and a few others had promised to try to stop them from starting, or to find me when they did in the hopes I could talk to the pair. Hence why Dastod had come racing into the Archives as though the Temple was on fire.

Soon enough, we approached one of the smaller sparring areas set aside for Padawans, and the sounds of lightsabers clashing began to fill the corridor.

Entering the room, I saw Serra leap high and bring her blade down onto Rachi's. Twin green blades smashed into a pale blue one as Rachi shifted her balance and Serra rolled away.

Serra's face, normally so relaxed and open, was now far more severe. Her eyes were narrowed and locked on Rachi while her knuckles were turning white with how tightly she was gripping her hilts.

Rachi, for her part, seemed unconcerned by her opponent, save for the increased rate of breath and the fact her clothing was beginning to stick to her body in certain places that I really shouldn't be looking at.

I shook my head to get those thoughts under control as I stepped up beside Darihd – another Padawan from Dragon Clan named Funt stepped back to allow me in – even as Serra launched into another attack.

"How long?" I asked Darihd.

He tilted his head toward me. "About five minutes," Darihd replied, shaking his head wearily. "She's far too easy a target."

"Serra?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She's always been… overeager, but this is getting out of hand." He stated as Serra gritted her teeth and swung both her blades around in wide arcs that were meant to bisect an opponent.

Rachi kept her blade moving, allowing her to easily block one attack and side-stepped the other even as Serra used the Force to leap over Rachi, letting her blade drag behind, but the Twi'lek easily avoided it and launched her own attack as Serra landed.

I continued to watch as both seemed to be going close to full out, but I spotted several moments where either could've used a Force-based attack. Whether this was because they had agreed not to, or just didn't spot it I didn't know. But I was leaning towards the latter as their blades moved rapidly through the air.

They were moving fast for Padawans, but nowhere near the level I could move, and thanks to activating Bullet-Time I was able to track every attack, counter, feint, and trick before they happened. Along with a few instances where they chose a less than optimal option.

Something that leapt out was that while Rachi was using a mix of Soresu and Shien that suited her build and style, Serra was heavily focused on Ataru manoeuvres.

If she was only using a single blade or even a shoto-blade, it wouldn't be so bad, but as she always used dual full-sized blades, and it was costing her.

The more I watched her from afar, the more I realised that she would do well if she mixed in Niman with her preferred Force leaps.

Djem So was not doable as she was still too young to generate the power needed but perhaps a bastardized form of Makashi would work for her as it had for Ventress in The Clone Wars. And while I was certain Dooku wouldn't approve of someone using twin blades with Makashi, I knew that every person fought and moved differently. And what was good or preferred by one, would not necessarily be good for another.

"Right, enough of this," I muttered as Serra's blade slashed the floor, hissing venomously, even as Rachi leapt up and back to avoid the strike and I moved towards the sparring circle the girls were using.

"Cam?"

I ignored Darihd's voice as I stepped into the sparring circle. Clearly, this was going to continue unless I addressed the issue more directly. I had an idea of how to do that, but first I needed to make a statement, both to them and to the audience.

Activating Force Speed, I moved towards the duellists.

Without showing any concern – thanks to the trio of powers I had active that were all at or beyond Master – I stepped between the duellists.

A gentle lean to my left had me avoiding Serra's twin green blades as they passed my shoulder, though I did give the blades a small nudge with Force Push to gently guide them away from me.

Even while doing that, I nonchalantly activated my lightsaber and slapped away Rachi's counterattack.

I felt a twinge of regret that I couldn't have guided them away physically – which would have been much cooler – but I wasn't at that level yet, though not for lack of trying. One of the reasons I had been using Force Deflection as much as I had was to get it to Master 1.

That would unlock Tutaminis which was a power I'd read about and was, I believed, the one Yoda used against Dooku's Force Lightning on Geonosis. I seriously wanted it. The idea that I could absorb the energy of incoming blaster bolts – and at higher levels, damage from a lightsaber – to boost my FP was just insane.

Serra blinked several times as if a fog had lifted from her mind as her eyes moved up her blades until they reached mine.

"C-Cam?"

"Why are you two doing this again?" I asked in a voice that would have sounded like a growl, if not of that fact I was still a child. Thankfully, it had the desired effect as Serra visibly flinched at my tone.

"She started it!" Serra snapped a finger lifting from one other her hilts to point past me to where I knew Rachi was standing. "She kept saying these, uh, things, about you and, uh, her."

"All I did was tell her about our time on Mtael's Gift," Rachi replied and even if I couldn't see her face, I knew she was smirking, "and all the time we spent together." She added as I felt her breath on the back of my neck.

Serra's mouth twisted as she moved to reply.

"Enough, both of you!" I snapped out before she could, only to sigh and pinch my nose.
"But…" Serra began only to stop as our eyes met once more. "Yes, Mas…"

Her eyes widened a touch as she stopped herself from finishing and I had to take a few breaths to ignore the double meaning of what she had muttered meant, and to reign in the emotional and physical response it generated in me.

Puberty sucks, especially when you truly understand what is going on.

However, it also gave me an idea about how to handle this. It would be seriously skirting the lines of the Jedi Code, but it would be the best I could do at the time. Not that I was a true adherent to the Code, but because I didn't want to be hauled in front of the High Council again. Once was more than enough for this visit to the temple, thank you very much. With a sigh, I pushed my mind out towards hers, initiating a telepathic link.

[Serra, widen your eyes if you can hear me.]

I seriously doubted her eyes could get any wider with how they were now staring at me in awe. I held her gaze as I continued to speak to her, both verbally and mentally.

"Serra, you are my friend; my first in the Order. But you do not have a right to get angry about me spending time with others," I spoke aloud.

Via our bond, I continued. [I understand this jealousy, and the competition brewing between you two, but you need to be smarter in your reactions. Rachi knows we're good friends, I even told her as much, and she's using that to play on your fears. Do not let her. Every time you rise to her bait, you're allowing her to win by conceding that she has power over you.]

"I will spend time with other sentients, other friends. But never forget, you are my first, oldest and dearest friend." I continued verbally, even as I added more mentally.

[Think about why she feels she needs to do this. She's trying to make you look angry and immature in front of me, because she can already see how close we are, and is trying to insert herself in-between us. She's trying to break our connection. Something that I can assure you will require far more than that, at least from my point of view.]

Her face lit up with a smile that could've brightened a planet and I wondered if I'd overdone the compliment for a second before letting it go.

"Rachi," I began as I turned to the Twi'lek, and did my best to ignore the way she smiled at me, "enough. We spent time together, talking and learning about each other but that's it. You are my friend as well, but I will not tolerate you teasing others about that friendship."

Rachi crossed her arms over her chest, and I was only eighty per cent certain that she wasn't consciously augmenting certain assets by her actions. Serra certainly noticed, and I heard a soft hiss of exhaled breath from behind me. I decided to send her one last message.

[Her opinion of me must be far lower than I thought if she thinks I care about her being a few years older than you. She is physically attractive, how you shine in the Force means more to me than that. Though you are beautiful both inside and out.]

I refocused on Rachi, who still hadn't responded.

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that understood?" I asked as I applied a gentle push with Force Persuasion to my words and channelled as many of Dooku's mannerisms as I could.

"Fine," Rachi pushed out from behind closed teeth.

My eyes moved from one to the other, making sure they were actually listening and not just saying what they thought I wanted to hear. Though both seemed genuine and Serra had not stopped beaming since I had started communicating with her privately. Actually, I suspected her current smile could light the entire Temple if needed.

"Good," I turned and walked to the edge of the sparring circle, ignoring the fact the dozen or so other Padawans in around the edge who'd all been watching the duel between the two females, before stopping and turning back to face them.

"Since you have spent so long duelling against one another, you should know each other's strengths and weaknesses. Let us test if that is true." I stated as I ignited my blade and saluted them with the standard Makashi opening stance.

The pair both stared at me with widened eyes, before sharing a look and igniting their blades.

"What do we get if we win?" Serra asked as her smile turned into a smirk.

"Oh… he can sing for us. You'll like that," Rachi suggested with only the slightest hint of teasing.

Serra's smirk slipped as she considered the other girl's words before nodding in agreement.

As they began to move, I allowed myself a small smile at getting them to take the first step to, hopefully, getting over this silly competition about me and becoming friends.

And made a mental note to speak with Serra afterwards about altering her forms to better suit her weapons, if not get her to change one of the blades to a shoto-lightsaber.




(POV Change)

She watched as a unique black and white lightsaber blade clashed again and again against the smaller green blade of its opponent and marvelled at what she was seeing.

Here was her Cam doing something that, to her knowledge, had never happened before: duelling with the Grandmaster of the Order as a mere Padawan.

And, as she watched him easily guide away another of Master Yoda's attacks, a smile crept onto her face as that familiar feeling of a tingle in her stomach. He wasn't just surviving the Grandmaster; he was holding his own and counterattacking when he could.

The smile widened as she saw the other Jedi dotted around the room – and on the walkways above – who were all watching in awe at a mere Padawan going toe to toe with the Grandmaster of their order.
This whole spectacle had occurred because in Cam's words, 'the Council doesn't like me.'

She, however, couldn't understand why they didn't like him. He was the Chosen One; sent through time and space to bring balance to the Force and guide them into a golden age. It only made sense that he would be tested against the best the Order had to offer as he was already able to beat her and other Padawans in groups of three and even Knights of the Order.

She felt her heart beat faster as she watched Cam seemingly float effortlessly away from an overhead slash and then parry with dancer-like precision a thrust of the Grandmasters' green blade.
They were moving fast, though she'd seen Cam go faster during their spars and against a few others, as the pair glided around the sparring area.

The Grandmaster used Ataru so effortlessly as he leapt around the area that it was almost like he was a green ball bouncing around the room. He seemed to know exactly where and when to push from for his next jump, but that made perfect sense as Grandmaster Yoda was ancient and the greatest blade-master in the Order.

Yet, here was Cam not only holding his own but even managing to probe with his attacks as he moved elegantly around the incoming attacks.

Cam's style was centred in that of his master, Master Dooku, yet he switched between Makashi, Soresu and Shii-Cho so seamlessly, that it was majestic to watch. And while his movements in the newer forms weren't quite as graceful, she knew in her soul that he would one day master them as well and surpass Yoda as the greatest duellist in the Jedi's history.

A gasp escaped from her lips, and a few others around the hall, as Cam, having leaned one way to avoid a strike from the Grandmaster, send the diminutive Jedi hurling across the sparring ring with a Force Blast.

She couldn't help but smile at seeing her Cam land a blow on the Grandmaster, though the smile slipped as she sensed annoyance and concern and saw his face.

Where before it had been serene, almost peaceful, now it had twisted; his brow has risen, and his eyes widened as he looked over to where the Grandmaster was landing.

She glanced there to see that the smaller, but far older Jedi had touched down into a comfortable crouch, and the faintest of smiles appeared on the Grandmaster's face before he schooled his expression.

She felt her breath hitch at seeing the reaction of Master Yoda even as a soft murmur drew her eyes to one of the upper viewing pathways; where it seemed that several Jedi Masters and High Council members had gathered to watch the spar.

Most seemed to be quietly talking, but she swore she saw Master Belfarr smile sinisterly as he watched Cam with narrowed eyes. The sneer, as that was what it had been, was gone a split-second later as he leaned over and talked with another Jedi – Knight C'Borath or something like that – who stood next to Belfarr with his Padawan, who was a friend of hers by the name of Lorana Jinzler.

She'd spent a fair bit of time with Lorana, mainly as they were both often stuck in the Temple due to their masters and they sparred regularly.

Cam had also sparred with her a few times, and Lorana seemed to enjoy those as much as anyone as Cam often offered hints and pointers afterwards; win or lose.

Then again, since returning this time – and earning another well-deserved title if Rachi's stories were correct – Cam had gone out of his way to spar with many Padawans and a handful of Knights. And if she remembered correctly, he'd beaten over two dozen separate Padawans and a few Knights in that time, on top of his regular sparring partners like herself.

She suspected that rush to spar, and the fact he'd won all of them, might also have played a part in why the Grandmaster was sparring with Cam today.

She also saw that with the group of Jedi was someone else.

If she remembered correctly, it was the Senator that Cam had stayed with when he took down a kidnapping ring all by himself.

Why the Senator was there, she didn't know, nor care, and her eyes snapped back to the spar as the hiss of two lightsabers colliding echoed around the otherwise quiet chamber.

What remained of her smile, and there wasn't much after the Grandmaster's smile, fell as the soar began anew and a feeling of dread from somewhere seeped into her.

And unlike last time, when the spar had seemed roughly equal, this section was unequivocally one-sided.

Yoda launched himself at Cam so fast that she would have struggled to follow, if not for the movement of his green lightsaber, flew passed Cam, bounced and launched into another attack.

Yet, while Cam was somehow keeping up – and that he could do that proved how powerful he was – he was fully committed to defence.

"He's going to lose," she muttered to herself, even if a part of her didn't want to admit that Cam could be bettered.

Her breath caught in her throat as Master Yoda's blade missed Cam's arm by mere centimetres, then his throat by even less, and she brought her hand to her mouth as a gasp slipped out.

"There was never any doubt of that, my Padawan," her Master, Cin Drallig, replied, having managed to hear her words. "While your friend is possibly the most gifted duellist I have seen come through the ranks in my time with the Order, he is facing the Grandmaster of our Order."

She wanted to look up at her Master, but her eyes wouldn't look away from the spar as she felt something seemingly clench her heart as the Grandmaster's blade sliced through some Cam's errant hair.

"Still, the fact that Padawan Shan has forced Master Yoda to accelerate his attacks is a testament to his skill and ability with the Force," Drallig continued, his voice acting to calm her, if only a touch as again, the green blade missed Cam by the faintest of margins. "I have only seen the Grandmaster push this hard whe… By the Force!"

Her Master's exclamation likely matched her expression, as out of nowhere, Cam seemed to find another gear and began to not just match Master Yoda for speed but begin to overpower the esteemed Grandmaster.

Master Yoda leapt backwards, barely avoiding the white edge of Cam's blade as it hissed along the floor and the speed the pair were suddenly moving was a struggle for her to track, even with the distinct colouration of his blade as a guide.

Her lips turned upwards, and she felt that familiar feeling in her chest as Cam drove Master Yoda backwards, forcing the Grandmaster to leap away and place some distance between them.

Yet, even as her smile grew at knowing everyone was seeing why he was so special, Cam's face lost its calmness and she glanced to where he was looking to see Master Belfarr and the others standing.

Her brow creased as the pieces in her mind came together and she realised that Belfarr was one of the High Council members that seemed to be against Cam.

Why that would be, she didn't know. To her, Cam was everything that was right about the Force and was a shining example of what the Jedi should be. But with many on the Council seemingly against Cam, she couldn't bring herself to think about what that might mean for the Jedi Order as a whole.

She slapped down the anger that had risen inside her at the Council Member who was the likely source of all of Cam's problems with the High Council and turned her attention back to the only thing that truly mattered.

She wanted to chastise herself for being so quick to defend Cam and support his opinions, but a feeling within told her it was right for her to do so. At times it felt as though the Force itself was whispering to her, guiding her to him. Telling her to stand with him and support him as Bastila had done for Revan millennia ago.

She, like most other Initiates, had done what research she could on Force Bonds. Though Jedi were taught that emotional attachments are bad, Force Bonds were generally seen as positive – as long as they had the right dynamic. Like many others, she had wanted to explore the possibilities of using such bonds to make stronger friends and connections. She knew that Telepathy was one of the 'perks' of a bond between two force-sensitive beings.

And now she shared a Force Bond with Cam, just as Bastila had with Revan. She firmly believed that such bonds were gifts from the Force itself and that they wouldn't be bestowed on those who were neither worthy nor compatible with each other.

A Force Bond, as she saw it, was basically the Force's way of finding and linking together the best pairs in the galaxy. Master and apprentice, brother and sister...

'Husband and wife?' A small voice whispered in the back of her mind before she crushed that thought even more ruthlessly than before.

This was the wrong place, and most CERTAINLY the wrong time for her to be having those kinds of thoughts.

Her master inhaled sharply, and it drew her focus back to the present, but she could not see what had caused that beyond the speed both combatants now went at.

To her, even with the two blades to follow, it was nearly impossible. The pair had accelerated to speeds that were beyond her ability to see, and as the colours of the blades began to merge until there was nothing but a dark-green blur.

The blur lasted for no more than a dozen seconds, but when it faded, her shoulders slumped and she took an instinctual step forward at seeing Cam standing there with Yoda's blade almost touching his neck.

"The spar may be over Padawan, but they have not yet depowered their lightsabers," Drallig stated as he gripped her shoulder firmly.

"Y-yes, Master," She replied as a lump formed in her throat. She knew it was only a spar, but seeing a blade that close to her Cam's throat…

It made something inside her shake, and she felt the need to help him, to protect him, to step in front of the blade for him.

"Be mindful of your emotions, my Padawan." She blinked at her master's words as she realised that her fear for Cam, even if it was just a spar, had caused her swirling emotions to leak out into the Force, allowing her master to sense her feelings.

She reminded herself belatedly that she also shared a Force Bond with him as well, although she was certain it wasn't nearly as pronounced. Neither of them had initiated a telepathic link between them yet.

She didn't know why, but the warm feeling returned in full as she realized that her bond with Cam was far stronger than her bond with her Master.

At these thoughts, her emotions began to calm, and she was able to verbally reply, "Yes, Master."
'Emotion, yet Peace. Emotion, yet Peace. Emotion, yet Peace.'

She mentally recited the alternate version of the Code – the one Cam had mentioned to her during their Initiate trials – to herself until her concern, anger and the other emotions no longer threatened to overwhelm her senses.

That version of the Code, one used in the days of the ancient Jedi, before even the wars of the Old Republic, felt more natural to her. Yet there were times when it was still not ideal to use. Like something was missing, but she didn't know what.

Not long after she stopped the recitation, Yoda nodded at Cam turned away, and Cam turned to face her.

To her, the fact that her emotions came under control just as he did so was another sign that the Force wanted her to be beside him, and she walked to him quickly; but not too quickly. "That could've gone better," he muttered to her once she was close enough, his eyes not on here for the moment.

Her eyes followed his and saw the venerable Grandmaster reach Master Windu. The Master of the Order appeared to want to stare into Cam's very soul with the intensity of his gaze, but, when she looked back it appeared that Cam was entirely unbothered by it.

"That was incredible," her head snapped around at hearing Sia-Lan's words and discovered that she was no longer the only one standing near him. Sia, Darihd and Rachi, had all joined them, with a few more closing in, and she felt a spike of jealousy, that she quickly slapped down as Cam smiled at Sia.

Sia… was a friend to them both, not a threat, she told herself even as Cam responded to the other girl's statement.

"Not really, I lost." He replied with a small smile as he clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt and chuckled. "And badly at that."

She sensed the feeling inside return at how easily he deflected praise and didn't seek out attention. He was an ideal in the Force she wished one day to match.

"But you landed a hit on the Grandmaster!" Rachi countered, and this time she felt a jolt of anger, though she quickly pushed it down.

Rachi… was older than her and had begun to develop physically. She knew one day soon she'd start to develop similarly, but something about the lavender-skinned girl made her feel funny. It wasn't dissimilar to how Cam made her feel, but it was strange. Though it didn't seem wrong, just… different.

And she owed the older Twi'lek as if not for Rachi, she would never have heard him sing. But she had, and now, she often found herself humming one of his songs, especially 'Lean on Me', when trying to meditate or study. Much to her master's annoyance.

Anyway, Cam had said he and Rachi were just friends, and she could admit that the Twi'lek wasn't that bad of a being to be around, even if she still teased her about Cam.

And because of her, she had heard Cam's songs. Those songs were just like the stories he wrote, different, strange, and enthralling. And they always reminded her of him whenever she sang them to herself and made her feel happy inside.

And even if Rachi stayed Cam's friend, she was still his first and best friend. No-one would ever take that role from her.

"That… was a mistake," Cam replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

The others all looked confused at his words, but she understood why he had said it, and she felt herself stand taller as she explained.

"It will just draw more attention to Cam," she began, trying to not smile at how she knew him better than anyone else, "he hates the attention."

"That's about right," he said, giving her a smile that made her feel happy and sent that familiar and welcome tingle through her soul. "And I'd also prefer to have not shown what I could do so openly."

"Why though?" Asked a friendly Zeltron Padawan with bright red hair whose name escaped her for the moment. Though she did remember that the Zeltron had a laser-sharp tongue and while she looked to be a year or so younger than her and Cam, it was sometimes hard to tell on just looks alone "It gives us all a goal to achieve."

Cam looked at the girl for a moment, and she swore she felt a shift in the Force, followed by a sense of amusement, but it passed before he replied.

"I know that Aoi, but there are some here that will take it the wrong way and think I'm getting special treatment."

Darihd chuckled and slapped Cam on the shoulder.

"Cam, you have two Masters. You are getting special treatment," he countered with a smile that exposed some teeth. That drew a laugh from everyone else around them; save her and Cam.

She knew he disliked the attention, but the fact he had two masters resulted in an idea forming in her mind.

The rules stated that no Jedi may take more than one Padawan, even on a temporary assignment. That meant that if, if she could convince her own master to allow it, she could travel with Cam the next time he left the Temple.

She respected her master deeply and felt honoured to be the Padawan of the Jedi Battlemaster. But she yearned to leave the Temple and travel the galaxy. To explore strange new worlds and see other civilizations. And if she got to do that by Cam's side, all the better.

In that instant, she felt a wave of energy wash over her, and she knew it was the Force. It was telling her that this was what it wanted, what she had to do, and she promised herself and it that she would find a way to make it happen.

"A most impressive performance, Cameron."

She was dragged from her thoughts by a voice she didn't recognize, and her head pivoted to see the Senator from before had approached along with Knight C'Borath – Force, did he need to shave that beard that reached to his stomach – and Lorana.

She noted that the other Padawans had not only turned to face the newcomers but moved to place Cam at the centre of their group; with her to his right.

"I did not realise that a Jedi could move so quickly." The Senator finished as his eyes did a quick once over of the Padawans, though they lingered on her for a split second longer than the rest, before returning to Cam.

Cam rubbed the back of his neck as he responded. "It's not something I've done often, Senator Palpatine. I just… lost myself in the duel. He chuckled once, but it was a strange sound to her, as though it wasn't fully alive and more for show. "Though I realised quickly how far I still have to go to be able to stand against someone like the Grandmaster."

"Indeed. Master Yoda is an immensely powerful Jedi. Yet, from my understanding, he has had centuries to master his technique. You, my boy, have only had a few years. Most impressive."

The senator gave Cam a gentle smile, but something about it felt off about the way he looked at Cam.

A whisper, almost like a voice lost in the wind, that she felt was the Force trying to speak to her, told her to keep Cam away from the man, even as he continued.

"And I believe I said you did not have to refer to me by my title, my boy."

Cam smiled back, though as with the earlier chuckle, it wasn't quite right. The corners of his lips always twitched up when he smiled at her, yet here they didn't. It was as though Cam was wearing the smile to hide something rather than to show his true opinion.

"Of course, uncle."

A cold shiver went up her spine at hearing Cam refer to the Senator as 'uncle'. Yet she trusted Cam, and so wouldn't react to his behaviour; now she just had to hope the other Padawans didn't give Cam away.

"I was unaware you two were related Sheev," Lorana's master commented, in a burly voice that she admitted instantly drew attention to the man, earning a chuckle from the Senator as he shifted his attention from Cam to the Jedi Knight.

"We are not, Jorus. It is merely a personal joke between young Cameron and myself," he paused and indicated Cam with a hand. "He is the boy I told you who took down the kidnapping ring."

The Jedi master turned and looked Cam over carefully, his eyes seeming to take in every section of Cam's frame.

She knew he was just taking the measure of Cam, but she wasn't happy about it. Ignoring the glint that appeared in the Knight's eye, her talks with Lorana had her on edge regarding the senior Jedi present.

Lorana had talked about how her master often spoke of the fact that Jedi were superior to most withing the galaxy, and that their connection to the Force meant they should, if not be outright in command, then be very near the top of the command chain for running the Republic and the galaxy.

She didn't wholly disagree that the Jedi should have a role in leading the galaxy and being more active away from the Core to help those who were less well off. However, from how Lorana spoke, her master hinted at wanting to do more than just guide everyone else.

She'd tried to convince Lorana to talk to someone else, even just Master Drallig, the girl was too shy and unwilling to go against her master to do so. And while she wanted to help, she knew going behind Lorana's back would only result in her fellow Padawan getting in trouble, and likely cost her a friend.

"Ah, the child of Revan. Then I can understand fully why he was able to do so," the Knight extended his hand and smiled at Cam. "Jedi Knight Jorus C'baoth. A pleasure to meet you Padawan. Though I expect both of us to have moved up in the Order in the next few years. Greatness cannot be denied."

Cam took the offered hand and smiled again, though she could tell that this one was even more disingenuous, and a fleeting twitch of the Senator's lips suggested he'd picked up on it too.

"Likewise, Knight C'baoth."

Cam's reply was polite, she supposed, but he did not comment on the rather unusual statement Knight C'baoth – not C'Borath as she had thought – had made. Which was probably for the best.

She knew Cam was destined for great things, but if he so openly admitted it, he would not be the boy she liked… as a friend.

The Senator – whose name still escaped her – smiled as he looked from C'baoth to Cameron and back, though the way his eyes seemed to focus on the pair unnerved her. But she didn't know why.

"Like yourself, Cameron, Jorus here is a proponent of the Jedi being more active in the galaxy," the Senator began with a smile that reminded her of how her Master smiled at her, yet it invoked that shiver in her spine that she had felt earlier when looking at him. "Though he is far more… open than other Jedi about how that help should be applied."

"Yes, we Jedi are beyond the average citizen of the galaxy and have a duty to guide those beneath us," Master C'baoth stated with a wide smile as he continued to shake Cam's hand. "Beings with the guidance of the Force have the potential to do so much to help the galaxy from positions of importance."

She kept her face as neutral as she could as he put a voice to the opinions that Lorana had mentioned, though she did note that Master C'baoth was more subtle here than he had been when in private with his Padawan.

"I thank you for the kind words Master C'baoth, however, I prefer to leave such decisions up to my masters." To her ears, Cam's reply had was perfect. It didn't offend the older Jedi, but, if you knew Cam well enough, it made it clear he wasn't in full agreement with the Jedi Knight's ideas.

"Yes, yes. Of course," C'baoth said as he broke the handshake, a smile still on his face, though she did enjoy the fact it had slipped at Cam's subtle dismissal. "I would listen carefully to Master Dooku on such matters. He is more… enlightened than many in our Order."

Now she felt her brow crease. While Master Dooku was intimidating and standoffish, he did not suggest that the Jedi should rule over others as Lorana had hinted that Knight C'baoth did in private.

She could admit, however, that her understanding of the Makashi master was based on Cam's opinions on the man. But she trusted Cam.

"I will consider your words, Master Jedi," Cam responded with a slight bow, though she could tell he was just going through the motions. And, judging by the slight twitch of his lips, it looked like the senator could also see through Cam's actions to see the true feelings behind them.

"However, if you will excuse me, I promised my friends here to show them a few more advanced Makashi manoeuvres," Cam added as he finished the bow, instantly denying any further discussion with the Senator of Jedi Knight.

C'baoth's eyebrows turned downwards even as the Senator smiled widely.

"Of course, my boy," he waved his hand to take in her and the others around Cam, "one should always prefer the company of friends over politicians. Do enjoy your day Padawans" he added as his eyes swept over them all, but she felt they lingered on her for a moment longer than the others before they returned to Cam.

"And remember my boy, my door is always open to you, Cameron, should you feel the need to speak to someone outside of the Jedi. I feel you will do amazing things in the future and will be watching with great interest to see what you can accomplish." The Senator added as he placed a hand on Cam's shoulder. She ignored the flashing image of her cutting the offending hand off even as it was removed.

Even as he spoke those words, she felt a whisper on the wind – she felt it was the Force itself – warning her to be careful around the man and keep him away from Cam.

Cam smiled and gave the Senator a nod. "You are too kind uncle."

The Senator chuckled at Cam's words and turned to C'baoth. "I believe we have been dismissed Jorus. Though perhaps we might continue our discussion from earlier?"

C'baoth gave Cam one last look before returning the Senator's smile with one of his own. "Certainly."

She watched as the pair turned and walked away.

Lorana looked at her with sad eyes and mouthed 'sorry' before taking off after the pair.

Something about those two unnerved her. Perhaps it was just because they came at Cam together, perhaps it was because both were individually dangerous to him. She did not know exactly, but she made a vow to be ready to protect her Cam from them; and anyone else that tried to her him.

Suddenly, there was a shift in the Force, like when Cam had looked at Aoi, but this time it seemed directed at the two adults. It was a shift she had felt before when around Cam and was unique to him, but normally people didn't seem to react to it.

This time, both C'baoth and the Senator stopped, with the Senator turning around and fixing his eyes on her.

An icy shiver shot up her spine as the eyes seemed to shift for a split second and she swore she felt anger drill into her.

Though the moment passed before she could fully comprehend what had happened and the Senator turned back to Knight C'baoth as they and Lorana left the sparring room.

"Serra?"

She turned at her name and saw Cam standing behind her.

"Are you coming?" He asked, a soft smile on his face as their eyes met and she couldn't help but return the smile.

"Yeah."

As they walked off together to catch up with the waiting Padawans, and she ignored the fact that walking by his side felt like the right place to be, she let her mind wander back to her earlier idea.


After this session, she would speak with her master and do whatever it took to convince him that she should be allowed to travel with Cam and his masters the next time they left the Temple.

Though her thoughts were quickly brought back to the small conversation she'd just witnessed between Cam, Knight C'baoth and the Senator.

Something about those two continued to trouble her, and she doubled her resolve to do whatever it took to stay near to Cam.

To keep him safe from others, of course.

Though, if that meant she became better friends with him, then she wouldn't complain.
…...
(Return to Cam's POV)

As the doors to my quarters closed, I let out a sigh and collapsed onto my bed.

The duel earlier with Yoda had been eye-opening, in more ways than one.

When I'd first been informed about the spar, a quest had been generated: Trial of the Grandmaster. For the quest, I only had to survive five minutes to complete it – though given I was facing the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order and someone with hundreds of years of experience, it was still a B-rated quest.

There had been four bonus objectives, and I'd assumed they were for winning outright, or at least making Yoda work in the spar and landing a blow upon the Grandmaster.

When I'd been informed about the spar, I hadn't been given a reason for why the Grandmaster would be duelling with me, however, Fay and Dooku had explained later that it was due to me supposed status as the Chosen One and how elements within the Order were concerned about the rate of my progress.

Going into the spar, I'd known Yoda was excellent with a lightsaber – nine hundred years of experience meant he wasn't going to be weak – but I'd quickly discovered that he was so far beyond me that is was terrifying to experience.

The ease with which he adapted movements of other Forms into his preferred Ataru was incredible. And the speed and grace with which he moved around as we sparred had been breath-taking.

It was awe-inspiring, both to see and to be a part of, and up until I'd made a mistake, acting on instinct and striking him with a Force Blast, I could tell that we had both been enjoying ourselves somewhat.

I knew as soon as the blast struck him that I'd screwed up, and the faintest of smiles he gave as our eyes met afterwards confirmed that. But the speed he came at me next was just shocking.

I had never seen anyone – bar myself – move that fast before, and I understood how others must have felt when I attacked with Force Speed active. Still, if I hadn't increased my speed with the Force, I'd have been overwhelmed in seconds.

I was able to fend off the attacks, but it still shook me to see someone move so fast.

Then again, since I was only in the Master range – the fourth of the six tiers – with Force Speed it made sense that Jedi Masters would also be capable of that kind of velocity.

However, after managing to survive Yoda's onslaught, the quest and its hidden bonuses had come to the forefront of my mind and I'd decided to try to win the spar.

That had been a gross miscalculation.

While I had forced Yoda onto the defensive, I realised as he created distance between us that Palpatine was watching from above.

How he knew about the spar and arranged to be in the Temple at just the right moment to witness it, I didn't know or care about. What I did was that I'd just revealed how far I was beyond my peers to a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Though I think the smirk Yoda sent me as he landed was more terrifying than having Darth Sidious know how powerful I was and it felt as though my blood had frozen solid in fear.

My fear was confirmed as Yoda came at me with a speed I'd never seen, or imagined, before.

Even with Precognition being maxed and all but guiding my body automatically, I could barely keep up with Yoda's strikes. And about a dozen seconds after the fury was unleashed, I felt the heat of his blade at my throat with my own far unable to move to prevent my decapitation.

After we depowered our blades Yoda had expressed admiration for my prowess and commended me on my comfort with the first three Forms of lightsaber combat: especially Makashi. He was also impressed that I had taken the opening he had left early in the spar as most Knights could or did not and even other Jedi Masters were reluctant to bring in Force abilities into spars with him.

He was also impressed at how comfortable I was with using the Force to enhance my abilities, and remarked that even some Jedi Masters could not accelerate themselves as well as I had.

However, he reminded me that overconfidence was a failing that led to the death of many, including Jedi and that I should know my limitations and strive to learn to turn them from a weakness into a strength. As he had done with his height or lack thereof.

After promising to heed his warnings, I had watched as he had slowly walked over to where Windu was standing.

The Master of the Order fixed me with another one of his piercing glares, but after a few years here – and a lifetime of dealing with similar glares before I came to this universe – I wasn't concerned by them.

I wasn't arrogant to think I could take him in a duel – not least as I knew that Windu was one of the few to spar semi-regularly with Yoda – and I had learnt quickly to not place much stock in his opinions about my place in the Jedi and the Republic.

The man was very much a loyalist for the Republic, and I wondered if that loyalty had been exploited by Palpatine during the years leading up to Order 66.

I'd shifted my gaze away from the Master of the Order and called up the quest completion for Trial of the Grandmaster. Which was when I'd discovered that the bonuses were not as I'd anticipated.
There was one to win the spar, and another to land a blow on Yoda, but the last two resulted in me wanting to smash my head against a wall.

Those two had been for me to not use any outward Force abilities – I'd failed by using Force Blast – and to not reveal to others just how far I had gone in my training – which I'd failed spectacularly.

At the time, I hadn't had much time to process what the quest was saying as that was when Serra and the others arrived at my side.

Now though, in the privacy of my room, I could. And I could see the flaw that often crept into my actions.

It occurred to me that there were moments when I was more focused on the quests generated than the world around me.

I wasn't talking about the training quests, which served a similar fashion to goals I used to set myself in my old life, or quests in general.

I was meaning more how I went about things.

There were times, like earlier today, where I focused too much on the quest and all the XP it could grant me instead of the bigger picture. When that extra little bit of XP was more important to everything going on around me.

There had been times that I'd used people I considered my friends to help my skills or Force Powers improve instead of just enjoying my time with them.

I mean, the Interface could even offer me a quest to make say, ten people, into my friends by the time I was sixteen.

A Quest Alert notice appeared, but I rejected it instantly. All that did was prove that I had to be careful to not just become a person endlessly searching for a destination but making sure I enjoyed the journey that I was on.

Yes, I knew what was coming – though I felt I was altering things in ways that I didn't and couldn't fully understand – but, I realized there was no need for me to rush towards every goal set by a quest.

Taking my mind back to the review of the day – as considering what was to come for the galaxy was always a little depressing – I thought about what I talked about with Serra and the others.

The others talked about my performance against Yoda, with only Serra having an inkling of why I was annoyed at revealing the level of my abilities, though she had zoned out as the rest had talked.

Only a few minutes had passed before Palpatine and a Jedi that, until that moment, I had never heard about or seen, in this life or the last, approached.

Jorus C'baoth was…not your typical Jedi – not that I was either – but his views on the roles Jedi should play were more towards the Sith side of thinking than a Jedi's.

While his belief about a Jedi being better suited to leading others wasn't that far-fetched, his thinking that implied that a Jedi should rule over those beneath them certainly was.

I'd been as polite as I could with Knight C'baoth, but I think both Palpatine and Serra had seen though my expressions to sense how I truly felt.

While I had expected that from Palpatine, what with him being both a politician and a Sith hiding in plain sight, it was a surprise for Serra to do that.

She wasn't that high a level – being only Level 16 at thirteen years of age, which was better than all the other Padawans our age, bar me – but she was far more attuned to me than I had realised.

When I had a moment to myself, I pulled up my Force Bond listings and discovered that my bond with Serra was, like those with Fay and Dooku, High. Though the fact that I could use it to speak to her was something I was still getting used to and since the last of her last anger-induced duels with Rachi, I hadn't spoken to her that way.

I was still trying to process how our bond could be that strong, as we did not spend that much time around each other – save when I returned to the Temple – but it did explain a few of the more…concerning revelations provided to me by Observe.

Speaking of Observe, I had risked using it on Palpatine and C'baoth as they had left the sparring arena.

For C'baoth, it had told me his age and level were both 33, though with that long white beard he looked closer to Dooku's age than that. Observe had also shown that he hoped that I would one day prove his thoughts on the role of Jedi true, and wished that I was his Padawan instead of Lorana Jinzler.

I didn't know Lorana well, though I had sparred with her, but Serra counted her as a friend which made her a potential recruit for the Coalition later on. Though only once she was away from C'baoth.

For Palpatine… I winced as I pulled up the report and remembered that he had sensed me using it.
Sheev Palpatine [Darth Sidious]
Race: Human
Level: 47
Health: 100%
Age: 44
Force Potential: Very High
Threat Potential: Extreme
Reputation: Neutral [LOCKED]
Affiliation Loyalty: Himself (100%) Order of the Sith Lords (65%)
Emotional State: Calm/Intrigued/Curious
While externally calm, the Dark Lord of the Sith is internally highly intrigued by your performance.
He senses great power and potential in you and hopes to one day take you as his apprentice.
He also is curious about Jorus C'baoth and Serra Keto and feels both have a role to play in the Grand Plan.
He was only a few levels behind Fay, at about a fifteenth the age – which had me both anxious and fascinated as to what Yoda's level was – and was focused on me to become his apprentice.

Given that Maul was alive and kicking currently, and that, to the best of my knowledge so was Darth Plagueis, it was intriguing he was already planning for me to replace Maul. Yet it did make sense.

Anakin wasn't around yet, and I didn't plan to put the boy in Sidious' crosshairs. Plus, with my arrival here, and the bloodline I represented I would attract attention from the Sith for the very same reasons I did from the High Council.

Palpatine's interest in C'baoth suggested that he might become the replacement for Dooku, but the interest in Serra had confused me. At least until I'd thought about our alignment in the room when I'd cast Observe.

She had been between Palpatine and me, so it was likely that when he had sensed me using it, he had suspected that it came from her and not me.

That, more than anything I had learnt from observing Palpatine, worried me. Serra was my friend, my best friend in all actuality, and someone I planned to bring into the Coalition when she was older.


Even now, several hours later, I felt a fear building up inside me at the Sith going after Serra, but I was able to let the fear dissipate. I was far, far too young to be dealing with that shit again, but I knew I'd have to.

But unlike everyone else my age, I had a handle on what the feelings and emotions could do to me.
Still, the fear disappeared as I remembered Serra's plan; which she discussed with me after I had convinced her to try changing her style away from Ataru and promising to help her adapt to using a shoto-saber in her off-hand.

It seemed that Serra, entirely without my help or hinting – not that I was complaining, as I really did want to do a better job of making friends without quests directing my actions – was going to convince Master Drallig to allow her to accompany myself, Dooku and Fay when we next left the Temple.

I had taken her aside and, after swearing her to secrecy, told her that I hoped/planned to visit Mandalore and why.

She had pouted at hearing another female had made the offer, and it was cute to see, but her mood had improved when I'd explained how old Nia was.

If I didn't have my past life to draw on, I'd very likely be missing the signs of her developing infatuation. But even knowing it was growing, didn't help me in working out how to handle it.

Ignoring the way my body was reacting to her, Serra was…important to me.

She was the one who had brought me into contact with others our age. While it may or may not have been a dare to do so, she had kept talking with me and drawn me out of my shell.

If not for her, I suspected I'd have become entirely focused on my interface and everything linked to it; instead of the only mainly focused on it so it made sense that she was the first person who I'd make a real, non-interface guided effort, to become good friends with.

Still, even after hearing of where I planned to go and why, Serra was adamant that she be allowed to join me, so I promised to speak with Fay and Dooku about it. Which I had done just before turning in for the night.

After sharing a smile, which I pointedly played dumb about as I did not need THAT talk from a Jedi,
they both expressed their support for the idea with Fay commenting on the fact that it was good that I wanted to spend time with the people that were important to me and could help with our plans for the future.

She then warned me that placing importance on someone needed to be tempered by an understanding that they might not always agree with you or do as you want. However, it seemed they both had trust in me to understand this lesson and impart it to Serra.

I didn't say anything in return, choosing to simply nod and return to my quarters.

As I considered Serra's plan, I suspected we had a few weeks, perhaps even a month, to convince Master Drallig to allow her to accompany us. I had a few ideas about how to manage this, but in the end, all I could do was offer them to Serra and let her choose. Master Drallig was her master, so she would know him best.

Those remaining weeks would have to be enough for me to finish the handful of training quests I had running.

I hadn't managed to get the first bonus from Legendary Swordsman, but it wasn't a big deal.

Thanks to the recently completed Trial of the Grandmaster and from duelling and defeating over a dozen new Padawans and three Knights, and gaining XP from the Training Superiority quest, I was only about a thousand XP from level 23.

One thing I was making sure to do with those opponents was to pick those who were not close to the level rank for moving up. Most Knights were above Level 20 the few Jedi Masters that I'd risked using Observe on were above level 30.

Thus, I targeted only those who were more than four levels from a rank increase. It was petty, and I expected the quest to alter once I was knighted myself, but there were more than enough Jedi around for me to not waste the extra future XP for lower XP now.

I now had quests for both Ataru and Djem So, to raise the pair to Professional 1 at least. Doing that would take all my lightsaber forms, bar Juyo and its variant Vaapad to Professional level.

While I'd like to start learning those two, Dooku had forbidden me from learning Juyo until I was older and since there were only two masters of Vaapad in the order – and one was Windu – it was unlikely I would be learning the form any time soon.

For other skills, I had a quest to raise Teräs Käsi to Adept 1 and quests to get Piloting [Space] and Piloting [Atmosphere] to Professional 1.

Teräs Käsi was easy enough to learn as Bultar was more than happy to teach me, and the piloting skills I could train on a simulator; though since I spent an hour or two on them every day, I did get a few questioning looks.

While the simulator yielded less XP than actually flying, I figured it would raise fewer eyebrows than for me to constantly ask to borrow one of the temple's speeders or starfighters.

All the training quests now had a third bonus, that judging by what Legendary Swordsman stated when I completed the quest but failed the bonus objective, was to reach level 75 of the relevant tier, which made sense. As did the fact that if a skill was over level 50 of a tier, I couldn't get a training quest for the next tier. I had discovered that when I tried to generate a quest to get Hand to Hand to Savant 1 and it had rejected the quest due to the skill being at Professional 51.

At night I was abusing the Temples twenty-five per cent bonus to Force Power XP for powers like Teleport, Phase, Compulsion and Persuasion. The last two could be used on droids, but only for half XP, as it would fail, for rather obvious reasons.

I was still surprised the interface hadn't closed that loophole with the upgrade – it had closed the one where I could punch a wall and quickly gain Damage Resistance [Physical] XP easily which slowed down the increasing of that and Force Heal – but I was not complaining as both mental Force powers were in the Master range already.

I had already maxed out Enhance Senses since coming back to the Temple, taking the total of maxed powers to nine, and I expected both Detection and Comprehend Speech to be maxed by the time I left once more. This was in no small part due to the Jedi Temple bonus as well.

I dismissed the information about Sidious from my HUD, closed the interface and stood, stretching as I did.

After today I felt like a nice long shower. One good thing about being back at the Temple was not having to ration how long my showers were due to limited water supplies.

And after the shower, I figured I'd sleep and reset the clock, so to speak, on the thirty-day no-sleep advantage I had from having maxing out Force Serenity.


Recommendations for this month are; (all are on FFN, a few may be here on QQ)
Life is More Than a Game
It's Just a Game
(
Both by Orpheus Kidwell)
Playing Blind
by Abel Sephaos
Miracle
by blackshadow111
Gamer of the Void
by a-shifty-sword
All these authors are a part of the Omniverse and have their own channels there. Much like this does ;)

As always, if you wish to discuss the story, you can find me in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse at discord . gg /wd3tUYWVCd
If you do join or are already a member but haven't done so, do remember to read the rules, pick a colour, and join the cults for stories.
There's a list of recommendations for fics and a bot to offer more ideas styled to your tastes, so if you're looking for more reading options, you can use those.
Also, if you want to try your hand at a Gamer story but are short on ideas, do join. There are quite a few members of the server who have ideas but can't, for various reason, turn their ideas into stories.

From next week I will be very, very busy with work/mid-term grading.
As such the next chapter may well not arrive until the very end of November, if not early December.
 
Last edited:
Teh Adilk At Mando’ade 1
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To theshadowchaser, vargos, Kalvernus, DylanTheDemon and HighFlyingWings for help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter (All of whom are on Discord and members of the Omniverse now :) )
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I sighed and pinched my nose before I responded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Ahem!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes, Master."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"C-can we spar later?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

…...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Their ideals, while noble, were flawed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yes, Master," Serra replied while I simply nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Huh?" Serra muttered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Most impressive," Dooku commented as we boarded an aircar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Almec Itera
Race: Human
Level: 27
Health: 100%
Age: 39
Force Potential: Negligible
Threat Potential: Minimal
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: New Mandalorians (87%) Duke Adonai (52%)
Emotional State: Agitated/Interested/Concerned
Almec is uncomfortable with having a supposed child of Revan here
Though he is curious as to why you have arrived with three other Jedi
That interest is tempered with worry over how some might respond to having the Butcher of Galidraan present
Serra's reaction to my usage of Observe all but confirmed my suspicions that she could sense when I used it. I'd caught her expression and behaviour shift a few times when I'd used the power near here, but her turning to look directly at me as I used it here confirmed my theory. Though how she was able to do so, was still an unknown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Wait! That was you?!" He blurted out.

Dooku sighed as his shoulders slumped. "Sadly, yes."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As Serra processed what Fay had said, I considered this and wondered if I could use my time on Mandalore to help Dooku, and the Changing Fate quest linked to him.
Quest Altered!
Changing Fate [Dooku]
Can you change the fate of the Jedi known as Count Dooku?
Rating: A
Objectives:

  • Prevent the fall of Count Dooku and the rise of Darth Tyranus.
  • Bonus: Help Dooku come to terms with the Battle of Galidraan
  • Bonus: ?
Rewards:
  • 5000XP
  • 1000XP
Massively increased Reputation with Dooku
Pass a test of Friendship with Dooku
I blinked at a quest changing. That had never happened before, yet as I examined the new bonus condition that had appeared and been revealed, I realised that it did make sense for my idea to be added to the quest.

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

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

…...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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


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


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

If you do join or are already a member but haven't done so, do remember to read the rules, pick a colour, and join the cults for stories.
There's a list of recommendations for fics and a bot to offer more ideas styled to your tastes, so if you're looking for more reading options, you can use those.
Also, if you want to try your hand at a Gamer story but are short on ideas, do join. There are quite a few members of the server who have ideas but can't, for various reason, turn their ideas into stories.
 
Last edited:
Teh Adiik At Mando’ade 2
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter.
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.


Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo


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

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

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


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

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

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


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


Laxi Traye
Level: 24
Health: 100%
Age: 51
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Minimal
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: New Mandalorians (89%) Duke Adonai (41%)
Emotional State: Intrigued/Concerned/Curious
Laxi is wondering if there is some way to use the arrival of four Jedi to shore up support for the New Mandalorians
Though she is concerned that the arrival of so many Jedi may make some of the Warlords attempt an attack
She is also curious as to why a former member of Death Watch extended an invitation to a Jedi Padawan
I had been right about the almost-familiar face, as it was Pre Vizsla, the future leader of Death Watch. Apart from the squarer jaw and larger brow to how he was shown in the cartoon, what had confused me was the full head of blond hair. While it was true that in The Clone Wars he had first been seen with golden hair that was combed down and back, he had lost it in later episodes, so the flowing locks were a surprise. Yet, given it was about fourteen years earlier in the timeline, it did make sense that he'd have more hair now than he would in the future.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


Satine Kryze
Race: Human
Level: 18
Health: 100%
Age: 17
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Minimal
Reputation: Disliked
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (61%) New Mandalorians (58%) Duke Adonai (53%)
Emotional State: Annoyed/Angered/Curious
Satine is irritated that you are instantly dismissive of the work done by the New Mandalorians
She is angry that you seem to be suggesting a return to the old ways, which she feels are responsible for the death of her mother and youngest brother
Though she is curious about the Jedi and wishes to learn more about their message of peace
Bo finding Serra cute was unexpected – though as a random clip from the cartoon flashed through my mind, it did hint at a fan-theory I'd heard about regarding Bo. If I was mentally the same age as I was physically, I would likely have been jealous of that. As I wasn't, I was not jealous and hoped that having someone other than me show an interest in her might help Serra with whatever seemed to be bothering her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • 2500XP
  • 1500XP
  • 1250XP
Failure:
  • The death of both Kryze sisters before the outbreak of galactic war
Large reputation loss with all Mandalorians
  • The death of Adonai Kryze
  • The death of Dorgo Kryze
Accept?
Yes/No

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

"Satine! That is enough!" growled Adonai from behind.

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

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

"B-but father, he insulted everything we're doing here!" Satine protested.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Master Jedi," Satine said with a curtsey.

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

Adonai Kryze
Race: Human
Level: 34
Health: 98% (inflamed knee)
Age: 50
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Intermediate
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (100%) New Mandalorians (31%)
Emotional State: Curious/Amused/Disappointed
Adonai is intrigued about you, even more so now that he knows you are the Padawan of Master Dooku
He is entertained at how easily you put down two groups he does not like
But is unimpressed with how quickly his daughter lost her temper and moved to defend the New Mandalorians
Nothing there was unexpected, save the fact he had an inflamed knee, though learning he was not fully on board with the ideals of the New Mandalorians was encouraging. Just like his son, this meant he was likely one of the things keeping Bo and Satine together. And if his death could be avoided, then perhaps I could use it to prevent that falling out and maybe even gain his support for the future.

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

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

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

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

"You're the Butcher of Galidraan!" Bo blurted out.

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


"Bo!" "BO!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

"We would be delighted," Fay replied with a smile.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Kill him before he can re-unify Death Watch
  • Kill him after he has re-unified Death Watch
  • Persuade him to find another path that is better in keeping with Mandalorian tradition
  • Convince him to join a faction of your creation before the outbreak of galactic war
Rewards:
  • 1000XP + Combat XP
  • 1000XP + Combat XP + Darksaber
    Variable reputation increases and decreases with members of Death Watch
  • 4000XP
  • 6000XP
Failure:
-1000XP
Pre Vizsla becomes a nemesis
Death Watch will be permanently aligned against you and your allies
The highly probable death of someone close to you
Accept?
Yes/No


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

  • Ensure she is not a member of Death Watch by the time galactic war breaks out
  • Kill her to ensure this
  • Convince her to remain loyal to her family and/or the New Mandalorians until the outbreak of galactic war
  • Persuade her to join a faction of your own creation before the outbreak of galactic war
Rewards:
  • 1000XP
  • 1000XP + Combat XP
  • 1500XP
  • 5000XP
Failure:
-850XP
Bo-Katan Kryze becomes a nemesis
Likely death of someone close to you
Accept?
Yes/No
As we exited the throne room and moved down the corridors, I considered the two quests.

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

……

"I see your eyes are drawn to our shared history."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Curious about the pair, I used Observe.

Tor Vizsla
Level: 20
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 18
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Disliked
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Vizsla (89%) Death Watch (47%) New Mandalorians (15%)
Emotional State: Curious
Tor is interested in learning more about you due to how his aunt described you and when you come from.
He is also intrigued to meet the person responsible for the death of his uncle, the apprentice of the Butcher of Galidraan and the supposed child of Revan.

Naz Vizsla
Level: 17
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 15
Force Potential: Intermediate
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Vizsla (82%) Death Watch (22%) New Mandalorians (10%)
Emotional State: Curious/Intrigued/Confused
Thanks to her aunt, Naz is fascinated by you, and who you are descended from.
She also thinks you're cute, for an adiik.
Though she wonders why her father wants her to get close to you and Serra.
I managed to avoid frowning in confusion. Nia was their aunt, which seemed to suggest that the pair were Pre's children. But nothing in my knowledge hinted at him having children. Given that I was seeing them now, I could only speculate that they, like Adonai and Dorgo, had died in the years leading up to the Clone Wars.

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

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

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

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

"Ah, yes," Adonai's jovial tone lessened, and he shook his head. "Understandable."

There was a brief pause before Pre spoke up.

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

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

"So it's true that he is from the past?" Tor asked.

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nia's smile grew and she lifted her chin a touch as she replied. "As always."

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Dooku was silent for a moment before nodding his consent.

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

[Keep the velocities simple and slow, Padawan.]

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

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

[Yes, Master.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As we spoke, I examined her more carefully.

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

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

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

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

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

Which thankfully came as a chime sounded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Naz smirked at my reaction "That's a good sign."

"Not for my nose it isn't," I countered with a smile, and she laughed.

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

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

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

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

"It's nice, and it certainly tastes better than it smells," I replied once I'd swallowed.

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

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

"Breathe through your mouth," I said in a voice barely above a whisper. "It's actually quite nice."

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

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

"It's not too bad," Serra mumbled out after swallowing, "but the smell…"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Nast be Me'sums?" Serra asked, drawing everyone's attention.

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

"I assume that's for what happened at Malachor V?" I asked, earning a nod from Bo.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adonai scoffed. "He acted a coward. He got what he deserved."

"Father! That is Lady Nia's husband you speak of," Satine pleaded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I…"

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

"Cameron?" Fay asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Trust me.]

She nodded and turned to Adonai. "I accept the terms."

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

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

"Thank you," Fay said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


I can also still be found in Shiro's Omniverse at discord.gg/wd3tUYWVCd
This server is for gamer stories, general conversations, playing games and hanging out with friends.
 
Last edited:
Teh Adiik At Mando’ade 3
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.

A/N: Yup. 2 chapters inside a week. It's a Christmas miracle :p
Wherever you are, try to enjoy the new year, and see you'll in 2021.
Also, this chapter takes the actual story passed 250k words. WOOHOO!

Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo


I watched silently as Bo easily blocked a punch from Serra by trapping the other girl's arm against her body. She then pivoted hard, which resulted in Serra stumbling forwards, then pushed down on the trapped arm with her free hand.

Serra, with one arm trapped by Bo, had no recourse as Bo forced her down to the ground then placed her knee down on Serra's neck with enough force that my fellow Padawan grimaced.

"Two-zero to Bo," I called out.

Bo gave me another glare at shortening her name but said nothing as she released her grip on Serra and stepped backwards while Serra growled and punched the mat in anger.

[Focus. Giving in to that anger, letting it control you means you'll lose sight of what you're trying to do.] I said telepathically to Serra and I watched her take a deep breath and the flaring anger I sensed from her began to lessen. [Better. True strength comes not from the quick and easy, but from hard work and dedication.]

Serra gave the barest of nods to indicate that she heard and understood my words and I turned my attention to Bo, who was glaring at me still after my usage of the contracted form of her name.

Thanks to an agreement that we'd come to until she was able to defeat me in a spar, I would be free to keep calling her by the nickname. And since she had failed to score more than a few points against me in several dozen spars, I didn't expect to lose that privilege any time soon.

"Serra, you need to not telegraph your attacks," I offered to my friend verbally along with reassurance through the Force. "Bo's been learning close quarters combat for as long as you've been training with a lightsaber."

"So why can you beat her then?" Serra snapped back, though there was no real anger in her tone, suggesting she was anger more at herself than my commentary.

"Wasn't it you who told me Cameron was special?" Bo countered with her own question as she reached her starting position and adopted a stance from Beskar'pel. Serra, after quietly talking to herself and schooling her expression, adopted a similar stance, though I spotted a flaw.

"Serra, widen your stance," I called out and even in her current mood, she listened and shifted her rear foot back enough so that she was in the base stance of the style. "Good. Begin."

As the two began again, I considered why it was that I was watching the pair spar for what was the sixty-third time since I had arrived on Mandalore.

It had only been just over two local weeks since our arrival, meeting with Duke Adonai and Pre Vizsla and dinner with their combined families. Though those two weeks here were closer to three in galactic terms and this shift between local and galactic calendars was something that happened every time we travelled to a new world. And this difference in planetary time systems was something that always brought a small smile to my lips as it always reminded me that I was now living in a different galaxy.

Since our arrival on-planet and the dinner with the Kryze and Vizsla families, we had been the guests of the Duke in Sundari and it was currently one of the two major breaks in education that occurred on Mandalore. By a quirk of the Force, Satine was currently on a break from the Coruscant Academy for Government and Diplomacy, which was why she was on Mandalore when we arrived instead of the capital of the Republic.

The day after our arrival, the Duke had arranged a small training area for us to use. As with the conference room where we had first waited, and our assigned quarters, I had examined the room with Force Sight and as with our quarters, it appeared to be clean from any sort of recording devices.

Later that very day, while Serra and I were going through another training session for her in Makashi, Bo-Katan and Naz had shown up. They had been sent by their fathers – and with the permission of Fay and Dooku – to get to know us better. While that made sense since the two would be our main points of contact while on Mandalore, I had easily sensed Serra's apprehension and suspicion at the two elder girls wanting to spend time with us.

Upon seeing that Serra and I were sparring, Naz had suggested that we spar together as it would help build familiarity between us. The initial spars had been unbalanced as I was able to use the Force to dominate the others, while Serra was able to hold her own against the pair.

As such, we had both promised to not actively use the Force while sparring. This hadn't changed the fact I was still superior at hand-to-hand than the others, but it had resulted in Serra dropping to last in our little group.

While she did not let that get her down – indeed, she was the one who sparred the most – Serra had been visibly uncomfortable when Bo had physically helped her with her posture and positioning. I hadn't brought it up with Serra, but what I sensed from her when Bo touched her was the same as what I'd sensed during dinner. Perhaps she was just unused to the attention from others or was uneasy with being close to others she didn't know. Regardless of why it was, she'd grown more accepting of the help, even if Naz's teasing still embarrassed her.

After I had dominated the Force-free spars with Naz and Bo, I had hoped that they would not wish to spar with me so much. However, the opposite had occurred and in retrospect it made sense. Especially when I considered my words about real Mandalorians having to prove themselves against stronger opponents. It also explained why they were so accommodating of Serra's constant need to spar as they saw it as her challenging herself to become stronger.

Since the pair wouldn't back off in challenging me, I had taken to calling Bo-Katan 'Bo' verbally instead of just mentally and I now called Naz 'Little-Nia'. I had promised that I'd stop calling them those nicknames once the managed to defeat me, but with Serra challenging them more than they could challenge me, and the advantages I had from my stats, carried over skills, and skill growth, the chances on the pair getting me to stop using the nicknames before my verd'goten were slim.

Naz had taken the teasing via a nickname far better than Bo at first, Bo had reluctantly grown to accept my usage of her nickname. Serra had been annoyed that I gave the pair nicknames – which I had to admit wasn't unexpected, but at least she hadn't been out and out angry about them – and she had tried to use them as well.

Neither Mandalorian was willing to accept the nickname from someone they deemed as weaker – even if she was my friend – but told Serra that the day she beat one of them, she could use the appropriate nickname until she lost again. Sadly, with the current disparity in skills, Serra had the same chance of getting to use the nicknames as Bo and Naz had in getting me to stop using them. And even if she had a few years on-planet, I doubted Serra would be able to take down Bo. While younger than Naz, the redhead was easily the superior fighter and if not for my advantages, I doubt I could take her down in a spar.

Though, to give the girl her due, she wasn't going to stop trying. Hence why this was her sixty-third spar with Bo, to go along with forty-seven spars with Naz.

When there wasn't a hand-to-hand spar going on, Serra and I spent the rest of our time in this room training with our lightsabers. Bo and Naz were more than happy to just watch those spars, though I also suspected they were trying to develop strategies for countering Jedi in combat. Because of the sizable disparity in skill, most of that time wound up with me taking the role of instructor, as I was still teaching Serra the basics of Makashi along with general tricks and combos for hand-to-hand combat.

When I wasn't in this room sparring, coaching or teaching, I had spent a fair amount of time with the heirs to Clans Kryze and Vizsla, Dorgo and Tor.

The two older boys were both curious about the time I had come from; specifically, what I remembered or had heard about Revan and the Mandalorians. While I suspected that Tor was doing this under orders from his father as much as for his love of history, I saw nothing wrong with him learning about history – or at least my personal spin on it.

Dorgo was less enthusiastic about what I knew, but still asked questions. And where Tor's were more about the history of when I come from, Dorgo's were about what Mandalorians had been like back then. From what additional usage of Observe told me about the pair, both Dorgo and Tor were slowly losing loyalty to the New Mandalorian and Death Watch factions, respectively. Which was something I felt would be a good thing in the long run.

Satine, in a rather unexpected twist – but one that I was hopeful would temper her more… extreme views – had spent a few hours every day with Fay. I didn't know what they were speaking of specifically, but Serra – who had sat-in on a few of the discussions – had let me know that they were mainly discussing how to balance ideals and avoid going too far to one extreme or the other. She didn't elaborate beyond that, but I suspected that Fay was planting the idea of what I felt about balance into Serra while working to – I hope – show Satine why the ideals of the New Mandalorians were just as flawed as those of Death Watch.

Dooku generally kept to himself, though I had seen him a few times speaking with Duke Adonai quietly after meals and also caught him in conversation with Fay several evenings. I never knew what those talks were about, but I hoped that they were helping Dooku deal with his feelings of failure regarding Galidraan.

I was drawn out of my thoughts as the doors opened with their usual swish-hiss sound, and I turned to see Naz step into the room.

She gave me a nod then rolled her eyes at seeing Bo and Serra sparring.

"Again?" She asked once she was close enough. Though thankfully, she didn't step too close.

She had toned down her behaviour since the dinner, which was a relief. Having a teenager show interest in me was only slightly less unsettling than having someone just shy of being a teenager show interest.

"Your girl's getting better," Naz commented as Serra blocked a kick from Bo and used the momentum of doing so to launch a counterattack. While that attack missed, the counterattack was something Serra wouldn't have even thought about a few weeks ago.

"Yeah," I replied as Bo managed to clip Serra's leg, but was unable to land the winning blow as Serra quickly rolled away, again using Bo's attack to guide and power her movements.


"She sure is flexible," Naz added as she gently hit her shoulder against my arm. "Imagine how good she'll be once she's a little older."

I ignored that comment.

Since Serra had started to challenge Naz and Bo, Naz had countered by beginning to flirt with Serra much as she had done with me when we'd first arrived. While those flirtations had been dialled back with me – either because I didn't rise to them, or someone told her to – they had stayed constant with Serra.

Bo had also shifted to more verbal comments as Serra became comfortable with the physical contact. And their combined efforts were affecting my friend.


It was easy for me to sense Serra's confusion about the comments and attention, and while she tried her best to ignore it – save for her face doing regular impressions of a tomato and/or her eyes bulging out – I had begun to sense that she was beginning to enjoy the attention. Though the confusion remained.

"She really doesn't give up, does she?" Naz stated, seemingly trying to draw me into conversation. And since this one was not laced with any obvious innuendo, I responded.

"Once she sets a goal, Serra is very determined about achieving it."

Naz chuckled. "That's a good trait to have. And she does not shy away from combat. She'd make a fine Mandalorian, as would you." I gave her a sideways glance, which she replied to with a smirk and wink.

We both turned our attention back to the spar, and Naz sighed. "But she's not even ready to take me on, never mind Bo." Naz had adopted the nickname I had given Bo-Katan not long after hearing me use it.

"She knows, but she still tries."

"I believe there's a saying about trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?"

I chuckled at that. Hearing that the expression existed here as well was amusing and comforting.

"There is but remember that Serra's not actively trying to use the Force. If she did, she could likely now take the pair of you down in seconds."

"Only if we let her prepare," Naz retorted as she lifted her chin high and adopted a firmer stance. "We have trained since birth to fight Jedi."

"I thought we were all members of the Republic?" I said with another chuckle. "And just because you've trained to fight us, doesn't mean you can win."

"You think so?" Naz asked as she turned to face me.

"I know so," I replied with a smirk as I played into her pride and determination. Nothing wrong with friendly teasing, so long as it was only that. "I've beaten both you and Bo without actively using the Force."

"Ah, but we're going easy on you," Naz retorted, her hands coming to rest on her hips as our eyes locked. "No way you could take us on if we went all out. Or worked together."

I stifled a laugh at the bravado and opened my mouth to respond.

"Oof!"

My attention, and that of Naz's, returned to the spar and we saw the Bo had forced Serra to the ground while controlling one of her arms via a simple armbar.

"Point and match to Bo," I called out just as the girl in question lowered herself onto Serra's stomach, her knees either side of my fellow Padawan.

"I-I'm not out," Serra replied weakly, only to grunt as Bo twisted her arm.

"Serra…" my voice deepened, and she sighed.

"Fine! G-get off me."

Bo leaned forward and whispered something into Serra's ear. I could've used Enhance Sense to hear what was said, but the way Serra's face instantly turned the colour of a Sith lightsaber made me glad that I hadn't.

As the pair stood – with Serra cautiously accepting a hand up from Bo even while her face continued to look like it was on fire – Naz stepped towards them.

"Cameron here thinks he can take us both on in full-contact," Pre's daughter said loudly.

Bo's eyes narrowed as her head snapped around to look at me. "Big words from a small boy."

Even as I saw Serra's eyes drill into the back of Bo's head, I laughed. "Nothing small about me princess."

Bo's lips twitched and she stepped forward until we were almost nose to nose. "Then put up or shut up."

I felt my brow rise as I smiled. "Hmm?"

"Let's make this fun," Naz said as she stepped back into my sightline and placed an arm over Serra's shoulders. Which resulted in my fellow Padawan's cheeks regaining their lost redness.

"The three of us against you. If we win, then you have to do whatever we say for a whole day – and that's one day for each of us – once you've passed your trials."

Naz's eyes seem to dance over my body as she suggested the terms, while Bo allowed a smile to spread across her lips. Serra, well she looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights even as the colour in her cheeks drained rapidly and I sensed worry, excitement and confusion rolling off her in waves.

"And when I win?" I asked, stressing that I knew I would even as I casually unclipped my lightsaber and placed it beside where Serra's main blade was sitting. The smaller shoto was back in our quarters as I was making a few… adjustments to it.

Naz shrugged. "Same. You can command each of us for a day." She replied with a wink. "We'll do anything you say. Anything." She finished with a lick of her lips.

Ignoring the complete lack of subtlety in that suggestion, I replied. "Winner is the last one standing."
"Deal."

"Uh, I, um…" Serra began only for Bo and Naz to pull her to the far side of the room.

[Cameron, is everything alright?] Fay asked mentally.

[Yes, Master. Serra and I are just sparring with our hosts.]

[Ah. How is Serra?]

I bit my lips to avoid letting a chuckle escape me as I saw Bo and Naz pull the girl in question in close so they could whisper a plan. I also noted that both Mandalorians were staying very close to my friend. They weren't touching her – likely because they were taking the upcoming spar seriously – but they were in so close that I could sense Serra's confusion and worry growing rapidly.

Still, I turned away and let them plan.

[She's fine. Our hosts are just being… very friendly with her.]

A burst of amusement came across the bond as Fay spoke mentally once more. [Very well. Have fun. Though do be mindful of the feelings of others.]

[Yes, Master.] I replied as I felt Fay withdraw from the telepathic conversation.

Fay had spoken with me a few nights ago about how Serra was handling the interest shown in her and me by the two Mandalorian girls. And while Fay trusted that I would be able to handle things suitably enough, she was concerned that our fellow Jedi would struggle.

I'd promised to keep an eye on her and step in if I felt the local pair got out of hand, but honestly, I saw nothing wrong in what was happening and felt that, in the long run, it would benefit Serra to face such emotions now instead of later.

I had also noted that Serra's obvious interest in me had, if not dissipated, at least been brought under control. And while that was likely a result of us receiving 'The Talk' – and possibly her talks with Fay – I had also been more careful of my actions around her.

In retrospect, I easily saw that simple gestures like placing a finger to her lips to silence her had enflamed her feelings and I was actively keeping a safe distance between us. Thankfully, Serra hadn't picked up on this, or if she had, there'd been no reaction to it. I did, however, wonder why I had done such things in the first place.

Mentally, I knew better than to initiate physical contact with someone who was interested in me, yet I had done still done so. I had no idea why I had, and nothing had appeared in the help sections of my Interface to suggest that the update had altered my body or mind to be more emotional/childish.

Yet it was clear when reviewing my actions around Serra, and others, that I had acted in ways that didn't quite line up with how I would have if I was still an adult.

"Are you finished daydreaming?" Naz called out and I turned back to see all three were standing ready on the far side of the mat. While Bo and Naz looked confident, Serra was haemorrhaging worry through the Force. "Or do you need more time to imagine how badly we'll beat you?"

I shook my head as a smile spread across my face. "Not imagining anything. Heck, I'm so confident, I'll let you call the start." I retorted as I adopted a base stance from my old life. Mentally I activated Bullet-Time and Force Speed.

While I could easily take out all three TK, I figured beating them badly without using the Force offensively was the more civilised approach. I planned to win, not beat them so badly they didn't want to spar anymore.

"Begin," Naz said with a smile still dancing on her lips.

The two Mandalorians moved forward together, Serra a step behind likely as support, as I felt my smile grow as I took a step forward moved to meet them.

……

"You wished to speak with us?" Dooku asked as I stepped out into the general area of our guest quarters within the palace.

"Yes, Master," I replied as I took a seat at the table where he, Fay, and Serra were seating. While Fay and Dooku were calm and met my gaze, Serra wouldn't. Likely this was because of the three-on-one spar, and the six rematches that had followed.

As I'd expected, I'd won rather handily every time and now each of the three owed me a week's worth of servitude. While I had no intention of using that for anything nefarious, Naz had not been shy about offering suggestions about how they could serve me. Bo had laughed them off – either because she was well aware of Naz's joking/flirtatious nature or she didn't expect me to do take any of Naz's words seriously – but Serra... well, she hadn't taken the suggestions well.

Hence why she still refused to meet my gaze several hours later.

"Padawan?" Dooku asked again as I got caught up in my thoughts.

The topic I wanted to discuss was something I'd been thinking about for a while, but now that I had the chance to discuss it, I was… concerned. If I didn't handle things correctly, then I ran the risk of revealing my more unusual powers. And while I trusted the trio, and I had a Trusted reputation with all of them, it was still a risk.

"Sorry, Master. I was just… thinking," I paused and took a breath before using Observe on the table we were sitting around.

Fay and Dooku barely reacted, though they shared a glance, while Serra's head snapped up and her eyes locked onto mine. That drew the attention of both my masters as both turned to look at my fellow Padawan.

"You all felt that?" I asked slowly.

"We did," Dooku replied just as slowly. "And while Master Fay and I have sensed whatever you have been doing with the Force for several years, I must admit that I did not realise that Padawan Keto could also sense it."

Serra gulped and broke eye contact. "Um, I… I started sensing it when Cam returned to the Temple last year." She turned her attention back to me, though she refused to meet my gaze. "Though it was just after your spar with the Grandmaster that I was sure you were the source."

"Hmm," Dooku gently stroked his beard. "What made you sure it was Cameron that was the source?"

"He, uh, used the ability on Knight C'baoth and the Senator," Serra replied only for her brow to crease. "Not sure why the Senator could sense it though."

"Which Senator was this?" Dooku asked Serra, though his eyes were focused on me.

Serra's eyes narrowed. "Palpatine." I felt my brow rise at the resentment that came from her as she said his name. Both in her tone and through the Force.

"Indeed." While Dooku was replying to her, his attention seemed to drill into my skull, and I wondered if he was remembering my rather blunt rejection of the idea of Sifo-Dyas reaching out to Palpatine just before we'd met Padmé.

While having Dooku suspicious of Palpatine was useful, having him beginning to suspect that there might be a link between the Senator and the Sith could be disastrous. While I had confidence in Dooku's abilities with a lightsaber and suspected he could possibly match Sidious in a lightsaber-only duel, I doubted he would be able to take out the Sith Lord in a full battle.

Even if it was over a decade before Sidious grew in power to such a place that he was able to engage Windu and Yoda in combat and seemingly have a chance of winning, I was still concerned that the Sith may be too much for Dooku to handle. Sidious seemed to favour using the Force to win his fights instead of his lightsaber, from what I'd gathered during the few times Sidious had actually fought in The Clone Wars and the movies. And Dooku's skills in that area could be best described as ordinary for a Jedi Master; if such an oxymoron was permitted in this context.

"I think that was just because C'baoth turned as well," I offered while glad that my thoughts and internal feelings were hidden by Telepathic Shield from my masters, even as I calmed my emotions so they couldn't sense any worry or apprehension from me via our Force bonds. "He reacted to my action as well."

Serra thought about it before shrugging. "Eh, maybe. I, I just don't like the Senator."

"Why do you say that?" Fay asked, though again I noted that her attention was more on me than Serra. Serra, however, didn't notice as her attention returned to the table in front of her.

"Um, it felt like the Force was trying to warn me about him." She paused and shrugged. "May-maybe it was just my, my emotions but… he felt… wrong. I, I didn't want him near Cam."

Serra's eyes met mine for an instant, and her cheeks reddened as they did before she looked down at the table again. "I know he's your friend, but I don't like him."

"He's not really a friend," I said with a small smile. "Just someone I've met that seems to have taken an… interest in me."

"Indeed," Dooku agreed. "While I have spent less time with the Senator since Cameron became our Padawan, what time we do spend together is often prefaced by him asking after you." Dooku's eyes locked onto mine. "Before, I felt the interest was, perhaps, a fraction too familial. Now, based on Padawan Keto's comments, I wonder if his interest in Cameron is more than just casual."

"Perhaps it still is, however when you add in Cameron's comments regarding our… thoughts on the future, it does raise several questions that we need to address," Fay added in agreement with her fellow Jedi Master. "And I suspect that this ability of Cameron's will also play into this discussion."

"Um, yes, Master," I said before licking my lower lip.

I didn't need to, but the brief pause gave me time to reorder my thoughts as this was not how I expected this reveal to go. Though I should have planned for Serra commenting on Sidious sensing my usage of Observe. More and more, the spar with Yoda and the aftermath was feeling like a disaster.

In the months before we'd left, several senior Knights and a handful of Jedi Masters had approached me to spar.

I had rejected all but a few of those offers, and of the dozen or so I'd accepted, I'd intentionally lost as many as I'd won. Oh, I felt I could've won almost all of them – bar the ones against Plo Koon and Giiett – but doing so would shatter what remained of my intended cover of being 'just another Padawan'. Though I could admit that ever since I'd arrived at the Temple, that had been a flawed cover. Nothing about my growth in skills and Force abilities was in any way normal.

Based on my level – now at 23 – it was only a matter of time before I was promoted to Knight, though if I was in the High Council's position, I would try to delay it for a few more years. Likely until I was sixteen at a minimum.

"Cameron?" Fay said drawing me out of my thoughts about the failure of my cover.

"Right, sorry. Um, well a few years ago I was curious if I could use the Force to sense details about people," I began, quickly returning to my reveal of Observe. "And it worked...sort of. I mean, I can get an idea of how someone is feeling, what they think of me – in a very general sense that is – and an idea of their Force Potential."

"Initiate Zill?" Dooku offered and I nodded.

"Yeah. I, um, I've been using the ability on anyone I could, though not senior Jedi Knights or Masters. It seems they can sense it."

There was silence from the three as they considered my words and Fay and Dooku turned to look at each other. Likely they were engaged in a mental conversation about what I'd…

"What does it say about me?" Serra blurted out.

"Um," I mumbled as I tried to think of how to phrase things without embarrassing her.

"Hmm, I admit I am curious about how this ability of yours works and what it would reveal about us as well," Dooku stated and Fay nodded along.

"Okay," I said slowly before doing as they wanted.
Fay
Race: Sephi-Human Hybrid
Level: 50
Health: 100%
Age: 725
Force Potential: Very High
Threat Potential: Very High
Reputation: Trusted Friend
Affiliation Loyalty: The Coalition (64%) Jedi Order (55%) Republic (43%)
Emotional State: Curious
Fay is curious to finally learn about your unique Force ability.
She is also wondering how it works and if others could learn it.


??? Dooku
Level: 38
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 65
Force Potential: Very High
Threat Potential: High
Reputation: Trusted Acquaintance
Affiliation Loyalty: The Coalition (68%) Jedi Order (51%) Republic (33%)
Emotional State: Curious/Apprehensive
Dooku is curious about how this ability of yours works.
He also wonders if it could be used to root out threats to your plans.
Though he is unsettled by how often concerns are raised about Senator Palpatine.


Serra Keto
Level: 16
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 12
Force Potential: High
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Honoured Friend
Affiliation Loyalty: You (82%) Republic (64%) Jedi Order (62%)
Emotional State: Curious/Concerned
Serra wonders if she can learn this new power.
Though she is worried it will reveal how she feels about you.
And that she is feeling freer here than on Coruscant.
Before you ask, we have decided to keep the surprise of what your Human Master's given name is from you.
We have done this because, truthfully, we would rather you earned the right to know it instead of cheating.
And we don't wish to spoil the moment when you do learn it.
I frowned at the small notice from TPTB. Having them restrict information from me, even something as trivial as Dooku's given name was concerning. However, since I was here at their choice, I had no choice but to accept their decision on the matter. Though honestly, I agreed that earning the right to know the name was better than just having it given to me.

"Ah, so that is what I felt all those years ago," Fay commented as I used the power first on her.

"It… tingles?" Serra added slowly as she waggled her fingers as though trying to get feeling back into them.

"What does this power reveal about us?" Dooku asked, cutting straight to the topic.

"Um, well, you're all curious about this ability of mine, but Master Dooku and Serra are both worried, though for different reasons. It also says you all have at least a high potential to use the Force," I explained in vague terms. Explaining the full details of what Observe revealed was not something I planned to do anytime soon, if ever.

"Does it tell you anything else?" Fay asked cautiously as Serra seemed to shrink into herself.

"Um, it hints that, uh, you and Master Dooku would be… difficult to defeat in combat," I added before shrugging, "Though I knew that already."

Fay gave me a smile at the comment, while Dooku gave a fractional nod as I remembered the one time the pair had duelled with me present.

While Fay may not wield a lightsaber and was known more for her way with words more than her combat skills, the spar had not been the victory for Dooku that I had expected. Instead, Fay had shown several rather creative ways to use the Force to keep an armed opponent at distance and on the defensive before she was able to win the spar.

While none of what Fay did was new to me – or at least it didn't result in the generation of new Force Powers – it did show me a few interesting ways to use the Force, particularly when Fay had created a Force illusion so convincing that Dooku had attacked it and exposed himself to an attack from Fay that neither of us sensed until she dropped the illusion.

That had me pushing Force Illusion further up the list of powers I planned to train while on Mandalore.

"Indeed," Dooku said slowly. "I for one am glad that the mystery around this ability of yours has been explained."

"Um, Master Dooku, why are you and Master Fay so calm about Cam using a new Force ability?" Serra asked.

Fay smiled at the girl. "Tell me child, when Cameron uses this… unexpected ability, does the Force warn you? Does this ability feel tainted or a threat?"

"No." Serra shot back quickly. "Cam would never hurt me."

A few months ago, I would have been worried about how quick she was to defend me – or fight others who seemed to be close to me. However, since I'd interrupted her spar with Rachi, Serra had been toning down her… possessive tendencies.

Add in that since 'The Talk', she'd spend regular time talking with Fay, and hadn't shown any outward signs of those tendencies around Bo and Naz – though that could likely be because the pair were teasing her so much – and I felt that whatever had brought it on was now under control. Though it was something to be cautious about over the next few months once Dooku and Fay left.

"No, I don't think he would," Fay replied with a small smile as her eyes darted my way. "Nor would you, him. However, the lack of warning from the Force is but one thing which has reassured both Master Dooku and myself about Cameron's ability."

There was silence as Serra seemed to process what Fay had said before she nodded.

"Yeah. The Force would warn us of a threat," Serra stated.

"It should. However, relying entirely on the Force to determine where a threat exists is… naïve at best," Dooku countered as his lips narrowed. "We must be constantly vigilant to threats that the Force is blind to."

Serra's brow creased and she titled her head. "How could one blind the Force?"

"It is difficult, but not impossible," Fay replied slowly. "However, that is a discussion for when you are older and wiser. Now, we wish to discuss how you both should behave once Master Dooku and I leave."

"Hey! It's not like I keep looking for trouble." I said as everyone shifted their gaze to me. Though I couldn't deny that I did seem to attract unwanted attention.

"It is not. However, the Force works through us, and clearly, it has decided to place you in situations that are more… volatile than most would encounter." Dooku countered. "Thus, we wish to ensure that you are both aware of how to conduct yourselves while you are staying here and confirm that you do not wish to keep your lightsabers with you."

I felt myself frown and opened my mouth to answer.

"We're here as the guests of the ruler of the planet, Master Dooku," Serra said, unintentionally cutting me off. "We know we need to obey the local planetary rules."

"And we know the Mandalorians do not like Jedi. But if we openly kept our lightsabers, it would only make them more likely to attack us," I added, repeating a reason that I had used the previous thirteen times this discussion had come up.

Instead of trying to counter my reason, as I had expected, Dooku simply held up a hand. "I am not here to once more argue the point with you. While I do not agree with your choice, I respect it. No, I simply wish to confirm, before Master Fay and myself leave in the morning that you are both still committed to this course."

"We are," I said for both of us as Serra nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Then all I shall say on the matter is to be constantly vigilant and trust no one." Dooku said giving us a head tilt in acceptance.

"And perhaps you could try to be more… diplomatic with your words," Fay added with a chuckle. "The Duke's eldest daughter is… not a fan of your opinions."

"Eh," I responded with a shrug. "I'm not a fan of hers either."

"Thankfully, Lady Satine will leave with us tomorrow. She is due to finish her studies on Coruscant before beginning a term as an assistant to this sector's current Senator. Duke Adonai plans for her to eventually become the Senator for the sector while her brother will assume leadership of the planet and sector." Fay explained. "And while the girl has some… extreme ideals, her heart is in the right place."

I said nothing, preferring to hold my tongue. Did I regret being so blunt when we'd first met? No. I knew where her blind idealism would lead, and the damage it would cause.

In retrospect, I should have been more concerned about offending Adonai than attacking Satine. However, the Duke had not told me off and the subtle signs I'd detected suggested he agreed with my words, even if he couldn't verbalise them around his allies.

"We should discuss your verd'goten," Dooku said, changing the topic rather abruptly. "You understand that completing this trial will not be well-regarded by the High Council?"

I nodded. "I do, but I'm doing it anyway."

"Um, verd'gaten?" Serra asked and it occurred to me that I had not told her about it. Nor had it been mentioned by Bo or Naz as anything more than a trial.

"The verd'goten," Fay began, correcting the girl's pronunciation, "is a Mandalorian custom that is similar to the Trials of Knighthood from the Old Republic. Once a child is of age, the prospective Mando'ade is allowed to attempt the trial, though nothing says it must be attempted at such a young age and I have heard of people in their thirties that have passed the rite and were accepted into Mandalorian culture."

"And since these are Mandalorians we're talking about, it involves not only surviving by yourself but killing a beast, with just a knife," I explained to Serra figuring she needed to understand what in entailed before I asked her if she was willing to attempt it herself. Which I did plan to do. Hopefully, she'd be willing to do the trial, as I felt it would be beneficial to her to prove herself to people outside the Jedi Order. However, if she chose not to, I would accept her decision.

"Said beast must be a threat to the one attempting the verd'goten. After all, killing a rabbit isn't exactly worthy of a warrior." I continued with a smirk at imagining a Mandalorian with that as a personal crest. "Nor can we use the Force in any obvious way. I asked Nia." I added in answer to the way Fay and Dooku looked at me.

"That's barbaric," Serra commented. "Why would they send a child out alone to kill a creature?"

"It's the old way," I replied with a shrug. "Unlike the Jedi, who have formalised the testing for Knighthood since the Ruusan Reformation, the Mandalorians see value in respecting the ways of their ancestors."

"But sending a child out by themselves?" Serra shook her head, sending her hair flying around her face. "And how old are these kids?"

"The verd'goten can be taken at any time after the thirteenth nameday, though the younger one is when the ritual is completed, the more respect the kill carries," Fay explained so easily that I wondered just how much she had learnt from her former Mandalorian… friend? lover? "As does the danger the beast poses."

"Serra," I began, cutting off my friend from making another comment. "I know you think it's barbaric, but this is the way of the Mandalorians. If you don't want to do it, it's fine. But I'm doing it."

Serra's eyes locked on to me, which was the first time we'd made direct contact since the spars that morning. She held my gaze for a while before sighing loudly.

"I… I don't know. I mean, I think I understand why it would make sense to do it, but…" she paused and shook her head once more. "It goes against what I was taught as an Initiate."

"The taking of a life, even that of a non-sentient creature, is not something to be actively sought out. However, all things die, and to the Mandalorian people, a death in a verd'goten is a worthy death," Fay again explained with such ease that I began to wonder if she had ever completed the trial. "And the kill is never just for the kill. If possible, the meat of the beast is harvested and eaten. The hide and internal organs can also be harvested for useful purposes. Or so I am told."

I felt my eyes narrow as she finished speaking, and I suspected that she had either taken the verd'goten herself – likely after it being suggested by this long-dead friend – or had spoken at length about the custom with that same person.

"In the Old Republic, Jedi were often sent on dangerous missions to earn their Knighthood. Many times, the Padawan did not return, but after the Ruusan Reformation, the Order adopted the more formalised trials." Dooku supplied, weighing in on the issue. "While the Sith are gone from sight, the galaxy is still a dangerous place and time away from the Temple does one good."

"Serra, if you want to try the verd'goten, you can. If not, it's fine," I repeated quickly, not wanting her to catch Dooku's comment about the Sith having been gone from sight, not killed off as most Jedi were told. "The choice is yours."

"Okay. J-just give me time to think about it," She replied slowly, her eyes now not willing to meet mine.

"Sure. Also, can you get the project I gave you this morning?" I asked, changing the topic and taking things back to an earlier point where I had developed an idea to ease the concerns of my masters regarding us being unarmed while alone on a world renowned for training Jedi killers.

She took a split second to realise what I was talking about before she darted for her room.

"Cameron?" Dooku asked as he and Fay turned their attention to me, but I simply smiled and waited for Serra to return.

When she did, she smiled at me as she dropped three pieces of metal tubing on the table.

Dooku's eyes narrowed and an eyebrow rose as he examined them. "Curious." He lifted his head and looked at me. "This was Padawan Keto's secondary blade, correct?"

"It still is," I replied as a smile crept onto my face and I nodded at Serra.

She picked up the three pieces and quickly clipped them together. No more than twenty seconds after picking them up, she pressed the button and the shortened green blade of her shoto hummed to life.

"Impressive," Dooku commented as Serra de-powered the blade and broke it down into its three parts. "Are we to assume that Padawan Keto will be keeping this with her when we leave?"

"Yes, Master. While I trust that Mayor Vizsla's intentions were honest, and the reasoning he gave was certainly valid, ignoring the fact both his uncle and sister were members of Death Watch would be stupid. And I'm not going to walk into a potentially dangerous situation without protection." I replied.

That was only half true. Honestly, I trusted Pre Vizsla about half as far as Yoda could throw him. Without the Force. But I couldn't say that without it leading to questions I wasn't ready to answer.

"True. And do you plan to make such a blade for yourself?" Dooku asked as he reached over and told hold of the three components of Serra's lightsaber. "With the crystals from your current lightsaber?"

"Yes and no," I replied and reached into my pocket, pulling out a small crystal. "I have a spare crystal. It's one of the ones we found on Dantooine." I explained before Fay could ask where the crystal had come from.

And I was being honest as it was one of the six crystals from there that I had stored in my Inventory. Those were joined by a pair taken from older lightsabers found under the Temple and the two from the Jedi and Sith lightsabers that had been destroyed on Ilum during my… talk with the future-self visions of myself as a Jedi Grandmaster and Dark Lord of the Sith.

"I was under the impression that all of those crystals were handed over to the Order when we returned to the Temple," Fay said as her lips turned upwards at the corners. "Yet, it is not a surprise that you kept one for yourself. A memento of the history Dantooine has with your family, perhaps?"

I nodded at her thinking. While it was true that keeping a crystal from the cave on Dantooine was slightly sentimental, that had not been the main reason.

"I for one am more comfortable about allowing you both to stay if you still have a lightsaber," Dooku added and I turned my head to see he had already disassembled the lightsaber into its three components and was turning them over in his hands. "While I suspect these blades will not be as powerful as your main lightsabers, they are more… discreet."

He handed the components back to Serra as I placed the crystal back in my pocket.

"I think I've got most of the parts I need to build another lightsaber in my room," I said, which was true. I had pulled the main components from my inventory – where I held enough parts to build three lightsabers – and placed them in a desk drawer. I left out a few more easily attainable parts from the pile to complete the illusion that I wasn't quite ready to build a second blade.

"I admit I am… curious, as to when and where you found those parts, as I am sure Master Fay is as well. However, I think it is better if we do not know the answers to those questions," Dooku said with a slight twitch to his lips.

"Yes, Master," I replied as a smile appeared on my face.

Silence settled over us until I spoke again.

"If I may ask, what will you be doing while we are here?"

[You wish to reveal our plans in front of Padawan Keto?] Dooku asked mentally.

[Not all. Generalities at best,] I replied. [I expect Serra to join our Coalition in time, but exact details are not something she needs to know currently.]

"After we have escorted Lady Satine to Coruscant, I will be travelling to Baltizaar," Dooku began as if our quick mental conversation had not taken place. "There… I wish to confirm the fate of someone I once knew. After that, I will likely return to the Temple, but that is not certain."

That meant he was going to look for hints about what had happened to Komari Vosa as Baltizaar was the planet where the Jedi strike team had been driven back by the Bando Gora. According to the reports, Vosa had died there, but no definitive proof had been found.

If Dooku found anything, I expected he would report it to Fay, Sifo-Dyas, and the others instead of rushing in half-cocked as most Jedi would. While I hoped that Vosa was still alive, from what I little I had learnt about the Bando Gora, death would be the better outcome for Vosa's fate. Still, all I could do was hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Fay glanced from me to Dooku subtly before she spoke. "I will travel the galaxy. There are a few old friends I wish to catch up with. And one or two who I am… concerned about."

"Um, when you return to the Temple, could pass a message to Master Drallig for me?" Serra asked slowly, to which Fay nodded and smiled.

"Certainly. And we have spoken with the Duke and his ministers so that, if you wish, you may speak to him once a week via the Holonet."

"Thank you," Serra said with a smile.

Any further conversation was cut off by the chime of someone outside the door.

"Enter," Dooku stated and the doors opened revealing a tan-skinned woman.

"Master Jedi, Duke Adonai has asked me to escort you for the evening meal." She stated.

"Very well. Come along Padawans, and Cameron, do mind your manners around the Lady Satine," Fay added with a smile.

"I won't start anything," I replied as we began to follow the servant.

And I wouldn't. But if, as had been the case at the last few meals where I'd been present along with Satine, she did, I would happily take the chance to offer one of the comments I had floating around in my mind.

……


……

Two days later, after seeing Fay and Dooku leave with Satine in tow, I was in a transport that was taking me – along with Serra, Bo, and Naz – to the city of Keldabe where we would join a training centre of potential Journeymen Protectors and Royal Guards.

Technically we were both too young – having not turned thirteen or completed our verd'goten – but there was no way in hell I was coming all the way to Mandalore to study in the New Mandalorian Royal Academy of Government or a school for little children.

Neither Bo nor Naz attended that academy either, which made sense as neither Adonai nor Pre were actual members of the New Mandalorians. Instead, both had allied themselves, and their Clans – and House in Adonai's case – with the ruling faction of the sector. An action that both likely had regrets about, though for differing reasons.

I had asked why it was that Bo and Naz had to attend the training centre when both were old enough to have attempted the verd'goten, or I assumed they had passed it as I'd hadn't asked them directly about that yet. As it was explained to me, that the reason for them still attending the training centre was that it was tied to the fact the Republic saw the age of responsibility as sixteen and that they wished to move away from the old ways.

While the verd'goten was taken by many from the age of thirteen, the New Mandalorians had decided to not recognise the trial and only allowed members into the guard, or the sponsored groups of Journeymen Protectors throughout the sector, once they were seventeen.

But even then, I had my doubts that Bo and Naz would be allowed to serve in the Guard, and if they were, it would only be in Sundari as both Adonai and Pre held important positions. None of the pacifistic New Mandalorians would place the daughters of the Duke and Mayor of Sundari in locations that carried actual risk, regardless of the resulting stagnation and lack of growth that would bring.

Bringing my mind back to the present, I looked out of the window of the small courier transport as we skimmed across the white sand desert and noted a few metal beams and buildings that jutted out of the sand randomly. Those were the remains of the cities that had stood on this part of the world before a Jedi-led Republic strike force had all but glassed huge swathes of the planet during the Dral'Han.

I had to give the New Mandalorians some credit for building their cities where they did. The sparse, skeletal remains and white sandy deserts likely helped to remind people of what had happened and were then used by the New Mandalorians to convince people that their way was the correct way.

Yet I could also see that this choice of location for their cities could be used to rally people against the faction. Likely the ideas I had about how to use this against them – such as that the New Mandalorians were trying to remove/bury the past – were used by groups like Death Watch to stir up sentiment against the ruling faction.

"What?! How can you not do the verd'goten?!"

My attention was drawn back to the inside of the transport, and the other passengers, by the loud voice of Bo and I turned to see her and Naz were staring at Serra in shock.

Serra, for her part, looked away and rubbed her arm. "I, it's just that killing like that… It's against the Jedi way." She flicked her hair at the point where her Padawan braid had been.

Both of us had removed them this morning – well, I'd cut mine off happily whereas Serra had just removed the braid and let the hair fall back with the rest – while shifting from our robes into grey training clothes worn at the centre we were due to attend. Bo and Naz were also in such clothing, though both had a short green strip over their left breast.

"This isn't your Temple on Coruscant. This is Mandalore," Naz countered as she snarled and exposed a few teeth. "And I know Cam's going to do the verd'goten."

All three turned to me and I rolled my eyes. "Real subtle Naz." Bo sniggered once while Naz just shrugged. "But yeah, I'm going to do the verd'goten. And it's up to Serra if she wants to or not, so stop trying to force her into it." I backed up my words with a burst of Force Persuasion.

"But…" Bo began only to stop when Naz elbowed her in ribs.

"Actually, if it's allowed, can you tell us about what you two dealt with on your trials?" I asked, shifting the conversation in a way that stopped the pair from hassling Serra without totally dropping the topic.

The pair shared a look before Naz replied.

"Mine was a nightshrike," she said as she rolled up the sleeve of her jacket to expose the armoured bracer she was wearing, and the stylised bat-like creature that was engraved upon it. "It was on the second day of my verd'goten, when I encountered the beast, though at the time I was less interested in what it was than in surviving the encounter or killing it." She paused and chuckled to herself. "Well, more like it encountered me."

"I had just sat down to eat my evening meal when a scream came from the air. On instinct, I rolled backwards and grabbed my knife as a mass, as black as the night and larger than my camping ground, swooped down and stole the roasting meat from my fire."

Naz moved around the cabin we were in, acting out her story as she told it.

"The shadow flew upwards, and I lost it almost as soon as it was beyond the light of the fire. So, I waited. No beast like that would be satisfied with the small meal I had been cooking. And soon enough, I heard the scream again. This time from behind me."

"As I dove away, I felt the wind rush across my back even as something scraped against the back of my armour. The force of that glancing blow was strong enough to disrupt my dive, and I ended up face-first in the dirt."

"Quickly, I righted myself and crouched low, waiting for the beast to attack again. And once more it did. But this time, I was ready."

"I dropped to the ground and thrust my knife upwards, emboldened as my blade caught flesh. The beast roared, then crashed into the bushes, as something splattered across my armour."

"I rolled quickly to my feet, my blood pumping as I tightened my grip on the knife. A scream from a nearby undergrowth drew my attention, and I barely was able to duck as a large shadow, easily double my height, stumbled out from the bushes into the light."

"The monster spread its wings, engulfing the clearing inside the span as the embers of the fire I had lit made shadows dance across its body. Highlighting the muscles and tendons of the massive beast. Yet my eyes also saw something else."

"Blood, as red as that from you or I, was pouring down one wing and even as the beast snapped its large jaws – which could easily have bitten my head clean off – snapped and it screeched once more, I moved."

"Before it had time to realise what I planned, or adapt to fighting on the ground, I had closed the distance between us and slashed near the initial wound."

"The beast roared in pain and with a mighty flap of its good wing, sent me tumbling away."

"I righted, myself to see it lumbering towards me, its eyes focused on me. It shrieked and lumbered towards me, but I was faster. Evading a wild slash of a clawed wing, I slipped close and drove my knife into its throat. Even as the beast realised it had lost it still tried to kill me. It let itself fall backwards and its massive taloned feet grabbed my leg and tossed me away. Straight into the trunk of a nearby tree."

"I groaned as I lay there on the ground, only moving as the beast gave another screech. I dragged myself to my feet as it stumbled towards me, ready to fight the beast with my bare hands. Sadly for it, my strike had been true, and the beast fell face-first to the ground at my feet. Dead."

Naz stopped her animated telling and a wide smile threatened to split her face in two. "My father, who had been monitoring me from afar, arrived not long after and helped me haul the beast back to our ship. That was when I learned the name of the beast and on the voyage back to our home, we skinned and cut it for the feast."

"Feast?" Serra asked and I noted that while she was looking intently at Naz, her face had lost some of its usual colour.

"Yes. Provided the kill is not poisonous, it is cooked and eaten by the new Mando'ade with their friends and family," Naz explained. "The shrike was, perhaps, the best thing I have ever eaten." Somehow, the smile on her face grew as she finished and got lost in the memory of her coming-of-age party.

"Impressive," I said. "Never heard of a nightshrike before."

Naz shrugged. "We encountered them on a small world in the Rim, trailing Hutt Space. It wasn't an impressive or important place. All that mattered, was that I survived my verd'goten and became Mando'ade."

"What about you?" I asked, turning to Bo.

The redhead shrugged as she copied the actions of Naz and rolled up her sleeve to reveal her armoured bracer, exposing the image of a stylised bird of some form.

"I killed a furred blood owl," she remarked as she smirked at Naz. "Four of them actually."

"A what?" Serra asked, vocalising the question that bounced into my head.

Bo sighed and rolled her sleeve back down. "A furred blood owl." She shrugged. "I didn't name them, but they attacked me on my first evening and I killed four before the rest of the flock gave up and left."

"With just your knife?" I asked, and she nodded in reply. "Not bad."

"Wait," Serra said as she turned back to Naz. "You said you were cooking something when the nightshrike attacked. Did you kill that as well?"

"Yes. And before you ask, it didn't count for the verd'goten as it wasn't a threat to kill me," replied Naz with her smile slowly decreasing. "The kill for the trial must be life and death and against something that would threaten your life."

"Do Sith count?" I asked, even if I knew it didn't.

"What?" Bo and Naz's heads snapped to face me while Serra frowned. [I know it doesn't count, but I figured you could do with them not bothering you about doing the trial.] I said mentally to her, getting the slightest of nods in reply as I sensed her relief through the Force.

I leaned back and told the two Mandalorians of the story of how I arrived in the current timeframe. I wasn't sure how long it took, but I made sure to be just descriptive enough to keep the pair interested. I was also aware that both would likely pass the story on to their fathers, so I made sure to both underplay what I'd done, while still making it seem impressive. Or at least, I hoped I did.

"And after that, well I ended up at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and eventually became a Padawan," I finished as I leaned back into the surprisingly comfortable seat on the transport. "So, does that count?"

"Well…"

"No!" Bo stated, cutting off Naz abruptly – and earning herself a glare from the blonde. "While the story is certainly interesting, you used blasters and a lightsaber, and you had no witness."

"Why does a witness matter?" Serra asked, having fixed Bo with her gaze as the redhead had spoken.

"Without a witness, anyone could claim to have killed a beast, or a Sith," Bo smirked as our eyes met, "but without confirmation from one who is Mando'ade, the elders will not accept the kill as proof of completing the verd'goten."

"Naz said her father watched her verd'goten. Was it the same for you?"

Bo nodded before verbally answering my question. "Yes. My father and brother both stood witness for my trial."
"Huh. I just realised that you two, when you do the verd'goten, don't have a family member who could stand as a witness," Naz commented.

"What about Master Fay or Dooku?" I asked, but both girls rejected the idea by shaking their heads almost as soon as I spoke.

"No. While I do not doubt their courage or skill, neither of your Masters are Mando'ade," Naz stated as she squinted.

"I suspect my father will wish to observe Cam's verd'goten," Bo offered, using the nickname Serra did. While her using the nickname didn't annoy me, I did spot Serra glance at the redhead. "Your family name while old, carries weight with our people," Bo added.

Naz snorted. "That's one way to put it." She fixed her gaze on me. "You're a child of the Destroyer of Worlds, trained by the Butcher of Galidraan and wield a weapon with significance to our people."

"Not all our people," Bo retorted.

"What? You going soft?" Naz asked with a smirk, which made Bo's scowl grow worse.

"Is that a challenge?" Bo demanded as her eyes narrowed.

Naz held Bo's gaze for a moment before laughing. "Kriff, Bo. You really are too easy to tease. I know you're not soft." She finished with a less-than-subtle wagging of her eyebrows. "Well, not everywhere."

"Anyway…" I muttered, both to cut off whatever was going on between the two – and avoid my mind wandering to places I did not want it to go. "I imagine that the Duke will arrange from someone to observe our verd'gotens." I paused as I said the word. "Verd'gotenins?" I frowned as I realised that I didn't know what the plural for the word was; or if there even was one.

"Verd'goten," Bo stated clearly, her scowl slowly lessening as I felt the transport turn. "The word refers to one, plural and all."

I nodded my thanks and glanced out the window. The white sand that surrounded Sundari and its satellite cities were gone; replaced by a forest of what looked like pine trees.

As we flew over the forest, the tops of the trees buzzing passed so fast that they appeared blurred, I was reminded of my old life. I'd grown up in a small town in the Highlands and there'd been several forests nearby full for pine and fir trees.

For the first time in years, my mind wandered back to that life, and my former life. My parents had both passed away before I had, and the only family I'd left behind was a sister who had been married with two kids of her own.

As the trees began to thicken, removing all sight of the ground below, I wondered how she was doing and how my death had affected her.

I felt a hand come to rest on my shoulder and sensed concern through the Force.

"Cam?" Serra's voice was laced with that concern and I turned she had moved from her seat to stand next to me. Her brow was furrowed as her eyes sought mine out.

"I'm fine," I replied with a smile I didn't feel, "just thinking about my… old life."

"OK," she said weakly as a wave of comfort and friendship came over our Force bond. Along with a few emotions that I chose to ignore. "You're not alone. I, um, we, we're here for you." She said softly as her cheeks began to redden.

"Thanks," I said as, avoiding my first inclination to pat her hand, I patted her arm with my hand and ignored the flare of emotions that came from her at my actions.

As I turned back to the window, I saw the forest had risen and parted to show Keldabe as it rested on a grey hilltop while a river bent around the hill below.

As the transport circled the edge of the city, it was easy to see that the city was… unusual. Buildings of all shapes, size and materials were dotted around with little to no sign of planning, though the headquarters of Mandalmotors were easy to spot as the front of the building was emblazoned with the company's logo.

The logo, and that of the Mandalorians before the rise of the New Mandalorian faction, was the skull of the mythosaur. Though this one had an altered paint scheme to mark it out as the symbol of Mandalmotors.


The skull looked like a stylized dinosaur skull, though with the addition of mammoth tusks and the images I'd seen of the beast painted it as a massive reptile of several hundred meters in length that looked much like a dinosaur or dragon from my old life.

The transport banked towards a row of landing pads on the southern edge of the city – the side that was not overlooking the river and forest – and descended quickly and smoothly to the ground, touching down with only the slightest of jolts.

On the eastern edge of the city was a walled area with perhaps a dozen grey-coloured buildings inside that reminded me of a military base. Yet the walls did not have any gun emplacements, nor guard towers.

Once that happened, we all stood and collected our bags, well I lifted them from their racks with the Force and set them down in the aisle. My bag contained a few spare sets of clothing, for both training at the centre and downtime in the city – if we had any – as well as the completed, but un-combined, parts of my new yellow-bladed shoto lightsaber.

With the bag hefted over my shoulder, I followed the three girls towards the entrance ramp, and I heard the pilot speaking indistinctly over the comms from the cockpit.

As the pressure seal broke, I inhaled deeply as the smells of the city blasted into the transport. Hints of food and drink mixed with the dominating scent of the forest that surrounded the city even as the hustle and bustle of the city filled my ears.

A small smile crept onto my face as I enjoyed the fresh air as it brushed over my face while Bo and Naz stepped off the transport with a familiarity of where they were.

Serra, however, stopped after only a few steps and her head turned from side to side. I had to assume she was taking in the sights of what was possibly only the third city she'd seen after Coruscant and I allowed her a moment to take in the sight before speaking.

"We'll have time to look around later," I said softly, though she still squeaked and jumped slightly at my voice. "First we have to get to the training centre."

"R-right," She mumbled at a volume that was only just loud enough for me to hear – since I was right beside her – over the noise of the landing area.

She scampered down the rest of the ramp, and I followed along with a chuckle at her behaviour, even as a transport on the pad next to ours lifted into the air. As I stepped onto the ground, I noted that Bo and Naz had begun to walk to where a group of five adults were standing.

One, judging by the pale-yellow, almost white, fur was Knight Lhan. I hadn't seen him since just before Fay and Dooku had become my Jedi masters and he had left to become the watchman for this sector. Why he was here now, instead of making himself known over the last two weeks while in Sundari was something I would make sure to ask him; provided I was able to do so without arousing suspicion.

Two of the Humans in the group were unknown, though the male of the pair had locked his eyes upon the two Mandalorians in front of me.

My eyes, however, were drawn to the last pair as I slowed my speed. One was Nia, but it was the young man or possibly just an older teenager, that was beside her that drew my attention. And as his eyes locked onto mine, his lips shifted into an almost animalistic snarl before he schooled them.

This person bore a strong resemblance to Girk and to confirm a suspicion I used Observe.

Gar Saxon
Level: 18
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 16
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Hated
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Saxon (100%) Death Watch (68%) New Mandalorians (13%)
Emotional State: Angry/Respectful/Worried
Gar hates you for killing his father and weakening his reputation among his classmates and Death Watch.
He also detests the way his mother has taken a liking to you.
However, he recognizes your strength in defeating and killing his father.
Though he is nervous that you are here to do the same to him.
As I read the report, I frowned internally. Having Gar here, and likely in the training centre with us given his age, made the situation much more complicated.
……


As before, you can find me on the server for this story in particular, and Star Wars in general: discord . gg/UM89QfyQk3
Or in the Omniverse: discord . gg/wd3tUYWVCd
Just remember to remove the spaces ;)
Regardless of if you join one, both or neither...
May the Force be with you. Always.
 
Last edited:
Teh Adiik At Mando’ade 4
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.


Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Knowing that there was no way to put off the coming confrontation and realising that Gar was not an active threat with everyone gathered around us, I picked up my pace and moved up beside Serra.

[The boy is Gar Saxon, Nia and Girk's son. Be careful.] I sent to Serra mentally as a warning as we approached the group. While she hadn't yet learnt to respond verbally via the bond, I did get a sense of understanding and caution coming back from her.

"Knight Lhan, it's been a while." I said with a smile once we were close enough to the group to speak without having to shout over the general noise of the area.

Lhan chuckled, his fangs exposed as he did. "It has, Padawan. If I had known sooner that you were journeying to the sector, I would've made sure to have been here to greet you and your masters." He paused and turned to Serra. "Ah, Padawan… Keto, was it?"

"Yes, master," Serra replied as she tried to nod, but stumbled due to the duffel-bag on her shoulder. "Sorry."

Lhan laughed and waved his hand. "It's quite alright young one. I understand you are not to draw attention to yourselves while out of Sundari, so it is better if you do not show the typical deference one would expect from a Padawan."

He turned his attention back to me as he continued. "Before you wonder, our meeting here was simply the work of the Force. I arrived back in Keldabe only this morning while sorting out a dispute in the Olankur region."

"I was saddened to hear that Masters Fay and Dooku would be leaving before I could return to Sundari, however at least I was able to greet the pair of you." He paused and looked over my shoulder at the transport we had just exited. "Hopefully, we will have time to catch up later. For now, however, I must bid you farewell as I need to catch my flight. Good luck with the locals. They are a stubborn but honourable lot."

"Goodbye."

"May the Force be with you, Master Lhan."

He gave us one last smile before he stepped passed us and begun walking towards the transport we had just exited.

With his departure, I turned my attention to the rest of the greeting party, and while Naz and Bo were speaking with Nia – and Gar was staying silent as he watched me like a hawk – I used Observe on the two unknowns.

Taren Kraviss
Level: 29
Race: Human
Health: 98% (artificial lower left arm-modified)
Age: 52
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Intermediate
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kraviss (78%) Mandalorian People (62%) House Kryze (56%)
Emotional State: Curious
Taren is intrigued by the idea of two Jedi, even simple Padawans, wishing to learn the way of the Mando'ade.
She is also wondering how much of your forebearer is in you.
And if the words of Duke Adonai about your potential are true.
Krarthog Wrajud
Level: 27
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 48
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Intermediate
Reputation: Disliked
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Wrajud (100%) Death Watch (72%)
Emotional State: Annoyed/Concerned
Krarthog is less than thrilled to have to teach Jedi scum, however, he will follow Pre Vizsla's orders.
He is worried that your appearance might disrupt Death Watch's long-term goals.
And he is concerned your apparent closeness with Pre Vizsla's daughter might disrupt his own plans.
I mentally sighed as I read Wrajud's details. While it made sense for Pre to have an ally at this centre, the fact that he did have one, was not something I wanted or needed. Add in that the man was also unhappy about Naz's interest and friendship with me, and it had all the making of a disaster waiting to happen.

Or chaos I could exploit depending on how I handled things.

Kraviss' information was far less concerning and, based on her affiliation loyalties, it appeared as though she was a supporter of the Duke's though she placed more stock in the people themselves. And, since she out-ranked Wrajud, I had to hope she would be able to keep him under control.

As I heard the transport begin to power up, and the landing ramp retracting, Kraviss began to speak.

"Greetings young ones, I am Taren Kraviss, Commandant of the Institute for Combat Training and Protectorate Selection here in Keldabe." The smile she had started with fell a little as she said the name of the centre, and I noted that both Nia and Wrajud frowned as the name was said. "With me are Krarthog Wrajud, my chief combat instructor, our newest tactics instructor, Nia Vizsla, and her eldest son, and one of our more promising Trainees, Gar Saxon."

"When Duke Adonai told me that we would be having two Jedi join us this year, I must admit to being shocked. The… animosity most of our people hold for your Order is a well-known fact, so to have two as young as yourselves decide to study here, and willingly remove your lightsabers…" She paused and shook her head even as she smiled. "Brave, yet possibly foolish."

"That's a fair way to describe most Jedi." I commented, which made the Commandant chuckle. Bo, Naz, Nia and Serra all at least smiled at my comment, while Wrajud and Gar didn't react positively to my attempted levity. Wrajud's eyes narrowed as if he was trying to burn a hole through my forehead while Gar kept his face impassive even as he continued to watch me carefully.

"Yes, that is a fair description of your Order." Kraviss responded before shifting her attention to the two Mandalorians that had arrived with me and Serra. "Still, these two, while young, are also two of our more promising trainees and I am told you have defeated them both in training spars. Impressive."

"Likely due to his Jedi tricks, Commandant." Wrajud suggested as he finally turned his attention away from me to speak with his boss. His mouth opened as again as he turned back to face me once more.

"He did not, Instructor Wrajud," Bo countered, cutting off whatever the man wished to add on. "After our first few spars, they both promised to not actively use the Force, and they kept their word." Bo paused as her eyes glanced my way before she returned her focus to the adults. "Cam's…" Her voice trailed off and she grunted.

"He's better than us," Naz finished as Bo's head snapped around so she could glare at her friend. "What? It's true." She added on with a shrug, before turning back to the face the welcoming party. "He's good. Like really, really good. Even knows a fair bit of Beskar'pel and Beskar'rev."

"You taught outsiders, Jedi, our ways?" Wrajud all but snarled at Naz and took a partial step forward.

"She didn't. I did," Nia growled out as she moved to cut off Wrajud before he reached her niece. "I chose to do so as recompense for my husband's actions after their ijaat'akannir. As was my right." Her eyes bore into Wrajud. "Or do you wish to interfere in clan business?"

Wrajud held her glare with one of his own for a moment before grunting. "No. You are Mando'ade, and as you say it was clan business. Others, however, might not be so quick to forgive or forget."

Nia's glare narrowed as she smirked. "Let them come. I could do with a good fight."


"Um, excuse me, Gar?" I said, moving the conversation towards a topic I knew had to be addressed, even as I mentally activated Bullet-Time without seeming to slow down the world around me. "I, I'm sorry about your father's death. I didn't want to kill him. It's…" I stopped talking as he took a step forward, slipping away from his mother as she tried, and failed, to place a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I do not like you." Gar all but spat out as he ground his teeth. "I doubt I ever will. You killed my father."

Nia took a step towards us, her brow creasing in worry, but I was less concerned. Precognition was not hinting at a threat. Yet, to be careful, I slid one foot back into a combat stance just in case it was wrong.

Just as Nia reached him and moved to place her hand more firmly on his shoulder, Gar took a deep breath and the tension in his shoulders eased.

"But you won the duel. That I cannot deny. You were stronger that day, and my father's dishonour is my shame to bear." Gar said slowly as if trying to keep his emotions out of his words.

"No, it's not." I countered, shifting out of my combat stance and taking a tentative step towards him. "The actions of your father are not yours. His choices, good or bad, are not yours. You are your own man."

"Wise words," Kraviss said in agreement, drawing the attention of both Gar and me to her. "Ones that match the ideals of a true Mando'ade. With this now settled, I hope there will be no issues between you two once sessions begin?"

"No Commandant." Gar said, straightening his shoulders before he took a few steps backwards to restore the distance between us.

"No Commandant." I repeated, recognizing a standard phrase when I heard one.

"Good. Now come on, while you are the most unusual of the new trainees, you are not any more important than the others. And they are likely growing impatient for their training to begin." Kraviss said before she pivoted with practised ease and began to walk – well march really – towards Keldabe.

Everyone else, bar myself and Serra, quickly fell into step behind her, seemingly expecting this behaviour and used to the more military-styled approach. I likely would've followed instantly as well, but Serra's brow creased at the Commandant's words.

"They're soldiers, or at least, act that way." I explained. "Come on." I moved quickly to follow the Mandalorians into their city, and Serra soon was beside me as we reached the rear of the group.

We walked quickly but quietly across the landing port, the people there seeming to step out of Kraviss' way as she approached with a few even snapping to attention as we passed. Soon, we reached the edge of the city proper and I let my eyes wander without losing sight of the adults.

The buildings were just as hodgepodge as they had appeared during our approach, with us passing domed wooden shacks that sat next to duracrete angular warehouses. I swore I saw one building that looked like it was made out of glass, but before I could be sure, we had reached the main gates of the city – which were large enough that I felt I could drive a troop transport through them with room to spare.

However, instead of walking down the main boulevard, Kraviss ducked to the right and led us down an alley that skirted the wall of the city.

"While Sundari is now the capital of Mandalore, Keldabe is a city which has existed since before the time of Revan," Nia explained without looking back at us, "and until the Dral'Han, served as the capital of our planet, sector and people."

"Perhaps one day, it will again." Wrajud added, though without any hint that he believed that might happen.

"Perhaps." Nia responded as she glanced at the man and I wondered how the pair were going to work together with Nia being ex-Death Watch and Wrajud seemingly being not only a member of Pre Vizsla's faction of Death Watch.

"Regardless, since neither of our newcomers have completed their verd'goten, nor have you received the permission of their clan elders to explore Keldabe, I cannot allow either of you to legally leave our centre and explore the city during your free time." Kraviss explained to me and Serra without looking back as she continued to lead us through the alley, sliding with natural ease to avoid a man pushing crates into the alley from out of the back of a building.

"I do not need the potential problems that would occur if an accident befell you while you were off-campus." She added as we stepped out of the alley onto a street that was smaller than the main thoroughfare, but one that was filled with the smells of dozens, if not hundreds, of different kinds of food. "Understood?" she asked as she stopped and looked back at us.

"Yes, Commandant."

"Um, yes, Commandant." Serra's response was slower than mine, but I expected that, as I suspected did Kraviss, who gave us the briefest of nods before turning back and walking out into the street.

While the street was smaller than the one from before, it was more crowded. People flowed around buying and selling various foodstuffs and beverages and my sense of smell was overwhelmed by the mixture of flavours that drifted around us.

Kraviss gave Naz and Bo a nod before she, Gar and the other adults turned right. I moved to follow them when a spike of shock came to me through the Force. However, I had no time to understand why that was, or keep following the instructors, as Naz grabbed my hand.

As I turned to look at her, and she winked at me, I saw that Bo had done the same with Serra, explaining the source of the shock I had just sensed.

As Naz began to pull me into the crowd, I realised that I had lost sight of the adults and Gar, and while they were likely still with Detection on my minimap, it was hard to pick out anyone when there were tens if not hundreds of thousands of people in range.

We began to weave through the throngs of people with Naz seemingly knowing where she was going instinctively, and I began to wonder if this was some sort of test. Perhaps a way to prove that those who were to attend the Institute and train to become Protectors, were able to move quickly through a crowd, even while carrying a large bag.

I became more certain of this as we slipped between two stands – one selling bread, the other some kind of fruit – and headed for a narrow passage that was barely wide enough for us to enter side-by-side.

The only other option was that Naz was leading me into a trap, but given that she was unarmed, unarmoured and in the same narrow passageway as I was, I considered that highly unlikely.

Still, it was possible, so just in case, I kept an eye on where Serra was on my minimap.

While picking out anyone else from the throngs of people in range would be difficult, Serra was both Force-trained and shared a bond with me. This meant that when Detection was added to the minimap she not only shone brighter, indicating someone who was Force-Trained – and that was why I never bothered with using Detection in the Jedi Temple – but her marker seemed to pulse as we shared a Force Bond.

From what I could tell, she was heading down a parallel alleyway with Bo in the same general direction that Naz and I were, so I shifted my focus back to where I was, and where Naz was leading me.

A large floating bin suddenly spewed out into the passage we were in, cutting off our route at such a close range that Naz wouldn't be able to stop in time. To prevent her from hitting the bin, I pulled her closer with my free hand and leapt with the Force.

"Eep!" Naz squeaked as we sailed over the bin – which beeped indignantly at us, letting me know it was a droid.

As we landed, I let go of her. "You ok?" I asked, noting her face was a little whiter than normal.

She nodded slowly, and placed her free hand – the other one still firmly gripping mine – to her chest.

As the colour returned to her cheeks she smirked. "Yeah. Just the first time I've been swept off my feet." I laughed as she stepped closer. "Kinda fun, but next time I want dinner first."

"R-right," I replied as I did my best to ignore the innuendo, and the way my body was reacting to having her so close to me, "um, shouldn't we keep moving?"

"If that's what you want." she replied, and before I could respond, turned and began to pull me along with her once more, resuming our journey.

As we all but flew across another street – from what I could see, it appeared to be a market street with stalls selling fabrics and pottery – I cleared my mind and worked on noting down the various streets, buildings, shops and locations to fill in my minimap.

Something told me I would need to know my way around in the future.

……

After being led through another dozen or so alleyways and back-passages, Naz took us through a small gate in the city's walls and we exited into a large open clearing on the eastern edge of the city. On one side of the clearing was a transparisteel barrier that overlooked the cliff that encircled three sides of Keldabe, and the river could be heard rushing around the bend far below.

The far side of the clearing had a metallic gate and wall. The gate was large enough to allow four or five people to enter side-by-side and had a small, semi-circular glass dome above the apex of the frame. One side of the wall extended out over the cliff-edge suggesting there was an overhanging platform on the other side, while the other edge of the wall extended into the forest, vanishing as the foliage grew denser and darker.

Grouped around the area between the wall and the city were other children, with all of them looking around my age, and none having the green bar on their training gear that Naz and Bo had. Most were huddled around the few benches that littered the clearing, though some seemed to have slipped into the trees to use them for shade while they waited.

The only obvious sign of technology in the clearing, bar the wall and gate, was a large ring – about a metre across – that was half-buried in the centre of the clearing. That was probably a display interface as it looked very much like an enlarged holographic comm unit I'd seen in ships, at the Jedi Temple and in other places in my travels.

About a minute after Naz and I had arrived, Bo burst through the gate from the city with Serra in tow. Their faces were reddened, likely from running, but I sensed a flicker of embarrassment, arousal and shame coming from Serra.

Once we were gathered, Naz asked Serra and I that we had to wait here until the Commandant – who I suspected had taken a different route into the Institute – spoke with the new trainees. After that, she and Bo had approached the gate.

A blue light had shone on them from the glass dome and swept over them.

As the light stopped, and the gates opened – allowing the two girls to enter – I spotted several buildings inside the walled area. Having now seen it from above, and glimpsed inside from here, I was all but sure it wasn't a true military base but instead a training facility.

Which, given to the name that the Commandant had used for the place, made a lot of sense. Even if I was a little disappointed as I'd been looking forward to experiencing a military academy in the Star Wars galaxy.

Moments after the gate had closed behind Bo and Naz, two older boys – well, either that or both had hit growth spurts before becoming teenagers – entered the area. They walked forward confidently to the gate where they were also scanned and allowed in. Given that both had two green bars in their uniforms, I suspected that the bars were what the scan was looking for. And that it likely worked as a form of RFID that compared their details to a central computer for security.

With nothing for us to but wait around, Serra had moved over to the forest-side of the clearing and sat down at the base of an empty tree. While she meditated, I kept an eye on those around us.

I couldn't use Observe on all of them, not unless I also took time to meditate to accelerate my Player Point regeneration. I could only use the power about a dozen times before I needed to let the regen work. That, plus the fact it would also boost my FP regen as well, was why I was leaning towards taking Enhanced Regeneration with my Perk Point once I reached level 24.

Since I couldn't Observe everyone, I chose to lean against the same tree Serra was meditating under and watch how those assembled reacted. Meditation wasn't a definitive sign that someone was a Jedi – especially as neither of us were in our robe nor had our Padawan braids – but it was a decidedly un-Mandalorian thing to do.

Most people seemed unconcerned, if not overly happy, about Serra's meditation, however, four did not. Those four sneered and earned themselves an Observe.

Andeeld Krhul, Erdar Skors, Tavuk Wirn and Jart Awaud were their names with all being under level 15 and being seen as a low threat – or less in Skors' case. However, it was better to at least know where potential issues could come from, thus I made a mental note to keep an eye on them as best I could over the coming weeks.

Around twenty minutes after Naz and Bo had dropped us off in the clearing, a loud, brisk horn blared from the metallic ring in the centre of the clearing.

"If I may have your attention." Commandant Kraviss said as a large hologram of her appeared from the ring, confirming my suspicion that it was a projector. "Good. You one hundred standing before me have been selected to attend the Keldabe branch of the Institute for Combat Training and Protectorate Selection." Again, Kraviss seemed to cringe at the name, and I couldn't blame her. The name was less than ideal, meaning it was likely the result of the New Mandalorians changing the name when they came to power.

"However, we only accept the best of the best. Therefore, only those of you who pass an initiation challenge will be granted permission to train within these walls." As she spoke her eyes began to scan the crowd as I noted a fair few people I hadn't seen come out of the forest. At a guess, there were now about a hundred people standing around the clearing.

"Some of you come from powerful clans, or have influential sponsors," at this, her eyes seemed to pick out certain people, with her gaze stopping for a moment on myself and Serra.

"Inside these walls, those connections mean nothing. Merit, determination and skill are what matter here. We are not training privileged sycophants to become followers. We train warriors and protectors." Her visage glared out at the crowd and I noticed a few people seemed to shrink into themselves under the gaze. I didn't, as I'd seen far more intimidating glares from Dooku and instructors in my past life, but I was pleased to see that Serra, who had stood up when the hologram of Kraviss had appeared, stood her ground as well.

"As such, the challenge that awaits you all is to reach the centre of the Institute within the next hour and ring the bell located at the base of this facility's flag outside the central command complex. Any who are unable to complete the challenge in the time allowed will have the choice of attending one of our satellite training centres or returning home and attempting the initiation trial next session."

"Now, don't forget your belongings. Oya!" Kraviss finished before the hologram flickered and turned into a clock that began counting down from an hour.

The clearing soon filled with voices as people began to discuss what the Commandant had said.

"Why didn't they tell us about this?" Serra asked as she turned to face me.

I assumed she meant Naz and Bo. "They probably weren't allowed to." I responded with a shrug. "Question is how do we get in?"

I considered how we were going to get in as I mentally manipulated my minimap. Thanks to Eidetic Memory, it was already up to date with what I saw as I glanced through the gates and saw from above.

"If I'm right, there's another gate about a click northward, and likely one more in the forest," I said out loud for Serra to hear. Making it seem as though I was just pondering a plan. "But I suspect that there are probably traps and the like between those gates and us."


Mentally, I went through a few ideas.

I could just leap over it with Force Jump, Phase through the wall, or Teleport to the other side. However, doing any of those would not only out me as a Jedi but also, for the latter two, reveal a power I was averse to letting potential threats know about.

"Why not jump the wall?" Serra offered, verbalising my first idea. "We can both clear that easily."

"Yes, but If we just jumped it, it would out us as Jedi. Though perhaps we could climb one of those trees and…" My voice trailed off as I saw a group of three were trying out my thought. "Eh, looks like someone has the same idea."

Even as I picked up my duffel bag and slung it over my shoulder, the lead one of the trio reached the edge of the wall.

They slowly leaned forward, trying to get a grip on the edge of the wall, suggesting that it was clear of any obstructions. However, just as their hand began to pass over the actual wall, a shield flared and the person in question jerked before falling from the tree.

"New plan?" Serra asked, and I chuckled at her comment even as we watched the other two leapt down from the tree to check on their friend. A quick usage of Observe told me the boy, Raun Wott was fine, if a little dazed.

"We've got time." I answered as I noted that only a few minutes had ticked away from the floating clock.

A group of ten people moved passed us and entered the forest. They were heading along the wall, and I had to suspect that they were heading to the next gate in the wall in the hope it would be open.

Taking into account the fact they'd have to head through a forest, then factoring in the high probability of there being obstacles in their path, I suspected that it would take anyone trying for the next gate – which from my memory was located on the south side of the complex – about thirty minutes to reach it.

While that wasn't a major thing, it could still leave them needing to get through that gate, though the likelihood that it would take long to do so was low since I estimated that at a fast jog it would take about ten minutes to reach the centre of the Institute. Which was where I suspected this flag and bell would be located.

Even as I considered all that, another dozen or so set off into the forest, with more trickling after them.

"Hmm, maybe the cliff-edge," I considered verbally. "It would be difficult, but there should be some form of protection in case a trainee slipped and fell. It serves no one if a child dies trying to enter this place."

"They'd do that?"

I shrugged at Serra's question, having heard the concern in her voice just as easily as I sensed it through the Force. "Maybe in the old days. But I doubt the current administration would allow it. They're very much into non-violence." Which was about the nicest way I could describe the New Mandalorian faction.

"Then why do they allow this place to exist?" I turned to face Serra and barely managed to resist sighing in annoyance at the decisions taken by the New Mandalorians.

"Because the Protectors serve as a quasi-police force across the sector. And shutting them down, along with places like this, would anger those who do not agree with their thinking." I explained slowly, making sure to keep my distaste for the ruling group under control.

Serra nodded. "Like us." My brow rose which she must have seen, as she shrugged. "What? I don't like the whole 'peace at all costs' thinking they have got either."

"So why haven't you said so before?" I asked as I noted that Serra had never voiced any disapproval about the governing group of the sector when around me.

She smirked. "No need to, at least when you're around. I doubt I could come up with a better insult or comment than what you've said." She chuckled. "Plus, unlike some, I understand the art of diplomacy isn't just speaking softly while carrying a lightsaber."

I opened my mouth to protest, only to close it again. A smile slipped only my face and I shook my head in amusement. "Fair enough." I turned my attention back to the gate and its accompanying wall. "So how do we get in?"

It had been less than ten minutes since Kraviss' declaration, but the clearing was all but deserted.

A group of about ten were looking to see if they could find a way around the wall where it overhung the river. Four more were examining the wall for some reason; probably in the hope that they'd discover a way to disarm or short circuit the barrier at the top. And the rest had taken off for the next gate.

Thinking the group at the wall might be onto something, I closed my eyes and reached out with Force Sight.

The walls were, rather unexpectedly to me, lacking much in the way of circuitry, with only a thin layer wiring that likely carried the shock current running along the top. I did, however, discover that there were about a dozen cameras placed in hidden locations around the clearing. All these were linked to the central holographic ring that had displayed Kraviss' image, with a thicker cable running into the base. That likely carried the signals to a central monitoring station, which meant the staff were probably enjoying watching the newbies try to gain access to the grounds.

Beyond the walls, I could sense power lines and the like for the main base, but the area directly on the other side of the wall was much like the clearing. Small cables underground were likely for cameras, and other monitoring devices, but I couldn't sense any defensive emplacements. That was likely because either they were offline or unpowered, or that Force Sight was not at a high enough level to detect such things.

As I deactivated Force Sight, I noticed that Serra had left my side and had moved closer to the gate; her head tilted to the right as she examined either the gate, the wall, or both.

With nothing else to do, I headed over to her, though not before picking up her duffel bag.

"What are you thinking?" I asked as I came alongside her.

"How did the gate know to let Naz and Bo in?" she asked as she focused on the scanner above the gate.

"Not sure. Likely the green bars on their uniforms," I replied as I turned my attention to the gate and the small scanner at the top to the arch in the wall. "They likely held some form of code to allow an active student to enter."

"No. I don't think so…" Serra trailed off as she stepped closer to the gate and let the blue light of the scanner wash over her.

As the scan light disengaged, I opened my mouth to tell her that wouldn't work, only for the gates to click, and begin to slide open.

"Son of a…" I muttered as I realised that my hypothesis about how the scanner worked was likely flawed, as it appeared that the scan was not linked to the green bars, but simple facial recognition software that ran from the central computer. And since it was letting Serra in, our details must already be in the system.

So I stepped forward so I could be scanned.

However, my latest theory on what the scanner was doing was disproven as when the blue light washed over me, the scanner beeped once, and the beam turned red. The gates that had been open while Serra walked through them – she was now on the other side – now began to close.

"Yeah, that's not happening." I muttered as I reached out subtly with the Force and grabbed each door, gripping them tightly with TK.

I could hear the gears in the wall struggling to power out of my telepathic grip, as I began to walk through the gate as though I saw nothing wrong with it not closing.

When I stepped through the gates, and onto the Institute's grounds, and heard the voices of some of the few still in the clearing call out, I released my hold on the gears. The gate slammed shut so quickly behind me that I felt the breeze it generated, which suggested the motors had been sending more power into the gears to push the gate closed. As such, it was a good thing I waited until I was inside the gates before I stopped holding them open with the Force.

"I thought someone said we shouldn't use the Force to get in?" Serra asked with a smirk as she leaned against a nearby tree with her arms crossed and one foot resting against the trunk.

"I never said we couldn't use it, just that jumping the wall would've outed us as Jedi. Subtle use should be fine, so long as we don't overdo it." I responded as I pulled her duffel bag from my shoulder and tossed it to her. "And good job with the gate."

Her smirk expanded into a full-blown smile as she caught her back and pushed off the tree. "Thanks."

While she shifted it to her shoulder, I took a look around the area with Force Sight. It was as I had suspected.

The area seemed devoid of any defences, bar cameras and microphones that were dotted around the few trees near the wall.

The path that we were on ran towards a collection of buildings and there was nothing between us and them, bar open ground. While the overall lack of defences irked me, at least the open ground gave any defenders some benefits if the place was ever attacked. Though I still suspected that there were hidden defensive structures dotted around the place that I just couldn't sense as they were powered down and Force Sight was not strong enough to sense them.

"Are you coming?" She called and I turned off Force Sight and turned to see she'd taken a few steps down the path towards the buildings before stopping.

"Yeah. Just… thinking." I replied slowly before I began to move.

"Well hurry up. Bo owes me fifty credits if we're the first to ring the bell," Serra said with a smirk as she began to walk. "Though I thought she was just talking about us being the first to arrive, not the trial."

"And what if we're not the first? Do you even have the credits?" I asked as I jogged a few steps to reach her side.

"No, but I know a famous author who I'm sure would be willing to cover for me." She replied, giving me a smile and a gentle shoulder nudge.

I chuckled. "Maybe, maybe not. But I'd hate to lose my credits, so let's get moving." Though fifty credits were nothing in the grand scheme of things. Even ignoring the roughly two-hundred and eighty thousand credits I had stored in my inventory, I had more than enough to cover that with my books sales.

Since, in the roughly five months since 'The Two Towers' had been released, I'd earned just over thirty million credits. And while I wasn't yet able to touch the money – Fay and Dooku held the keys to my account – and I'd transferred around five million to the Lokella to help them set themselves up, it was there. And once I was old enough, and likely made a Knight, then I'd start using it to prepare for the wars to come.

We began to jog, and after only a few minutes spotted a flag as it flew freely in the gentle breeze. The flag had the symbol of the Mandalorians on it, though this mythosaur skull was green on a black background, which from the lessons Bo and Naz had given us on the importance of colours to Mandalorians, meant that duty and justice were the two values held in the highest regard at the Institute.

We had to round a few buildings, but as we came into sight of the flagpole's base – which was located in what was likely the centre of the facility and next to the only building that I'd seen inside the walls that was more than four levels high – I saw that Commandant Kraviss, Instructor Wrajud and Nia were waiting for us, along with three other adults.

None of them said anything until we reached the flagpole, and since it had been Serra's idea to use the front gate – and yes, I was mentally kicking myself for not trying the most obvious solution first – I let her ring the bell first.

"Impressive," Kraviss said as she and the other adults came closer after I had rung the bell. "Most don't think to try the gate. Though it was only programmed to allow one through." She turned her attention to me. "I was under the impression that you were not to use your abilities openly."

"I have no idea of what you're speaking of, ma'am." I answered as I slipped into the relaxed military stance I remembered from my old life. "Though if the gate was not meant to let me through, maybe you should have an engineer examine the motors inside?"

I heard Nia chuckle even as the barest hint of a smile crept onto Kraviss' face as she replied. "Hmm, perhaps that was all it was. Regardless, congratulations on being the first two to arrive. Instructor Varad here will take you to your billets."

The woman she had indicated – a brunette with an impressive, or scary depending on your thinking, scar that ran through one eye – stepped forward.

"This way." she stated before turning and marching northwards without making sure we were following.

I shared a look and shrug with Serra before we began to follow, and as we did, Nia caught my eye and gave me a smile and nod.

"Reveille is at zero-six-hundred," Varad began once we had caught up to her. "You are required to be back at the flag by zero-six-fifteen for morning exercises. Meals are served in the canteen here," she indicated a large building on our right. "Once you are in your assigned barracks, you will stay there until called for orientation at sixteen-hundred. During orientation, other facilities and locations will be revealed and their functions explained. Do not try to wander the facility until after orientation."

"You will be sharing a room with up to three others. Upon each bed is a datapad. That datapad is yours for your time here. The rules for the Institute are the only available document currently on it. Read them and understand the consequences of violating any rule. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Uh, yes, ma'am."

Serra's response was not as rapid or forceful as mine, but then again, she was used to the Jedi way and not a military approach. Regardless, Varad did not seem to mind or care as we marched along behind her onto a pathway that led into a cul-de-sac with seven buildings down each side of the path with a fifteenth building at the end.

"Evaar-agol, newbies, are in the second barracks on each side. Girls stay on the left side, boys on the right. The end building is for trainee leaders and champions only." Varad all but growled out. "Dismissed."

Without another word, she turned and marched away, likely back to the flag to collect the next group as the bell had sounded twice on our walk over here.

"I thought we'd be sharing a room." Serra said quietly once Varad was a dozen or so steps away. "N-not that I want to share." She added on quickly as I raise an eyebrow at her statement.

"It would be easier in some ways if we did, but I had expected this." I replied. "How about we take rooms that can see each other? Say, last room on the second floor?"

Serra seemed to perk up at that and smiled at me. "Okay. I'll see you from there soon."

She headed to the female barracks while I entered the male one.

[And you can use the time apart to practice communicating with me like this,] I said telepathically. [While difficult to manage, it's a handy skill to have.]

I sensed her agreement via the Force, along with a mixture of confusion and hope.

As I entered the building, I chuckled at the familiar smell of a freshly cleaned military barrack. Even if the galaxy was different, it seemed that the smell remained the same.

As I climbed the stairs to the second floor, I noted that the place was in better condition than most of the barracks I had billeted in during my old life and was far more ''user-friendly'', it was still easy to see the military thinking that went into the layout.

Hopefully, that extended to the actual rooms and beds. The last thing I wanted was to spend the next few months in a military-style school with a lumpy or uneven bed.
……


……

My opponent's fist flew towards my face with all the strength they could muster. However, thanks to my training and experience from my previous life – which translated into my higher-than-normal skills in this one – it wasn't much of a problem to evade the fist by leaning back just enough that the fist, and connected arm, sailed harmlessly passed my head.

As the fist, and attached arm passed over my shoulder, I leaned away from my opponent and, exploiting the fact that the arm was extended, brought my hand up quickly and struck my opponent's armpit was a knife-hand strike.

He grunted out in pain, and as he stumbled a few steps away from me, I struck his kidneys with a roundhouse from my far side. This caused his stumble to be more pronounced and he struggled to keep his balance.

Not letting up, I moved forward and turned until I was behind him and drove a foot into the back of one of his knees. As he began to sink to the floor I locked in a rear-naked chokehold and pulled upwards, making sure the bracers I was forced to wear were driven into his throat.

He struggled against the hold as best he could and pushed upwards in an attempt to regain his footing. However, I was hoping for that and let myself fall backwards as he pushed, and as we fell to the ground, I locked my legs around him in a scissor hold.

He tried to turn and move but the hold was secure and after about thirty seconds of trying to escape, he tapped my forearm.

"Winner, and still leader of Diryc group, Cameron Shan," Instructor Wrajud called out with a barely hidden sense of annoyance. This set of a small round of applause from the other trainees who had been watching the fight.

I ignored them and released the hold, letting my opponent roll over onto his hands and knees, and stood.

"Well fought." I said as I offered a hand to help him stand.

He coughed a few times and rubbed his throat before turning his head to look up at me. "You too." he croaked out as he took the offered hand.

"I swear you're getting faster Cam." he said with a more natural-sounding voice once he was upright and standing, even if he was a little unsteady as we broke the grip.

"Nah, I'm just having to be more creative Thun." I replied to the boy, which made him chuckle. Though after a few laughs, he began to cough and rubbed his throat once more.

As he did that, I considered the boy.

Thun Der was another of the students at the Institute and at the beginning of the session – the Institute's terminology for a semester – he had been the top-ranked fighter, and the reigning champion, of Diryc ('lower' in Basic) age group.

Now, just over a Mandalorian month later – which in a strange quirk of calendars, was a few days short of a Republic standard month – he was third.

It hadn't taken me long to assume the top spot for the group, even if I was about half a year younger than any other Mandalorian trainee, while Bo had moved into second place. Serra was currently ranked forty-ninth which was impressive when our group held a little over four hundred trainees, her ability to fight without the Force or a lightsaber was lacking, and she was younger than everyone here, bar me.

Naz, who was in Laamyc ('higher') group, was ranked fifty-seventh out of those roughly four hundred trainees. Gar Saxon was the second-ranked fighter in Laamyc group, and subsequently, the Institute since even the lowest ranker fighter in Laamyc group was ranked above anyone from Diryc group.

"Maybe you call it creative. For me it's just painful." Thun remarked as he placed a hand on the back of his neck and rolled it. "Still, it's good to have someone to beat for a change. Last year got boring when I had no one to challenge. Oh sure, there were a few good ones, but none that have pushed me like you're doing." He chuckled as we stepped off the circular mat that served as the sparring ring. "And now I'm the one seeking out the fight. Fun doing the hunting."

"Except when what you hunt is better than you." I responded with a smirk, and he laughed.

"Keep telling yourself that. I'll take you down one day." he countered without any anger.

"Never going to happen." I shot back, making him laugh once more before we headed to different areas of the viewing stands and I climbed the steps towards my seat.

As I climbed, I considered the last month, and what had happened.

Orientation had taken place when Instructor Varad had stated it would, with Commandant Kraviss giving a speech about the ideals to which all Trainees had to hold themselves to.

After that she had briefly introduced the instructors, though only Wrajud and Range-Master Marod were identified of the returnees before she mentioned Nia and two others - Tor Skirata and Monk Kumus – were new instructors.

Nia would only be working with Diryc group, likely due to her son and niece being in Laamyc group, but that was useful to me as it gave me a semi-friendly voice among the staff should I ever need one.

Skirata, who was only twenty-one, was serving as her assistant, which made sense, while Kumus was assigned to the close-quarters-combat training group with Chief Instructor Wrajud.

From there, she moved onto explaining the daily routine, and as she spoke, it felt to me that the Institute was very much what I imagined a military academy on Earth would be like. Though with more emphasis on combat than academic studies.

Reveille was at zero-six-hundred with everyone expected to muster at the flag within fifteen minutes for morning exercises. Breakfast was at zero-seven-thirty with morning classes – which were more academic in approach – running from zero-eight-hundred until lunchtime.

Our afternoons were to be spent on more combat-focused studies with us alternating between time in a classroom and one of the various ranges and challenge courses the Institute had. And during the first afternoon, when the Instructor had gone over the various tactics and strategies that would be taught, something unusual had happened.

My Warfare [Ground] skill had evolved into three new skills; Small Unit Warfare, Combined Arms Combat and Planetary Warfare.

Small Unit Warfare was where most of the XP from Warfare [Ground] went, which made sense as it was the skill covering tactics used by small squads and that was what I'd spent the most time learning and practising in my old life.

Combined Arms Combat covered the use of armour and air support along with infantry and while the basic principles were the same, the way combat was approached here was different that my old life; likely due to the fact people in this galaxy used blaster technology and that for Mandalorians at least, jetpacks were semi-standard equipment.

Planetary Warfare was a skill that covered warfare on a world level, akin to commanding full armies in a world war or leading an invasion of a hostile populace from orbit.

I had spent time after the class wondering if something similar would happen to Warfare [Space] but the Interface informed me that evolution of the skill could not happen until it had reached Professional 1.

Evenings also alternated between singular sparring sessions – like tonight – and team-based games. Though those ''games'' reminded me more of military training exercises than something designed for fun, like say paintball. I'd also gotten a new skill – Mechanics [Blasters] – from those classes.

That skill covered the regular maintenance, how to repair your blasters, and at higher levels, it conferred the ability to alter a blaster or even design your own, similar to the customization mechanics of the KOTOR series, but obviously far more involved. Learning it was something that I should have thought about studying earlier, since it was something I dealt with in my former life, however since I had barely used blasters since arriving in this galaxy, I could forgive my oversight. Though the Interface had been kind enough to grant me about a dozen levels in the skill, obviously drawing on my memories from my old life and finding a few things that could be carried over.

I'd asked if we would learn how to repair and maintain armour, but the Instructor had informed me that, due to instructions from Sundari and the ruling government, those classes covering the usage, maintenance and customization of melee weapons were only available for Laamyc group. Which was also true for melee combat; hence why I hadn't taken any training quests linked to those skills.

Wrajud then took over and had explained that there were competitions for the range training, individual sparring and team drills. And as he explained the competitions, three quests were generated by the Interface: Sniper Elite, Alpha Dog and Force Recon.

Sniper Elite
Prove your worth with blasters.
Rating: B
Objectives:
:-: Be ranked in the top 20 of Diryc group with a blaster rifle by the end of session.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
:-: Be ranked in the top 20 of Diryc group with a blaster pistol by the end of session.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
:-: Be ranked as one of the top 200 students in the Institute with a blaster rifle by the end of session.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
:-: Be ranked as one of the top 200 students in the Institute with a blaster pistol by the end of session.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
:-: 2000XP
A minor increase in Reputation with all current members of Diryc group.
:-: 2000XP
A minor increase in Reputation with all current members of Diryc group.
:-: 1500XP
A minor increase in Reputation with all staff and students at the Institute.
:-: 1500XP
A minor increase in Reputation with all staff and students at the Institute.
Failure:
:-: -800XP
A minor decrease in Reputation with all current members of Diryc group.
:-: -800XP
A minor decrease in Reputation with all current members of Diryc group.
:-: 550XP
A minor decrease in Reputation with all staff and students at the Institute.

:-: -550XP
A minor decrease in Reputation with all staff and students at the Institute.
Alpha Dog
Prove your worth in unarmed CQC.
Rating: B
Objectives:
:-: Be one of the top 16 ranked fighters in Diryc group by the end of session.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
:-: Reach the quarterfinals of the end-of-session tournament.
:-: Be crowned the winner of the sparring tournament, and thus the new Akaan'lor, of the Institute.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
:-: 2000XP
A minor increase in Reputation with all current members of Diryc group.
:-: 1500XP
A minor increase in Reputation with all staff and students at the Institute.
:-: 4000XP
A large increase in Reputation with all staff and students at the Institute.
Failure:
:-: -800XP
A minor decrease in Reputation with all current members of Diryc group.
:-: -550XP
A minor decrease in Reputation with all staff and students at the Institute.
:-: -1500XP
Force Recon
Train your team to be one of the best.
Rating: A
Objectives:
:-: Be one of the top 12 ranked teams in Diryc group by the end of session.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
:-: Reach the quarterfinals of the end of session team tournament.
Bonus: ?
Bonus: ?
Rewards:
:-: 4000XP
A minor increase in Reputation with all current members of Diryc group.
An increase in Reputation with all current members of team Brown-Nine.
:-: 2000XP
A minor increase in Reputation with all staff and students at the Institute.
Failure:
:-: -1500XP
A minor decrease in Reputation with all current members of team Brown-Nine.
:-: -1000XP
A minor decrease in Reputation with all staff and students at the Institute.
None of those objectives were too hard to reach, though the team quest – Force Recon – was clearly harder as it wasn't just based around my own skills, but that of the team I'd been assigned to. That team composed of my three dormmates along with Serra and her three dormmates.

I suspected that at least one bonus for each quest was linked to me not actively using the Force, and if that was the case, it shouldn't be too hard to achieve as, after the orientation, everyone was called to a formal assembly where Chief Instructor Wrajud had outed me and Serra as Jedi.

Nia and Commandant Kraviss did not look pleased about this. Hell, if Nia's glare could kill, Wrajud would've been nothing but a pile of ashes.

But it hadn't, and Wrajud had then stated that due to our inherent advantages, we would both be forced to wear and activate Force suppression bracers while involved in any of the combat competitions.

While the bracers were annoying – and carried a penalty that increased the cost of using any of my Force Powers by eight hundred per cent – I had quickly adapted them into my combat style, as proven when I'd used one while locking the rear-naked-choke on Thun in my just-finished spar.

Curious as to why Wrajud had done this, even as most of the assembled trainees turned to glare at Serra and me, I used Observe on Wrajud and discovered he hoped that revealing our status would drive a wedge between us and Bo and Naz. From that, and what I saw from Observe before, I wondered if his plans for Naz were centred around a way to merge his clan with clan Vizsla. An idea that became more obvious when I discovered that his son was in Laamyc group, and the defending Akaan'lor, or in Basic the 'Fighting Champion'.

In the month or so since Wrajud had revealed our status, things hadn't gone according to his plan. Apart from me being the top-ranked unarmed fighter in Diryc, I was also ranked in the top thirty in the entire Institute for my pistol and rifle marksmanship. (I'd likely be ranked higher but the first few times I'd fired the weapons on the range, I'd forgotten that things like wind and air resistance were less of an issue for blaster bolts compared to round fired from guns in my old life.)

Also, my team, was ranked eighth in Diryc, with no other newbie team was ranked above twenty-second, and their rankings in the other tournaments were also climbing as I took the time to teach them tricks for both unarmed combat and marksmanship.

Add onto that the fact that Bo had been spending at least two nights a week tutoring Serra to help her poor marksmanship and improve her ability to fight unarmed, and that by being revealed to the others, it had allowed Serra and me to show that not only were we here to learn, but also respect and follow Mandalorian traditions, it was likely that Wrajud's plan had already failed.

"Yeah! Good job Cam!" Andeeld Krhul called out, drawing me out of my thoughts.

Force Disruption Field Disabled
Whatever was causing the disruption and suppression of your Force Powers has ended.
All costs have returned to normal.

I mentally sent away the notice as it simply meant that the Force suppression bracers were deactivated, and as I unclasped them from my forearms, I kept my attention on Krhul.

He had been one of the children who'd sneered at Serra when she'd meditated before the initiation test – a test that every trainee passed - on the day we'd arrived at the Institute. Through a quirk of the Force, he had then ended up as one of my three roommates in the barracks.

His opinion of me had fallen to disliked not long after discovering I was a Jedi – and I suspected that had happened with many others, as Wrajud had planned – but his opinion had begun to improve after the first week and now my Reputation with him stood at Neutral. Though given to how he was, I suspected it wouldn't be long until my reputation with him changed to Liked.

Krhul came from a family of traders on Concord Dawn, but he had no interest in business, instead preferring the way of the warrior and since I had taken to tutoring my teammates in both close-quarters-combat and shooting, we'd developed the beginnings of a friendship.

"We knew you could do it Revanite'Alor." added another member of Brown Nine, and the one serving as the second in command of my team, Huzu Cadora, even as I grimaced at the nickname Bo had given my team; The Revanites.

Somehow, someway, I was going to pay Bo back for that nickname, especially since the name was now used instead of the official name of Brown-Nine on the leader boards.

Though the fact that I had been assigned as leader of the team made me wonder if Nia – or perhaps the Duke himself – had had something to do with it. I doubted that Kraviss was keen on making a Jedi a team leader, but someone had convinced to do so.

Now, while I could have picked Serra for the role of second-in-command, she was far too willing to just accept my suggestions and picking her would have further alienated the other members of our team.

Thankfully, Cadora had no issue with me being a Jedi. Which likely stemmed from the fact that a Jedi had saved her uncle from Weequay pirates near Felucia, and she was willing to question my ideas if she didn't agree without going so far as to be insubordinate.

The rest of the team, save Serra, added their voices to those of Krhul's and Cadora's. Serra instead just radiated confidence and calm through our Force bond. She hadn't yet reached the point where she could actively communicate with me via the bond, but I felt it was only a matter of time until it happened as her thoughts and feelings were becoming clear to sense. Strangely, they were also bleeding through less and I wondered if learning to use the Force to speak telepathically actually helped a Jedi control how their emotions bled into the Force.

The rest of our team was composed of Mirali Redi, Ginia Aran, Bhae Bralori and Raun Wott.

Redi and Wott were my fellow dormmates with Wott being the second son of a semi-major Clan chief from the Planet Harswee while Redi, like Krhul, came from a family on Concord Dawn. Though the two had never met until they shared a transport to Mandalore.

Aran and Bralori were daughters of minor clan leaders from Cheravh and dormmates of Serra and Cadora. Their families were long-time allies of both each other and Clan Kryze, though like most of the trainees at the Institute, they were not big fans of the New Mandalorians and the failed to understand why the Duke had allied House Kryze with them.

"Please don't call me that Huzu." I muttered as I sat down.

"But you are the leader of The Revanites, why shouldn't we use it?" Mirali asked and as he turned to look at me, he did nothing to hide the smirk on his face.

"And you are the Revan'ade, are you not?" added Bhae with a wink as she leaned forward so she could look around Krhul to see me. "Or was Bo-Katan just tricking us?"

"I'm going to kill her." I mumbled as I watched Bo step into the sparring ring I had just vacated. She was going to face off against Balei Saryus, who was ranked sixteenth in the fighting ring and lead the highest-ranked team in Diryc group.

Thanks to the way the spars were set up, it meant that if Saryus lost the spar, he'd slide back seven places in the ranking – half of the current difference in their rankings. This loss of ranking for failure acted as a way to limit Trainees fighting people far above their ranking to jump to the top. Well, unless one was sure of their ability to win.

However, if Saryus won, which I didn't expect, he'd take Bo's place and everyone from Bo downwards would lose a place until they reached Saryus' old position.

"Five on Bal." Wott stated as Wrajud began to step out of the circle.

"Ten on Bo." Serra responded, using the nickname since the girl in question wasn't present. I shook my head even as I allowed myself a wry smile.

In just over a month Serra had gone from being uncomfortable and confused around Bo to having total trust in the other girl. It was great to see her do so, as it shifted her attention from me. Though even there, things had been better, and I wondered if the talks that she'd had with Master Fay had covered more than just the dangers of going too far with a political ideal.

The klaxon sounded, and Bo and Saryus began their spar while the next challenger stood at the base on the ring, awaiting their turn.

I leaned back into my seat and began to analyse the fight and I wondered if Saryus would surprise me and pull off the win.

……



……

"Relax. Take your time. Watch the way the sights rise and fall with your breaths." I said to Krhul as he lay prone on the floor and aimed his rifle downrange. "Time the shifts in motion as you breathe. Learn them. And once you are sure of the timing, take your shot."

Nearly half a minute passed before Krhul's rifle sent a bolt of energy down the range. I looked up at the camera which showed the target – that was two kilometres away – and saw the bolt strike the target in the right shoulder.

"Kriff it!" Andeeld growled out. "I missed."

"But you're getting closer." I responded as he moved back to a kneeling position and switched the rifle into safe mode. "We're still a few weeks away from session-break and you've moved up nearly a hundred places already."

The session break was a week holiday that took place roughly halfway through a session to allow the trainees to head home and catch up with their friends and family. Bo had already informed me and Serra that we'd be staying with her in Sundari, but I wondered if either of my Masters would return to check in with us.

Krhul chuckled as he unclipped the charge pack and handed it to me. "Yeah, but when you start dead last, that's not saying much." He replied as he carried out the standard safety checks on the rifle before standing. "We can't all be as gifted as you."

"I'm not gifted. My grandfather was just a big believer in being prepared." I explained, sticking to the excuse I'd been using for a while that the reason I was so comfortable with a blaster was due to Vaner Shan. It was either that or have everyone assume I was somehow still using the Force to help my aim. Which I wasn't.

So far, I hadn't needed to do so, though I knew there would come a day in this life where I would need the help of the Force to make an all but impossible shot.

Most of the Diryc group seemed to accept that I was simply good at combat, but I'd caught the odd whisper or glance from students in Laamyc group that suggested they didn't believe that was the case.

Naz had also passed along a warning via Bo that there were rumblings of discontent about a Jedi – and the 'supposed' descendant of Revan – showing up Mandalorians on their planet. Especially since I was now ranked fourteenth – out the entire eight-hundred-odd trainees at the Institute – with a blaster pistol and ninth with a rifle and had not been dethroned as sparring leader of Diryc group.

I doubted the rumblings would be an issue, but if they were, I'd make sure to prove to the other Trainees just how good I was when the end-of-session tournaments came around.

"Cam, there's being prepared, there's being ''prepared'', and there's being born for war," he chuckled and shook his head as we walked to the Range-Master's area. "And you are most certainly the third option."

"I don't go looking for battle Ande." I said, using a shortened form of his name, as I placed the blaster pack on a table while he showed the rifle was safe to Range-Master Marod.

"You may not look for it, but it is drawn to you, Revan'ade." Marod said, adding his two credits to the conversation.

Dun Marod was in his mid-sixties and was missing one ear that, according to Institute legend, had been lost to a Rancor during his verd'goten. He didn't speak much, but his words and presence carried a lot of weight around the place with even Commandant Kraviss deferring to him on the range. "Like your ancestor, you are born for war. It calls to you."

"Well if you know how could you ask it to stop calling?" I asked with a smile, which made Andeeld chuckle, "Or at least leave me alone for a few decades? I'd like time to become a Knight before it calls me again." And have time to prepare for the real war I knew was coming.

Even as I became closer to the people here, I wondered how many would one day follow me into battle and die because of it. And how many wouldn't, and then die by my blade. It was a sobering thought to always have rattling around in your head, and why I was trying to enjoy my days as much as I could without the looming war to come dominating my thoughts.

"War waits for no one, Trainee." Marod said as he turned and placed the rifle Krhul had given him on a rack to his left, "Not least those to whom it calls. May Kad Ha'rangir walk with you, Revan'ade."

I frowned at the word that Marod had used – was it a name or title? – but couldn't ask him about it as another pair of trainees came up behind us to return some pistols.

"Kad Ha'rangir?" I asked Krhul as we left the range and began to walk back to our room.

I noticed he was frowning and as he answered he slowly shook his head. "He's one of the old gods. The Destroyer God, bringer of change and growth." Krhul chuckled once to himself, though it was devoid of any humour and he licked his lips before he spoke again. "I… no one talks about the old gods anymore. Or at least I didn't think they did."

I didn't reply, and instead, I let silence settle over us as we walked.

……

"I really don't want to be linked to a god of war." I muttered to myself as I stepped into a shower cubicle about an hour later. Range-Master Marod's words still playing in my mind even as I turned on the water.

He wasn't exactly wrong, as I was here to get involved in a galactic war, but it wasn't why I had come to this universe. And while I kept telling myself that it wasn't true, I couldn't deny that there was a kernel of truth in what he had said.

Almost all my plans since arriving had been geared towards preparing for the war to come and…

**THUMP**

Whatever thoughts were rattling around in my head vanished as something crashed into the door of my cubicle. Even with the sound of the shower, I could make out the faint hints of laughter. That was likely coming from the four beings that Detection was showing on my minimap were standing in the common area of the shower room.

As I turned off the shower and turned to the door – and mentally scolded myself for being distracted by the Range-Master's words and not keeping an eye on my surroundings – I activated Enhance Sense for my hearing.

"Yeah, we've got him. Go have your fun." a voice, one that was deeper in tone than those I knew, said. The tone was hushed, but with E-S active, I had no problems making his words out.

I gave the door an experimental push, but as I suspected, it did budge. Though I did hear something scrape as I turned the handle suggesting that they'd blocked that before putting whatever they had in front of the door to trapped me inside.

"We will. And we'll make sure to record it." another voice replied. While this one was also deeper in tone, it was slightly distorted suggesting it was coming from a comms device.

I pushed at the door once more, though more for show than in a real attempt. If I really wanted out, I could just use the Force, and so far, this reeked of nothing more than a bad attempt at hazing. Though the fact there was another group somewhere also up to something had me concerned.

"Who's out there?" I called out, trying to draw the four into a false sense of security even as I reached out with the Force and began to slowly move the object – likely a baton – that was blocking the door handle from fully turning away.

"We don't want your kind here, Jetii," answered a new voice that dripped with venom, "neither you or the girl."

"At least she's a girl," a third voice added with a chuckle. "Sure the others will enjoy that."

As two of the others chuckled at that, I felt a cold shiver run up my spine and my anger flare. It took all of my control to not blast the door – and whatever object was blocking it – out of the way with the Force.

"Kriff Drum, she's still an adiik." the first voice, the one who'd spoken into the communicator, countered. "I still say they shouldn't go that far." He added with his distaste clear to hear in his voice.

"By a month!" Shot back another, likely this Drum. "I saw their records Lanze. She's old enough for some fun."

I clenched my fists tightly as my anger rose even further. They were going to…

"You will open this door. NOW!" I all but shouted as I used Force Compulsion with the words.

As my anger continued to grow, the more rational, mature part of my mind told me that I shouldn't lash out. That it wasn't the way to deal with things. But the younger, more emotional side was all but screaming at me to hurt them for what they were doing. To make them pay.

"We will…"

"Zoma? What?" I heard someone move only for something to happen and it sounded as though one of them had just shoved another to the floor.

"Huh? Wha…"

"The Jedi tried to trick you! We're not going to fall for that!" Drum called out before laughing. "We're not going to fall for your little tricks."

I felt the baton – or whatever it was – slide loose from the handle and took a hold of the large object - likely a bench given to what was in the room – with the Force as I opened my move to respond.

[CAM!!!]

I fell to my knees and grabbed my head – my hold on the two objects failing and the baton bouncing off the door and bench to the floor – as Serra's voice screamed in my head. Terror, disbelief and primal fear flooded into my mind and I closed my eyes to tried to block her emotions from overwhelming me.

Then, in an instant, I was calm again. Too calm and I logically knew that Player's Mind had auto engaged as it regarded this as a combat situation.

[Serra? What's wrong? Where are you?] I called out, hoping against hope that she would respond. Instead, all I got back was the building fear and terror that was overwhelming her and had almost done the same to me.

"What's the matter JetiiI? Womprat got your tongue?" Drum asked before he and the others laughed.

"Enough of this." I stated and with a simple wave of my hand, the door to the cubicle flew off its hinges.

For a second, as the door, bench and baton raced away from me, the three boys that I could see – the fourth was blocked by the door – all froze in mid-laugh. Their eyes began to process what they were seeing, and they all did a fair approximation of a deer caught in the headlights. However, none had time to react as the bench crashed into the two of them – lifting them off their feet and into the wall – the baton struck the one I suspected was Drum hard in the stomach, while the door crashed into the fourth, sending him, and the door, tumbling out of the room.

[I'm coming.] I sent to Serra as I stepped out into the carnage.

With a gesture, I dragged Drum, who had sunk to his knees after the baton had struck him, towards me, before lifting him until we were eye-to-eye.

"Pray that they have not hurt her," I said emotionlessly. "For if they have…"

A flick of a finger sent him upwards, crashing into the lights in the roof which shattered as he smashed into them, drawing a scream for him as the glass and wiring dug into his back.

"I'll be back." I finished as I stepped forward, summoned a towel to my hand, and walked over the fallen door, without any concern if the boy underneath was conscious or not.

As I stepped into the changing room and ignored the sound of Drum crashing to the floor behind me – and groaning in pain – I noted that no one was present, and turned my attention to my minimap.

It took a second to locate Serra. She was in one of the private training rooms near the sparring hall, and there were six others with her.

A quick check confirmed the room next door was empty and, after wrapping the towel around my waist, I Teleported there.

The main reason I hadn't teleported directly to Serra's side was that the fear and terror from her had lessened considerably. A secondary reason was that, without emotions clouding my thoughts, I reasoned that it would be preferable to not reveal that I could teleport to people I didn't yet trust, while another reason for my caution was that Serra should still have access to the Force, so even though she mentally screamed out to me, she should still have her abilities to defend herself with if she did not have her hidden lightsaber with her.

I stalked out of that room – taking the simple door to the room off its hinges as I did – and turned towards the training room where Serra was, noting that said door was open, and the shadows of five people could be seen from inside.

"She's under the protection of my clan, Morn," Bo's voice growled out of the room. "You touch her and there'll be war."

I said a silent prayer of thanks to Bo for being there and made a mental note to thank her for this, as I stepped into the doorframe.

Bo was standing between five older boys. Her eyes were locked on the boys – there was the barest hint of recognition as my eyes caught hers – and her fists were clenched tightly as they held a pair of batons, with blood dripping from the left one.

The boys were scattered around the room, as was most of the equipment, but all had their focus on Bo and Serra. I noted that the equipment, bar the crate Serra was leaning against, was spread out chaotically around the room with the epicentre of the chaos being where Serra was.

Serra's arms were pulled close to her chest and I could see her shaking even from here. Because of where her arms were, I could see that she was wearing the Force suppression bracers and that they were active. Likely this had been for while sparring with Bo, but her attackers had clearly used that against her and timed their assault for before she had deactivated them. Though why she didn't have the components of her lightsaber, was unclear. And I made a mental note to ask her about that, and how she'd managed to call out to me with the bracers active, after this situation was handled.

"Your father has no power here Kryze." the lead boy, likely this Morn fellow, replied. If I had the name right, then he was Tardol Morn, the fifth-ranked fighter in Laamyc group. I'd seen him spar once and he was good, but I knew I could take him one on one. Five on one, however…

[Stay still.] I commanded Serra as she shifted a little in response to seeing me and I held a finger to my lips for Bo's benefit. The redhaired girl didn't react to my gesture even as Morn continued to speak.

"We don't recognize anyone who grovels with the dar'manda." That statement drew comments of support for the other boys.

"I've always wanted a redhead." another muttered loud enough for me to hear.

Bo's eyes narrowed and, even with Player's Mind active, I felt something inside me convulse at the idea of him touching her. Though that feeling passed almost as soon as it appeared, and I took a step into the room, and moved silently towards the nearest of the five.

"You challenge my clan?" Bo all but spat out as she shifted her eyes back to Morn.

Morn, rather unexpectedly, laughed loudly. "What clan? Your father and brother are aruetiie, while your sister is off learning from her Republic overlords."

I watched Bo as she ground her teeth, but she was unable to come up with a response to Morn's accusation. I knew she resented her father and sister, but that it was so much that she couldn't even come up with an instant response to defend them spoke volumes of the loathing she felt for their choices.

And made my hopes of reconciling the two girls that much more difficult.

"I bet the reason she's protecting the Jedi is they're shacking up together," another of the attackers, the one closest to me, suggested before laughing once. "I've heard rumours about her and the Vizsla girl."

"What about the Wren girl?" the boy who had commented redheads offered. "That one looks like a right firecracker."

"Maybe we need to re-educate them." the fourth offered, and I felt Serra's fear spike as he looked at her. "I'm sure this one just needs the right persuasion to learn her place."

"We...Argfwcx." Whatever Morn was about to say died as he reached for his throat. As did the others.

"For that, I should kill you." I said, revealing my presence.

I stalked forward as best I could – it's hard to be intimidating in nothing but a towel – giving the one who made the redhead comment a swift kick to his knee, and Morn a punch in his gut, until I was even with Bo.

There, I turned to face the five.

"You call yourselves warriors?" I spat at Morn's feet as I directed my anger at him. "Pathetic. You're cowards, nothing else. You trapped and threatened my friends here while your cohorts ambushed me, they failed by the way."

I glanced at Bo as an idea came into my head. "You talk about Clan Kryze as being dar'manda yet know nothing about why Duke Adonai made his choice. What would you do if someone killed your mother, your wife, your child? Would you have the courage to step forward and try to lead your people? Or would you turn tail and run? Try to find the closest rock to crawl back under?"

As I spoke, I tightened the grip on their throats and by the time I'd finished my little speech – hopefully, the message had gotten through to Bo – all five were on their knees.

"I'd call you no better than Hutts, but at least they have some morals." I finished.

"Y-yo-u're… no-t…" Morn gasped out as he, and the others continued to claw at their throats.

I stepped forward and leaned down until I was right Morn's face. "Not what? Mando'ade? Maybe not yet, but even now I'm more honourable than you'll ever be."

I squeezed my fingers together and Morn's face slowly started to lose colour.

"No-t… Re-va-n…" Morn added, as he somehow managed to bring the faintest of smiles to his lips. Even as he continued to struggle against my crushing of his neck.

I laughed back at him. "You're lucky I'm not. If you had attacked his friends, he would've killed you where you stood. Me, I'll let you live." I finished as I increased the pressure of my Force Crush to the point that if I held it for much longer it would damage their vocal cords. "Maybe."

"I…I'…ll…ki…ill…yo…u," Morn barely managed to get out as his face turned white.

"You could try," I responded as I further tightened my grip on his throat, and he gasped fruitlessly for air. "But on the day where you grow the balls to actually do so, I'll embarrass you so badly that you'll never again have the courage to pick up a blaster."

"Trainee Shan! What are you doing?"

My head snapped up and I saw Nia standing in the doorframe. Her brow crashed into her eyebrows, and her eyes narrowed as she glared at me, and I took an involuntary step backwards, releasing my grip on the boys and sensing Player's Mind deactivate as I did so.

"These… boys tried to attack me and Serra." Bo replied, seemingly unconcerned by the glare; or at least, used to it. Also, from what I could sense of her emotions, she wasn't surprised to see that Nia had arrived, and I wondered if Bo had somehow alerted Nia to the issue. "And from what Cam said, another group attacked him while he was in the shower."

Nia's eyes focused on me, and her lips twitched fractionally. "At least that explains why you're running around in nothing but a towel."

My lips moved as I considered responding, but I decided not to and instead closed my mouth.

"H-he tried to kill us!" Morn blurted out in a wheezing, cracked voice as he rubbed his throat. "With Jedi tricks." The other boys nodded in agreement.

Nia scoffed as she looked at him, and his accomplices, as she took a few steps into the room "If Trainee Shan wanted to kill you Trainee Morn, he wouldn't need the Force to do it."

She turned her attention back to me. "However, I'll need you all to…" her voice trailed off as her eyes moved passed me to focus on Serra. "Trainee Keto? What happened?"

I pivoted to take a good look at Serra, even as she seemed to shrink in on herself.

"I heard Serra scream," Bo began as Serra started to shiver." They had her pinned against the crate, and Morn ripped her top open and…"

I didn't hear what else she said as my anger flared, and I spun back around. My fist flew out and struck Morn flush across his cheek. I heard the sound of bone breaking as he fell to the floor.

"AGH!" "Shan!"

As Morn groaned in pain, and Nia called out my name, I drove my knee upwards into his jaw, again hearing something break, before driving my heel down hard into his groin.

"TRAINEE SHAN!" Nia bellowed even as Morn fell to the floor in a heap; his eyes rolling back into his head as he did.

I backed away from Morn, my anger finally coming under control – and the damage done – as Nia stormed across the room and knelt beside the boy.

I turned around, not caring about Morn, and Bo gave me a nod and smile, which I returned with a nod of my own. However, my focus was on Serra.

I moved closer to her, but she pulled back as if trying to sink into the crate. I sighed and turned to Bo.

We didn't say anything, but she understood, gave me a sad smile, and then moved to help Serra.

"Trainee Shan," I turned around again not see Nia was now standing and glaring at me. "While I understand your anger, and agree with it, attacking another Trainee is a violation of the Institute's code of honour," she explained. "As such, I am forced to give you a formal reprimand."

"Understood Instructor Vizsla." My response was bland and as unemotional as it could be when I was within sight of Morn.

It did state in the Institute's rules that fighting another trainee – outside of a sparring ring – was a violation of the code, and would result in a formal reprimand. Three such reprimands in two years would see the student expelled, while other actions – like being caught murdering or raping someone – would result in the offender being handed over to the authorities for trial.

While that was what I wanted to happen to Morn, Drum and their groups, I was concerned that since the two incidents took place in areas with no cameras, it would devolve into a ''he said, she said'' situation. In those cases, the settling of the problem, and the application of punishments was at the Commandant's discretion.

She sighed even as she fiddled with her gauntlet. "And since this involves so many trainees, and at least two trips to Medical, I have to inform the Commandant about this."

As the holographic projector on her gauntlet flicker to life and display a small hologram of another person, she spoke again. "I need medical and security teams in training hall zero-six."

"And the showers in my barracks." I offered. "Their friends tried to ambush me there."

She locked her eyes on me. "Tried you say? Hmm." She turned back to the hologram. "And the same to the showers in barracks nine."

She closed the link and turned her full attention to me. "While we wait, perhaps you'd like to explain what happened here. And how you managed to get over here, and into the training area, without being scanned in?"

"Ah," I began as I rubbed the back of my neck and shrugged, "the Force?"

Hopefully she, and the Commandant would buy an excuse of Force bullshit as to why I'd gotten here so quickly. I'd rather not have to go into specifics and explain that Jedi could teleport. No need to reveal that trick to potential enemies.

……


As before, you can find me on the server for this story in particular, and Star Wars in general: discord . gg/UM89QfyQk3
Or in Shiro's Omniverse: discord . gg /wd3tUYWVCd
Regardless of if you join one, both or neither...
May the Force be with you. Always.
 
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Teh Adiik At Mando’ade 5
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.

A/N:
So, looking back at the last chapter I think that perhaps it should have carried a small warning for the suggestion of what would have occurred if Bo and Cam hadn't saved Serra.
From now on, I will try to place a small warning at the beginning of any chapter where a scene could offend, though this will be at my discretion and based on my opinion.
Hopefully, that will be enough.

Also, to be clear, to most Mandalorians (i.e. any who are not members of the New Mandalorian faction) the age of adulthood is 13 if the child has completed a verd'goten.

If anyone wishes to speak with me about this or just in general, to offer ideas or discuss the story (or SW in general), you'll find a link to two Discord servers where I and those helping me are active. Or just drop me a PM.

NOTICE
While I do not feel this chapter crosses into M-rating, the first scene covers are a rather brutal method of determining guilt or innocence.
You have been warned.

Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo



(Gar Saxon's POV)

As he sat down with his teammates, Gar looked around the assembled stands. From what he could see, it appeared that every trainee in the Institute – bar those in the medical bay or confinement area – was present. While this was unusual, he had a suspicion as to why it was happening, based on what he'd learnt from his mother and Instructor Wrajud.

For the last few days, the rumour mill had been running wild with a story that nine members of Laamyc group and three from Diryc group – the Kryze girl and the two Jedi – had been pulled from classes and placed into confinement due to a pair of fights that had occurred about a week ago.

His mother clearly knew what was going on but had refused to reveal to him what had happened. As had any other Instructor, even Instructor Wrajud who had, at his uncle Pre's request, spent time training him privately. Though both had hinted that whatever had happened, it would be resolved soon, which was why he suspected he knew the reason for this gathering.

"What's going on?" his lover and the team's second in command, Rook Kast asked as she slipped passed him to her seat. As she stepped over his legs, she let her fingers trail teasingly across his chest, which sent a pleasant sensation through his body.

"Don't know," he replied, as she slid into her chair and ignored her fingers as they came to rest on his forearm, "but it's probably to do with the Jedi."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Rook's eyes widen and she licked her lips before she turned her attention to the sparring rings.

Unlike on most days, when the various challenges took place for the Laamyc and Diryc group standings, only the three central rings had their lights on. Though what was interesting to Gar was that the gaps between those rings were also well-lit. That added further credence to his feeling about what was about to take place.

"Huh. So the rumour mill might be right for once?" Rook asked as she glanced his way for a second. "This should be interesting. From what I hear, the boy Jedi's got spunk."

Gar ignored her latest attempt to irritate him by referencing Shan, though he replied, "He is competent." As he was well aware that if he didn't respond she would keep needling him until he answered her and he wanted to keep his attention on what was to come.

And while he would admit the boy was competent to others, internally he was conflicted about Cameron Shan. The boy had killed his father, and his blood sang at him to seek revenge. Yet, Gar could not deny that the boy was… impressive when he fought.

Gar had reviewed recordings of several of Shan's ranking spars, along with a handful of the recordings of Team Brown-Nine – he was not going to refer to them by their silly moniker – in team events. For most, though not all of the recordings, Gar got the distinct impression that the Jedi was holding back.

In almost every spar there was a moment where Gar swore the boy hesitated or failed to take advantage of the situation, while Gar would have. The same was true in the team events, though there at least it appeared as if Shan was not seizing the moment so that another of his team could.

All of this was where Gar got him suspicion that the Jedi was not going all out, and it confused Gar.

Now, in the team events, Gar could judge those decisions as the Jedi using them to help his team improve and learn as a unit, and if that was the case, Gar could not deny the result it was having.

The improvement of Brown-Nine as a team had been staggering as they'd gone from one of the weaker new teams to one of the top teams in Diryc group. Heck, Gar would even expect them to win most of the time against the lower-ranked teams in Laamyc group.

In Gar's mind, this spoke well of the Jedi as a leader, as the cohesion and efficiency of a team – or lack thereof – began and ended with the effectiveness of their commander.

Yet, in the single spars, the Jedi still held back, which infuriated Gar to no end.

Because Shan kept holding back, and not taking every opportunity he had to end the fight quickly and efficiently, Gar had yet to see definitive proof that the boy had defeated his father without cheating by using the Force.

No matter what his mother said – and Gar could not deny he was less than thrilled that his mother had such a high opinion of the boy that killed her husband, and his father – without seeing the Jedi fully commit to a battle – without using the Force – Gar was… unwilling to believe what he had been told.

"It's the Commandant." stated another member of Gar's team – Rhiox Loc, their heavy-weapons specialist. Gar noted that the Commandant was not alone, as just a half-a-step behind her in flanking positions were Chief Instructor Wrajud and Range-Master Marod.

As they walked towards the centre of the largest – and central – ring, Gar realised that the usual matting had been removed, exposing the hard wooden flooring underneath. As he pondered as to why that was, the Commandant began to speak.

"As I suspect most, if not all of you, are aware, five days ago there was an incident involving members of this Institute. One Trainee has received a formal reprimand for actions they took in clear view of an Instructor. This Trainee, who shall not be named, accepted their reprimand without complaint."

Gar leaned forward in his seat at the Commandant's words at hearing this, as did many others.

In Gar's four years at the Institute no one had received such a mark against them, so for someone to not only receive one but accept it unconditionally suggested the rumour mill may have, for once, may have been right, and revealed some of the truth about what had happened between the twelve Trainees in confinement.

"However, while the reason for that reprimand is not debated, the truth of the incident that instigated the need for a reprimand is. Two versions of the events have been revealed, and those involved stand by their version. This incident took place in a place where it was agreed that recording equipment would not be placed. This has been a long-standing situation at this Institute so that there were places where trainees could have time without the overwatch of the Instructors and was done on the basis that all trainees were trustworthy and honourable. Because of this incident, that decision is now being reviewed."

"Now, with the lack of a recording of what actually happened, and having two versions of events that are incompatible with each other, this has placed the staff of the Institute, including myself, in an awkward and unusual position. How are we to ascertain the truth regarding the events that occurred, and determine the innocence or guilt of those involved?"

"Thankfully, Range-Master Marod and Chief Instructor Wrajud were able to find a possible solution for this problem. However, this solution dates back to before the Dral'Han."

Gar ignored the slowly increasing whispers coming from around him as he focused on the Commandant, curious as to what method from the old ways was to be used. The most common way to settle matters back then, at least according to what his father and uncle had told him, was trial by combat. But the odds on the Jedi accepting such a solution, especially when denied access to the Force, was… low.

"While I was… reluctant to consider this method, all interested parties have agreed to this method," the Commandant continued calmly, ignoring the increase in volume that was coming from the people watching in the stands. "As have their clan elders and sponsors."

A new light came on, this one illuminating the viewing box used by the staff and any guests. As he refocused on that box and heard several people near him inhaled sharply, Gar's brow rose as he took note of what appeared to be nearly three dozen people in the box.

Most of the people were instructors, but four of the others who were present drew Gar's attention. His uncle Pre and cousin Tor, along with Duke Adonai and his heir Dorgo were all there and outfitted in their armour. For them to be wearing the armour in public, honouring the old ways, drove home to Gar that today was going to be momentous.

By being here, in armour, Pre Vizsla and Adonai Kryze were stating openly and clearly, that they still held to the old traditions. This had the potential to drive a significant wedge between their clans, House Kryze, and the New Mandalorian faction.

"Thus, in accordance with the old ways, this dispute is to be settled with trial by combat." the Commandant stated and Gar's head whipped back around to focus on her.

While the Commandant seemed weary and resigned about what was to come, both Wrajud and Marod were more… content. Which made sense to Gar. Wrajud, for all his public behaviour, was a follower of Death Watch – oh he might not have said it openly, but Gar could easily read between the lines – while Marod was an old warrior who always had a story to tell about a battle he had fought in somewhere in the galaxy.

"To be clear, this combat is not to the death. The truth shall be determined by whichever side is able to disable their opponents, or convince them to recant their story," Gar noticed that the Commandant's brow seemed to tighten as she spoke. He also saw a less-than-friendly smile creep onto the face of Wrajud while Marod stood ramrod straight, without any hint of how he felt about what was about to come.

"This ijaat'akaanir will determine the guilt and innocence of all parties. All of us here today will serve as ja'hailire in this matter so that none can question the validity of the victor, nor the truth of their words." The Commandant finished before turning and walking from the ring.

As they turned, Gar swore he saw Wrajud sneer at Marod, though it may have just been a trick of the light as Marod showed no reaction.

"An ijaat'akaanir?" Rook muttered and a glance from the corner of his eye told Gar that like him, she too had leaned forward in the hopes of getting a better view. "I didn't think the Duke had the stones to allow something like this." She added as her leg rubbed against his.

"If the Jedi approved this, then he would have no choice." Gar offered in reply even as he smirked at Rook getting excited by the upcoming violence. Yet his mind soon returned to what was about to happen, and why the Duke, his uncle and their heirs were allowing themselves to be seen here.

While he gave the impression to most that he wasn't much more than a brute, Gar was no fool. No matter how much his blood sang for him to strike down the Jedi who killed his father, he was smart enough to know that there was a time and place to fight Cameron Shan.

Throw in that the Jedi were under the protection of Duke Adonai and House Kryze, of which he was a nominal member as he hadn't reaffirmed Clam Saxon's loyalty to the House yet, and Gar pushed down the urge that called out for blood.

While his uncles in Clan Saxon had been furious to learn that Jedi would be studying at the Institute, they knew that no move could be taken against the Jedi. Not unless the Jedi brought it upon themselves.

His mother had added her voice to those of Clan Saxon – though Gar placed less stock in her opinion than he used to – while his uncle Pre had advised him to not actively seek out trouble with the Jedi, nor go looking to cause an incident.

And Gar had listened to their advice and, his own common sense, and held back. Though that had not stopped him from voicing his opinions on occasion about how he felt about Jedi learning the ways of the Mando'ade.

Rhiox groaned as Gar saw a group of nine walk into the light on the left-most of the three illuminated rings. "What has Lanze gotten himself into this time?" Rhiox asked, though Gar wasn't interested in who he was speaking to, as he was far more curious about the nine trainees from Laamyc group.

None looked overly concerned, the Gar thought Lanze was being a half-step slower than the others. As Morn waved and bowed theatrically to the crowd, Gar couldn't help but scoff, but his eyes soon focused on another trainee; one that had been a problem for a few years now.

"Why did it have to be him?!" Rook growled out in a low voice and Gar moved his hand over to rest on top of hers in support as he glared down at the problem trainee, and the one Rook was moaning about, Drum Bendak.

Gar's temper flared as he remembered the reason for his dislike of Bendak. Three years ago, Bendak had less than subtly suggested to Rook that she should 'service' him. Rook hadn't taken kindly to the suggestion, and after rejecting his approach with a knee to the groin, challenged him to a spar. Though calling it a spar was a misnomer as Rook had systematically dismantled the idiot in a way that required Bendak to spend a day in a bacta tank to recover.

Ironically, it was Bendak's folly that had sparked Gar's feelings for Rook, and not long after, and in a much more successful attempt, the pair had begun enjoying each other's company. Yet, neither Gar nor Rook held anything but contempt for Bendak as the boy had tried a few more times to convince Rook to get with him. None were any more successful than the first and Bendak had eventually moved on to other targets.

"What?!" Another of Gar's team, Ellan Aran, screamed out. "They're putting them against those three?!"

Drawn out of his memories, Gar turned his head to the right-most ring and saw Kryze and the two Jedi step forward.

While he could understand Ellan's anger – three from Diryc against nine from Laamyc was a mismatch of farcical proportions – he couldn't quite bring himself to be that outraged about this.

After all, Cameron Shan was the one who killed his father. How could he not enjoy the idea that the boy would meet his comeuppance, even if it meant two others had to suffer for that to occur?

Yet, as Gar examined Shan – and ignored the growing swell of discontent from the stands – he realised that something about the boy was off. The Jedi was confident, almost supremely so. Which made no sense whatsoever.

While Kryze was trying to be strong, Gar saw her eyes bouncing from one boy in Laamyc to another, never settling on anyone. It was a sign to Gar that she knew that she was outmatched and desperately seeking out a weaker fighter in that group to avoid being beaten too badly.

The female Jedi – he honestly had not bothered to learn her name as she was not worth his time – was staying behind Shan and Kryze, and almost seemed to be trying to make herself smaller as her wide eyes took in the group across the rings from her and her allies.

Yet Shan showed no hints of fear, and if looks could kill, Gar suspected that both Morn and Bendak would resemble duracrete after a sustained barrage from a turbolaser.

Either Shan was overly confident in his own abilities, and Gar didn't think the boy had been holding back that much, or he was projecting supreme confidence in the face of overwhelming odds to inspire his allies and intimidate his enemies.

Gar was inclined to believe it was the latter, but he could not deny that Shan was Mandokar. To stand against such overwhelming odds, and show no fear, especially since – with the bracers clear to see on both Shan and Keto – he was denied his greatest advantage was the mark of one with the right stuff.

"The boy's got a pair," Rook whispered in a voice that was only meant for him. "I know you don't like him, but you can't deny that."

And Gar couldn't. Shan was worthy of some respect, and even if Shan would never realise it, Gar nodded to him in respect.

"Begin." Came the Commandant's single word command, and all the baying and protests from the stands grew.

Two of the older boys – ones Gar had never bothered to learn the names of as they were not ranked in the top one-hundred fighters in Laamyc group – rushed forward, seemingly seeking an easy victory as the noise coming from the crowd grew louder still.

Gar's brow rose as Shan stepped forward to meet their charge and till the noise grew, the crowd sensing blood in the air and Gar leaned further forward in anticipation of battle to come.

Just before closing to striking distance with Shan, the one of the pair slowed, dropping a step behind the other. Gar sensed this was intentional, and when a third boy – one on the opposite side of Morn's group – moved, Gar was sure of it.

The third boy shifted until he was just about out-of-sight for Shan then he began to advance. He would likely be the one who took him down with his was distracted by the first two.

The plan was solid, and in their place, he would probably have used a similar plan; though he would've committed two to the blind-side attack, yet just as the first boy shifted his weight to throw a punch, Gar swore he saw Shan tense in expectation.

It was almost as though Shan knew this was the older boys' plan and had a counter ready in advance. But that was impossible.

Yet, moments before the older boy's punch would have connected, Shan – using his lack of height to his advantage – slid under the jab and then struck the older boy in the ribs with a punch of his own.

Even as the first boy stumbled to one side, and judging from the grimace on his face Gar suspected the Jedi had at least cracked a few of the boy's ribs, the second boy attacked with a front kick aimed at the Jedi's now exposed midsection.

Gar felt in that instance a sidekick would've made more sense and he was proven right as, displaying impressive control of his body, Shan shifted just enough that the kick only grazed him.

As it passed, Shan trapped the leg at the ankle with his left arm and struck the inside of the knee so hard that even in the stands, and with the baying of the crowd still filling his ears, Gar could hear bones shatter.

The second boy screamed in pain, displaying unacceptable weakness in Gar's opinion, as Shan threw the leg upwards.

As that boy fell backwards – while still trying to grab his destroyed knee – someone near Gar gasped, likely in shock at the violence being shown by a Jedi, but Gar was too focused on the fight to recognise who had done so.

He was curious how Shan would use his momentary advantage, and Gar wasn't disappointed as even as the second boy was falling, Shan was pivoting.

He drove his knee into the side of the first boy, just below the ribs he'd previously struck, and Gar suspected the target had been the boy's kidneys.

As that boy started to double over from the strike, Shan caught him flush on the chin with an uppercut that seemed to lift the boy off his feet for a second even as Gar once more heard bone breaking.

Shan followed that up with a straight punch into the boy's gut, which had that boy stumble back and away from Shan.

As the boy fell to one knee, Shan was turning once more. This time with speed and, as the second boy got back to a seated position, he drove his heel into the boy's face.

The boy's head snapped back viciously, and the boy fell back and slumped to one side, Gar knew he was out of the fight.

Yet Shan wasn't finished, as he carried his momentum around, and leapt, then brought the top of his other foot down hard on the back of the first boy's skull.

As that boy slumped forward, Gar grunted in amusement at how brutally efficient the Jedi had been in dispatching the two older, and supposedly better fighters.

The third boy, having seen Shan's rampage, had slowed his approach and stopped just out of range of the carnage Shan had unleashed.

As that boy's eyes bounced almost comically between his friends and Shan, Gar realised that the arena – so recently flooding with voices calling out for blood – had fallen silent.

Which only made the growl that escaped Shan's lips as he moved towards the third boy that much easier to hear.

Shan threw a jab but stopped it short as the other boy shifted his stance to block.

That exposed the inside of one knee, which Shan caught flush with a sweep-kick, though the kick lacked much power.

It did, however, make the boy take a stabilizing step forward as he lost his balance for a second. And as he did, Shan drove an elbow into his gut, then threw his shoulder upwards, catching the older boy on the chin.

Gar smirked at the Jedi's tactics as the third boy stumbled back, only for Shan to grab one of his arms, twist himself and then launched the boy over his body.

Instead of just releasing the boy, as Gar had expected, Shan drove him down into the ground shoulder-first with a sickening crunch, then drove his foot hard into the boy's lower leg.

The boy screamed as Gar spotted that one of the bones in the targeted leg was now protruding from the skin while the rest of it flopped around uselessly.

Yet, in what Gar could only assume was a warning to everyone, Shan did not let up, and he drove a punch into the armpit of the arm he was still holding.

Again, the boy screamed, and Gar suspected the arm had been dislocated, if not outright broken.

Shan released the arm of the now disabled – and likely traumatized – boy before he turned to face the remaining six older boys.

"Shab." someone behind and to Gar's left exclaimed even as he felt Rook's fingers dig in almost painfully to his leg.

"Impressive." Gar muttered, more to himself than his teammates as he watched Shan stepped towards the first two down boys.

Shan's eyes never left the other six as he knelt beside the first boy, grabbed them by the hair, lifted the head upwards before and slamming it face-first into the wooden floor with force.

A chuckle escaped Gars lips at the Jedi's actions. That boy was no longer a threat – not least as he likely had cracked ribs, a broken jaw and major concussion – yet Shan had still made sure by rendering him unconscious in a violent way.

As Shan stood Gar realised that he was finally seeing the warrior his mother had spoken of. The one who had defeated his father in single combat without using the Force. And for the first time, Gar understood why his father had lost.

His father had thought he was facing off against a Jedi adiik when he'd been facing a brutal and dangerous warrior. That underestimation and his father's arrogance were why the Jedi stood here today instead of his father.

That realization that this was a true warrior was just now being discovered by Morn and his remaining cohorts and as Shan took a step towards them, Gar smirked at seeing two of those six instinctively take a step back.

"This is going to be fun," Rook said from his side as her fingers slipped free of his hand slid up Gar's thigh. "I hope the Jedi kills him."

Gar nodded in agreement. Seeing Bendak get taken down was always fun to watch, but for the first time in his life, Gar found himself cheering on a Jedi to do it. And he silently hoped that Shan showed Bendak less mercy than he had the first three boys.

Gar wasn't sure what Bendak, Morn and the others had done to enrage Shan, but given to how the female Jedi had reacted to seeing them, and still stayed behind Kryze it wasn't too hard for Gar to guess what it was. And these boys were about to get what they deserved for their actions.

As Shan took a single step forward, unconcerned by the carnage at his feet, Gar found himself leaning even further forward.

He was going to enjoy this.

"I'm going to enjoy this." Shan said, just loud enough for his voice to carry to all corners of the still shocked-into-silence arena, and Gar had to bite his tongue to not laugh out loud at that.

……
(Cam's POV)

"I'm going to enjoy this." I growled out as I glared at each of the six remaining boys in turn, taking a small measure of enjoyment in the way they all now looked at me.

I knew I shouldn't enjoy this, and with Player's Mind active when I fought I wouldn't enjoy it during the fight, but for what they had tried to do, I knew that afterwards, I would enjoy what I planned to do.

I clinked the bracers together, letting the sound echo around the arena, to make everyone aware they were active, and make them think that I'd just done all that damage without using the Force.

Of course, that wasn't entirely true. Even with them active, I was able to have Telepathic Shield, Precognition and Detection – plus the occasional boost from Force Speed or Enhance Stat – active, and that would remain the case for another fifteen or so minutes.

As I glared at the six, I watched as their eyes – wide with shock at my actions – flickered between me and their three friends on the ground. The only boy still conscious was whimpering and his sounds were clearly unnerving the other six as I caught sight of a few hands shaking in what could only be fear.

I took another step forward and began to speak.

"You ambushed me in the shower, and I could have let that go as just hazing." I said in a slow, calculating tone. In the silence that had fallen over the arena, my voice carried easily to every corner as memories from the last five days flashed through my mind.

Twice Serra had awoken in the cell she shared with Bo screaming, both out loud and through the Force, as nightmares about what almost happened plagued her mind. Since I was kept in the cell across from her, all I could do was speak to her from a distance while trying to calm her through the Force.

Regardless of how she felt about me, to see someone suffer though that had me battling each day to control, contain and direct my anger and when the idea of this honour duel was proposed I leapt at the chance as I could release my anger on those who deserved it.

"But for attempting to abuse and sexually assault my friend…" I continued, those images still flashing once more through my mind as I took one more step forward and snarled.

"For that, I'm going to break you."

……
(Gar's POV)

"They WHAT?!" Rook all but shouted in his ear as her fingers dug painfully into his thigh.

"Haar'chak Lanze." Rhiox groaned out, but Gar paid no attention to how his lover and friends reacted.

If what Shan was saying was true, there was only one way that the Jedi should deal with them.

"No mercy." Gar whispered, more to himself than others, as he – and everyone watching – saw Shan take another step forward, followed by another.

There was no mad rush to charge the six boys, nor any sign that his anger was clouding his judgement, yet as Gar watched Shan stalk forward, he realised that, where before there had been a Jedi had been confident in himself, now there stood a predator hunting its prey.

Gar didn't even try to stop the smile that crept onto his face as two the boys stepped back as Shan continued to methodically close the distance between them.

One boy, however, actually stepped forward, seemingly to meet the challenge. Yet Gar knew it was too little too late to save him from the onslaught that was to come.

"I admit my guilt," Lanze called out, stopping Shan in his tracks and making Gar snarl at the weakness the supposed Mando'ade was showing. "I thought we were only going to humiliate the Jedi, get them to leave. I knew nothing about what they planned for Trainee Keto. I… I should've spoken up sooner, but they convinced me to go along with things to get the Jedi to leave."

"Traitor!" Morn hissed out before he began to move, and Gar saw him shift his body in preparation for an attack.

"Trainee Roc," Commandant Kraviss' voice called out, stopping Morn in his tracks, "You wish to change your statement?"

"I do." Lanze replied with a nod.

"Very well. Leave the ring."

Lanze's shoulders slumped, and he trudged away from the fight, even as Morn barely managed to keep his rage under control and Gar used the moment of calm to look at Lanze's cousin – and Gar's teammate – Rhiox Loc.

Rhiox's brow was disturbed and he had both hands over his mouth, yet he made no effort to stand and go to confront his cousin, instead, he was choosing to stay and see how the ijaat'akaanir played out.

Gar turned his full attention back to the ring, just in time to see Morn begin to move towards Lanze and tensed his arm in preparation of throwing a punch.

Yet it seemed as though Shan had also seen this as he strode purposefully until he was blocking Morn's route to Lanze.

With the move, Gar could no longer see Shan's face, yet whatever expression it had was enough to freeze Morn in his tracks.

"Hut'uun."

The word was barely above a whisper, but in the all-but-silent arena, Shan's word carried to every ear and Morn's face contorted with his teeth now exposed and his eyes wide.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Morn roared, and even from the distance that Gar was at – he refused to watch the large screens about the rings, preferring to trust his own eyes – Gar saw spittle flying from Morn's mouth as he snarled at the Jedi.

Without waiting for a response, Morn launched a wild, almost uncontrolled fist at Shan, though by simply leaning back, Shan avoided it. He then took a slide step back to avoid a wild kick from Morn.

Gar tutted in annoyance at how easily Morn had allowed Shan to get under his skin and abandon any logical fight pattern. He kept watching as Morn continued to throw rapid, wild strikes towards Shan, yet the Jedi kept ducking and dodging while making no move to counter.

"What are you up to?" Gar asked though he expected no direct answer as Shan ducked, pivoted then slid out of the way of a wild and vicious-looking combination from Morn.

Just as Shan had escaped another of Morn's attacks – this one a straight jab – another fist came flying in, catching Shan in the upper arm, and making him stumble.

Gar mentally cursed himself for forgetting about the other fighters and suspected that the Jedi was doing the same, as the leg of a third boy, Drum Bendak, caught the Jedi flush on his lower back.

As Shan tumbled, then rolled – impressing Gar with his ability to adapt on the move – Gar noted that Kryze and the girl Jedi were now engaged the two members of Morn's group who had not gone after Shan.

Of the five remaining those two – Carbart and Jenlet – were the lowest-ranked fighters. Using them against the weaker two fighters in Shan's group made sense as Shan was undoubtedly the greatest threat.

Gar nodded in agreement with their plan. Morn, Bendak and Zoma Stegu were all ranked in the top twenty-five combatants for Laamyc group, so to have them concentrate on Shan to overload his defences and them take him out quickly made perfect sense.

Gar frowned in confusion as he watched Shan come to a stop from his roll – having created a small amount of separation with the three – before he then turned and grinned at the three older boys.

"He planned this." Gar muttered to himself as he realised why the Jedi was smiling.

"What?"

Without taking his eyes off the three-on-one fight that was about to begin in earnest, Gar explained it to Rook. "Shan wanted the stronger fighters to focus on him while Kryze works with the other Jedi against the weaker pair."

"Huh." Rook muttered, and there was a shift in her seat, but why that was Gar didn't know as he refused to take his eyes from the rings, specifically the main fight between Shan and Morn, Bendak and Stegu. "Boy's really got a pair."

"Or he has the hots for the girls." Someone else offered, but Gar paid their talk no further attention.

On one side of the main ring, he watched as Kryze blocked a jab from Carbart, which allowed the female Jedi to land a blow against the boy's side.

The blow didn't seem to faze Carbart much, and the Jedi paid for taking the shot as Jenlet caught her in the calf with a low kick.

While that fight wasn't his main focus, Gar was impressed with how easily the two females were working together to counter their older, stronger and more skilled opponents.

Gar's focus returned entirely to the main fight as the trio advanced on Shan.

The boy guided a kick from Bendak away, then caught a knife-hand chop from Stegu on his other side and then twisted and pulled the arm.

The older boy was unprepared for that, and Shan was able to turn and launch Stegu over his body, making him crash into Morn who was coming in from Shan's blindside.

As the two began to condense into a pile and crash to the floor, Shan pivoted and drove the foot of his trailing leg into Stegu's back, just above the waist. That hit accelerated the two older boys' collapse and added another vector of momentum to make it more chaotic.

The kick, however, had left Shan exposed to Bendak, and that boy took advantage of this to land a hard jab against Shan's elbow. That made the Jedi grunt and take a step to the side to create space between him and Bendak.

Bendak didn't allow that and closed the space before firing off three more jabs in quick succession. Shan guided the first away with the barest of touches and blocked the second. He couldn't avoid the third, however, and it clipped his shoulder, forcing Shan to take a few steps back in an attempt to rebalance himself.

Yet even then, when off-balance and on the defensive, Shan adapted. As he took the second step back, he reached up and grabbed the arm that had punched him and pulled Bendak towards him.

Gar raised his threat potential of Shan as the boy rolled backwards and pulled Bendak with him, then tossed the older boy over his body.

As Bendak left his feet and began to sail over Shan, the Jedi brought his knee up into Bendak's gut, which winded him. Though Shan did not let go of Bendak as he did so.

That meant that Bendak's flight arc was altered, and his head drove into the wooden floor. That allowed Shan to continue his roll until he was in a mounted position over Bendak.

Shan used that position to land a hard punch across Bendak's jaw, with the sound echoing around the arena, yet no further attack came. Shan was forced to lean back to avoid a roundhouse kick from Morn before he seemed to combine a roll and a flip to move backwards.

Whatever exactly he had done – and Gar wasn't exactly sure what that move would be called – it was enough to help Shan avoid a thrust kick from Stegu. It also generated enough separation that neither boy could launch another attack before Shan was kneeling and ready to pounce.

In the momentary lull, as the three readied themselves for the next stage of their fight, Gar caught sight of Kryze catching Carbart with a vicious elbow to his side, which was followed up by the female Jedi driving her knee into his jaw as he bent forward.

Carbart stumbled back and the female Jedi pressed the attack by landing clean strike against his temple. Yet even while she did that, Jenlet grabbed Kryze's arm, pulled it towards him them stuck the arm, driving it upwards in what was likely an attempt to stun or dislocate the arm.

"Arrgh!" Kryze called out as the arm fell limply at her side and Jenlet struck her in the side of her now undefended ribs with a jab. Though and advantage that the boys might have gained from Kryze's injury was quickly negated as the fact the female Jedi caught Carbart in his groin with a punt kick, with the boy all but doubling over from the pain.

Whatever happened next though, Gar missed as his attention returned to the main fight as Stegu and Morn began to move.

Instead of approaching Shan, however, the pair moved to his sides and Gar recognized that they were trying to flank Shan. It was a solid strategy, but Gar doubted it would be enough for them to gain the upper hand against the Jedi. Though there was a chance it would at least delay Shan long enough for Bendak to regain his bearings, he had just rolled onto his side, and return to the fight.

Once they had all but flanked Shan, the pair moved in and Stegu threw a straight punch, though Shan avoided it easily by leaning away. This, however, brought him closer to Morn, who tried to sweep out Shan's leg with a kick.

Gar was impressed as Shan seemed not only prepared for this but used it to his advantage as the Jedi pushed down on Morn's sweeping leg.

With this move, two things happened. Shan was able to push himself into the air and it disrupted the older boy's balance enough that the leg came down sooner than planned. This forced Morn into taking a step forward as his momentum turned him away from Shan.

Shan's short jump ended as he drove his heel into the foot Morn had just planted on the ground, then leapt forward and drove his shoulder into Morn's back.

That was enough to cause Morn's stumble to become a full-on tumble, and the boy fell forwards to the floor. However, he was able to get his hands out in time to soften his landing and prevent him from smashing his face into the floor.

Shan was not able to take advantage of Morn's position as Stegu moved in and landed an open-handed strike – from the thumb side of his hand – just about Shan's elbow.

Shan grunted and Gar noted that the hit had landed on the same elbow that had been struck earlier, and he wondered if that was not a weak spot to target.

Stegu obviously felt the same as he aimed a knee strike at the elbow, but Shan was able to block it and he used the knee to push off from and establish some distance between the two. This meant that Stegu's follow-up punch met nothing but air where Shan's face had previously been.

But again, while on the defensive, Shan was able to turn the tide in his favour as he grabbed the fist thrown by Stegu and pulled it towards himself.

Caught unprepared – again – Stegu was dragged forward a few steps, but that was enough to allow Shan to drive his elbow into the boy's face.

Stegu stumbled and blinked, likely to help him refocus after the elbow to the face. However, Gar saw that Shan wasn't pressing the advantage. Instead the boy grimaced, then rotated the arm he'd just used to strike Stegu. As Shan looked at the elbow in confusion, Gar realised it was the same one that had been hit previously, though Stegu didn't see this as he had instinctively brought his hands up to his face after Shan's hit.

Shan let the sore arm fall and stepped forward, clearly planning to use Stegu's disorientation to strike again, but Morn chose that moment to launch himself at the Jedi. The move wasn't pretty, but it worked, and Morn was able to tackle Shan and drive him to the ground, with the Jedi landing on the sore arm.

Morn rolled away in what Gar assumed was expectation of a retaliatory strike from Shan, but none came as the younger boy grimaced and grabbed the elbow.

Gar watched as Morn and Stegu shared a look – likely in realization that their opponent was injured – before they both rushed at the now kneeling boy.

However, in an unorthodox move, Shan spun on the spot, pushed off the ground with his good arm and launched himself feet first towards the incoming boys.

Morn spun and jumped, avoiding the leg aimed at him, but Stegu wasn't so lucky, and he took Shan's foot right in his stomach.

This stopped Stegu's forward momentum, and before he could recover, Shan rotated himself to bring his other leg around, smashing the bridge of his foot down on the back of Stegu's skull.

As Shan used his momentum to roll away, Stegu fell face-first into the floor with a hard thud that echoed around the arena. In what Gar suspected was an intentional benefit of this was planned by Shan, Stegu was now lying between Morn and Shan.

Stegu stayed down, either stunned from his impact or unconscious while Shan shifted around into a side-leg kneeling position.

As Gar continued to watch, Morn slid forward, and without removing his eyes from Shan, gave Stegu a hard shove.

"Get up!" he hissed to his cohort, but Stegu's only response was a pained groan, which to Gar at least, signalled that Stegu was out of the fight; at least temporarily.

Shan jumped just enough to shift from a kneeling position to a crouched one even as Morn snarled and stepped over his downed friend. While that was happening, Gar noticed that Bendak had finally managed to stand, though he was swaying slightly, and was moving to attack the Jedi from behind.

Gar's brow rose in shock as, in a moment of incredible clarity, Shan seemed to sense the onrushing Bendak, and slid to one side. And as Bendak hurtled passed him, Shan rotated insanely quickly which allowed him to drive the heel of his foot into the older boy's back as he passed by.

Bendak's forward momentum became uncontrolled, as Gar expected, as the boy groaned and fell to the ground like a droid that had suddenly lost power.

In a moment that Gar felt was a sign that this fight was certain to go Shan's way, Bendak's forward collapse resulted in his face crashing into the back of Stegu's skull, driving it into the ground once more.

Both boys groaned as Bendak's body slid over Stegu's as they ended up in a heap at Morn's feet.

As Morn's eyes widened to almost comical size at the sudden removal of both of his allies and bounced between them and the Jedi, Gar allowed a chuckle to escape his lips. The chances of a kick resulting in such a fall and collision were small – Gar knew he could never intentionally pull off such a manoeuvre – yet it had happened, and in that instant, any chance Morn had to win seemed to vanish into dust.

"Where did the Jedi find him?" asked a voice from somewhere around Gar, though he couldn't say for sure from where since his eyes were firmly rooted on the battle below.

A lull may have fallen in the battle between Morn and Shan, but there was still fighting going on and he saw the female Jedi take a kick from Jenlet.

Yet, even as pain spread across her face, that Jedi had the combat intelligence to trap Jenlet's leg against her body. That allowed Kryze to slide around her and strike Jenlet hard in the thigh of the leg he was using for balance.

"And he isn't using his powers," the voice added. "How could we even fight him if he did?"

'You don't,' Gar thought to himself, 'you either die well or join him.'

As the words passed through his mind, Gar stopped and blinked. For the first time since the trial had begun, he leaned back as what he'd just said to himself sunk in. He realised now without a doubt that warrior in the ring below him was the one who had defeated his father, and Shan had not needed the Force to do so.

While the trial had not technically ended, to Gar – and any who understood real combat – the outcome was assured.

Morn may have been uninjured while Shan had clear problems with his left arm, yet Gar knew that Shan would emerge victorious. This was further proven as the less interesting fight of this ijaat'akaanir entered its final stage.

Jenlet, hobbled from the earlier strike against his thigh, was able to block a high kick from Kryze with his forearms, yet this left him exposed to the female Jedi as she came in low, sliding passed Kryze, and took out both of Jenlet's legs.

Those two moved efficiently around each other, though this didn't surprise Gar as he was aware that Kryze had been spending time training the female Jedi. Though the rumour mill suggested it was more than just training that the pair were doing. Whether that was or was not the case – though Gar suspected there was a kernel of truth to it as he was aware of the activities that Kryze was involved in with his cousin Naz – didn't matter as they were a solid unit.

Gar let that fight drift from his attention – even as Kryze drove her knee up into Jenlet as he slumped forward – and leaned forward once more.

Morn and Shan had begun to move, their battle – and the trial itself – entering the endgame.

Shan, likely having caught sight of his allies begin to take down the last of Morn's group, stepped forward, intent on ending the fight. Yet, as he stepped near the bodies of Stegu and Bendak, Bendak – it what Gar could only assume was an instinctual reaction – reached out and grabbed Shan's foot.

Shan took a single stumbling step because of this. Though he quickly rectified the issue as he pulled his trapped foot free of Bendak's weak grip, then rotated slightly and drove the heel of that foot down hard on the boy's shoulder.

Gar's brow creased at Shan's actions. While it did ensure Bendak was out of the fight, the partial rotation had exposed his sore arm to Morn. Gar was confused as to why the boy would do something so foolish, though Morn didn't hesitate to take advantage and threw a lightning-fast kick at Shan's weakened elbow.

Gar's confusion increased as Shan had to know the kick was coming, yet he made no move to block it. Instead, he let the kick connect and Shan grunted as he was forced to take a stumbling step back and rotate.

Yet, as he stumbled, Shan accelerated his rotation and grabbed a hold of Morn's leg with his good arm and pulled it with him as he began to fall, bringing Morn with him.

As he fell, Shan slid his hand down Morn's leg to keep control if it and twisted to ensure that his body came down on Morn's leg just above the knee, as said leg struck the ground.

Morn screamed as the sound of bone breaking once more echoed around the arena. Gar's confusion was gone in an instant as he realised what Shan had done. The Jedi had exposed his weakness to lure in Morn, then, once Morn had fully committed to the attack, Shan had turned the tables and taken down Morn with a single brutal and efficient move.

It was a brilliant ploy, though Gar doubted most Jedi would have the courage to consider it or consider using the damaged part of their body as a weapon. However, Shan did not share the normal weaknesses of his Order.

While Morn was screaming, Shan drove his sore elbow into Morn's face – once more using his injury as a weapon – before he rolled away.

Morn was caught in two minds as to whether he should check on his shattered knee or, given to the blood pouring profusely from it, his broken nose, and even as Shan moved into position to strike again, Gar allowed a small smile to creep onto his face.

From what he'd seen today, Gar did not doubt that Shan would qualify for the Akaan'lor tournament – none of the other fighters in Diryc were even close to his level – nor that he would meet the Jedi in one of the later rounds.

Gar felt he should still win – as the Jedi had revealed just how dangerous he was today giving Gar ample time to prepare – but even if the Jedi were somehow to emerge victorious, Gar would not mind. Their fight would be glorious and Gar's blood already sung to him in anticipation.

As Morn rolled around in pain, Shan stood. However, instead of finishing off Morn, the Jedi walked over to the two females.

Jenlet lay in a heap at their feet, unmoving save for the gentle rise and fall of his chest, though Kryze was cradling her arm which confirmed to Gar that it was injured, though likely nothing more than a simple dislocation.

From what he had seen, Gar expected both females to qualify for the Akaan'lor tournament, though neither had any real chance of reaching the final rounds.

Without Shan saying a word, the female Jedi turned her head to look at him. While no words were spoken, Gar was certain that they were communicating and after a short moment, the girl nodded and walked towards, then passed, Shan.

Her arm cocked back, and she threw a roundhouse punch with such force that as it connected with Morn's jaw, the Jedi stumbled and barely avoided falling face-first to the ground beside the older boy.

Gar watched as she stabilized herself, and he noticed that she grimaced as she cradled the hand that she had just used to strike Morn. Because of this, Gar suspected that she'd been unbalanced when she'd thrown her punch and hurt herself.

Morn, for his part, simply groaned louder. Though was difficult as his jaw had been either broken or dislocated – if not both – by the girl's punch. However, the groan made the Jedi scrunch up her face and she glared at the boy.

In an instant, the female Jedi had lifted her leg high and then brought the heel of her boot crashing down onto Morn's groin.

Gar instinctively flinched as Morn tried to wail out in pain before he rolled to the side and curled up in a ball.

The Jedi, however, did not let up and she swung her foot in a powerful kick that connected with the now exposed lower part of Morn's groin, and Gar reflexively pulled his legs together.

"I like her style." Rook said with a chuckle as she ran her fingers up and around Gar's thigh. "Even if her form needs work."

As her fingers got close enough that he flinched again – though this time in pleasure, not shared pain – she leaned close "And this has me fired up." She whispered before nibbling his ear.

"The ijaat'akaanir is concluded." the Commandant's voice rang out around the arena.

The lights in the rest of the arena came on and Gar spotted the entirety of the Institute's medical staff rushing into the three rings used for the trial. Two went over to check on Shan and his allies – Gar noticed that the boy was keeping a watchful eye over Morn and his downed allies while Kryze took a few steps towards the female Jedi – while the rest headed for the eight boys scattered around the rings.

"Trainees Keto, Kryze and Shan have demonstrated their worth, defended their honour, and proven they spoke the truth." The Commandant continued as Gar saw a medic run a scanner over Shan's arm. "Dismissed."

"Come on." Rook whispered as she began to stand, like many in the stands. Her fingers dragged up his body and hooked under his arm and gently tugged him upwards.

Gar allowed her to pull him to his feet, and even though Shan could not see it, Gar nodded in respect.

Today, Shan had proved that he had defeated Gar's father honourably, and Gar felt that needed to be acknowledged. Plus, he was about to have some fun of his own, because of the Jedi.

As Rook aggressively pushed her way through the other trainees and dragged him with her, Gar let a smile spread across his face at the sheer insanity of the idea that what was about to happen was the result of a Jedi.

Sometimes the galaxy was a strange place indeed.

……
(Bo-Katan's POV)

"The ijaat'akaanir is concluded."

At the Commandant's words, Bo-Katan finally relaxed her stance. As she cradled her arm, smiled as she looked over the rings, taking in the sight of the eight boys that lay around the place.

None of them had escaped justice for what they'd been involved in and if she had any say in it, neither would Loc.

He may have admitted his failings, but it was far too late in Bo-Katan's mind. The boy had been part of the group that planned to hurt her friends, so he deserved every punishment he had coming.

Any anger she held for Loc quickly dissipated as she heard a loud sigh and turned her attention to Serra.

On two of the four nights they had spent in confinement, Bo-Katan had been woken by the other girl's screams and then spent hours holding her as she spoke about her nightmares then rocked her gently back to sleep.

Even if she wasn't attracted to the Jedi, Bo-Katan would've wanted to hurt the animals who'd tried to hurt and rape her. That she was attracted to Serra just made that need to hurt that much greater.

Bo-Katan saw that Serra was stepping back from Morn, taking deep breaths as she did, and Bo-Katan couldn't help but smile as she watched the Jedi regain control of her emotions even as she felt a familiar heat build-up inside her.

Her heart jumped as she thought about how easily she and Serra had fought together. For a few moments, it was as though the two had fought with one mind and it had been glorious, and Bo-Katan felt the blood rush to her face as she let her eyes wander over the Jedi's frame, taking in the firmness the young Jedi had and imagining just how good the girl would look in a few years.

If only Serra wasn't hung up on her friend, the fun they could have together.

At the thought of the Cameron Shan, she turned her attention to him, and Bo-Katan felt a momentary spike of anger, yet it vanished almost as soon as it appeared. Even though he was the one stopping Serra from getting close to her, Bo-Katan couldn't find it in herself to be annoyed with. Not after what he'd just done here.

She knew he was a skilled fighter, but the carnage he inflicted today...

Shab, she even thought she saw him use his own injury to ensure he could take down Morn enough for Serra to get her pound of flesh.

She shivered, though not from the cold, as she replayed the pure visceral carnage he had unleashed in this honour-duel in her mind and a warm tingle shot up her spine.

That boy… he was built for war and Bo-Katan knew that one day he would find a war worthy of him, and she firmly intended to be by his side when that war came.

If the wars he fought were even half as brutal as those fought by her idol – Te Gra'tuar Mand'alor – millennia ago, then Bo-Katan knew she'd either die a worthy death or join her idol in legend.

Shaking her head, she cleared thoughts of Cameron, and the warmth it caused in her and stepped forward towards Serra.

"Hey," she asked softly as she mentally forced herself to not let her eyes wander over the other girl's figure. "You ok?"

Serra, who Bo-Katan just noticed had her eyes closed, turned her head and opened her eyes, then blinked as if clearing the fog from her mind.

"Yeah. I guess. It's just…" Serra shook her head and sighed. "I shouldn't have taken out my anger on him like that."

Bo scoffed loudly and rolled her eyes at Serra falling back into the weak Jedi ways. "That shabuir had it coming. He tried to..."

"I know!" Serra blurted out. Her hands shook before she took another breath and continued. "He deserved this, but… it's not the Jedi way."

"But it is the Mandalorian way." Bo countered as she took a step forward and placed her good hand on Serra's arm, ignoring the warmth she felt as she did.

"Today you proved that you respect our ways and will fight to defend yourself. You did good. And there's nothing wrong with enjoying it a little." She finished with a small smile, hoping the other girl would begin to drop the more… ridiculous parts of the Jedi behaviour. That was the only thing about Serra that Bo-Katan could not stand.

Bo-Katan could understand why the Jedi taught children from a young age, Mandalorians did the same, and after sparring against Cameron when he actively used the Force, she recognized the wisdom in having those gifted with the ability to use the powers learn as a group. But, by the Resol'nare, why did they have to be so anally retarded about enjoying life?

"I… I guess." Serra replied as she smiled back. However, Bo-Katan could tell it wasn't entirely genuine as the smile never brightened Serra's eyes, nor was there any warmth in her posture.

Serra turned her head, and Bo-Katan suppressed a growl of annoyance as the other girl's eyes came to rest where she knew Cameron was standing.

"He won't hold it against you." Bo-Katan offered, quickly working out what was going through the other girl's mind. "He's not as soft as other Jedi. Nor are you." She tacked on quickly to make certain Serra did not think she saw Serra as soft.

"I… I hope so." Serra said quietly as her eyes fell from Cameron to the floor.

Anything else she or Serra wished to say was cut off as a medic – from the small sigil on her bracer Bo-Katan recognized her as a member of Clan Erun – stepped next to them and checked them over with a scanner.

"Nothing too serious," the medic said once she'd finished scanning the both of them as she reached into a small bag that she had with her. "Trainee Kryze, you've dislocated your shoulder. Trainee Keto, you've fractured a few bones in your hand. With good reason, I'd say." She finished as she gave the Jedi a smile and a fractional nod.

Bo-Katan smirked at the medic's words but chose not to add on her own words. She'd already said her piece about Serra's actions today, and anything else would sound insincere.

They stood in silence as the medic pulled two plasteel casings from her bag and placed one on each injury to immobilize them.

"There, all done. Now off you two go to the medical centre." the medic said before she picked up her bag and moved away to help her co-workers check and stabilize the downed boys.

Once the medic was a few steps away, Bo-Katan turned to Serra in the hopes she could invite the girl to a private dinner, but the Jedi had already turned her attention back to Cameron.

Again, Bo-Katan felt her anger flare as she clenched her teeth.

Serra was in love with him, instead of her. While that was bad, what was worse the fact the boy could see this, yet he was neither denying nor encouraging Serra' feelings. Worse still, was that Naz was also pining for the boy, and the moments that Naz and Bo-Katan had spent together often turned into Naz talking about Cameron.

Apart from being a monster in battle, a natural leader and someone who hated the dar'manda, what did he have that she didn't?

Yet, while it would be easy to interfere and drive a wedge between the two Jedi, the better part of her mind didn't want that. If she was to win Serra from Cameron, then she would do it fairly, by proving herself better than him in all things.

She had time, and as her mother had been fond of saying, things have a way of working themselves out, often how we want them to, though sometimes not how we expected.

With a sigh of her own, she pushed aside her feelings, good and bad, and followed Serra over to Cameron.

……
(Cam's POV)

"The ijaat'akaanir is concluded."

As the Commandant signalled the end of the fight, I relaxed and turned my attention to the Interface. There were a few notices, and I decided to deal with the most common one first: that being a Quest Completion Alert.

Quest Completed!
Sword-maiden's Honour [ɸ]
Objectives:
:- Win the Ijaat'akaanir (Honour Duel) [Yes]
[?] :- Win the fight without being hurt [No]
[?] :- Win the fight without your allies getting hurt [No]
Rewards:
:- 5000XP (+500XP)
Passed a test of friendship with Serra Keto and Bo-Katan Kryze
A massive increase in Reputation with Serra Keto and Bo-Katan Kryze
A large increase in Reputation with followers of the Resol'nare
A large decrease in Reputation with active members of the New Mandalorians
As I read through it, and even though I had failed the bonus conditions, I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Failing the quest would have resulted in me losing massive amounts of reputation with every Mandalorian and my reputation with Bo would have been permanently locked at Neutral. There had also been the chance that Bo or Serra could have been badly injured – if not killed – had we not won the ijaat'akaanir, which was a semi-common result of failing an A-ranked quest.

Additionally, the three quests linked to my time in the Institute – Alpha Dog, Sniper Elite and Force Recon –would all have been automatic failures as Serra and I would have been kicked from the Institute and banned from ever returning. That would have ruined my reasons for coming to Mandalore – to begin the foundations for a fighting force for the wars to come – and rendered the next half year, the time before my verd'goten, all but useless.

It would also have caused me major problems with the half-dozen or so training quests I had active that ran until the end of the session, which was in about two and a half months. The only quests that were safe were Trainee Blaster Mech, where I had already reached the base objective of Adept:1 and Generational Marksman, where I was a couple of levels shy of the base objective of Savant:1.

With those concerns now off the table and having earned just over a fifth of the total XP for my current level, I turned my attention to the other notices, and here I couldn't help but glare at the notices.

Seeing Injury Alert notices was unexpected. Scratch that, ok they made no sense. And neither did the fact my elbow hurt and was difficult to move.

Injury Alert!
Fractured Upper Arm
(right) [14 days 23:56:23]
Warning!
Force Heal is not at a high enough level to heal this injury in minutes. [Savant:1]
As such, all you can do is accelerate the speed at which your body heals.
Cost: 1000FP
Warning!
Allowing the injury to heal at its natural speed will likely result in permanent penalties to your HP, certain stats, and various skills.
NOTICE:
The healing time can be further accelerated by using appropriate medical supplies.
Activate Accelerated Healing?
Yes/No


Injury Alert!
Broken Elbow
(right) [26days 23:56:23]
Warning!
Force Heal is not at a high enough level to heal this injury in minutes. [Prodigy:1]
As such, all you can do is accelerate the speed at which your body heals.
Cost: 2000FP
Warning!
Allowing the injury to heal at its natural speed will likely result in permanent penalties to your HP, certain stats, and various skills.
NOTICE:
The healing time can be further accelerated by using appropriate medical supplies.
Activate Accelerated Healing?
Yes/No
When Stegu had caught me on the elbow, a sensation of pain – something I hadn't felt since being reborn in this universe – had shot up my arm. While that sensation had passed almost instantly, nor stopped me from using the arm to fight, Morn's kick, and the fall that came after, had resulted in the entire arm being hard to move – as if pushing it through sand – and the elbow being entirely unresponsive.

The Injury Alerts certainly explained why that was, but the fact I had been injured made no sense whatsoever. The description for Player's Body stated that I couldn't be injured, at not least in a way that I'd suffer fractured or broken bones.

On cue, more messages popped up;

That is because Player's Body does not work exactly as indicated.
If you cast your mind back, you will remember an incident where you suffered a head injury.
This affected your abilities, yet, according to the very wording of Player's Body, this should not have been the case.

Honestly, we expected you to have noticed that then, however, you did not.
With the upgrade to Interface 2.0 and the addition of the ability for you to bleed, we altered this further.
Now, you can and will suffer injuries like any other living being.
However, the effects of those injuries will be different, and in all but the most extreme cases, you will be able to still function even while injured and heal from almost any injury you suffer.

Though to prevent this from happening again, we have detailed how Player's Body truly works.

Player's Body [Max]
Your body experiences the physical world differently from others.
With the upgrade to Interface 2.0, the Player will now bleed from wounds suffered and incur damage from injuries.
This damage can range from temporary penalties to stats and skills (as was the case before the upgrade) to the loss of limbs, or permanent stat/skill penalties if an injury is not healed quickly.
To counter this risk, Force Heal can instantly heal most, though not all, injuries provided the Force Power is at a sufficiently high enough level for this to happen. Otherwise, it just accelerates the natural healing of the body.
Additionally, wounds can scar but most scars can be removed with Force Heal if the Player wishes to do so.
Also, you can still lose limbs if they are removed.
Additionally, you are affected emotionally by your body maturing and growing until you turn 18.

I blinked at the unexpected message from TPTB, then barely managed to suppress the growl that formed in my throat as I read through the message. What was the point of me having these special powers if TPTB could just change them on the fly?

Yet my anger quickly faded as I realised that a; there was not much I could do against beings capable of giving me such powers and sending me to what I had thought was a fictional universe. And b; I remembered the incident they were referring to and felt the urge to facepalm for not realising the implications of that moment earlier.

During my Initiate Trials, almost exactly four years previously, I had been knocked unconscious during the Push-Feather tournament and woken in the Jedi medical centre with a minor concussion. At that point, I should have questioned why I had the injury when Player's Body said I wouldn't suffer any injuries, but I didn't.

That mistake was on me, and now, with the change to the Interface, and my own mistake in not questioning it, I had almost paid dearly for it.

As a medic approached, lowered a bag to the ground and ran a scanner over my body, I realised there was a benefit because of this change.

If I had gone through the fight, gotten hit and come out the other side without injuries – while also having the Force Suppression bracers active – it would have raised questions that I couldn't answer truthfully. Not if I wanted to keep my extra powers a secret.

And if news of the fact I could suffer injuries that should result in broken bones, yet come out the other side no worse for wear, I would have drawn attention from people throughout the galaxy that I would rather not have chasing after me.

Force, there was a chance I'd be kidnapped and spend the rest of my life sedated in a laboratory if that had happened.

I smirked as I realised that, due to my own mistake and the actions of TPTB, that I had avoided a problem I hadn't even considered at any point in the last four years.

You're welcome.

"Stay still!" The medic ordered as I laughed at the message from TPTB. "You've broken the joint of your elbow and have a hairline fracture of your upper arm. I need to encase it until we can get you to the medical centre, but to do that, you must stay still."

I did as the medic asked, and he pulled a metal belt and a long grey object that looked like a sleeve from his bag.

As he attached the belt around my waist, I turned my head as much as I thought that I could get away with to see that another medic was with Serra and Bo. That medic was placing a similar, though smaller object over Serra's hand while Bo was already in a cast that ran from her neck to her elbow.

As my medic placed the sleeve-like object on my arm, I used Observe on it. As I expected, it was just an advanced version of a cast from my old world, though according to Observe, it also monitored my vitals while applying minute amounts of bacta to the arm.

The cast hissed closed, tightened around my arm, then the belt buzzed once, and my arm was locked into place by what was likely a simple magnet system against the belt.

"There, that should keep it stable until you get to the centre." the medic said as he reached down and picked up his back. "Now off you go. I'll be along later after we've dealt with the chaos you unleashed."

"Thanks, Doc." I replied even as I saw that the time for the injuries to heal was dropping faster, which was likely a result of the bacta in the cast.

"No problem, and well fought." After a nod of what I felt was respect from him, he turned and walked over to where Stegu and Bendak were being tended to by two others.

"Cam," I turned at the familiar voice and saw Serra had come closer. She now had a cast over her hand that ran from the fingertips to her elbow. I also saw that Bo was a few steps behind her, her face surprisingly grim for us having just won a three-on-nine fight against older opponents. "Are you ok?"

"Nothing that won't heal," I replied with a smile. "You?"

Serra smiled, though the corners of her lips seemed to waver, and she cast a glance towards where I knew Morn was being tended to. "Uh… I mean, I guess so."

"I already told you, you did good." Bo blurted out as she took a step forward and placed her good hand on Serra's shoulder. "We won, proved ourselves and our words true, and you made sure that shabuir won't be hurting anyone else."

"It did feel good to do that," Serra's smile faltered further, "however, what I did is against the Jedi way."

Bo scoffed as I replied. "It was. But that doesn't make it a bad thing." Serra's brow creased and she tilted her head to one side, unintentionally resting it against Bo's hand. I kept a smile from my face at the way Bo's eyes seemed to widen at Serra's action as I considered my next words carefully.

"To most, though not all Jedi, what happened to you was the 'will of the Force'," I began, air-quoting as best I could the last bit. "They'd likely feel that it was up to you to find peace with what almost happened and let go of your emotions over the incident." Bo scoffed loudly at that, but my attention was on Serra. This was a chance for me to further pull her away from the narrow-minded dogma of the current Order.

"Or they'd see it as a test sent to you by the Force and that it was working in mysterious ways," I continued pulling from my memories of how the Council acted after Ahsoka's trial. "They'd likely think that you'd proved yourself resilient in defending your innocence, yet condemn you for using violence to do so."

"Kriffing idiots." Bo muttered just loud enough for us to hear her.

"T-they wouldn't say that." Serra protested, though her voice wasn't much louder than Bo's. "Master Drallig wouldn't. He won't. You'll see."

"Your Master is coming here?" I asked as I frowned as I guessed at what she was implying.

"Yeah. Uh, he... I called him the day after… Um, and, uh… he said he would come as soon as he could." Serra explained haltingly. "He won't say that."

"Ok." I replied even if I had a feeling that wouldn't be the case.

Serra held her Master in high regard, and for his skill with a lightsaber, I had no issues with that. Cin Drallig was not Battlemaster of the Jedi Order because he knew which arses to kiss. Also, Dooku regarded Drallig as one of the best with a lightsaber in the Order, though Dooku was not impressed with Drallig allowing a student to move on to a new form when they had not sufficiently mastered the basics of the old one. Then again, Dooku was very much a perfectionist.

However, I knew next to nothing about Drallig's opinion on the Order as it currently stood, though given he was in a position of power, it was probable that he was more traditionalist in his thinking. Yet, as we travelled to Mandalore, Dooku had seemed to imply that Drallig was not as… narrow-minded as most Jedi, so perhaps there was a possibility that Drallig would not say such things to Serra when he arrived.

"Anyway, I think we've wasted enough time here," I said, turning the topic away from the Jedi Order as a whole. "And I'd rather not risk angering a medic by not doing as they suggest."

Serra and Bo both smirked at that, and as a group, we headed for the stairs down from the ring.

……



……

Mando'a words: (For those who are curious)
ijaat'akaanir = Honour Duel
mandokar = "The Right Stuff"
ja'hailire = Observers
shab = Fuck
shabuir = Fuck ups/Fuckers
Dral'Han = Mandalorian Excision
haar'chak = Damn it
Te Gra'tuar Mand'alor = Mandalore the Avenger
Adiik = Child
Hut'uun = Coward (This is one of the greatest insults to a Mandalorian)
Resol'nare = The Six Actions (Core tenets of Mandalorian life)
Mando'ade = Son/daughter of Mandalore


As before, you can find me on the server for this story in particular, and Star Wars in general: discord . gg/UM89QfyQk3
Or in the Omniverse: discord . gg /pSgE54Q
Regardless of if you join one, both or neither...
May the Force be with you. Always.
 
Last edited:
Teh Adiik At Mando'ade 6
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.


A/N: Sorry for the slight delay. RL is a bitch.

Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Mando'a words in this chapter:
Akaan'lor – Fighting Champion.
Beskar'pel – Iron Skin. A Mandalorian Martial art.
Beskar'rev – Iron Fist. A Mandalorian Martial art.
Dar'manda – a state of not being Mandalorian - not an outsider, but one who has lost his heritage, and so his identity and his soul - regarded with absolute dread by most traditionally-minded Mando'ade.
ijaat'akaanir – Honour-duel
Mando'a – The language of the Mando'ade.
osik – shit
Verd'goten – Mandalorian rite of passage when a youth is accepted as an adult.




After finishing the article on integrated warfare and its applications on a planetary scale, I lowered the datapad and placed it on the table beside my bed. I sighed as my eyes once more saw the white, sterile monotonous walls of my room.

It had been two days since the ijaat'akaanir and even though I had only suffered a broken elbow and fractured arm, I had been placed in a solitary room in the Institute's medical centre. While this made sense on some level – it kept me isolated from any attempted reprisals – what was nonetheless driving me crazy was that I wasn't allowed to attend any classes. I could understand why the evening classes wouldn't be allowed as, even with my arm fully healed, it was risky to place me in a position where I could re-injure my arm. However, I was confused as to why I wasn't being allowed to attend my daytime classes or spend time with my teammates.

Hopefully, the doctors would let me out tonight or tomorrow. The fact that I had healed so quickly had surprised the medical staff, though once I explained that I had some skill at using the Force to self-heal, they seemed to accept it. I was mildly amused at how many of the staff reacted; it was almost as if they forgot I was, in fact, a Jedi.

Which was understandable since I hadn't exactly fought like one in the Honour-duel. Thank the Force as if I had I likely would've lost.

Thankfully, even if I was stuck in a medical room by myself, I still had access to the Institute's computer network, which meant that – when not having doctors or nurses pop in to check up on me or bring me a meal – I could read files to help with my training quests.

Two of those quests – Trainee Blaster Mech and Generational Marksman – were set to finish in a few days with the mid-session break. And even with having missed just over a week of classes – so far – neither quest would be failed. I'd already passed the minimum for Trainee Blaster Mech while Generational Marksman was just a few levels short of its minimum, so even if I couldn't return for the last few days of classes, I could reach that point by spending a handful of Skill Points (SKP).

Truthfully, I was giving serious consideration to spending more to reach the first bonus for Generational Marksman as I had over three-hundred Skill Points saved up, and while I was concerned about failing Just Don't Get Caught and You Can't Hurt Me – and hated myself for taking those quests – I felt I would be able to meet the bare minimum requirements for each without spending a large number of Skill Points. Still, it was perhaps better to err on the side of caution and conserve those points until then, just in case.

My remaining training quests were set until the end-of-session. While this lowered their XP rewards, I had realised that with the way my classes were set up – and how quickly those skills levelled up after the first week - there was no way I could finish them by the up-coming break. Therefore, I'd made the training quests last until the end of the session. While this lowered the XP available, it did make them achievable.

Of those quests, Generational Gunslinger and Rifleman both needed to reach Savant:1. While they were the highest training quests I had, and gave the highest XP reward for completion along with Generational Marksman, they were conversely the easiest for which to gain XP. Unloading three-hundred shots for a fully charged training power-pack earned me, on average, about two levels and only took about thirty minutes of careful aiming to maximise the bonuses applied to the XP.

The other quests were to reach Master:1 for Teaching, and Professional:1 for Beskar'pel, Beskar'rev and Mando'a.

That was a good number of training quests, but with a full session lasting nearly five months – plus the two-week break in the middle – and all of them covered in some way by a class at the Institute, as well as the fact that during the two-week break I could read up on the skills from the local Holonet, and I was confident I could reach the base objective for all of them without having to spend too many Skill Points.

The door to my room hissed and turned to see who was coming. Given that it was now past twenty-one hundred – and the last daily check by a nurse occurred just before lights-out; twenty-three hundred – it was likely a visitor; something that I'd had regularly since being placed in the room for ''observation''.

The first group to visit had been Commandant Kraviss and Duke Adonai.

Kraviss had explained the former students that I had fought against had been expelled from the Institute and turned over to the local authorities with a trial arranged for tomorrow. She assured me that, even though the current ruling government of the sector were more ''lenient'' than she would have liked, none of them would escape punishment.

Adonai had, after expressing his admiration for my combat skills and tactics, thanked me for helping his daughter defend her honour. He also confirmed what Serra had said by informing me that a Jedi Master would be arriving during the mid-session break. He promised me that, if the Jedi brought our lightsabers with them, both Serra and I would be allowed to keep them when we returned to the Institute to finish the session.

He was adamant that we do so, hinting that if we did not return to the Institute, it would be seen as an insult to the Mandalorian people and their honour and he assured me that he would do everything he could to convince the Jedi Master that we had to finish the session.

After the pair had left, my teammates had stopped by. They were all glad that I was ok and Huzu informed me that Serra was bunked with Bo in another room just down the hall. All expressed their surprise and shock at how well I'd fought. Oh, they had known that I was good, but seeing me go all out – or what they thought was all out – had them all in awe of my skills.

They also told me that our team had been temporarily suspended from the team training, at least until Serra and I could return to classes and were cleared to take part in all combat classes.

After they left, and just before the end of the free time trainees had, Naz had arrived to visit. She'd also informed me that Bo and Serra were in a room down the hall and that both were well. But after that, she spent her time making sure I was alright. She asked if I was comfortable, if I had access to the local Holonet and if there was anything I needed. I hadn't, but I still thanked her for her concern. That earned me a small smile and blush, and she said she was concerned about me and wanted to make sure I was doing ok.

On the second night, after Naz had again visited and spent time ''checking me for hidden injuries'', I had a rather unexpected visitor as Gar Saxon walked in with a raven-haired girl. According to Observe, her name was Rook Kast and, after introducing herself and talking with me a bit about the ijaat'akaanir, she had told me that if she wasn't with Gar, she might be interested in a little fun with me.

Gar had expressed his respect for how efficiently and deliberately I dealt with Morn, Bendak and their group. He also stated his expectation that we would meet in the final of the sparring tournament to determine this session's Akaan'lor.

Rook had told me to pass on her approval of Serra's approach to ending Morn and even offered to spar with her to help my friend gain experience against older and better fighters. I promised to pass on the offer, and as they turned to leave, I used Observe on Gar.

According to it, Gar now only disliked me and while he doubted that we would ever be friends, he wondered what kinds of battles I would face in the future, and if he might have a chance to join those conflicts.

Since my reputation with Gar had raised a full level – the exact numbers were never known to me – I wondered if this was true of the other trainees here, and the guests who had witnessed the ijaat'akaanir.

"Well, hello there, soldier." Naz began as she stepped into the room, wearing a doctor's coat that was several sizes too big for her frame and hung loosely over her shoulder. I couldn't help but chuckle as this was the third time that she'd visited in three evenings.

"How is the patient this evening?" she asked with a smiled as she sauntered from the door to the bottom of my bed and read the small datapad there. That pad functioned like a chart in a hospital on Earth, save that it was entirely electronic and was more detailed than what I'd seen in my old life.

"Naz," I replied with a loud sigh and a roll of my eyes, "while I enjoy your company, don't you have better things to do than visit me in a hospital?" She really didn't need to come and see me each evening, though as she turned, and the overcoat managed to catch against her frame, I couldn't deny she wasn't a welcome distraction.

Naz pouted dramatically and placed a hand on her hip. "Now is that any way to speak to your nurse?" she asked as she sashayed the few steps it took to go from the bottom of my bed to beside me. "I think I'll have to examine you closer to see if you're suffering some kind of side-effect from your medicine."

She leaned over me until her face was over my chest, which made the overcoat she was wearing droop low, drawing my eyes from her face to her body. Underneath the overcoat, she was wearing her training clothing, though it looked like either her training top was a size too small or she'd grown a bit as her breasts were pushing upwards, almost as if they wanted to escape the top.

"Naz!" I growled as I pulled my eyes back from the sight. She smirked, having caught me looking – which had clearly been her intention – and I mentally cursed having to go through puberty again for the… four-hundred and sixty-eighth time.

The last three nights had brought a return of her flirtation, but now it seemed more… focused. Before it had seemed to be nothing more than friendly behaviour, but now it felt like she was actively trying to gain my attention.

"Hmm, is something the matter?" She asked as her fingers lightly travelled from my arm to shoulder, tracing the muscle lines as she went.

She lifted her hand to my head, before pulling it back and gasping loudly, like an actress from a bad holofilm. "Oh my! You're so cold. I think we need to warm you up."

Her hand moved over my face, close enough that I could feel it brushing down my jawline until she neared my chest. As the hand touched the top of my medical robe – and a few fingers began to slip under to my bare chest – I lashed out and grabbed her wrist with my good arm.

"I'm fine, thank you." I said as I held her wrist tightly. Thanks to my much higher strength – I was at, or just above what most humans were capable of already – there was no chance she could break my grip. Her eyes widened as she tried and failed to pull her arm from my grip and her mouth slipped open before she schooled her features and turned her head so that our eyes met.

"Are you sure?" she asked as she turned her wrist enough that our fingers could touch and licked her lips. "There isn't anything I could do for you?" she asked as she rubbed her chest against my arm, and with both of us shifting our positions, it meant that my elbow was in an… awkward location.

"I thought you were done with this?" I asked as I released my grip on her and gave her a very gentle push backwards with the Force. It wasn't enough to knock her down but made her stumble back a few steps before she could stabilize herself.

She smiled and licked her lips, though the smile began to slip as I kept my expression neutral. Seemingly unconsciously, she lifted her free hand and began to play with a few loose strands of her hair. "I… I was, I… uh, um, but after the ijaat'akaanir …" her words trailed off and she looked down at the floor and sighed. "You…"

She mumbled out something more, but she was too far away for me to make it out and it happened too fast for me be able to activate Enhance Sense. Without saying – or mumbling – anything else, she turned and began to walk towards the door.

"Naz." I said, hoping she'd stop. But she kept walking and the door hissed open. "Naz, stop!" I demanded with a nudge from Force Persuasion.

While I could have used Force Compulsion, one of the classes in the Institute involved teaching students to be mentally strong and resist ''outside influences''. Since the Instructor often looked towards where Serra and I were sitting as he spoke of these influences, it wasn't too hard to work out that he was referring to the Jedi's relaxed usage of mind tricks to get a favourable outcome. Thus, I had used the subtler, but less effective Force Persuasion on Naz.

And it seemed to help, as Naz stopped just before reaching the door.

"What's going on?" I asked even as I used Observe.

Naz Vizsla
Level: 17
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 15
Force Potential: Intermediate
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Liked
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Vizsla (80%) Pre Vizsla (75%) Death Watch (15%) You (15%)
Emotional State: Aroused/Confused/Conflicted
Naz finds herself attracted to you and wants to draw your attention away from Serra Keto.
Though she is confused as to why her efforts are not working with you as they had with Bo-Katan and others.
She wonders if it's because you're still a child, but she knows you like her.
She is also beginning to question what her father has told her about the True Way for their people.
Well, that explained a few things.

I knew that Naz thought I was cute and had flirted with me before the session had started, but that slight attraction had obviously evolved, and she was now trying to gain my full attention. The increase in Reputation – going from Neutral to Liked – was the same as I'd seen for Gar, so winning the ijaat'akaanir had clearly done more for my standing with those at the Institute than I'd realised. I'd have to use Observe on others to see how big of an effect winning the ijaat'akaanir had on my Reputation with others, as building a small power base among the next generation of Mandalorians would be very useful in the years ahead.

Still, I'd have to keep an eye on Naz's issue with Serra. Jealousy between them was not something I wanted or needed to deal with.

Regarding Serra, things there were a lot… clearer now.

Not long after we'd arrived at the Institute, we'd spoken and come to a simple agreement. While we both admitted that we liked each other, we were both too young for… all that. While I couldn't currently think of her as anything more than a friend, I couldn't deny that in the future, there was the potential for it to become something more. She, meanwhile, was still growing both emotionally and physically, and had admitted as such after some reflection. We agreed that our emotions were both too chaotic to attempt to establish anything significant or meaningful at this point in time. That had allowed things to return to a more relaxed place with Serra and ensured that I wasn't at risk of losing her friendship because I didn't respond to her showing attraction towards me.

What was interesting to me, was that now Naz held as much loyalty to me as she did to Death Watch, and that her loyalty to her clan was now a touch higher than that to her father. While having her show loyalty towards me was… nice, I was happier that her interest in Death Watch was dropping. If I could pull a child of Pre Vizsla away from Death Watch, it would undermine his influence before he even had control of the majority of the faction.

"N-nothing." Naz replied slowly as one hand began to rub her other arm. "I-It's just…" She sighed and turned back to face me, though she didn't meet my eyes. "You. You, you're not what I, um… you're different."

"Okay. Isn't that a good thing?" I asked, trying to draw out verbally at least a hint of what Observe had revealed. I couldn't exactly blurt out what that ability told me, so I often had to gently prod to draw it out of people verbally, lest they wonder if I was using some form of Jedi trick to manipulate them.

"I mean, I know you're a Jedi, but you're not." She began, stressing the fact I was a Jedi. "And, it's, um, it's like you're more Mando'ade than Jedi, yet you're not one yet. And…" Her words trailed off and she sighed. "I just… You…"

"Come here." I said gently and when she looked at me, I waved my hand to further encourage her.

As she stepped closer, I continued. "Just because I don't react doesn't mean I don't know what you're doing," I began as she took a few steps towards me, "nor that I don't… enjoy your attention. But, well, I'm twelve." I chuckled at saying that to hide my internal concerns at being mentally thirty-two. Though I was beginning to realise that unless I spent my life chasing after women a few decades older than my physical age – the image of Fay from the crystal cave on Ilum flashed through my mind – then I'd have to accept that I'd become involved with females closer to my physical age. Though I had no plans for that to happen until I was legally an adult and a Jedi Knight.

"I know!" Naz whined as she took a step closer, "But…" She paused, seemingly to collect her thoughts, but whatever she wanted to add was cut off as the doors hissed open.

Naz pivoted, pulling the overcoat closed, and I saw Bo and Serra stepping inside. Serra was wearing a bandage-like glove over her hand – which was likely to limit her movement as that was the hand she broke – while Bo had nothing on her shoulder. Both were dressed in their regular trainee clothes, meaning that they were likely no longer patients of the medical centre.

"Cam! We…" Serra began, a large smile on her face. Though the smile fell as she spotted Naz, and her brow dropped. "W-were you busy?"

"No, no, it's fine," Naz blurted out as she pulled the overcoat even tighter against her body. "I was just about to leave."

"Naz, stay." I stated as I wished that I wouldn't now have the image of her backside – and how snugly the overcoat had been pulled against it – stuck in my mind.

[Please.] I added with Force Telepathy.

Naz's head whipped around as her eyes widened to an almost comical level. "D-did you just…"

"Talk to you mentally? Yes." I answered with a smirk.

[Hello, Bo.] I chuckled as Bo's reaction mirrored Naz's.

[You would think they were hearing voices?] I sent to Serra, who just smiled, seemingly enjoying the complete confusion that had engulfed the faces of the other two girls.

[Shame they can't talk back.] She replied. At her words, a thought struck me, and I wondered if I could create a group chat with Telepathy.

WARNING!
The Force Power Telepathy is of an insufficient level for what is being attempted.
Unaided group conversations with this power are only possible from Master:1.

Well, so much for that idea.

[It might be possible, but I'm not skilled enough with telepathy to pull that off.]

[Yet.] Serra responded with a sense of certainty as I sensed her confidence in me through our bond. [If you want it to happen, you'll make it happen.]

That kind of belief in me was both inspiring and a touch scary as if it went too far, it could easily become blind worship. And since the highest Reputation stratum was literally called 'Worshipped', my concerns there were real.

"Hey! Stop talking like that!" Bo snapped. Her eyes were narrowed as her head bounced between looking at me and Serra. There was no other outward sign of anger, so I suspected that she was likely just annoyed that we could talk that way.

"Jealous, much?" I retorted with a smirk.

Bo rolled her eyes and any anger in her posture dissipated, even as her jaw tightened. "No!" She responded without really opening her mouth.

That, I knew, was a lie.

While what had almost happened to Serra had been traumatic, it had broken the last barrier that was preventing Serra from speaking with me telepathically. Just before the trial by combat, Serra had told me that Bo had questioned her about the periods where Serra and I had communicated mentally. Apparently, Serra had started adopting a generally vacant expression during our mental conversations – save for when she'd smiled or frowned at something we'd discussed – and Bo was concerned that Serra was having flashbacks. In an attempt to reassure her, Serra had confided in Bo about our Telepathy.

By all accounts, Bo was less than happy about the fact we could hold private, and arguably emotionally intimate, conversations telepathically. Bo's jealously didn't seem to affect my friendship with her, but, as with Naz's growing dislike of my closeness with Serra, it was something to keep an eye on.

Talking to Serra via the Force – which we'd been doing about a half dozen times a day – served to both help me level up the power and to strengthen my friendship with Serra. It had also allowed me to apologise multiple times to her about what had happened, and even though she said it wasn't my fault, I still blamed myself.

I knew that many were unhappy about two Jedi learning the ways of the Mando'ade. Instructor Wrajud held a lot of blame for that, and I planned to one day repay him for that. But I had thought I'd cut off the problem by integrating into the Institute and proving myself in the classes and activities. I never thought that I'd simply shifted their thoughts to Serra, who, while a competent fighter was weaker than me, nor had I made plans to protect her if someone went after her.

So, yeah, I'd apologised repeatedly to her.

She didn't blame me, saying that it was her choice to be here, not mine, and that in the end, I'd been there to help her. Which, she added, was what friends, especially best friends, did for each other.

And while I was relieved that she didn't hate me for what had happened, or that it had cost me her friendship, I was still… angry. At the idiots who had attacked us, as well as the Institute for allowing blind spots to exist in their systems, though I suspected they existed – or had done so as the Commandant promised me that they would soon be monitoring equipment in the training rooms – so that students had private space to ''unwind'. But mainly I was mad at myself.

Still, once I was able to get my self-loathing under control, I had realised that I'd been neglecting my friendship with Serra because of her feelings for me. That didn't do anything to help with my inwardly directed anger, but it did result in me promising myself to be a better friend.

Plus, with what was to come, I would need people around me who I could trust implicitly, and Serra was the only person my age that could apply to currently. Fay and Dooku were both people I trusted, but as it stood right now, they were less likely to follow me on blind trust than Serra was, and with Dooku there was still a small chance that I could fail and he could become Darth Tyranus.

"You still can't lie for osik, Bo." Naz commented with a hint of a smile, proving that I wasn't the only one who saw through Bo's words. "Just like Satine."

As Bo's face turned the colour of her hair, I bit my lip to avoid laughing.

"I'm nothing like her!" Bo roared, which made Serra cough; likely to cover her laughter as well.

For all of Bo and Satine's differences, the two were more alike than either would care to admit. Strong-willed and driven, but with little understanding of subtlety, or a willingness to acknowledge that there were more ways to do things than what they believed. I did expect them both to learn some tact and open-mindedness as they aged; Satine especially, seeing as how she was on course to become a politician of considerable renown and respect – even if I didn't agree with her choices, I couldn't deny she was respected by others – something not commonly obtained without the aforementioned traits as prerequisites. But at the current moment in time, neither of them were able to see things from anything but their own perspective.

"Not that I have a problem with you being here, but why are you here?" I asked, trying to move things along from an impending argument.

"We're free." Bo answered with a smile, losing any anger that had been building at being compared to her sister.

"Ah." I replied. That fit with why the pair were wearing their normal clothing instead of the stupid medical gown which I was still stuck in and also confirmed the thought that passed through my mind when the pair had first walked into the room.

"The doctors have said we're free to return to classes tomorrow," Serra explained, "though no evening activities until after the session break next week."

That did made sense since even if her hand was healed, and Bo's shoulder was fine, it was better to avoid any complications from sparring for a few more days at least.

"Congrats, you two. I wonder if I'll get out before the break." I said hopefully and flexed the arm I'd broken. Well, lifted it to show I had a black wrapping going from my shoulder to my wrist. It didn't stop me from moving the arm, just that made it harder to bend or rotate it in any direction.

"What? You were in much worse shape than either of us. How are you…" Bo trailed off and shook her head. "The Force is bantha-osik."

I smirked and nodded. "Yeah. I've got enough training with using the Force to heal that I was able to accelerate the mending of my arm."

Both Bo and Naz's brows wrinkled even as their eyes widened at hearing I'd used the Force to help myself heal, possibly because they were surprised at hearing I was skilled with what was an uncommon Force ability. Serra, since she'd grown up in the Temple and was comfortable around the Force, just winked and allowed a small smile to creep onto her face.

Any further conversation was cut off as the doors hissed open a third time, and a tall, well-built man stepped into the room. This was Doctor Yrawhl, and he'd been the one handling my after-fight care.

His eyes noted the three girls in the room with me, but he chose to ignore them for now and spoke directly to me. "Hmm, have they told you the good news?" He asked as he tapped a few buttons on his datapad.

"Yeah, they're free to go back to classes." I replied, though that made him chuckle.

"Not just them. Thanks to your… abilities helping to accelerate your healing, I see no reason why you also can't return to classes. Though like Trainees Kryze and Keto, you are barred from combat classes and evening events until after the break. We'll give you a check when you return, but so long as nothing's amiss, you'll be free to return to a full class-load from then."

"Thanks Doc." I said with a smile and swung my legs around so that I could stand. A cold draft reminded me that, like in my old life, medical gowns here were closer to dresses than shirts, but I ignored that. I also ignored the fact both Naz and Serra's eyes widened a touch as I moved, and that their cheeks – along with Bo's – got a little rosy.

"You're welcome." Yrawhl said as I stood and scrunched my toes to return feeling to them. "Now, as with Trainee Keto, I've forwarded your medical reports to the Duke's palace. As you are his guests, and he is acting as your sponsor, he asked to be kept informed of your status."

I rolled my neck then shoulders as he spoke, though the latter was harder to do with the still-bandaged arm. Even if Player's Body removed any issues with cramping, it still felt good to stretch after sitting for so long. Plus, it hid that my body wasn't quite normal.

"Understandable." I replied as I turned and picked up my datapad from the bedside table. "And I assume those reports have been sent to the Jedi Order on Coruscant?" While I expected that to be the case, I would've preferred it if it wasn't.

Serra had told Master Drallig where she was studying, but there was the chance that he hadn't informed the High Council as the training of a Padawan was at the discretion of their Master. However, if a medical report was sent to the Order – one detailing the injuries we'd suffered while training on-planet – then there was no way to hide where I was. Plus, I was sure that there were more than a few members of the Order – including between a third to a half of the High Council – who would have issues with my current location and training.

"I could not say. Normally, a clan elder would be informed of your injuries. However, with neither you nor Trainee Keto being born Mandalorian, that decision rests with your sponsor, Duke Adonai, and the arrangement he made with your Jedi Master before they allowed you to train here." Yrawhl explained.

That had me offering a quick prayer to the Force that Fay and Dooku had asked for any reports about my time here to not be sent or sent to a member of the Coalition like Sifo-Dyas.

"My Master is aware of what happened, though not about the ijaat'akannir or my injuries." Serra offered. "He should be arriving in a few days to check on our condition."

So much for that prayer.

"Very well. Though it's pronounced ijaat'akaanir. More stress on the long 'a' sound." Yrawhl clarified with a slight smile. "And hopefully, beyond your check-ups after the break, I won't be seeing any of you in here again. Good evening."

We said our goodbyes to him and then Yrawhl left the room.

"Right," Naz said breaking the momentary silence as the doors closed by clapping her hand together. "Let's get you out of here. You've got some people who are… eager to talk to you." While Naz looked at all of us as she spoke, her eyes settled on me as she finished. "Someone has earned themselves a following."

I groaned loudly and my shoulders slumped. "Aw kriff."

This was becoming a downside of earning Reputation with large groups of people quickly or standing out from the crowd. The need for those people to give me titles and place more weight on my shoulders. Already I was seen by many Jedi as the Chosen One – and it was easy to see why Anakin became a little arrogant if he went through that for a decade – and by the Lokella as their Mtael.

There was a good chance that many more trainees were going to refer to me as Revan'ade. While so far the only ones to really use it were my team, the name, as much as I loathed it, was already floating around the Institute. And since they held my ancestor in such high regard, even after nearly four thousand years, it wasn't the worst thing they could use as my title.

Naz laughed loudly at my dejection and slapped my good shoulder. "Come on. Your adoring public awaits."

I growled at her, though that only made her laugh more and I caught sight of Bo and Serra sharing a look then their shoulders shaking as they walked in front of me.

Sometimes life just sucked.

……



……

"Right, this'll do." I said as I surveyed the small training room in the palace in Sundari that I'd just entered. I quick look around with Force Sight and confirmed that there were no active recording devices, nor active power lines leading to unusual places.

"Do for what?" Serra asked as she followed me into the room but kept a short distance away from me.

I refrained from commenting on the distance, accepting it as a natural temporary by-product of what she had been through, but even so, I was relieved that she'd moved past the stage of flinching when we touched. She was still jittery around other boys, and kept either myself or one of the girls from our team between them and her whenever possible. But given the circumstances, that was entirely understandable.

"I want to show you something and make up for my mistake." I replied as I placed the bag I was carrying on a table and pulled out the Force suppression bracers I had been using at the Institute. While I shouldn't have been allowed to take them during the break, I had explained that I wished to keep training without access to the Force to the Commandant and Duke Adonai, and they had allowed me to borrow them for the next two weeks.

"I really am sor…"

"Cam, we've been over this," she said with a sigh as she cut me off mid-word, "I don't blame you for what happened." As she spoke, she stepped closer and placed her hand on my forearm. "What… happened was their fault."

I smiled, happy that she was able to, if only for a moment, overcome the fear that I knew still lurked in her mind about what had happened and be comfortable around me again.

Though any happiness I felt because of that was quickly lost as I was once again angrier at myself for having failed to protect my friend from anger and persecution that should have been directed at me. "But I should have seen it coming. I knew there were rumblings about us being there and doing so well. I was all but certain that someone would try something, but I didn't think they'd go after you. Didn't think that they'd…" My voice trailed off as I didn't want to say what had almost happened to my friend, nor dwell on the anger that I still felt towards myself and the scum who'd tried to hurt her.

The trial of the nine had taken less than a day as the ruling New Mandalorian government had a standing agreement with the Institute and Duke Adonai that meant that even though they did not agree with the ideals of a trial by combat, they would accept it as proof of guilt.

As such, and with all of the boys being sixteen or older and having completed their verd'goten, eight of the boys had been sentenced to jail time. The minimum any would spend behind bars was two years, with Morn being given a sentence that didn't have the possibility for early release until he had served ten years. Honestly, I felt the punishment was weak, that they deserved at least a decade each in jail. However, I knew it was not something I could control, nor was it much better than what would've happened in my old life.

Lanze Loc had been spared jail time – his acceptance of his actions and a word or two from me to the Commandant helping to save him – and instead was sent back to his family's homeworld. However, while he had avoided being labelled Dar'manda – mainly as the New Mandalorians did not use that term – his name was added to the Protector criminal rolls, meaning that he would carry the shame and stigma of what happened for the rest of his life.

If he had been branded Dar'manda, then his clan would have disowned him, and he would have been forced to leave the sector and regain his honour, though only Serra or myself could grant him that as we were the ones that were attacked.

And while I understood the reason for choosing to jail them, I felt the punishment was lacking. And that was not my anger speaking but a belief that those who planned to carry out such heinous actions should face punishment more fitting of the crime. Like castration or sterilization for attempted rapists.

"You can't see the future." Serra said, only for her brow to crease. "Or are you also a seer?"

I chuckled once and patted her hand. I happily noted that there was no reaction from her – at least outwardly – to my action. "Sort of, but that's a discussion for another time. For now, just watch."

I took a step back from her and then slipped on and activated the bracers. I dismissed the notice from the Interface about a Force Disruption field and turned my arms to show her the bracers were now active. "What are these?"

"Um, Force suppression bracers." Serra replied dryly as she crossed her arms. "The Mandalorians have had those since the war against Revan and we've been using them for the last two months." She finished with a single brow rising as she spoke.

"Wrong." I replied as I casually lifted her with the Force, smirking as she squeaked in shock. "The name used for these is actually a misnomer. They only disrupt our connection to the Force, they don't suppress it. Now, are there ways to completely block out the Force? Probably, but technology such as these don't do that. They make it harder to concentrate on accessing and using the Force, but it can still be done." As I finished explaining, I gently lowered her back to the ground.

Her eyes, still wide in surprise and shock, looked from my face to the bracers then back. "B-but… how… Wait!" She stumbled through her words until the metaphorical light turned on in her mind. "That's how you've been winning so easily! You're cheating!"

"No, not really." I replied even as I smirked. "I haven't used the Force during any spar in class."

"And the ijaat'akaanir?" She asked as one eyebrow rose.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I don't deny that I used it there. But why shouldn't I? These bracers limit our abilities, thus, in theory, making us easier to defeat in combat. So if anyone is cheating, it's the Institute for insisting we are handicapped against them."

"But the Force grants us abilities beyond what others can do."

"That's never stopped Mandalorians from killing Jedi before, nor training to do so in future." I countered and shrugged. "So why shouldn't I find a way to overcome their attempts to hold us down?" As I finished, I clinked the bracers against each other.

Serra's brow creased, and she tilted her head to one side. "I guess…" she said, though she didn't sound nor look convinced.

I touched the button to depower them. After what had happened, the Commandant had provided us with the deactivation code for them instead of us needing to find an Instructor to deactivate them for us. Having the deactivation code was something I firmly believed we should have had from the get-go. The Commandant agreed with me when I shared that sentiment and promised to look into who had failed in their duty to provide us with the codes.

"And you've also pushed through the disruption once before." I continued.

"Huh?"

I managed to stifle a laugh at Serra's complete lack of understanding even as I pulled the bracers off.

"You called out to me while yours were active," I explained as I put the bracers down on the table even as she slid to the other side. "And, judging by the state the room was in when I arrived, I suspect you also used the Force to drive everything back."

"Ah, right." She replied as it dawned on her what I was talking about. Her gaze shifted, now looking down at the bracers, and she began to twist some loose hair that had fallen out from behind her hairband. "I… I was, um, scared. Really, really scared."

I stepped around the table and placed a hand on her shoulder but said nothing.

Through our Force bond, I sensed the usual emotions from her at my actions – though I was grateful that they seemed to be less intense than before – along with relief and a sense of comfort.

A few moments later, she lifted her head and met my gaze, then gave me a weak smile.

A returned her smile with one of my own. "Yes, you were scared, but you still pushed passed the, um, interference." I began to explain as I removed my hand from hers. "That means you can do it again."

"B-but, I…"

"You're worried that you could only do so because you used your emotions?" I asked, cutting her off by asking the question that should cut right to her concerns. She nodded and I sighed. "Don't be. We're only human after all, and emotions are a part of what makes us, us."

"But the Code…"

"Which code?" I silenced her, and cut off her bog-standard Jedi response by raising my hand. "The older one that I shared with you, about the importance of 'Emotion, yet Peace?' or does your mind still jump to the more sanitized code that the Council repeats in their apathetic mantra?"

I sighed as I saw her eyes widen and knew that, in my frustration, I'd pushed a little further than what she was ready for right now. I ran my raised hand through my hair as I took a deep breath and tried to explain in terms she could understand and accept.

"The Code is… a guide. Nothing more. To deny that we feel happy or sad, or that we can love or hate, is… flawed at best. Downright stupid at worst. Like any living creature, we feel. However, because we are more sensitive to the Force, we must be careful because of our feelings. Our emotions can influence how we use the Force. And how it uses us." She frowned at my words, and I sensed her confusion through the Force, though I continued on.

"The Jedi Code teaches us to release our emotions into the Force, to let it take the burden from us. The Sith seem to believe that indulging in one's passions and dominating the Force is the way to go. Personally, I think both are… flawed." I paused and shook my head. "But that's a debate for another day. For now, I want you to put on the bracers and try to lift the bag."

I couldn't deny that I lacked faith in the Jedi and Sith Codes and wondered if there was a third path to take, one that would work better for myself and others. And while I did wish to have Serra consider that as well, it was something for the future, not the present.

For a few seconds, she stayed still. Likely, she was processing what I'd hinted at. However, she soon reached down and picked up the bracers. Slowly she slid them on and activated them – her doubt clear to sense through our bond – yet she did lift out a hand towards the bag.

Her using the standard Jedi and Sith approach of telegraphing their usage of the Force had me wondering if it was truly necessary. I knew I didn't have to do it, but perhaps that was just because of the Interface.

As she lifted her other hand in an attempt to put more power into her action, I took a step back. For what I initially had planned, the likelihood that her moving the bag would be more… aggressive than I'd like, so some distance should give me time to react.

I continued to watch as her brow creased and she clenched her teeth, trying harder and harder to duplicate what I had just done. Soon, I began to hear her breathing heavily, as if running hard, before she grunted, and her hands fell to her knees.

"I. Can't. It's. Too. Hard." She finished between breaths.

"Nothing worth doing is ever easy." I responded as she continued to inhale deeply. "I have an idea that might work, but it's… not something the Order would approve of."

Her head turned to look at me and one of her eyebrows rose, which was what I was hoping for.

"When you… when that happened, you lashed out in fear and anger." I explained slowly, trying to dance around the incident without explicitly mentioning it. This was risky, as there was no way she was over what had happened and pushing her to relive that moment was… dangerous. But I couldn't see any other way to begin her training in using the Force with the bracers active.

"I…I remember." Serra replied slowly, her face losing some of its heightened colour as her breathing came under control. "I, uh, I've spoken about it...a little with Doctor Rathig. Um, she's been asked...by the Duke to talk with...me about what happened." Her sentences came out in parts between deep breaths.

"Ah, good." I said and gave her what I hoped was an encouraging smile. "I'm glad there's someone who knows about these…things for you to talk to."

"I wish Master Fay was here." Serra blurted out, only for her face to redden and her eyes widened for a moment. "Um, we, uh, talked a bit about…things before she left."

"Uh, ok. That's, um, good." There wasn't really much I could say regarding that, though I made a mental note to thank Fay when I next saw her. Somehow, I suspected that Serra's new-found control regarding her feelings was the work of my master and not just some great epiphany that Serra had.

Coupled with us agreeing to table any development of our relationship until we were older, and I felt I owed Fay a lot of thanks for handling a problem that I had chosen to just ignore. In retrospect, that was a horrible decision on my part, and Fay had saved my bacon with her actions.

"Anyway, let's try again. Though with a little twist." I said as I pulled a small sheet out from the bag and motioned for Serra to turn around.

She did so cautiously, and once her back was to me, I stepped towards her. "This time, I want you to lift the bag without seeing it." I said quietly as I tied the sheet around her head, covering her eyes. A mixture of confusion and arousal came over the bond before she clamped down on her feelings.

"How is this going to make things any easier?" She asked even as I stepped back.

"Familiarity." I replied as I pulled a small ball from the bag with Telekinesis. The ball was the size of a tennis ball, though it was denser and tougher. I'd be making sure the ball didn't go fast enough to hurt Serra, just enough to irritate and annoy. "You're going to lift the bag while avoiding a training ball."

"Cam…" Serra's voice didn't sound certain, and a sense of uneasiness flowed from her via the Force.

"Trust me," I replied while reassuring her emotionally via the bond, "you can do this. Now lift the bag."

She turned her head to look at the bag and stretched out her hand. As she did so, I moved the ball with the Force and had it clip against the back of her hand.

She pulled her hand back as if it was burnt and both hands moved upwards, towards the blindfold.

"Stop!" I ordered, without any use of the Force, and she obeyed. "I asked you to lift the bag, not remove the blindfold."

"But you hit me with the ball!" She shot back with a scowl, which looked strange as her eyes were covered. Her annoyance and confusion were easy to sense via the Force.

"I did. It is part of the exercise after all." I explained, letting a small smile creep onto my face at what I had planned. "Avoid the ball and move the bag. I know you can do it."

She glared at me from behind the blindfold, though I sensed no anger through the Force, only annoyance. Eventually, she sighed and turned her head back towards the bag. "Fine."

Again, she stretched out her hand towards the bag, and again I clipped it with the ball. However, this time, she didn't pull her hand back. Instead, she kept her hand out with the only sign that the ball had struck was a momentary grimace of her lips.

I moved the ball around with the Force, making it arc around to clip off Serra's palm. This time, there was only the briefest sense of annoyance through our bond as she kept her concentration on the bag. As the ball swerved around again – this time clipping her just above the wrist – I smirked as I sensed her annoyance grow and the slightest hint of anger develop.

For the next few minutes, I continued to move the ball around as she tried to lift the bag, even going so far as to extend her second hand towards the bag. The ball bounced and ricocheted around the room, striking her on both arms from her hands to shoulders in what I hoped was a seemingly random pattern of location and timing. As I did this, her annoyance grew and then evolved into first frustration, then outright anger. As I watched her progress, I considered what I was having her attempt.

There were risks to this plan, of that I had no doubt. My memories of what I'd experienced in the Dark Side shrine under the Jedi Temple were easy to remember thanks to Eidetic Memory. As were the whispers and promises that moved with the very air and tempted me to take was mine, to use the power the Dark Side offered. Yet I also knew, though I wondered if I truly understood why, that the dark side was a… shortcut to more powerful abilities or outcomes. Hence why I was pushing Serra to be overcome with her anger and frustration.

With this place not being awash with the Dark Side, my being here, and her trust in me, I felt that things were as safe as I could make them to push her to, at the very least, experience the touch of the dark side while doing something that she felt was all but impossible.

"Come on, I thought you could do this." I goaded just over five minutes since she'd started to try and lift the bag while blindfolded. I directed the ball to strike her calf with more force than normal, and she grunted – almost growled actually – as it bounced away. Her anger grew further as this happened and, preparing for what I expected to come, I took another step back.

She snarled loud enough that I could hear her but gave no other outward sign that my words, the ball and her inability to lift the bag were angering her.

I looped the ball around and had it clip against the inside of both forearms before striking her shoulder even as I took a few steps to the side so that I could see her face. If I had done this a few months ago, I would've added in more verbal degradation but now I didn't. I wasn't going to reopen her mental wounds regarding the attack.

As the ball arched around and clipped her just below an elbow, I caught sight of her knuckles whitening and saw sweat begin to roll down her forehead. The ball then bounced off the ground and angled into, then off her shin – drawing a hiss from her – before grazing against her stomach.

She growled loudly, and her anger sparked like a solar flare through the Force. Sensing that this was the moment I was pushing her towards, I aimed the ball at her chin.

The moment it hit, her brow shot upwards and she screamed.

In an instant – and without any warning from Precognition – I was lifted off my feet and sent flying backwards.

"Oof!" I grunted as my back struck the hard metal wall, then gasped as the ball rocketed into my gut.

As I slumped to the ground wondering why Precognition hadn't warned me of an incoming attack, a new notice appeared flashed in the Interface.

Force Damage Taken
-10HP due to being struck by a wave of negatively infused Force energy.
-3HP due to a sonic attack.
Force regeneration lowered by 5% for 1 minute.

"Fuck me." I moaned as rubbed my stomach then glared at the ball as it bounced away.

As I dismissed the notice, I realised that Serra hadn't just lashed out with a blast of Telekinesis, but instead had used a Force Scream. The attack had been unintentional, uncontrolled and unrefined, but it was able to limit my Force Regen and deal two different forms of damage – three actually, as I saw that I'd lost a few more HP points from hitting the wall.

That Serra, with no control or understanding had been able to do such damage with her first taste of the dark side was… concerning. I'd expected an outburst, even hoped for it, but to feel her anger, to almost be able to taste it, as I was launched backwards into the wall… It was scary and humbling to realise just how little I really understood about the dark side. And that many of the lessons about the inherent dangers of it were true, from a certain point of view.

It also had me wondering just what a Force Scream from someone trained to use such a power and the focus to control could do. There was a fair chance that power could kill anyone caught in its shockwave. Heck, it might even be able to disintegrate matter if it was powerful enough.

That had me thinking that it should be possible – with the Dark Side/negative emotions – to kill with a glance.

Force Power Discovered!
Deadly Sight
The ability to kill and even disintegrate a living target by simply staring at them.
However, this power will only blister the skin and vaporise extremities if not fuelled by negative emotions.
It is regarded as a dark side power by all established orders of Force users.


WARNING!
Deadly Sight is locked until Force Sight is Prodigy:1, Pyrokinesis to Savant:1 and Force Plague to Master:1.
Force Power Discovered!
Force Plague
The ability to create an unnatural toxin in a living target that, if left untreated, will kill them very quickly in a very painful way.
However, this power is all but useless when not fuelled by negative emotions, and any toxin created without the requisite emotions will dissipate with no after-effects once the power is cancelled.
This plague can be infectious and targeted at multiple beings simultaneously at higher levels. Rate of infection is also dictated by level.
It is regarded as a dark side power by all established orders of Force users.


WARNING!
Force Plague is locked until Force Affliction is Master:1.
Force Power Discovered!
Force Affliction
The ability to create the symptoms of a slow-acting poison in a living being that, if maintained for long enough, will result in death.
This poison can be targeted at multiple beings simultaneously at higher levels.
It is regarded as a dark side power by most established orders of Force users.


WARNING!
Force Affliction is locked until Force Slow [Weaken] is at Master:1.
I tried to not let my eyes bulge at the new powers I'd just learnt. Even if the more deadly ones were locked away, the potential carnage they could unleash…

Yeah, I was going to have to spend some time once I was alone thinking about those powers, and why they were different from what they'd been in KOTOR 1 and 2. I'd also have to think about all the powers, light or dark, base or upgraded from the games to see what else I could learn.

After learning any other Force Powers from going over the way the Force was depicted in KOTOR 1 and 2, I'd have to have a long hard think about just what the dark side really was.

During my first few months at the Jedi Temple, I'd… well, I'd let my mind wander during many of the lessons about the dangers and issues posed by the Dark Side, rationalizing that since I seemed to be living in a game or other type of simulation, that those same rules didn't apply to me. At the very least, I had assumed that Player's Mind would protect me from any possible 'corruption'. In retrospect, those assumptions were flawed. Thus, I'd have to review those lessons in my mind – thank the Force for Eidetic Memory – and then try to determine just what was true and what was mindless Jedi drivel and propaganda, otherwise I'd never feel comfortable use a dark side power properly.

Now, I doubted I'd ever want or need to use something like Deadly Sight, but it was better to have it in the armoury on the off chance that I ever did need them than not have it and actually need it.

"Cam!" Serra squealed and I looked up to see that she'd ripped off the blindfold – it was now lying on the floor next to the table – and moved to crouch beside me. "Are you alright?" she asked as her hand moved towards me.

"Yeah. Just a wounded ego, nothing important." I replied with a chuckle as I gripped her arm and allowed her to help me stand. As I regained my footing, I used Force Heal to restore the lost HP.

"I-I'm sorry. I.. I lost control… and um, uh…" She mumbled out as we let go of each other's forearms and she took a step back.

"And...you moved the bag." I said, cutting off her stammering by pointing to the corner to my left. Her head whipped around and she stared at the bag.

Her brow shot upwards and her eyes widened. "W-what?!" She managed to get out, though her voice was a higher pitch than normal. Though she shifted, and as her brow came back down, I sensed her shock and surprise give way to shame and regret. "B-but, I… I lashed out though. I shouldn't have done that."

I mentally sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Serra, we're not in the Temple." I began, noting that she didn't flinch away from the contact. "I'm not going to punish you for showing that you're a living being and not a droid."

I smiled as her focus returned to me. "Regardless of how you did it, you managed to make the bag move even while wearing active bracers. Now, I want you to try again, though perhaps this time we can find a way which doesn't result in me being thrown into a wall." I added with a chuckle and a wink to let her know I wasn't annoyed about it.

"Okay." Serra's shoulders slumped as she replied and moved to collect the bag. My smile fell as I realised that my attempt at humour had failed.

"Serra," I said more seriously as she reached the back and bent down. "I'm not angry or upset you sent me into the wall. I'm proud."

She turned quickly to look at me in confusion.

"You've proved that you can move the bag while there was interference between you and the Force. And while you did use your negative emotions to do that, it simply proves that you can do it. Though...I do wonder if you can do the same thing, but with happier emotions."

That last part was nothing more than an idea I'd been slowly forming. After all, if anger and hate could be used to power destructive abilities, why couldn't more positive feelings be used to enhance protective and more creative Force abilities?

She had picked up the bag now and was facing me fully again. Her lips were pressed tight together, and her brow creased as I continued.

"So, this time I want you to think about the moments that have made you happiest; like being taken as Master Drallig's Padawan. Draw on those memories, and the feelings linked to them, and lift the bag."

Her lips pursed and she shook her head even as she placed the bag back on the table. As she picked up the blindfold and reapplied it, I could sense her growing doubt through the Force. Though underneath that were hints of happiness. That happiness began to push through the doubt, and turn into joy, arousal and even a hint of embarrassment as she extended her hand towards the bag.

"Serra, a bird sitting on a branch doesn't fear the branch breaking because it has faith in itself and its ability to fly." I quoted, using an old expression I'd heard in my former life. "I trust, I know, that you can do this. You just need to have that faith, that trust, in yourself." Hopefully the idea behind the expression would help her, not just here but in the future for overcoming the self-doubt that I often sensed from her.

Whether or not she understood my words, or gave them any thought, I couldn't say as her attention and concentration was on the bag. Yet, after nearly a minute of the bag not moving, I began to sense her annoyance grow as the first hints of doubt seeped out from her.

"Concentrate on your best memories." I encouraged, knowing that what I was asking was different from what anyone, Jedi or Sith, would suggest. "Think about the moment when you first made a lightsaber, or when you first beat Sia-Lan in a spar. Think of the moments that made you happiest, made you feel the most alive. Draw on those feelings, those sensations and embrace them. Let them build within you and empower you. Trust in them, as you trust in the Force."

It took a fair bit of work for me not to cringe at the change in direction that my words had taken. Most of that sounded more like I was trying to coax out a Patronus from the Harry Potter books than anything else. I kept my face neutral and was glad that Telepathic Shield was always active to prevent her sensing my annoyance at myself for my word choice. Yet, even as I wondered if I could have phrased that better, I sensed the doubt in her decreasing once more; replaced by excitement and desire.

Sensing this, I decided to test a theory of mine about why I was often more emotional around Serra and activated Player's Mind.

Instantly, I felt my sense of joy and happiness decrease, which proved to me that at least part of the problem I'd been having with my emotions around Serra was due to some form of feedback loop from our bond.

With that confirmed, and me now aware of why I often seemed to be struggling to control my emotions around Serra, I braced for the overflow of emotions as I turned off Player's Mind.

Now that I knew what to expect, I was prepared for them and even as Serra continued to try to move the bag, I began to separate her emotions from my own.

Confident that I had, I activated Emphatic Shield to see if it would also block the overflow of emotions through the bond. It did, and I felt a little stupid at not having it active. I'd stopped using it once I was able to keep Telepathic-Shield running constantly, though now I saw the problem that could cause and reactivated it. Thankfully, with the power at its maximum level, Emphatic Shield's FP drain was negligible – just 10FP per minute.

The emotions I expected to be blocked out were, which was relief. I was averse to keeping Player's Mind active constantly as I felt… less than alive when I reviewed the times it was active afterwards.

I also made a mental note to speak with Serra about improving her mental barriers, though how to approach that without seeming like I was complaining was going to be difficult. The wrong word or suggestion could cause her to pull away, and with what happened being so fresh in her memory, such a thing could have long-term problems for our friendship.

Eventually, after about another minute of Serra straining to use the Force with the bracers active, I saw movement on the table. The bag wasn't lifting off the table, though the top of it was beginning to ripple; as if caught in a strong breeze.

"That's it. You're almost there." I offered as encouragement and saw more of the bag react as if caught by the wind. "Just a little bit more. Draw on those happy thoughts." I cringed again at how silly and juvenile that sounded, but there wasn't much else I could think to do or say.

Slowly, more and more of the bag began to shift, then slowly the whole bag began to move around the table. I allowed a smile to creep onto my face, and it exploded fully into being as the bag suddenly lifted upwards and began to circle above the surface of the table.

"Open your eyes."

Serra did as I asked, and the instant she saw the bag levitating about twenty centimetres above the table, her brow shot upwards into her hairline and her eyes widened. Though her shock at managing to lift the bag – and have it under control – resulted in her losing her concentration and it fell back down to the table.

"I.. I did it?" She asked slowly, as I chuckled and nodded.

"You did."

Her confusion and shock morphed into happiness as a large smile spread across her face. "I did it!" She exclaimed and with a laugh as she began jumping. "I did it!"

I chuckled at her behaviour, though this drew her attention and she all but leapt at me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I did it! I did it!" She exclaimed over and over as her momentum, which was off to my right-hand side, forced me to rotate and wrap my arms around her waist; lest she ended up sailing passed me and into the wall. On what was likely instinct, she lifted her feet and we spun around – which gave me another chance to recognize her emotions as they flooded over our bond – before I slowed the spin.

"Yes, you did. Well done." I stated as her feet came back to the ground.

As that happened, and she calmed down a touch, she realised just how close we were standing – and how our arms were locked around each other – and I sensed a common mixture of emotions coming from her through the Force. She quickly unclasped her hands and slipped free of my grip, before taking a small step back.

While she did a far better job of limiting her blushing than a few months previously, her cheeks did still get a fraction redder, and she looked away.

"That… it was harder to move the bag that time, but it felt like I was more… in control I guess." Serra said as she rubbed her upper arm and kept her gaze away from me. "When, when I was, um, angry, I, uh… lashed out and everything went flying. I felt… powerful. Yet I, I felt as though I was drowning. Like the anger was moving the bag, not me." She finished as her eyes drifted to the bag.

Ignoring any tension that she might have felt at overdoing her reaction to lifting the bag – after all, she was allowed to be proud of what she accomplished – I considered her words. They fit with what I on those rare moments I'd had where my anger had flared, and the Force had reacted. Most of the time, I used Player's Mind – intentionally or not – to counter the effects, but that was just a coping mechanism while I grew up once more. Plus, since the Interface was hinting that certain powers needed emotional input to be more effective, I knew I couldn't rely on Player's Mind every time my emotions flared.

"That sounds about right." I replied slowly, not wanting to make her feel like she'd done something wrong. "Though was there anything else?"

From my old life I was in a unique position to understand that emotions of any kind can be both beneficial and harmful. That to deny them fully was a flawed approach.

Yet, from those rare moments when I'd grown angry in this second life, or found myself in a place touched by the dark side – which was only the shrine under the Jedi Temple, but I knew I'd likely encounter other such places in the future – I'd found the temptation to embrace those darker impulses. To give in and enjoy the moment. At times it felt like there was a voice whispering in the back of my mind, teasing me, cajoling me to let go of my control over my emotions and let my anger soar.

I hoped that knowing more about my emotions from my former life would help to… temper that voice inside. The Jedi – well, most of them – preaching that you needed to let go of your emotions, to not let them guide you, to not accept them as a part of yourself; none of that sat right with me. To deny that we were emotional was, in my mind, a flawed approach.

Yet the few small hints that I'd sensed of the dark side made me wonder if there was a real danger in letting go, indulging in your emotions without the control to temper yourself. Which was why I was curious about how Serra – someone raised all their life within the Temple – reacted to brushing against whatever the dark side really was.

Serra shook, no shivered, for a second before she answered quietly. "Y-yeah. The first time… that I…. moved the bag, I… it was… tempting. It felt good, really good. But I… I know that's the wrong way to do things. It's the path to the Dark Side." This time I was sure she shivered, and I stepped forward and slowly placed a hand on her shoulder and through the contact felt her breathing rapidly. Clearly the act of lifting the bag while wearing the bracers had taken a good bit out of her.

"It is, but denying those emotions just makes it easier for you to be tempted by them if there is ever a moment where your anger, or other emotions, overwhelm you." I countered slowly as her focus came back to me. "Remember that your emotions are a part of you. To deny them, to bury them, only makes you more vulnerable to losing control when the temptation to grow angry that much more dangerous. You run the risk of letting your emotions overwhelm you if you bury or deny them."

Personally, I felt that there was a way to balance the basic fact that we were emotional beings with the dangers inherent in letting our emotions mix with the Force. Yet, I was all but certain that such a way, such a path, would a million times more difficult – at least – to achieve for those like Serra and myself who were sensitive to the Force.

"The Code tells us to let go of our emotions," Serra responded quickly, almost reciting it instinctively, but I could sense the doubt in her. "But, I… I felt calmer, more in control the second time. More than I normally do when I meditate." She finished, her breathing becoming a little more controlled, though her shoulders were beginning to slump. "It, it was like feeling happy and… loved made me more… focused, I guess." She shrugged. "But that doesn't work with the Code."

I nodded. "Like I've said, the old wording of 'Emotion, yet Peace' works better. Though even that isn't perfect."

Serra tilted her head to one side and scrunched up her face. "What about the ancient founders? The Je'daii? Didn't they have a Code?"

"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no fear, there is power. I am the heart of the Force. I am the revealing fire of light. I am the mystery of darkness. In balance with chaos and harmony, Immortal in the Force." I repeated, silently thanking Eidetic Memory and I watched as Serra's mouth opened as I easily spoke the words.

"Y-you remembered that very quickly." She said as her eyes narrowed.

I shrugged. "Eh, I've been giving this," I waved at the bracers and the bag, "a lot of thought and so the Je'daii Code has been floating around my mind for a while. Though that code fits better with my thoughts, it still feels… lacking."

"In balance with chaos and harmony." Serra offered and I nodded.

"Yeah." I paused and scratched my chin. "I mean, it's better, but still… Emotions, be they positive or negative, have both good and bad effects on us. Or at least that's what I think, so denying them… weakens us. Makes us less… alive." I shrugged and sighed. "Sorry if I'm not making a lot of sense."

Internally I was a bit surer of what I wanted to say. However, if I didn't show any sign of uncertainly in my thoughts when I'd supposedly only been thinking about it for a few weeks, and when I myself wasn't entirely sure about where my thoughts were leading... Well, that would likely make her suspicious of my motives.

Serra would likely be the first Jedi who I'd try to coax to join me to taking a more open-minded approach to the Force and emotions. And unlike Fay and Dooku, who weren't exactly poster children for the High Council themselves, Serra was immersed in the orthodox Jedi approach, and thus would need to be drip-fed concepts that made her question everything she knew without destroying her beliefs.

"No, you are. I think." Serra blurted out as she took a small step towards me. "I mean, I get what you're trying to say. Um… You want me to try and use both my anger and happiness when I lift the bag, right?"

"Yeah, basically, that's what I want you to try now." I replied though I was hoping she'd also see the possible link from what I was teaching her now and what I was implying – that maybe, using our emotions to power our abilities made them stronger. Though that, and the warnings about enjoying our darker impulses too much, would now have to wait for another time.

"Okay." Serra turned and moved back towards the table, only to stop mid-step and turn back to face me. "Cam?"

"Hmm?"

She rubbed her upper arm and tried to look me in the eyes, but seemed to fail. "Iwanttodotheverd'gtoen."

"Wha?" I asked as my mind processed what she'd just blurted out. "Ah…"

"I want to do the verd'goten." She repeated, this time at a pace that was easier to understand, though I'd already worked it out in my head.

Internally, I was pleased with that, but outwardly I stayed calm. I didn't want her to link her decision to making me happy. That could lead to problems in future.

"Okay." I responded.

"I need to prove to myself that…" She rattled off before stopping mid-sentence and look me dead in the eye. "Wh-what?"

"I said okay." I responded as I smiled a little. "The choice has always been yours, and I said I'd support you no matter what you chose to do, or why."

She stood there for a moment, her mouth hanging open before she seemed to process what I'd said. "Okay. But, um, I want to do it when the session is over. I know you can't do yours yet, but I want to do mine as soon as I can. After… I think my Master will want me to return to the Temple and, while I want to go back, I want… No, I need to do this."

Her tone and posture became surer as she explained herself, and while she didn't explain why she needed to attempt a verd'goten – I had a few ideas, but that's all they were – I didn't care. I said the truth months ago when I said it was her choice. Now, was I happy she was going to do it? Yes. But in the end, the choice was always hers.

"Okay. We can talk with Bo and her father later." I offered as since the Duke was our host and sponsor at the Institute, he would likely be the one to organize a verd'goten for Serra. Though I would make sure to go with whomever went along to keep an eye on her. Even if I couldn't interfere, I wanted to be on hand in case anything happened, and to provide moral support. "For now, back to the bag."

Serra rolled her eyes as she turned. "Yes, Master." She muttered and I could sense her amusement through the Force, and she reached out for the bag once more. Though this time minus the blindfold.

"Now this time, instead of letting any good or bad feelings and emotions grow within you, I want you to call on both. Don't let either side overwhelm you though. Try to find a point where they are… comfortable. In balance. That point where happiness and sadness, love and hate, rage and serenity are… balanced." I offered.

It was unlikely that she'd be able to find such a point today, or any time soon as she was still young. However, if she could learn the lesson about control and acceptance of emotions, I felt she'd be a more well-rounded person when older. And it would likely help her with the chaos and carnage to come.

She gave the faintest of nods and I took a step back. There was little more I could offer as even words would be a distraction. So I moved to the wall and quietly watched as she took her first attempt at a new approach to using the Force and her emotions.

……



……

I stood at the edge of the room and watched as Serra guided her main lightsaber up to easily block the incoming strike from her opponent, Empatojayos Brand. While she was able to block Brand's strike, the strength he put behind it knocked her blade back and forced her to slide a foot back to shift her body weight and avoid Brand's follow-through.

Brand tried to use that slight opening to drive an elbow into Serra's face, but she was ready for that and leaned back and clipped the elbow with her off-hand shoto-saber. That was her first hit, making the score two-to-one, and I smiled at the fact Serra was adapting what I'd taught her into her style.

"Comfortable with Makashi, Padawan Serra has become. This is your handiwork, I understand."

I shifted my focus to see Brand's Jedi Master, Yaddle, from the corner of my eye. She was sitting on a table next to me, and while her focus was on the spar as well, I sensed that she was more interested in speaking to me.

"With Master Dooku's permission, I have been helping Serra with the basics of the form." I replied calmly as Serra leapt backwards to avoid an aggressive slash from Brand. "Mainly as I feel it has elements that work well with Jar'Kai and her build." Brand followed up his slash with a step forward and a straight kick that just clipped Serra's arm, making the score three-to-one in his favour.

Brand was using his height, weight and greater training with a lightsaber to his advantage, though from my observations I felt he lacked any real-world experience. His movements were too clinical. While Serra was doing well against the much older – nineteen in both age and level – Padawan, and while I was less than impressed by his overly aggressive manner, it was clear that he would win the spar. The question was just when. I hoped that Serra could drag the spar out for ten minutes – they'd been at it for about four – and get three of four strikes against him.

From observing those four minutes, it appeared that Brand preferred to use Djem So mixed with some Shii-Cho, but he was spending little time blocking or parrying Serra's strikes, being almost dismissive of them, and was focusing on powering through her defences. As he proved again by smashing aside one of Serra's blades as it blocked, though again Serra was able to move just enough to avoid the follow-through.

As this happened, my hand slid down to brush against the hilt of my lightsaber. While I hadn't exactly been lost without having the blade at my side the last few months, it was nice to have it back. It felt as if a piece of me – one I hadn't realised was missing – was back where it belonged. I was thankful that Master Yaddle had brought both mine and Serra's main blade with her when she came to visit/check-up on us.

"Still, credit you are due. Interest in teaching others, an uncommon thing among Padawans." Yaddle continued and I turned my head as I noticed that she was no longer watching the spar but was instead focusing on me. "Where we are standing, also uncommon for Jedi."

I smirked at her subtle comment on the fact that Serra and I had chosen to come to Mandalore for training.

When Yaddle and Brand had arrived yesterday, during the mid-session break, it had been a surprise. Serra was disappointed that her Master hadn't come, though Yaddle explained why that was. This week lined up with the Initiate Trials, and as Battlemaster of the Order Master Drallig was required to oversee the events that would be taking place.

Later, once Yaddle had been greeted by Duke Adonai and we were able to find some time alone, Yaddle had explained exactly why she was here instead.

It seemed that even across thousands of lightyears, Drallig was able to sense Serra's fear and anger when she'd been attacked, and then when they'd spoken the next day, he had gone to speak with the High Council about this and ask permission to leave to check on her. Yaddle had explained that the High Council had denied this request – due to the upcoming Initiate Trails – but Master Sifo-Dyas had suggested that with Fay and Dooku both not being present at the Temple, another Jedi Master of the Order could be sent to check up on me and Serra.

While Yaddle hadn't explained further how she had been chosen, I suspected that she had been the being chosen as while she held some familiarity with me because of Master Fay, she was not known to be active friends with Fay, unlike Sifo-Dyas and Dooku. I was glad though that neither Windu nor any of his cadre had come as they would likely have demanded that we leave the planet and return to the Order.

After going over why she had been chosen to come here, we had gotten to the incident that Drallig had sensed and what had happened since. That conversation had been… all kinds of fun.

The initial conversation regarding that attack on me and the assault against Serra had been tiring. While Serra had been scared and nervous to talk about what had almost happened to her, I had spent the time trying to keep my growing anger under control. A downside of Eidetic Memory was that I remembered everything about the incident in full detail with all the attached emotions from it. I had avoided using Player's Mind during that time as a form of training as I needed to relearn how to control my emotions, which was especially hard to do in a growing body.

Yaddle, who had made sure her Padawan was not present for any of our talks, had listened patiently to both our stories. When we finished going over that evening, she offered Serra her sympathies for what had happened and didn't begrudge either of us reacting as we had. Though she did suggest I find a less violent method for releasing my negative emotions.

When we then moved on to the trial by combat, things became a lot more uncomfortable.

Initially, Yaddle had expressed her disappointment that our attackers had maintained their innocence and that the only way to determine the guilt or innocence of all involved was a trial by combat. She had stated that she understood that this was an option available to the local planetary government, however, she was disappointed that we had to resort to agreeing to solve this issue.

Serra had protested very emotionally that those boys had denied over and over assaulting her – she even brought up that by the time an Instructor had arrived, her top had been ripped by Morn – and that it was the only way we could make them admit their guilt. I had then offered the simple fact that it was our word against theirs, so there was little a court of law could have done to prove they intended to assault Serra.

Yaddle had reluctantly conceded that point, however, her ire was soon directed at me. It turned out that Duke Adonai had provided a recording for Yaddle to review and the revered Jedi Master was concerned about my behaviour and comments during the ijaat'akaanir.

Thankfully, I had expected to have to defend my actions – verbal and physical – to my masters and the Jedi High Council so I was ready to explain my behaviour.

After engaging Player's Mind to lock down my emotions, I had explained that I knew any trial by combat was going to be difficult and that the quicker and more efficiently I took out our opponents the greater our chance of success would be. I then explained that I had not said that I would enjoy the fight because it was true – a half-truth as I did still enjoy the fear I saw in their eyes after my opening barrage – but to unnerve our opponents and draw their attention to me. It was, I told her truthfully, an integral part of the fight, and a legitimate – if un-Jedi-like – strategy of psychological warfare. Since I was the best hand-to-hand fighter, I explained to Yaddle that I had planned with Bo and Serra to draw off their better fighters while the two girls worked together to deal with the rest. I offered the Jedi Master a wry smile as I stated that I didn't expect it to work so well.

Serra had backed me up on the plan and stated that Bo had been clear in that the only way we stood a chance was if we improved the odds quickly. She had also stated that any punishment that Yaddle – or the High Council – wished to give to me she would also take as well. This was because, to her, the only reason I'd been forced to be so violent – her word – was because of her.

I'd moved to counter Serra's comment there, but Yaddle had cut me off and silenced me by raising her hand. Yaddle had stopped the talk there so she could meditate on what we'd said and suggested that we do the same.

We returned to the topic this morning, where Yaddle had stated that, while she did not agree with us accepting a trial by combat – she refused to use the Mando'a word for it – she understood that she was not here, nor were any of our masters to offer advice and support.

She had made clear to me that, while she didn't approve, in a pure combat situation my actions and behaviour were understandable and that our plan for the trial was, barely, acceptable. However, she had also made clear that she was disappointed that we felt the only recourse to handling the situation was violence, and that she would be reporting this to our masters and the Council of First Knowledge.

I had been relieved when she'd said that Council and not the High Council would receive her report, though that relief quickly disappeared as she gave me a small smile and said that she expected that a few of her fellow High Council members would wish to speak with her about my actions. She had chuckled once as she said that I was invoking more debate in the council than the rest of the Order combined.

I wasn't exactly surprised by that as my opinions on the High Council were clouded by what I'd seen of them in the movies and The Clone Wars. Throw in that their reactions to me since I'd been here – and the need to seemingly find fault in every situation I found myself in – combined with my masters' own issues with the Council and the fact many in the Order felt I was the ''Chosen One'', and it was hardly a shock to discover I was a common topic of discussions.

I almost felt sorry for them with what I knew I needed to do to prepare for the wars to come. Almost.

With that said, Yaddle considered the matter handled, save for anything our masters wished to say or do once we were reunited with them.

At that point, I had asked about my masters and she had explained that, from what she knew, Master Fay was reconnecting with a few old friends from the Order who, like her, did not return to Coruscant regularly. Dooku, from what Sifo-Dyas had told Yaddle, was attempting to find clues to a pirate organization in the Mid and Inner Rim.

Yaddle had then stated that, with the permission of Duke Adonai and the local government, she and her Padawan would be staying on-planet until it was time for me and Serra to return to the Institute, and that she had convinced the Duke to allow us both to keep our lightsabers for the rest of the session.

"As I have already explained, and I'm sure Master Fay would also have told you, I had a standing invite to visit and train here from members of two powerful clans." I said neutrally. "My masters and I simply felt that it was better to accept that invite now rather than delay it any longer so as not to anger said clans."

"Yet inform anyone of where you were heading, you felt there was no reason to do." Yaddle replied as we turned our attention back to the spar. "Concerned many are, that this world and sector was your destination."

I chuckled as Serra leaned under Brand's powerful slash and clipped his knee with her blade. "Because of which world it is? Or that my ancestor is linked with them?"

"Both. Ancient history, Revan may be. But his fall to the Dark Side, nor link to the past of the sector, many cannot ignore."

"Tell me, Master Yaddle," I questioned with a knowing look. "Are they simply concerned about any perceived lingering attachment to Revan I have which might have drove me to visit Mandalore? Or do they in fact fear that I will follow my great-grandfather down the path to the Dark Side by allowing myself to be immersed in Mandalorian culture, or indeed dealing with the Mandalorians at all?"

"Think us wrong to have these concerns, do you?"

"I think it's possible that the Council is forgetting some important pieces of history, Master." I informed her with a wry smile. "Revan did not fall to the Dark Side on Malachor V. It is true that he led a campaign against the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, and learned the hard way that war sometimes requires brutal and often immoral acts."

"Oh, he did flirt with the Dark Side for most of the War, but from what I've learnt, he never surrendered to it. It wasn't until he and Malak traced the chain of command for the Mandalorians back and stumbled upon Emperor Vitiate that Revan truly fell."

During his time as a Dark Lord, he honestly had very little to do with the Mandalorians. It was only after his memory was wiped and he began the road to redemption that he started to rekindle his Mandalorian connections through Canderous Ordo, which laid the groundwork for the lasting respect and honour that his name continues to carry here; much to my annoyance at times." I added as I finished explaining what I knew of Revan, and what Yaddle and the Jedi should also know if they studied the archives carefully.

"True though that may be, the High Council, and others, continue to be wary of you. Your actions and accomplishments since arriving have done little to dissuade them from that." Yaddle responded. Though the words were reproachful, I sensed a flicker of amusement from her as well.

"As I've said to others before, Master Yaddle, I cannot control what others think or say about me. All I can control are my actions and learn to accept the consequences of whatever those actions bring."

"Hmm. For one so young, wise words those are. Both your masters, I sense in them." She paused for a moment. "Convincing Master Dooku, much effort I suspect it took to make this visit. His history to these people, well known among the older members of the Order."

I mimicked zipping my lips, which drew a chuckle from the aged Jedi.

"Yes, a wise choice, your decision is. Still, on this world, you and Padawan Keto are now training. Respect, you greatly, she does. Fond of you, she is becoming. That same fondness, yet another source of concern for many. Yet, young she is, in time she will move past it."

I resisted the urge to groan at someone else bringing this up. "As I have told many others, nothing is going on. We're just friends. And we've spoken to each other about our… closeness, and how inappropriate it is. We know our boundaries."

"Yet between you two, a bond I can sense. Capable of more than just feelings, I suspect it is."

"The incident sparked Serra's ability to speak with me via the Force." I replied, seeing little point in hiding the shift in our bond from Yaddle. This would be mentioned in her report, so it was better to admit to and defend it rather than try and deny it and create more problems because of the bond. Plus, I sensed she was being honest in not seeing it as a major issue currently. Hopefully that, and her friendship with Fay would help dissuade her from making a big deal out of it in her report.

"It was a good thing she did, as otherwise, I would not have been able to speak with her in the days after." I added as further proof that the bond was beneficial and helpful instead of being a problem for other members of the Order to concern themselves about.

"Indeed. Bonds between Jedi, common they are. Yet uncommon they are. Doubly so, when between two so young and with such potential. Yet no warning I sense, from the Force itself. However mindful you both must be, or the risks such bonds can carry. Mixed and clouded your emotions can become without proper control. Training, both of you shall need in understanding and achieving that control."

"I believe both of us have had a taste of the challenges such a close connection can cause while our emotions are still developing. We would be grateful for your help, Master." I said with an inclination of my head. While it could sound like I was just saying that to reassure her, I honestly felt she could help. Fay trusted her, which was a positive in my mind, and she seemed more open to the problems in the galaxy than many other members of the High Council.

"Hah!" Anything else that might be said was cut off by Brand calling out. My focus returned to the spar to see Brand standing over Serra, his blade close enough to Serra's neck that I suspected she could feel the heat from it as it bathed her face in the blue light.

[How many?] I asked Serra mentally.

[Four.] She replied with a blast of frustration. [I almost had him, but he's just too strong.]

[Well he is bigger, older and has more experience. Getting to four strikes was really good.] I send back as Brand stepped back and all but sneered at her.

"I expected better from the Padawan of Master Drallig." Serra's anger flashed for an instant through the bond before she brought it back under control.

[Good girl. Don't let him get to you. With time and practice, you'll have him eating those words and the mat.]

Serra seemed to take my words to heart and as she depowered her twin blades, I sensed her hope that what I'd said would come to pass.

"Perhaps the Padawan of Master Dooku would be more of a challenge…" Brand suggested as he stalked towards me. As he puffed out his chest, I was barely able to choke back a chuckle at his basic attempt at intimidation.

While he was taller and broader than me – not a surprise as he was seven years older – his tactic to intimidate me into accepting his challenge was childish and lacking. Honestly, I didn't think he was…

Quest Alert!
Pride before the Fall [ɸ]
Empatojayos Brand has challenged you to a duel. Teach him the folly of this action.
Rating: C
Objectives:
:-: Win the duel
:-: [?]
Rewards:
:-: 900XP
A small increase in Reputation with Serra Keto
A small increase in Reputation with Yaddle
Failure:
:-: -300XP
A decrease in Reputation with Serra Keto and Yaddle
Brand will boast about this until you can defeat him in a future spar.
Accept?
Yes/No
Well, that changed things.

Honestly, I was going to just ignore him for now then duel him later for the Training Superiority quest, but since the Interface had generated an instant challenge quest, what the hell.

"While I doubt that you'll be much of a challenge, why not," I replied dismissively as I took a step forward and to the side. "I can spare a few minutes." I added as I passed.

I caught Serra's eyes as she stood in the middle of the makeshift ring and smiled. [He needs someone to pop his head before it gets too big for the room.]

She snorted and lifted one hand to her mouth before she stepped away. [Well, if that isn't the Sith calling the Terentatek rabid.]

That drew a chuckle from me as I turned to face Brand. He had turned, though his brow was wrinkled, and his eyes had narrowed as they darted from Serra to me. Even if he couldn't tell what we'd said, he clearly suspected that he'd been the butt of a joke.

"So you're the one who's been playing at being a Makashi instructor?" Brand questioned. "I can see why Keto was no challenge if children are learning from children. I know you're supposed to be some kind of reanimated fossil, but really, Makashi is outdated to the point of being laughably obsolete."

I ignored his feeble attempts at goading, and raised my blade in the first half of the Makashi salute. Brand, however, continued to speak.

"Of course, perhaps I shouldn't have gone as hard as I did. I hear that you two are still recovering from some injuries you got from the locals. What I wouldn't have given to seen you two humbled by a bunch of non Force-sensitives-"

I quirked an eyebrow and blinked. Brand stopped talking very abruptly. I tilted my head slightly as I considered him now. I could see him tense up and suspected his eyes had darted downward, but he didn't speak. That my lightsaber was resting so close to his neck and chin that I swore I smelt the hairs on his adolescent beard singeing likely factored largely into that decision. Serra told me after the duel ended that it looked like a clear, yet unintentional mirror image of the conclusion of her duel with Brand. The main difference was that the source of the blade was not in front of him, but rather behind him.

He raised his head fractionally, likely in at least a partial effort to put some more microns between his neck and my blade and I could tell that he was now looking towards Serra and Yaddle. Serra stared back at him, her blue eyes cold and hard, and her jaw lightly clenched. Yaddle, meanwhile, was looking towards the both of us with a small, concerned frown on her face.

"Padawan Brand," I said from behind him, activating Player's Mind to temporarily dull my emotions and hopefully give my voice the dead, emotionless tone that was still a challenge for my pubescent vocal chords. As I did so, I saw Yaddle shift her attention fully to me and felt her concern grow slightly. "I would advise you to keep your thoughts and attention on the fight, and to not get cocky." I was proud that I'd managed to speak with a flat monotone, save for the inflection I purposefully added to the final three words.

Ok, maybe I was being a bit theatrical, but then again, that was the entire point here.

"Padawan Shan." Yaddle called, the barest hint of a warning in her tone.

"Oh, my apologies, Master." I said pleasantly as I instantly deactivated both Player's Mind and my lightsaber and Force teleported back to my side of the ring, adopting a cheerful mien. "I forgot this spar is blades only, my mistake."

I turned again to face Brand, watching as he fought to keep his reactions in check. I felt a burst of satisfaction as a hand rose partially, more than likely bound for his neck, only to stop as it passed his stomach, and his eyes were still dilated in fear.

Good. I'd made my point, and hopefully focused his attention on me and away from Serra for the time being. The last thing she needed was somebody attempting to weaponize her trauma.

"Well come on," I began as I reignited my lightsaber, and completed the Makashi salute. "I said I had a few minutes to spare, not an hour while your brain tries to process what just happened."

Brand's eyes narrowed further at the direct insult and he stalked towards me. I smirked at his reaction as it was exactly what I'd hoped for. Far too many Jedi were unable to handle insults and comments designed to rattle them, and after several years with Dooku I now tended to use Dun Möch just before duels and spars as a way to hopefully unbalance my opponent. While it didn't always work – and I never bothered even attempting it with Dooku – I felt it was useful practice for when I had to fight for real.

Brand's lightsaber ignited and he lifted it high over his head and angled towards his back as he approached which made my smirk grow. That was a standard attack stance for Djem So, and one Dooku had taught me how to counter not long after becoming his Padawan.

As Brand brought his blade crashing down in a textbook falling avalanche, I simply slid one foot back and struck my free hand against his forearm. That shifted his momentum away from me and with an almost lazy riposte, I clipped my lightsaber against his upper arm. Instead of taking advantage of his exposed side – this was a basic spar and I wanted to take him down with words as well as strikes – I slid backwards.

As I moved back and let my lightsaber hang lazily at my side, and he righted himself, I tutted. "Really? Attacking without acknowledging? How rude." His nostrils flared and I sent him the Makashi salute once more. "I expected better from a Padawan of a High Council member."

Even as he snarled and began to charge at me, I caught sight of Yaddle shaking her head even as she smiled.

I dodged a two-handed slash by simply shifting my feet and then clipped his shin as his momentum took him passed me. Though to help him on his way, I gave him a small heel-kick to the back of one of his legs.

As I turned, and he stumbled away from I chuckled. "That's three-zero I believe?" I stated.

With a loud growl, he turned and charged at me again. I sighed at his behaviour.

If he wanted this over quickly who was I to deny him?


……


A/N: I skipped the Yaddle talk because writing a whole scene in her unique style of speech was not something I felt comfortable doing.

As before, you can find me on the server for this story in particular, and Star Wars in general: discord . gg/UM89QfyQk3
[FYI, I have created polls there to determine Cam's next Perk and Player Power, so if you want to vote and are on Discord, pop on in]
Or in the Omniverse: discord . gg /wd3tUYWVCd
Regardless of if you join one, both or neither...
May the Force be with you. Always.


 
Last edited:
Teh Adiik At Mando’ade 7
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.

A/N:
So, this is chapter 40 on my 40th birthday. [insert SW meme :p ]
Also, there's another fight in this, but nothing on the level of brutality of the Trial by Combat.
Though the person in the POV likes to curse mentally.


Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo


Mandalorian Words: (Lots of curses!)
Adiik – Child
Akaan'lor – Fighting Champion
Al'verde – Commander
Beskad – sword (usually a saber) made of beskar
Beskar – Mandalorian Iron
Dala/Dalae – Pussy/Pussies
Dar'manda – A state of not being Mandalorian, one who has lost his heritage, and so his identity and his soul. Regarded with absolute dread by most traditionally minded Mando'ade.
Diryc – Lower (class)
Di'kutla – Useless/Stupid/Worthless
Di'kut/Di'kute – Idiot/Idiots
Dral'Han – The Mandalorian Excision
Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la – Nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be
Haran – Hell
Hut'uune – Cowards (one of the worst possible insults for a real Mandalorian)
Ijaat'akaanir – Honour-duel
Ja'hailire – Observers/Witnesses
Jetii – Jedi
kar'ta gotal'ur be beskar – Hearts forged of Mandalorian Iron
Laamyc – Upper (class)
Mando'ade – Child/ren of Mandalore (a Mandalorian)
Naast be Me'suum – Destroyer of Worlds (aka Revan)
Osik – Shit
Osi'kyr – Oh Shit!
Osi'yame – Useless, despicable people
Shab – Fuck
Shabuir/ Shabuire – Motherfucker/s
sheb'urcyin – Arse-kisser
shebs'palon – Arsehole
Skanahe – Very hated person/Motherfucker (again)
Te Ani'la Mand'alor – Mandalore the Ultimate
Traatik'lore – Team Champions
Verd'goten – The traditional rite of passage in Mandalorian culture



As I sat in the stands and watched six trainees spar against each other in pairs within the three sparring circles that covered the arena's floor, I was barely able to suppress a sigh of annoyance at them getting to fight while I was stuck up here in the stands.

It had been a month since we'd returned to the Institute, and in that time, none of the other trainees had been willing to challenge me to a ranked match, besides Bo and Thun-Dur. While I could understand why that was, the fact that my matches were practically reduced to merely training spars with my team cut my sparring time down to barely a third of what it was before. Plus, the fact that they were basically using me to improve themselves, meant that my role had become that of a tutor to them. This meant that my opportunities to attempt new ideas, or simply blow off steam were close to non-existent, and that was seriously starting to irritate me.

Now, I was able to use my newfound time as an observer in the stands to read up on various topics – mainly things linked to my training quests – but that was a pale substitute for being able to actually do what I was meant to be doing during these evening sessions and fight.

"This is getting annoying," I said, finally giving words to my thoughts.

"Cam, you destroyed six members of Laamyc in the ijaat'akaanir." Andeeld replied. "Everyone knows you're too good for any of us to take down."

"Aye, most of us are just using our sparring matches with you to improve, or to train for the Akaan'lor tournament like Bo and Thun." added Raun and I could sense his amusement at that.

"Haran, I've even heard they've cut the odds on you to fourth favourite to win the whole thing," Huzu offered with a chuckle.

I turned to face her and noticed the others in my team, even Serra, nodding along. "They let trainees bet on the outcomes?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, it's all under the table, so to speak, but the Instructors don't crack down on it," Mirali answered with a shrug. "I guess they get a cut from the bets or something."

"Isn't that illegal?" Serra asked, a small frown appearing on her face while I wondered if I could drop a few hundred credits on myself to win. The way I saw it, there was nothing wrong with getting paid to do something I already planned to do. I also considered wagering on a few other things as well, like our team doing well in the Traatik'lore. Oh, I didn't think we'd win it. We were outclassed by a few older teams in Diryc, never mind those in Laamyc, but I could see us doing fairly well.

"Technically yes, but no one minds. Kriff, I've got a hundred on Cam to win it." Andeeld responded before smirking. "The odds were too good to pass up."

I noticed that apart from Serra, the rest of my team was nodding along, and I shook my head and chuckled. It seemed the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. In my old life, my unit had placed bets on any off-mission activity when we could do so.

The bets were never big, but they helped keep things amusing when we were off-mission and build, rather conversely, both intra-squad comradery and competitiveness.

"What are my odds?" If they were decent, I'd get one of my team to place the bet for me as I doubted the Instructors wanted trainees betting directly on themselves. Too many problems could arise from that.

Now, while I didn't really need the money – I had a little over forty-five million credits from the sales of the first two Lord of the Rings books – it wouldn't hurt to show I trusted in myself to my team and others. And it might even help them be more willing to trust me to lead them in real combat in the future if I showed the same faith that I had in backing myself here to support them in battle.

"Currently five-to-one," Andeeld responded quickly. "Before the trial, you were just over fifty-to-one to win it. Wish I'd placed some credits on that, or back when the books opened, and you were over a hundred-to-one." He finished with a half-hearted sigh.

A few others nodded in agreement, but I caught the smirk that appeared for but a moment on Huzu's face and wondered if she had placed a bet on me back then. What had I done to make her willing to back me at those early odds?

I turned my attention back to the ongoing spars as I heard Wrajud call out the winner in one of them. Neither of the two who had been fighting were near the ranked slots for the Akaan'lor tournament, though the winner, a girl with dirty blonde hair, was a member of Green-Four, the highest-ranked team in those ranking. She was a decent all-round trainee, but nothing special and the ranking of her team was heavily due to their leader, Balei Saryus.

I turned back around as Serra's datapad buzzed, indicating she was in the next spar. Judging by the way she tensed at the buzzer, it appeared this was a case of her being challenged. While that seemed to surprise her, it didn't for me as she was now ranked eighteenth, and just outside the spots that would qualify for the Akaan'lor tournament. This jump in her ranking – she'd been in the high thirties before the break – was the result of her continued training, now boosted by weekly sessions with Rook Kast – who'd kept her promise to help Serra improve – and, I suspected, Serra pushing past the bracers just enough to give her at least some access to the Force.

Honestly, I was surprised that Kast had been genuine about sparring with Serra in our free time, but those weekly sessions had clearly been helpful. While Bo was a good fighter, she didn't push Serra too hard. Rook did, and Serra seemed to be responding well to the more difficult challenge.

She stood, and before heading off, unclipped her lightsaber – well, one of them as Commandant Kraviss wasn't keen on her carrying both her blades around – and passed it to me.

"Good luck," I offered to her as I took the weapon. She smiled at my words, and those of the rest of our team, before quickly heading down the stairs to the arena floor.

"I thought Jedi didn't believe in luck?" Bhae asked.

I shrugged. "Not really. But saying 'may the Force be with you' every single time gets… boring as shab."

That drew chuckles from the rest of the team, and as I waited for Serra to reach the arena floor, I clipped her saber next to mine, letting my fingers trace the familiar ridges of my blade's hilt.

Unlike most Jedi, mine was entirely black around the grip and contoured for my fingers. While I'd had to remap those contours on my last visit to the Temple, and would have again as I grew, I felt that having it shaped for my hand helped me hold it. Plus, it reminded me of a knife I'd had in my former life.

Even if I didn't need it at the Institute, nor had any time to practice with it, it was still nice to have it back where it belonged. I had thanked both Master Yaddle and Duke Adonai several times for bringing it to Mandalore and allowing me to keep it respectfully.

Yaddle and her Padawan had stayed for the entire two-week break, and while I had enjoyed having someone to spar with that was beyond my level and fought differently from Dooku – not that I was complaining about being taught by the man, mind you – I was glad they were no longer here.

Yaddle, while being far more open and accepting about how and why I was here, and everything that entailed, was not someone I trusted. Nor, based on Observe, did she trust me. I'd risked using it just as she was leaving to get an idea of where I stood with her and get an idea where I stood relative to her in levels at least.

The diminutive Jedi Master was level 41 – which was a few below Palpatine's showing just how powerful the Sith currently was and would be in future – and while she liked me, she was concerned about leaving me on Mandalore. Still, according to Observe, she trusted Master Fay to know what she was doing which meant she placed great faith in her friendship with my elder master.

Brand being gone was also a good thing, though for other reasons entirely. After I had beaten – read utterly trounced – him in the challenge spar, the man had spent the rest of his time talking down about everyone he could. Though only when out of earshot of Master Yaddle. I'd mentioned those comments to Yaddle, and she'd promised to speak with Brand, but it didn't seem to temper his behaviour.

I'd had to hold back Bo several times from attacking the man – no boy, because while he legally an adult he was clearly not mature enough to be treated as one – when he'd made comments regarding the Dral'Han and how perhaps the Jedi hadn't been through enough in showing the Mandalorians their place in the galaxy.

Though I had helped temper Bo's anger by trouncing my fellow Padawan a few more times in spars before Serra had managed to defeat Brand the day before he and Master Yaddle left.

Then, about a week later, Master Drallig had arrived on-planet and Serra had spent her thirteenth birthday with him. Something I hadn't been aware of was that the Jedi - much like Mandalorians - placed importance on a child's thirteenth birthday and a Jedi normally gave their Padawan a gift. Drallig had given Serra a new phrik casing for her lightsaber hilt. Ironically, the phrik had come from the mines on Lokella. When I found out, I grinned and said that the next time she wants anything from there, I could possibly get her a discount. Her returning smile was half-hearted at best, and it took me a few days to find out why.

I had discovered shortly after Drallig's departure that he had argued for her to leave the Institute and return to the Temple on Coruscant. Apparently, he had grown concerned about where she was training, and what had happened to her, and wished to bring her back to the safety of the Temple. While he had relented, the fact he had wanted her to leave had angered Serra for a short while. Though not enough for her to reject his gift as she'd asked for my help with fitting the casing to her main hilt.

Since then, things had been as quiet as could be hoped at the Institute. I brought myself back to the present as Serra stepped into the ring for her spar, I took note of the boy challenging her. He was from Brown-One and, while a decent fighter, wasn't someone Serra should have problems handling. Still, I leaned forward and aimed my datapad at the ring.

Rook Kast had asked me to record each of Serra's spars – the older girl couldn't do it herself as Laamyc did the team events while Diryc did sparring, and vice versa – so she could review them and fix my friend's mistakes.

I watched the fights for much the same reason, though as the buzzer sounded to start Serra's spar, I wondered if that was all I was going to get to do until the end of the session.

……



……
Pre Vizsla POV
…...

There were days when Pre hated having to pretend to be an ally of the New Mandalorians.

If he wasn't masquerading as the loyal lapdog of Adonai Kryze, he was forced to attend meetings as the mayor of Sundari and deal with osi'yame ''New Mandalorian'' officials. Then there were the various seminars that he had to organize or attend – sometimes both – about how to run the sector more effectively or convince other Mandalorians of the benefits of denying their culture and adopting the way of those Republic-controlled di'kute.

Every such day was a lesson in anger management, one he hated with a fiery passion. He had to keep calm and resist the urge to draw his hidden blaster and remove the stains to his people that those skanahe represented.

But he couldn't. He had to stick to the grand plan he'd designed to help him restore, rebuild and reunify Death Watch in preparation for the moment when they'd return – with him in his rightful place as Mand'alor – and restore the planet and sector to their true place in the galaxy.

Four years ago, with the death of his older brother Tor – whom he had named his son after – Pre has taken leadership of Clan Vizsla and set in motion his plan to restore the Clan and Death Watch to their rightful place. Though first he'd had to locate the symbol of leadership for both his clan and Death Watch, the Darksaber.

It had taken him nearly two years of tracking leads, hunting down, and interrogating the few survivors of the attack that had claimed his brother's life, and ensuring the right people looked the right way for him to locate the shabuir who had taken the Dark Saber.

That man – whose name Pre had forgotten as he was less than a footnote in the history Pre was writing – had been under the delusion that he, not Pre, could rebuild and assume leadership of Death Watch. After defeating that man in single combat, Pre had reclaimed his family's ancestral blade and then shown the man the folly of their misconception. Mainly by driving the Darksaber into the man's gut and leaving him to freeze to death on the icy moon where they had fought.

After returning to Mandalore, Pre had discovered that with the death of his wife and youngest child, Adonai Kryze had chosen to ally with the dar'manda. While Pre did not, and would never, agree with that decision, he saw an opportunity to use the Duke's weakness to his advantage.

Pre knew that with the death of his elder brother, Death Watch was splintered and would need time to rebuild. Thus, he made himself a valuable ally to the Duke and gained a position of power within the current administration of the sector. That gave him a way to both bide his time while he regained control of the splintered factions that remained of Death Watch and weaken the Republic lapdogs so that, when the time came, he could move against them and take his rightful place as Mand'alor. Though, spending every day around those false-Mandalorians and the weak-willed Duke was a constant test in patience and control.

Thankfully, there were those rare days that made the constant trying nature of his cover worthwhile, and like today, many of those days were linked to the Institute for Combat Training and Protectorate Selection, though why those shabuire in Sundari just had to give such a ''Republic-sounding'' name was yet another – admittedly minor – gripe that Pre had with the capital.

The day his son had claimed his right as Akaan'lor was one of the proudest in Pre's life, though coming here twice-yearly was almost always a good day out. Plus, due to the reports sent to him by clan chief Wrajud in his role as chief Instructor that highlighted potential recruits for Death Watch, the place was a fertile recruiting ground.

Today, he hoped to see one such possible recruit, his nephew Gar Saxon, prove his worth. And even better, he would have the chance to prove himself against a Jetii. Though the challenger was young, Pre consoled himself that this wasn't just any Padawan, but a confirmed – by the Order at least, not by anyone else as far as he knew – descendent of the Naast be Me'suum.

While Pre's opinion on the current Jedi establishment was even lower than that of the Republic – the Order were nothing more than dogs for a corrupt and broken Republic that pointed the Jedi at problems it couldn't fix or drown in red-tape – the ancient members of the order during its prime were worthy of respect. Names such as Ulic Qel-Droma and Revan held meaning in Mando'ade society for not just facing but defeating the Mand'alor of their day.

Revan had broken the Mandalorians millennia before, even earning the right to claim the title of Mand'alor for himself when he defeated Te Ani'la Mand'alor. Revan had not taken the title, which was both a good and bad thing in Pre's mind. He had, however, turned on the very senate and Jedi Order than had tried to deny him the glory of facing Mandalorians on the field of battle. Though Pre's only regret was that Revan, like many of the so-called fallen or dark Jedi over the millennia, had failed to bring down the Republic.

While Pre was repulsed to see a Jetii, and an adiik no-less, be allowed to learn the ways of the Mando'ade, the child had earned at least a measure of Pre's respect.

Instead of turning tail and running when his fellow Jetii was attacked – as Pre had expected to happen upon his learning about the incident – the boy had chosen an ijaat'akaanir to settle the matter. That alone was the act of a warrior, one that, in another time and place, Pre would've tried to recruit for Death Watch. Yet the boy had not just chosen ijaat'akaanir, but he had won it, and had done so ruthlessly. Pre could not help but respect the boy for how well he fought, even if he suspected the adiik had found a way to counter the bracers that nullified the unusual abilities of a Jedi. Though the less said about those disgraces to the Mando'ade the better. Their actions in attacking an adiik like hut'uune shamed their clans and people.

That ijaat'akaanir was why Pre suspected that Gar had asked that this final duel to determine the Akaan'lor was being fought under full – for the Institute – combat rules. While Pre felt that Gar could take down the Jetii in close-quarters-combat – even with the Jetii likely having found a way to overcome the bracers – Pre saw no problem with Gar offering the Jetii the honour of a true fight between warriors. Though he wished the fight could be to the death instead of the mandated rules of fighting until one trainee submitted or was rendered unconscious.

Something in his gut told Pre that this Jetii, Cameron Shan, was a threat to him, and all that he was building. Haran, the boy was even a threat to his family unity as Nia had turned from Death Watch and Naz was speaking out against the group.

Shan had managed to turn the head of his daughter, getting her to openly question why certain actions taken by the Death Watch – and Mandalorians of old – were worthy of honour. Now, while Naz was young and at that age where young warriors began to question everything, it was a concern to have her use the Jetii as a source of why her opinions were what they were.

Still, even if the boy was shifting Naz's head away from the correct path, it would be something Pre could easily correct once Shan and his female companion were gone. He would not allow anyone, not even his daughter, to derail his plans to secure his place as leader of Death Watch; and then Mandalore itself.

Naz would marry Kote Wrajud – Instructor Wrajud's eldest son – to both reward Krarthog for his loyalty and secure the factories and resources controlled by clan Wrajud for Death Watch. Though, while Pre was set on this path for his daughter, he hoped that Naz would begin to show interest in the Wrajud heir. The fact that she'd broken the older boy's nose for being forceful with her was – beyond being something he was proud of as a father – a concern that the union between the two would not be harmonious.

Of greater concern though, but still centred around the one many trainees referred to as the ''Revan'ade'', was that Pre had caught Naz pushing those same concerns about Death Watch that she'd voiced to him, to her brother – and Pre's son – Tor. And that was a major problem.

Pre barely managed to keep the sneer from his face as he thought about the nickname the Jedi had. Even if it was earned, it invoked memories in the trainees – especially his daughter and Bo-Katan, who Krarthog felt was another possible recruit for Death Watch – of a time before his clan had risen to prominence. Back when they'd been nothing but a fledging cadet clan of Clan Vizla.

"Father," he turned at the sound of his son's voice and drew himself out of his thoughts, "are you well?"

"Yes, Tor. I was just going over a report in my head." Pre replied with a smile before waving his hand in dismissal. "But that is unimportant. What is happening today is. Are you looking forward to this?" He asked, taking the time to enjoy seeing his son in full armour.

The armour was the standard worn by any modern Mandalorian, though his son had chosen to decorate certain part of the armour in shades of blue or green showing what he felt were the most important factors to him. Pre smiled sadly as he took in the red edging of the pauldrons, vambraces and greave that were there to honour the boy's mother, and Pre's wife Jyso, who had died nearly a decade ago in a battle against Jaster Mereel's True Mandalorians.

The only downside of the armour was that it was not battle-scarred, though Pre did not doubt that issue would be fixed in time. He had offered to have his son Tor join a few operations with Protector teams that, while not directly affiliated with Death Watch, were led by those sympathetic to their cause. Sadly, Tor had refused, instead preferring to train and manage the clan's holdings while Pre dealt with the tedious issues of his cover as mayor of Sundari.

Tor returned Pre's smile with one of his own. "Yes, father. Though I admit, I'm… conflicted about who to support. Gar is my cousin, yet the Jedi…"

Pre nodded in understanding. "He is worthy of our respect Tor, so there is no shame in wishing him success. However, family always comes first." Pre replied, though internally he seethed. His son, and heir, was willing to support the Jedi against his cousin. It seemed that either Naz's words or the Jedi's actions had altered his son's thinking more than Pre had realised.

Unacceptable. Utterly unacceptable and intolerable.

There and then Pre made a vow to accelerate his planning for removing the Jedi from the board permanently. And to ensure that overwhelming strength was used to do so.

"Of course, father. Though I think Naz might need reminding of that lesson." Tor responded with a grin that Pre matched, though internally he snarled. Being further reminded of the effect the Jedi was having on his daughter was not helpful to his mood.

"She is young and easily distracted by new things." Pre offered calmly as an explanation that gave no hint of his internal fury.

"The same could be said of my youngest." Another voice added and Pre turned to see that Duke Adonai, adorned once more in his full armour, stepping through the door into the observation deck of the training arena at the Institute where Pre and Tor were standing.

"My Duke." Pre offered with a lowering of his head.

Adonai harrumphed loudly and waved his hand aimlessly towards Pre. "None of that today Pre. We're here to enjoy ourselves. And even if the fight was between two newborns – which I don't expect will be the case – anything that gets me away from more osik-filled meetings is a good thing."

Pre chuckled honestly at that as he completely agreed. Anything was better than sitting to listening to those snivelling weaklings talk about further ways to destroy the will, culture, and history of the Mandalorian people.

"Sadly, meetings are a part of any life." Came a third voice from just outside the still-open doors to the deck.

Pre shifted his gaze past Adonai and saw Master Fay, one of Shan's Jedi Masters – that he had two did nothing to hide how special he was to the Jedi – step into the room. "Even a Jedi is not immune to them."

Adonai turned to face the near-human female. "Ah, but any meeting would be tolerable with someone as beautiful as yourself in it."

Even with him holding no love for the Jedi, Pre couldn't deny that there was something… exceptional about Master Fay. She had an ageless feel and grace that could not be ignored. He even remembered Naz comparing the part-human Jedi to one of those… elfes… from a new series of holonovels she'd started reading over the break.

"You are too kind Duke Adonai. However, I doubt I could help anyone survive budget meetings." Fay responded calmly as she entered the room fully and allowed the doors to hiss close behind her. Either she was used to flattery, or she was well trained to ignore it. "Though I suspect that to most, today will be much more enjoyable."

"Indeed. Your Padawan has been… a revelation. He's settled in so well I often forget he's a Jedi." Adonai agreed as the pair stepped closer to Pre even as Pre heard the doors hiss open again as they opened once more. "Haran, it's been decades since any member of Diryc made the semi-finals of this tournament. Never mind the finals itself."

"Thirty-two years have passed since Tor Vizsla, not the one before us today but the one he is named for, made the semis as a member of Diryc. And it's been one hundred and eighteen since Zar Skirata made the final. Though no Diryc trainee has ever won the title of Akaan'lor."

That answer had been offered by Commandant Kraviss as she, Rangemaster Marod and Nia Vizsla stepped into the room. "Though, perhaps today will be the first time." She added as the doors closed behind the trio. "Rangemaster Marod informed me of those dates during our morning meeting." She finished with a smirk as she jerked her thumb towards the elderly Rangemaster.

Pre nodded respectfully at Kraviss and Marod – even if neither were sympathetic to Death Watch, they were worthy Mandalorians – before his attention turned to his sister as she approached.

"How is Gar?"

Nia shrugged. "Calm and focused." She paused and glanced past Pre to look out the large viewport that gave those in the observation deck sight of the entire arena. "It's times like this he reminds me of our father." She said as she looked out the window, though Pre suspected she was thinking about a memory of their father and not what was about to happen on the floor below.

"He often does." Pre agreed as his mind drifted back to their father, Raz.

The man had always seemed so calm and collected before any battle, and even during it, that it often surprised Pre that his brother Tor was related to their father. Or that any of them were. None of Raz's children were able to stay so composed before or during a fight.

Pre was the best at appearing so, but he knew that internally he struggled to maintain his control before a battle, and rarely did so during. Nia often bounced around, agitated and excited for what was to come while their brother Tor…

While Pre loved his elder brother, he couldn't deny that the man had never been one to control himself before a fight. Often Pre found his brother stalking around, like an animal waiting to be unleashed from a cage.

Yet, as the years passed, and that shebs'palon Jango Fett had begun to hunt down Death Watch for revenge, Pre's brother had begun to grow more and more unhinged and wild.

There were moments where Pre was glad his brother had died – not least as it allowed Pre to claim leadership of clan Vizsla and Death Watch – but that did not mean he forgave Jango Fett for the death of his brother. Yet there was little Pre could do against his fellow Mandalorian.

Fett was too well connected or feared – sometimes both – for any to be willing to allow Pre to place a bounty on the man's head. Even petitioning the Hutt Grand Council for them to remove Fett from their patronage had failed. So, apart from sending the gutter-dwelling scum of the galaxy after Fett – and Pre gave that lot next to zero per cent chance of managing to kill Fett – there was nothing Pre could do about his brother's killer. For now.

Pre was drawn from his thoughts as the doors to the deck once more hissed open and Pre glanced that way to see the expected visitors arrive. While many more than usual wished to attend this Akaan'lor final – likely due to the presence of the Jedi – Adonai had limited those allowed into the observation deck to just two close allies and their wives. The rest would have to be content with the visitors stand at the far end of the arena.

Count Aundars Wren, Clan Chief Kann Dur and their wives entered the room and while neither clan leader were members of Death Watch – from those elements loyal to him or the handful of false branches that still existed – they were good Mandalorians, not sycophants of the Republic-appointed dar'manda in Sundari.

Though, if the rumblings he'd heard from his sources were anything to go by, both clan leaders, and large elements of their clans, were growing discontent with Adonai's leadership of House Kryze. Particularly concerning the alliance between the House and the Republic-backed traitors in Sundari.

Pre had plans to use this discontentment to gain their support when the moment came for him to step out from the shadows, publicly claim leadership of Death Watch replace Adonai as leader of the House, thus changing its name to House Vizsla.

"Count Aundars, Chief Kann, ladies Vhe and Esla, welcome." Adonai stated as he stepped forward with Kraviss to greet the newcomers.

"Duke Adonai, a pleasure. And in your armour today? Unexpected." Aundars responded as he clasped arms with the Duke and his wife gave a respectful nod.

"I'm trainee Shan's sponsor. To not wear my armour when he has reached the final round would insult him. And as this fight is to be conducted under combat rules, to not wear my armour would be an insult to both trainees, not to mention our people's heritage." Adonai responded bluntly, though without any hint of anger at the subtle challenge Aundars had made.

While Pre had many issues with Adonai, starting with his decision to ally with the dalae in Sundari, he did respect the man. Pre was certain that, following the death of his wife and youngest son, Adonai had been overcome with grief and fear of losing his remaining children, which was why he had sought out those… shabuire in that moment of weakness. That Adonai hadn't decoupled House Kryze from Sundari was not unexpected – even if Pre was conflicted about the alliance breaking as Pre knew how stubborn Adonai could be once he committed to a path.

"And how do your… allies, feel about this?" Aundars asked and Pre had to fight to not smirk. It seemed his reports about the discontentment were accurate as both Aundars and Kann – who was staring intently at Adonai – were making little effort to hide their annoyance at the alliance between House Kryze and the Sundari government.

Adonai shrugged. "They are...less than pleased. But they know that without my support their hold on power is tenuous at best." The faintest wisp of a smile brushed across the Duke's face and Pre had to bite back a chuckle at the honest nature of that reply.

Pre knew the answer was about as vague and generalized an answer as Adonai could give as he'd had to listen as Prime Minster Worra, and others vehemently protested against Adonai and Pre for attending the ijaat'akaanir and today in full armour. It had taken all of Pre's considerable acting skills to keep his face neutral as Worra and the other Republic-backed arse sheb'urcyin had mewed like children who'd had whined like a kath hound in heat over Adonai's decision. Haran, he'd had to cough to hide his laughter when Adonai, in no uncertain terms, made it clear that Worra and his group needed House Kryze far more than Adonai needed them.

And while Pre knew that spat was not enough to have Adonai change his mind, it was, without doubt, the best day he'd ever had while pretending to be an ally to Adonai and the dar'manda in Sundari.

"Hmm. When I first heard from my son that you'd allowed Jedi to attend, I thought you had finally lost your mind." Kann began, not caring if he openly insulted the nominal leader of their people. Since this was neutral ground, there was no fear of reprisal, nor could an insult issued here be used as grounds for a duel at a later date. "However, from what I've heard from my son and others, the two respect our ways, embrace them even. And an ijaat'akaanir?" He paused, shook his head and chuckled. "I thought I'd seen it all."

"Those hut'uune left my Padawan no choice." Master Fay declared, having stepped to the side as Adonai had greeted the clan leaders, and Pre felt his brow rise. He saw that everyone else had reacted in surprise at the Jedi's usage of such a word; well, everyone bar Marod, who simply smirked.

"Uh, yes. Quite." Kann mumbled out, clearly put off by a Jedi Master using a Mando'a curse – and one of the worst ones at that – to describe anyone. Though Pre couldn't blame him for being unbalanced hearing the Jedi use that word. He was also still trying to process that she'd said it and wondered when and from whom she'd learnt it.

"Master Jedi, an honour." Aundars said as he turned to Fay and tilted his head forward. "My daughter and nephew both speak highly of the Jedi trainees. They say the two are different from what they expected of Jedi, especially the boy. Stars, I think my daughter might be smitten with him."

Fay laughed once at what Aundars said, and it was a sound that Pre couldn't deny was enthralling. "I am Master Fay, Count Aundars. Though to hear that the pair are drawing attention by not behaving as one would expect of a Jedi is, unsurprising. Padawan Keto is more rambunctious than most her age while Padawan Shan is… something unusual for a Jedi."

Adonai chuckled deeply – a sound that Pre knew was honest laughter from the man. "He is a Revan'ade, Master Fay. He could never be just another Jedi."

"Revan'ade?" Fay laughed once more and shook her head. "It seems he cannot help but earn titles."

"I sense a story to be told." Aundars said as he crossed his arms while the others all leaned closer to the Jedi Master in anticipation.

Pre would admit that he was curious as well. The more he knew about Shan, the easier it should be to plan the ideal way to permanently remove him from the board. While any plan he had was still in the design phase, forewarned about an enemy was forearmed to face them.

Fay smiled but made no move to reply. Instead, she shifted her gaze to Nia. "While there are a few that I could tell, I believe Lady Nia could tell the story of Cameron's most recently earned title. Mtael."

Nia coughed to hide her laughter while Pre rolled his eyes. He had heard that story several times from Nia – and a few others who had stayed loyal to Death Watch after the battle with the now-proclaimed Lokella – and had no interest in hearing it again.

Kriff, if it wasn't for the fact Nia was his sister and not a random soldier, he'd be concerned she was showing deviant tendencies and was as enamoured with the boy as Naz was.

"This would be the battle where your husband lost his life?" Lady Esla asked, a single eyebrow rising as she spoke. It took Pre a moment to realise that she had likely heard the story in passing as Girk had been her cousin through their mothers.

Nia's humour vanished and her face seemed to drain of all emotion. Pre, being her brother, knew that wasn't the case. She was simply locking down her outward emotions to prevent them from using what they saw against her. Unlike Pre, Nia was not comfortable with faking her emotions and opinions and so preferred this approach instead.

"Indeed it was. Girk was… a fool. The Padawan fought with honour and won." Nia replied in a voice that matched her face. "My husband did not take that well and paid for his rashness with his life."

The marriage had been one arranged by their father Raz to gain the alliance of Clan Saxon for Death Watch, and while Nia and Girk had been a good match, Pre knew there had never been love between them. Oh, the two had been comfortable around each other and enjoyed each other's company – two children were proof of that – but Pre knew it had never evolved beyond that.

The marriage had lasted though, and the alliance it created was still strong and had brought one of the larger and more powerful clans into the orbit of Death Watch.

The only issue was that clan Saxon was still lacking a formal leader. Gar's uncles handled the daily business of the clan, but Gar had not yet challenged for leadership of the clan. Gar had wanted to wait until he finished his time at the Institute before doing so, though Pre didn't doubt that the boy would be successful in earning the title of Count of clan Saxon. However, until he did, the alliance between Saxon and Vizsla was weakened, even if none of the clan elders were supporters of the government in Sundari.

Though from the reports Pre had received from Krarthog Wrajud, he suspected that a major reason that Gar had delayed claiming leadership of his clan was due to his relationship with one Rook Kast. Her clan was small, holding only a few minor settlements in the rimward section of the sector, but they were not supporters of Sundari either so Pre had no problems with the relationship, and he even hoped that clan Kast could be persuaded to ally with Death Watch when the time was right. Though he wished that Girk had been able to persuade Count Aundars to marry his daughter Ursa to Gar, as Clan Wren was a larger and more prestigious clan.

Even as Pre considered all that, he noted that several of the newcomers were looking at Nia in disbelief.

"An adiik killed Girk Saxon in combat?" Aundars managed to ask after getting his shock under control.

"He bested Girk in a duel to determine the outcome of the battle. And without using any Jedi tricks. Girk… he did not like the outcome and tried to shoot the Padawan in the back." Nia explained in a voice that lacked much emotion. "Not a wise choice of action against an armed Jedi."

"Ah. Yes. A Jedi with their lightsaber is a dangerous opponent." Aundars said slowly.

"A Jedi without a lightsaber is just as challenging," Fay countered as she lifted her arms to reveal that there was no sign of the trademark Jedi weapon clipped to her belt. "For hundreds of years I have not wielded such a blade, yet no being has been able to best me in combat. Weapons and armour the Mandalorians possess aplenty, yet I do not believe you would have any more luck than those who have come before you."

While Pre already knew the Jedi was older than she looked, to hear that she was several centuries old when she barely looked a day over twenty, well, that was a shock to his system. And judging by how the others were reacting, they were as surprised as he was.

"Um, n-no. No, I wouldn't Master Jedi." Aundars managed to mumble out. "I, uh, meant no disrespect."

"None is taken, Count. However, I would suggest that you remember that how someone looks or behaves is not an indicator of how great a threat they are. The Grandmaster of the Jedi is nearly nine hundred years old and would barely come up to your knee if you stood side-by-side. Yet, if you faced him in battle, you would be less successful than those who threatened the Padawans."

Pre felt himself gulp. He was an experienced warrior and had killed dozens, if not hundreds, in his life. Yet the calmly spoken words of this one Jedi – who looked younger than Nia but was older than anyone he had ever known – had him concerned as to how deadly a fully trained Jedi was. And just how much he may have underestimated trainee Shan.

Adonai chuckled. "Wise words from such an ageless beauty. How…"

Whatever Adonai was planning to say was cut off as the doors hissed. A moment of confusion passed over Pre as there were no other scheduled guests for the room, yet as the doors fully opened to reveal two more people, Pre felt his brow rise even as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"Duke Torrhen, Lady Asta, this is… unexpected." Adonai managed to get out through his shock as everyone turned to see the two newcomers.

"Yes, I imagine it is." Duke Torrhen Ordo stated as he stepped into the room with his wife Lady Asta. "However, when I heard that two Jedi were competing in the Akaan'lor tournament in Keldabe and learnt that one was the Jedi my nephew Thun spoke of, I felt it would be interesting to visit the city and see if we could meet this child."

Pre was able to get his shock under control as his mind spun at seeing Duke Torrhen of House Ordo – one of the three most powerful houses in the sector – step into the room with his wife, the Lady Asta, on his arm.

"Imagine our surprise when we arrived in the city this morning and heard that the Jedi had not only reached the final of the Akaan'lor tournament but would be facing off against Gar Saxon. The son of the man the Jedi killed defending freed slaves from a Hutt-backed attack." Torrhen shrugged even as a smile spread across his face. "Well, how could we not come and watch such an event."

"Ah." Adonai replied though Pre was able to make out a few very subtle signs that Adonai was still confused and unsure about why the leaders of House Ordo were here. And to be honest, Pre was in the same situation.

Pre knew that for the longest time Adonai and Torrhen had been friends and allies with the pair having met and become friends at this very institute nearly four decades ago. Their houses were so close that Adonai's wife had been Torrhen's sister. When they'd become the leaders of their clans and houses, the pair had allied and stayed back from the fighting between the True Mandalorians, Death Watch and the government of Sundari – though the last group only used mercenaries as they wouldn't dirty their hands to fight their own battles.

That alliance, while it lasted, had contained the majority of the people and around thirty per cent of the sector's planets and stations. It had been a constant threat to everything that Pre and his family had been working on, and he remembered the long meetings he'd had with his father and brother developing ways to break the alliance.

Not only had it been a threat due to its size, but the two Dukes had allowed many members of their Houses to join the True Mandalorian faction created by Jaster Mereel, which had worried Tor and Pre that the pair would unite behind Mereel if he had ever become strong enough to openly claim the title of Mand'alor. Such an act would've forced the smaller clans to choose between angering the most powerful group in the sector by siding with Death Watch or fall into line behind Mereel.

Thankfully that threat had been weakened when Mereel had been killed on Korda Six, then removed completely with the annihilation of the True Mandalorians on Galidraan. Thus, to see Duke Torrhen and Lady Asta stroll into the observation deck as though nothing had changed when they hadn't set foot on Mandalore for over five years was… concerning.

"Where are my nephew and nieces?" Asta asked, changing the direction of the conversation. Though her tone made it seem less like she was asking Adonai a question, than challenging him as to why they were not present to greet their aunt and uncle.

Pre had always been attracted to Asta as she was both beautiful and a fierce warrior, but she had never been anything but harsh and cold towards him. Though he did not mind that as the woman was harsh to anyone that she didn't consider friend or family. And given the tone she had just used, and the way she glared at Adonai, it was possible that the Duke was no longer in that group.

"Dorgo is taking care of clan business, while Satine is on Coruscant." Asta scoffed loudly at hearing that. "And Bo is helping one of the finalists prepare." Asta lifted a single blonde eyebrow. "She is friends with the two Jedi so is helping the boy with his armour."

"Hmm." Asta turned to her husband. There was a moment where the two didn't speak, but Pre was certain that they were communicating as he had done the same with his wife when she was still alive.

"Regardless of the outcome, we wish to speak with the child of Revan." Torrhen all but demanded of Adonai before he turned to Master Fay and bowed. "With your permission, of course, Master Jedi."

Fay's lips moved as if she was going to talk, only for her to stop and close them. She fell into silence and, for a reason Pre could not comprehend, tilted her head slightly to one side. Though before anyone could comment on her actions, she righted her head and nodded at Torrhen.

"Yes, I believe that would be acceptable." Fay replied, not bothered by her strange behaviour, which left Pre wondering if she had spoken to the boy. He knew that such things were possible with the Jedi's powers, but the records he had read about such things were vague. Almost as if the Jedi intentionally restricted access to the knowledge for those outside their order.

"If I may," Kraviss began, drawing everyone's attention. "While I would be happy to stay here and speak with all of you about the trainees, both myself and Instructor Wrajud must head down to the arena."

While the exchange between the Kryze and Ordo leaders had taken place, she had moved to one side and was standing near her staff and Pre's son. At seeing Tor's face, Pre wondered what his son had been discussing with the group while Pre's attention had been elsewhere. He would have to remember to speak with his son later about this.

"Of course, Commandant. This is your command." Adonai replied, and the others nodded.

"If you need anything or have any questions about the trainees or the campus, Instructor Vizsla and Rangemaster Marod are at your disposal." Kraviss offered before she and Wrajud left.

Pre had hoped to speak with Wrajud before he left, but the early arrival of the expected clan leaders – and the unexpected appearance of one of the three most powerful men in the sector in Duke Torrhen – had denied him that chance. He would simply have to speak with Wrajud later tonight, preferably before the final banquet to end the session and celebrate the various victors and outstanding trainees.

He quickly put those thoughts out of his mind. The unexpected appearance of Duke and Lady Ordo required his attention. If there was any hint of a possible restoration of their former alliance, then he would need to dust off old plans to ensure that alliance was not reborn.

"You're still the Rangemaster?" Kann asked Marod as Pre saw that most were still facing the man and his sister.

"That I am. And I still remember the day you entered the Institute for the first time. All wide-eyed and expectant." Marod replied with a chuckle. "Same for the rest of you who went here."

Most of the others laughed along at that including Pre. Marod was old, but Pre knew the man was skilled and, in his day, had been a fine warrior. That he had not died in battle was something Pre both feared and hoped for, as to Pre the idea of growing and dying in a bed, feeble and unimportant was one of the few things that scared him. However, Marod had found a new calling in teaching the next generations the proper usage, maintenance, and respect for their weapons, which was worthy of respect.

"Ah, to be young again." Aundars said before shaking his head. "The things I could do." He added wistfully as he turned and stared out the room's viewport.

A hand shot out and clipped the back of the man's head, though it didn't seem to do any damage. "You'll do nothing and like it." Lady Vhe stated clearly with a glare at her husband. Aundars smiled sheepishly at her.

"Yes dear."

Pre's lips twitched in amusement as a few others stifled laughter at the interchange.

"So, which students have stood out this year?" Kann asked, with a smile creeping onto his face as he moved the conversation back towards a topic more suited to today's event.

Marod barked out a chuckle. "What you mean is how did your boy do, hmm?" Kann's smile grew as he nodded. "Trainee Dur came third in the Diryc group for sparring, forty-eighth overall for pistols, twenty-first in Diryc for rifles and his team made the quarter-finals of the team event. All in all, a good showing and he's got the makings of a damn fine warrior. Though thankfully he's not as hot-headed as his father." Marod added on, which drew a loud laugh from Lady Esla.

"We can only hope." Esla offered in agreement.

"You wound me, my dear. Right here." Kann jokingly moaned as he held a hand to heart.

"Trainee Wren finished thirty-fifth in Lammyc's sparring rankings, sixty-seventh overall for pistols, twenty-ninth for rifles, and her and trainee Kryze's team qualified for the Traatik'lore." Marod offered to Aundars and Vhe before turning to Adonai and Pre. "I suspect you both already know how your daughters did."

"We do." Adonai replied with a smile, while Pre nodded.

Naz had done ok, and while she hadn't qualified for the Akaan'lor tournament – she'd come placed thirty-first – and ninety-sixth overall for pistols her rifles standing was what Pre was proud of. Naz had finished ninth overall with a rifle and set the bullseye mark for the session at a touch over three kilometres without any type of scope.

Bo-Katan Kryze, who along with Naz and Ursa Wren, Pre was looking at as a possible recruit to Death Watch – and not just because of the PR bonus it would be to recruit Duke Adonai's daughter to Pre's group – had reached the quarterfinals of the Akaan'lor tournament – highly impressive for anyone from Diryc – and been ranked top twenty for pistols.

"Gar was top of Laamyc as a fighter, second overall with pistols and his team are the new Traatik'lore." Nia offered as Pre mused on the younger trainees. Nia was clearly proud of her son and Pre had to agree. Gar was a fine warrior, though once this session was over Pre would have to ensure that Nia pushed Gar to take up leadership of clan Saxon.

"Yes, trainee Saxon has shown a good improvement in his skills this year. I will miss seeing him on the range next session, but he will do his clan and people proud in the future." Marod agreed.

"And what of the Jedi?" Asta asked.

Pre felt his brow twitch at the topic again turning back to those two adiiks. Though it was another nail to hang up the idea that Pre had about clan Ordo holding Revan in higher regard than other clans. Yet, even if that was the case, Mando'ade placed less care on who someone's ancestors were than who they were in the here and now. ''Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la'' as the saying went.

Still, was there something Pre didn't know? Some deep, dark secret that Clan Ordo was hiding from the rest of the clans? That would need investigating, but Pre didn't have any members of the clan in the Death Watch factions under his control – at least not since Thur Ordo had left Death Watch after the death of Girk – nor any member of the clan who trusted him enough to reveal such a secret. Yet, this… fascination in the child of Revan that Clan Ordo held was a possible weakness Pre could exploit to destabilise House Ordo.

"Trainee Keto is an excellent student. She made the Akaan'lor tournament, which was impressive for one so young, and was in the top one hundred in Diryc with both kinds of blasters. She's shown an incredible rate of improvement and seems to enjoy combat more than I'd expect for a Jedi." Marod replied to Asta's query. While Pre could admit some grudging respect for the female Jedi improving herself, in the end, she was still nothing more than an attack dog for the weak-willed fools in the Senate.

"Now the one the other trainees call the Revan'ade… That one is something special." Marod continued as Pre bit back a comment about the male Jedi being nothing but an adiik. "He finished top ten overall with both pistol and rifle, led his team – a newly formed Diryc team at that – to the quarter-finals of the Traatik'lore Tournament and has earned the right to fight today for the title of Akaan'lor." Marod offered and Pre felt his stomach turn at hearing the respect in the old Rangemaster's voice for the Jedi. "And this is before he's even old enough to attempt a verd'goten, though from what I've heard both Jedi will be taking the trial."

"Yes, Padawan Keto will be heading off with myself and Master Fay next week for her trial." Adonai confirmed. Pre was conflicted heavily about the pair becoming Mando'ade. While they were Jedi, and thus their loyalty would be with those fools on Coruscant, that they were willing to honour Mandalorian traditions was… honourable. Though if one or both fell during their trial, then Pre would not shed a tear.

"The child of Revan will become Mando'ade?" Torrhen asked as his brow rose and Pre had to fight not to scoff at the adoration he heard in the Duke's voice. It seemed the Ordos did place too much respect in the bloodline of Revan. Di'kute, the lot of them.

"While many in the Order are… uncertain about this, Cameron is adamant about taking the trial." Master Fay explained as Pre saw her brow creasing slightly. "Padawan Keto has decided to follow his lead, though I suspect her decision was influenced by the actions of the hut'uune."

As she spoke Pre's mind began to ponder the fact the boy was causing rifts within the Jedi. That was something he could use to his advantage as a distracted Jedi Order would allow him to accelerate his plans to reunify and reform Death Watch. Though to fully exploit this rift, Pre would have to allow the boy to succeed in his verd'goten, thus making him an even greater threat to Pre's plans.

This would require careful consideration with a few of his loyal lieutenants. Though not Nia. Even if she hadn't stopped offering him advice for his plans, she had kept to her word and not re-joined Death Watch and thus he was forced to remove her from his inner circle.

Still, his base plan to have the boy killed during, or even just after, his trial felt like the best path forward. Though planning around the fact Adonai and at least one of the boy's Jedi Masters would be there was an… issue. Oh, he had several ideas about how to arrange an accident, one that was not linked back to him. However, the most efficient method would mean working – discreetly – with the same Hutt responsible for Girk's death. That was not something Pre particularly wanted to do, but, if the boy died, then the end would justify the means. After all, he was doing this all for the greater good of his people and the boy was a threat to that.

"I didn't think I would ever see a Jedi choose to become Mando'ade." Vhe said slowly. "It's been… centuries since one chose our ways."

"From my research, it has not happened since the Dral'Han." Master Fay offered, though Pre swore he saw her lips twitch as she referred to the Dral'Han. "Cameron's path is not one many would, or could, walk. Yet, the Force is guiding him to attempt a verd'goten for a reason and I place my trust in both the Force and Cameron. To do otherwise feels… foolish."

"Well, if your Order ever chose to cast either of them out, they will have a home with Clan Ordo." Torrhen offered quickly and Pre saw that Asta nodded in agreement.

"Has Clan Ordo grown so weak that they'd take the casts off from the Jedi to boost their numbers?" Kann asked and while there was a smile on his face, there was no other obvious hint of teasing. Instead, Kann's jaw tightened as his eyes narrowed.

Pre suppressed a smirk at seeing the Ordo's respect – haran, it almost seemed like love – for Revan and his descendant was causing problems with other clans. While it shouldn't lead to anything today, it was an encouraging sign that what Pre felt was the easiest weakness of House Ordo was exploitable.

"Unlike some other, smaller clans, House Ordo sees value in a diversity of voices and ideals. We also remember our people's past and the links we have with clan Shan." Asta retorted with a sneer while Pre saw Torrhen's fists tighten as if preparing to strike.

Even if the leaders of both clans grew angry enough to want to fight, Pre knew that no such thing could happen today. This was neutral ground, and nothing said here could be used to demand an ijaat'akaanir, though it could lead to tensions between the clans or even an isolated conflict. Or it would if Pre was able to prod the right people in the right moments.

Now, Pre would prefer that no real Mandalorians died in a petty squabble, however, he was realistic enough to know that sometimes the few had to be sacrificed for the greater good of the people. Plus, such a conflict could generate opportunities to help his plans and provide cover for a few more overt actions he needed to take but had so far avoided because of the attention they would draw.

However, any further escalation of tempers was interrupted as a loud gong sounded around the arena. That drew everyone's attention to the viewport, while was focused on the centre of the sparring area.

While the distance between the viewport and the arena floor was great, the viewport was doubled as a giant screen that zoomed in on the sparring rings. That meant those in the observation deck could make out everything that was going on without having to strain their eyes.

Pre watched as Kraviss stepped into the centre of the screen with Wrajud a step behind on her right.

"If I may have everyone's attention." Kraviss began as Pre noted everyone in the stands – trainees and visitors alike – were focusing on the Commandant. "Today we gather to determine a new Akaan'lor."

"We stand today as ja'hailire while the two warriors of our Institute who have fought their way to this moment. These two had proved they both have kar'ta gotal'ur be beskar, that they are Mando'ade. And while we honour both these warriors for earning the right to compete here today, in the end, only one can stand as Akaan'lor."

Pre was impressed with the way Kraviss spoke the words. They were spoken every session, but even from here, he could tell that she believed them. That she seemed to even believe that the Jedi was Mando'ade without completing a verd'goten was… troubling.

Kraviss was often a good barometer of where the non-aligned Mandalorians and minor clans stood, so for her to state those words – even if they were nothing more than her repeating words that had been passed down by the generations since this centre was established – was a concern.

"Our first warrior was ranked second in the Institute with a blaster pistol and ninth with a rifle this session. As al'verde he led his team, Orchid-Six, to the title of Traatik'lore. I give you Gar, of clan Saxon."

Pre watched as his nephew stepped into the lit arena. Gar walked confidently, paying the cheering crowd no attention, into the central ring with his helmet under his arm. While Pre would have liked for Gar to have had access to a jet pack, Gar did not have the training to use them. Plus, they were not permitted under the Institute's combat rules.

The cheering died off as the lights reflected off Gar's armour and confirmed that it was not the standard durasteel training armour used by Laamyc. Pre allowed a smile to form on his face at seeing Gar proudly bearing the sigil of clan Saxon on his right shoulder and the mark of a Corellian sand panther as his personal sigil on the left pauldron.

"He has beskar armour?" Kann asked.

"Yes. It was re-forged from his father's old armour." Nia explained proudly. "Though untested in battle, I have sparred with him in full armour to ensure the reforging process was successful." Pre had also sparred with Gar and taught him a few basic tricks that were designed to counter a Jedi's abilities.

While Pre himself had fought and killed the former Jedi assigned to the sector, that Jedi had not been particularly skilled. If he was honest, Pre suspected that even without using the basic tricks he had explained to Gar for today, Pre could've killed that Jedi years ago.

Even if he hated to admit it, the boy fighting Gar today was a far more competent fighter and tactically aware than that Jedi had been. And he was, at best, a third of the Jedi's age when Pre had killed that Jedi by driving the Dark Saber through the Jedi's gut.

Because of that, Pre had hoped to teach Gar a few more advanced techniques for fighting a Force-user, but his nephew wasn't ready to begin training in those methods. And Pre himself had not tested them against a Jedi, though he did plan to find the Cathar Jedi assigned to the sector to discover which techniques worked best against Force users.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this." Torrhen muttered and Pre glanced right to see that the Ordos were standing next to Adonai. Pre managed to keep a frown from crossing his brow, but internally he was further concerned at the possibility of a renew of the alliance between Houses Ordo and Kryze. As such, he'd have to begin planning for that threat sooner than he wanted.

"Is this fair to the Jedi?" Asta asked, though no answer came from inside the observation deck because, as the cheering for Gar died down, Kraviss spoke once more.

"His opponent comes to us from outside our sector, yet this adi… this warrior has earned his place in today's battle. He is ranked seventh in the Institute with a blaster rifle, ninth with a pistol. As al'verde he led his team, Brown-Nine, a newly formed Diryc team, to the semi-finals of the Traatik'lore tournament. I give you Cameron, of clan Shan."

Pre felt his annoyance grew as Kraviss gave the Jedi the same respect as she gave to Gar. He knew that the Commandant was just repeating the words set down for this battle, but to hear her openly state the boy was a warrior… That simply increased Pre's desire to see the boy removed from the grid.

"Clan Shan, eh?" Torrhen muttered with a chuckle and Pre swore he heard the Jedi Master mutter something under her breath. However, his focus was on the Jedi down below who was walking into the light. And the way the crowd reacted to the boy.

Pre had hoped that they wouldn't cheer, or at least not too loudly, but it seemed that hope was in vain. From the stands where Diryc were seated, a roar went up as the Jedi stepped into the light. The Laamyc stands also cheered – while the visitor stand clapped politely – though thankfully to Pre, their support was nowhere near as enthusiastic as Diryc's.

The boy walked out with his lightsaber hilt in one hand while wearing the standard, dull brown robes the Jedi were known for, which Pre had hoped would decrease the support for the boy, yet it did not. Pre also noted that neither of the boy's Jedi Masters wore those brown robes with Master Fay preferring a lighter tanned colour while the Butcher of Galidraan wore clothing that looked far more refined – and thus expensive – than typical Jedi attire.

As Shan stepped closer to Kraviss and Gar, he slipped out of his robes and – at least in Pre's mind – posed. The cheering died off almost instantly and Pre's brow risked reaching his receding hairline at what he saw.

"Osi-kyr," Aundars muttered, and Pre was inclined to agree with him.

Pre had expected the Jedi to be dressed in his trainee clothing or barring that, the training armour worn by Laamyc group – provided they were able to find any that could fit his smaller frame. Now, save a breastplate, back armour, helmet and vambraces, the boy was wearing some of the armour, and somehow, they had managed to also find a basic combat under-weave suit for the boy to wear. However, it was the sigils he bore on each shoulder that had caused Pre's reaction, Aundar's curse and the silence that had fallen over the arena.

Over his left shoulder he wore the symbol of the Jedi, though instead of the standard red or black, Shan had coloured it dark green with faint black edging. While Pre couldn't be certain, he suspected that someone – likely Bo-Katan – had helped the boy with the colouring, but he put it out of his mind as he focused on the right shoulder.

There the boy displayed a red-coloured symbol that, at first glance, didn't appear to mean anything. But the more Pre studied it, the more he felt like he knew it from somewhere. That symbol was significant, but the exact reason why escaped him at that moment.

"Stars above!" Torrhen called out which made Pre turn to look at the man. Both he and his wife had paled, and after sharing a look, they turned as one to Fay. "Master Jedi is that…"

"It is." Fay said with a sigh. She shook her head as she continued. "He just had to pick that symbol as his family sigil."

"The Star Forge." Adonai all but whispered, and Pre felt his eyes widen as the metaphorical light went off in his head and he snapped his attention back to the viewport. "I suppose it makes sense to think of that as a family sigil."

That symbol… shab. The boy was either a master at knowing how to play the game or he had hit upon something that would invoke memories of a bygone age among those who were here today – or reviewed the fight afterwards – by sheer, dumb luck.

"It does." Torrhen agreed, sounding pleased about this turn of events. "As does the Jedi symbol. Kriff, even the colouring… Your daughter's handiwork?"

"Possibly." Adonai replied and Pre glanced to see the Duke scratching at his chin. "She understands the importance of those colours and I see no reason Shan would choose to recolour the Jedi symbol."

Any further discussion about the Jedi's sigil choices and colourings – or his armament which consisted of a pistol, knife and, what to Pre, looked like a second lightsaber attached to the small of the Jedi's back – was cut off as Kraviss spoke once more.

"As everyone can see, both trainees are in combat armour. This is because, at the agreement of both trainees, combat rules are in full effect for this battle. This means that both fighters are allowed weapons of their choosing, though all weapons have been set to non-lethal settings and bladed weapons have been blunted."

"Additionally, while trainee Shan is not equipped with his Force Suppression bracers, he has agreed to not use any directed Force abilities against trainee Saxon. Both fighters understand that if trainee Shan does use the Force directly against Trainee Saxon, he will instantly forfeit the fight."

"Also, before the fight commences, energy shielding around the arena will be engaged. This is to prevent any errant bolts from reaching a watching trainee, staff member or visitor. If, at any time, you find the shielding is interfering with your line-of-sight viewing of the battle, direct your attention to the roof where viewing screens will be active."

Kraviss turned her attention for the stands and looked directly at the two trainees: first Gar then the Jedi. "Again, your weapons have all been checked and confirmed to be at low power settings. I remind you that altering those setting will result in an instant forfeit of this fight and possible charges for any injuries caused."

"Beyond that, I wish you both good fortune in the battle to come. Begin when the klaxon sounds." With her piece said, the Commandant walked away from the pair, and out of the illuminated area that was the combat ground.

Pre watched as Gar began to speak to the Jedi, though whatever the pair said to each other was not picked up by arena microphones, likely because they had been turned off after Kraviss had finished speaking.

From the mutual nods of respect that the pair gave each other before they stepped back, Pre had to assume their words were friendly. As the pair walked to opposite sides of the arena, and Gar slipped his helmet on then checked his vambraces, Pre allowed a small smile to creep onto his face.

While the vambraces were not loaded with lethal ordinance, Pre had suggested a few things that were legal that should help to distract, disorientate, and counter the more common Jedi abilities that Shan could potentially use.

As they reached their respective starting positions, Gar unholstered his twin blaster pistols while the Jedi ignited his lightsaber.

"Harun! That blade…" Kann hissed out as a few gasps and murmurs drifted up to the observation deck from the stands.

Pre's smile turned into a scowl, though he quickly schooled his features to hide his feelings about the Jedi's blade; and the colour it shone with. While not the Darksaber, the fact it was the only other lightsaber that Pre had heard of that glowed black was something that made Pre despise the boy. It was nothing more than a cheap, pathetic forgery of his family's ancestral blade and Pre looked forward to the day that the boy was dead, and he could shatter that lightsaber into a million pieces.

"That is not the Darksaber." Pre said as calmly as he could. "While there are similarities, the Jedi's hilt and blade style are the same as any other Jedi lightsaber."

"You're certain of this?" Vhe asked, and Pre had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from snapping at the woman for the suggestion that he didn't know what the Darksaber looked like.

"I am acquainted with the Dark Saber, though I have not seen it since it was lost when my brother died for his foolish crusade." Pre cursed internally at having to say those words, but he needed everyone to think that he didn't have the Darksaber stored in a secure location. Yet, from the corner of his eye, he swore he saw Master Fay stare at him for a moment, though that may have just been a trick of the light.

A hush fell over the arena, and the observation deck, as the Jedi held his lightsaber up in front of his face, then swished it down towards the floor. Pre recognized that as some form of salute and Gar did as well, as his nephew saluted with one hand, clanking the butt of a pistol against his helmet.

--AWOOGA--

At the sound of the klaxon, the crowd roared to life and Pre leaned forward in anticipation.

Yet the roar from the crowd quickly died as everyone saw that neither fighter had moved from their opening positions nor fired at each other.

Gar had lifted his pistols slightly, though neither were high enough for anyone to think they were aimed. Pre felt his brow raise as he realised that his nephew was waiting to see what the Jedi would do.

Yet the Jedi hadn't moved. Oh, he had shifted his stance by sliding back one foot to shrink his profile and lifted his lightsaber above and behind his head, angling it down slightly so the very tip was pointed at Gar. But that was it. No move to rush Gar, no fancy jump or acrobatic foolery that Pre had seen Jedi do in holorecordings. Yet, Pre knew from the way the boy stood, that he was unlikely to make the opening move.

"Hmm. That is a different stance from the demonstration with Master Dooku." Adonai commented as the silence and stillness from the arena floors continued for, by Pre's mental clock, half a minute.

"It is indeed. Cameron has started in the resilience form. It is designed as a defensive form and far better against blasters than the form both he and Master Dooku prefer." Fay explained.

Thanks to recordings Tarre Vizsla had made after he had become Mand'alor, Pre was aware of the seven forms the Jedi used, and was able to recognize certain positions as signs of those forms. After the ijaat'akaanir, Pre had gone over those recordings and was able to name the form the boy was using as Soresu. Yet, even if Pre knew the name of the form, and felt he could track a few of the more common manoeuvres of the form, it was up to Gar to see the signs and recognize the form the Jedi was using.

Hopefully, the quickfire lesson on Jedi forms would help Gar today. Yet, Pre had concentrated on the duelling form as that was the only one that he knew the boy was fluent in, and Tarre's recordings mentioned that most Jedi were reliant on a single form.

The silence of the arena was broken as a blaster bolt shot across the arena, though Pre felt his brow rise as he realised the shot had come from the Jedi.

While he knew the boy had a pistol on his belt, he had not expected the boy to utilize it, nor did Pre see the boy move to unholster the blaster. Perhaps he had used a simple Jedi trick to summon it to his hand? Devious, but within the rules of the fight.

As Pre re-evaluated the Jedi, Gar had reacted to the Jedi aiming at him and moved just enough that the bolt missed. If the boy was willing to use blasters, then several of Tarre's suggestions – and those known to most Mandalorians – would need reworking to account for this shift in approach. Hopefully, the boy was the rare example of a Jedi using a blaster.

The Jedi shot again, and this time the bolt caught Gar, though it landed against his pauldron and deflected away. Pre frowned as he realised that not only had the Jedi take the initiative, but he had not shifted from his original stance.

As the Jedi took a third shot, Gar blocked it with a gauntlet and used the raised arm to aim with the other, firing his first bolt of the battle.

The Jedi swipe his lightsaber down, blocking the bolt with – at least in Pre's mind – contemptuous ease. Gar fired three more bolts in quick succession.

Like the first bolt, those three were aimed at the Jedi's unarmoured chest, yet the Jedi did not seem bothered about that fact. The boy casually deflected two away – the second heading back at Gar and forcing him to move to avoid being hit by his own blaster bolt – then leaned back to avoid the third bolt. To Pre's eye, it looked like the boy had moved just far enough that the bolt missed by a few centimetres. Either the Jedi was confident in his abilities or his reaction time was not as impressive as Pre had expected.

While none of Gar's bolts had struck, nor the next dozen or so that he fired, Pre was pleased to see that his nephew was applying one of the core ideals that Mandalorians learnt about Jedi. By keeping the shots aimed at the chest, it forced a Jedi to block from a central location and exposed the hilt to a stray hit if the Jedi wasn't fast enough to handle the rate of incoming fire. Pre also knew that Gar had modified his pistols for an increased rate of fire, though this came at overheating the gas conversion enabler at a far faster rate than normal.

Even as Gar used this increased rate of fire, and started to use the second blaster, the Jedi was able to keep up, though Pre was having trouble fully tracking the blade as it moved. At times it almost looked as though there was a black shield in front of the Jedi with how rapidly the blade was rotating.

Yet, even as Gar continued to fire at as great a rate as the twin blasters would allow, the Jedi took a step forward. It was small, nothing more than a shuffle, but he did advance. Then, after a few more seconds, the Jedi took another shuffle-step forward, followed by a third and fourth and Pre was forced to admit that this Jedi, even though he was still a Padawan, was more adept at blocking blaster bolts than the Jedi Pre had killed several years ago.

Gar seemingly noticed the Jedi's slow advance, or perhaps simply sought a more advantageous angle, because Pre saw his nephew move to one side. That slowed the Jedi's forward movement, though only for about half a minute.

While the Jedi's advancement was coming quicker than Pre had expected, he was not overly concerned. Gar still had many tricks up his vambraces that needed the distance to decrease. Getting the Jedi closer, would, in theory, limit the amount of time the Jedi would have to react to attacks, though Gar would have to ensure that he kept at least a few metres from the Jedi so long as the lightsaber was in play.

"I'm still surprised Saxon did not insist that Shan wore the suppression bracers." Esla commented. Clearly, with this stage of the fight settling into a pattern, there was time for some queries to be made.

"Ignoring that under combat rules that they are not allowed, they would taint Saxon's honour if he won." Adonai began as Pre scowled at the man's lack of faith in Gar. "Though I believe the Jedi may have found a way to… overcome the bracers. His movement and reaction time in the ijaat'akaanir was far too fast for most people to manage, so unless he'd had extensive training in a combat form like Teräs Käsi, it is likely his reactions were forced-assisted."

"With training, a Jedi can learn to overcome disruptions to our connection to the Force." Master Fay offered to confirm the working theory Adonai and Pre held about Shan's behaviour. While Pre was disappointed that the Jedi had won the ijaat'akaanir, he was fine with the boy having pushed past the suppression of the bracers. Haran, he was a little impressed that the boy had turned a handicap to his advantage.

"Though how easily one can do so depends very much on the Jedi in question, the strength of the suppression field and how prepared one is for such an event to occur. The stronger the field, or less prepared one is, the more… painful the resulting disruption can be."

Pre thought he heard something in Master Fay's tone to indicate that she'd experienced such an unexpected disruption, but without turning to look at her – and thus, take his eyes away from the fight – he couldn't be sure.

No one added anything else as everyone's focus returned entirely to the fight as Shan cleared about a third of the distance between the two fighters.

Gar was still firing at the Jedi, though as the Jedi reached the middle of the combat area, his fire shifted from focusing on Shan's chest, Instead, Gar was firing both blasters at the same time while aiming for different parts of the Jedi's body with every time. This forced the Jedi to pause his advance as he dealt with having to dodge and block two bolts that arrived simultaneously.

Most of the time, the Jedi shifted his body around to avoid one bolt while deflecting the other away. A few bolts were fired back at Gar, though only one struck Pre's nephew, and it grazed against his left greave.

Though this changed when instead of continuing that pattern, Shan spun and ducked away from a pair of bolts so quickly that Gar was forced to hold his fire to aim at the Jedi's new location. Yet, Gar wasn't able to resume his rate of fire as, at some point during the spin, the Jedi had fired off two shots in quick succession.

Both struck Gar centre mass in his breastplate, and while the beskar easily dealt with the energy and heat of the bolts, the kinetic force of the two bolts in quick succession at the same location made Gar take a single stumbling step backwards.

As Gar stumbled, the Jedi leapt high, far higher than anyone could do without the Force, towards Gar. In mid-air, the Jedi slipped his blaster back in its holster and gripped his lightsaber with both hands. It was clear to Pre that the boy planned to land an overwhelming overhead strike on Gar to drive his nephew backwards.

Thankfully, Gar realised this and raised his left arm to aim the vambrace at the airborne Jedi.

A loud, deafening sound echoed through the arena as Gar activated a sonic cannon in his left gauntlet and the Jedi's forward momentum was countered by the cannon, and he was sent flying backwards, his flight no longer under control.

Even as the Jedi tumbled backwards in the air, Gar fired a sparking coil towards the Jedi. That coil was electrified and designed to stun a target and Pre felt the beginnings of a smile creep on to his face. There was no way the Jedi would have time to react before the co…

Whatever had formed of that smile fell as, with skill Pre suspected not many Jedi could match, the boy twisted in mid-air and sliced the coil with his lightsaber. While that prevented the coil from stunning him, it resulted in the boy being unable to control his landing and he hit the ground hard, bouncing once before tumbling to a stop.

Pre had hoped that landing had hurt the Jedi, but as Gar resumed firing the boy was able to bring his lightsaber around and block the incoming bolts that he could while scrambling around to avoid the few he couldn't.

"Young Saxon is certainly prepared for this." Kann offered as the two combatants returned to the familiar situation of Gar firing and the Jedi blocking.

"I would expect nothing less from one of my boys." Nia replied, and even though he could not see her face, Pre was sure she was smiling proudly at how well her son was doing.

"Both trainees are smart and adaptable." Marod offered, speaking for the first time since Duke Torrhen and his wife had arrived in the room. "Though both are prone to the folly of youth, as seen by Shan's ill-timed leap and Saxon not firing on Shan while he was falling."

Before anyone in the room could offer another comment, Pre felt his eyes widen as the Jedi seemed to move so quickly that, to Pre's eyes, the boy appeared for a split second to be in two places at once.

Yet as Gar's bolts passed harmlessly through where the boy had just been, Pre realised that the Jedi had moved so quickly that the naked eye had struggled to keep up.

Gar managed to do better, likely due to the HUD system in his helmet, and even as the afterimage of the Jedi faded, Gar was peppering his new location with dual-fired bolts. Seemingly, Gar had come to the realisation that continuously aiming single bolts at the Jedi's chest was not going to work. However, Pre didn't think that firing two bolts at the same for different locations would work either. If the Jedi could move fast enough that he left an afterimage to the unaided eye, then Pre had little doubt that the Jedi could handle dual-fired bolts.

This was proven with how casually the boy blocked and evaded Gar's bolts. The movements were as graceful as before, and Pre could see that the rate of fire was not bothering the Jedi in the slightest.

"Impressive." Adonai muttered and Pre, as much as he loathed to admit it, had to agree. The boy was highly skilled with the Jedi weapon and a step above – at least – what Pre had seen from the Jedi he'd dealt with. Once more, he realised that he'd have to revise his plans for dealing with the boy as anything less than a team of attackers would be foolish.

Shan began to move, though this time it was not in shuffled steps every half-minute or so, but in full steps one after the other. Each step was taken slowly, almost as if the Jedi was drawing things out to unnerve Gar. Seeing this, Gar increased his rate of fire even further – which concerned Pre as it would drastically shorten the life of the blasters, though he didn't think ranged combat was how Gar would win this fight – though the Jedi had no issues with the increased number of bolts, evident by the gradually shortening distance between the two.

Haran, the Jedi even had time to pull out his pistol and return fire. As the first few bolts from the Jedi struck home, Gar was forced to move. That lowered his rate of fire, which resulted in the Jedi's advance accelerating to a casual walk.

Pre noted that this time the Jedi didn't rush into the attack. Having seemingly learnt from his ill-conceived jump, the boy was now staying grounded and advancing meticulously towards Gar. Pre's nephew was now having to move almost as much as he fired to avoid the incredibly accurate bolts from the Jedi.

At that moment, Pre said a silent prayer that other Jedi did not start fighting like this as it would counter so many of the Mandalorians' advantages when they fought the order of Force users.

Even with Gar moving and shifting constantly, several bolts struck him. Though most struck the armour, two connected with the underlying combat suit. While Pre knew those would sting, and likely be numb for a short time due to the stun effects of the bolts, the strikes wouldn't hurt much as Gar's combat suit was made of a beskar-weave that, while not as effective as the armoured sections, was able to nullify most of the energy of a bolt. Though from the way Gar stumbled as one bolt caught him near his kidneys, Pre realised that the under-weave wasn't as effective at nullifying the kinetic force of a bolt as he'd hoped.

Since he was only able to use a single blaster while dodging, Gar holstered one pistol and activated a small energy shield on his right gauntlet. It wasn't the biggest shield, barely covering his upper body, but Pre saw that it was effective in helping Gar counter the insanely accurate shots from the Jedi.

As Gar used the shield to improve his defence, he aimed at the Jedi. The first few bolts were more spaced out than before and Pre realised that his nephew was shifting his approach. The rapid-fire with dual blasters clearly hadn't worked so Gar was going to slower, but more powerful bolts. Pre gave a fractional nod at his nephew's logical and rapid shift in tactics. Gar had the potential to be a deadly warrior.

The Jedi seemed to sense these bolts were more problematic and chose to avoid most of them. Pre felt his smile begin to return as he saw that the first bolt that the Jedi deflected forced the blade and the boy's arm backwards. The movement was fractional, but it was something and even as Pre considered if it was due to the Jedi still being a child, he saw the boy frown as another bolt was deflected and again the blade and arm were knocked back.

The increased force of the more powerful bolts forced the Jedi to slow his advance, though not stop it. Even as Pre considered if heavy fire from multiple positions would be more effective against a Jedi than an insane number of rapid-fire bolts, his newly formed smile faded as he saw the Jedi choose to avoid rather than block any bolts. Plus, he continued to fire at Gar with his pistol.

To counter the Jedi's fire, find a better angle to shoot at the Jedi, and try to maintain the distance between them, Gar was almost constantly moving. However, Pre felt his brow begin to crease once more as the distance between the pair continued to shrink.

A few minutes after Gar had shifted to heavier bolts, the Jedi had closed to within fifteen metres. Still, there was no sign of the boy changing his approach to rapidly close the distance, and while Pre hated to admit it, the boy had a decent tactical mind. Pre also cursed at the fact that without a jetpack, Gar had no way to reopen the distance between himself and the Jedi. Still, Gar had a few more tricks up his gauntlets that might help him defeat the Jedi.

As if having heard Pre's thoughts, as the Jedi stepped within about ten metres of him, Gar twisted his wrist – thus removing the shield from its defensive position – and opened fire with his vambrace-mounted blaster.

Like the pistols, the wrist blaster was working at lower power settings to prevent fatalities, but it was designed with a greater kinetic force behind each bolt, which made it ideal for close-ranged combat. And, as the first bolt from the wrist blaster forced the Jedi to block with his lightsaber, Pre's brow settled as the new bolt not only forced the Jedi's blade and hand back but also stopped the boy's advance.

As a second wrist blaster bolt was blocked with the lightsaber, and this time the Jedi had to shuffle back to compensate from the force of the bolt, Pre's lips twitched.

That twitch shifted into a small smile as the Jedi dropped his pistol – a tactical mistake – shifted his stance and placed both hands on his lightsaber's hilt.

The shift in stance had lowered the Jedi's present profile to Gar, something that Pre wished the Jedi hadn't thought about. Gar countered this by returning to rapid shots with his pistol while the wrist blaster continued to fire slower and harder bolts.

This combined pattern forced the Jedi to move his blade around quickly, and as much as he didn't want to, Pre couldn't help but be impressed with the speed, fluency and efficiency of the Jedi's defence. Even if he despised the Jedi, he could respect their combat ability. When they chose to fight, that was.

The Jedi was fully committed to his defence, and as Gar moved side to side to try and expose more of the Jedi's body, the Jedi slid and shuffled to counter. Pre felt himself lean closer, finding himself enjoying the fight as both warriors were committing everything to the battle.

Suddenly, just behind another blast from Gar's wrist blaster, a small object shot out from the gauntlet. Pre only caught sight of it as it glinted under the arena's lights. Pre realised this was one of the sedative darts that he had convinced Gar to install in the launcher on his left gauntlet. If it struck, it wouldn't take a Jedi down, but it would slow their reaction enough that they would then be easier to kill. Well, defeat since this was a non-lethal fight.

Unfortunately, the Jedi seemed to sense the threat of the dart, and at the last moment, he twisted his upper body and leaned back enough that the dart ricocheted off his pauldron. However, this lean had unbalanced him enough that one of Gars' bolts was able to clip him on an un-armoured section of his lower left arm, which forced that hand from the hilt of his lightsaber.

Pre saw the Jedi wince even as he continued to block Gar's bolts, and Pre's smile grew a fraction more as he saw the Jedi shake out the arm. The stun setting had numbed the arm enough for it to be an issue for the boy.

Another dart glinted under the lights, but this time, even with one arm numb, the Jedi was ready. A casual-looking swish of his lightsaber destroyed the dart and deflected a bolt back at Gar. That deflected bolt struck Gar's pistol, rendering it useless even as it flew out of Gar's grip.

Pre sensed the opening this created, and the Jedi did too as he advanced quickly. He dodged several bolts from Gar's wrist blaster even as the older boy backpedalled.

Even as the distance rapidly closed, Pre noticed that the Jedi was still flexing his left arm. Yet, as the boy reached striking distance, Pre's attention was drawn to the opening slash the Jedi sent at Gar. In a demonstration of impressive reactions of his own, Gar was able to turn his wrist and activate his energy shield in time to block the blade.

Gar then fired off a low shot from his wrist blaster, one that was aimed at the Jedi's un-protected midsection from less than two metres away. Yet, in a display of incredible reaction time and flexibility, the Jedi was able to shift his body just enough that the point-blank bolt sailed past without even clipping his side.

From that off-balance position, the Jedi thrust his lightsaber forward, slashing the blade against Gar's right wrist. While the beskar armour easily held against the lightsaber, the controls on that wrist sparked and Pre realised that the right vambrace was now useless.

Though since the Jedi's attack had come from an unbalanced position, he had overexposed his weapon arm and Gar, thanks to his greater height and leverage, was able to strike the Jedi just above the wrist, forcing the Jedi to drop his lightsaber.

As the weapon depowered and fell to the floor, Gar kicked it away with a sweep of his foot. As he did this, the Jedi leaned back and wrapped his left arm around Gar's right. While the hold was weak – confirming to Pre that the boy hadn't yet shaken off the numbing effects of the earlier hit – it was sufficient to allow the Jedi to pull Gar with him as he allowed himself to fall back.

As Gar lost his balance and fell on top of the Jedi, the pair began to roll on the floor. Pre thought he saw both go for knee strikes, though he wasn't sure if anyone landed a hit. The roll ended as the Jedi released his hold on Gar's arm and created some separation with a weak kick to Gar's gut.

As both regained their footing, they both reached for their knives. The Jedi's was held in a sheath on his belt while Gar's was attached firmly against his chest.

The pair began to circle each other, like two kath hounds about to fight for dominance of a pride. As they did, Pre noticed that the Jedi was holding his knife in his right hand, instead of the left where he'd initially held his lightsaber. That made sense as the boy was likely still feeling the effects of Gar's bolt, but it was perhaps a weakness that Gar could exploit.

As the circling continued, Pre considered the last few moments of the fight. While Gar had managed to disarm the Jedi – an important tactic when engaging one – he had lost one of his blasters and had his right vambrace rendered inoperable. A decent effort, but there was room for improvement.

Pre also noted that instead of going for familiar weapons – the Jedi's second lightsaber or Gar's other pistol – both had gone for their knives. While logical, there was nothing that prevented both from arming their other hand. Whoever realised that first had a chance to win the fight as the knives were blunted durasteel. This meant that Gar would have to strike the same point of the Jedi's armour to break through while the Jedi had no such recourse. Beskar did not yield to durasteel, no matter if it was in solid armour or used in a weave.

Pre realised that no sounds were coming from the stands. For the earlier fights in this tournament and previous ones cheering from the stands had occurred, he was glad that this was not the case here. A fight such as this did not deserve the stain of distractions from outside sources.

Seemingly having decided that they'd circled each other enough, both fighters stepped forward and Pre sensed in his bones that the end of the fight was drawing near.

At this range, the Jedi was at a loss for reach and height, yet Pre knew that thanks to the Force, the boy didn't have such issues with an apparent lack of strength or agility when compared to Gar.

The Jedi had shown his strength and speed in the ijaat'akaanir – though Pre wished the boy had not discovered how to push past the bracer's effects – and then shown his potential in this fight with his blade-work and ability to seemingly appear in two places at once.

The boy proved once more that he was stronger than any child that age had a right to be as he blocked a probing strike from Gar's knife with his own and pushed the older boy's blade away from his body. That movement allowed the Jedi to step forward and drive an elbow into the gut, at a point where the combat suit was exposed.

The strike forced Gar to stumble back, which was enough for the Jedi to bring his knife back and smash it into Gar's left vambrace, sending a few sparks flying into the air.

As the Jedi stepped back and avoided a hard elbow from Gar, Pre noticed the controls on the vambrace were cracked, and he cursed. Somehow the shabuir had managed to damage a beskar coated interface with a durasteel blade. That should not be possible. Well, unless one was a Wookie or another creature of comparable strength.

"H-how did he do that?" Asta asked her shock clear to hear in her voice. Like Pre, she was surprised at the Jedi's ability to damage something that shouldn't be easy to break.

"The Force allows one to enhance themselves past physical limits. Cameron is skilled with such abilities." Master Fay answered – without any obvious hint of pride – and Pre ground his teeth at how proud and superior the woman sounded. "Along with many others."

Gar stabbed at the Jedi, who blocked with his knife. Pre smirked as he saw part of the Jedi's blade break off. That meant that the blade had been damaged by the strike against Gar's vambrace as was now next to useless to the Jedi.

The Jedi realised this and as he leapt backwards to re-establish some distance between them, the Jedi threw the knife at Gar, where it bounced harmlessly off the older boy's helmet. The attack did nothing, but it was enough to prevent Gar from exploiting the Jedi's unarmed status long enough for the distance between them to grow enough to remove that advantage.

As he landed, the Jedi pulled out and ignited his second lightsaber, which glowed with a golden-yellow light. Pre also noted that it was shorter, around half the size of the boy's main blade. Pre wondered when and where the boy had gotten that blade from. He had assumed the second blade was from the girl, but from his reports, he knew that she used a pair of green-coloured lightsabers. That, combined with the fact the boy had only ever been seen with the black-bladed insult made Pre wonder if the boy had created that blade just for this fight.

Though the less said about the colour the better. Just like a Jedi to pick something so gaudy and pretentious.

"I am curious as to why he did not just go for the second lightsaber earlier. A new weapon perhaps?" Marod pondered.

"A lightsaber is not a weapon. However, you are correct in saying that it is new. Cameron has only just begun learning how to use the shoto-saber." Master Fay replied. Her tone was calm, but Pre swore he heard the annoyance in it at having someone refer to a lightsaber as a weapon. Stupid Jetii and their hang-ups.

Another lull had settled over the fight as, even though it was shorter than a normal blade, the yellow-coloured lightsaber was long enough to counteract Gar's reach advantage. Thus, the two returned to stalking each other and Pre noticed that the boy had shifted from the defensive form to the duelling form Pre had expected the from the boy at the beginning of the fight. The tip of the blade was always aimed towards Gar, ready to defend but also able to strike forward and attack.

Again, Pre found himself respecting the boy. He was skilled and smart, more so than any other Jedi Pre had seen, or the one he'd fought before. Pre was in no doubt that, given time to learn, this boy would be a terror on the battlefield. Though Pre would have to enact several plans to ensure that did not happen.

Gar leaned forward, extending his knife towards the Jedi. The Jedi reacted by flicking his blade upwards, yet this was clearly what Gar wanted as he pulled the attack the moment he saw the Jedi move to defend. Instead, Gar brought his free arm around and, surprising Pre, engaged his energy shield.

This meant that the Jedi's knife strike had not entirely disabled the vambrace and Pre was amused to see the way the Jedi's eyes narrowed at realising the same thing.

Gar pushed the shield forward, using it to cover his arm as he threw a punch at the Jedi's unarmoured midsection.

While Pre would have instead used the shield to attempt to trap the lightsaber against the Jedi's body, Gar's plan was solid. Sadly, thanks to the di'kutla Force, the Jedi was able to sense the attack coming and react quickly enough that the punch found nothing but air.

Then, with the barest of shifts in his stance, the Jedi was able to slap away Gar's shield-arm by driving his lightsaber against Gar's gauntlet. The Jedi then stepped forward, sliding inside of Gar's guard, and thus negating the older boy's reach advantage, and drove the elbow of his saber-arm into Gar's unarmoured armpit.

The blow staggered Gar and Pre saw that he almost dropped his knife from the strength of the Jedi's blow. Before Pre could realise that the Jedi had used the Force to boost his strength, or Gar could adapt, the Jedi slashed Gar's breastplate four or five times with his lightsaber. The weapon moved so fast that if not for the colour of the blade, Pre would've not been able to track the various strikes. Even then, it took him a second to plot the course the weapon had taken and track it through the coloured arcs that viewed the small gap between the two fighters.

Pre exhaled sharply in amusement as the Jedi realised that his attacks hadn't even marked Gar's armour. Clearly, the boy hadn't expected Gar to be wearing beskar armour. Yet the force behind the Jedi's attacks forced Gar to take steps backwards.

Whatever humour Pre found in the Jedi's lack of success against beskar was short-lived as the Jedi launched into another series of blindingly fast strikes against Gar's armour. From what little Pre could track this time, all of them were aimed against Gar's armour, which was either a miscalculation from the Jedi, or he was testing to see if any of it was weaker than the rest.

"Incredible." One of the others in the room muttered, but Pre was far too engrossed in the fight to care who had spoken. "Such speed."

While he did not want to, Pre found himself agreeing with the comment. Tracking what he could, he counted over a dozen strikes landing against Gar's armour in less than about two seconds, though he was sure that there were more blows that he had missed.

Through the almost constant golden-yellow light that shone between the two fighters, Pre was just able to catch sight of more sparks coming from Gar's left vambrace just before the shield cut out.

With the shield now gone, the Jedi continued his attack. Haran, it felt to Pre he was getting faster as he struggled to track even a handful of the slashes that flew against Gar's armour. Such was the speed he was attacking with, it seemed as if the boy was wielding two blades.

Pre had fought and killed a Jedi before – that being the former one assigned to the Mandalore Sector when the di'kut had stumbled upon a meeting he had arranged with Warlord Anzur – and had seen footage of the Cathar Jedi that had replaced the previous one. However, this boy was putting those Jedi to shame.

Pre felt a knot form in his stomach as he realised that Gar was outclassed. While his nephew was an excellent fighter for his age, he had no training for going against a Jedi who could move at such speed and was able to think tactically while in combat.

If Gar had been allowed a beskad or had the Darksaber, Pre felt he would stand a chance, but as the light between the two seemed to grow brighter, Pre knew the fight was all but over.

And so it was proven, as mere seconds later Gar's blade was sent flying away, ending the fight.

As the light of the Jedi's blade faded, Pre saw that the boy had stooped the blade with the upper shaft of the weapon pressed tight against Gar's neck. That area was one not covered by armour or the beskar-weave combat suit – a flaw Pre realised he would have to fix in his own armour even as someone in the room gulped loudly.

A few seconds of total silence passed in the arena as everyone seemed to take a moment to catch their breaths and processed what had happened.

"This fight is over. Cameron of Clan Shan is your new Akaan'lor." Kraviss' voice echoed around the arena.

That set of a roar from the stands. While it was louder from those seating Diryc, Pre realised that the Laamyc and visitor stands were also cheering.

Yet even with the fight having ended, Pre kept his eyes on the fighters. This was for three reasons.

First, so that he could push down the rising anger he felt at seeing a Jedi be crowned Akaan'lor. Second, so that he could watch the pair before Kraviss, who had just entered the illuminated arena floor, could reach them. Third, there was much you could learn from a fighter after a battle.

At Kraviss's words, the Jedi had stepped back and depowered his lightsaber. As Gar lifted a hand to his neck, the Jedi almost lazily reached out and his primary weapon flew into his hand.

Pre was less than pleased to see Gar's reaction, but he could understand the moment of weakness as having a blade that close to ending you was not a comforting moment. Pre hoped that it would drive Gar to continue improving himself and then seek out the Jedi for a rematch. Though that part would only be possible if Pre had not already removed the boy from the board.

As the Jedi clipped his lightsabers to his belt, Gar removed his helmet then spoke to the Jedi. Pre didn't know what was said as there was no audio of the ring now that the fight was over, nor was he skilled at reading lips. Though even if the microphones were active, Pre doubted he'd hear what was said over the ongoing cheering from the stands.

Whatever Gar had said made the Jedi smile as he replied. Gar then nodded and offered more words which drew a laugh from the Jedi. The two then clasped forearms in a mark of respect.

At the show of camaraderie, the roar from the crowd grew louder, though Pre was concerned that Gar's motivations had altered, and he was now less anti-Jedi than he had been months earlier. Yet even if he was annoyed at Gar showing the Jedi respect, Pre couldn't deny the boy had earned it. Though he would never admit to such a thing verbally.

"You alright there Pre?" Adonai asked and Pre felt a hand clasp down on his shoulder.

He turned and looked at the man, letting his feelings about the end of the fight dissipate. He could analyse the whole thing later from the recordings.

"Yes. While I'm disappointed that Gar didn't win, I can't change the outcome of the fight."

Adonai laughed. "I'm not sure either of us could've done any better at Gar's age." He turned and looked out of the viewport. "The Jedi fought with honour and proved the stories about their Order being worthy opponents for our people true. The speed, the grace." Adonai whistled as turned back to face Pre. "Magnificent."

"Young Cameron has improved immensely since I last saw him spar with Master Dooku, but he still has a way to go." Fay offered and it took all of Pre's mental discipline to stop his head snapping round to gawk at her. "Still, it was an impressive duel and I wish to speak with my Padawan before the other trainees can swallow him in a crowd of well-wishers."

"Yes, yes." Adonai said as he removed his hand from Pre's shoulder. "We should head down and speak to both warriors. My lady?" He finished as he offered Fay his arm.

The Jedi took the offer with a smile that made Pre wonder how often someone did that with her before the pair headed for the door.

Pre turned back to the viewport, taking in one last look and collecting his thoughts.

After everything he'd seen today, Pre was now utterly convinced the boy was a threat. He fought like a Mando'ade, haran, he'd soon be one, and with his family name was a contender for leadership of the people. That was something Pre wouldn't tolerate. Though after seeing the Jedi's performance today, he mentally scrapped over a dozen plans that he now knew would never work. With that kind of speed and skill – and the threat that he could become even better in time – it would take something more than a simple attack to remove the Jedi from the board.

"Pre?"

At hearing his name from his sister, he turned and saw her waiting in the doorway. Her face was calm, but her folded arms and the slight tilting of her head let him know she was concerned about something.

"Sorry. I was just… thinking." He began, smiling at his sister. "Also, I believe I owe you an apology." Nia's brow rose and he explained. "Before today, I still doubted if you were being honest about the boy defeating Girk. After that…" he waved his hand aimlessly towards the viewport. "Well, there can be no doubt. He is Akaan'lor."

Nia stared at him, narrowing her eyes. Pre knew she was likely looking for any hint of deception, but he'd grown so good hiding his intentions with the fools in Sundari that deceiving his sister was child's play.

"Hm." Nia eventually said before shaking her head. "Well, come on. Gar is likely waiting for your critiques."

Pre laughed honestly at that. He had never shied away from telling his nephew – nor his children – the truth about their abilities. Thus, it was likely that Gar was waiting for his review even as the others offered commiserations for losing and congratulations on a fine performance.

"Yes, he likely is."

As the doors shut on the room, one prevailing thought dominated Pre's mind.

How best to remove the heir of Revan from the game before he realised that he was playing?

……



As before, you can find me on the server for this story in particular, and Star Wars in general: discord .gg /UM89QfyQk3
Or in the Omniverse: discord .gg /wd3tUYWVCd
Regardless of if you join one, both or neither...

May the Force be with you.
Always.
 
Last edited:
Teh Adiik At Mando’ade 8
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.


A/N: Yup. May 4th and a new chapter. What a coincidence :p
Anyway, this chapter carries a warning.
A character in it gets very badly injured, though who and how you'll just have to see for yourself.



As before, if you wish to talk with me and the backroom team, you can find us on the server for this story in particular, and Star Wars in general: discord .gg /UM89QfyQk3

Or in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse: discord .gg /wd3tUYWVCd

Regardless of if you join one, both, or neither...


Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Mandalorian Words/Phrases:
Akaan'lor – Fighting Champion
Beskar – Mandalorian Iron
Cin Vhetin – White Fields
Di'kutla – Useless/Stupid/Worthless
Diryc – Lower (class)
Dral'Han – The Mandalorian Excision
Evaar'la Verd Fund – Young Warriors Fund
Haili cetare – Tuck in!/Enjoy! "Fill your boots!"
Haran – Hell/Damn
Ijaat'akaanir – Honour-Duel
Jagyc'kovide – Dickheads
Jare'la – Stupid
Jetii – Jedi
Laamyc – Upper (class)
Parjirr be te kih tracy'uur – Winner of the Blaster Pistol
Parjirr be te ori tracy'uur – Winner of the Blaster Rifle
Shab – Shit
Shatual – An animal native to the Planet Mandalore that the locals enjoy eating.
Tiingilar – A Mandalorian dish described as an intensely spicy casserole.
Traatik'lore – Team Champions
verd'goten – The traditional rite of passage of Mandalorian culture.


……

"Oi, Shan! What's this I hear about you needing soldiers for a war?"

I turned towards the voice and saw that Rook Kast was leaning over Gar to speak with me. The rest of her team were all looking over at me as well, and I suspected the two trainees to my right – Sebbi Eldar and Nonx Beroya, who were the top-ranked trainees for the pistol and rifle respectfully – had done the same.

"Not a war. Just a… niggling feeling that something is going to happen in a few years. Something big." I replied slowly even as I realised that Gar had told Rook, at least, about one of the things we'd spoken about at the end of our fight.

"More Force-based nonsense from the Jetii." Responded Nonx dismissively from behind me. I knew it was from him as the voice was male and Sebbi was female, yet I paid him no attention, choosing to keep my attention on Rook, Gar, and their team. If he wanted to be dismissive then fine, but Gar and his team were good fighters, and I knew I'd need such people in the decades to come.

Rook's eyes narrowed as she glanced passed me, likely glaring at Nonx to get him to shut up. As she returned her attention to me, her face relaxed. "How sure of this are you?"

I shrugged, trying to make it seem like I was uncertain even though I wasn't.

When I'd mentioned my ''suspicions'' to Gar yesterday after our fight, it had been in response to him stating a wish to see us fight side-by-side. He was curious about how effectively a Mandalorian and a Jedi trained as a Mandalorian could work together.

I hadn't directly mentioned Naboo or hinted that I'd had a vision – such a thing would've likely made him dismissive of what I was saying – but I had told him that I had a feeling that something was going to happen. Probably either a large battle or a civil war on a world that would garner attention from the Republic at large. I'd added that whatever it was would likely fan the flames of the growing problems in the Republic and could even lead to war on a scale not seen since before the Dral'Han.

I explained this again to Rook and the others in earshot, with several members of her team leaning closer as I spoke about a war to come. There was a small, idealistic part of me that wondered if me using my knowledge to influence people to fight and likely die for my causes was wrong, but the larger, more realistic part of me knew that it was better they died for my cause than against it.

As I explained all this, I heard Nonx scoff behind me, but I continued to ignore him. The boy was clearly not interested in considering what I said – likely he still felt that me and Serra should never had been allowed to attend the Institute – and that was his choice. My attention was on Gar's team as they were the best team at the Institute and would only improve over the years before the invasion of Naboo and the Clone Wars. Having them willing to fight by my side was worth the effort.

"These are Jedi visions I take it?" Rhiox asked after I had explained my feelings.

"No. While Jedi can catch glimpses of the future, and I have seen some of war, this is more just a feeling that something major is going to happen in the next few years." I replied. "I'm not certain of it, but a… feeling in my gut tells me that something major is going to happen, likely before I'm in my twenties." I shrugged after saying that. "Though this is just a feeling, so I can't say for certain." While I knew my mere presence was causing ripples – large and small – I doubted the invasion of Naboo wouldn't happen. It was the event that, as far as I knew, propelled Palpatine to the Chancellorship.

"Useless." Nonx muttered in a voice just loud enough for me to hear. I felt my fingers tighten, forming into fists, but I resisted the urge to shut him up. Causing a scene, while probably enjoyable, would undermine the effect I was having on Rook and the rest of Gar's team. And it might make them realise I was subtlety using the Force to persuade them to understand and agree with me.

"From what you said yesterday, I thought about it and did some research." Gar began, turning my thoughts away from ways to shut Nonx up.

"Is that what we're calling it now?" Rook blurted out to cut of Gar with a playful smirk. As she rested a hand on Gar's chest, she winked in my direction. "Think Cameron here enjoys research?"

It took all of my self-control to stop myself reacting to her joke. I'd rather avoid having her ask questions, or suggest things, that I didn't want to deal with.

"If something is to happen, it would likely be in the Outer Rim, probably to a mid-sized world with a direct representative in the Senate." Gar said, ignoring Rook's teasing, and seemingly her hand as it began to move. "Anything closer to the Core would draw too much of the Senate's attention. The Mid Rim and Expansion regions are possibilities, but the larger and more populated planets there have decent enough defence forces to protect themselves, while the smaller worlds are generally under the protection of their larger and more powerful neighbours."

"Add in that I've heard my mother and uncle talking about rumours of the Trade Federation and other mega-corporations arming themselves – and not just their ships but with droid armies – and it would make sense that they'd make a move in the Outer Rim where their power is strongest; and the Republic is weakest."

I lifted my hand towards my chin, only to stop mid-motion. That was not something I'd done before, at least not before joining the Jedi. Damn them for doing that every time any of them wanted to think.

"Umm, yeah. That does make sense. Didn't think you'd figure so much out so soon though." I said dumbly as I lowered my hand. I was genuinely surprised at how much work Gar had done in determining where my feelings of a battle would take place. Surprising and impressive.

While his description was nothing more than a brief overview, I had a feeling that if I'd asked for more details, he'd have been able to provide them. Force, he might even have a few possible locations for a likely flashpoint that weren't Naboo but could be places that helped fan the flames of those who would one day join the separatist cause.

Rook's smirk had grown into a full smile at my words and apparent confusion at Gar's research, and she leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hey! He may look like a big dumb Gamorrean, but he's smarter than anyone in the Senate or those jagyc'kovide in Sundari."

Raising my hands in a gesture of surrender, I responded. "Not saying he isn't. I just didn't expect him to do such a thorough job running down ideas. Certainly not in a day, and definitely not because of me. No offense Gar, but…"

"I understand." Gar said as I stopped to think of how to phrase things.

"I doubt we'll ever be friends, but after yesterday I do want to see how well we could fight together. To see a Jedi, one who is Mando'ade, in actual combat is something worth the discomfort of fighting beside a person I dislike."

"I'm not Mando'ade."

"Not yet, but you'll be one of us soon." Countered Rhiox Loc. He was the cousin of Lanze Loc, so him showing a willingness to talk to me would've been surprising, if not for the fact that Observe let me know that he was relieved that I'd allowed Lanze to remove himself from the ijaat'akaanir and offered a message of support to limit Lanze's punishment. Yet, to hear him so certain that I'd succeed in my verd'goten was unexpected.

"You may be young Shan, but you have the heart of a Mandalorian. Soon enough that will be official," Gar offered in agreement as he locked his eyes on me. "Deny it all you wish, but I know how much you enjoyed our battle yesterday. Your blood was singing like mine as we fought, and I saw your smile as we exchanged fire. Your heart yearns for those perfect moments when everything fades away and all that remains is you and your opponent battling for victory. That is the call of the warrior that beats within you and to deny it is to deny that the stars burn."

I stared at Gar as I processed his words. Had I smiled during our fight? A quick review of the fight told me that I may actually have done so, yet at the time I had no knowledge of doing so at the time. One thing that I couldn't deny was that Gar was right about me enjoying the fight. It felt good to be able to cut loose and draw on all training, as both a soldier and a Jedi.

What may have helped was that the fight wasn't to the death, but I knew it was one of the rare times since being reborn when I'd felt the adrenaline flowing. To be able to go all out – or close to it as I hadn't wanted the fight to be over quickly or embarrass Gar – had been fun.

Every time I'd been on an op in my old life, I'd been calm, in control. Yet, I didn't deny that – like most of my squad mates – I'd gotten a rush out of what we did. The danger and risk heightened the experience, though I'd never enjoyed the violence or carnage we had occasionally unleashed.

Yesterday, I'd felt my blood pumping for the fifth real time since coming to this galaxy, yet there had been something more. Something that reminded me of those old ops and the rush I'd felt after the mission was over.

I felt my brow rise as I realised that I had enjoyed the fight and felt my mouth slip open in surprise.

A finger pushed my jaw upwards, and I saw that Rook had leaned completely over Gar and was using a single finger to close my mouth. The smirk on her face and the glint in her eyes made me suspect she had a fair idea of what I'd just realised.

"Better not stay like that, I doubt your girls will like you sitting there slack-jawed while staring at me." She offered with a wink as she pulled back. As much as I didn't want to see it, I saw her fingers dragged across Gar's thighs as she slowly returned herself to her seat.

On what I'd later claim was purely instinct, my head began to turn, to see if Serra, Bo or Naz had seen my behaviour.

The trio were sitting with their respective teams at different tables that were arrayed around the hall. I'd met Bo and Naz's teammates at various moments during the session. All had been generally accepting of Jedi studying at the Institute – particularly since the ijaat'akaanir – though only one Ursa Wren, had sought me out directly.

Ursa had asked for some help on the range as, while she was a decent shot, she felt she wasn't up to the standard she should be and had seen the improvement of my team from my mentoring. Since she was Bo's friend, I saw no harm in helping her, though I ignored her subtle - and occasionally less-than subtle – hints that she was interested in me as more than just a tutor.

"Busted." Rook stated and I stopped turning my head as I felt a burst of heat in my cheeks. She and a few others chuckled at my actions.

"I thought Jedi couldn't have… fun." That statement came from Anno Hark, another member of Gar's team and the one who I had the highest reputation with; he was the only member of the team that actually liked me, though I had no idea why.

"Um." I mumbled out as while it was technically true that Jedi could have sex, it was if an attachment was formed from such relations that the Jedi frowned upon you. Which amused me greatly as it sounded as though the Jedi approved of one night stands yet might draw the line at a friends-with-benefits situation.

My non-answer drew another round of laughs from Gar's team, and I was a little shocked to see a small smile creep onto Gar's face.

Thankfully, I didn't have to try and come up with an answer to Anno's statement, at least one that wouldn't result in further teasing, as the background noise in the room dropped. Almost as if someone had hit a mute button.

I turned my attention back to the hall and saw that the reason for the silence was the arrival of the staff and several guests.

Commandant Kraviss was leading the group in, while Duke Adonai was a step behind her. I felt myself instinctively grip the edge of the table tighter at seeing that he was escorting Fay in; her hand resting on his forearm.

Behind them came the senior members of the Institute's staff then other invited guests and the finally the rest of the staff such as Nia and other new Instructors.

Among the group of guests were the heads of Clans Ordo, Wren, and Dur, though I only knew that because all had spoken with me after the Akaan'lor final.

After the Commandant had arrived next to Gar and myself after our duel and loudly declared me the new Akaan'lor – which set off another round of cheering from the crowd, centred on the Diryc stands – those guests, and several members of the staff, had come over to speak with us.

Most had simply offered their congratulations – and Observe picked up no hints they were anything but genuine in that – though a few had been more… reserved in their approval. After that, I was truly sick of hearing people say how amazingly skilled – or something of that ilk – I was for someone so young, and again found myself counting down the days until I was an adult once more.

However, it was when Fay had taken me aside to that things had become interesting.

She had offered her own congratulations and was satisfied that I held back enough to ensure that the fight did not embarrass Gar Saxon. However, she suspected that Dooku would have several critiques about my actions in the fight and I'd felt a cold shiver at the 'corrective teaching' Fay hinted Dooku would arrange for me. Like most Jedi, Dooku was not a fan of blasters, though his disdain was far more… refined. As was his dislike of Ataru so I knew he'd have a comment or two to offer regarding my failed attempt at a hawk-bat swoop.

After smiling in amusement at the fear I must've leaked into the Force, she introduced me to Duke Torrhen and Lady Asta, the heads of both the Clan and House of Ordo.

The pair had first offered their thanks that I'd turned their nephew Thur away from Death Watch – Asta referred to the group as an insult to everything a true Mandalorian should be – then explained that he had told them about the Jedi Padawan who had defeated Girk Saxon in single combat and was a confirmed descendant of Revan.

They then said they'd only come to Keldabe after hearing that a Jedi, one with the same family name as the one who turned Thur away from Death Watch, was competing in the Akaan'lor tournament. While they hadn't said anything else to explain their being here, I'd suspected that there was more to it; a fact backed up what Observe revealed after they'd finished talking with me.

Upon learning that I was the same Jedi as the one Thur had met, they'd re-extended the invite for me to visit planet Ordo. That the planet and system bore the same name as their clan, sounded like something that the clan took pride in while also being a source of constant confusion to outsiders like myself.

While I was a little unnerved by the almost worshipful way they spoke when mentioning Revan, I'd accepted on the condition that Fay or Dooku accompanied me. I'd considered politely declining, but a gentle breeze had passed over us and something (a nudge from the Force perhaps?) made me think that going to planet Ordo would be useful, thus I'd accepted.

Before taking their leave, they'd asked if I could tutor their youngest son, Ebbe, should he be accepted into the Institute next session. I'd agreed but made it clear that the next session would likely be my last as after my verd'goten I would likely be leaving the planet with Master Fay.

They were fine with that and took their leave, though not before I was able to use Observe on them.

Both descriptions hinted at them wondering if I would be the one to open something they referred to as 'Vault of the Preserver.' Since I knew that Canderous Ordo had been called Mandalore the Preserver, it held to reason that this vault was linked to him. Though why they felt I could open it wasn't clear, unless it held something of importance to Revan.

I hadn't mentioned that directly to Fay, though since she would've felt me use Observe, I told her that they were hiding something. She replied simply that everyone was hiding something, though she suspected that in this case, it was something linked to me.

Later last night Fay had said she was comfortable with me staying for another session, though she informed me that she'd be spending more time in and around Mandalore, to ensure that she was on-hand in case I found myself in further trouble with the locals.

I'd argued that I didn't go looking for trouble and she'd retorted that I didn't need to as my very existence drew trouble to me. She'd jokingly wondered just how things would've gone if I'd never managed to arrive in this time which made me wonder how and when she had died in the timeline I knew of. The Interface didn't generate a Changing Fate quest for Fay there, though that was likely because I'd already done enough to remove how she died as a viable option, or it was tied into another of my quests that dealt with altering someone's fate.

"Haran, that's your master?" Another member of Gar's team, Trushrul Frka, asked in a voice barely above a whisper drawing my attention from Fay and the other adults.

He was leaning forward, staring intently at Fay.

"One of them, yes." I growled out, annoyed with his ogling of my master. While it was a common occurrence, it was not something I enjoyed seeing.

"She doesn't look much older than us." Anno stated. "Wonder if she likes research?" He asked with a chuckle and I glared as the faintest of whispers told me to put him down for his lack of respect.

"Master Fay is far, far older than any of us." I replied with a growl, though it sounded more like a baby's whine since my voice hadn't yet dropped. "And way, way out of your league. Look somewhere else." I added as I instinctively activated Force Compulsion.

"Uh… yeah." Hark mumbled out as I noticed him shiver before looking away and refocusing on someone else.

[Cameron? Is everything alright?]

I turned my attention from the boy to Fay and saw that while she was being escorted up a small flight of stairs towards the highest table by Adonai, her focus was on me. Her brow had narrowed and there was the barest hint of a frown threatening to mar her features.

The high table that she was being escorted to was the only one above the table I occupied with the other champions and was used by the staff and any guests during meals. The only time before this that the table I was sitting at had been used was during the opening feast of the session, when it had housed the former champions.

[Yes, Master.] I replied, wondering if she'd sensed my annoyance at the comments about her. [Just keeping some juvenile hormones in check.]

Her brow raised for a moment before smoothing in realization as a smile threatened the corners of her mouth. [Hmm. Very well. Though be mindful of your emotions and don't allow the words of others to upset you.]

[Yes, Master.] The smile became more prominent, and her brow softened before she turned her attention back to Adonai, who was speaking with Commandant Kraviss as they passed by my table.

"Hmm, has someone got the hots for their teacher?" Rook quietly asked and my head whipped around so fast I swore I heard something crack. Rook's smirk grew at my reaction. "Oh, I don't blame you. I prefer males, but even I'm curious as to just what she's hiding under those jare'la robes. Plus, I wouldn't mind learning how she looks so young."

"The Force." I replied, ignoring the image of Rook and Fay that flashed through my mind. "Master Fay has a strong and deep connection to the Force which slows her aging; even more so than most Jedi." Well, that was my working theory as I'd never actually asked her how she looked so young while being so old. That was not a question one should ever ask a woman, especially one as powerful as Fay.

There was the chance that some of her ability to age so gracefully was due to her Sephi heritage as that race had an elf-like ability to keep their looks well into their second century, with the elders often living past two hundred. However, the records I'd perused suggested that it was rare for a Sephi to live past three hundred, with none known to have made it past four. Since Fay was in her mid-seven-hundreds, she had to be enhancing any natural boost to her lifespan and graceful looks with the Force.

"If I may have everyone's attention," Kraviss began, drawing my attention back to the room. Since she was at the high table directly behind me, it forced me to turn almost entirely around – not a comfortable thing to do while seated – and look up. Hopefully this speech, like her others, would be short.

"Today, we here in this hall, staff and trainee alike, along with our honoured guests," she paused to allow the group of about twelve to nod, wave, or in Fay's case smile in that enigmatic way of hers, to the trainees. "We gather to celebrate the end of another session and honour our newest champions."

"Stand and be recognized, Parjir be te Kih Tracy'uur Sebbi Eldar." Kraviss said, and the older girl stood, earning a round of applause from everyone, including myself. Sebbi quickly sat down again, either not wanting to overdo the cheering or because that was the standard.

"Stand and be recognized, Parjir be te Ori Tracy'uur Nonx Beroya."

"Stand and be recognized, Traatik'lore Orchid-Six."

Each time the Commandant said this the relevant champions stood and received a round of applause from the hall. As far as I could tell, no-one was disingenuous in their approval, but with over eight-hundred people in the hall, it was hard to be sure.

"Stand and be recognized, Akaan'lor Cameron Shan."

As I stood, I almost banged my knee on the table. Not because I was too close to the table, but because the cheer that went up this time was louder. Someone whistled loudly, drawing my attention, and I saw Naz standing in her chair, fingers in her mouth.

She winked once she realised that I'd seen her and hopped off her chair. I caught sight of both Bo and Serra glance her way as I quickly sat down. The cheering didn't stop as it had with the other champions, which was embarrassing, though a glance from the corner of my eye showed that neither Gar nor his team were irked by it.

When everyone had cheered for me yesterday, I'd honestly thought most of it was just the trainees going through the motions. Bar a small number, I didn't think anyone was truly happy about me winning. Yet, from what I was seeing, the reaction yesterday had been genuine. The applause and cheering were louder from the tables where Diryc trainees sat, but even those from Laamyc seemed to be sincere in the approval.

"You are the first ever Diryc Akaan'lor. Jedi or not, that is historic." Gar explained, his voice just barely reaching my ears above the now slowly dying applause. "That you respected our ways and fought with honour only elevates the respect many now have for you."

While I wanted to say something to Gar in reply to his reasoning – which I could understand – I was cut off by the Commandant speaking once more.

"With the new champions recognized, I declare the session ended. Haili cetare!"

Several doors along the sides of the hall opened, ones which I knew led to the kitchen area, and the staff began to push out repulsor-lift trays of food. While I didn't recognize most of the dishes, some reminded me of meals from my former life, I caught sight of several repulsor-lifts carrying in roast shatual, and the unmistakeable smell of tiingilar slowly began to drift across the room.

I turned my attention from the food to the array of quest completion notices that appeared in my interface. With the Commandant ending the session, all my training quests came due. I dismissed them quickly, though the roughly 8,500XP that I earned from them took me close to level 25, at which point I'd be able to take a new Player Power.

I'd reached level 24 last night when the three Institute-linked quests had come due and the various bonus objectives that I'd met had resulted in me gaining the most XP I'd ever gotten in one go – around 30,000XP.

For my new perk at level 24, I'd taken Enhanced Regeneration. That doubled all my regeneration values, meaning my FP regenerated at 624FP per minute. This resulted in a full restore of my FP with about four minutes of meditation. Which was frankly insane. My Stamina and Player Power (PP) regenerations also doubled, which meant that, if the need arose, I could have Player's Mind active constantly without any drain on my PP.

Funnily enough, even if I'd had worn the Force Suppression bracers during the match, I doubted I'd have lost. I barely needed to use any Force Power beyond Precognition and the few moments where I'd used another power - such as Force Jump or Force Speed - wouldn't have bothered my FP total; never mind the increased FP regen I now had.

I had intentionally kept the few abilities I used at lower levels than I could have. Primarily this was to give Gar a good fight, as even if he was the best the Institute had to offer, he was still young and inexperienced in real combat. However, there were a few other reasons that convinced me to heavily limit myself. First, it was to allow those watching a good show, as my entire reason for coming to the planet was to build the beginnings of a combat unit that I could call on for the wars to come.

Additionally, by holding back I made sure that any of the audience that were possible threats - such as Pre Vizsla - would likely end up severely underestimating my abilities. While I had in no doubt that Pre had plans for taking me out, if I could make him think I was less of a threat than he realised, then his attempts against me would be lacking in the fire- and manpower they'd need to be a true threat. As long as they were prominent enough to ensure presentable truth upon confronting Vizsla after the fact, that was enough.

Plus, the more he fixated on me, the less he would be able to spend on reunifying Death Watch or recruiting people like Bo and Naz.

While using the Force at all had cost me a bonus condition for the Alpha Dog quest, it was a worthwhile price to pay to confirm myself as Akaan'lor, earning myself 4400XP for taking the crown.

As a large helping of shatual was placed in front of me, I put aside thoughts about my levels and what potential Player Power I'd take and picked up my knife. Now wasn't the time to consider my unique abilities, but to enjoy the fact I was a champion.

And from tomorrow, I'd begin to prepare for Serra's verd'goten. I was curious about how the planet was picked; was it random chance or was a short list of options given to the adiik? And beyond a knife, what other supplies was one allowed to take?

Tomorrow, I hoped to find out the answers to those questions and a few more.

……


……
(Serra's POV)

As another blast of hot, arid wind battered her, Serra bit of a grumble of annoyance. This planet, or at least the region she was in, seemed to be nothing but dry, dusty plains where the wind never stopped. Nor did the regular rumbling of distant thunder as lightning struck the ground.

She did, however, offer a small thanks that she'd been allowed to wear her Jedi robes over the basic combat suit she'd been forced to wear for her verd'goten. The robes offered her protection from the wind, and the swirling dust it kicked up, which wouldn't have been the case with just her combat suit. Force, the suit was even less armoured than what she'd worn at the Institute, though at least it was well ventilated otherwise she'd be at risk of heat stroke.

From far behind her, a distant howl carried to her ears on the wind. Whatever had howled sounded large, and her hand instinctively tightened around her only weapon. The knife she had for this hunt was given to her by Cam, the one he'd been given after killing Girk Saxon, and she was glad to have the beskar blade instead of a regular durasteel one.

Whatever she would have to kill would have to be taken down with the knife as, thanks to the Sith-cursed suppression bracers, the Force wouldn't be much of an ally during her trial. She could still sense the Force, mainly because of Cam's training on pushing past the interference the bracers generated, but it just wasn't the same. Gone was the all-encompassing feeling of the Force surging around and through her, and in its place was nothing more than a trickle, as though someone had drained an ocean until only the barest of drips from a tap remained.

Still, thanks to Cam's lessons, she knew she could force that tap open, no pun intended. While doing so with her negative emotions, and thus tapping into the Dark Side, or at least what she felt was the barest touch of the Dark Side, was easier it always left her feeling tainted afterwards. As though part of herself had been damaged by, if not lost to, the Dark Side of the Force. And the tiniest of voices from deep within her mind, the one demanding she take what she wanted, always seemed to grow louder during the moments when she brushed against the Dark Side.

She knew this voice, these desires, were her baser instincts, her animalistic side trying to assert dominance. She knew that giving into those instincts was dangerous, and led to the Dark Side taking control, yet a part of her wondered if some of the things she'd been taught about the Dark Side was wrong. There were certain abilities, mainly older ones that seemed to be linked to the Sith, which were labelled as dark, yet she wondered if they were truly infused with the Dark Side, or if the Jedi banned them because the Sith commonly used them. She'd asked Cam about this, and while his answer had been infuriatingly vague, she suspected he agreed, and that he was being vague so as to not influence her own decisions.

Using her happier emotions, and the Light Side of the Force allowed her far more control but took longer to achieve and it didn't feel as powerful. After thinking on that, and talking with Cam more, it had made sense. To Serra, happier emotions generally left someone more in control and alive while when someone was angry, especially when they went into a rage, they were more dangerous but often had far less control.

When she opened that tap with her happier memories and feelings, it felt as if the Force itself was allying or merging with her in a way that felt more profound and powerful than anything her Master or any other Jedi had hinted at.

As a second howl, this one from far to her left, answered the first, she hoped she didn't need to force open her connection to the Force with the Dark Side. Yet, if the moment came and she had to, she wasn't going to deny doing so if it was the difference between her living or dying.

As her grip on the knife tightened further, her thoughts turned to the one who'd shown her how to push through the interference of the bracers. Her thoughts about Cam were more conflicted than they'd been before coming to Mandalore. She was less sure about what she really wanted from him, yet at the same time she felt more certain about who she was, and what she wanted to be.

Most of that was due to the challenges she'd faced on Mandalore, but a large part was also due to Master Fay. The ageless Jedi's opinion had quickly come to matter to Serra almost as Cam's and Master Drallig's opinions did. She had talked daily with Master Fay before they had entered the Mandalorian Institute.

Those talks had mainly been about how to handle Serra's blossoming feelings and how to not let them dominate how she behaved. Unlike other Jedi that had taught Serra, Master Fay didn't deny that everyone had feelings or claimed that they were something to be feared. Master Fay felt that emotions were what reminded them that they were alive, and that all of them, good and bad, should be accepted as a part of themselves. Though Master Fay had been firm in explaining that for the next few years, if not the next decade, it would be hard to understand and control those growing feelings. The trick, according to the elder Jedi, was to learn to take a step back and think about what one really wanted, or needed, and if pursuing those needs and wants placed others in danger.

It had taken Serra a few months to understand what Master Fay had been saying, but she felt she was finally gaining a decent understanding. Watching Naz Vizsla as she gazed at Cam – or the glimpses she'd caught of Bo looking similarly at her – had let her see those wants in others and confront several problems within herself.

Before they'd come to Mandalore, Serra had been… almost obsessed with Cam. She's referred to him as hers, grown angry when others had taken his attention from her and wanted to lash out. Now, having seen signs of that from those girls, she could see how close she had been to losing control to her inner darkness; something she didn't realise she had until after the bracer training sessions with Cam.

Bo and Naz, while showing far too much interest in her and Cam respectively, hadn't let the targets of their desires rule their lives, nor had they grown angry when someone else was close to her or Cam. Force, the two girls seemed to spend as much time with each other as they did with her and Cam. Though she wished they'd learnt to close the kriffing doors when they wanted to… do things together.

She'd tried to talk with Cam about how to control one's feelings and desires, but every time she wanted to bring up the topic, it had been awkward as kriff. When they'd finally talked about those sorts of things, she'd been surprised with how… patient he'd been. Master Fay had told her that most growing males could become pushy about trying new things, yet Cam hadn't tried to push. Which was a good thing as she doubted she would've said no.

Instead, they'd spoken at length and decided to remain friends, good friends, until they were older. She hadn't pushed for what exactly he'd meant by older, but to her, it meant they'd both be adults. More specifically, adults by Republic standards. As much as a part of her – one linked to that darker voice – wanted her to treat them both passing a verd'goten as them being adults, she knew better.

Again, she had to thank Master Fay for helping with that as after the session at the Mandalorian Institute had finished, Serra had resumed her daily talks with the wise Jedi Master; even spending time with Master Fay while they travelled to Kiffu, the world Serra was now stuck on for her verd'goten.

While the Mandalorians would likely claim that the selection of Kiffu was just random chance, as a Jedi she knew better. The Force wanted her to go here, to complete her trial on this world, but why was sadly not something the Force had chosen to explain. Which from what she knew, was something it rarely, if ever, did.

Still, even if she didn't know the reason the Force had guided to Kiffu for her verd'goten, she found it amusing that the Force had chosen the homeworld of Aayla's master Quinlan Vos, for her trial.

A third howl, this time from where the first had come from, reached her ears. While it was louder than the initial howl, it was quieter than the second. Hopefully that meant the beasts weren't heading towards her, but it was hard be certain with the way the wind continually changing directions. She'd have to stay alert to be sure her hope wasn't misplaced.

As the wind shifted and smashed into her righthand side with enough strength to catch her unawares and make her stumble, she cursed the weather on Kiffu. For four long, monotonous days she'd been wandering the flats of Kiffu, searching almost aimlessly for something that was worthy of being her verd'goten kill.

While a part of her was still uncomfortable at killing for a hunt, she'd been reassured by Duke Adonai and Bo-Katan explaining that whatever beast was killed for the verd'goten would be harvested for the celebration of one becoming Mando'ade. They'd also explained that, if possible, the remains of the beast were sold with the credits going to what they called the Evaar'la Verd Fund. That was designed to help people adopted into the Mandalorian way – mainly children, but with the odd adult as well – settle into the culture. The ruling government in Sundari didn't approve of this fund, but Serra found it oddly reassuring that whatever she killed would help those in need.

Bo-Katan and Naz had wasted no time in telling the members of Serra's team that she planned to attempt the trial, and the group had spent a good amount of time wondering what she would hunt, and what sort of sigil it would result in.

Truthfully, Serra wasn't that bothered about what she killed – save for her unease about killing in a hunt – or a sigil that she'd never really need as a Jedi. What drove her to do this was a need, one that could almost be called a desire, to prove that she wasn't weak. That those boys who'd attacked her had been wrong to think she was.

She accepted that she was not, nor would she ever be, as strong as Cam, but that didn't make her weak. She was strong in her own way and this hunt would prove that to those who doubted her.

Though it was hard to find anything to hunt and kill when the wind on this farkling planet never seemed to ease up!

Almost as if the wind wanted to spite her, it grew stronger, and she stumbled again as it shifted direction once more. Even with her robes to protect her, the sand and dirt that was swirling around with the wind began to sting as it was slammed into her by the now wailing wind.

She hissed as something larger than a grain of sand grazed against her cheek. With the wind now beginning to kick up in speed – and fling larger pieces of dirt and possibly even small rocks around – Serra had no choice but to ignore the spark of pain in her cheek. She pulled her robes tighter around her, leaving her eyes as the only area of her body not covered by them – though those were covered by goggles – and kept walking forward.

If the wind behaved as it had over the last few days, and as the reports she'd read about the planet suggested, it would get stronger quickly, reaching a point where it would be all but impossible for her to keep going. It should then die down within a few hours, but if she couldn't find somewhere to use as a partial shelter her tent would be next to useless.

Over the last few days, she'd been able to use small patches of trees that huddled together to protect themselves the wind, or outcroppings of hard rock that could weather the wind as windbreakers. However, so far today she hadn't seen anything on the wind-whipped horizon. Thus, she was forced to trudge onwards, placing her faith in the Force to guide her to shelter, and her own skill to keep herself safe all while hoping the building storm didn't grow too quickly or become too powerful.

……

Several hours later, and Serra was still walking forward. Or trying to.

The wind had picked up as she suspected, but it was stronger than she'd ever experienced, leaving her all but blind and deaf to the world around her and showed no signs of lessening. It almost certainly also guaranteed that she was hidden from the orbiting ship where Cam, Master Fay, and Duke Adonai were watching her progress.

The increased strength of the wind resulted in larger objects slamming into her and she swore the one that struck her left shin had been the size of her fist. Though she had no time to stop and check if that or any other hit had drawn blood as she all but dragged herself forward. Each step barely longer than her own foot in length.

Plus, if the howling beasts from earlier were around, she'd never know until they attacked. Though she had to suspect that they, and likely ever other creature in range, had hunkered down to wait out the storm.

Booming thunder came from somewhere nearby as another bolt of lightning struck the ground nearby, though again with the wind limiting almost all her vision, she had no way to judge how far away the strike had been, or even where it had landed as she couldn't even see the flashes of lightning as they danced their way to the ground.

She tried to lick her lips, but her tongue was almost as dry as her lips as the wind ripped away any moisture the moment she opened her mouth. If she could find some shelter, she could take out one of her two remaining water bottles – the others were empty, and she hadn't found anywhere to refill them since yesterday morning – but doing so now would be foolish. The sand, dust and dirt in the air would quickly get in her backpack, and the water bottle, which wasn't something she wanted to deal with.

Now, if she'd had full access to the Force, she could use that to sustain herself, but the di'kutla bracers prevented her from doing that easily. Never mind that focusing on the Force in the middle of a large distraction was not something she had any training in.

Her foot caught against something and she stumbled, but thankfully didn't fall over. A quick glance down helped her see that she'd clipped against some exposed stone, and she growled; not that she heard herself do so.

Any anger she felt at almost tripping died as she realised this was the first exposed rock she'd found since the storm had really started and she felt hope rise up as she saw the exposed stone lead off in one direction.

Focusing on the direction the jagged link of exposed rock went before it vanished into the wind, she began to slowly walk that way and, as the wind dropped for a moment, she swore she caught sight of something reaching upwards hopefully not too far in the distance.

A small seed of hope blossomed as she saw that, and with renewed determination she moved forward. Even if it was nothing more than a single spear of rock reaching up into the sky, it was the first sign of natural shelter she'd seen in hours and would likely be enough to work as a windbreaker for her tent.

On her first day, she'd ignored something similar, thinking – even after studying up on Kiffu's weather – that the wind would die off, and had kept walking. It had felt like days before she'd found something else to use as shelter, so there was no way she was going to commit the same mistake twice. Any shelter in the constant windstorm was better than hoping for something better and pushing on.

As if to confirm her intentions, three loud, roaring rumbles of thunder echoed around her and the wind seemed to be tinged blue. While she tried not to react, the fact the wind shifted colour – if only for a moment- meant those strikes had been close, and she cursed this planet for the fact that even when the wind fell to nothing but a strong breeze, lightning strikes continued to pepper the surface.

Still, she had to give the locals credit. Not only had they survived on this planet, but they'd thrived and learnt to use the environment to their advantage. Kiffu was energy sufficient as the constant electrical storms and lightning strikes were channelled to power their settlements and factories. Every building in the city where they'd landed – and from which Serra had begun her verd'goten – had a lightning rod on the roof and there were arrays of collectors encircling the city.

It took her a while, but eventually Serra reached the rock formation and, when the wind died down for long enough that she could look, she realised the outcropping looked like a large hill made entirely of solid rock. The side she was on had a steep slope, but one worn smooth by the constant winds. A few moments later she'd found a small part of the rock-hill that would provide the best cover from the current wind and moved to set up her tent.

Thanks to having done this several times over the last few days, Serra was beginning to get the art of putting up a tent in the wind down, and after making sure it was secure, she slipped inside and sealed the door. Ignoring the way the wind was buffeting one side – something that had been constant no matter where or when she'd put up the tent – she quickly scooped up the sand and dust that had blown inside and pushed it to one corner. While getting it out would be preferable, the first time she'd tried that the wind had pushed more dust in than she was able to get out, so now she just left the collected debris until it was time to repack the tent.

While the tent wasn't the greatest, and didn't look particularly strong, it was covered in di-chrome and had thermal layering to help regulate the internal temperature and a null-layer to protect her in the unlikely event a lightning bolt stuck the tent. Plus, having the tent was better than not having it as she doubted that she'd have been able to survive four days in the constant storms without the portable shelter.

Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out a small, sealed bag. The smell that emanated from it made her stomach turn, but she knew she had to eat something solid and with a weary sigh, she reached in and tore off a piece of the charred meat inside. This was the remains of a small rodent-like creature that she'd managed to kill the day before last when it'd snuck into her tent. With her initial rations now gone, this was all she had until she either found something else to cook or completed her verd'goten.

Closing her eyes, she imagined the meat she was chewing was roast shatual, then washed the lingering aftertaste down with a few mouthfuls of water. After putting the resealed bag and water back into her backpack, and manoeuvring that to serve a pillow, she settled down.

While she doubted she'd get it, a peaceful sleep where she wasn't woken by the wind battering her tent would be nice. Almost as if to tell her that wouldn't happen, the tent rocked as the wind smashed against it, dust and other debris scraping harmlessly – she hoped – against the side.

……

She awoke with a start. Her eyes large as they snapped from side to side looking for danger as she unsheathed her knife.

The Force, even cut off from her as it was by the bracers, had screamed a warning to her. That she had still easily heard the warning was both a good and bad sign. Good in that it meant her connection to the Force was strong even with the Force blocked by the bracers, and bad because whatever was about to happen was exceedingly dangerous.

Though she'd worry about that after whatever was about to happen was over.

The wind sounded as though it had lessened, and behind the wailing symphony it constantly generated, she heard a new, ominous sound.

She was just able to hear something that sounded like knifes scraping against stone coming from the front of her tent. As that sound grew louder and closer, it was joined by something skittering.

She tensed as she heard the sounds grow louder and closer to the tent. With whatever it was approaching from the front, she was trapped inside. She couldn't risk opening the covered doorway to see what it was but staying inside risked her becoming trapped in the tent if its moorings were ripped up or the tent was sliced open.

One moment it sounded as though the skittering was coming from her left, then the next as if from behind her. She felt fear grip her heart as a large, ominous shadow grew and danced over the entrance of the tent. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was large and had, if the shadows weren't playing tricks on her, several long appendages sticking up into the air.

Making the shadow seem even scarier, and increasing the tightness in her chest, a menacing clicking came from the shadow as it drifted over the right-side of her tent.

A part of her considered tapping into her raw emotions. She knew from her training with Cam that, if she wanted to, she could break through the restraints of the Force Bracers using powerful emotions, like the fear she was experiencing. She also remembered the feeling of freedom and power that came with it. That wonderful feeling that she could do anything, accomplish anything, if she would just allow herself to release control, and give full reign to powers that she'd never truly utilized to their full potential... Yet the better part of her understood that was the lure of the Dark Side, the gratification and delight it offered to tempt one to keep using it.

She tried to ignore that part of her that wanted to feel that again even as the skittering, clicking and scrapping sounds became so loud they began to drown out the wind.

Another large shadow flashed against the left side of her tent even as a new, threatening tinging sound came from the right. Her grip around the knife tightened as a third shadow appeared, this one staying still for a moment against the right side of the tent.

More and more shadows danced around the tent and the sounds became so loud that she could no longer hear the wind.

Her eyes kept darting around, trying to see whatever was outside as she started taking small rapid breaths. Her heart seemed to beat so quickly that she felt it would explode out of her chest and the voice deep inside her grew louder and louder.

As the shadows grew in size and number, she once more had the urge to lash out, to feel that instant, almost overwhelming faith in herself that the Dark Side offered. Yet again, she resisted the temptation.

Yet, she knew she couldn't. Doing so would cost her everything. Her friends, her family, her future. But she couldn't deny that the darkness she sensed in herself was a part of her. Ignoring it felt wrong, but indulging it felt worse.

"Emotion, Yet peace." She began to whisper to herself as she gripped the knife as tightly as she could. "Emotion, yet peace. Emotion, yet peace."

She repeated the Code to herself, over and over, but unlike before, it didn't bring her solace. Didn't help to centre herself. Even as she kept whispering the words, a part of herself knew it wasn't right.

"E… I am the heart of the Force." She mumbled, as the words of the ancient Je'daii came to mind. "I am the heart of the Force."

While that still didn't bring her as much comfort as the Jedi Code had used to, it felt… better. Closer to what she truly needed to say. Yet she knew now was not the time to dwell on those thoughts and so she closed her eyes and continued to chant that line of the Je'daii Code over and over.

Time seemed to melt away as she found a semblance of balance, drawing on the Force, even with her weakened connection, to help her centre herself. The Force seemed to soothe and relax her as she chanted the ancient mantra, and she felt a warmth grow inside to counter the darkness her fear had created.

When she finally felt centred, she stopped repeating the mantra and listened.

The shadows that had been dancing on her tent and the clicking, tinging, and skittering sounds that had accompanied them were gone. Replaced by the strangely reassuring sound of the wind buffeting against her tent as thunder echoed in the distance.

Slowly, ever so cautiously, she moved to open the tent's door. While there was no screaming warning from the Force, there was always the chance the bracers were dulling a general sense of unease. Her knife hand stood ready as she slowly unzipped the tent.

With the door barely a quarter of the way unzipped she froze.

Somewhere outside, she could hear the skittering of whatever had been there before. Her heart began to beat faster as the skittering was joined by the tinging.

Without moving, she took several deep breaths, and mentally repeated the Je'daii line until her heart was calm again. Then, she listened carefully. Unlike before, there was only the single source of the sounds and she found that oddly reassuring.

She listened intently as whatever was making the sound wandered around, moving from the left side of her tent to the right then back, almost as if it was circling her.

Several loud, rapid thunderclaps echoed in the air, and the skittering paused for a moment. It then stayed constant, at least in direction. Whatever was making the sound seemed to be moving away.

Feeling more confident, Serra resumed unzipping the tent and offered a silent thanks to Duke Adonai for insisting on the primitive sealing method. A more modern tent would've had an electronic lock which would've hissed loudly as it unlocked, and she wouldn't have been able to stop it unlocking once it started.

"Sithspit!" she spat out as sand and dust began to rush into the tent. The wind had clearly shifted direction while she was inside and, as it bounced against the rock-hill she'd used as a wind break, was now aimed directly at the tent's entrance.

She grabbed her goggles, annoyed that she'd forgotten to put them on before opening the tent, slipped outside and resealed the tent. That should keep her backpack and supplies safe while she investigated her surroundings.

Visibility was still limited, but the storm from earlier had clearly passed and she could see for, perhaps, five-hundred metres. Her attention shifted from the weather to the ground around her tent.

The rock was scarred with scratches, as though thousands of knives had been dragged across it, though her head popped up as she heard a faint skittering sound. In the distance, she saw a – thankfully small – energy spider scurrying around.

Her breath caught in her through as she realised that the sounds from earlier had been a swarm of those spiders. She realised just how fortunate she'd been that the swarm that hadn't ripped her tent. If they had… she shuddered as she knew that even with her lightsaber and full access to the Force she'd have been hard pressed – ok, she'd have stood next to no chance – to take on a swarm of energy spiders alone, especially in a sandstorm.

The single remaining spider began to move quickly towards the edge of the rock-hill and, fearful that it the swarm was still close, she looked to see where it was heading.

Those fears disappeared as she saw another creature, perhaps three-hundred metres away from her, with the spider being closer to it than her. From the guide she'd read on the way here, she was able to identify the new creature as a static tree.

While not actually a plant, the creature's long gangly limbs waved in the wind like branches while its six legs that shuffled over the ground bore a passing resemblance to the roots of a tree. Though what set it apart from a tree was the way electricity coursed around the limbs, encircling the creature. That lightning-like effect was generated by the passing wind interacting with small blob-like protrusions that dotted its skin. The creature then used the electricity to manage the wind and protect itself from predators, both local and imported; with the latter being the case with energy spiders.

The spider was moving very slowly towards the tree – likely because it was heading into the wind – which was another relief for Serra. Without her lightsaber or the Force, even a single spider would be a challenge.

She knew about both species – one local, one imported – as she'd studied up on the local flora and fauna while travelling to Kiffu, and a thought came to her. While the static tree was a local species but not something that would suffice for her kill, mainly because the electricity it generated was only a danger to a sentient if they were struck by it for a sustained time, the spider certainly would be a worthy kill. And with it distracted by the static tree, she felt she had a decent chance to take it down and get off of this Sith-cursed planet.

Pulling her robes tight around her, she cautiously began to approach the two creatures. While the spider didn't hunt by smell, she still made sure to keep herself downwind so it would remove that problem and limit the chances of the spider spotting her approach.

Lightning seemed to dance in the air, but she didn't hear any thunder meaning it was likely just bolts travelling around the sky and not striking the ground.

While the part of her that was raised in the Jedi Temple was uncomfortable with thinking like a hunter, the greater part of her psyche knew that to not do so was an unnecessary risk. That made her thankful for the stealth and tracking training she'd received at the Institute on Mandalore.

She also knew to take short, quieter steps to limit any sound reaching her target. Which became a useful thing as, moving after the two creatures, she rounded part of the rock-hill and the wind slammed into her. Visibility dropped to only a few hundred metres, but that was just enough to track the tree and more than enough for the spider.

She frowned as the tree began to move around an edge of the hill. She couldn't remember seeing that before, but it was likely something that was hidden by the wind. As it began to disappear from sight, the air began to tinge blue, and she heard thunder echo off the rock-hill. The spider had closed rapidly, likely having realised its target was within striking range and didn't want to lose its meal and was no more than ten metres behind the tree while she was maybe a hundred from both.

Serra began to pick up her own pace, only to slow again as she realised that the spider was in full hunt-mode now, with it moving in for the kill. While un-Jedi-like, it was smarter for her to wait until just after the spider struck. That was when its guard should be down and would give her the best chance of landing a critical strike before it knew she was there.

Still, she kept moving closer.

The tree had disappeared entirely now, and the rumbling of thunder was intensifying. Yet, Serra was confused as this sounded different. Normally the thunder on Kiffu was deep, seeming to reverberate around the sky. Now, the lightning seemed to crackle and echo heavily from where she'd last seen the tree. Perhaps the tree had entered a small crevasse or cave?

The spider skittered forward faster, moving in for the kill, which forced Serra to increase her speed. She needed to be close, but not too close, when the spider attacked the tree.

Just as the spider reached the last place Serra had seen the tree, it paused and reared back, lifting its sharp, blade-like claws high above its head. She thought she saw something shoot out from the spiders' mouth – likely its webbing – towards where the tree should be.

However, if the webbing had hit the tree became moot as the tree came flying out into the wind from what Serra was now sure was a cave. And attached to two of the tree's limbs by its mouth was a massive flying snake-like creature.

The tree landed on its side and began to roll, which made the flying snake release its grip. As it pulled back and opened its mouth Serra saw rows of razor-sharp teeth, though her attention shifted to the tree as the lightning began to encircle around then expand from it.

A shockwave of lightning exploded out from the tree, and before she could process what she was seeing, the wave struck the spider then her.

She was knocked off her feet but the strength of the wave – which reminded her of a shockwave from a seismic charge that she'd in a recording – then tumbled over a few times as the wind caught her.

"AGH!" she cried out as first her thigh, then her lower back, were sliced as they caught jagged patches of exposed rock as she rolled head over feet before she was able to stop herself.

Doing her best to ignore the pain from those two big cuts – and the various little grazes and bruises she felt all over her body – she snapped her head around as she heard an inhuman groan.

Quickly realising the sound had come from the creatures, she focused on them, though given the energy wave had knocked her back nearly ten metres and the wind was strengthening, it wasn't as easy she'd like.

As she began to move closer once more, she watched in morbid curiosity as the flying snake ripped its head back from the tree; tearing one of the tree's limbs clean off and sending blood flying everywhere. She heard the inhuman groan again and she realised it was the tree making the sound as it cried out in pain.

As the groan was carried away by the wind, Serra noted that the lightning around the tree was all but gone, though given that something similar was encircling the snake, she doubted it would make much difference. Though seeing that lightning around the snake helped her realise that it was a spark-dragon. Like the tree, it could generate its own version of lightning as an offensive and defensive measure, which was why the tree's attack had done nothing to the dragon.

Serra gulped hard as she realised that she'd stumbled into the lair of one of the apex predators of Kiffu, and how close she'd made camp to such a beast. Thankfully for her, though not for the tree, this dragon looked to be on the smaller side, at around four metres in length.

From the guide she'd read, these dragons could grow up to ten metres in length and when she'd read that, she silently asked the Force to help make sure she didn't run into such a beast. It seemed the Force had answered her, but only by making the creature in front of her a smaller, and thus younger and less intelligent, version of its fully grown brethren.

The spark-dragon reared back, preparing to attack the tree again, only for something to ignite against the lightning that danced around its body. Serra suspected that had been the spider – which standing again – had launched webbing at the dragon, and the dragon seemed to agree as it turned its attention to the spider.

For a moment, Serra's eyes met those of the dragon and she swore she saw the glint of predatory enjoyment before its focus turned to the spider.

"Kriff." Serra cursed as the two predators faced off. A small energy spider was something she felt she had a chance to kill, particularly if it had just taken down its prey. But not a spark-dragon, and definitely not both at the same time. She was out of her depth.

Yet, as the two beasts hissed and clicked at each other, she wondered if maybe she'd have a chance to take down one once it had killed the other. Though that would only work if somehow the spider was able to hurt the dragon.

Still, with the thought that her moment was approaching, she took a tentative step forward, hoping to be in range with a chance to exploit that rare chance.

Her plan depended on the two beasts being preoccupied with each other and not noticing or caring about her. However, as she took a second step towards the pair, the dragon squawked and flapped its upper – and smaller – set of wings.

Serra's stooped as she saw lightning coalesce around those wings before her eyes widened in shock as that lightning hurtled towards her.

Ignoring the complaints from her body, she dove to one side and rolled. Her right leg grazed against a rock edge, but she didn't complain as she smelt the ozone as the bolt flew through where she'd been standing.

As she came out of her roll, she looked towards the predators and blinked in surprise. The dragon was missing one of those smaller upper wings. Clearly, the spider had used the shift in the dragon's attention to her to attack, though given the whisps of smoke coming two of the spider's claws, it hadn't achieved the attack without taking damage to itself.

A page from the guide she'd read about Kiffu's fauna flashed through her mind. While the strike of a static tree was generally not fatal – unless someone was struck by multiple bolts – and would normally just numb a limb for a few hours, the lightning from a spark-dragon had the capacity to burn and kill with a single strike.

Behind the two now wounded predators, Serra saw the tree begin to drag itself away; though with one limb missing and another two bleeding profusely she doubted it would get far. That was proven true as both predators reacted to its movement.

The tree groaned in pain as the dragon snapped at it while the spider drove one of its non-smoking knife-like legs into a working tree limb.

While the beasts were all distracted, Serra hustled closer. She could've turned tail and ran, but with the dragon already knowing she was here, there was a fair chance it would come after her if it did as she expected and killed the spider.

That meant she'd have to get closer, bide her time and strike with the hope she could find a way to kill one or both beasts before they could hurt her. It was far from her ideal plan, but it was the best one she had at the moment, and she knew she'd have to be very, very careful about how and when she entered the battle.

The dragon drifted closer to the spider, which forced it to pull its claw from the tree and swing two of those lethal looking edges towards the dragon. The dragon was seemingly unconcerned by the warning, and drifted closer still. However, the spider clicked madly and pulled the claws back, and Serra saw and smelt that one of the claw-limbs was burnt.

Her grip on the knife grew tighter as she continued to slowly, warily closed the distance between herself and the two monsters.

Suddenly, the dragon hissed and lunged forward headfirst. To avoid the rows of razor-sharp teeth the dragon exposed, the spider skittered back. Though in doing so, it came close enough to Serra that she could attack, which she did; slashing one of the spider's rear legs just above the joint deep enough that blood came flying out of the wound.

The spider seemed to hiss and began to turn to face the new threat, only for it to stumble. As its only remaining undamaged claw came around, Serra shuffled back, barely avoiding a wild swing of the claw.

However, trying to attack Serra while stumbling had exposed the spider to the dragon, and there was no way an apex predator like that wouldn't take advantage.

The dragon lunged forward, opening it maw, exposing so many razor-sharp teeth in its massive mouth that Serra felt a fresh jolt of fear race up her spine, momentarily paralyzing her.

She gasped at the sight and took an instinctual step back as she realised that the largest of those teeth would easily go through her arm if given the chance or rip off her entire head in a single bite.

The frightening maw closed around the spider's thorax and drove its teeth deep into the spider's body. The spider hissed loudly, even as it lost it balance and rolled onto its side only a few metres from Serra.

The dragon didn't let go, and instead began to coil its long, powerful body around the flailing spider, aiming first for the claw-like limbs that might be a threat before pulling them tight against the spider's body. As the dragon began to squeeze, Serra morbidly wondered if the spider would die from the bite wound or by being crushed to death.

The air began to smell as smoke drifted away from the spider's body as Serra realised that it was now also being cooked alive by the dragon's lightning. Even if it would've killed her if given the chance, Serra felt a prang of sympathy for the spider, though she made no move to help it.

Yet, her brow creased as she watched the two creatures tumble around as, unexpectedly, the lightning around the dragon began to lose colour and strength. She swore she spotted that, even as its flesh burnt, the spider, in a final act of defiance, had manged to drive its fangs into the body of the dragon.

A feeling told her that this was her moment, and she moved. Closing the short distance between herself and the two struggling beasts, she braced her arm and drove it forward, aiming for the dragon.

She hissed in pain as her hand and arm pushed through the dragon's lightning field even as she felt her muscles lock up, but she kept going and was rewarded as she felt her blade lodge itself into the dragon's skull.

The dragon's head whipped back, and it roared in pain, yet Serra kept pushing forward. The combined actions drove the blade deeper into the skull. She felt the pressure suddenly lessen as the dragon jerked.

Even as she realised that she'd pierced the predator's brain, a massive electrical explosion erupted.

Serra barely had time to realise that it had come from the dragon before she was slammed into the side of the rock-hill.

"Oof!" She blurted out involuntarily as the air was driven from her lungs before she slumped forward.

Pain exploded throughout her body as she landed on the ground face-first and felt something slash her cheek.

"Argh." She mumbled out, and then, with far more difficultly than she could comprehend, she lifted one arm and pushed herself over onto her back.

Her eyes began to close as the pain threatened to overwhelm her body. Though as the wind roared across her face, and she felt a familiar presence approaching through the Force, she turned her head.

It took her far longer than it should have, though that might just be because the everything was spinning, but she eventually turned enough to see the two predators.

Neither was moving, though there was a lot of smoke rising from the spider while the dragon wasn't moving; likely due to the knife that was buried up to the hilt in its skull.

Even though it strangely hurt, Serra smiled at the sight. With a groan she moved her hand to her belt and slowly, painfully, pulled her communicator from a pouch.

Activating the communicator, she lifted it towards her mouth.

"I'm. Done. Come. Down." Each word hurt to say, took far longer to say that it should have, and her voice sounded weak and hoarse, but she sent the message.

She felt the device vibrate, indicating an incoming message, and a hologram appeared. Without even looking at it, she knew it was Cam and her smile grew, though it again hurt to do so.

Whatever Cam said was too quiet for her to hear over the wind as it whistled around her, but she didn't care. She'd proven to herself, to Cam, to everyone, that she wasn't weak. That it wasn't the Force that made her special and she could what she wanted without it.

The pain from her arm became too much and it gave out, falling to the ground; making her lose her loose grip on the communicator.

Part of her mind was able to understand that the burnt smell wasn't just coming from the spider, but her robes as well, but she didn't mind. She'd competed her verd'goten.

Her last thought as her remaining strength deserted her and her eyes closed was why the brunt meat smell of the spider was so strong when the creatures weren't directly upwind of her.

……



……
(Cam's POV)

FEAR

I was pushed out of my meditation as fear seemed to tear at my very soul as a great pressure grew around my heart, and if not for the fact I was sitting, I suspected I'd have fallen over.

It felt as though the Force was screaming a warning in my head and I saw a flashing red notice in my interface; one that did nothing to help me regain control of the almost nauseating wave of panic that gripped me.

WARNING!
A bonded individual is in grave danger.
Serra Keto [High] is in danger.

[Serra? Serra?] I called out with Telepathy before remembering that the range of both that and the bond were insufficient for me to establish a connection.

When Serra had ventured out from the city of Khefstin, the ship we had arrived on – which was Duke Adonai's personal cruiser, the Cin Vhetin – had returned to orbit, which made the distance too great for me to attempt telepathic communication. And that was without the bracers being active.

Adonai had informed us that it was common practice for an adiik's family and sponsors to watch the hunt from orbit, so that they were close enough to monitor what was happening, but far enough away that no one could accuse them of interfering. However, with Kiffu been all but permanently covered in sand and lightning storms, all we could see was the brown hue of the planet as the sand and dust swirled around in the storms below.

"Shab!" I cursed as I shifted my legs.

I ignored the glances the nearby bridge crew gave me as I stood and I took the few steps needed to move from the corner of the bridge to reach the station that handled sensors. Since we'd returned to high orbit, I'd claimed that corner as my own and had only left to eat my meals or go to the toilet.

"What…" I began to ask, only to stop as another wave of fear smashed into my mind. One hand drifted to my temple as I closed my eyes to shake off this latest surge of terror.

Whatever was happening to Serra on the planet below was making her so scared that even with the distance between us, and the bracers active and limiting her ability to call upon the Force, that I was being overloaded with feedback.

Before the fear could fully overwhelm me, I activated Empathic Shield. As the tsunami of fear crashed against the mental barrier I'd erected with the Force, I opened my eyes and took a deep breath to centre myself. While Empathic Shield stopped be from being consumed by her fear, it did nothing for my own, which was still growing thanks, in no small part, because of the still flashing red notice in the Interface.

"What is going on do there?" I asked the sensor operator, finally able to get my question out.

"The storm's picked up. Again." The male Togruta replied without lifting his head from his station. "And I'm detecting an increase in electrical activity."

I rolled my eyes at his answer. While that was a suitable answer to what I'd asked, it wasn't what I'd meant, and he had to have known that. Though this was likely the Togrutan's way of getting back at me sitting so close to his station of the last few days.

Initially, it had surprised me to discover non-Humans working on the Duke's cruiser, as I had expected a human-only crew, but I quickly remembered that being Mandalorian was not about being Human, but a creed. An ideal.

The original Mandos hadn't been humans, instead being a now-extinct race known as the Taungs, so I really should've expected to encounter non-human Mandos. Though the four in the crew – 3 Togrutas and one Zabrak – were the first non-human Mandos I'd seen since arriving on Mandalore.

"What about Serra?" I prodded, batting down my irritation at the lack of useful information he given me.

"With all the electrical activity in the skies, it's hard to get a good reading, but her vitals are…" he paused as he focused on one readout in particular. "Her heart rate just spiked and I'm reading an increase in adrenaline."

"Take us down!" I snapped at the officer of the deck as I turned and looked at the female lieutenant in the command chair.

The woman snorted. "Not without direct orders from the Duke."

I growled and took a step towards the officer. I knew that she was only following orders, but my friend was in danger – so much danger that the Force and the Interface were both warning me about it – and she was more interested in following those orders than helping. It was infuriating to still have to deal with Mandalorians who didn't want Jedi here. We'd proved ourselves in the Institute, with the ijaat'akaanir, yet still many – even those loyal to House Kryze – were dismissive of our presence.

"Cameron!" I stopped mid-step and turned to see that the doors to the small bridge had opened. Master Fay was now standing just inside the room, her face marred by the knitting of her brow.

"Master. Serra's…" Fay raised a hand, silencing me mid-sentence.

"I felt it too. However, threatening the crew isn't the way we handle the situation." She remarked, a single eyebrow raising as she shifted her gaze downward.

I glanced down and felt my eyes widen as I saw my hand was gripping my lightsaber. I hadn't planned to do that, nor even realised I had. Yet, as my concern for Serra and anger at the officer of the deck's lack of interest in helping had flared, my hand must've drifted there on instinct.

"I… sorry." I muttered as I removed my hand from my hilt and felt my shoulders slump.

Fay smiled softly as she closed the distance between us. "It is quite alright. Being concerned for your friend is admirable, however be mindful that that concern doesn't make you more… aggressive in your need to help."

"Yes, master."

"Now, what can you tell me?" She asked even as she turned her gaze to the scanner station behind me.

"I awoke with…" I paused as I felt the Force shift.

The sense of danger was still there, but now there was something else. Something that made the Force alter its reaction.

On a hunch I stopped powering Empathic Shield and smiled as I felt, under a now diminished sense of fear, the barest whisps of calmness coming from Serra. There was something else there – confusion maybe, or unease – but it was harder to sense. Those kriffing bracers getting in the way of our connection.

"I sense it also." Fay said, drawing my attention from trying to interpret what I sensed from Serra though our bond back to my master. "The danger is still there, but Serra is more at ease with herself."

"She's calm." I said, expanding on what Fay had said. "There's still fear, but a sense of calmness is beginning to smother it."

Fay smiled again, though this time there was twinkle in her eye, hinting at her amusement. "Indeed. Still, even if young Serra now has her emotions under control, it would perhaps be prudent to lower our altitude."

"I already told them to do that."

Fay chuckled. "Yes, but this is not a Jedi vessel. We are here as guests of Duke Adonai." She explained before she turned towards the lieutenant. "Can you please summon the Duke?"

The woman turned and nodded. "Certainly, Master Jedi." Her eyes caught mine and she smirked before she tapped a button on the command chair. I realised that she hadn't been acting to spite me, but was merely respecting the chain of command, something I was all too familiar with from my former life.

"While there is no shame in being concerned for your friend, please remember that we should not let our… connections drive us to commit rash actions." Fay said as she turned back to face me.

"Yes, master."

As mentally reviewed the last few minutes, I was embarrassed about how I'd behaved. I knew going into this that Serra would be in danger, but the combined warnings from the Force and the Interface had sparked a concern for her that I hadn't expected. Serra was important to me, but the fear I'd felt – and still felt though it was less prevalent now – at the idea that I might lose her… It was unsettling.

I stood beside Fay in silence, sensing Serra's emotions through the Force as the warning it gave slowly began to settle. The notice in my Interface slowly began to shift as well, turning from red to a dark, then light orange.

More than likely she was reciting the Jedi Code to centre herself, and the vague, distant sense of confusion I was picking up was likely just her continued uncertainty about how effective the Code was. That was all my doing, and while I was glad that she wasn't blindly trusting the Code any longer, I wished that, for this moment at least, she could find something to fully place her faith in.

I was still standing there, with Serra's fear now all but entirely subsumed by her new-found serenity, as the bridge doors hissed open, and Adonai strode onto the bridge. He wasn't in his full armour – just the breastplate and thigh guards – but he looked more than ready for battle if the need arose.

"There's been a change in the adiik's situation?" He asked as he moved towards the lieutenant, who jumped from the command chair and clasped her fist to her heart.

"Her vitals spiked, likely in fear, and the other Jedi seemed to sense this." The female officer responded, her unease with the Force clear to hear in her tone. "Her vitals are still elevated, but not enough to suggest she isn't in imminent danger."

"While that may be the case, the Force is still warning of danger to Padawan Keto." Fay added as she drew Adonai's attention to her. "We both feel it would be prudent to descent partially."

"You want to fly into that?" Adonai asked, pointing to the viewport. The planet below was nothing more than a dusty brown colour as, like every day since we'd arrived, it was almost entirely engulfed in sand-filled lightning storms.

No matter how much the Mandalorians felt that it was nothing more than simple chance to how a planet for a verd'goten was selected, I believed – as did Fay – that the Force had guided Serra here. Though why that was wasn't something it felt like revealing to either of us; nor did my Interface want to drop me a hint.

"Yes. I sense that the moment is nearing." Fay said in that typically mysterious way that Jedi sometimes spoke. Now, since I could feel the Force, sense it in every living thing, I understood why they spoke that way. However, to those who couldn't sense it, that style of speech must've sounded a little… insane.

As Adonai stroked his beard, I saw the lieutenant frown at Fay's words. "While young Keto is my ward, she is one of your Order." Adonai stated after a moment's consideration. "Therefore, I'll follow your lead. Helm, take us into a lower orbit."

"Yes, my Duke."

The lieutenant returned to her station – the main tactical board – though not before I caught sight of her brow creasing further.

As the planet began to fill the entire viewport, I barely managed to keep a smile from creeping onto my face. The ship seemed to hum as the power core increased its output and a low rumble vibrated through the deck as the repulsor lifts on the underside of the hull powered up; taking the strain as we began our descent.

[Be safe.] I sent to Serra. Even if she couldn't hear me because of the distance and the bracers, I felt she'd sense the intent behind the words.

As we entered the upper atmosphere, the ship shuddered as the wind in the upper atmosphere began to batter the shields. No one lost their balance, but anyone in their sleep cycle would likely be jolted awake by the constant rocking we were now experiencing.

The shuddering and rocking of the ship continued as we descended further into the atmosphere, and soon we vanished from orbital view and been engulfed by the never-ending storms of Kiffu.

"My Duke, we are receiving a hail. The locals wish to know why we've begun to descend without permission." The comm operator reported.

"Tell them it is official Mandalorian and Jedi business." Adonai replied as I saw the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. "If that isn't sufficient reason, remind them we have permission from the Sheyf to land whenever and wherever we like."

"Yes sir." I couldn't see the man's face, but I was certain the comm operator was smiling that Adonai's words. If the situation was different, I likely would've too, but my mind was focused on Serra, and the danger she was still in.

"Engineering reports that due to the debris in the air, we'll only be able to stay here for about an hour before we'll be forced to land or return to a higher orbit." Another member of the bridge crew reported after we'd been descending for about ten minutes.

"Understood." Adonai replied, before he turned to face me and Fay. "Has there been any change?"

Fay shook her head. "Yes and no. While we can still sense that there is danger, I believe that Padawan Keto is able to handle the situation. Still, the closer we are, the more able we are to help if there is a need."

"True. And hopefully what your sensing means that she's close to finishing the hunt." Adonai replied before turning and looking out the viewport; though there was nothing to see as wind was full of dirt, sand and debris which limited our visibility to maybe five metres. "The sooner we can see the back of this dust-ball the better."

I supressed a chuckle at the Duke's words as I knew that his desire to leave wasn't due to the time it was taking Serra to complete her verd'goten, but because of the local government.

Once they'd learnt that the ruler of the Mandalore sector was in orbit, the ruling council of Kiffu – led by a person known as the Sheyf who happened to share the same family name as Quinlan Vos – had been in almost constant contact with the ship.

The Duke had spent most of the past few days dealing with those calls, and whatever the Sheyf wanted, in his quarters. Fay had also been contacted several times, though she had far more patience than the Duke, or she was better at hiding her annoyance, as she never seemed to be bothered by the various requests that came in. She also never bothered me with them. Even if I had been asked to help or to use them as distractions, I suspected I'd have done a piss poor job of helping with my mind preoccupied by Serra and her hunt.

Time seemed to crawl to a stop as I watched the shifting patterns in the brown sky outside the viewport and I wondered just how much longer we'd have to wait until we broke though the storm. Standing around and not doing anything while she was in danger was not something I was enjoying.

"Engineering reports we have thirty minutes left." Someone said and I blinked.

Either I'd been staring at the weather for far too long and become lost in my thoughts, or something had happened, and I'd lost a chunk of time. A quick glance at the bridge chronometer confirmed it was the former, which was probably for the best.

How much longer is this going to take?" I heard someone mutter from behind me and I turned to respond only to stumble and fall to a knee.

"Argh!" I grunted out as a wave of pain shot through my bond with Serra.

"Cameron?"

Quickly I reengaged Empathic Shield – I'd left it down to sense the moment anything happened to her – and pushed myself back to my feet.

"I'm fine Master. It's Serra…" I let my words trial off as I stopped answering Fay and turned back to the screen and cursed the fact that the view was still obscured.

With even a partially clear sight of the ground below, I could've abused Teleport, Telekinesis and Levitation to reach the surface faster; though it would've drained a fair amount of FP to do so. However, even then it would've been difficult to manage due to the winds on this planet. Thus, I was forced to wait around uselessly as Serra felt excruciating pain.

"How bad?" Fay asked. She was now close enough that she could place a hand on my shoulder in a gesture of support.

"Bad." Fay gave my shoulder a squeeze even as she turned to face Adonai and the bridge officer.

"Land the ship." Fay all but demanded.

"You heard the lady." Adonai said, earning a small nod of thanks from Fay. I'd have done the same if I wasn't preoccupied with worry about Serra.

If not for Fay's reassuring touch, I'd have started pacing so instead I glared at the viewport, all but demanding the storm broke so I could see what was happening with my friend.

The shaking and rattling grew louder as we descended further and faster into the storm. Lightning exploded as it crashed against the shields, and I heard a few people call about the effects the weather was having on the cruiser. Yet all I cared about was getting to Serra, to be able to do something, anything to help.

I felt impotent, useless, as I did nothing while Serra was subjected to such immense pain that I'd felt it so easily through our bond.

[Be at ease Cameron. The Force will guide us to her.] Fay said telepathically, sparing me from any public embarrassment about my feelings for my friend. Though I doubted the Mandalorians would see my situation as embarrassing. More likely they'd be surprised to see a Jedi so concerned with the life of another, even a friend.

[I know, master. I just hate feeling so… useless.]

[I understand but remember that Serra is strong. Perhaps stronger than any of us realise, and the Force is with her. Always.]

While Fay's words were meant to help, my mind instantly drifted back to why Serra was down there. Even if she wouldn't confirm it to me, I knew that a major part of her reasoning for her attempting this hunt was because of those boys. If anything happened to her, anything permanent… I'd make sure they lived just long enough to regret their mistake.

[Cameron. Be mindful of your fears. Don't let…]

"Incoming signal!" Someone called, ending my mental communication with Fay in an instant as my head snapped to the main holographic display that sat between the command chair – now occupied by Adonai – and the helm. The display sparked to life as an image began to appear.

"By the Force!" Fay muttered out as a shimmering blue image of Serra formed in the display.

Her clothing and face had clearly been burnt while she appeared to be lying on her back, holding her communicator close to her face and I suspected that it was only because the hologram was blue that we weren't seeing the full details of the damage done. Thankfully, her eyes were fine, though her goggles were nowhere in sight, and while there was a smile on her face, her lips looked beyond dry, and her eyebrows were gone.

"I'm. Done. Come. Down." Serra managed to force for her mouth. I felt my heart stop for a moment at how scratchy and hoarse her voice sounded, and I moved towards the display.

"Serra? Are y… What happened?" I asked, cutting myself off from asking if she was ok. She clearly wasn't and it was a stupid question to ask.

Serra didn't respond beyond her smile growing, though that action had me wincing as her skin around her mouth cracked and it appeared as though blood began to seep down her cheeks.

The image suddenly shifted, flailing around until it stopped and all I could hear was the wind as it whistled passed.

"Serra?! SERRA!" I screamed, not caring if I annoyed anyone on the bridge, but no reply came.

"Get us down there now!" Adonai ordered, an edge to his voice. I felt the hum of the generators increase and had to assume the crew were following his order without question.

"Cameron," Fay began, her hand coming to rest on my shoulder while I felt her reassurance and understanding through the Force, "Serra is strong."

"But…" I paused and licked my lips. Bringing myself to comment on the state she'd appeared in was more difficult than I'd expected. "It's…"

"I understand, Cameron. We are all worried about her, but you much have faith. Faith in her to have the will to stay strong until we reach her, and in the Force to guide and protect her."

For a moment, I wanted to lash out at Fay. Saying I had to trust the Force to protect Serra sounded so empty when I could see her lying there, so gravely wounded that she was unable to process it. However, I knew that Fay was simply trying to comfort me, so I let the moment pass.

"I… Yes, master." I replied with a deep sigh. "I just feel so…"

"At times like this we all do." Adonai offered, drawing my attention. "Dorgo was wounded during his hunt, and as my ship came in to collect him, he began to fade in and out of consciousness and there were moments where I feared I'd lost my first-born. Even though he made a full recovery, and I know young Serra will too, that day was one of the most nerve-wracking of my life."

"We have a lock on her communicator." The Togrutan scanner operator stated. "It's close to a rock formation that will make landing difficult. I'd advise we land five kilometres further south."

My head flew around, ready to snap at the crewmember, but Adonai beat me to it.

"No. Land us as close you can. Mando'ade Keto needs our help." I gave him a small smile of thanks at him calling Serra that, which he accepted with a nod, before I turned back to the viewscreen.

The seconds ticked by, and even though I knew there was little I could do, I still felt impotent just standing here waiting.

"Patience, Cameron. We are descending as fast as the ship will allow." Fay said, her hand still resting on my shoulder.

That's when I remembered my earlier idea about abusing three Force powers to reach the ground quicker. For a moment I considered using my earlier idea of Teleport, Telekinesis and Levitation to reach the ground quicker, though I quickly dismissed the idea.

Even though we were now closer to the ground, the strength of the wind, and the complete lack of visibility, made such an idea foolhardy at best, fatal at worst. Still, at least being able to contemplate such a foolhardy idea helped elevate some of my feeling of inadequacy.

"Perhaps you'd like to wait near the loading ramp?" Adonai suggested. "I'll have a med-team standing by, ready to deploy as soon as we land."

"Yes, that would be the best approach. Thank you." Fay replied and she guided me silently out of the bridge.

The walk to the loading ramp was done in silence. There wasn't much to be said and it was taking a lot of effort for me to not rush around in a frantic need to do something or lash out in anger at my failure to be helpful.

"Master Jedi." The ship's chief medical officer greeted us as she saw us approach the landing ramp. "We've got a hover-gurney ready to deploy but finding her in this storm could be tricky."

"We will handle that Doctor." Fay responded. "The Force will guide us to her, and we'll do what we can to temper the storm's fury."

"Ah… Yes. Thank you." The doctor didn't sound comfortable about us using the Force but it seemed she was wise enough to not dismiss the offer.

The vessel shuddered and I had to support myself against the wall to keep my balance. One of the three other members of the medical team wasn't so lucky and stumbled to the ground.

"Krern, you alright?" the doctor asked as another of her team helped the fallen one.

"Yes, doctor. Sorry."

I ignored the conversation as a new marker appeared on my Detection-boosted minimap. It shone with a bright pulse, and since the only other person beside Fay that I had a Solid or better Force Bond with on this planet was Serra, I knew it was her.

Yet, my breath caught in my throat as I saw that the marker was red. That was a new thing, and not a good sign.

With my worry and fear about Serra overriding any common sense, I Teleported. The loading area faded away as my vision was engulfed in a silver light as the Force power activated. When the light faded, the wind slammed into me and I stumbled to my right. My foot caught on something and I fell over.

"Oof!" I muttered as I slammed shoulder first into the ground.

"Ugh." A weak, pained groan came from my left and I turned my head and gasped at what I'd tripped over.

"Serra!"

My tongue seemed to get caught in my throat as I saw her up close, and I dry heaved for a moment as the faintest whisps of burnt flesh reach my nose.

Her robes weren't just burnt, they'd melted into her skin, and where the flesh was exposed, it was charred badly or a sickly white. Her face wasn't in much better shape with her lips cracked and there was a small trail of blood leaking from her mouth. I could also see that, like her eyebrows, her hair was all but gone; burnt off by whatever had happened.

I felt my anger flare, as a need to find whatever had done this to her and obliterate it surged through me. Yet, as I shifted so that my legs weren't pushing down on Serra's midsection, I pushed that desire down. Right now, all that mattered was stabilizing Serra until Fay arrived with the medical team.

[Master, I'm with Serra. Hurry!] I all but shouted through the Force to Fay as I moved my hand to check the back of Serra's head. She groaned as my fingers slipped into the last, smoking embers of her hair. I sighed in relief at not feeling any wetness, which suggested she wasn't bleeding there. Still, I had to be sure of her injuries and as I squinted my eyes closed as sand blasted into my face, I cast Observe.

Serra Keto
Level: 17
Race: Human
Health: 26% [Third-degree burns, 16% of her body. Second-degree burns, 46% of her body. Infected cut on her thigh. Internal bleeding in several locations]
Age: 13
Force Potential: High
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Honoured Confidant
Force Bond: High
Affiliation Loyalty: You (87%) Republic (60%) Jedi Order (57%)
Emotional State: Relieved/Confused
Serra is relieved that she managed to kill the spark-dragon and prove to herself that she's not weak.
Though she is confused about why the spider smells so close and why she can't move or feel the wind on her face.
For a few seconds I froze, as for the second time in less than a minute I processed just how badly hurt Serra was and my tongue seemed to get caught in my throat. Though I snapped out of it instantly when her health dropped a percentage point.

With the barest of effort, I used Force Barrier to create a bubble around us, keeping the wind back as I placed my hand over her chest and activated Force Heal.


Force Heal target [Serra Keto] has the following injuries:
3rd​ degree burns [16% of body]
2nd​ degree burns [46% of body]
Internal bleeding [lower intestine, liver, spleen]
[Mild concussion]
[Infected cut on left thigh: Minor]

Which injury would you like to heal?

WARNING!
Force Heal is not high enough to heal the following injuries of the subject:
3rd​ degree burns [Master:50]
2nd​ degree burns [Master:1]
Internal bleeding [Professional:50]

"Fuck!" I cursed, going back to my original curse words in a moment of anger.

Force Heal was only at Professional:3 as it wasn't a power that I'd spent a lot of time trying to level-up. Though I put aside my annoyance at having not levelled it up further and focused on what I could heal, starting with Serra's concussion.

A brief notice appeared in the Interface telling me it would cost 1349FP to heal her concussion. When I'd used Force Heal with the Lokella, I'd noticed that it cost more to use the Force to heal others, which made sense. As did the fact that my anatomy skills had an effect on how long and how costly it was to heal someone.

From what the Interface had explained, I needed Adept:1 in the appropriate anatomy skill for the FP cost to base at three times what healing the same injury on myself would take. There was also the issue that healing injuries on others was more time consuming and had a higher level requirement than if I was healing the same injury on myself.

It only took about thirty seconds to heal Serra's concussion – the fading of the dull blue light that flared between her head and my hand acting as a visible indicator – and I turned my attention to healing the infected cut on her leg.

[Cameron, I need you to lower your barrier.] Fay spoke into my mind just as the blue light that indicated my Force Healing was active appeared over Serra's leg. [I have already extended one around yours, so the wind won't be an issue.]

[Yes, master.] I replied and with an almost idle wave of one hand, I depowered Force Barrier. The fact I could so easily use the Force with but the briefest of moments to concentrate, when it took others several moments to gather their thoughts and use the Force how they wanted was a benefit of my unique powers and the Interface. And in situations like this, where I needed to do two or more things simultaneously, it was very useful.

I heard one of the medical team mutter what sounded like a curse as they approached, but they were just far enough away that I couldn't hear the exact words. It was enough though for me to glance to my right to see Fay, one hand extended away from her body, leading the Mandalorian doctor and her team to me and Serra.

"She's mainly got second degree burns, though I think some of them are third degree, and there's some internal bleeding as well." I stated as I shuffled back to allow the Doctor access. While I didn't want to move away, the doctor could do more for her than I could. "I've healed a cut on her leg but that's all I could do." I added, keeping the fact I'd healed her concussion hidden as the doctor might want to reprimand me for healing the mind and thus take time away from her treating Serra.

"How… The Force. Right." The doctor said after a momentary pause. "Very helpful, but it's not something either me or my staff are used to." She muttered as she ran a medical scanner over her body.

She turned to face her team, who were hovering near the gurney. "The adiik's right. We need to get her on the bed."

"I've got it." I said as her team began to move the bed closer to her and gently, after making sure I had a grip on every part of her, elevated Serra with Telekinesis.

"Haran." One of the medical team muttered as Serra's body floated up. The faintest of groans slipped past her charred lips as I moved her over to, then on to the repulsor-lift gurney.

"Thank you." The doctor muttered as she turned to the small console on the gurney. She tapped at a few buttons and a panel extended out of the gurney, closing around Serra's midsection. It was followed by a soft hissing as the faint whisp of bacta's sickly sweet smell drifted towards me.

"Cameron." Reluctantly, I turned from Serra to look at my master. "While I'm not going to reprimand you for using the Force to reach Serra quickly, indeed I think your actions may have helped save her, in the future, I would prefer if you at least told me what you were going to do before you do it." Her tone was light and almost jovial but there was no smile on her face.

"Yes, master."

"Good. Now, with Serra now secured, perhaps you could carry her kills back to the ship?" Fay asked, glancing with her head behind me.

I turned and saw three creatures lying close together. Furthest from the centre was what looked like the remains of a static tree, though it was charred black and looked to be missing a few limbs. That wasn't something that Serra could've hunted for her verd'goten, but given to the other creatures, I suspected that it had been what led Serra to her kill.

Far closer together where the smoking remains of what two creatures. The first, I suspected was an energy spider. Though I postulated that from I'd learnt from my Observe of Serra as the spider's legs had either been burnt clean off or they'd been pulled in close instinctively to protect the spider then become merged with the body when the spider had been flame grilled.

The third creature, a spark-dragon, was clearly the one that Serra had killed as it had my knife lodged to the hilt in the top of its skull.

As I stepped closer, I saw that the dragon was missing one of its four wings, a smaller upper one, and unlike everything around it – flesh and stone – didn't show any sign of having been burnt. The skin was smoking, and looked dried out, but apart from the missing wing, the knife and a horrible looking bite near its tail, there was no real damage to the beast.

Not knowing the exact rules, I lifted all three creatures. Perhaps there was something that could be harvested from the spider and static tree as an extra bonus for Serra.

Turning, I saw Fay watching me with a wrinkled brow. "Once we have confirmed Serra is safe, I wish to speak with you privately." She said as I came closer, the three beasts floating along behind me.

"Yes, master." As said as she began to walk beside me back to the ship, the doctor and her team a good twenty metres in front of us as they moved as quickly, though not too quickly. Likely they were concerned about Serra's condition and wanted to avoid any unexpected jolts.

"And I'm sorry." I continued. "For letting my anger get the better of me."

"Your friend was in grave danger." Fay replied. "To not show concern and worry for them would make you no better than a Sith. And while you did well in controlling that anger and fear, I think a reminder in the dangers of the Dark Side wouldn't go amiss." She said softly as we walked. "Plus, it may well help distract your mind from the concern I sense even now."

"Yes, master."

While I had heard everything she'd said and agreed that meditation and talking would help distract my mind, I knew my worry wasn't going to go away. Not until Serra awoke and I could speak with her to understand what had happened.

……


……

I opened my eyes as I felt the ship begin to descend into an atmosphere, ending my meditation and stopping the five Force Powers I'd had active while doing so.

Yes, training with so many powers active at once was a bit of a cheat but given that my FP regen increased to 650% of normal when I meditated, it was also a great way to improve various powers. Though, the logistical limitation was that those powers had to be ones that ran silent, out of sight, or didn't need me to concentrate to control them like the kinesis powers.

The continued soft, gentle beeping that I'd been listening to for the last few days drew my attention instantly. Even though the technology in this universe was more advanced than my old one, the monitors here still beeped with the heartbeat of the patient in the bed. In this case, Serra.

She was resting peacefully in the medical bed, various sensors attached to her body while most of the skin was covered in bacta patches. The burns had all receded – a testament to the power of bacta – and her skin was looking a more natural and healthier colour and her hair had begun the long process of growing back, but she was still in an induced coma to help her heal.

Seeing her like this, and vividly remembering how we'd found her on Kiffu, made me frown. The time between her pain overloading the bond until I'd reached her had been the longest, and most soul-crushing, of my life. To not be able to do anything to help her while she was in such pain had felt horrible at the time.

Though over the last few days I had realised it had also humbled me. Until that moment, nothing that I'd wanted to do had been beyond me. With the Force, I'd been able to far more than any child had a right to do. Hell, I'd done more than most adults were capable of. Yet in the time before I reached her, I could do nothing but wait and pray.

When I had reached her, I could only heal her less critical injuries – and I cursed myself daily for not focusing on Force Heal as a power to level up – before allowing Adonai's medics to take over.

While the Cin Vhetin wasn't equipped with a bacta tank, it was well stocked with bacta patches and gels, and Adonai had set an immediate course back to Mandalore, stating a desire to get as far away from Kiffu, and its ruler, as he could.

Fay had suggested taking Serra to the Jedi Temple, but Adonai had been against that idea as Serra was now Mando'ade, and the Mandalorians took care of their own. I was grateful for that as, feeling as shit as I did, the last thing I wanted was to have to face Master Drallig, or the grilling the High Council was likely waiting to give me for what had happened over the last few months.

While Doctor Harvik – I'd learnt the doctor's name after returning to the ship with Serra – had taken Serra into the Cin Vhetin's medical bay for a thorough examination, Fay had taken me aside and spoken with me. As I'd expected, the talk had been about me allowing my fear and worry over Serra to cloud my judgement.

Surprisingly, Fay had then explained that while those emotions were not things to ignore and that I shouldn't deny I had them, but that I had to make sure that they were not to be used to drive my actions. Such behaviour, she said, was the slippery slope that led one to allowing the Dark Side of the Force a chance to take root within you. While she commented that there was darkness within me – mirroring Nilas' words from several years ago – she said that it wasn't something that appeared to be taking control, but I had to be cautious in moments where my fear and anger surged.

The hissing of the door drew my attention away from my resting friend and I turned to see Fay enter. Though my brow rose as I saw Dooku and Master Drallig following a step behind.

"Masters." I said in greeting as I stood and lowered my head for a moment. Normally, I wouldn't do that, and Fay and Dooku didn't mind. However, with Drallig here, and his Padawan lying in an induced coma beside me, I felt it best to act more akin to a normal Padawan.

"How is she today?" Fay asked as Drallig moved passed her to the other side of Serra's bed.

"The same. Doctor Harvik said that her wounds are healing well, and she should be fully healed in a few days. The doctor also altered the medicine to slowly bring Serra out of the coma." I replied, summarizing what Harvik had told me earlier this morning as Drallig examined Serra and the monitor displaying her vitals.

"And how exactly did my Padawan get so badly burnt that she had to be kept sedated for five days?" Drallig asked in a tone that was only a touch short of a demand. His brow had dropped, while his eyes were now locked on me and in that moment, I was glad that Deadly Sight was not a Force ability used by the Jedi.

Honestly though, he could be furious and blame me all he wanted. Nothing he could say or do could be worse than the bashing I'd already given myself over what had happened. Serra was my best friend, and someone I cared deeply for; far more than I'd even realised until Kiffu had happened. And as such, I'd spent days berating and torturing myself trying to see what I could've done better to keep her safe; or at least reached her quicker.

"She completed her verd'goten." I replied steadily as his eyes narrowed further at my answer. "It was her choice."

Drallig continued to stare at me, his eyes seeming to search for something. Finally, after what felt like one of the longest moments of my life, he lowered his head, pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed loudly.

"Force grant me strength." He mumbled as his head shook from side to side.

Slowly, he lifted his head until our eyes could meet. "This was not how I expected her time away from the Temple to go. I anticipated something happening, you have a… knack for finding yourself in situations, such as the trial by combat."

"I…"

He raised a hand, cutting off my defence. "I have spoken extensively with both your masters concerning that, and I do not hold you responsible. At least, not beyond choosing to train on the planet unto which we are now landing." He paused, sighed again and looked down at Serra. "But this… This will cause problems for her when she returns. And for you as I suspect you'll be doing this verd'goten trial once you're able to?"

"Yes, Master Drallig."

He nodded, though he didn't seem happy about my answer. "Hmm. The High Council will not like this. There hasn't been a Jedi accepted by the Mandalorians since Tarre Vizsla. As you may know, he was taken in by the Order during the New Sith Wars but left the Order to lead his people. The Council will be… concerned about history repeating itself. Particularly regarding your familial tie to these people."

"I don't have any intention of doing that, master." I replied honestly. While the idea was tempting, I dismissed it almost instantly. I couldn't deny that while I was generally enjoying my time on Mandalore, and respected those who followed a warrior's code, I had no interest in becoming their leader.

Drallig glanced at Fay before he spoke again. "Be that as it may. Your actions have caused concern among many in our Order. Learning that you came here will just inflame those concerns. However, I for one do not share them. While you do tend to get into situations, your actions are those of one who wishes to help, not conquer."

"I… Thank you." I didn't know what I'd done to earn Drallig's respect, or at least a small part of it, but I wasn't going to reject it.

The faintest of smiles danced across his face for a moment. "The thanks should go to your masters. Masters Dooku and Fay are two very respected, if slightly unorthodox, members of our Order. That both would consent to train you speaks volumes about your character. As does Serra's continual support."

The smile vanished as his words took the conversation back to his Padawan.

"As you're no doubt aware, Serra's always been more… rebellious than other Padawans. Likely that was one of the reasons she was drawn to you." The corners of his lips twitched, likely remembering something Serra had said or done. "When I first learnt that you'd gone to Mandalore, I was concerned about putting her in a place with strong Anti-Jedi tendencies. A worry confirmed by the attack on her." I opened my mouth to say something, but he raised his hand to stop me.

"I do not blame you for what happened Padawan. I can even, just about, overlook the… approach you and Serra chose for handling the situation as you were isolated there. I blame the Mandalorians for allowing such a thing to be an option for settling disputes."

"Yet, just over a week ago, the Force screamed out, and I sensed fear from my Padawan. Given to the distance between Coruscant and Mandalore, I grew concerned as sensing her fear at such a range would only be possible in the direst of circumstances. Yet, when I tried to contact her directly, there was no reply. Instead, I was forced to reach out to Prime Minister Worra, but all would tell me was that she had left the planet with the other Jedi and Duke Adonai Kryze to attempt, as he put it, an archaic tradition."

"With the Minister being… vague, I decided that travelling here would be the best option, and I was fortunate enough that Master Dooku was preparing to leave the Temple that very day. When we arrived here, the Minister continued to be vague and generally unhelpful."

He paused, and I bit off a comment about vagueness being a feature of most politicians, then looked down at Serra, one hand moving towards her only to stop halfway. He then turned his attention to Fay. "Master Fay then contacted Master Dooku, though she did not explain what this tradition entailed, nor the reasons for Serra being in an induced coma."

Fay smiled enigmatically. "That was not my information to reveal. Young Serra was healing, and we were but a few days away from arriving."

"Yes, but it didn't exactly set my mind at ease." Drallig retorted, though his mouth twitched upwards as he spoke. "Though seeing her here, alive and recovering, does." He returned his focus to me. "I understand that you took a risk to reach her first and were the one pushing for others to help her. Thank you."

"Serra's my friend, Master Drallig. Not helping her just isn't something I could do."

The twitch of his lips turned into a small smile. "As I said, one who wishes to help. Still, you have my thanks young one. Though I am still curious as to why she wished to attempt such an outdated tradition as a ritual hunt."

"I know why." I replied slowly. "She's got a few reasons for why she did this, but it's not my story to tell." I finished, making clear I wasn't going to betray Serra's trust, not even to her master.

"I understand, and even respect that, Padawan. Which leaves me having to wait until Serra awakens to learn her reasons." Drallig responded and we both looked at the sleeping girl.

As I looked at her, and the myriad of bacta patches that covered her skin where it was exposed, I felt that now familiar feeling of failure and helplessness return.

"Cameron, perhaps it would be best if we gave Master Drallig some time alone with his Padawan." Fay suggested, making me shift my attention to her.

"Indeed. I wish to review this tournament final you fought in." Dooku added before I could get a word in. "I am most… perplexed by several of your choices in that duel and wish to understand your reasoning for them."

I gulped. Hard.

"I, uh…" I mumbled as a cold shiver went up my spine.

Ever since the fight had ended and I'd had time to review it in my mind, I'd been dreading Dooku finding out about it. His opinion on the use of blasters, and the glaring flaws in Ataru were well known to me. Yet, I'd still a pistol in the fight with Gar Saxon, and the less said about my failed attempt at a Hawk-bat swoop the better.

"Come along." Dooku said, a vague sense of amusement coming from him and Fay at my reaction.

"I would also recommend you eat after your discussion." Fay added, her amusement creeping into her tone. "If Serra wakes while you are away, I will let you know."

I sighed. There was no way I could avoid this, so better to deal with it now and rip the bandage off, so to speak. "Thank you master. Master Drallig, for what it's worth I never wanted any of this to happen to her." I added after getting the man's attention.

"I know. Now I suggest you hurry up. Master Dooku was… displeased when we first saw a recording of your fight with the Saxon boy."

I turned and moved to the door of the medical bay. Dooku was waiting there, his usual stoic expression on his face. He said nothing, choosing instead to walk in silence. As I followed him, I silently prayed that his methods for discussing my mistakes weren't too painful or tiring.

……


And we're done.
Now I've added a poll to my profile on FF.net regarding the story and its rating. This will stay up until the end of May, though this story Shouldn't cross into NSFW territory for a long, long while. If ever
Whether you vote in that or not...
May the Force be with you. Always.
 
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Serra's verd'goten
Before I forget, this is the rough image I used for the spark dragon:
ce6b5a3b578487ad7c16b561f2923ab8.png

And the Mandalorian sigil for the newly-formed Clan Keto:
[Edited by Miestwin: https://forum.questionablequesting.com/members/miestwin.28574/]
QjTP0Wh.png
 
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Teh Adiik At Mando’ade 8.5
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter.
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.


A/N: So, I had planned to get this out with the May 4th chapter, but it just was too much to do in the time, so I've held it back and lengthened it out to fill in more of the gaps.
We are finally drawing to a close with this arc, though there's still time to go in the Mandalorian sector.


As before, if you wish to talk with me and the backroom team, you can find us on the server for this story in particular, and Star Wars in general: discord .gg /UM89QfyQk3
Or in Shiro's Gaming Omniverse: discord .gg /wd3tUYWVCd
Also, after over a year of on and off being asked about and considering the idea, I've taken the plunge and made a Patreon page: /ussexplorer


Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Mandalorian Words/Phrases:
Adiik – Child
Akaan'lor – Fighting Champion
Beskar – Mandalorian Iron
Cin Vhetin – White Fields
Diryc – Lower (class)
Dral'Han – The Mandalorian Excision
Ge'hutuun – Someone less than even a coward
Haran – Hell/Damn
Ijaat'akaanir – Honour-Duel
Jetii – Jedi
Kri'gee – Mandalorian ale
Laamyc – Upper (class)
Me'bana – What happened? What's happening?
Mir'Sheb – Smartass
Nasst be Me'suums – Destroyer of Worlds (aka Revan)
ne'tra gal – Mandalorian black ale (nicer, more expensive ale than Kri-gee)
Ni cetar'narir gar'shebs – I'm going shove my boot up his/hers/our ass(es)
Olarom – Welcome/Greetings
Osik - Shit
Shab – Fuck
Shab'an – Fuck all
Shebs – Arse/ass
Sheb'urcyin – Ass-kisser
Verd'goten – The traditional rite of passage of Mandalorian culture.



……

As I walked through the main gate of the Institute, ready to begin a second session, I wondered how things were going to go now that Serra was gone since it created several problems for me.

Specifically, given to my location, I was concerned how my team, Brown-Nine, would function with a member short. While there were likely to be contingencies that the Institute had for such occurrences, no one had spoken with me about them during since I'd arrived back on Mandalore with my masters, Serra and her Master, and Duke Adonai.

In had been three weeks that had passed since then – and just over two weeks since Serra had returned to Coruscant with Master Drallig – and I was still in the dark about how things were going to be handled. I wondered if perhaps this was standard operating procedure for the Institute; using it as a method to test a team leader. Or perhaps they had already arranged things with the Duke and not informed me. Either way, not knowing was annoying.

The other side of Serra not being here was the absence I felt. I could still vaguely sense her across the thousands of light-years between us – which even with it being stated by the Interface, was still a startling thing to be able to do –but not having my friend at my side had been something I'd had to adjust to. Six months with a friend, one I shared a mental connection with, resulted in some idiosyncrasies forming between us. Things that now, just didn't happen.

Though thinking of Serra had me recollecting on the time that had passed since we'd returned to Mandalore after she'd completed her verd'goten.

She'd woken later on the day we'd arrived back, and while I'd still been tired from Dooku's ''discussion'' – which had been as tiring, painful and embarrassing as I'd expected as he critiqued every single move that I'd made during my fight with Gar Saxon, and the less said about his opinion on me using a blaster the better – regarding my performance against Gar, I'd headed to see her as soon as I could.

I'd tried to apologize for not getting to her quicker, but she'd smiled and stated I didn't need to apologise. The decision to do the verd'goten was hers, and hers alone. I'd smiled as she added that she knew I'd be the one to find her.

I'd then used the few days that Serra was kept under observation in Sundari's main medical centre to consider my actions again on the Cin Vhetin. Specifically, my choice to not engage Player's Mind.

While I'd decided to not use it in combat situations – the cons of it denying me access to my emotions, and the chemical reactions those produced, out-weighed the pros of it allowing me to remain emotionally stable – I hadn't planned to just ignore the ability. I thought that I'd be able to retain control of my emotions in non-combat situations, though I failed to take into account the effect a strong Force bond would have on me, and my growing and developing new body.

Honestly, having to go through puberty again, and the often unbalanced and irrational emotional reactions that brought was a pain, but I'd take that over not being able to feel if I just kept Player's Mind active all the time, which was possible now. Yes, there would be moments where I acted like a freaking child – such as what had happened over Kiffu – but I felt that it was better in the long run for me to allow my body to develop naturally to handle emotions than become reliant on the crutch of a power that was not entirely under my control – which I suspected was why I'd acted so immaturely over Kiffu – or to place blind faith in the Force to guide me.

After the doctors had given her the all-clear, and Master Drallig was assured by Duke Adonai that while Serra was now Mando'ade, she wouldn't be called upon to choose between her new people and the Jedi, a feast had been arranged in Serra's honour.

The feast had been a real eye-opener for both Serra and me. Serra was clearly shocked to see so many people willing to celebrate her becoming one of them, even after I explained the significance of her being the first Mandalorian Jedi in millennia. I had expected the feast since Bo and Naz had mentioned that it was a custom to have one with family and friends, but what caught me off guard was how rowdy and loud the feast was. Though calling it a feast was an understatement as the thing was more like a block party mixed with an excuse to get drunk. Not that it seemed Mandalorians needed an excuse.

Adonai had started things off officially – it was clear from the overwhelming smell of alcohol that many had started early – by giving a speech stating that a new clan had joined the ranks of the Mando'ade, Clan Keto.

After everyone had cheered Serra – who was embarrassed to be the centre of attention – he'd told those gathered a little about her. He'd spoken about her arriving from Coruscant and how, even though she was raised a Jedi, she embraced the ways of the Mando'ade and after completing her verd'goten now stood as one of them.

After that, a large tray was brought, and revealed to have the preserved head of the spark-dragon on it; the knife I'd loaned her still buried to the hilt in its head. Adonai called out that this beast was the symbol of Serra and the new Clan Keto and a banner unfurled behind the guest of honour. The central mark was that of a snake's head with a single fin rising high above the head – mirroring where Serra's knife had embedded itself – and it was encircled by the wings of the Jedi sigil.

While Serra blushed up a storm in embarrassment at this, I liked it as it merged both parts of who she was now, Jedi and Mandalorian. I even saw Drallig smile at the banner, then chuckle at his Padawans' discomfort.

From there the celebration began. The rest of the dragon had been cooked and was wheeled in, with Serra taking the ceremonial first bite of her kill. I found it tasted soft, with a sweet aroma and my brow rose when I discovered that it restored all my stamina – and granted me a temporary boost to my Stamina regen for the next few hours. The spider and static tree were also cooked, though I didn't like the taste of either. The spider tasted acidic, even under the spices the cooks had drowned it in, while the tree reminded me of kelp.

Soon after that, Bo, Naz and our teammates had come over, carrying jugs of what I learnt later were kri'gee, ne'tra gal and wine. Serra was given the choice of which to drink and chose the wine, though when she took a sip, she still spluttered and coughed which made everyone laugh before Naz offered me a drink.

I'd mentioned that even by Mandalorian standards I was underage, but Bo waved that off by explaining that since I was Akaan'lor of the Institute, I was expected to lead the drinkers.

The excuse sounded flimsy, but the chance to finally drink again after four long years wasn't something I wanted to turn down. Thus, I'd grabbed a mug and filled it with ne'tra gal. The ale had a sweet taste and seemed to stick to my throat as it went down, but all in all, it was a good drink.

Everyone had been surprised when I hadn't reacted to downing the mug, and I had to explain it away by saying my grandfather had allowed me to drink wine since I turned seven. The real reason I'd not reacted was that some of the adverse effects of the drink were countered by Player's Body. A quick Interface pop-up notified me that this applied to alcohol in general as well.

I still got intoxicated – 12% according to the notice that appeared after I downed the mug – and suffered a corresponding delay in my reactions and coordination. But that was it. The Interface explained that I'd not suffer from hangovers, nor risk permanent damage to my body by over-drinking; save that when I reached one hundred per cent intoxication I'd pass out.

I also discovered a new skill, Damage Resistance: Bio-Chemical, which, if I was reading the description correctly, could be levelled up easily by drinking and offered some protection from poisons and other biochemical substances.

To prove that I wasn't bullshitting or using some Force power, Bo had raced to get the bracers and I'd drunk mugs of the kri'gee, which tasted bitter and had a higher alcohol percentage than the ale. After that, I tried the wine, which bordered on vodka for its alcohol content and was slightly less bitter than the kri'gee. Though my intoxication percentage skyrocketed to around 70%, I had gotten the first few levels of Damage Resistance: Bio-Chemical cleared, so I felt it was a fair trade.

After this, Huzu had asked Serra to describe her hunt. She'd explained that normally, though not always, there'd be an aerial recording of the hunt for the crowd to watch while the new Mando'ade described the event.

Serra had become even more embarrassed about retelling her story, but after everyone bar myself begged her, she relented. Her story-telling needed work, but she'd been able to describe how she'd hunted the spider and stumbled onto the dragon and what she'd done to take it down.

I'd been immensely proud of her for breaking from Jedi thinking to hunt the spider as trying to take it head-on would've been extremely dangerous for her, though Serra had almost seemed ashamed of the fact she'd almost died on her hunt. However, Andeeld had soothed her worries but saying that he'd been badly hurt on his verd'goten – a male kath hound during mating season – and others had added in that it was fairly common for people to be injured during the trial.

There was a moment where I thought Serra was conflicted about not having been able to keep a scar from her hunt, but I didn't push her about it and only Rook Kast, who had drifted over while Bo had run to get the bracers, had offered a comment about her new, shorter hairstyle. Though that comment had been about maybe dying the hair while it was short, which Rook had clearly done as now hers was dark blue.

With the celebration in full swing, and most people beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol, a few fights had broken out at some of the tables. Adonai had stopped Drallig and Dooku from intervening by saying it as normal and considered the sign of a good party on Mandalore, and I'd caught Fay smile and look away at that, likely because she was remembering something that had happened years before.

Thankfully, or not depending on your opinion, Rook decided that fighting wasn't the way to go and decided that we'd all be better off going to a singing room. A cold shiver went down my spine at hearing that, as it sounded a lot like something from my old life. And that fear was confirmed when, after leaving the party and walking through Keldabe for about ten minutes, we entered the Mandalorian equivalent of a KTV.

The urge to burn the place to the ground was strong, but I resisted as Serra looked intrigued. Though the look she gave me as we entered promised that she'd find a way to get me to sing for her.

While Mandalorian songs were… different. They weren't the worst thing I'd ever heard and everyone else had fun taking turns singing; or butchering a song as Raun did, as he had the singing voice of a wounded bantha. That was until Serra persuaded me – read begged until I relented – to sing for her.

I was relieved to discover that Mandalorian singing houses had instruments for if someone wanted to play along with a song, as I had little interest in singing one of their songs. Everything seemed to revolve around fighting, drinking or… other things. Which, I accepted made sense, but I'd have appreciated a greater variety.

While my more normal song choices like 'Lean on Me' weren't popular – even if Naz seemed to take the song to do exactly that – 'Living on a Prayer', 'My Life' and 'Here I go Again' were. Though the song that the group soon adopted as their own was 'We Will Rock You', which in retrospect wasn't a surprise.

When we'd finally returned to the party, everyone in various states of inebriation, our masters and Duke Adonai had taken Bo, Serra, Naz and me back to Sundari to sleep off the festivities.

The following day, once everyone else had recovered from their hangovers – Player's Body for the win - Adonai had given Serra two gifts.

The first was a cloak made from the skin of the spark-dragon. According to Adonai, and confirmed by a quick use of Observe, it was partially resistant to electricity and while it would be a little big for her now, once she was fully grown, it would likely serve as a replacement for Serra's Jedi robes.

The second gift, and one that surprised me due to the value involved, were a pair of boots made from the skin. Though what drove up my estimation of them was the shin-guards – well more like shin and knee guards for Serra currently – that were attached to the boots and were made of a beskar alloy. While not pure beskar, they would be more than able to withstand most blasts against them and could even resist lightsabers for a significant amount of time; something we had tested later that day.

The shin-guards were transferable so that when Serra grew out of the boots, she could attach them to another pair. Adonai said it was to help remind her that no matter where she went in life, or what happened to her, she'd always have a home with her fellow Mando'ade.

Serra had teared up at that and hugged the man. While a likely a breach of protocol, no one said anything as it was a heartfelt gesture from the Duke that had caused her to do so.

While Serra and her master had stayed for a few more days, they'd had to return to the Jedi Temple as Master Drallig had duties to attend to. I also suspected that he wanted to get her away from the Mandalorians before they did anything else that convinced her to leave the Jedi for them.

Before they had gone, Drallig had given me some basic instruction in Jar'Kai, and while I hadn't had enough time to get the skill to Novice:25 – the point from where I could self-train it up myself, which was different from the first five forms of lightsaber combat; likely because it needed more training before I could self-study – it was a start. Plus, he'd promised to show me more once I returned to the Temple, though I was averse to doing so anytime in the next year or so as I'd rather let cooler heads prevail before the High Council spoke with me about my actions on Mandalore.

Dooku hadn't been impressed when he'd discovered I'd taken lessons from Drallig on Jar'Kai, but I'd explained that I was only doing so to allow me to better understand the style. I'd reasoned that the best way to counter a style or form of combat was to study it myself and he'd accepted that reasoning. This was because, while he was the Order's foremost expert in Makashi – though he expected me to take that title once I was knighted – he had mastered the basics of the other six forms.

I'd dropped a very subtle hint in my reasoning about the darkness that was coming, and the barest of inflections as he spoke about the most aggressive form, Juyo, had me believing he had heard my hint and agreed with me. Though the only reason we'd had to speak like that was because the whole conversation had taken place in front of Drallig and Serra, and while I trusted Serra wouldn't have said anything if I'd mentioned my ''visions of the future'', the same couldn't be said of Master Drallig.

Thinking on that talk, and the sessions I'd had with Dooku before he too had left the planet to return to his hunt for his former Padawan Komari Vosa, had my hand drifting instinctively slid to the hilt of my lightsaber. There was something reassuring about it being there, as though a very part of me existed within the blade. Which was possibly true as the crystals within were bonded to me.

The soft, familiar contour of the hilt removed my unease at Serra not being here and brought me back firmly to the present.

A few birds sung in the trees as I enjoyed the rest of the walk from the gate to the main campus of the Institute.

"Akaan'lor Shan, welcome." I turned my head to see Rangemaster Marod leaning against a building. His stance was relaxed, but I watched as his eyes drifted from me to our surroundings. The man may have been old, but the mantra of constant vigilance was one the Rangemaster clearly believed in.

"Rangemaster." I replied as I stopped and pulled my hand from my hilt. Nothing in his stance was threatening, nor was Precognition reacting so standing there with my hand on my lightsaber would likely not be an ideal stance.

The movement drew a small smile from the old man. "I see you understand the need to be continuously prepared. Even in a secure location such as this, danger is never too far away."

"I believe I learnt that lesson last session." I said as I felt a smirk creep onto my face.

Marod laughed once, though it sounded more akin to a rumble than a laugh, before he pushed himself off the wall and walked towards me. "True. Now come, the Commandant wishes to speak with you."

Years of training came to the fore as I easily fell into step behind the Rangemaster. He led me down a small path next to the building he'd been leaning against to the central area where the Institute's flag flew outside the command complex, and where the Commandant and Wrajud were waiting.

If I was right, the initiation for the new group of trainees would begin in around thirty minutes. Though that meant Bo and Naz were late as they'd not taken the same shuttle as me from Sundari to Keldabe, choosing to… enjoy themselves in a room they thought was far enough away from the main passages of the Duke's palace that no one would hear them.

The Commandant had her back to me and from the looks of things was speaking calmly with Wrajud. Probably about a few last-minute details they had to sort out for this session, but that was just a guess on my part. As we approached, Wrajud caught sight of us and must've said something to the Commandant as she turned to face us.

"Aye, trainee Shan. Excellent." The commandant began as she took a step towards me. "It's good to see you've returned. Most Akaan'lore are in their senior session so it isn't often we have a returning champion."

I shrugged. "I'm still not old enough to attempt my verd'goten, so returning for a second session seemed logical."

"True. Still, it will do the other trainees good to have a clear target to aim for. Though I doubt you will face a serious challenge before the end-of-session tournament." The Commandant observed with a smile. "However, that is not why I wished to speak with you. There are two issues that need to be addressed before the session begins."

"First, as you are the new Akaan'lor, you and your team are allowed to stay in building fifteen. Even though you won the solo tournament, we do not think that separating a fighting champion from their team is the correct approach. Therefore, the members of the Akaan'lor join them in the champion's barracks."

"Nice." Was my reply at hearing that as the idea that I'd have to stay in a separate location from my teammates was something I'd been concerned about.

"Indeed." The Commandant agreed as Marod chuckled. "Secondly, as you are no doubt aware, the withdraw of our newest Mando'ade, Serra Keto, from the Institute has left your team a member short while also resulting in a slot for a new trainee."

"Would it be safe to assume that there are contingencies for such things happening?" I asked, making the Commandant's smile grow as she nodded.

"Indeed. When such things happen, a tournament is made available for the top five students from each satellite training centre on the planet, and across the sector. While not all chose to take part, some prefer to be closer to their clans or are settled in their current centre, most do."

"It's been a little over a decade since the last make-up tournament." Marod offered. "However, that was for a slot in Laamyc group."

"Yes." The Commandant rolled her eyes at Marod's extra information, though the Rangemaster couldn't see the gesture and I didn't react to let him know.

"This year, the winner of trainee Keto's vacated slot has caused… concern." She tapped at her gauntlet and a small hologram of a male appeared. Nothing about him jumped out, save that there was a passing resemblance to Gar. "Tiber Saxon was the winner of the slot." I felt my brow rise at hearing his name and wondered what I'd done to keep drawing that clan's attention.

Wrajud snorted quietly at my reaction, likely meaning he found the idea of my having to deal with another of Girk Saxon's kids amusing. I didn't as I had a feeling that Tiber lacked the… maturity of Gar to understand why their father had died at my hands.

"Yes, to confirm your suspicions, Tiber is the youngest son of Girk Saxon and Instructor Vizsla." Kraviss continued. "Normally assigning a replacement trainee is a simple matter. However, given to your history with the former clan chief, and the fact Tiber has been more… vocal in displeasure about Jedi studying here, I felt you deserved the right to deny his entry to the Institute." She paused and crossed her arms as she looked down at me. "Do understand that, if you do not wish him to join your team, there will be no second choice. Your team will compete this session a warrior down."

"Ah." My short response drew a chuckle from Marod. "While I wonder why this wasn't mentioned to me earlier, as I doubt the tournament finished today, I suspect there's a reason for that. Perhaps a test?"

"Not a test. More a way for us to judge your… suitability to lead." The Commandant replied, her smile widening. "Most squad leaders lack the wherewithal to be anything more than unit commanders. Rarely do we meet one who is a candidate for command training."

"However, that class is only available to trainees in the Laamyc group." Wrajud said with a smile on his face. Though, unlike the Commandant, Wrajud's smile wasn't overly friendly, being more of a sneer as he leaned towards me and his tone made him sound amused that the class was denied to me.

"Sadly true. I take it this will be your last session with us?" The commandant asked, ignoring her Chief Instructor's apparent glee.

"Yes." I replied simply. While I was enjoying my time here, I knew I had other things to do. Other plans to begin to enact and skills to learn. "Might I have a moment to consider my choice regarding Tiber Saxon?"

"Certainly. However, I must say that if you don't prevent him from joining your team in the next ten minutes, I'll have no choice but to confirm his admittance."

I nodded at her in response as I considered the choices. Not taking Tiber would leave my team down a body; making reaching the end-of-session tournament difficult and all but guaranteeing we wouldn't win. The four teams in the semi-finals of the last tournament had graduated, which meant my team had a fair shot at bettering our performance, if not out-right winning the whole thing so hampering that chance before we even started seemed stupid.

Yet, taking a new person into a team that I'd spent months training and moulding into a solid unit risked damaging cohesion and setting us back. I also had to consider the fact that Tiber was the brother of Gar and the Commandant's brief description of him. Reading between the lines, it sounded as though Tiber was very much anti-Jedi – or at the very least, anti-me – and there was a decent chance he would be cancer for the unit.

But, if I didn't take him, it could damage the growing respect Gar held for me, and that of his friends and former teammates. Not to mention it could influence how their mother treated me. Nia was friendly around me – almost to the point she seemed to treat me as another son – and losing, if not an ally, then at least a supportive voice, among the staff here could be problematic. Additionally, not taking Tiber onto my team would certainly drive his apparent dislike for me to new levels, thus giving Pre an all but certain recruit for Death Watch.

I sighed as I realised that despite my concerns, I was left with no choice.

"Fine. I'll accept him into my team." I said, earning nods from the three adults. "After all, how bad can it get?"

……


……

Note to self, don't ever tempt Murphy, or the Force, again. I really should've known better.

That thought passed through my mind as I stalked into the changing rooms after another failed team exercise. Eight events, eight failures. While we hadn't finished last in Diryc group for seven of those, our scores were constantly in the bottom ten per cent of all teams in the group.

I slumped onto the bench outside my locker and watched as all of Brown-nine bar Huzu trudged past me towards their lockers. With Huzu and me being the leader and SIC of the team, we had lockers in a separate row, to allow us time to discuss things quietly apart from the team either just before or just after an exercise.

As the beginning of their grumbles began to filter around the empty locker room, I thought back to the previous session. Initially, there'd been growing pains as the team came to term with having two Jedi on the team, and myself as the leader. We hadn't done badly, ranking around mid-table in Diryc, but for the first month, we never came close to the top ten teams. Though a lot of that was me abusing my carried over combat skills to at least make our performance respectful.

Over time, as the team bonded, and they accepted me and Serra, we rose through the ranks and qualified for the end-of-session tournament. Yet this session, with Tiber Saxon replacing Serra, and everyone gunning for us due to me being Akaan'lor, there was virtually no signs of us being a cohesive unit.

Plus, there was a fair chance that the other teams spent some of the time between sessions training and bonding; something we hadn't done due to Serra's verd'goten and spending time with our masters. Though I had to take some of the blame for that as I hadn't considered it of any importance in the month before Serra returned to the Jedi Temple.

"That could've gone better." Huzu Cadora muttered as she all but threw her chest-armour into her locker next to mine. "Shab! Saxon almost shot Ginia in the back!"

"I know." I growled out as I ran my hand down my face in annoyance. While it wasn't fair to blame one person for all our failings, Tiber was the root cause of most, maybe even ninety per cent, of them.

"So how are you going to fix this?" she asked as she began to unclasp her thigh guards. "And don't say you'll talk with him. That hasn't done shab'an so far."

"What would you suggest?" I answered her question with one of my own as I disabled the Force-suppression bracers. Because outside of some corrective training – read me beating the ever-loving shit out of him – I was drawing a blank on how to deal with Tiber.

The boy – and that's what he was even if he was older than me by six months – acted like he knew better than everyone on our team. Regularly he would suggest his own plans for team events or ways to improve a team member's performance in another exercise. Yet almost none of his ideas worked, nor was he willing to take on any suggestion I gave him.

If not for the resemblance between them, I'd never believe that Gar and Tiber were siblings. The pair were nothing alike.

"Aggressive persuasion." She suggested and I chuckled as I dropped the bracers on the small bench for changing. "And by that, I mean knocking him on his shebs."

"While th…"

--BANG--

What I was going to say was cut off by something banging loudly against the lockers from where the rest of our team was gathered. Both Huzu and I moved, wanting to get around the intervening lockers to see what was going on with the team. Though in my mind, I was all but certain who the source of the disturbance was.

"RAUN!" Bhae all but shouted; her voice echoing around the rest of the empty changing area.

--BANG--

Even as Huzu and I reached the turn from where our lockers were to where the rest of the team was gathered, another bang echoed around the room. This time, however, the sound came not from the lockers between us and our team but the lockers on the other side of the area where the team stored their gear.

As we rounded the corner to those lockers, we saw Raun and Tiber grappling on the ground. Tiber managed to catch Raun with a knee to the gut, but it was weak and didn't seem to bother Raun in the slightest. The bench that should've stood between the two rows of lockers was smashed into the far-lockers – explaining the second bang – with the rest of the team was either trying to pull the two brawling boys apart or cheering Raun on.

"Enough!" I hollered, but the pair continued to grapple with Raun landing a weak fist against Tiber's back. "I said ENOUGH!" To make sure they listened, I used the Force to pull the pair apart, and slammed them into the roof of the locker room.

"Me'bana?" Huzu all but hissed at the remaining members of our team as I glared at the two boys. Odds were this was Tiber's fault, but I wasn't going to jump to conclusions.

"Tiber mouthed off again, then Raun reacted." Bhae explained, sending a short glare at the two boys as they flailed helplessly against the ceiling.

"He blamed Bhae for us losing when it was his fault!" Raun snarled, his eyes barely any bigger than pinpricks as he glowered at Tiber. "Then called me a jetii sheb'urcyin."

"Your nose is so far up his shebs, I'm surprised you can't taste what he eats!" Tiber taunted back.

I pinched my nose and sighed loudly. This was getting ridiculous. I ignored Raun as he retorted, though I noted down the rather colourful expressions the pair began to throw at each other in Mando'a. An urge to throttle Tiber bubbled up inside, but I pushed it back down. While the idea had an appeal, there were too many issues with removing Tiber from things permanently. Not least that the urge to do so made the niggling feeling that I suspected were whispers from the darkest parts of my psyche mixed with the Force grow louder.

There had to be a way to shut them up with the Force.

Force Power Discovered!
Silence
Allows the Player to block all incoming and outgoing sound in an area.
Seeing the new power made me both hopeful and excited. After all, this was the first new power since I'd discovered Force Enlightenment, Sever Force, Force Fury, and Force Fear near the end of the last session after carefully going over every conceivable power from KOTOR 1 and 2. True, Fay had spent time teaching me how to alter a Force Barrier into a bubble that covered every direction – though it was considerably weaker in overall strength – but still, every potential new skill gave me a bit of a thrill, and I valued the notifications when they came now, as I wasn't sure how many more new ones I'd manage to find. However, a more thorough read of the description removed any of the hope for the current situation.

Force Silence only worked to negate the travelling of sound in a ten-centimetre bubble around myself. I expected that, like all my powers, the range would increase with practice and hopefully I'd be able to re-centre that bubble. Though that was of little use to me now.

"SHUT UP!" I shouted as I brought them down quickly, mimicking them freefalling, only to stop their motion mere centimetres above the floor. "This ends now. Am I clear?"

Even though I'd just shown that I could take them both out with a thought, neither acknowledged me. Instead, they preferred to glare at each other. To ensure their attention I used the Force to slowly choke them.

Both boy's eyes enlarged as they realised they couldn't breathe properly, and their attention finally turned to me. I glared at both even as I saw the rest of my team look rapidly from the two boys to me. Both Bhae and Mirali reacted with raised brows but the rest seemed less shocked by my actions.

"I said, am I clear?" I growled out even as I firmly clamped down on my emotions and ignored the mild rush from the feeling of sudden power and domination I was getting.

"Y-yes." Raun managed to get out, his voice weak as he struggled to breathe.

Accepting Raun's acceptance, I turned my attention to Tiber, who chose to scowl at me. Likely he was trying to stay strong, to prove that he was better than me, but we both knew that wasn't the case. I released Raun, letting him drop the few centimetres to the floor from where I'd been casually holding him, and turned my full attention to the youngest child of Girk Saxon.

I took a step towards him, leaving him unable to look up at me, and increased the pressure of the Force Crush I was applying to his throat.

I knelt, bringing me back into eyesight for him. His eyes narrowed as he grunted out what could've been an 'ok'. Still, I wasn't ready to release him.

"Listen carefully Saxon, because I'm only going to say this once. I know you blame me for your father's death and for the apparent fractures in your family since both your elder brother and mother are supportive of my actions. I don't really know if you hate me, or are always this much of an arsehole, but honestly, I. Just. Don't. Care." I growled out each word slowly as I gradually increased the pressure on his throat.

"However, what I do care about is the fact that you're a cancer on this unit. If you can not, or will not, learn to control yourself and behave like a civilized being and work with your teammates… Well, then the next time we speak I'll be far less forgiving." As I all but whispered my warning to him, I used the Force to chill the room, meaning he could see and feel my breath. "Understood?"

Tiber glared or tried to as it was hard to be threatening when your cheeks were slowly changing colour from a lack of oxygen. Eventually, after holding my gaze, he lowered his eyes and I saw his body relax against the invisible pressure the Force was applying on it.

"Good. Now get up." I said as I stood and stopped using the Force. As he crashed the short distance to the floor, I looked at the rest of my team. All of them were looking at me as if they were seeing someone new, which made sense as this was one of the rare moments when I stopped playing nice. Raun was tenderly stroking his throat, though he would be fine as I hadn't applied enough pressure to inflict any damage.

"That's eight events we've sucked at, and I for one am sick to kriffing death of having my ass handed to me by the other teams. As of this moment, we're going to start training harder and winning or Force help me, ni cetar'narir gar'shebs!"

I didn't bother giving any of them time to reply, choosing instead to turn and stormed back to my locker.

Once there, I collapsed onto the bench and took slow, deep breaths. Even though I hadn't meant for it to happen, the rush of enjoyment for the power and control had grown stronger and started to leak into my words, posture and actions. I shouldn't have gotten so angry, or at least not as quickly, but the feelings themselves had a basis of justification. Tiber was being an arsehole and needed to be taught a lesson.

I kept taking slow, deep breaths and the turbulence and yearning receded, finally reaching a point where, unless I concentrated on it, I no longer felt it. More than likely this was how the Dark Side tempted people, at least initially. Though even if that was the case, mentally I should know better than to get so angry about something so trivial in the grand scheme of things. Yet I had gotten angry, once again showing that even though I was mentally a lot older than I looked, my new body and mind were still young and maturing.

Putting the issues related to my rebirth in this universe out of my mind, I made a mental note to speak with Fay via holocall about this tomorrow. Hopefully, she'd have some insight or meditation exercise that could help temper the yearning, or at least ensure that I remained in control when it surfaced.

Even if I didn't want to consider it was a reason, I couldn't escape the fact that the three quests linked to this session were another reason as to why I'd been so quick to anger. Of the three, Force Recon Mark 2 had suffered the smallest drop in potential XP, with just a ten per cent XP on offer compared to the initial quest. Alpha Dog Mark 2 had suffered a massive thirty per cent drop in XP while Sniper Elite Mark 2 dropped fifteen per cent.

While the drops made sense – I'd won the Akaan'lor tournament last session and was the clear favourite to repeat this session while I was already top of both blaster marksmanship tables – it was annoying to have to deal with the fact that the quests were offering less XP.

I hadn't taken any training quests at the start of this session, as none of the skills that were taught were ones that I felt I could reach the next milestone for in time without dumping an obscene number of skill points for, at best, middling XP rewards. Well, there was Marksmanship, but I felt it better to not spend most of my free evenings at the range and with it aiming for Prodigy:1, it was a high bar to reach.

Most of my free time was taken up by training others. Initially, it had just been Ebbe Ordo, my team, and Bo and Naz's teams, but soon others started to come to the training sessions and while that had given me regular boosts to my Teaching skill, I hadn't taken a quest for it as I was more focused on training and getting to know people that I felt could be useful for future operations than a short-term XP gain from a quest.

Though from the little free time I truly had, I'd decided to get Ataru, Shien, Djem So and Niman as close to Professional:50 as I could so all were ready for future training quests and the rest of my time was spent exercising or swimming. Though this was excluding the hour every two nights I had to spend with Fay as she'd decided to stay on-planet in case, as she put it, the Force decided to arrange another test for me.

Still, I'd get an XP boost on my thirteenth birthday, which should take me to Level 25, and a new Player Power.

However, with my birthday being just over a month away, it wasn't something to dwell on. More worthy of my attention, were ways I could improve my team's performance. While Battle Meditation: Active seemed the obvious answer, it wasn't really an option. That power would likely be sensed by my teammates if I used it, and even without the bracers, I could only run it for about three minutes. And that required me to not use any other Force Power.

Finally, having managed to reach a point where I felt calm and in total control again, I began to remove my armour. There were a few ideas I had, though most were linked to things my old unit had done on Earth to improve cooperation, trust and coordination within the squads.

All those ideas would need Tiber to take my warning to heart and not need me to take things further. However, I couldn't deny that the idea of some cognitive realignment – meaning beating the shite out of him – wasn't appealing.

……


……

I woke the morning of my thirteen birthday and smirked at seeing the two notifications I'd expected.

It's Your Birthday!
To help with your growth, each birthday you gain 1/6 of your current level's needed XP.
(+10% due to Boosted Growth)
This will last until you reach 18 cycles, and the system will upgrade.
Knowledge Skills suffer 10*strata levels of degradation.
NOTE:
Degradation removed due to Eidetic Memory.
……

Level Up!
24 -> 25
FP: +650
PP: +2
STAM: +41
SP: +3
SKP: +22
PPP: +1
With the smile still on my face, I waved away the birthday and level-up notifications and pulled up the list of available Player Powers.
PLAYER POWERS
These are powers and skills that are unique to The Player and earned by spending Player Power Points [PPP].
Currently, you have 1 PPP.
Many Player Powers have requirements that depend on the Player's level, or stat values and will remain hidden until their requirements are met.
Player Powers may grant abilities that mirror, or even surpass, what many consider to be 'Dark-Side Force powers' so be careful when using them around 'Light-Side Force users'.
Currently, you have the following Player Powers:
Heart of the Force [2/2]
Inventory
Player's Mind
Player's Body
Observe
Silent Interface

Available Powers:
Colour Shift
Enhanced Inventory
Enlarge/Shrink
Glamours
Greater Minimap Mark 1
Superior Inventory
Upgraded Minimap Mark 1
I hadn't expected any new choices for Player Powers as I hadn't gotten any new options for Perks at level 24. Still, it would've been nice.

I already had considered which option to take and while improvements to my Inventory would be useful, and Glamours and Enlarge/Shrink were interesting, the simple fact was that my minimap was far and away the most useful part of the Interface. Therefore, upgrading it was the priority, and being able to see hidden locations within range was currently the better choice.

I selected Upgraded Minimap Mark 1 and instantly it showed a maze of tunnels beneath the Institute. I smirked at that as it proved the power was working, plus I'd expected that there were hidden tunnels beneath the place. The Instructors seemed able to get from one place to another faster than I could and appeared in places that weren't on my minimap.

Also, I hadn't seen any droids wandering around the grounds, or detected any within range of the minimap. Now, that might just be because the Mandalorians preferred to do things manually, which was probable as I hadn't seen many droids in Sundari. Yet, even if they hired people to handle the jobs that people in this galaxy usually assigned to droids, that part of the staff was rarely ever seen when they should be drifting around the campus. At least now, I had the layout of the actual access tunnels and passageways that weren't available to the trainees available to me. Not that I expected to need it, but the confirmation that the Player Power worked as advertised was nice.

"Hey birthday boy, you coming?" Andeeld called and I turned my head to see him standing at the door to our dorm room.

"Yeah. Just thinking." I replied as I stood and mentally dismissed the interface notifications. "And drop the birthday osik."

Andeeld chuckled as he turned and walked out of the room "Nope." He called once he was out of sight, being smart enough to know I'd launch something at him. Though if I wanted to be petty, I could still hit him thanks to the Force.

Instead of doing that, and ignoring the laughter that I could hear from him, I grunted then stood.

Soon enough I was outside the champion's barracks to see my team waiting.

"Any ideas of where you'd like to hunt for your verd'goten?" Huzu asked as we all began the walk to the canteen.

"Trainee Shan." I turned at hearing my rank and name. That cut me off from replying to Huzu, and I saw that it was Nia who had called out to me. "Follow me."

I dropped into step just behind the Instructor – and Gar and Tiber's mother – as she led me away from the canteen.

"The Commandant wishes to speak with you, for reasons I think you already know." Nia began once we were out of earshot. "Though while we walk perhaps you could explain your choice of team bonding with regards to my son."

"Ah." I began as I got my thoughts together. "Short answer, he was a problem and talks and warnings didn't work."

"So you felt that forcing him to fight you in a spar was the way to go?" She asked without turning to face me as we slid between two smaller storage buildings.

"It was either that or name him ge'hutuun if he refused." I replied. Nia abruptly stopped at my reply and snapped around to look at me.

Tiber had taken my warning in the locker room to heart, for all of two weeks. So, just over a month ago, I'd confronted him about his causing problems and given him an ultimatum.

Either he challenged me to a spar to settle this or I would take him to an empty training room with the rest of our team then dismantle him without holding back on the Force. And while he was recovering in the medical centre from the beatdown I'd lay upon him, I'd publicly denounce him as ge'hutuun.

That was one of the worst things you could call a Mandalorian as it meant that the person was less than a coward.

With those being his only options, and given that I'd stated them clearly in front of our team, Tiber was forced to put up as he hadn't shut up and he challenged me during the next evening sparring session. To say it didn't go well for him would be like saying a Wookie was hairy.

From the moment the spar had begun, I'd systematically started targeting the flaws in his form while loudly explaining those flaws for all to hear as I countered them, and all without ever having to use the Force. This had only served to anger him, but that was what I'd planned on and as I'd expected, he'd grown angrier and sloppier in his attacks.

After nearly ten minutes of me picking him apart, and explaining how I was doing so, Instructor Wrajud had stepped in and ended the spar. By that point, Tiber had suffered a broken forearm, a dislocated shoulder and a fractured ankle.

As Tiber was placed on a repulsor-gurney, Wrajud had glared at me before speaking quietly to Tiber. Thanks to Enhance Senses I'd heard everything the man had whispered and listened to him give Tiber what was a recruitment pitch for Death Watch in all but name.

While that was a problem, I honestly hadn't expected Tiber to be willing to fight beside me; not without truly seeing what I could do in real combat. All I could hope was that Tiber showing a clear interest in what Wrajud was selling didn't result in Gar being drawn to Death Watch as well.

The few weeks since then had been strange as while Wrajud had been harsh towards me – Observe informed me that he was doing it to further cement Tiber's interest in Death Watch – Nia hadn't shown any obvious reaction to me brutalising her son.

Hell, Fay had given me more of a dressing down than Nia. Though even that wasn't that bad as Fay understood that soldiers had to follow orders, even when they didn't agree with them. Though she was disappointed that I'd resorted to such a brutal method to get the point across to my team member. She'd also taken me aside every other evening since then for time for me to 'focus on my actions in the Force'. Meaning I'd had lost half of my limited free time at the Institute to meditation, though it wasn't a bad thing as meditating with Fay present granted a good bonus - 15% - to my Force Power experience growth.

Nia's behaviour, or lack thereof, had confused me, as I was all but certain that Tiber went to his mother to complain. Yet, until this talk, she hadn't brought up the subject with me at all. Which was true of the other instructors. Perhaps issues between team members were more common than I realised, or I was getting special treatment due to being a Jedi, or Akaan'lor; or possibly both. Regardless, the lack of comment from the Instructors, and Nia in particular, had confused me.

Or it had until I'd used Observe on Nia and learnt that she was disappointed in both of us, though more so in Tiber. And that she was worried that the differing opinions held by her children over me would lead to a family feud, though she wasn't going to interfere as both Tiber and Gar were considered adults by Mandalorian standards.

While to many, the fact Nia hadn't gone after me for my actions, either officially or unofficially, might seem strange – if not an example of bad parenting - to a warrior society like those of the real Mandalorians, it made sense. In a strange sort of way. And critically, it had worked as Tiber had fallen into line and the team had shown a marked improvement since then, climbing to sixteenth – previously, we had been thirty-second out of forty – in the team rankings.

"That—" She paused and cleared her throat. "Things had gotten that bad?" She asked slowly.

"Sadly, yes. He was regularly disobeying instructions, costing us battles, not following orders, and antagonizing the other members of my team." I explained. "The only other choice would've been to ask the Commandant to remove him, but that would've resulted in a stain on your family's honour as well as his own, and I'd rather not have Gar go back to hating me."

"That's unlikely to happen." Nia replied slowly. "The last few years… Simply put they've begun to develop different interests and beliefs. Anyway, have there been any issues since your spar with Tiber?" She asked, changing the subject from her family issues – somehow I suspected I was the root cause of a lot of those issues – and back to a more relevant topic.

"So far, no. For all our… disagreements, Tiber's a decent soldier. Not on the level of Gar maybe, but solid." I responded honestly. "I know he wants to say something, or act against my orders but so far, he's toeing the line."

Tiber still glared at me whenever he thought I wasn't looking, but with my dismantling of him still fresh in his mind, he was staying quiet. I also hoped that the quiet talk I'd had with him in the medical the day after our spar was having an effect. There, I'd explained simply that if he chose to step out of line one more time, I'd ensure that our next spar would be far, far more brutal.

"Hmm. Well, if there are any more issues with Tiber, perhaps you could inform me before choosing to handle the issue in a public setting?" She asked and I nodded.

"Of course."

Nia, apart from being an instructor at the Institute, was someone that had the potential to be a useful ally in the future. Plus, so long as she stayed friendly with me, I felt I had a fair shot at gaining Gar as a loyal soldier. I doubted we'd ever become friends but having someone willing to trust your command without any personal attachment and having the fortitude to question if an order felt wrong was not something to dismiss. Thus, allowing my issues with Tiber to cost me two potential allies was foolish at best. And if the pair moved towards working with me and supporting my actions created a problem for Pre as losing his sister and nephew – and the leader of Clan Saxon – would undermine the strength of Death Watch.

Nia gave me a nod before she turned and resumed walking. I followed along, once more a little put off at how relaxed and unconcerned Nia was about her son's injuries at my hands. Was this because she felt Tiber needed the attitude correction, or was it a strange result of how my interface and its powers affected the world around me?

I'd always wondered if my reputation with someone would have them react differently than how I'd expect them to, and this might be the first oblivious case of that. My Reputation with her was Liked, which was higher than I expected, but was it enough for her to brush off her concerns with me demolishing her son or was her parenting approach so markedly different from what I expected that it just felt off?

While I tried to determine an answer as I followed along behind her, I soon ran out of time as we reached the Commandant's office, whereupon Nia pressed a small button beside the door.

"Instructor Vizsla and trainee Shan." She said into what I realised was an intercom.

"Enter." Replied the Commandant from the intercom and the door clicked, likely unlocking the door so we could enter.

Nia entered first, and I followed, and upon stepping into the office, I saw the Commandant standing with Fay and Dooku.

"Ah, trainee Shan. Good." The Commandant said as saw me enter. "I suspect you understand why you've been summoned."

"It's my birthday, and strangely, the thirteenth birthday is a day of some importance to both Jedi and Mando'ade." I replied, which made the Commandant chuckle and Fay smile. Dooku's reaction was typically understated, with him only raising a single eyebrow in a way that reminded me of someone in another famous science-fiction property as a stray thought wondering if that universe was real like this one had turned out to be flashed through my mind.

"Yes. Because of this, I've granted you dispensation to leave the Institute today, and ensured that your team is moved in the rotation so that they don't have to take part in a team event while their leader is otherwise occupied."

"Thank you, ma'am."

The commandant accepted my thanks with a nod before turning to Fay and Dooku. "We return the child to your care. While we understand that the universe often tries to disrupt our plans, I'd be grateful if you could ensure he returns to the Institute no later than twenty-one hundred."

Fay tilted her head forward. "Of course, Commandant. And thank you for allowing this." She turned to me, the smile still on her face, and spoke. "Come along Cameron."

I followed my Jedi masters out of the office in silence. Indeed, neither one spoke until we had exited the administrative building that housed the Commandant's office.

"I had not considered the fact both our Order and the locals placed importance on a child's thirteenth nameday." Dooku commented as my skin was warmed by the sun. "Unexpected."

"Those who follow the code of the Resol'nare place importance on it due to it being the age at which a child can become an adult. Though many in the sector no longer do so and prefer to observe the Republic mandate of sixteen cycles as the point upon which a child is legally regarded as an adult." Fay explained to him before turning to me. "For the Jedi, it marks the official age at which an Initiate is taken a Padawan or assigned to a different direction within the Order."

"Wait, does that mean I wasn't officially Padawan before today?" I asked, which made her laugh softly and had me once more missing the fact I couldn't hear that sound on a weekly, if not daily, basis while training in the Institute.

"You were our Padawan from the day you accepted us as your masters." Dooku answered in his usual stoic tone. "Today is simply… a day of tradition to the Order which marks the moment you are old enough to be classified as a Padawan."

"The tradition was in effect even when I was a Padawan, though I do know that it hasn't always been followed by the Order." Fay added. "In more… turbulent times, the tradition was often ignored as Padawans could be much older when taken by a Jedi for training. Such as when your great-grandfather was retrained as a Jedi."

"Ah." I said. While I was glad to get the explanation, it wasn't the most comprehensive.

"It is a day when master and Padawan meditate and reflect upon their time together and contemplate upon all the good and bad that has happened in their lives up until that point." Fay expanded, possibly from sensing my lack of understanding from her earlier explanation.

"You learn as much from the bad as you do the good sort of thing?" I asked.

"Not how many would describe it, but accurate nonetheless." Dooku confirmed while Fay agreed with a nod.

I nodded myself in understanding and filed that all away for when I was old enough to have my own Padawan. While I felt that there many things about the Jedi Order that were flawed, respecting tradition – where it didn't result in doing stupid things – was something that should be done.

"Today, we are all going to head to a spot on the planet that I long ago used for meditation." Fay said as we walked down one of the main paths, moving the conversation onto more present matters.

I caught sight of a few people glancing our way, but no one said anything. This was surprising as Dooku wasn't a popular figure on the planet, and both he and Fay were wearing Jedi robes, though neither wore the bog-standard brown ones. I suspected that my standing as Akaan'lor, and the ijaat'akaanir were enough for most to not risk annoying me with a snide comment.

"You are sure this place was not…" Dooku trailed off, likely not wanting to speak openly about the Jedi-led attack on the planet – and sector – that turned much of the planet, and others, into a wasteland.

"It is. I travelled there last week to confirm that it had been spared from the destruction other places suffered." Fay replied as we left behind the buildings and head towards the entrance where me and Serra had to enter from for our initiation.

Though instead of heading towards the gate, we turned towards the cliff. There, on an artificial overhang, were several small landing pads. While they were probably used for supply runs and from the few times that I'd headed out here to clear my mind had been empty, today a single shuttle, similar to the one that took us from the dock to the Duke's palace in Sundari, was waiting patiently.

Dooku chose not to verbally respond to Fay's reply, choosing instead to nod in agreement with his fellow master.

"How is your training going?" he asked, changing the topic.

"Good. There's not been any issues like the last session. I guess being declared their fighting champion is more important than me being a Jedi to most."

"It is, but what also matters is that both Serra and you have respected their traditions." Fay explained. "While neither Master Dooku nor I are overly happy about you needing to do so, nor the… aggressive methods you used to handle that situation, we understand that your hands were effectively tied by events."

"Indeed. Though I would caution you that many other Jedi are not so… understanding." Dooku added and even not being able to see his face, I could tell he was frowning. "When Master Yaddle returned to the Temple, I learnt that there were calls for you to be expelled for your actions during the trial by combat. Thankfully, those voices are in the minority and their displeasure with you was mitigated by more rational thinkers."

I chose to not vocalise my opinion on that, though I suspected I could guess a few of the group who'd spoken out against me. And possibly those who had likely spoken out in support. The idea that I could cause such debate – and I expected that was the nicest way to describe it – was both amusing and worrying.

Amusing in that it showed that I could affect people and ideals just by being different and worrying as a divided Jedi would have serious repercussions for the galaxy during the war to come.

We walked the rest of the short distance to the landing area in silence and boarded the waiting shuttle. Thus, in quick order, we were airborne and heading southward, away from the Institute, Keldabe and the forest that surrounded them.

Quickly and quietly the craft took off, though we headed south-east, away from Keldabe and in almost the opposite direction of Sundari. Mere minutes after we lifted off, we flew over what looked like a giant dinosaur skeleton, surrounded by a few smaller ones. Based on the way they were laid out, and the insane size of the largest one, I suspected they weren't real, but what purpose they served was something I couldn't comprehend.

Soon we left the forest around Keldabe behind, flying over another section of the planet that like the area around Sundari and the other domed cities was covered in nothing but white dunes. The odd almost skeletal remains of a building poking out every so often to remind me that the area hadn't always been like that.

I was thankful that the shuttle had a map displayed on a screen in the seating area as otherwise, it would be impossible to tell where we were as one white dune merged with the next.

As we reached the equator, the dunes gave way to what at first glance I took to be another forest. As we raced over it however, I realised it was more than likely a jungle as the canopy was much thicker than the forest around Keldabe. In addition, there were many large pockets of mist blanketing most of the area.

As refreshing of a scene change as it was, I barely had time to recognize and appreciate what I was seeing before we passed over it entirely, and the view returned to the barren dunes.

I still didn't fully understand why the Jedi and Republic had felt the need to burn the planet centuries ago. The potential threat that the Mandalorians were growing strong relative to the Republic – something that, arguably, was no direct fault of the Mandalorians as the Republic had just finished shooting themselves in the balls by demilitarising – wasn't, in my mind, sufficient justification to attempt to glass a planet. I supposed they must not have learned from the first time they tried to obliterate a culture. Nonetheless, I couldn't deny they'd been largely successful in ruining the world.

Yet, even with the vast majority of Mandalore, and several other planets in the sector, turned into wastelands, history had once again repeated itself. Despite the Republic's seemingly best efforts, the culture and spirit of the warrior people hadn't been crushed. Even with the New Mandalorians ruling the sector nominally from Sundari, it was clear that the proud warrior culture that had so often and prolifically come into conflict with the Old Republic and Jedi was alive and well, though now it lived in the shadows; just far enough from sight that the Republic Senate and the New Mandalorian government could claim it no longer existed to the galaxy at large.

For the next hour or so, we travelled over desolate dunes, and apart from the odd short conversation with my masters about my studies, very little of note happened. I did enquire as to what they'd been up to, but got mostly simple answers in return, though Dooku was strangely vague about his activities.

Then, just after an hour and a half since leaving Keldabe, the shuttle banked to port and the horizon in the window tilted, indicating we were beginning our descent.

Fay glanced out the window and, as a smile that didn't reach her eyes crept onto her face, her fingers moved to touch her tattoo.

"We're almost there." She whispered in a voice that barely carried to me over the gentle hum of the repulsor engines.

I sensed a hint of regret from her through the Force and suspected that this place she'd chosen was more than a mere meditation spot to her. Possibly, it held importance to the one she'd spoken about during our first dinner on-planet with Duke Adonai, Pre Vizsla, and their families.

While Fay had never confirmed how close she'd gotten with that Mandalorian, the way she spoke about them, and the feelings that I could sense when her thoughts dwelled upon them, made it clear the pair had been far more than just friends. Yet if that was the case, why would she choose to bring me to this place for my birthday?

After the shuttle had landed and powered down its engines, Fay led us down the short ramp to the ground. We were standing on the edge of a long-ruined city that had been overgrown by nature, and the area was covered in soft, wild grass.

Trees, some larger than multi-story buildings, sprung up from where streets had once been, their branches looking silver under the sunlight, and provided shade from the sun as it blazed overhead. Around the base of the massive trees, smaller bushes and plants grew, the most common of these being bright yellow ferns.

I inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of a different kind of forest, and turned my head as a very pleasant scent drifted in the air. Under the remains of a long-fallen wall were several clusters of flowers. They had a bell-like shape and the myriad of colours made it appear for an instant that the wall had been splashed with several shades of paint.

"Vormur flowers." Fay said, and I glanced her way to see she'd spotted me turning my head. "They grow around forests of the planet. Locals often pick them for their smell." She smiled as she walked over and picked one that was light lilac. "I hear that many females enjoy receiving such gifts." She added as her eyes met mine.

"Master." I groaned out and was just about able to keep the heat from my cheeks as she slipped the flower into her hair. Her face lit up as she did so, and her smile reached her eyes. While it was embarrassing to have to deal with the teasing, it was also nice to see her smile in real happiness.

"Who goes… Ah, Master Fay. Olarom." We both turned at the voice to see someone come out from behind the closest tree; one that blocked the entrance to the ruined and overgrown town. The woman, while not fully armed – wearing only the vambraces, shin-guards and pauldrons of her armour – carried herself as if expecting an attack. Even with her recognizing Fay, her stance didn't relax.

"Gatekeeper Tairn." Fay replied with a bow. "This is Master Dooku and our Padawan Cameron Shan. As I mentioned during my last visit, today is young Cameron's birthday and we wish to use the location I mentioned to meditate."

Tairn's eyes travelled over us both as if trying to judge if we were worthy to enter the city. Eventually, she nodded and whistled.

Thanks to Detection, I already knew there were four people in the buildings to either side of her and six more dotted around the landing area. While I didn't doubt that between Fay, Dooku, and myself taking the group out wouldn't be a problem, I'd rather avoid unnecessary violence when I could. Particularly on my birthday and in this place as it held importance to Fay.

"The elders have granted you permission, Master Fay. Though I'm not sure how comfortable they will be to learn one of your party is the Butcher of Galidraan." Tairn replied as she focused on Dooku and narrowed his eyes.

"That battle was a mistake, on both my part and that of the Order as a whole. While I cannot speak for the Jedi establishment, I have recently begun to come to terms with my actions that day." Dooku replied, sounding less upset than the last time someone had mentioned that battle. "That, in no small part, is due to the words of my fellow Jedi Master and our Padawan."

It took a lot of control to not let my brow rise at his words. Setting aside the quest objective to have him come to terms with the battle, to hear him praise me to a stranger was… unexpected.

"Hmm. This is him? The one you spoke of to the clan elders?" Tairn asked, her attention turning to me as I wondered just what Fay had revealed about me to this group of Mandalorians.

"He is. The heir to Clan Shan and direct descendent of Nasst be Me'suums." Fay replied and I had to bite my tongue to not groan. I knew choosing Shan as my family would have an effect on people, but this was getting ridiculous. How could these people hold someone that died nearly four-thousand years ago, and was responsible for breaking their great crusade, in such esteem?

Though hearing Fay refer to a Clan Shan made me curious. Did this mean there was more about my family name that I didn't know?

"Hmm. Then on behalf of the elders, I welcome you all. Come."

Tairn turned and walked behind the large tree. Fay moved quickly to follow while Dooku was more cautious, his hand resting near the hilt of his lightsaber as he gestured for me to follow Fay. I did so and Dooku took up the rear, and while I couldn't see him, I was all but certain he was hanging back in case this was all some sort of elaborate trap.

As I rounded the large tree blocking the main road, I saw that the buildings further within the city limits didn't appear to be as badly damaged or overgrown as the ones we saw where we landed. Oh, they were still covered in vegetation, but that was on the higher levels. It almost seemed like these people – I was detecting around two thousand lifesigns within range – were using the overgrowth to hide. Though why anyone would need to, especially Mandalorians on their capital world, was confusing.

I turned to Tairn, planning to use Observe, only to be distracted by a sense of regret, and if I wasn't mistaken, longing coming from Fay. Concerned that this place was bringing up long-buried memories and feelings, I moved closer in support.

While I wouldn't deny that I was curious about what this place meant to her, I wouldn't pry. If she ever decided to tell me, it would be her choice and not because I asked about it.

Though she said nothing she did turn and smile at me, seemingly happy for my presence, as we followed Tairn deeper into the hidden settlement.

……

Slowly I opened my eyes and looked around.

The sun had shifted in the sky, though it was hard to see through the canopy of the three trees that had grown to partially cover the rooftop I was meditating on.

I'd come up here with Fay and Dooku after the pair had spoken to the clan elders of the settlement while I contemplated the fact that Tairn and the one elder I'd met were of Clan Vizla. From what I'd learnt that clan had fallen around the time of the Dral'Han, being replaced in importance by their former cadet clan, Clan Vizsla.

Why Clan Vizla would be hiding wasn't something I understood, and while I was curious about it, I realised that if I started looking for records about the clan after I returned to the Institute, it would draw attention to them. Thus, when Fay and Dooku had come out of from speaking with the elders and explained who this clan were, that they were in seclusion and it would be advisable to not look up records on them, I'd readily accepted Fay's request. That had pleased her greatly – I'd sensed her relief through our bond – and earned me a small nod of thanks from Tairn.

From there, Fay had led us to the rooftop for a meditation session that I'd just come out of.

Slowly, I stood. While my body didn't suffer cramp or get tired like a regular human body would I'd been meditating for, if I read my chronometer correctly, over ten hours. Plus, the stretching was almost second nature now after five years as a Jedi and it had become part of the routine after long meditation sessions.

The view from the top of the building, while partially blocked by the trees, was still beautiful and the place was enveloped in the smell of nature, dominated by the enjoyable fragrance from the vormur flowers, though the ones up here were generally dark blue.

"I will admit that this place is far more… calming than I had expected." I heard Dooku say. I turned to see he was standing near the eastern edge of the building with Fay, having broken their meditation before I did. Both were gazing out, taking in the view.

"Yes. While this town has suffered greatly in the years between my visits and is far more… natural than it once was, that's not necessarily a bad thing. There is still a strong connection to the Force in the area, and it's refreshing to stand on one of the few remaining pieces of Mandalore that has remained in its natural state." Fay replied before she turned to face me, seemingly aware that I had ended my meditation. "Is this place as relaxing for you as for Master Dooku?"

"Yes, Master. Though I don't think I'm as… in-touch with nature as you are." I replied. "Though I wouldn't mind heading down for something to eat." I added while rubbing my stomach. While I no longer got stomach rumbles, the Hunger bar in the interface, and the corresponding penalties, let me know when I needed to eat.

Fay laughed softly at that while Dooku grunted in agreement.

"Indeed. However, before we do so, there is one other matter that we need to take care of." He said as he reached into his robes.

"For a while Master Dooku and I have been debating how to handle your Padawan gift." Fay said as she took over. "Getting you two gifts may well have upset your friends and fellow Padawans, while also placing the pair of us in a situation where one gift was decidedly more… impressive or useful than the other. Luckily, we were able to come up with a compromise and developed a combined gift." She finished as Dooku pulled a small rope-sealed bag from an inner pocket and handed it to me.

The bag was soft to the touch, almost like velvet, and felt light. Concerned that whatever inside was delicate, I slowly loosened the string holding the bag closed, then carefully tipped the bag until the contents fell out into my free hand, where a thin, dark silver-grey necklace now rested.

My eyes were quickly drawn to the gem that was attached to the chain. It wasn't particularly large, being barely longer than my thumb, and while dark blue in colour, wasn't outwardly impressive. What did draw my eyes was that there appeared to be a flame trapped inside while the edges of the gem were encircled by two white, curved objects that reminded me of elephant tusks, though far, far smaller in size.

"The teeth are the fangs of a Terentatek that I once killed beside my own master, Yoda, many years ago in the shadowlands of Kashyyyk." Dooku explained. As I ran my fingers over the combined centrepiece, I felt a momentary shiver pass through me, as though there was a hint of the Force within the gem and fangs.

"The gem is called the Heart of Fire and was something I discovered on Kiffu just before Serra began her verd'goten." Fay continued. "According to local legends the stones carry a fragment of the souls of the giver and receiver as a way to ensure that no matter the distance between them, they will always be connected."

My fingers continued to gently trace the fine lines and edges of the combined amulet the gem and fangs formed. The hint of the Force continued to spark as my fingers moved over it, which made me think that this was what the Kiffu locals meant by it containing a part of the souls of the giver and receiver.

"The chain is made of phrik taken from the ShaDo system. Since you have a… knack for bringing people together and inspiring them to be better, it seemed fitting to use some of the metal from that system to form the links." Dooku finished.

"I…" I gulped and then closed my hand tightly around the necklace. "Thank you." I managed to get out as I felt my eyes begin to water.

No one, not in this life or my old one, had ever given me a gift with this much thought and meaning before. The only things that came close were the old hand-made gifts my sister had made for me before her death but even those paled in comparison when the Force seemed to connect me to my masters through the necklace.

"Thank you." I repeated as I wiped my eyes with my sleeve.

"Cameron." I blinked away some of the water in my eyes and looked at Fay. "It is we who should be thanking you. Never, in all our combined years of teaching, have we had a student such as you."

"Indeed. Teaching you the ways of the Force, and guiding you to Knighthood has been, and will be, one the greatest accomplishments of my life." Dooku added as an exceedingly rare smile came to his lips. "And on that day, I hope that we will no longer be just your former masters, but your friends."

"You already are." I replied quickly and honestly which made both of their smiles grow. Everything, my quests, my worries about the future, the rare questions about the people I'd left behind, faded away. In this moment, as I stood here with these two, none of it mattered.

This was a moment, and a gift, that I would treasure until the end of my days.

"If you'll let me?" Fay asked as she took a step forward and held out her hand.

Slowly I reached out to give her the necklace. Part of me didn't want to let go, to lose a physical connection to it, if only for a moment. However, I knew that I could trust Fay and understood what she wanted to do.

She smiled as I cautiously lowered the chain into her hand. Likely both she and Dooku could sense how important it was to me already. She then stepped behind me then softly lifted the hair from my neck. That had me glad that I didn't need to worry about the Padawan braid while on Mandalore and wondered if I could just go without it as the braid that hung to my shoulder was a fucking nuisance. As the necklace touched my skin, I felt a… breeze flow through me. It was as if the Force itself was telling me that this was exactly where the necklace and combined gem were supposed to be.

"There." Fay stepped back around so I could see her again and my hand instinctively went to the gem, enjoying the feel of it against my skin.

"Thank you." I whispered. While there was more that I wanted to say, the words just wouldn't come, nor did I think I could properly express my gratitude for the gift.

"You have already said that. Three times. However, you are welcome." Dooku replied, the smile still present, which was an odd sight to see. "Still, we cannot dally up here all evening. We all need to eat, and I imagine the Commandant would be less than impressed if you broke her curfew."

"Right."

With the moment over, we walked towards the stairs leading down, though my hand never left the pendant that now hung from my neck.

From what had been said earlier a meal was being prepared for us by our hosts – who seemed to hold Fay in high regard – and after that we'd return to Keldabe so I could continue my studies.

While I expected a few comments about my new jewellery, I hoped it didn't become a discussion topic. Though if anyone was stupid enough to try and take it… well, I did need a good workout.

……



……

"Alright Cam, you got us here. Now what?" Bo asked as she and Naz followed me into one of the larger training rooms in the palace in Sundari. This one could also double as a simple range, though there were just two simple metal squares with rings on them at the other end of the room to act as targets.

It was the mid-session break and, with time to kill, and Fay having headed off-world with the Duke to handle a dispute between an outlying system and the Commerce Guild before heading to Coruscant to submit the final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy to the publisher's Holonet site, I figured I'd use it to train a Force power that was hard to train with Fay or Dooku around.

I'd planned to train the power last session, but then the attack on me and Serra and the trial by combat had happened. Which resulted in Yaddle arriving on-planet to check up on us. Now with Fay away, I could do so. And it would distract me from the fact that I was sitting on a nest egg of just over seventy million credits, even after having diverted nearly fifteen million credits to the Shadda-Bi-Borans and the Lokella since 'The Two Towers' was released.

The fact I now had enough credits to buy a small taskforce worth of CR-90 corvettes, or even a large cruiser, was a little scary. Though, I had managed to convince Dooku to purchase two such vessels, as well as a DP20 Frigate – all used, of course – for the Lokella, as they had the numbers to crew them and a need for better starships to defend their growing colony. He had carried out my request, mainly because he fully agreed with my logic that the group and the mine needed to be protected.

Fay had also suggested purchasing a few vessels for the Refugee Relief Movement, and arranged the purchase, refit, and delivery of another CR-90, as well as a small fleet of transports, including three VCX-150s, five older-model Barloz-class freighters, and six YT-1300s to the group. Looking over the payment receipt I had received had shown how imaginative people could be with their ship names. There was even one freighter called the Wayward Son, which I had a good chuckle about as I remembered the song from back home.

All totalled, I had spent a little under ten million on the purchase and retrofitting of the two fleets, but I considered it money well spent. The long term political and quest-based returns it could give me were sizable, and even if it didn't work out entirely as planned, I'd be able to make that back in well under a year from book sales. Padme had called me personally to thank me on behalf of her father, check up on how I was doing, and pester me about when I would be releasing the next book in the 'Lord of the Rings' saga.

"I need your help with something." I replied to Bo, cutting off my thoughts before I fixated on what I could collect in a fleet with the remainder of my funds. There would be time enough for those speculations later.

I walked over to one wall and pulled two blaster pistols from a rack. I then made sure both were set to their lowest setting above stun – since stun bolts couldn't be deflected, only dissipated. At that setting, the bolts would only scar my flesh if this failed instead of burning the skin or killing me. They'd still hurt, but it would be manageable and easily healable.

"I don't think we can help you with those." Naz began as I turned and showed them the pistols. "You're a better shot than either of us already."

I smirked at that. Currently, I was ranked in the top five shooters in the entire Institute for the session, and I knew the names of those above me. Bo and Naz weren't on that list, which annoyed Bo as she was currently sixth on the pistol list, though the gap between us was significant enough that even if I was only an Institute-average shot for the rest of the session, she wouldn't be able to catch me.

"No. What I want is for you two to shoot me." I explained as Bo took one of the pistols.

"What?!" Bo squawked, almost losing her grip on the weapon. She was able to stop it from falling to the floor, but her attention, and that of Naz's, was firmly on me. "Why?"

"The Force allows one to do many things." I began as Naz took the other blaster. "It can make one stronger, quicker and allow us to move things with but a thought. It allows one trained in its usage to sense an attack before it arrives and do things no normal person could."

I kept my explanation going as I walked to the far end of the room. "However, there are some abilities that are… difficult to train, and as a Padawan it's preferred that I don't learn them."

I turned back to face them, a smirk creeping onto my face. "Of course, what the High Council don't know won't hurt them."

"Stop being a mir'sheb and tell us what we're doing." Bo groaned out, her brow creasing to show her annoyance at my vagueness.

"Fine, ruin the suspense." I replied, rolling my eyes. "You take all the fun out of things." I'd enjoyed playing the vague and mysterious Jedi and could see why many of them liked to talk as they did. Confusing others or simply generating mystique was fun, though if used too often – a mistake I think many Jedi committed – it could alienate those you were talking to.

"Being an idiot isn't fun." Bo retorted.

Naz chuckled at the interplay. "You two sound like a married couple."

"What?!" Bo screeched as her eyes enlarged almost comically.

"Anyway…" I began, trying to get things back on topic. While Bo was certainly cute, I'd made up my mind on not getting involved with anyone before I was older, like at least seventeen, and Bo hadn't shown any interest in me. She clearly preferred females, which was fine. Plus, if I tried to be involved with anyone before I'd had a long, long talk with an adult Serra… well, anger and jealousy were pathways to the Dark Side after all. "There's a Force ability that allows one to deflect an attack with but a thought. I know the basics, but I need someone to actually shoot at me to train myself with the ability."

Both girls stared at me with wide eyes as they processed what I'd just said.

"Wait? Jedi can really do that?" Naz asked slowly. "I thought my dad was just trying to scare me as a kid when he told me Jedi did osik like that."

I snorted in amusement. Why Pre would think telling Naz that would scare her I didn't know, but the idea that Mandalorian children were told about the Jedi as a sort of bogeyman was amusing as fuck. Though I suspected that as they got older, that idea of Jedi being scary evolved into them being a worthy opponent to defeat, but it was still a funny thing to learn. Plus, it also likely reinforced the distrust Mandalorians held for the Jedi for what they'd orchestrated with the Dral'Han.

"Yes, we can. Though, from what I've learnt the ability isn't one that all Jedi are good at, or even use." I explained. Why such a skill wasn't taught to all Jedi I didn't know. It was such a useful and practical skill that even if one had to normally wait until you were a Jedi Knight to learn, not learning even the basics of it was bloody stupid.

"So why not ask Master Fay to teach you?" Bo asked, her lips twitching upwards. "Is this something she and Master Dooku don't want you to learn?"

I smirked at her. "More like something they don't want me to learn right now."

"Heh. Nice to see a Jedi who's willing to break a rule here or there." Naz commented as she shifted her stance, bracing the pistol with both hands, though it wasn't aimed at me yet. "So where do you want us to aim for?"

"My hands." I said as I lifted both hands and watched as Bo quickly shifted her stance to match Naz's. "Though just a single shot each please. I need to know if it'll work." Well, I knew it would as the power was already at Adept:1, but I felt it better to ignore that while explaining that I was 'learning' a new power.

The pair did as I'd asked and fired off a single shot each. Both bolts deflected away from my hand, one striking the roof while the other whizzed back between them, missing Bo by less than a hand's width.

Combined, the two bolts had cost me about 700FP without me losing any HP or getting an injury notification. The one downside of using this power was that if used, I couldn't use Damage Resistance: Energy. Some strange mingling of the Interface and the Force prevented me from doing so, or just the TPTB being pricks and not wanting me to further abuse my abilities.

"Shab! That's all kinds of awesome." Naz commented as Bo's eyes tracked to where the bolt that had deflected between them had struck the wall, leaving a faint scorch mark behind.

"Can't you control where the bolts go?" Bo asked as she turned back to face me, showing the slightest wrinkling of her brow.

"In time, yes. Though I still need to work on that." While I couldn't currently, everything I'd learnt about the ability said that it was possible to do so, so I expected I'd be able to control the direction of the deflections once it reached a higher stratum.

One of Bo's eyes twitched. "Right, in that case, lift those benches over here." She demanded, pointing at two empty workbenches that sat to one side of the room. "Then lie them down on their sides."

I nodded, understanding what she wanted, and a few seconds later there were two improvised barricades that the pair could use a cover from a stray deflected bolt.

The girls shared a conspiratorial look before they moved to take cover behind the tables.

"Ready Cam?" Bo asked. The pair had matching smirks and were settling their pistols on the top of their respective table to help them aim. At me.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." I muttered as I quickly readied myself for what was to come.

……

About an hour later, the three of us left the room. I'd been able to take about twenty shots from each girl before I needed to stop and restore my FP with meditation. While explaining that to them had required another bit of vague finesse, they hadn't had any issues with me doing so. And since my boosted FP regen now meant I only needed about four minutes to fully restore my FP via meditation, I'd been able to repeat the process ten times, which lead to me improving the power by twelve levels. Not bad for an hour's work-slash-training, and I was sure the girls would be happy to train again tomorrow. Shame I couldn't get a training quest for Force Powers or I'd abuse that to gain some quick and easy XP.

"Hey Cam," Naz began as the doors to the training room hissed closed behind us. "Why did you demolish Tiber Saxon?"

"Let's just say he was having issues with my leadership and that I was forced to handle it that way." I replied as I felt a smirk creep onto my face.

"Most people wouldn't have aired team issues so publicly." Bo commented as we walked down the corridor. Hopefully, we were heading for the cafeteria as I was getting hungry. "However, based on the improvement in your team's ranking, I'd say it worked."

"Yeah, though I might have enjoyed it too much." I replied with a smirk. "Tiber had that beatdown coming."

Now I could only hope that the lesson had permanently sunk in, as there wasn't much more that I could do to him if it hadn't.

"Hey, when'd you get that?" Naz asked, pointing at me. I followed her gaze and saw I had subconsciously pulled my pendant out and was rubbing it between my fingers. I found the action relaxing, but the fact I'd done it without thinking was unexpected.

"It was my birthday gift from Master Fay and Master Dooku. The Jedi place importance on a Padawan's thirteenth birthday just like Mandalorians do. Though the reasons are different." I explained as I removed my fingers from the pendant.

Naz and Bo both stopped to look at it.

"Why does it look like there's a flame inside?" Bo asked as they both leaned closer to see it, invading my personal space in the process.

"It's a heart of fire crystal. Master Fay found it on Kiffu while the edging is made from the fangs of a Terentatek that Master Dooku killed years ago."

Neither girl said anything, instead, they kept their focus on the pendant. Eventually, they pulled back and we resumed walking.

"I wonder if you'll take down another for your verd'goten." Bo wondered as we turned right at the first intersection and the smell of food reached my nostrils.

"I hope not. From what I've read, they're kriffing hard to kill, even with the Force and a lightsaber." I replied.

Hunting a beast that was a known Jedi-killer with nothing but a knife was not something I wanted to attempt. While I couldn't deny I was growing anxious to see what I would hunt and kill, something like a Terentatek was far, far beyond what I'd consider smart to hunt.

……



……

Some days I enjoyed being in this new universe.

Though as I squinted out from behind the cloth that I'd wrapped around my head to protect my face from the growing heat of the twin suns of this bloody planet and took in the sight of the seemingly endless waves of dunes, I knew that today was not going to be one of those days.

I grunted as I felt the sand that never seemed to leave my boot shift and rub against my foot. After three days of walking through this desert, I was beginning to agree with Anakin about sand. It got everywhere and I was developing a severe dislike of it, especially on Tatooine.

Once this sand-cursed hunt was over the first thing I was going to do, before even talking with Fay and Adonai, was take shower. Probably three or four just to make sure all the sand was gone.

Now, I knew that the Force had places it felt I should go, and TPTB had things they'd like me to do –I suspected the golden halo I'd seen around certain ships and was the Interfaces' way of indicating this – and I knew that I planned to come here at some point before the invasion of Naboo. But what exactly had I done that the Force or TPTB – or both – felt that sending me here to Tatooine for my verd'goten was a good idea?

I mean, what was I meant to hunt and kill? A sarlacc? A krayt dragon?

I scoffed at the insanity of such a thing. With the Force suppression bracers active and limiting me to nothing more than Precognition while I wandered, and my only weapon being a beskar knife, I'd put my odds against either of those beasts at slim to none, with the slim option looking for a way of this sand-covered backwater.

Thankfully, on the way here, I'd read about other predators that could be found across the planet. While beasts such as massifs, purple mantis' and rontos were several steps – at least – below the threat level of a krayt dragon or a sarlacc, they would still be acceptable for the verd'goten.

Though a smaller beast would likely result in smaller XP rewards for the quest linked to this hunt.

Hunt of Adulthood [֍] [ƍ]
Rating: A->S*** [Rating varies depending on the beast killed to complete the trial.]
Objective:
Defeat and kill a beast that could conceivably kill you using only a knife.
Rewards:
Variable XP [Depends on the size, ferocity and danger rating of the beast killed.]
Variable increases in Reputation with any Mandalorian who follows the old ways.
Variable decreases in Reputation in members of the New Mandalorian faction.
Variable increases and decreases in Reputation with elements of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic.
Failure:
-1000XP
A large loss of Reputation with Mandalorians who follow the old ways.
Possible death
This was the first quest I'd gotten that didn't have a defined rating or rewards, which did make sense as the more dangerous the beast I killed, the greater the rating and rewards should be. It was also the first quest to have two markers; in this case, being both an incident quest – as it was something linked to how I handled the hunt – and a mission quest – because Duke Adonai had formally stated the trial I was undertaking.

Thankfully, I didn't need to worry about the quest XP rewards for levelling up, as even with the lowered rewards for the three training quests from the last session at the Institute, I'd managed to earn more than enough XP to reach level 26. Though some of that was due to the fact I'd also maxed out Empathy, Tapas, Speed, Bullet-Time, Sight, and Battle Meditation: Passive. This was largely thanks to the Enhance Regeneration perk, which had massively increased my ability to level up my powers while I meditated, or at least the powers that I could level up while meditating. But I wasn't complaining.

I'd also tried to level up Force Heal rapidly, but the way it was set up, and my current living conditions, made that difficult. Ignoring the slightly worrying need of having to either shoot or stab myself to lower my HP, with Force Heal being in the Professional stratum, I was able to restore about 100HP in five minutes. That meant I had to repeat that cycle around twenty times to level up the power once, which was hard to do as I was sharing a room and finding time alone was hard when so many people had come to me for training and teaching. Still, I'd managed to raise the power to Professional:25 while the term was in session and should be able to take it further once I had finished my verd'goten and left Mandalore.

Once again, I'd been declared Akaan'lor of the Institute, and this time I'd finished top with a rifle and third with a pistol. The only downside had been the fact my team had been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the end-of-session tournament. While I wanted to blame Tiber Saxon for that, I couldn't as he had kept his head down since I'd publicly re-educated him.

Still, with my time at the Institute now over – bar a celebration with my teammates when I completed my verd'goten – I knew I had to shift my focus from the beginnings of a combat force that I'd hopefully laid the groundwork with on Mandalore to other matters.

Like the fact the Force had guided me to Tatooine for my verd'goten, meaning it probably wanted me to grab Anakin before the invasion of Naboo kicked off. However, that would have to be something I did after the hunt was over.

Mos Espa was the name of the settlement where Anakin and his mother lived, which I'd discovered by learning that was the location of the Boonta Eve Classic podrace. Now, there was a chance the race took place in a different settlement from where the Skywalkers lived, but I felt it was minimal. Several racers, most prominently the Dug Sebulba, were seen in the same location as Anakin, Qui-Gon and Padme before the race, so it was highly unlikely that they were in a different settlement.

The real issue regarding getting Anakin, at least based on my current situation, was the fact that the Cin Vhetin had landed in the nominal capital of the world, Bestine, which was far to the south-east of Mos Espa. I had considered heading in the direction of Mos Espa for my hunt but knowing what I'd learnt on my way here about the local creatures and taking into account the distance between the two settlements, I'd headed south-west. Towards the Jundland Wastes. Supposedly the area was home to a few packs of massifs and a rumoured nest of mantises.

"Well, hello there."

I spun at the voice that had come from behind me even while I mentally cursed about the fact that I couldn't run Detection along with Precognition while the bracers were active.

Hell, I couldn't even keep Telepathic or Empathic shields active as combined with the bracers, those three powers were just too much for my FP regen to handle, though I could manage to keep one of those shields active, I decided against it. The chance that I'd need the extra FP when the hunt began was great enough that I preferred to not risk having them active, and I was far enough away from Fay – who was in orbit watching my process with Adonai from the Cin Vhetin – that I was safe from her picking up anything bar a stray thought or two form me.

Thus, I only kept Precognition active as it was more useful in an emergency, though I used Detection at regular intervals as a quasi-radar to gain an inkling of what was around me. Which was why I was caught by surprise at the voice as there had been nothing on the minimap at my last ping just over thirty minutes ago – nor anything in nearly a day and a half.

"I wasn't expecting to meet someone way out here. Certainly not a child on foot." He said as I gripped the hilt of my beskar knife tightly and shifted into a combat stance. His eyes narrowed for a moment as he glanced at my knife's blade but said nothing else.

Standing on top of a small rock formation, it looked as though he was surveying his surroundings. With the rifle strapped over his back, a belt of what looked like thermal detonators slung from one shoulder to the opposite hip and a long, curved blade attached at the other hip he reminded me of a wilderness explorer or big game hunter.

"Well it wasn't my choice." I replied as I used Observe to determine who he was and why he was here.

Drayy'ven Jral
Level: 30
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 33
Force Potential: Low
Threat Potential: Intermediate
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Jral (71%), Bounty Hunter's Guild: Ragnar Syndicate (57%)
Emotional State: Surprised/Curious
Drayy is surprised to see a child, particularly an apparently Mandalorian one, in the Jundland Wastes of Tatooine.
And he wonders if you're here for your verd'goten, or another reason.
Drayy'ven chuckled. "Aye, I imagine it wasn't." He leapt from the top of the rock outcropping and landed a few metres in front of me of someone trained in combat.

"What brings you all the way out here?" he asked as he took a small step towards me, his hands clear of his body to show he wasn't trying to threaten me.

"My verd'goten." I answered honestly. While I wasn't certain that he was Mandalorian himself, the information from Observe hinted that he suspected I was one. Likely from the knife.

"Hah. I kinda suspected that." He pointed at my knife. "Clan Saxon?"

"No. Clan Shan. I was given this after defeating Girk Saxon in single combat." After saying that, I frowned. There was no reason for me to be so open with this person, yet here I was offering longer explanations than necessary. Something told me the man wasn't a threat, and that he might even be an ally in the future.

Sometimes figuring out what the Force was suggesting or hinting at was a pain in the arse, even if it was amazing to experience all the same.

"Ahh. So you're the adiik that they're all talking about?" Drayy'ven said with a grin as his entire posture shifted. Gone was the open, non-threatening stance, replaced by one of easy acceptance. "Oh, I'm Drayy'ven, though everyone in the Guilds calls me Drayy." He added as he took a step closer and extended his arm.

"Cameron." I replied as I relaxed my stance and clasped his forearm. "What are you doing out here?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"I'm something of a big game hunter," Drayy'ven replied as we broke the clasp. "Heard that there's been sightings of a greater krayt dragon somewhere in the Western Dune Sea. Hunted a fair few beasts in my time, but that would be a new high mark."

That comment confirmed one of my initial suspicions about the man as a big game hunter. Though hunting something as big as a greater krayt dragon – they were meant to grow up to a hundred meters in length – was far beyond what I would've called game hunting in my old life. Not that I agreed with the idea in either.

"And, uh, which way from here is that? Just so, you know, I head in the opposite direction." Because there was no kriffing way I'd go looking for something that dangerous. I wouldn't deny that I did, sometimes, enjoy fighting, or watching others fight. However, trying to take on something that big, especially with nothing more than a knife – no matter how impressive the metal it was made of was – was, in my mind, a good definition of insanity.

Drayy'ven threw his head back and laughed loudly at that. "Aye, that would be a smart thing to do. Even with all my toys," he gestured to the shoulder belt full of detonators, "I'm not sure I've got the tools to take one down. But haran, it's going to be fun to find out."

The man's eyes got a faraway look in them and I realised he might be a little crazy: well, a lot crazy as anyone who walked around with that many thermal detonators attached to their body had to be missing a few screws.

"So, which way?" I asked after waiting for the man to answer my initial question until it became clear he wasn't going to.

He blinked and refocused his attention on me. "Hmm, oh. So long as you don't pass through the Wastes, you'll be fine. Greater dragons rarely leave the dune seas. They only leave the comfort of the sand when they are hunting a particularly tasty meal or fighting another dragon."

"Thanks." I said before turning and walking away as quickly as I could without it seeming like I wanted to get away. I wanted to be nowhere near a man who went looking for something like a greater krayt dragon while wearing a dozen or so thermal detonators. I was rather enjoying this new life of mine thank you very much.

"Good hunting." Drayy'ven called out without any hint that he was angered by my leaving without waiting for him to say anything.

"You too." I called back over my shoulder, though I didn't stop walking. It was still early morning, but I wanted to get further into the Wastes so that the mountainous region could provide some shade once the twin suns were overhead. And get as far as I could from the insane hunter behind me.

……



……

I take it back; I don't dislike sand. I kriffing hate it!

Six days had now passed for me trekking through the dunes and wastes of Tatooine, and no matter where I went, be it in the dunes or the rocky canyons of the Jundland Wastes, sand was always there. And even with my robes pulled so tightly against me that they felt like a second skin, the haran stuff was still got everywhere. Even into my water bottles.

I kriffing hated this place and could understand why Anakin hated sand.

Though I had to wonder how he'd reacted when he'd first seen Naboo from orbit and the lush greens and blues that marked the planet out as a temperate, garden world had filled his sight. While I didn't plan to take the boy there after I collected him and his mother, I did plan to take them to a world like Alderaan or Dantooine to see what a normal planet – meaning one with no sand except on the beaches – looked like.

Though when that would happen, I didn't know. I'd been at this for six Hutt-cursed days and apart from killing a few smaller rodents and lizards for food, I hadn't come across anything that would suffice for this hunt. Although I did still have two bags of food in my Inventory, the fact that I was being monitored from orbit, along with a sense of fair play, prevented me from using them. In fact, I hadn't met any other living being larger than the afore-mentioned food sources since meeting the possibly (likely) insane Mandalorian hunter three days prior.

Though even those critters that I'd killed for food had disappeared over the last day or so and my limited rations had run out last night meaning I hadn't eaten in nearly half a day. Thankfully, even with the bracers active, I could still use Negate Hunger to counter the issues that was causing, though it took far, far longer to do so.

Thankfully, I still had half a day's worth of water left, but if I couldn't find a new supply by this evening, I'd have to pull some from my Inventory while in my tent. I'd also do the same for food. Hopefully, there wouldn't be questions asked about how I managed to survive without eating or drinking if that pattern had to continue for a few more days. Though if the hunt lasted that long, I'd likely be through the Wastes and into the Western Dune Sea.

The fact that I'd not come across anything worthy of taking down for my trial was a little surprising. Either the files I'd read about what beasts inhabited the Wastes were wrong, or something had driven them from their stomping grounds. And while I hoped it was the former, a nagging feeling had me suspecting it was the latter.

I wanted this hunt to be over, but going into the Western Dune Sea, an area that supposedly held a greater krayt dragon would only result in my quick and painful death. And frankly, I was rather enjoying this new life and the adventure it was generating. Even if I planned to take a dozen showers once I was finally of this sand-covered hellhole.

An almost sadistic roar echoed through the canyon I was walking in, and I froze.

The sound continued for nearly twenty seconds and in that time Eidetic Memory helped me place the sound. It was the call of a krayt dragon like the one Obi-Wan had imitated in Episode IV.

The sound bounced and ricocheted around so much that I couldn't tell where it was coming from. Concerned that I'd accidentally stumbled near a dragon's lair, I activated Detection as a pulse.

Even as the results appeared on the minimap Precognition flared, a warning appearing in the Interface and my body seemed to move of its own accord to my right. The spot I had been standing in not half a second earlier was suddenly occupied by a massive, thick tentacle that smashed into the ground, sending sand and dust flying upwards.

I scampered further away even as I traced the tentacle back to a cave that I'd missed spotting as it was just around the turn of the canyon that I was in. Though as I realised where the threat had come from, three more lengthy tentacles emerged, followed by a giant beak.

As the beak snapped open, exposing rows of teeth and a tongue that looked thicker than my head, I realised that this was a farking sarlacc; and I'd stupidly wandered into its range while mentally complaining about the planet.

Though at least now I knew why there'd been no creatures around over the last day. They knew to stay as far as possible from the lair of a sarlacc.

"Kriff me." I muttered as I continued to move backwards until I felt my back press against the canyon wall opposite the sarlacc's cave.

While I was now safe from the tendrils of the sarlacc – which continued to smash against the ground as they aggressively sought me out – I realised I was all but trapped. The canyon wall curved around in such a way that if I moved more than a few metres to either side I'd be in range of the tendrils again.

The sarlacc seemed to know this – likely why it had chosen that particular cave to inhabit – as two tendrils wriggled against the ground to either side of me, all but caressing the wall of the canyon I was pressed firmly against.

The other tendrils – four of them – beat at the ground between me and the beak. Dust and sand continued to be flung up into the air as the monster cried out.

"Kriff me." I repeated as I considered my options, none of which were good.

I could stay here and try not to move until the sarlacc gave up, but given this was its nest and as such, the I'd likely be stuck here so long I'd die of boredom – not hunger as the Force would sustain me – before Adonai and Fay came down to rescue me.

Or I could take my chances with the tendril on either side, try and hurt them enough that they moved back, or slip past one and escape, but I had to suspect that the sarlacc had a way to deal with prey that did such things.

Another option was to turn and try to climb the canyon wall, but it was around fifteen meters high and from what Eidetic Memory helped me remember, lacked any obvious ledge or handholds to aid such a climb. While I could use the Force to jump clear, that would confirm to Adonai and Fay that I could use the Force with the bracers active, and would likely result in a big loss of reputation with Adonai and others; thus, undoing a lot of my work on the planet over the last year.

That left me only one real choice. Call Adonai and Fay for help, then once I was extracted, resume the hunt. Not ideal as I'd likely be moved to another location on the planet to start again, but it was the option that would get me out of here without majorly damaging my standing with the Mandalorians. Oh, I was sure some would call my names for not going after the sarlacc, but they should be in the minority.

Even though it had been a long slog over the last year, with a fair few ups and downs, I felt I had the base for a solid combat company – at least – that I could call on for the invasion of Naboo and what came after.

With my mind made up, I reached for the pouch on my belt that held my communicator. My hand brushed against the empty spot where my lightsaber would normally rest and again I felt as though a part of me was missing. Being without it now felt… wrong, as if I was only truly complete when it was with me.

-- RROOOOAAARRRRRR--

Just as I pulled the communicator from its pouch, a thunderous roar, louder than anything I'd ever heard before, echoed through the canyon. I lifted my hands to cover my ears, the communicator slipping from my grasp, in a feeble attempt to muffle the deafening sound.

Even as I recognised what the roar was, and that acknowledge a notice that had appeared in the Interface, a massive mouth – one lined with teeth that looked longer than my legs and sharp as my knife – came down and clamped shut just behind the beak to the sarlacc.

I had only just begun to process the sheer size of the mouth – it looked bigger than a kriffing speeder – when it pulled back, ripping the beak, and what looked like a ten-metre chuck of the throat that stretched into the cave, skyward.

An almost demonic shriek filled my ears as the sarlacc recoiled at losing its beak. The tendrils failed around wildly as blood sprayed from the fresh wound like a fire hose. Where that blood landed, the ground seemed to boil and a tangy, almost sweet smell assault my nostrils.

I stumbled as the sarlacc's tendrils smashed against the ground and canyon walls, trying fruitlessly to reach up and grab the monstrous beast that had dared to attack it.

My eyes darted upwards, diverted from the wounded sarlacc and hissing ground between it and me, as the massive maw of the beast that stood on the top-edge of the canyon almost lazily threw that ten-metre chuck of sarlacc into the air.

"Oh, kriff me." I mumbled out as I realised the mouth belonged to the only creature on Tatooine that could and would eat a sarlacc; a greater krayt dragon.

As the dragon crunched down on the beak, and acidic blood squirted everywhere, I cursed my luck that the dragon had come into the Wastes from the Dune Sea. Likely it had caught the scent of the sarlacc, which according to the files I'd read was something that people suspected the dragons considered a delicacy.

I jumped to my left, glad the sarlacc was distracted by the dragon, to avoid being splashed and burnt by the sarlacc's blood as it began to rain down on the canyon floor. Given to the way the dragon was attacking the sarlacc's beak, it was relishing the taste, and at that moment, I felt remarkably small and insignificant.


Oh, if I had full access to the Force I felt I could easily take out either beast, but right now, all I could do was watch as the deadly sarlacc retreated back into its cave, intimidated by the monstrous dragon that chewed triumphantly on its beak.

With the sarlacc retreated, with only about a metre of each tendril still exposed to the light, I saw my chance to escape. Slowly, cautiously, I began to side-step to my left. My eyes darted between the wounded but still dangerous sarlacc as it tended its wound in its cave and the ravenous dragon that was perched on the wall above it.

Chucks of the sarlacc's beak and throat fell from the dragon's mouth as it tossed the length around in its mouth, some landing on the canyon floor and forcing me to alter my route even as I slid, stepped, and hopped to avoid the pools of hissing, boiling blood that littered the ground.

I watched in morbid fascination as the dragon lifted its massive maw high and swallowed the chunks that were only a little smaller than me with ease.

While the sarlacc was gravely wounded, I doubted it would not react if the dragon tried to claim more of its flesh and I knew that in a battle between these titanic beasts I, with nothing more than limited access to the Force and a beskar knife, would be nothing more than an appetiser for either behemoth.

The only thing I could do was keep distancing myself from the two predatory colossuses until I…

"Ca—oon—e—ng—elp."

I froze mid-step as my communicator – the one that in my desire to be anywhere but near these two monsters I'd forgotten to pick up – sparked to life and Master Fay's voice flickered out intermittently.

The dragon's head snapped down, and the sarlacc's tendrils emerged slightly at the sound that came from the device.

"C—er—on."

I lowered my foot, my mind going a mile a minute as I tried to process how unbelievably frakled I was as the dragon's gaze shifted from the sparking communicator to me.

Its eyes narrowed and it blew air loudly from its nostrils as our eyes met and I felt my entire body shiver in pure, unmitigated fear.

The dragon leaned forward and roared. The sound was so loud that I had to slide one foot back to keep my balance even as every muscle in my body tense and another notice appeared in my interface.

"Oh, kriff me sideways." I muttered as I realised that I now had the alpha predator of the planet with its sights set on me.

The dragon's legs tensed, and it pulled its head back as my fight or flight instinct kicked in and I did the only logical thing I could.

I ran.

……



And with that, we're now 4 years from Naboo.
See you next chapter, and...


May the Force be with you. Always.
 
Last edited:
Teh Adiik At Mando’ade 9
Thanks to blaze1992 for some quest concepts and spit-balling ideas.
To the backroom group for their help with SW related issues, arc ideas and betaing the chapter
To WarriorsCre3d for creating a custom image for the story.

You can find me on Discord at;
Heart of the Force: discord.gg/UM89QfyQk3
Game of Kingdoms: [Under development]
or
Shiro's Gaming Omniverse: discord.gg/wd3tUYWVCd

Or on Pat-reon: patreon.com/ussexplorer

Current date: 4 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Mandalorian Words/Phrases:
Adiik – Child
Akaan'lor – Fighting Champion
Beskar – Mandalorian Iron
Cin Vhetin – White Fields (Duke Adonai's personal cruiser)
Dar'manda – A state of not being Mandalorian, one who has lost his heritage, and so his identity and his soul. Regarded with absolute dread by most traditionally minded Mando'ade.
Di'kute – Idiots
Ijaat'ikaanir – Honour-Duel
Jetii – Jedi
Hut'uunla – Thieves/Criminals/Scum
Naast be Me'suum – Destroyer of Worlds (aka Revan)
Mirshepar'la – Boring
Osik – Shit
Shab – Fuck
Shaburie – Motherfuckers
Ver'alor – Lieutenant
Verd'goten – The traditional rite of passage of Mandalorian culture.


(Mandalorian Lieutenant's POV, several minutes before the previous chapter ends)​

As she sat in the command chair on the Cin Vhetin's bridge, shift-leader and Ver'alor Thaas Krass sighed. The familiar, repetitive noises of the bridge cascaded around her as the crew that worked with her on this shift went about their business with their usual efficiency. But Thaas herself was bored.

For six long, dull, boring days they'd been orbiting the dustbowl of the word below in this Republic-forsaken, Hutt-controlled area of the Outer Rim while the second of the two Jetii attempted their verd'goten, which was still something she found surprising.

When the pair of Jetii adiiks had arrived on Mandalore around a year ago she had been… less than impressed with Duke Adonai when he'd not only allowed them to stay, but to attend the training centre for Protectors in Keldabe.

Yet, just as with many of her crewmates, friends, and family, the young Jetii pair had impressed her. From what she'd discovered, the pair had stepped into the centre without their signature weapons and willingly allowed themselves to be cut off from the source of their power to prove themselves against Mando'ade their own age. The actions of the shabuire, and their attempt to rape the female Jetii… Thaas was ashamed that such an incident had been allowed to occur on Mandalore and cursed the weak-willed fools in Sundari for not executing or exiling those dar'manda.

That the Jetii hadn't turned tail and ran back to the Republic – as Thaas would've expected a Jetii to do – and instead chosen to fight for their honour in an ijaat'ikaanir, respecting the old ways, and it had shocked Thaas; and everyone she knew. A part of her had cheered when she'd learnt the pair had defeated the shabuire and proved that the heart of a warrior could still be found in the Mando'ade's ancient enemy, though another part was concerned at just how dangerous the boy would be if he received the correct training. His takedown of a group of older, stronger and more experienced fighters had been an eye-opening experience for Thaas and many others.

That the boy would then be declared Akaan'lor – the youngest in recorded history – by defeating the new head of Clan Saxon in single combat hadn't surprised her, but his willingness to again respect the old ways of the Mando'ade had. While the fight between the two had been limited – a necessary evil due to their young age and inexperience for real combat – as well there being rumours of Tiber pressuring Gar to initiate a blood feud between the Jetii and Clan Saxon, it had been a good fight. The Jetii had held back even further than the agreed-upon terms to ensure the fight was fair, yet once he knew victory was assured, he did not hesitate to take what he had earned. A mark of a true warrior.

Not long after, the girl had proved herself worthy of being Mando'ade by completing her verd'goten; though Thaas knew there were a few – those unwilling to accept a Jetii had joined the ranks of the Mando'ade – who considered her kill tainted as she had not engaged her kill in single combat, instead she'd taken advantage of a fight between it and another predator. Thaas however, considered those complaints of negligible importance, as the girl had been faced with two kills worthy of a verd'goten and chosen to attack the stronger of the two. Besides which, an argument could be made that she displayed tactical awareness and cunning by allowing prey to weaken itself before striking, characteristics of any true hunter.

Thaas also remembered vividly the behaviour of the boy when he'd sensed that the girl was in danger. The realisation that the Jetii could sense each other with their almost mythical power was unnerving, however what stuck out in Thaas' mind had been her surprise at the boy's reaction. Until that moment, she had always believed – as did many in the galaxy – that the Republic's most famous warriors were nothing but emotionless servants of the Force and the attack dogs of the corrupt Senate. The boy had shown genuine concern and fear for his friend and was willing to fight her and the rest of the crew to help. A noble, if misplaced ideal.

Thaas didn't deny that a small part of her had still wanted the girl to fail and die that day. The girl hadn't, and Clan Keto had joined the ranks of the Mando'ade. While the young newcomer to their creed had left the sector, returning to the Jetii Temple of Coruscant, Thaas suspected that one day she would fight beside Clan Keto on the field of battle. The call of the warrior beat within the young Mando'ade and would one day summon her to a higher, nobler purpose.

Now, half a year later, with the boy having retained his title as Akaan'lor after a second session – something Thaas hadn't doubted would be the case – she found herself bored out of her mind as she served as watch commander while the boy, the claimed heir of Naast be Me'suum, wander the Hutt-infested cesspit below in an attempt to join his friend among the ranks of the Mando'ade.

"Tracking another freighter heading down." Came a report from Azwan Tafoss from his station.

Thaas' attention turned to the Togruta, glad for the break from the boring monotony of staring and the sand-covered planet below through the viewport. As normal, her view was momentarily distracted by his montrals as they reached upwards from his head.

"Around a hundred and fifty metres long and looks beat to osik." Tafoss continued. "Flightpath has it headed towards Bestine."

"Run the standard checks." Thaas ordered. The duke had ordered the crew to log every ship that entered of left orbit within range. Thaas was loathe to admit it, but it had taken her a short while to realise why the duke had suggested it.

Firstly, it allowed them to check if any of the ships head to and from the planet to see if their identification logs matched ships wanted for questioning within Mandalorian space. Secondly, it would allow them to create a log of ships that frequented a known Hutt-controlled world so that if any ship matching the name and markings of such a vessel entered the Mandalorian sector it could be carefully monitored by Protector units.

With the order given, and the likely smuggler's vessel now descending within sight of the viewport, Thass quickly lost interest and returned to staring at the tedious backwater of a world.

"This is so mirshepar'la." The helm operator, Bodi Cad, muttered. "Why can't we go down there and knock a few heads."

Thaas smirked at the comment from the younger woman. "While the idea is certainly tempting, we are here to monitor an adiik on his verd'goten, not to take out some di'kute for fun."

Thaas was still a little surprised at how comfortable she was with a second Jetii in over a millennium becoming Mando'ade. Sure, Serra Keto was the first to bridge that gap since Tarre Vizsla, but it was clear to Thaas and others that the heir of Naast be Me'suum was the one to watch.

"However, once the hunt is concluded, I'll ask the duke if we can head planet-side to… relax."

Cad turned around and smiled as a few others of the bridge crew chuckled.

"Hmm." Azawn mumbled quietly, ending the moment of levity for Thaas and she turned again to see the Togrutan leaning over his console.

"Problem, Tafoss?" She asked, half-hoping for anything to break the boredom of the last week and orbiting this dull, sand-covered, Hutt-infested backwater.

Apart from seeing the boy spend time with the wanderer three days prior – that person had been tracked heading into the dunes to the southwest of the boy's current location two days prior – nothing of note had happened. Though it was hard to be entirely sure as the sandstorms that kicked up suddenly on the planet often left their visual sight of the boy's location obscured.

"Possibly. That freighter is coming in low. They'll fly over the canyons south of Bestine before landing." The Togrutan replied. Thaas frowned as she listened to Tafoss's report, and feeling that something was off with this new vessel, she stood and walked the short distance to his station.

While Tatooine had little in the way of flight regulation, from what Thass had seen and read in the bridge logs, the majority of ships that came and went from the planet followed similar paths down to one of the three main settlements of Bestine, Mos Espa and Mos Eisley. The ones that didn't generally had approached low and slow from further afield, indicating they were trying to land or leave without being spotted; likely by people working for one of the two main Hutt families that controlled the world. No ship in the previous six days had come in low and fast from the south of Bestine.

Her frown deepened and that feeling that something was off grew as she examined the projected flight path of the freighter. The path would take the ship directly over where their tracker placed the boy, though not low enough that it should draw his attention.

"Keep an eye on them. If they change their flight plan towards the adiik inform me immediately."

"Yes, Ver'alor." Azwan replied, his lekku shifting around as he nodded.

Thaas turned and headed back to the command chair. "Helm, plot an intercept just in case. Tactical, alert the gunners to track the ship until it clears the canyons." She ordered as she slid back into the chair.

Perhaps she was being paranoid – this was a hut'uunla chakaare-infested Outer Rim colony after all – but years of fighting had moulded her understanding that being paranoid often was the difference between life and death. Plus, it would give the crew something to do to break the dullness of their shift and hopefully alleviate the boredom.

However, it would do nothing to remove her own boredom, nor settle the feeling that something was off about the freighter. The sooner the Jetii completed his hunt, the sooner they could leave this planet and, the manda-willing, never have to return.

As the dull yellow-brown tinge of the planet continued to fill the viewport, Thaas sighed and glanced at the chronometer above it. It had only been about eight minutes since Azwan had reported the odd flight pattern, but to Thaas it felt like eight hours.

"They're slowing." Azwan called out, making Thaas jump a bit in the chair to straighten her posture. "And now circling. I suspect they're going to land in the canyons south of Bestine."

"How close to Shan?" Thaas asked as she stood. That feeling that something was off now felt like a battle klaxon blaring in her mind and it was combined with the slight rush of blood she always got right before a battle. One hand drifted to her favourite pistol – a Westar-24 that had been given to her by her mother after the completion of her verd'goten – that was always strapped to her hip. Even as she took a step towards Azwan's station, a small part of her hoped she'd get the chance to use it against the scum on the planet below.

"They'll land about ten kil… What the shab is that?" Azwan muttered, cutting himself off from reporting. That had Thaas covering the distance between the command chair and his station in record time.

"Report." She ordered as she reached his shoulder.

"There's something in the dunes." Azwan replied cryptically before he punched a few buttons at his console and the holo-display between the command chair and the helm came to life.

Thaas turned to see what was displayed and felt her frown return at what she saw.

"The shab?" a crewmember to Thaas' left muttered and Thaas was forced to agree with the sentiment.

Well, more what she didn't see as beyond a fast-moving ripple indicating something seemed to be swimming through the dunes like a fish through water, there was nothing to see. Though what she could tell was that whatever was in the sand was big, going by the small scale at the side of the holo-image, she'd put its size at around a hundred metres, if not longer. And it was moving fast, so fast that she wasn't sure if she could've kept up for it with her jetpack.

"Whatever that is, it's heading for the Jetii." Azwan commented and Thaas felt her frown drop into her eyebrows.

She spun and her hair, tied back in a simple tail, whipped around as she moved, and growled. "You're certain?"

Azwan nodded, his lekku bouncing against his armour as he did so. "Yes. The tracking algorithm has it at ninety-six per cent that… whatever that is, will converge on the adiik's location in less than ten minutes."

"Osik!" Thaas cursed under her breath, though she suspected that Azwan at least heard her.

She leaned down and pressed a button on the arm of the command chair. "Combat stations." She ordered into the ship-wide intercom. A few seconds later, a dull, low whine of an alarm sounded on the bridge, and throughout the vessel, and she felt the gentle hum of the power core increase as more power was drawn from it.

While signalling Combat Stations might turn out to be an overreaction, Thaas trusted her instincts. And right now, they were screaming about the danger the adiik was about to be placed in. The obvious threat was whatever was closing on him through the dunes to the southwest, however Thaas also felt the freighter that was landing nearby might also a problem.

Whatever was coming towards the boy from the dunes was far beyond what any adiik should have to face on a verd'goten. If they didn't render aid in time, not only would the boy die, but there would likely be a lot of scrutiny about this from both those fools in Sundari and the Jedi and Senate on Coruscant. Scrutiny that the enemies of Duke Adonai would likely use to try to force him from power and plunge the sector back into another civil war.

Plus, since the boy had done so much over the last year to prove that he respected the old ways and wished to join their creed, she felt he didn't deserve to die simply because it appeared the universe had it out from him.

Within seconds of the combat alarm sounding, the doors to the bridge opened and Thaas turned to see Jedi Master Fay, the boy's trainer and surrogate parent, enter.

"There is a situation?" She asked in that calm, almost tranquil, voice of hers and if not for the worrying feeling building inside her, Thaas would've wondered aloud how the Jedi always was able to keep such a calm tone regardless of the situation.

"We are tracking something heading towards your ad… Padawan." Thaas replied, correcting herself about how to refer to the boy when speaking to a Jedi. She lifted an arm and pointed at the holo-display. "Whatever that is, it's..."

"It's a krayt dragon." The Jedi master said, cutting Thaas off. "And from the way to appears to be all but swimming underneath the sand, I suspect it's one of the larger varieties."

Thaas blinked. "Ah… right."

She turned her attention back to the holo-display and swore. "Osik." When it was decided to head to Tatooine for the boy's verd'goten, she, like most of the crew, had read up on the planet's fauna and discussed just what it would take for even a fully armoured and outfitted Mando'ade to take out one of the planet's apex predators.

Every conversation that had discussed what exactly a Jetii could kill had ended up on the idea of taking out a sarlacc or krayt dragon, but that had been harmless banter. To find that the boy was about to face off with the latter, and not even the more common canyon variant but the greater variety…

She swore again, this time harder and louder. "Osik."

"Helm, combat descent." She called out. "Tactical, shift main batteries to targeting the dragon, though keep secondaries targeted on the freighter." She added as she did her best to think about how unexpected it was to order the targeting of a kriffing dragon.

"There is no need for concern." The Jedi commented. "While the dragon is a threat to many, I sense it is not aiming for my Padawan."

As the Jetii spoke, Thaas' head snapped around so fast she swore she heard something break. "Master Jedi, with due respect, the beast that is heading towards the adiik at speed is something that even a fully-armed Mandalorian warrior, or a Jedi, would have difficulty taking down." Thaas found herself wondering how Master Fay could be so unconcerned with her apprentice being charged at by one of the galaxy's apex predators. "And even if it isn't directly targeting Shan, it will intercept him in mere minutes."

Master Fay smiled, seemingly happy with that news and Thaas wondered if all Jetii were insane, or just this one. "The Force has a plan for young Cameron, one I seriously doubt involves him facing off against…" She paused and blinked and Thaas watched as her smile fell. "Perhaps I spoke in haste."

Now it was Thaas' turn to blink as she processed the sudden change that had come over the Jetii. One second, the woman had been relaxed about a beast such as a krayt dragon bearing down her apprentice. The next, the smile had fallen, and while Master Fay's overall expression was still calm, Thaas could see the subtle signs of worry on the Jetii's face. The faintest of creases appeared on her forehead while her eyebrows twitched.

"In haste about what?" Came the voice of Duke Adonai and Thaas snapped to attention, clasping a fist to her heart, as the Cin Vhetin's commander – and the leader her clan had pledged itself to – marched onto the bridge. "And why have you sounded combat stations?"

"My Duke, something that Master Fay has suggested is a greater krayt dragon is closing on the adiik's location." Thaas reported even as her shoulders straightened. While this was nothing more than a standard report to the duke when Combat Stations were called, the exact details were… outlandish. "Operator Tafoss reports it will reach his location in… just over five minutes." She added after taking the briefest of pauses to glance at the chronometer above the entrance.

Adonai stopped his approach short of Thass and Master Fay. He blinked a few times and his mouth hung open for a moment before he spoke. "Ah."

Thaas suspected her reaction to learning what was heading towards the adiik had looked the same. Honestly, who expected to ever have to deal with such a situation.

"My Duke, there may be another issue." Azwan reported, breaking Adonai from his shock and drawing the attention of him, Thaas and Master Fay. "A freighter landed approximately twelve kilometres north of the adiik. Three speeders left it, all heading in his general direction."

"Perhaps they're moving to hunt the dragon?" Thaas offered, even if she didn't fully believe it. The chances of such a random occurrence of events centring on one boy, even one who could use the Force, seemed… unlikely.

"The Force does not work on coincidence, Ver'alor." The Jedi offered with a smile that looked forced to Thaas. The Jedi's hands had tightened, turning the edges of her knuckles white, and while her attention appeared to be on Thaas and Duke Adonai, Master Fay's eyes kept darting to the holo-display.

The Jedi was worried, and as Thaas realised that a cold shiver went down her spine. That one of these legendary warriors – and one so powerful that she felt safe enough to forgo using one of their signature weapons – was something that increased Thass' concern about the adiik's situation.

"Nor do I Master Fay." Adonai added as he moved around Thaas to take command of the bridge. "Ver'alor, prepare a strike team for aerial deployment."

"Yes, my Duke." Thaas replied as she clasped her fist to her chest once more. Before she left the bridge, she took one final glance at the holo-display. Both the sand ripple of the dragon and the speeders were closing on the canyon where the Cin Vhetin's sensors placed the boy.

She hoped that, even with the Force-suppression bracers active, the boy was strong enough to sense something was amiss and ready himself. If he was caught unaware… well, if that was the case, she would make sure she and her strike team arrived as soon as they could.

As the doors to the bridge closed behind her, Thaas wondered just which of the ancient gods the boy had angered to draw such attention. Her mind drifted back to the jokes she'd shared with her friends in their younger days about taking down a mythosaur, but that had been the wild imagination of a youngster. Yet now, the boy was about to face off against a monster that was every bit as feared and respected as the beast that became the symbol of the Mando'ade.

A stray thought entered her mind as she contemplated the idea that maybe, just maybe, the boy could do something no one had ever done and take down a greater krayt dragon with nothing but a knife. The legend that would surround him…

She shook her head, dismissing that idea. While legends existed of individual hunters taking down krayt dragons existed, none dealt with a child, or someone armed with only a blade. Her pace quickened as she brought her attention back to the mission at hand and considered the loadout for her strike team.

……
(Duke Adonai's POV)​

"How long until we launch the strike team?" Adonai asked as he gripped the command chair tightly with one hand as he stood next to it.

In the minute or so since Ver'alor Krass had left the bridge, the Cin Vhetin had entered the atmosphere and begun to be buffeted by the strong winds that swirled around high above the surface. While the view here wasn't obscured like it had been when they'd descended over Kiffu, and he knew it was better to have the tactical overview, being able to watch a monster like a greater krayt dragon bear down on an unsuspecting adiik – even one as skilled as Shan – was not something Adonai was enjoying.

It had been different over Kiffu, as back then he'd had to rely on the word of Fay and Shan about Keto's condition. Here, Adonai could see the dragon and the group of mercenaries (or hunters as they hadn't confirmed who this new group was yet) as they closed in on Shan as he wandered obliviously through a decent-sized canyon.

"Three minutes." Came the reply from pilot Cad as she guided the ship down. If not for the descent over Kiffu, Adonai would be concerned that Cad was unprepared for this as before then it had been over half a decade since he and his cruiser had needed to carry out such a manoeuvre. However, that landing had been at normal speed – mainly due to the storm they'd had to fly into – whereas this was being done at combat speeds.

"Gunners have a target lock on both the dragon and the ship nearby." Added the tactical officer, Ver'alor Rhor Tritt. "Awaiting your order to open fire."

"The dragon will reach adiik Shan in one minute." Tafoss supplied, unintentionally ratcheting up Adonai's concern a notch. "One speeder has stopped around two klicks from him while the other two have slowed their approach. Likely they have detected the dragon."

Adonai considered that, though if those in the speeders were there for Shan, then they'd likely spilt up to attack a Jedi from two sides while the group that had stopped would assume overwatch. Without the bracers, Adonai suspected it wouldn't be enough to take out the young Jedi, but since he had them active – and if not preventing him calling on the Jedi's mythical energy source, then at least limiting his access to it – Adonai doubted Shan would be able to take them out without taking serious injury. To say nothing of the dragon that continued to bear down on him.

"Ready two additional strike teams. I want one to secure the speeder that stopped while the other will secure the freighter." Adonai ordered as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Something about the timing of the arrival of that ship set him on edge. Apart from those on board, and his ministers and family back in Sundari, no one knew they were on Tatooine for Shan's verd'goten. Yet somehow this group of newcomers had arrived and, from their movement pattern, were intent on taking out Shan.

Now, there was an outside chance that this group were merely here to hunt the krayt dragon or they were taking advantage of detecting the movement in the dunes to try to hunt it. Yet, if that was the case, their vessel should've returned to the air to provide fire support. Additionally, their approach angle was aimed more at Shan's location than tracking the dragon to lay a trap for the beast.

That had Adonai leaning heavily towards them being here for Shan, meaning he had a leak somewhere in either his crew or staff back home.

"I want prisoners." He added. Hopefully, one of the crew or the vessel's computers would provide him with a hint as to who had betrayed him.

"Two minutes to drop."

"All teams are ready to deploy."

Adonai listened to his bridge crew as the seconds ticked by. A small smile crept onto his face at how easily the crew remembered their training. It had been several years – not since before the death of Sellena and Urin, his wife and youngest child – since the ship had participated in a combat mission, so to see the crew return to those patterns at the drop of a credit chip was reassuring. As was the familiar, but almost forgotten, feeling of his blood pumping faster as a battle approached.

If asked about this later, he would never admit it to anyone, but he found himself missing the excitement that came just before a battle.

"Launch the teams as soon as we can. Shan first, then their vessel." Adonai supplied, setting up the order the strike teams would deploy in.

While the group of mercenaries that stopped were likely snipers, and thus were possibly more of a threat to Shan, they could easily be taken out by the Cin Vhetin's cannons if they tried to run before the strike team reached them. The priority was Shan and securing the vessel.

"The dragon is there." Tafoss stated and Adonai's stomach tried to leap out of his mouth. They were still a minute from deploying the strike team to help Shan, and then they'd need at least another minute to reach him.

"Vitals?" He asked as he spared a glance at Master Fay.

The deceptively young-looking, yet actually ancient Jedi seemed calm, almost entirely unconcerned with what was going on with her Padawan down below, yet Adonai saw the signs of concern in her posture and gestures. The whitening of her knuckles, the tensing of her cheeks and the way her shoulders were tensed spoke of a woman on edge. Yet, she was nowhere as concerned as Adonai would be if the child down below had been one of his children.

Haran, when Dorgo and Bo-Katan had gone on their hunts, he'd spent days pacing around the Cin Vhetin, unable to sleep because of his worry. Satine… well, she had sadly chosen to not attempt the verd'goten, becoming a member of Adonai's allies in the New Mandalorians, which still hurt him deeply.

Though at least Satine was being slightly more patient and open since the Jedi, and in particular Master Fay, had first arrived on Mandalore. While the Jedi Master hadn't dissuaded his eldest daughter from her path, Fay had at least tempered Satine's stubbornness and inability to see opposing points of view.

"Elevated heart rate and spiking adrenaline. Nothing too bad." Tafoss replied, sounding a touch impressed and Adonai had to agree. Even now, with all the combat he'd seen, coming face to snout with something of the size and power of a krayt dragon would be worrying. Particularly if armed with nothing but a knife. Either Shan had a good lock on his emotions – which seemed unlikely as Adonai vividly remembered the way the boy had behaved when Keto had been in danger on her hunt - or he was underestimating the danger.

"We've got a signal coming in." Adonai spun at the comment from the communication station. "It's weak, but it's on the adiik's assigned frequency."

"And?" Adonai asked as the crewmember there stopped and leaned closer to their console. Hopefully, it was Shan calling for help – which was already on the way – as no one Adonai knew was brave, or crazy, enough to try to take on a krayt dragon by themselves.

"Nothing, my Duke. The signal is open, but there's no incoming message and the signal is distorted. Almost as if the communicator has been damaged."

"Open the channel." Fay said politely though the beskar in her voice made it clear to Adonai it was an order, and the crewmember obeyed.

"Channel open." The operator replied and Adonai heard the click that indicated that an external signal was being routed through the bridge speakers.

"Cameron, we are coming to help." Fay said loud enough that the microphones on the bridge would pick up her words and transmit them.

As Adonai waited with her, no reply came, not even static. That made Adonai frown as the channel was open on both ends so they should at least be able to pick up the background sounds from where Shan was; and likely the dragon if it made a move.

"Cameron?" Fay asked again as Adonai saw her brow knit.

"Vitals are increasing." Tafoss called out, making Adonai turn to the officer. "Nothing critical, but his heart rate is over ninety and climbing."

Adonai realised that meant Shan was aware of the dragon, as the mercenaries were not yet close enough to be a concern.

"We have visual." Tafoss added and Adonai turned his attention back to the holo-display as it shifted from an overview to show the surface around Shan.

The boy was in the trench of a canyon, though it was hard to be sure as something else dominated the display, while above him but with its massive head leaning downwards was the largest beast Adonai had ever seen.

Ten huge legs, the smallest of which was thicker than Adonai was tall, supported the main body of the dragon and a tail that looked to account for about a third of the overall length swished around menacingly behind the beast.

The dragon's head leaned further forward.

--RROOOOAAARRRRRR--

As the dragon's roar reverberated around the bridge of his ship, Adonai felt an urge to step back, but thanks to his training he resisted. While the signal wasn't clear, the sheer power in the creature's call was unmistakable.

"Kriff!" He heard someone mutter and while it was a breach of regulations to speak out like that, Adonai found himself in agreement. The dragon was a monster from drunken tales around a campfire, something that rivalled even the largest of mythosaur skeletons, and it was focused on Shan.

Adonai managed to tear his attention away from the holo-display long enough to glance at Fay and saw she'd brought a hand to her mouth while she stared wide-eyed at the image in front of them.

While the roar on the bridge had dullened almost instantly by the computer's safety features, Shan had no such protection and as Adonai returned his full attention to the display, he saw that the boy had slid back about a metre by the roar.

Adonai could only imagine how painful the roar would've been so close to the source, though as he watched, he saw Shan turn to his right and run, only to stumble after a few steps.

Adonai suspected the stumble was due to Shan's emotions overriding his control at facing such a beast and as such, was understandable, though Adonai gulped as he saw the dragon's head shift with Shan's movement, meaning the beast was locked onto him.

"S-strike teams away." Tritt stated after a stutter and Adonai couldn't blame him as seeing something so large attack a child was unnerving, even if a small, almost forgotten part of Adonai wondered what it would be like to face such a beast in single combat.

He gulped again as, along with everyone else who could, he watched as the dragon dove down into the canyon; its massive maw opening enough that even at their current height, Adonai could make out the beast's teeth.

The jaw clashed shut a moment later, only just missing a momentarily frozen Shan and beside Adonai Fay gasped. "Force be with him." She muttered as Shan began to move.

The boy ran faster than most would be able to, which meant he likely had found a way to circumvent the bracers or adrenaline was pushing him beyond what he'd normally be capable of. Adonai wasn't concerned if it was the former though, a good warrior would find a way around any limitation and while the boy was moving faster than most could, he wasn't moving close to as quickly as he had at the end of his fight with Gar Saxon. Either Shan was concerned about losing his footing again – a reasonable concern when fear gripped one's heart – or he was aware that being too open in using the Force would nullify the hunt.

Though the latter idea would suggest Shan planned to kill the dragon, which seemed unlikely as while Shan had enjoyed his fights to become Akaan'lor, he had never shown any hint of the insanity it would take to think about taking on such a beast.

Another possibility was that Shan was able to use the Force enough to know that the mercenaries were inbound and either wanted to use them as a distraction or thought they were Adonai and his crew coming to help.

While Adonai was considering this, he saw Fay turn and begin to walk towards the exit from the bridge. That drew Adonai out of his thoughts about what Shan's plan was and he turned to face the leaving Jedi.

"Master Fay?"

Fay paused at the doors and turned back to face him. "I am of no use to my Padawan here." She replied before the doors opened and she left the bridge.

"Hmm, true." Adonai muttered as the doors closed. He turned back, intending to return command to Ver'alor Krass only to remember that he'd ordered her to assemble and lead the first strike team. "Ver'alor Tritt, you have the conn. Secure the airspace above the adiik and coordinate with the strike teams as they launch their assaults."

"Y-yes, sir." Tritt replied as Adonai turned to follow Fay. While Adonai knew that Tritt was new to her rank – he'd only signed off on the promotion about a week before – he had faith in her ability and this operation should be nothing more than support, though there was the chance the Cin Vhetin would need to shoot down the freighter if it tried to run. Overall, giving her this moment in the big chair would set her up well for a command of her own in the future.

Adonai excited the bridge quickly, wanting to catch up with Master Fay, though he didn't move too quickly as being seen to run after a Jedi on his cruiser would be unbecoming of someone of his stature. Not when he'd discovered there were rumours about his interest in the Jedi.

Though for once, the rumours were true. It had been nearly five years since his beloved Sellena had died, and he had thrown himself into his work stabilizing Mandalore and the surrounding sector as a distraction, yet the moment the elegant Jedi had walked into his throne room he'd been interested in her, and what man wouldn't.

While many believed the Jedi were celibate, he knew this wasn't true – both from his research and a few subtle questions he'd asked Fay in the time they'd spent together – and while he doubted anything they might share would lead to a long-term relationship, he wasn't against the idea of simply enjoying the Jedi's company more intimately.

Still, as he rounded a corner and saw the woman in question sauntering briskly down the corridor in the general direction of the landing ramp, he knew his chances at succeeding in his pursuit were slim. Beyond some gentle returned flirting, she'd given no indication she wanted to take things further, and with Shan attempting his verd'goten – provided he didn't die because of the dragon – Fay would likely soon be leaving the planet and sector with her Padawan.

"Master Fay!" He called out, making her stop and turn to face him just as she was about to disappear around the corner that led to the landing ramp area. "This way." He continued as he pointed towards a small side-passage that led down to the level below this one. "Strike teams deploy from launch chutes or the assault shuttle in the bowels of the ship, not the landing ramp."

"Very well." Fay stated before quickly moving towards him.

As she reached him, he moved down the side-passage that led to the lower levels. Down there, underneath the armoury and security centre, was where launch tubes for the rapid deployment of jetpacked assault teams were situated. While the tubes could launch a warrior, they would not allow one to return through them; a security procedure due to their location next to the two aforementioned rooms.

As they walked down the passage, Adonai's mind drifted back to Shan. While the boy was a powerful warrior, Adonai was concerned the boy wouldn't be able to escape the dragon long enough for help to arrive, what with his access to the Force limited and the strike teams still minutes away. If, by some small miracle he did, then the issue was going to be how the strike team would take down the dragon while simultaneously dealing with the mercenaries that were approaching for still unknown reasons.

And all that was contingent on Shan and the dragon not moving too far away from their starting location. Otherwise, there was a fair chance the mercenaries with unknown motives would reach the boy and beast before Ver'alor Krass and her strike team. If that happened… well Adonai had never seen Master Fay angry, but he felt comfortable in saying those di'kute who attacked her Padawan would experience the full range of her abilities with the Force.

Provided, of course, that the boy and beast didn't somehow take them out first.

……

(Cam's POV)​

Fuck the Force!

Fuck The Powers That Be!

Fuck everyone who thought me coming to Tatooine for my verd'goten was a good idea!

Those thoughts shot through my mind in the milliseconds that took place between the dragon roaring in my face and me taking off running. However, those thoughts were soon replaced by two new concerns.

Firstly, was the fact that I'd stumbled and almost tripped a few steps after activating Force Speed to escape the beast behind and above me. That had been because the ground around me was now littered with pebbles, rocks and boulders; many having fallen when the dragon's front claws had gripped the upper edge of the canyon's walls. That raised the issue of whether or not to use Bullet-Time. Doing so would give me around ten minutes to either escape the dragon or survive long enough for help to arrive from Fay and Adonai. The other option was to limit my speed enough that I could avoid tripping over because the moment I did so again, I suspected I'd end up as dragon chow, which was not in any way appealing.

Now, if I was in a flat, open space without these accursed bracers, using both Force Powers together would've likely been fine, but in the twisting, narrow canyons where I was, it was more problematic since I had to be more frugal with my FP. Thus, going with a moderated usage of Force Speed seemed the better idea.

That thought process was soon overridden by a jolt of nearly fatal, paralyzing fear that I overcame just in time to roll out of the way as the monster, having seen my aborted escape attempt, had leapt down into the canyon behind me, snapping at the spot where I'd been seconds before. That resulted in me coming face-to-snout with a monster so massive that its tail ran up the canyon wall and over the edge.

The moment when the behemoth's teeth had smashed shut less than a metre from me – and I recoiled at the foul, rotten smell that came from its mouth – had seen my entire extended life flashed before my eyes, and I had a flash of insight. That flash of realization and clarity allowed me to get over the stunning shock of how close those fucking teeth were, propelling me to move my feet and off down the passage. I was still going quicker than just about anyone else would be able to, but it was slower than I could potentially go. With luck, it would be enough to help me create some distance between me and the dragon.

As I ran, a part of my eidetic mind still had time to endlessly re-examine and emphasize the hammer blow of panic that the insight had given me. The Force seemed to be taking a perverse pleasure in my new perspective, as either it, or The Powers That Be, chose to continually bring my other previous memories to light; all focused on illuminating a single fact.

This was not, nor had it ever been, a game.

Yes, I had abilities that mimicked a game interface, but the world around me was very real. The people around me were not NPC's who were limited in their dialogue choices. My success or failure was not dependent on a bunch of skill-check dice rolls.

I wasn't in a game. The world around me wasn't any different. The only thing that set me apart from others was how I perceived the galaxy around me. If I died here, ripped apart by a mouth that could use my legs like toothpicks, then that was it. No game over, no restart. I'd be dead and, in the end, I'd have changed nothing. All the effort that was undoubtedly made to get me here would be for nothing because I was careless, casual, and overall disrespectful of their gifts and second chance I'd been given, to say nothing of the second chance this gave the galaxy at large.

Another roar from behind me had me stumbling again, and I felt my heart leap into my mouth at how freaking close it was.

"Fuck!" I cursed loudly as I managed to keep my balance without stopping and, after ensuring the next few metres were clear of any major debris, risked a glance back over my shoulder.

In hindsight, that was a really fucking stupid idea.

Even though it had only been a few seconds since I'd started to run again, the gap between me and the monster was nowhere as large as I'd expected. Now, either the dragon had launched its head forward when it roared – a possibility – or its reaction time and movement speed were far, far better than I'd expected.

My heart felt like it was going to explode with how fast it was beating as the dragon's eyes narrowed as our gazes met. I gulped hard and turned back to my path, trying to not think about the apex predator that had, for some unknown and frankly insane reason – there was a wounded sarlacc in that cave behind it that it could've finished off instead – had decided I was its next meal. Well, snack since I wasn't even an adult yet. Hell, compared to a sarlacc, I might as well be a fucking potato crisp!

As the ground shook from what I thought for a second was an earthquake only to realise it was the dragon bringing down its tail into the canyon, one simple phrase flashed through my mind.

I'm fucked.

I continued running, trying my best to ignore the constant, rapid pounding of the beast's feet smashing into the ground as it pursued me. Rocks and pebbles up to the size of my hand began to bounce around from the constant shockwaves of the dragon's strides and I had to shift my path as a boulder about two-thirds my size rolled into my route. Another boulder came towards me, this time having broken away from the canyon wall, and I weaved to my left to avoid it, then ducked as more rocks broke off from the other wall. All the while, the booming thuds of the dragon echoed around me like a symphony of impending doom.

"Shit!" I cursed out loud as one boulder, larger than I was, began to drop into my path. I couldn't move to either side as one was blocked by smaller boulders while the other had debris raining down so heavily that I'd never make it through without being hit.

With no choice but to go over the boulder, I activated Bullet-Time and used that to time a leap – helped by a boost from Force Jump to clear it and avoid it smashing down on top of me.

However, my leap seemed to anger the dragon as, just as I was clearing the falling boulder, it roared again, and with me airborne and having no way to steady myself from the shockwave of the roar, I end up tumbling forward. My leg clipped the top of the falling, spinning boulder and I lost control of my jump. As I tumbled helplessly for a moment through the air, I caught sight of the dragon and was able to take it in its full size.

Ten massive, powerful legs were propelling the giant forward at a rate that shouldn't have been possible while its eyes narrowed in animalistic delight as it watched my jump turn into a tumble from its destabilizing roar.

I hit the ground on my side, tumbling and rolling forward, bringing up another notification of injury to join the two that had previously appeared, one after each roar.

Thanks to years of combat training, and boosted by my access – however limited – to the Force, I was able to time my tumble so that as it ended, I was back on my feet and able to begin running again with only a fractional loss of momentum.

About a minute later, after dodging more falling boulders and bouncing rocks – and doing my best to ignore the constant, rapid rumble of the dragon's massive feet as they smashed into the ground in a macabre rhythm of destruction, I spotted a side canyon. This one was far smaller than the one I was currently running in and had an arch over the top. And critically, the opening appeared far too small for the dragon to follow me through.

As I moved towards the side-canyon, the thunderous rhythm of the dragon's footfalls increased, meaning it had likely worked out what I was doing and was hoping to reach me before I passed through the narrow canyon entrance. That had me accelerating a bit, though I was forced to also activate Bullet-Time now to help me time my movements around the bouncing and falling rocks, boulders and sand.

As I slipped through the narrower entrance of this second canyon, I slowed, thinking I was safe, only to bounce and stumble as the ground vibrated from a massive shockwave. I lost my footing and fell to the ground. I hissed in pain as I bashed my left hip off the canyon wall.

I ignored my HP bar – which had fallen a little more from the collision with the canyon wall – and glanced backwards. I'd thought that the shockwave had come from the dragon trying to smash its way through the narrow canyon entrance, but my eyes threatened to explode out of my skull as I saw the truth.

Even though the canyon walls were about thirty metres high, the dragon had somehow managed to leap the entire way up so that its front three sets of claws could grip the arch and its head was angled down towards me.

I could've sworn the monster seemed to smirk as I gazed at it, wondering how it had made that leap so easily, only for it to then roar. I covered my ears as all around me pebbles, rocks and the smaller debris that had fallen from the canyon walls was driven back past me by the shockwave of the dragon's thunderous growl.

I barely had any time to process just how damaging that roar was – far less determine what percentage of my HP I'd lost to it – before the massive, menacing maw of the monster surged forward.

I scampered back on my butt, desperate to get away from the incoming maw that brought with it death, only to watch as the dragon's head crashed against the upper edges of the canyon. I sighed in relief at realising the leviathan couldn't get its head into the canyon, though that moment of relief was ended as the dragon opened its mouth and snarled.

I had to bite my tongue to not start retching at the vile, putrid smell that assaulted my nostrils. The maw snapped shut angrily, with the sound of its teeth scraping against each other like swords clashing, and I instinctively scampered back another metre or so.

The dragon's eyes narrowed as our gazes met and I gulped hard. I knew that if I stayed here any longer, I was dead. It was only a matter of time before it used its head and claws to damage the canyon walls enough that it could get to me. Thus, I did the only thing I could.

Breaking eye contact and doing my best to ignore the snort of warm, pungent air that it had blown at me as a reminder that it wanted to kill me, I turned.

I started in a scramble, scurrying along on my hands and knees, wanting to get moving even before I'd regained my balance, then once I was standing, and I felt the humid, acrid breath recede, I ran.

A loud, ominous bang of a rumble erupted from behind me to the right, forcing parts of the canyon walls to break away and the rocks on the ground to bounce around, but I kept my attention on where I was going and not on the demonic death-trap that was stalking me.

As I wondered just how I would get away from the dragon and glanced at my minimap to try and plot an escape – cursing that I hadn't come this way so the map was next to useless – a second boom echoed in the canyon. This one had come from behind me to my left.

As I began to realise what the dragon was doing, I felt a powerful gust of wind rush over my head – followed by a shadow that for an instant blocked out the light from the twin suns of the planet, before a third ominous blast rattled the canyon and more debris rained down on and around me.

The dragon was leaping from one side of the canyon to the other, soaring over me as it did. Likely this was both a tracking technique and an intimidation trick – and it was working as my heart-rate felt as though it was going a mile-a-minute – but it could also just be a way for the dragon to damage the canyon enough that it could get it maw or a claw down low enough to attack me.

Another rush of wind and menacing shadow resulted in debris, sand and dust getting kicked up into the air and I was forced to wipe frantically at my face. In my chaotic haste to escape the dragon and sarlacc, my robes had loosened and the cloth that I'd been using to cover my face had been blown free.

As the dragon took its fifth leap, I noticed there was a pattern to them. Each was taking around ten seconds, and I confirmed this with the sixth and seventh pounces.

As it began to take its eighth jump, I pushed harder, increasing my speed. I hoped that by timing the burst I could open up some distance on the monstrosity that was stalking me; hopefully doing so enough for it to give up on the hunt.

That hope evaporated as Precognition flared and something massive and powerful smashed into my back. While my rucksack took the majority of the strike, I went airborne – and the straps holding the rucksack to my back were severed – and as I flew, I tumbled through the air.

Only years of training for how to handle such an event and having Bullet-Time active allowed me to alter my unintended flight so that I landed in a way that I could control my momentum and roll; dissipating the energy that had launched me and recovering my balance in a single manoeuvre.

As the roll ended, I launched myself back to my feet and started running once more – knowing I had no time to stop and collect the remains of my rucksack and supplied within – I noted that my HP bar had dropped further, and another flashing yellow notice had appeared in the Interface.

It looked as though my HP had dropped another fifteen per cent or so, but with the thunderous booms of the leaping dragon still ongoing, and the notice only being yellow – and thus non-life-threatening – I pushed any concern out of my mind. However, the pain from the strike to my back, likely caused by the dragon catching me with one of its tail spikes, was harder to ignore and every movement I made sent shivers of anguish up my spine. Likely, that meant my back had been cut either by the claw or my landing, but there was nothing I could do about it beyond doing my best to ignore the pain and keep running.

That proved more difficult than I'd have liked as within a few steps it felt as though something was rubbing against raw flesh and I knew that the claw had sliced clean through my rucksack and robes into my skin.

My concerns about the growing pain were tempered as I saw the canyon narrow further and bend to the left. A small amount of growing hope increased as the dragon seemed to realise this and the gaps between its leaps suddenly increased.

However, my budding hope was crushed as I rounded the narrow bend and saw what lay beyond. The canyon was about to end, leading me into the dune seas of the planet; the natural environment of the krayt dragon.

I had seconds to consider my choices. If I pushed forward, I'd have to risk trying to escape the dragon in its natural habitat; something made very difficult by the fact running on sand was far from easy to do. If I stopped and tried to go back, hoping to use the canyon to delay the dragon long enough that Fay and Adonai could arrive to help, I risked placing myself in closer proximity to the massive death trap that was the greater krayt dragon.

However, before I could decide on which of those options was less likely to get me killed, the dragon jumped three times in quick succession behind me, followed by the sound of several large objects falling and I felt fear shoot up my spine as I realised that the dragon had likely blocked the canyon, thus forcing me to enter the dunes.

This was all but confirmed as the dragon roared out from behind me. This was not a roar of challenge or annoyance like the others but one that sounded, at least to my ears, like one of triumph.

The roar was far enough away that I didn't have to cover my ears, nor did I stumble, but it was timed almost perfectly because as it ended, my foot came down on the sand, signalling that I'd crossed the threshold and entered the dune sea.

"Fuck!" I called out in anger, and I swore I heard the dragon chuckle.

With my only likely path to escape now gone, and taking a moment to curse the Force, The Powers That Be and every other fucker in the galaxy, I pulled my beskar knife from my belt and turned. If I was going to die, then I was going to try and make this motherfucker hurt.

Though my bravado faded as I turned and once more locked eyes with the massive, demonic alpha predator that was a greater krayt dragon, and the massive, spiked tail was whipping towards me far faster than I expected.

I started to move, hoping to avoid the mammoth trunk that was swinging towards me, only to cry out in pain as I failed. A spike caught my shoulder and, just as I was sent careening away, I wildly slashed out with my knife.

As I tumbled through the air, I caught sight of the dragon reeling back its tail and allowed a faint smirk to creep onto my face. Even if the cut had been superficial, the fact it had forced a reaction from the dragon was encouraging as its skin was meant to be resistant to blasters and lightsabers. Though that was like saying seeing a shark while trapped on a raft was encouraging as there was something to fish.

"Ugh!" I called out as I landed shoulder-first against a dune, then bounced up and over the crest and cascaded down the other side.

I groaned and blinked once my fall had ended and tried to get my bearings. However, that was hard to do as my attention was drawn to my Interface. The yellow warning that linked to my back was gone, replaced by two orange ones. Given that my back felt as though I was taking a glass bath on Mustafar, and my right arm was unresponsive and hanging limply across my chest, it wasn't too hard to work out what the notices said.

Slowly, and doing my absolute best to ignore the fact that every slight movement sent pain coursing through my body, I pulled myself first to a seated position then stood.

As I stood, I checked my minimap. Judging by the now filled-in details, the dragon's swipe had sent me flying a good twenty or so metres from it; ironically creating the gap I'd been seeking ever since I'd started to run. It had also made me lose my grip on my knife, but it had thankfully landed less than a metre from me.

Any hope I'd had about the dragon now giving up were extinguished by it roaring out. This one sounded very much like a challenge, though working out the exact location as the roar echoed around me, hinting that there were more canyons and cliffs nearby.

I activated Detection – ignoring the drain it would place on my FP as I needed to know where the dragon was – and watched as the massive frame of the dragon filled the minimap. I gulped at how much of the map was taken up by the dragon; it was easily a hundred metres long and around twenty wide.

A cold shiver shot up my pain-filled spine as the beast began to move far, far faster than anything that size had any right to move. Though I did notice that it didn't come straight at me, choosing instead to head out into the dunes to my right, which, if my minimap was accurate – it had filled details as I flew through the air – was away from the canyon and cliffs in front and to the left of me.

I glanced to both sides, to see what I had available to me, but the only thing around me was sand. In the canyons, I'd had a chance, however small, of escaping the dragon or keeping it occupied long enough that help would arrive. Out here the sands, it was unlikely I'd be able to do that. Any advantage I'd have from Force Speed was countered by the fact I was moving in sand while, trusting that my luck today was all but non-existent, the dragon would likely move quicker than it had in the canyons.

I walked slowly to where my knife lay, and ignoring the pain, picked it up only to see on the minimap that the dragon had shifted its direction. It was no longer heading away from me but was instead moving as if it planned to circle behind me. That was logical and likely would've been a kill move if not for the face I had the Force and additional powers at my disposal.

I took a few experimental steps with Force Speed to confirm my suspicion and was proved right as it was hard to gain any traction. Heck, it was even harder than I'd expected, likely because I was coming down on the sand faster with my steps than normal. With it being less useful now, and wanting to keep Detection active, I turned Force Speed off.

I then began to move, planning to reach the canyons and cliffs in a hope that having them at my back would make it easier to counter the dragon's movement in the sand.

Strangely, the moment I began to move the dragon turned and began an attack run. I'd barely reached the crest of the first dune that I'd smashed into – the dent my body had made as I'd tumbled over the crest was clear to see – when, rising from the sand like a demon rising from the depths of hell, the massive, open maw of the dragon emerged, its teeth shining in the sunlight as they bore down upon me.

Relying on instinct borne out of years of training, and assisted by the Force increasing my reaction time and movement speed, I dove over the crest.

I felt a vortex of air and sand swoosh behind me as I tumbled in a barely controlled roll down the other side of the dune while doing my best to ignore the pain that threatened to overload my senses as my arm and back crashed, slid and scraped against the sand.

With a groan of pain, I managed to drag myself to a kneeling position and looked at my minimap. The Dragon had pulled away, in all likelihood to prepare for another attack run, which gave me a small window to get closer to the canyon and cliffs from which I'd emerged into the dune sea.

I scrambled up the next dune, and as I reached the crest, and seeing the cliffs that marked the beginning of the canyons of the Jundland Wastes less than ten metres away, I glanced behind me.

There was no outward sign of the dragon, not until I caught sight of the sand rippling as something monstrous swam through it and my stomach clenched at seeing how fast it was moving. I knew I'd never make it over the next dune in time, so turned and readied myself for the dragon's next attack.

In the seconds that passed as I waited, I offered a silent thanks to The Powers That Be and the Force as without their gifts I'd likely have died long, long before ever coming face-to-snout with the krayt dragon; never mind managing to reach the dunes while trying to escape the monster that was bearing down on me.

Still, I knew if by some miracle I survived this fight and got off this mother-fucking planet I was going to be cursing them for days, if not weeks.

As the distance between myself and the dragon decreased, I braced and, once the beast was no more than ten metres away and the sand began to break as the monstrous maw emerged, I dove to my left.

I felt something warm and damp drip onto my leg as I barely avoided its teeth, and as I turned to control my fall, time seemed to slow as I shared another gaze with the beast. There was an intelligence there that, unless I missed my guess, was both impressed and annoyed at my continual survival. Yet, as the moment passed, and I hit the sand on the side of another dune, I wondered if perhaps that had all been in my head.
As I began to roll, something whistled overhead and, moving on instinct and boosted by the Force, I drove my knife towards the whistle.
The blade was almost ripped from my hands as it struck something tough that was moving at blinding speed, and as the feeling passed, I swore I felt the sand vibrate as the dragon submerged once more into its depths.

Whatever part of the dragon my blade had connected with had done enough to disrupt my dive and instead of landing on my left shoulder and rolling, I came down back first. I grimaced as my already fucked back slammed into the sand, fire seeming to sweep through it, which knocked my knife from my hand. I bit down on my tongue to keep from screaming out in pain, and I bounced down the dune to its base.

I grunted as I rolled over, freeing my right shoulder from the sand where I'd stopped and, blinking slowly to try and clear my pain-addled mind, I groped in the sand until my good hand found the blade of my knife.

I took it into my grip again and, moving slowly, painfully brought myself to my knees before checking my minimap. The dragon was pulling back again, though the rumble from within the sand continued which had me wondering if it was able to roar while submerged or if it was just royally pissed that I'd now managed to hurt it twice. However, I suspected that while the first had only annoyed it, the second had likely enraged it, though more because I was still alive than my strike doing any real damage.

Taking advantage of the dragon once more pulling back for an attack, I scrambled up and over the first dune between me and the cliffs of the Jundland Wastes just as the dragon began to turn. This time it was a little further away than the previous attacks, which had me suspecting it was going to build up even more speed for this attack.

I managed to scramble over a second dune and reached the crest of the third, and last, dune before the cliffs before the distance between myself and the dragon, or lack thereof, became a problem.

In desperation, I dove over the crest of the final dune, and as I bounced down the other side and winced in pain, I felt another massive blast of air and sand fly over where I'd just been.

"Argh!" I called out in pain as my right shoulder crashed against a large rock and stopped my tumble on the hard ground under the cliffs of the Jundland Wastes.

I turned and faced the sand, expecting another attack, but the dragon had pulled back, and there was now a good twenty or so metres between us.

Slowly, carefully, I stood with my knife facing the dunes. As I did, I noticed that the pain from my right arm had lessened and one of the orange notices had turned to yellow. As I very cautiously rotated the shoulder, checking what kind of motion I had in it, I allowed a small smile to touch my face. It still hurt like a motherfucker, but at least now I could use it.

Though that smile fell as the dragon turned and came at me again, this time from a much closer starting position. Bracing myself, I waited for the beast's massive mouth to emerge from the dune to attack.

Yet, the dragon clearly had learnt that such an attack pattern wasn't working – or it was just royally pissed that I was still alive – as, just as it began to emerge from the dune, it reared back and instead of surging towards me, it began to stand on its rear legs.

As it continued to rise, moving as though it planned to swallow the twin suns above us, I instinctively took a step back. The instinct to run or find a way to disap…

"Son of a bitch!" I cursed as I realised just how fucking stupid I'd been. In my terror at seeing first a sarlacc then this behemoth, I'd forgotten that I had the perfect way to escape them, Force Teleport. Now, it would've been expensive, but at the start of this chaos, I'd have had more than enough FP to pull it off. I could also have used other powers to help my escape, but in my desire to get away, I'd fallen back on the basic instinct to run and the powers I used more naturally in combat of Force Speed and Bullet-Time. Stupid, but understandable. Still, I'd have to start using Teleport more in combat situations so that it became almost like second nature to use it when in a bind.

I kept my eyes fixed on the still rising dragon – even as I had to plant my feet to resist the returning urge to run – and reached out with the Force for a boulder about the size of my upper body that was resting half in the sand to my right.

Yes, throwing the boulder wouldn't do any real damage to the dragon, but it should, hopefully, give me a chance to distract it long enough to use Force Jump to leap to the top of the cliff and then run away before it realised what I was doing.

I watched as the dragon stopped its vertical ascent, with it not towering over me and the cliff behind me, with nothing but its rearmost – and thickest – legs supporting its bulk. As it lowered its head to glare at me, I lifted the boulder from the sand, floating it above the ground and begun to spin it.

Though before I could launch it, the dragon opened its mouth and seemed to chuckle. I was almost frozen in fear as I saw deep into its mouth, seeing chucks of the sarlacc still trapped between teeth at the back of its mouth.

As it began to move forward, planning to devour me in a single bite, I reactively jumped away to safety – thank you Bullet-Time for allowing me to think so fast that the world seemed to slow down around me – though I lost concentration and dropped the boulder I'd been planning to hurl at the dragon.

Any thought of re-lifting it ended as the dragon dove forward, its maw still wide and terrifying.

With nowhere to go – and no time to escape to the side, a wild, insane plan quickly formed in my head and, just as the snout of the dragon was close enough for me to touch, I leapt; using Force Jump to boost my rise.

I didn't want to jump too high, as that would place me in the air far too long, but a boost was needed to ensure I cleared the dragon's head and could then jump from its back to a new location.

However, with an almost Jedi-like reaction, the dragon lifted its head just enough that I realised I wouldn't clear the beast, or at least not the entirety of its head.

For the first time in my life, I pushed Bullet-Time and Force Speed to the max and watched as the world slowed so much that I was able to see individual grains of sand flutter in the breeze. With my reaction times now as fast as they could ever be right now, I began to shift my legs to ensure that they wouldn't end up clipping the dragon's colossal fangs. Though even with both powers active to help me think and move faster than any normal being could, I was only able to lift my legs so far and they collided with the beast's nostrils.

The beast snorted in anger and pulled its head back, which, since clipping its nostrils had altered my flightpath, resulted in me smacking my face off the dragon's forehead.

My momentum kept me going and I ended up going feet-first over the crest of its skull. In desperation at not wanting to fall down its back in a tumble, I reached out and grabbed the left most of the five large bone protrusions that formed a crest at the back of the dragon's head.

The dragon reared back, and I held on tight, barely managing to keep my grip on the dragon's head crest and my knife as its head whipped back.

The behemoth roared, and I closed my eyes as my ears felt as though they were burning even as I kept a death grip on the bone protrusion that was preventing me from falling down the dragon's back even as my ears felt as though they were on fire while my brain was turning to mush.

As the roar ended, the dragon fell forward, which when combined with the remaining momentum I had from my leap, resulted in my spinning around the outside of the dragon's bone crest.

Rapidly, the swing had me flailing around until I ended up face to eye with the dragon, and as a wild, insane, downright stupid idea came into my mind, I pushed off from the protrusion, pushing myself closer to the giant eye.

With my good arm, I stabbed my knife forward, activating Enhance Stat for a strength boost as I did so, and drove the knife towards the dragon's eye.

Its pupil enlarged so far that I felt I could fit my head inside the eye with ease and it tried to tilt its head to avoid my crazy attack, but I was too close and my blade sliced through the outer eye covering the dragon had – likely to keep the sand out of its eye while it swam – and sunk into the flesh of its eye, with my hand and arm following up to my elbow, even as I swore I saw something spark as my wrist made contact with the eye.

The beast roared in pain, and my embedded arm felt as though it was going to rattle apart as my eardrums felt ready to burst, but I pushed through the pain and, using my damaged but working right arm, grabbed onto the dragon's skin around its eye.

Knowing I only had milliseconds before the beast tossed me loose, I pulled my left arm back and drove it forward into the enlarged pupil of the dragon.

My arm flew deeply, smashing through the beast's outer eye and then into the space of the inner eye before, with my entire arm inside the eye – and my head now touching the outer eye covering – I felt the knife embed.

As the blood and fluids of the eye poured out onto my face – and I clamped my mouth shut to avoid swallowing that mixture – I tried to concentrate and push the knife further into the dragon's brain with the Force. Though I had no idea if I'd succeeded as just as I felt the Force grip the knife, the dragon whipped its head to towards then away from me and I lost my grip on the dragon's skin and was sent flying.

While I had lost my grip on both the knife and the dragon, the knife had stayed buried deep in the head of the dragon, and as I flew backwards with all the grace of a flying brick and tumbled and rolled chaotically, I caught brief glimpses of the dragon rearing back. One of its massive front paws came up to the wounded eye even as it stumbled away from me.

I watched in split-second glimpses as the alpha predator threw its head back and roared to the heavens. This roar was different from any I'd heard before, and as my legs crashed into the crest of another fucking dune, I swore that the whole planet reacted by vibrating in response to the dragon's roar.

I bounced a few dozen times, smashing over and through a handful of dunes, wincing every time I did, until I finally stopped, finding myself face-down in the sand.

Every inch of my body, inside and out, felt as though it was on fire, and I strained to pull my head back far enough that I wasn't drinking sand.

"Owww." I managed to groan out before spitting out some sand.

Excruciatingly slowly and painfully, I managed to roll over onto my back, though that set off another round of pain as my back, which felt as though it had been skinned to the bone, slapped down on the hot, burning sand.

"Aggghhh." I moaned as I stared up at the sky.

I lifted my good arm, only to almost retch as some of the dragon's eye fluids dripped down onto my face, and I slapped it back down into the sand. The pain from doing so was bad, but it beat having to see, smell and taste what was covering the arm.

"Well. That. Was. fun." I managed to mumble out to the sky only to dry heave as the smell of those fluids overwhelmed my senses.

I rolled onto my good side – keeping my left arm buried in the sand – and continued to dry retch for what felt like an hour but was probably no more than a minute before I finally thought to check the minimap.

The dragon was still shown, though it was sprawled out on what looked like its side and the colour was slowly leaving the image. Even with Eidetic Memory, it took me a few seconds to realise that this meant the beast was dying as my mind was being continually assaulted with pain from all corners of my body.

Though as I did finally realise this, the image of the dragon went dark red, and a quest completion notice appeared – joining the half-dozen or so injury notices that ranged in colour from light yellow to dark orange.
Quest Completed!
Hunt of Adulthood [֍] [ƍ]
Objective:

Defeat and kill a beast that could conceivably kill you using only a knife. [Close Enough]
Rewards:
10000XP [+1000XP]
A massive increase in Reputation with any Mandalorian who follow the old ways.
A variable decrease in Reputation with members of the Death Watch faction.
A large decrease in Reputation with members of the New Mandalorian faction.
Decreased Reputation with elements of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic.
I chuckled at the completion saying close enough for completing the quest as I had used the Force a fair bit, but it seemed they were fine with how, when and why I'd used it. For one brief moment, I wondered just how much XP I'd have gotten if I'd have not used the Force at all. Though that thought was quickly dismissed as if I hadn't used the Force as I had, I'd likely be stuck inside the beast, slowly being digested at the moment.

Slowly, as the pain from my body lessened and became more manageable, I moved to first kneel then stand. Taking one sluggish, ache-filled step after another, I began to climb the dune blocking the dragon from my sight.

When I eventually reached the crest of the dune, and after realising that the bracer on my left wrist had been damaged enough that its effectiveness was somewhat compromised – and the FP penalty had fallen to 400% above normal – I came into sight of the downed leviathan that I'd somehow slain.

As I took in the sight of its corpse, half-embedded in the sand, a fire built inside me as I saw that I'd done something that no sane person would ever attempt.

In a moment of what I'd always claim was pure adrenaline, I threw my head back and roared in delight at the galaxy.

If someone had told me I'd end up taking down that thing, I'd have either laughed in their face, had them committed to a mental institute or shot them for the benefit of all sentient life. Possibly all three in that order.

Yet, that was exactly what I'd managed to do and, it felt GLORIOUS!!!

Though as the adrenaline wore off, the pain returned, I slumped to my knees and finally glanced at my health and Force bars. Both were low, dangerously so, but with the left bracer now useless, I was beginning to regenerate my FP and none of the injuries I'd picked up were life-threatening; at least for now.

Tenderly I reached for the bracer on my once more useless right arm and begun to insert the code to disable it, only for Precognition to flare.

My body reacted on instinct to the sense of danger, and I began to roll to my left.

Something hit my right shoulder hard, sending pain flaring through me once more as I was sent tumbling back down the dune, away from the dead dragon and as my face smashed into the sand once more, everything went dark.

……



A/N: So, hopefully that went by without anyone feeling like there was too much plot armour applied.
Alternate chapter title: How to Kill your Dragon

May the Force be with you. Always.

 
Last edited:
Teh Adilk At Mando’ade 10
A/N:
You can find me on Discord at;
Heart of the Force: discord.gg/UM89QfyQk3
Game of Kingdoms: discord.gg/9Z8HqYAFBU (Still under construction, so not much there yet)
or
Shiro's Gaming Omniverse: discord.gg/wd3tUYWVCd
Or on Pa-tre-on: patreon.com/ussexplorer
(At the higher tiers you'll be able to see early drafts of future scripts, and on Discord, see into the backroom channels where the final drafts are sent for betaing and view the notes about the stories and future plans are stored.)

Current date: 5 years until the Invasion of Naboo
(No Mando words in this chapter. Or at least none that you shouldn't already know ;)


I blinked once and coughed up sand as I regained consciousness. A hiss escaped my lips as I pushed weakly with my still working left arm to get myself to an upright position.

"Son of a…" I muttered with a grumble once I was on my knees.

The interface had a new red-flashing notice – replacing one of the orange ones – and as pain shot through my body, I looked at my right shoulder and hissed at what I saw.

The arm was hanging limply at my side, and the large burnt smoking hole just under the shoulder blade confirmed why I was in pain and what the red-warning notice was saying; my right arm was now fucking useless. There was a faint smell of charred flesh, indicating that it had been a high-powered bolt that had struck me, though thankfully not one powerful enough to sheer the arm entirely off, even if that would likely hurt less.

I blinked several times, trying to get the pain under control, before glancing at my status bars. My HP was now red – meaning it was now at less than fifteen per cent – while my FP was just over twenty per cent.

With knowledge of how bad I was fucked up, but not my exact situation, I activated Detection even as I reached over to prise the remaining bracer from my useless right forearm.

"Fuck!" I snapped as I lifted my useless arm onto my lap and my minimap showed just over a dozen targets approaching fast from the Jundland Wastes. "I fucking hate this mother-fucking planet!" I growled out as I tapped the codes needed to disable the bracer, only for the thing to blink and sizzle, sending a jolt of fresh pain up the arm.

"Fuck!" I shouted as the bracer failed to deactivate and my HP bar dropped a fraction more. "Bloody mother-fucking stupid arsed, fucking piece of god damn shit!"

"Argh!" I growled out as I ripped a strip off my robes and used it – with a very quick twist of Telekinesis to wrap it around my forearm – to secure my right arm against my side. It wouldn't stop it moving entirely, but it would have to suffice as the odds of the rapidly approaching sentients being friendly were really fucking low.

My knife was stuck in the brain of the now-dead greater krayt dragon, and with the skies still clear I knew that the Cin Vhetin would still be monitoring me. That made taking any weapon out of my Inventory an issue and had me cursing mentally at another thing that I could at least partially blame on this planet.

As I unsteadily rose to my feet, I felt my anger continue to flare, and as a desire to burn this world to ash came to mind – after I'd rescued Shmi and Anakin of course – I felt an inkling to latch on to that darker impulse and just let go. To burn and murder the fuckwits who'd attacked me barely a minute after I'd survived a mother-fucking greater krayt dragon.

Since they'd waited until I'd – rather miraculously, if I did say so myself – taken down the dragon to attack, it meant they were likely either here to kill me and take the dragon as their own, been hired to attack and kill or capture me, or just thought I was an easy mark after my narrow survival. Regardless of which it was, I wasn't going to go down without a bloody fight.

I felt the familiar presence of Fay touching against my mind via our Force Bond and gratefully latched onto it. [Master.]

[Cameron, are… how bad are your injuries?] Fay asked, after stopping herself from likely asking if I was well.

[Bad, but I can stand.] I replied with a hint of false bravado. [I don't suppose that the group that's almost on me were sent by Duke Adonai?]

I sensed her concern and worry before she replied. [No. This group is one of two that seem to have targeted you. The duke has launched several parties to deal with them, but the closest one to you is still several minutes out. The duke and I are a further five minutes behind.]

I harumphed loudly at having it confirmed that those closing on me – they were less than five hundred metres away now – were hostile. [Wonderful. Well I'll try and not get myself killed in the meantime.]

[That would be preferred. I have grown rather fond of you Padawan. May the Force be with you.]

I chuckled at her reply as I felt her presence leave my mind. Force Telepathy was a weird thing, but there was no denying the usefulness of it in situations like these. With the status of the incoming bodies being hostile, I began to quickly consider my options.

I considered activating Player's Mind but decided against it. Before I'd removed it from the default combat abilities that auto-activated – and thus why it didn't activate automatically while running for my life from the greater krayt dragon – I'd come to realise that even though it was countering my emotions during combat, it was also slowing my reactions. Emotions, and the chemicals a body created in tense situations, helped one focus if harnessed correctly. And while this body was still growing and maturing, I felt it was now time for me to begin to learn to handle those reactions so that there was less risk that an unexpected emotional reaction in the future overrode my control and cost me my life.

Plus, there was also the fact that if I relied on it to maintain control over my emotions, I was cutting myself from a part of myself, which would make my discussions with Serra regarding the Force and emotions completely hypocritical. And yes, not using Player's Mind was also cutting off a part of myself, but that ability was one no one else had and something I felt was disturbingly unnatural, thus to not use it was the lesser of the two evils when dealing with denying a part of myself.

However, I suspected that there were going to be times where using it would be advantageous; like dealing with the High Council when I didn't want to give any of them the satisfaction of getting an emotional response out of me.

With only one bracer running, and the FP penalty at four hundred per cent, I kept Detection active as knowing where exactly my attackers were and how they'd approach was going to be a huge help. Plus, with the lowered penalty, there was no overall FP drain having both powers active concurrently.

I glanced to both sides and noted that the dune trough I'd fallen into after being shot merged into another dune to my left but extended to my right. Ducking down, I headed that way, hoping to get some distance from where I landed before the hostiles were upon me.

A faint sound, likely a voice, carried to me on the wind, but the words were distorted enough that I couldn't make them out. However, whatever was said had me cursing mentally as the group approaching shifted their angles, adapting to my movement. That meant they must've had some way to track my location; portably a simple life-sign scanner that was locked onto me. Which confirmed they were after me directly and not the dragon.

If I had all my FP, or the remaining bracer would turn off, then I'd have used Teleport to re-establish distance between myself and the attackers, but with one bracer still, infuriatingly, active, and my FP being low, that wasn't an option. Though I still had a way to limit their ease to find me with Force Cloak, though I could only hope it would block me from their scanner.

I felt the Force shift around me, and turned quickly to sprint to a new dune, only for pain to shoot through my body. I fell to a knee as pain erupted from my back as if someone had lain a white-hot rod of steel across it while my useless arm slapped against my stomach.

Once the pain had abated enough that I could re-focus, I saw that the hostiles had stopped. Clearly, Force Cloak had hidden me from their scanner, which had made them pause. Sadly, that power didn't fully cover me from sight, and the one that did – Force Camouflage – was a power I hadn't spent time training up. An oversight much like what had happened with Force Heal before Serra's verd'goten. Then again, even if I could hide from sight, there were still ways to detect me, with smell and sound being the obvious two.

Still, Force Cloak had bought me a few seconds that I could use to move to disorientate my attackers, though that was difficult to do as pain flooded my system from my back and shoulder.

Even as I moved as quickly as I could without the pain overloading my senses, my minimap indicated that the hostiles were moving once more. Though this time, they were being more cautious; likely due to their scanner no longer having a lock on my exact location.

I quickly calculated that the first of the attackers would break the crest of the dune I was behind in about thirty seconds. That wasn't much time to prepare, never mind scamper away in my current condition, but a flare of hope grew inside as I saw a new group of targets enter the range of the minimap. Given that they were moving too quickly to be on foot and moving in a V formation, I had to assume these were the reinforcements Fay had mentioned.

Another quick calculation had the Mandalorian strike force arriving at my location just after the hostiles discovered me. Hopefully, I'd be able to find a way to sta-

I was interrupted mid-thought as Precognition flared and warned of a general threat and I caught sight of a small metallic object come flying over the crest of the dune. Reacting on instinct from over a decade of combat, I pushed the likely grenade back the way it came with the Force and scampered away from the dune crest as best I could.

A scream filled the air as the grenade re-crossed the dune crest, which was followed soon after by a loud and painful sonic blast that obliterated the top metre of the dune and had me wincing at the loud sound thundered around me.

As the shockwave dissipated, I noted that the air above me had been filled by sand, obscuring my vision, and likely that of my attackers. Yes, it would likely also prevent the Mandalorians coming to help from laying down covering fire, but any cover was better than none.

Ignoring the pain that shot up my spine as I scrambled up the remains to the dune, I broke over the crest to find visibility was less than half a meter. Though, thanks to my Force-boosted minimap, that didn't limit my ability to track my attackers.

A brief usage of the Force had the closest attacker lose their footing and come towards me airborne. They let out a startled yelp, though it was silenced almost instantly as they landed face-first in the sand at my feet.

As the Weequay began to raise himself up, I let my body fall and drove my good elbow into the back of his neck, forcing him back down onto the sand. I heard the crack as his head snapped to the side on impact, snapping his neck due to the opposing forces. Landing like that sent a new wave of pain through my body, but as the now-dead alien slumped into the sand, I ignored my pain as best I could and rolled onto my good side.

While Player's Mind wasn't active, my adrenaline was pumping, and I felt I was still moving and reacting at a decent enough level to keep fighting; levels that I'd lose if Player's Mind was active and limiting my emotional responses. Of course, that was before Force Speed and Bullet-Time were taken into consideration as even badly injured, they still made me move faster than most normal sentients could track.

I reached down and pulled a knife from the belt of the dying Weequay and with barely a look, tossed it towards my next closest attacker. My shoulder flared in pain as I twisted to launch the knife with my good arm, but I ignored it, and as a faint grunt from that second target reached my ears, I was already pulling the Weequay's blaster pistol from his hand.
With another twist, and the expected burst of intense pain, I fired off two quick shots and the second target disappeared from the minimap as the target fell to the ground dead.

With these two down, I began to move, pivoting around with my good arm aimed at a target to my right. While it slowed me down to do that – I'd had to turn about two-hundred and seventy degrees instead of the normal ninety – with the Force boosting my reactions and overall speed, I was able to do so fairly quickly.

I raised the pistol and managed a single shot before it went to hell…

- -BOOM- -

As a massive sonic explosion ripped through the air around me, the pistol fell from my grasp as I lifted my hands to cover my ears; which only made me grimace further as my ruined right shoulder and useless arm didn't respond and instead sent a new wave of pain surging through me.

I wanted to curse at the fact my arm was now fucked, but since I was lying face-first in the sand and my already fucked up back had borne the brunt of the concussive blast, I wasn't able to do so. At least not unless I wanted another mouth full of sand.

I groaned in pain, only to get a mouthful of sand for my trouble as something scrapped against my back before it grabbed me by the back of my robes and pulled.

I was sent flying backwards, barely able to process what was happening as the pain from my back and shoulder was beginning to overload my ability to ignore or counter it. Even as that happened though, I was able to see that the thing that had thrown me was a yellow-scaled Trandoshan.

A new wave of pain washed over me as I crashed into the next dune, then bounced over the crest down into a new trench. As my unexpected trip came to an end, I hissed and blinked rapidly trying to clear the sand from my vision and to clear my head enough to keep going.

As my vision settled, and the blurred images came back into focus, the imposing figure of the Trandoshan that had thrown me came over the crest of the dune. He stared down at me as his long, lizard-like tongue flicked out and seemed to taste the air.

A deep, inhuman chuckle filled the air as he began to head down the dune towards me.

"The scorekeeper is smiling on me today." The giant lizardman muttered as he slid down the last of the dune between us. "A Jedi and a Mandalorian in one kill."

Precognition flared and I tried to move, but the pain from my injuries stopped me in my tracks as the Trandoshan dove a vibroblade into my gut.

I gasped out as the blade sunk into my flesh, cold fire spreading from my wound as it was twisted, ripping my internal organs even further. I coughed and felt blood surge up my throat. Spitting it out, I attempted to speak.

"You're damning yourself in her eyes," I rasped out, trying to buy time. "I thought she required hunters to make the kill unassisted. There's an overgrown lizard which gave you a pretty big assist." I coughed again as the blade ceased its twisting momentarily, likely more in surprise that I knew of the Scorekeeper than out of agreement with my words. "Of course, I mean the one lying dead over there, not the one here who's soon to be dead as well."

The blade twisted violently and resumed shredding my insides as I was reminded that Dun Möch didn't always turn out well.

"Yesss, indeed. A most impressive prize," the Trandoshan hissed as he glanced around at it. "I shall enjoy regaling my clutch with the tale of its fall at my hands. And now I'll get the bonus for being the one who killed you as well." His tongue shot out as he hissed again and flicked against my shoulder, seemingly tasting my blood. "Hmm. You will make a good meal."

As he chuckled at his comment, I frantically scrapped at his massive arm with my one good hand. The idea that after everything that'd happened, being reborn here, and given a charge to alter the fate of the galaxy that this was how it was going to end was… galling.

"I will be the most famous hunter in my clutch." He stated as he leaned in closer and twisted the knife once more. "Your death will help me find a good mate."

I grunted as the knife continued to rupture my insides. My HP bar was now flashing, meaning my HP had fallen below ten per cent, and my FP was all but gone. This new life, this new adventure, one that until less than an hour ago I was still treating as a game, was about to end, and my time here, my actions, would amount to nothing in the grand scheme of things; just as my old life hadn't mattered in the greater scheme.

I felt a rage begin to build as I realised just how fucked up this all was. How unfair, wrong and insane it was that after taking down something as massive and powerful as a greater krayt dragon that I was going to be taken out by a no-name overgrown arrogant bloody lizard.

This wasn't how I thought it would go, oh I knew that taking down Sidious, and preventing the rise of the Empire, was going to be a monumental task, but that I'd fail before the real game had even begun, that I'd be dead before Anakin even came into the picture…

I felt the ember of rage flare inside me, turning into a blazing fire that spread through my veins.

No.

No, not like this.

This was not how it was going to end. Not like this, not on this mother-fucking planet at the hands of a walking handbag.

No, not like this.

Images flooded my mind. I saw Tedra, now in her late teens, fall to Grievous in a jungle, then Naz, grown into a beautiful young woman with her hair grown out and flying around her, dying from overwhelming blaster fire. I saw Dooku die to a blue blade that slashed him from shoulder to hip, then I witnessed Sia-Lan killed by another Jedi, his face blurred from my sight, the shock at what had happened clear on her face. Then Bultar was killed when a black hand drove a metal blade through her heart.

I watched Fay gasp as a blade of crimson was driven through her stomach then looked on helplessly as Serra fought valiantly, brutally against Anakin… no, against Vader as he led the assault on the Temple. Their fight was brutal, but it was instantly clear that while Serra was good, she was no match for the newly crowned Sith Lord and I felt my heart miss a beat I could scarcely afford as Vader smashed through her defences, sliced off her arm at the elbow then removed her head on his backswing.

My rage, my anger began to flare as the images of all those I knew, all those I held dear, were shown dying because of my failure here today. Because of my death at the hands of this inbred overgrown lizard on this stupid, mother-fucking shithole of a planet.

No, this wasn't how it was supposed to end, this wasn't how things were meant to go.

"Not. Like. This!" I growled out in a weak voice and somehow finding the strength to move my good hand to grasp the Trandoshan's wrist as he twisted the blade in my gut.

The anger and rage burning inside felt like the fire of a thousand suns as I glared up at the fucking waste of sentient life that thought he was going to kill me. The calmness I normally felt within, was gone, replaced by a maelstrom of rage that needed, no wanted, to lash out and destroy my enemies.

"What a pretty trinket." The lumbering lizard muttered as I felt its free hand move towards my neck. "This will make a good trophy."

No. Fuck no.

As the dirty unworthy claws of the small-brained moron closed around the gift given to me by Fay and Dooku, I felt my fury surge, flooding every inch of my being with a raw intoxicating power I'd never felt before.

"Any last words little Jedi?" The Trandoshan asked as he yanked his knife from my gut blood spurting out to steam upon the sand, my good hand flailing around as he did so. His other hand tightened its grip around the necklace, and I felt the phrik chain begin to dig into the back of my neck as he tried to wrench it from my body.

"Is the kill complete, Grogg?" A new voice asked, and I tilted my head enough to see a second yellow-scaled Trandoshan come over the crest.

"Almost brother." The now-named Grogg replied, his tongue flicking out and slashing the air. "I can taste his fear and anger. The Scorekeeper will be pleased with my kill."

"Y-you first!" I spat out as I tried to push the power now flowing through me, and every ounce of remaining FP I had, into my hand as I thrust it into his chest. "DIE!" I roared with all my remaining energy.

And everything turned a jagged blinding red.
......

…...
Serra ducked under the whirling blue blade of her fellow Padawan, then thrust forward with the hand holding her shoto-saber in a reverse grip to drive the hilt into her chest.

"Oof!" Lorana Jinzler grunted out as she staggered back a little from the blow, but Serra didn't relent. She took advantage of the shift in her friend's stance to flick her blade up and around humming an inch from Lorana's exposed neck.

"Four to one." Master Drallig called from the side of the sparring ring where he was monitoring the spar and Serra felt his satisfaction with her performance radiate through the Force.

"When did you get this aggressive?" Lorana asked as she took stepped back to their starting positions.

"The objective in any fight is to win as quickly as possible, or if that cannot be achieved, to find a way to withdraw and regroup." Serra replied, repeating a lesson the Instructors at the Institute drilled into everyone's head. And something that was proven during her private training sessions with Bo-Katan, Naz and especially Rook Kast.

While the two younger girls had generally gone easier on her, Rook had certainly not. Serra had been forced to take those words to heart as in a straight fight, with her unable to call on the Force to help, Serra was badly outclassed by Rook. Still, even if the training from Rook had been brutal and aggressive, it had helped her immensely and Serra felt more confident if the situation ever arose where she was in a fight without her lightsaber.

Plus, being a better-trained unarmed fighter was giving her a further edge over her fellow Padawans at the Temple and helping her show that spending six months on Mandalore had been worth it. Though the lecture she'd gotten from Master Giiett about having to kill a sentient creature to prove herself to the Mandalorians had been disappointing. Master Giiett had always been more open-minded than most of the High Council and someone that Cam spoke well of.

"Did you learn that from the Mandalorians?" Lorana asked as Serra shifted her stance and readied her blades. "Do they always fight dirty?"

Serra smirked at how little Lorana understood. Then again, at this time last year, she'd have agreed with her friend. "No, they just th…"

RAGE
"DIE!"

"Aarrgh!" Serra screamed as she dropped her lightsabers and gripped the sides of her head as her mind was overloaded with pain, anger and suffering. As she fell to her knees, the world around her was lost as fury and hatred flooded into her through the Force.

Yellow ground
Massive, white teeth
Flying
Large, broad shadow

Over and over, the images flashed through her mind until, what felt like hours later, the rage lessened enough that she could open her eyes. She discovered she was lying on her side, her knees pulled tight against her body as Master Drallig knelt beside her while Lorana and a few others stood just behind him.

"Serra? Serra, what happened?" Master Drallig asked slowly as she felt his hand against her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze as their eyes met. His calming presence in the force was something she latched on to, hoping it would be enough to counter the still bubbling anger she sensed.

"I… I'm not sure. I…"

She stopped in mid-sentence as the rage surged into her mind once more. She squeezed her eyes shut in the vain hope it would keep the tidal wave of anger out.

Twin suns
Rocks falling
Waves of yellow
Red light

As new images surged through her mind, she curled up into a ball. She didn't scream out this time, managing to keep it to a small whimper, and as the images repeated and merged with the earlier ones she gasped as she realised what it all meant.

"Cam!" She called out as she regained control of her mind, and used the Force to limit the feedback she now realised was coming from her best friend. As her eyes opened, she looked up at her master. "Cam's in danger!" She snapped, her eyes wide and with a hint of moisture in them.

"Are you certain?" Master Drallig asked his brow knitting at her words. Serra saw Lorana's eyes widen and a few of the others who were behind her turned to whisper to each other. However, her concern was on her friend and not the fools around her.

"Yes. H-he went to attempt his verd'goten and…" her hand came to her mouth as she realised that she'd just confirmed to her master, and those listening, that Cam was going to become a Mando'ade as she had done. This meant that when he returned to the temple, the High Council would likely haul him in front of them and discipline him; and likely his punishment would be worse than hers as many of them had it out for him.

Drallig's brow knitted further, and she could sense his growing worry underneath the calm he was projecting. "Do you know to which world he went for this… trial?" He asked quietly, probably concerned about revealing details to those behind him.

Serra opened her mouth to respond, only to pause. She did know, but revealing that she was aware that not only was Cam attempting a hunt but where might get them both into further trouble. While for her that would likely mean another month of helping Master Nu catalogue things in the Archives, for Cam it would likely make things much worse and drive more people into towards the frankly stupid idea that he was a threat to the Order.

"No. It's a personal thing and he didn't reveal where they were going the last time we spoke." That was technically true as their last holocall had been just before he'd left, but he had sent her a short message saying he was heading to a world near Hutt Space just over a week ago.

Drallig pulled his hand from her shoulder and rubbed his chin. "Hmm. Then perhaps, if you are feeling well enough to move, we should head to the communications centre and attempt to contact Masters Fay and Dooku. I am sure at least one of them is with the Padawan during his trial."

He stood and offered a hand to help her up, which she readily accepted.

She smiled at her master, pleased that he believed her fears, about what had caused her reaction, were genuine and that he accepted what Cam was doing. Oh, she could sense the faintest hints of displeasure from him, but not in the amount that would have her worried her master was losing faith in her, and her commitment to protecting the galaxy as a member of the Jedi.

Serra also knew that she'd have to talk with her master about the visions she saw. Many in the Order placed little stock in visions and prophecy, however, Serra wasn't one of them. Cam was sent from nearly four thousand years in the past to this moment in time. The Force had a plan for him, she knew that, and with the talk of him being the Chosen One, she had tried to learn what she could of the prophecy.

While Master Drallig had dissuaded her from pushing too hard to learn about that prophecy and others, he had admitted there may be something in it that explained Cam's arrival. That gave Serra hope that her master wouldn't just dismiss her when she mentioned what she'd seen when the Force had sent Cam's rage and anger to her.

After all, if the Force did not wish to help a Jedi, then would it provide them with glimpses of what was and might be?

……

……

It took most of Dooku's years of training to resist the urge to sneer as the doors to the bar where he was meeting this contact opened. The place was filled with loud, unruly patrons yelling at various sports on the multitude of displays lining one wall while something that no educated person would ever call music was pipped into the room at a volume that was barely below what Dooku would consider hazardous for one's hearing. And to cap it all off was the smell. The stench that nearly overwhelmed Dooku's senses as he stepped in had him promising to repay Rael for using this as a meet location; preferably by examining if his lightsaber skills were still to an acceptable level.

This… locale, was unbecoming of any Jedi, particularly one of his stature and refinement. To be forced to enter it was likely a private joke on Rael's part. After only a few steps, Dooku was already revising upwards how he would repay his former Padawan for selecting this place as the meeting point for the informant. And if the informant failed to provide any useful intel on the Bando Gora as Rael had promised, Dooku would make time to visit his former Padawan and spend several days helping him to refine his lightsaber techniques.

For nearly a year now – ever since his current Padawan, Cameron Shan, had helped him begin to see that the battle of Galidraan was not entirely his fault, nor that the Mandalorians held any true grudge for his actions that day – Dooku had felt a… whisper from the Force. One that centred around his only failed Padawan, Komari Vosa.

Part of the reason for her dismissal from the Order centred around the Battle of Galidraan. The Order felt that she was far too battle-happy for most Jedi to accept. Though Dooku never ceased to be amazed at the hypocrisy of the Jedi Order – he was aware of many others that were just as willing to draw their lightsaber at the first hint of danger – it was the additional issue of her unstable infatuation with him that persuaded him to go along with the High Council's recommendation that Vosa be reassigned.

Yet, while the Council of Reassignment was debating what to do with Vosa, Yoda and other members of the High Council had allowed her to accompany a Jedi strike team to deal with the Bando Gora cult on Baltizaar. That mission… well, even before the survivors returned, Dooku had considered it a foolish gesture as the High Council had not researched the situation or the cult in any great detail, choosing instead to just do as the Senate and Chancellor had wished without questioning them.

Vosa should never have been sent on such a mission when her mental condition was fragile after being removed as his Padawan, and the High Council knew this. Yet, in their infinite wisdom, they still allowed her to go. Though they covered their position by making her position in the strike team unofficial as if washing their hands of the Padawan. And in his arrogance, and the little remaining trust he had for the High Council, Dooku had allowed it to happen.

That mission had been an unmitigated disaster. Not only had most of the Jedi been killed, or were assumed to have been killed, but the image of the Jedi as some invincible force for the Republic was shattered once news broke about the battle. At the time Dooku hadn't been able to figure out who had leaked the report the High Council had submitted to the Senate, but now, thanks to the Coalition – something that centred around his current Padawan – he knew: The Sith. Only they had anything to truly gain from weakening the Jedi in the eyes of the average Republic citizen. Oh, Dooku was aware that many disliked the Jedi – or worse – but to move against them then not strike straight afterwards made little sense; not unless you were working from the shadows to slowly take down the Jedi and Republic. And only the Sith would be able to do something like that.

After the few survivors of Baltizaar had returned to the temple to report on the disaster, Yoda had sought out Dooku to inform him that Vosa was among those who had been killed. While Dooku had not wished that on his former Padawan, he had accepted the news. After all, if a Dark Side cult like the Bando Gora were able to defeat and kill several Jedi Knights and even the two Masters who lead the mission, what chance would a dismissed Padawan have against them.

At the time, Dooku had written off Vosa's death as an act of the Force removing someone unworthy from the galaxy and then vowed to never take another Padawan. Yet, that vow had lasted mere months as, heralded by a massive ripple in the Force, a child from the past had emerged. Cameron Shan, his current – and he knew in his heart his last and greatest – Padawan had arrived at the Temple and Dooku had felt the Force guide him to the boy.

It was thanks to the young man – Dooku felt it better to consider Cameron a man as he was far, far more mature than those his own– that Dooku felt his spirit revitalising somewhat, and had been gifted with a renewed sense of purpose about what needed to be done. Training the young man – the descendent of one of the galaxy's most famous Jedi and Sith – to the rank of Jedi Knight, then helping him guide the future generations of Jedi and the galaxy, would be his greatest achievement.

And yet, young Cameron had in the last year, made Dooku question several events in his past that, had come to define his later years. After the death of Vosa – which he now had reframed in his mind to be only apparent death –, Dooku had been heavily considering leaving the Jedi. Only his attachments to his other Padawans – Rael Averross, Qui-Gon Jinn and Keelyvine Reus, though the last was merely to complete her training when her former Jedi master was killed – and his few friends like Sifo-Dyas had stayed his hand. Cameron's arrival had quieted those thoughts and set Dooku on a new path, one that Dooku felt the Force wished him to travel, and one he was slowly becoming glad he was on.

And thanks to this new path, and the young man that had set him on it, Dooku was now… less than certain that his former Padawan was dead. There were still… rare moments when he was in the deepest of meditations where he had felt as if she was still with him, yet he had never considered that those were hints that she was possibly still alive. Not until young Cameron had wondered aloud that 'if no body had been found, how could the Council be certain that Vosa was dead'.

With Cameron currently studying on Mandalore – and in the private recesses of his mind, Dooku found it a strange quirk of the Force that his Padawan would study with the very people that Dooku's strike force had massacred on Galidraan – Dooku had begun to discover as much as he could about the operations of the Bando Gora.

He had been able to shut down a few smaller operations in remote Inner Rim systems, but Dooku was no fool. He had no intention of going after their main bases of operation until he was sure if Vosa was alive, and only once he had a team with him that he could trust implicitly. However, even keeping his actions as quiet as he could, it had still drawn attention and on his last return to the Jedi Temple, Grandmaster Yoda has spoken with him and warned against him becoming stuck in the ghosts of the pasts.

Dooku's lips twisted as he considered the hypocrisy of the his old teachers words, if any Jedi was likely to be focused on days gone by, it would be one who remembered the true 'Golden age of the Republic' that had existed a few hundred years ago. There was no way any being could live for nearly nine centuries and not have their thoughts clouded by the past. That meant that Yoda was the primary source of the complacency and flaws that had taken over the Jedi Order since the Ruusan Reformations.

What had once been an order built on the ideals of honour and following the will if the force had become nothing more than the weak and loyal lapdog for a corrupt and failing Galactic Senate. Instead of acting to end the rampant slavery epidemic in the Outer Rim, the Jedi helped the corrupt Republic make peace with the Hutt cartels and crime syndicates that controlled that abominable practice.

And Grandmaster Yoda was the single biggest root of this failure of the Order. After eight hundred years serving the Jedi, and over six hundred of those on the High Council, the Grandmaster had grown uncaring to or unconcerned about the obvious flaws and failings of the Galactic Republic.

For Yoda to warn him about the dangers of the past, and pretend that he wasn't affected by his ghosts… It had taken all of Dooku's great control to not retort, particularly as Dooku had proof that even the most selfless of Jedi had ghosts.

Master Fay was the epitome of what a Jedi should be. She was devoted to doing the right thing, and while Dooku did not always agree with her choices or methods about how she'd resolved issues, it was clear to any who spent time around her that she was still haunted by ghosts. That many of her ghosts were, like his, linked to Mandalore and its people was… a curious quirk since both of them had been drawn there by their shared Padawan.

And so, after Yoda's so-called words of wisdom, and the completion of Padawan Keto's trial to become one of the warriors of Mandalore – a worthy title for those who followed ideals like Jaster Mereel had supported – Dooku had left the temple and the decadent capital of the failing Republic and if not for his friends there, like Sifo-Dyas and Sheev Palpatine – the rarest of politicians who seemed to have the good of the people at his core – he doubted he would ever return.

As the doors hissed closed behind him, Dooku stopped and took a long breath. He needed to calm himself, allowing his anger at the behaviour of Yoda and the majority of the High Council and Jedi Order to fester was a danger. He would meditate on the issue later, but he suspected that like the previous times he had done so, no easy solution to his anger and his future would become clear.

Returning his thoughts and full attention to the present, Dooku surveyed the bar. With just a cursory glance, he saw eleven instances of illegal activity, though none were beyond a minor infraction and this location was… remote. As intended. By the grace of the Force, he was able to spot the informant that Rael had arranged for him to meet.

A white-skinned Devaronian was relaxing in an alcove far from the screens and the screeching masses there enjoying a drink, but what had Dooku's attention was the large pin that was attached to the alien's jacket. The pin was of a small bird in flight coloured red. Dooku failed to see the humour in it as it linked back to an assignment Rael had gone on not long after becoming a Knight during which he'd spent over a year posing as a pirate to crack a group that was targeting civilian transports to and from various Mid-Rim worlds for slaves. Now, from what Dooku knew, Rael used that as a symbol to mark those he trusted or had a use for as from the look of the Devaronian, Dooku doubted his first Padawan used this being as anything more than a courier.

Slowly Dooku moved around the central bar towards where the contact was sitting. He made sure to keep looking around, taking note of anyone who looked at him for more than a second as a potential complication. While his clothing didn't immediately indicate he was a Jedi, the high quality of them drew attention as he was clearly far better off than the patrons of this delightful establishment. Hopefully, none would try to accost him and thus risking him revealing his true status to the masses.

Once he was close enough to be heard by the contact over the racket that filled the bar, Dooku spoke in a voice that would only carry to the Devaronian. "I believe you have something for me."

The alien smirked and gave Dooku the once over. "Probably. Doubt there's some other high and mighty Jedi that's going to walk into this place today. And certainly not one as rich as you. Rael did tell me that was how I'd know you were the contact."

"Quite." Dooku replied as he sat down opposite the Devaronian, making no effort to correct the being's misguided belief that Dooku had wealth.

While his family was one of the richest in the galaxy, and he preferred to wear robes more becoming of a powerful individual like himself, Dooku did not feel a need to directly acquire wealth. With his rank and experience within the Order, he was free to take credits as needed from the Jedi funds. Those accounts were not well known to most beings in the galaxy, and many would likely be shocked to discover they existed, and that they held quadrillions of credits within them. This was another thing that Dooku had begun to realise was flawed about the Order as with those resources, the Jedi could do more to actively help those in need. Instead, the funds simply sat there, metaphorically collecting dust, while the corrupt Senate made deals with races like the Hutts and the Pyke and groups like Black Sun.

Of course, they were not truly the sole funds of the Jedi Order, Dooku mused as he ordered a drink from a passing droid. The Order had integrated itself into the Republic so thoroughly over the last few millennia that their finances were inexorably linked. Should the Jedi start to make robust moves with those resources, it would then likely face inquiries from the senate. If there was one thing that corrupt politicians and establishments didn't like, it was a sudden up-tick in the usage of 'their' funds, even if they had no direct access to it.

There was silence between the two, and Dooku frowned. "The information?" He asked once it became clear that the Devaronian wasn't going to begin the conversation. A conversation Dooku hoped was short as he had no wish to stay in this locale any longer than absolutely necessary.

The Devaronian chuckled and leaned back, his arms stretching along the top of the ring sofa that encircled most of the table. "I have it, but what's it worth to you?"

A wave of annoyance shot through Dooku, but he kept his face neutral. He had expected the contact to try to extort him for an additional payday – something that was common among those who lived on the edges of society – but to have his suspicion confirmed was aggravating. "I was made aware that you had already been compensated for this by Rael." He replied, making clear that this was not want was agreed.

"He did but seeing as to how this is to do with a death cult and criminal syndicate, I've raised my rates." The alien chuckled, exposing the first of the sharp teeth the males of his species were known for. However, if it was meant to use that to intimidate Dooku, then the Devaronian was sorely underestimating him.

"I see." Dooku replied, narrowing his eyes as he focused on the Devaronian while also reaching out with the Force. There was a chance that the alien had accomplices to help him shake down Dooku for more credits, or that someone was listening and planned to take advantage of their meeting to earn some credits. While the latter was more likely, it was reasonable to assume that any being willing to try the former would have support. "And how much is this increase going to cost me?"

"Five thousand." The Devaronian replied with another chuckle.

Dooku allowed a frown to appear on his face. "That is far more than I have with me. Perhaps we can come to another, mutually beneficial arrangement?" He asked, drawing out the conversation in the hopes that the Devaronian would relent, or that, if there was help, they became angsty and made a move early, allowing Dooku to simply take the data from the corpse of this being.

The Devaronian leaned forward, its smile growing as it sensed an opportunity. More of his sharp teeth becoming visible. "And what exactly would you be willing to offer to lower my fee?"

Dooku noted there was no chance to remove the extortion altogether, but he had expected that and that this contact would likely demand more than just what Rael had paid him to courier this data to Dooku.

"Perhaps, along with say, a thousand credits, you would be willing to consider accepting a favour from a high-ranking member of the Order?" Dooku offered as he gently reached out with the Force to guide the Devaronian to accept his terms.

In the past, he would have simply used the more common ability of a Jedi to convince someone to do what they wanted, however, that was prone to not working on those with stronger wills, so he used the more subtle approach that Fay had taught to himself and Cameron. He had felt Fay use it often and noticed that while it didn't instantly get the result desired, it was harder for a target to sense and resist.

"And what would this favour entail?" The Devaronian asked, clearly intrigued by the idea of a Jedi owing him a favour.

"A single promise from me to help you with any… problem that you may encounter in the future." Dooku explained. "However, I would not be willing to help you commit a felony." He added, to help sell the idea he was serious. Which he wasn't, as he had no intention of owing a favour to anyone unwilling to honour an agreement. The Devaronian had proved he was not to be trusted by attempting to extort extra credits from Dooku, over and above the fee Rael had paid him. However, this flaw in the alien's nature was one that Dooku was more than willing to exploit to his advantage.

The Devaronian scratched the base of one of its horns. "Hmm. That is tempting, but I don't think it is a fair exchange for what I've got on this." He replied, pulling a datacard from a pocket on his jacket. "This is worth more than a thousand credits and a favour."

"While the information you have would be highly beneficial to my research, the favour of a Jedi is worth much." Dooku countered without the need to lie. "However, I am willing to also increase my price to fifteen hundred."

If this data was what Rael had hinted that it was, then it might provide Dooku with definitive proof that not only was Vosa still alive, but also where the main base the cult operated from was located, and where Dooku suspected Vosa and any other captured Jedi were held. Assaulting such a location would take a team of Jedi as the times when he'd dealt with smaller cult operations, and run into dedicated followers of the cult, and not just their hired guns, had informed Dooku of how well-trained the cult was.

While Dooku hadn't had any difficultly taking down those operatives, mainly due to there only ever being two or three cultists involved in such operations, they had fought surprisingly well and forced Dooku to adapt his style far more than he had expected. Indeed, if not for the time he'd spend training Cameron up to eventually replace him as the Jedi's foremost Makashi master – a position the Padawan was not yet ready or able to take – Dooku suspected he'd have likely suffered serious injury against the cultists.

To assault their main headquarters, or even a secure location that held Vosa – and potentially others – would need a strong team of at least five or six Jedi. Fay and Cameron would, of course, be two members of that team, as even if Fay did not use a lightsaber, his spars against her had proved that that apparent weakness was anything but. And while Cameron was young, Dooku had the utmost faith in his Padawan. Cameron would undoubtedly be challenged by the cultists, but Dooku knew the young man would adapt and overcome them.

The Devaronian tapped his horn again, clearly considering Dooku's offer. "Agreed. However, I will require some form of proof that you'll uphold your word."

Dooku tutted. "How sad it is that the word of a Jedi is no longer enough to convince a citizen of the Republic." The Devaronian chuckled as Dooku had intended.

"Sadly, in these troubling times, a verbal promise, even one for a Jedi as clearly as influential as yourself, is… insufficient."

"And what, pray tell, would suffice?" Dooku asked, curious as to what the Devaronian was going to push for.

"I would need to know your name and confirm that you are a member of the Jedi Order, before I could accept the terms."

Dooku considered the request for a moment. Offering a false name was likely out, as it appeared this being had access to the complete listing of Jedi held by the Senate – yet another sign of the corruption that festered at the heart of the Republic – however offering this being his true name was not something he wished to do.

There was also the issue that any deception here could blowback on Rael, however, Dooku planned to mention this extortion to his former Padawan once safely away from the bar and suggest not using the being as a courier again.

Suddenly, an idea formed in his head. One that would both prove the Devaronian with a true name and cause issues for a person Dooku was not overly keen of within the Order.

"My name is Mace Windu." Dooku said calmly, keeping his face neutral to keep the Devaronian unaware of his deception. By doing this he guaranteed that his name was not linked to this and that it would result in confusion for Master Windu. Dooku was almost regretful he would not be present when the Devaronian tried to call in the favour and Windu would have no clue as to what was happening. "When you wish to call in the favour, refer to yourself as the red swallow." He added, indicating the being's pin.

The Devaronian pull a communicator from another pocket. "Check the Jedi records for a Mace Windu." He stated in his native tongue, though Dooku was able to understand him thanks to the Force.

The pair sat in silence until the communicator beeped. "There is one. Sits on their council too." Came the reply from whoever had been contacted.

That brought a large smile to Devaronian's face, and he reached across the table with a meaty hand. "Deal."

Dooku shook the being's hand and begun mentally counting down the seconds until he could leave this… establishment. "The data?"

The Devaronian picked up the datacard, which he had put down to use his communicator, and slid it across the table. "Here. And good luck. That cult." He paused and shook his head. "There's something very, very wrong with them."

"I am aware." Dooku replied as he broke the handshake, picked up the datacard and slid it into his robes even as he began to stand. "Now if you'll excu…"

RAGE

The blast of fury and pain that surged into him made Dooku fall back down onto the sofa. He lifted a hand to his head as images began to flash incessantly through his mind.

Twin suns
Large, broad shadow
Rocks falling
Red light

The images that shot through his mind were broken and incomplete, yet thanks to his studies on the various prophecies the Jedi had, and many talks with Sifo-Dyas, he was sure of what this was. A vision, one that, if the now receding surge of fury and pain any indication, was happening right now, and to someone that he was connected strongly to. Even with the broken imagery, Dooku was able to quickly determine who it was the Force was warning him about, and where they were.

Just over a week ago, Fay had contacted him to inform him that Cameron was attempting the Mandalorian trial of adulthood – something that Dooku was not sure the young man had to do, but he respected his Padawan's wishes enough to allow it – on the backwater world of Tatooine. A world that circled two suns. While the rest of the vision was unclear, there was enough that Dooku felt an urgent need to leave this establishment and contact Fay and Cameron.

"Master Jedi?" The Devaronian asked.

Dooku ignored him, as the vision and rage faded enough that he was able to stand. He turned, his cloak swirling as he did, and marched away from this pitiful excuse for a sentient and out of the scum-filled bar where he'd had to meet them.

With his Padawan – and someone he was only just realising meant more to him than he expected – in danger, Dooku would allow nothing to stop him contacting Fay and reaching Tatooine with all due haste.

……

……

Padmé sighed as she sat in her lesson, listening to the lecturer speak about the importance of recognising the warning signs of corruption in a political body.

While the lecture was important, the lecturer had given the same speech last week, and the week before that. Oh, words and terminology might change, but the meaning was always the same. Anyone who sought to be a politician was at risk of being corrupted by the very system they worked in.

While part of her understood the message, the greater part of her felt that was an extremely negative and distrustful approach to take. There were good politicians around, like Senator Palpatine of her home planet of Naboo, and her mentor in the Apprentice Legislature program, Silya Shessaun.

It was Senator Palpatine that first placed the idea of her heading into politics when he'd spoken with her father one day about the need for more people like her father in the Senate. People that truly had the interests of the citizens of the Republic at heart. While Miss Shessaun was her assigned mentor and was currently on Coruscant like the Senator – Padmé was attending the program at a centre on Naboo – they spoke every other day by holocall, something Padmé greatly enjoyed.

However, the main reason for her weariness with the lecture was not the repeated dour message, but the fact a signed copy of 'Return of the King' was sitting on her bed. Cameron had it sent to her as an advance copy for her birthday and while she had already read it twice, she wanted to read it a third time before placing it with the other two signed copies that were some of her most precious possessions.

Once they'd realised what the novel she was reading was, her room-mates had become jealous that she had signed physical copies from the author – particularly for the final novel in the trilogy that wasn't available to the public yet – and often bugged her about who the author was and what he was like. Sometimes that developed into them teasing her that she was in love with the author, but that wasn't true. Cameron was a Jedi and committed to protecting the galaxy by travelling far and wide much as Aragorn had done as a Ranger. Though she couldn't deny that she'd often dreamed that she was Arwen to Cameron's Aragon and of the family they'd raise.

"Daydreaming about him again?"

Padmé blinked as the question drew her attention from her thoughts, which seemed to focus on Cameron more and more, and turned to her friend and roommate Rien Stirr, a blonde-haired girl from Theed.

"Huh?" Padmé replied as the image of Cameron in the green ranger robes of Aragon flashed through her mind. Brown was so not his colour.

"Your author friend." Rien explained with a smirk. "If you hadn't told me was a young Jedi, I'd have thought you had the hots for an old man."

"Eww!" Padmé hissed, her lips drawing back in disgust. "Cam's not old. Well, he's older than us but he's still a Padawan and under the Republic's age of responsibility."

Rien shrugged. "Ok, but is he over Naboo's age limit?" She asked with a smirk. "I mean if he is…"

"Rien! It's not…"

Padmé paused mid-retort as she felt… something.

For a moment, she felt as though a distant voice was calling out to her in pain and anger and she swore the briefest image of… two large yellow balls – stars possibly? – flashed through her mind. Though almost as soon as it seemed as though something was there, the moment passed.

"Padmé? You alright?" Rien asked, her hand coming to rest on Padmé's forearm.

"Y-yeah." Padmé replied slowly. She wasn't sure what had happened, but she had this feeling deep inside that something bad had just occurred.

With her mind having been occupied mere moments ago by Cameron, her thoughts turned to concern. Had something happened to him?

She knew, thanks to Serra, that Cameron was off doing a Mandalorian trial of adulthood. While Serra had been reluctant to speak about her own experience, she'd finally confided in Padmé some of what had happened to her.

Padmé, after making entirely sure that Serra was fine now, had been shocked to hear the barbaric methods the Mandalorians used to define an adult, but Serra had explained it was a way to honour their history and that it generally wasn't that dangerous. Even if Serra's words had sounded… weak, Padmé had been willing to take her friend at face value. Though she'd still read up on the verd'goten trial.

Though the fact she and Serra had become friends was still a surprise to Padmé. The older girl held feelings for Cameron – which, even if she denied it publicly, Padmé knew she did too – yet they'd found the ability to talk to someone outside their normal social circles a relief. Plus, they shared many of the same values about the role politicians and Jedi should serve in the galaxy.

Yet, the idea that Cameron was now in danger on his hunt didn't fill Padmé with confidence. Serra had revealed that she'd killed a spark-dragon from Kiffu – Padmé had looked it up later and been both shocked and impressed that the older girl had taken one of those out without her lightsaber or the Force – and Padmé knew that Cameron had a… knack for getting into trouble.

She shook her head to clear the building fear inside her. It was likely just random chance that she'd been thinking about Cameron when… whatever that was had happened. Still, she made a vow that once her classes were over, she'd contact Serra and get an update on Cameron's progress.

While she could, just about, accept the hunt as part of Mandalorian tradition, the fact that so many of their people still followed such archaic and barbaric ways was not something she agreed with nor understood. From what little she'd read about the New Mandalorian group that the Republic stated represented the entire sector – and both Serra and Cam had stated that was far from the truth – she thought the group had gone too far to the other extreme.

To her, peace was always the best way for a people to grow, but to reject all your culture and history was a mistake. To become so anti-war that you have no way to easily defend yourself seemed foolish, particularly if the society in question was one that still believed that children had to hunt and kill something to prove themselves as adults.

"Miss Naberrie, please pay attention." The lecturer called out making Padmé jump a bit in her seat.

"Yes, sir." She replied.

She returned her focus to the lecture – even if the message behind it was becoming tedious – but sent a silent prayer to the Force to protect Cameron and get him away from the Mandalorians as soon as it could. Until that happened, Padmé suspected she wouldn't feel comfortable with Cameron's location.

……

……

"DIE!"

Yoda frowned as the word, and the accompanying rage, reached out to him while he was deep in meditation. The voice was unclear, distorted, as was often the case with whispers from the Dark Side, but their anger, fury and pain were easy for the aged Grandmaster to sense.

However, with the Force now awash for the moment in the rage, Yoda was forced to break from his meditation. As his eyes opened, he saw Master Windu had also been forced out of his meditation. The Vaapad master's face appeared calm, but Yoda could see the subtle signs of irritation in his friend's expression.

"Someone powerful has tapped into the Dark Side." Windu stated solemnly as his forehead wrinkled. "A new Sith perhaps?"

"Powerful, yes, but a Sith, I think not." Yoda replied slowly as he moved his legs to restore feeling in them. Meditating for hours at a time often left his body stiff when he stopped. "Much pain and anger I sensed, but undisciplined it was, unfocused, desperate, in danger this person was."

After a moment, Windu nodded in agreement then rubbed his chin. "Yes. That is true. Still, a Force Sensitive has called on the Dark Side for help. A worrying development. Yet I do not think this was a Knight or Master within the Order. Perhaps a Padawan."

"A name you have, hmm?" Yoda asked as he shifted forward in the seat he used for meditation until his legs were able to touch the floor. "Young Shan perhaps?"

It was an open secret to the High Council that Master Windu led the group of Masters who were… concerned about the boy's development and power. Yoda did share some of their concerns, not least when it was discovered that his midi-chlorians had jumped to unheralded levels, but he did not feel the boy was destined to fall as his ancestor did.

Windu's frown deepened. "The boy is tainted thanks to his lineage. He is a threat to the Order, especially with the growing darkness in the galaxy."

Yoda shook his head. Windu was convinced the boy would bring trouble and while Yoda couldn't deny that the Padawan did seem to have a… habit of getting into situations, he had always found a way out. Even if sometimes the way he'd done so were not ways Yoda would've used. The fact that the boy had Master Dooku and Master Fay teaching him helped to counter any concerns Yoda held, but sadly that was not the case for Windu.

"Certain of this, are you?" Yoda asked as he leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. "Know the future with certainty, do you?"

Windu sighed and shook his head. "No. The boy is… difficult to get a read on. The Force is centred around him, that much I do not deny."

Yoda nodded at that. He was aware that Windu often used his talent with the Force technique known as Shatterpoint to find pivotal moments in people and events. That the young Padawan was proving… troublesome to that ability, and that it was confusing Windu explained, in Yoda's mind, much of why his fellow High Council member was against the boy. Though the only concern Yoda had about Shan was his growing fascination with the very people that, from what the records say, were the cause of why Revan turned to the Dark Side.

"Faith, in the Force, you must have." Yoda began as he slid off his seat and looked up at the much younger Jedi Master. "Sent to us, for a reason Shan has been. Knowing the will of the Force we do not, but trust it, we must."

While Yoda said those words, his thoughts drifted to Mandalore. Historically they were one of the few non-Force sensitive people to be a threat to the average Jedi, and if they decided to return to their old ways… Well, Yoda knew the galaxy was in no shape to deal with such a threat and could only hope the Order was.

"The boy is born of darkness." Replied Windu, the wrinkling of his brow having made the creases almost touch his eyebrows.

"And of the light, is he. Touched by both sides of the force, Revan was. Bastila was. Yet, deny we cannot, the importance their family played in saving the Order, their family had. Hold secrets, they may still do." Yoda countered slowly, patiently.

"You speak of the holocron of Grandmaster Satele Shan?" Windu asked though Yoda suspected he already knew that was what Yoda was thinking of. "Of the fact it is withholding information that only the boy can potentially access?"

"Yes. Grandmaster Shan, among other things, rediscovered Tython she did." Yoda replied, his hand going to his heart. "Great pity I feel, that a second time, our Order would forget our birthplace." He sighed and looked out of the view at the flow of traffic that always dominated the skyline of Coruscant. Every time he gazed that way, it made him miss the more natural worlds like Kashyyyk or Dantooine where technology was not as rampant. "With the growing darkness, the chance to rediscover our Order's homeworld, we cannot overlook."

Once more, Windu nodded though Yoda was certain he wasn't convinced. "True. We've lost contact with three Jedi we sent to try to rediscover the route to Tython and another searching for Ossus and Ruusan."

"For a reason, lost, these worlds were. Misplaced they would not have been, if easy to travel to they were." Yoda replied as he used the Force to pull his repulsor chair to him. "Still, stray from our worry we did. In pain and danger, a young Jedi is, reach out we should. Determine the cause we must."

"I'll ask Master Yaddle to contact Master Fay." Windu stated as he stood and Yoda climbed into his chair. "Should we also ask Master Sifo-Dyas to contact Master Dooku?"

Yoda frowned at the mention of their fellow Council member. "No, Distant Master Sifo-Dyas has become. Concerned with visions, his and others, he has become. Enamoured with a prophecy he seems to be."

Windu rolled his eyes as Yoda's chair floated upwards. "I do not see how any can believe Shan is the Chosen One. I suspect he lacks faith in the ideals of the Republic we serve and while I don't deny he is powerful, more so than either of us in his connection to the Force, he lacks the control of a true Jedi and our dedication to the Republic."

Yoda kept his face neutral. In a different time and place, Windu's dedication – which was almost a devotion – to the Republic would've been a problem. Thankfully, that time had long since passed, yet there was always the chance that Windu was right about Padawan Shan. However, Yoda placed his faith in the Force, and it did not hint that the boy would be a threat.

"Chosen One or not, I cannot say. Yet, a path for the boy, the Force has chosen. Observe it, observe him, we must. Guide him, we may have to. Keep him in the light, we will." Yoda stated.

Twice before, when the Republic and the Order had been in peril, had one of the Padawan's blood come to prominence. With the rising tide of darkness that Yoda could sense in the Force, the Jedi could not afford to lose one of Shan's potential to the Dark Side. Yoda knew that if that happened, if the boy turned to the Sith, then it would spell doom for the Republic and the Jedi Order.

"And if we fail?" Windu asked as the doors to the meditation chamber they'd been using opened.

"Then ready, we must be." Yoda answered as they exited the room. "Fail the Jedi will not."

……

……

Sidious was barely able to conceal a snarl as the holocall with Senator Antilles ended. The Alderaanain was a nuisance to deal with at the best of times, but for him to have the gall to call and but demand that he, Darth Sidious, use his public persona to support Antilles attempt to unseat Valorum so Antilles could become Chancellor was ludicrous.

Antilles, while perhaps useful to further the unrest and loathing of the Republic in the Outer Rim – the man was entirely Core-World centric in his views – was too much of an anti-corruption campaigner to be allowed near the Chancellorship, particularly when the current Chancellor was someone that lacked the spine to challenge the various interests that had helped become elected; interests that the Sith had influence over. Additionally, having someone who pushed those views, and would likely work to fix problems Sidious and his master had subtly created, would undermine the plan in place for when Palpatine assumed the Chancellorship.

No, Valorum was the perfect fool to place in the Chancellorship for now. The native of Coruscant had the name and the reputation but lacked the spine to truly enact the ideas that he had wanted to, not least as his Vice-Chancellor was from an opposing camp within the Senate and worked – often with hidden help from Sidious – to undermine any initiative that Valorum attempted to enact that would make the Chancellor and Senate look competent. Well, save the friendly and well-loved Senator from Naboo.

Then there was the fact Valorum was all but owned by various interests in the Republic, with the biggest of those being the Trade Federation. This had been orchestrated by Sidious' master's public persona of Hego Damask arranging a meeting between the Senator and the newly installed Viceroy of the Trade Federation, Nute Gunray.

The other big supporter of Valorum had been the Tarkin family from Eriadu. The Tarkin's were very much pro-military and Sidious saw a use for the family, particularly a young Wilhuff, who Palpatine had 'befriended' along with Raith Sienar.

While for now, these various interests were useful in keeping Valorum propped up, Sidious knew that he would have to break them apart, though not before it was almost time to enact the plan to have him, a Dark Lord of the Sith, assume the Chancellorship of the Galactic Republic. That day would be a delicious irony for Sidious as while the Ruusan Reformations assured that no Jedi could ever again lead the Republic, they had failed to consider that a Sith would one day rise and try to do so.

Still, that was a matter for the future, and with his meetings for the day finally over, Sidious stood and walked out of his private office in his apartment. He had more pressing business to attend to; business relating to his true identity as a Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Sate, ensure that no one else attempts to bother me this evening. I have other business to attend to." He stated to his senior advisor, Sate Pestage, as he left the office. While appearing to be nothing more than a servant, the man was useful for handling things that Sidious' public persona could not be attached to and acted – like the other members of Palpatine's entourage – as cover for his true nature.

"Yes, my Lord." Sate replied, bowing deeply as Sidious strode past him to a private, hidden turbolift.

This particular lift had originally been used by maintenance workers and droids, but Sidious had arranged for it to disappear from the schematics of the building. This allowed him quick and quiet access to the sub-levels of 500 Republica, where a speeder was always waiting for him to pilot to his private retreat.

While the Works was a good distance away, the district had been all but abandoned by the citizens of Coruscant since an incident that happened centuries ago. Nearly seven hundred years ago, an accident at the Headquarters of the now-defunct LiMerge Power in Dacho District had flooded the whole area with harmful chemicals. While those had long since been cleaned up, no one wished to return, which made the whole area, and specifically the former headquarters of LiMerge, the perfect place for Sidious to base his Sith operations centre. Plus, all the death and chaos that had occurred from the accident lingered in the Force, providing a natural camouflage from the Jedi for Sidious.

As he stepped through the outer doors, a simple gesture with the Force was enough to deactivate the first layer of defences that guarded this passage then lights embedded in the floor engaged, bathing the room in a gentle red light that always remained Sidious of his lightsaber blade. Sidious however, was not a fool, and there were other layers of defensive measures at random points throughout the facility, ones known only to him, that had to be deactivated before someone could reach his sanctum.

While most of the defences were no match for a Sith, they served to keep out any potential scum that attempted entry to the building, and only the last few layers would trigger a self-destruct of his inner sanctum and the various artefacts within. While he did not want or expect that to ever be needed, to not have such a plan in place was stupid and unworthy of a Sith.

The walk to his private sanctum took less than five minutes, most of that time lost to having to slow and disable each set of security measures before he reached the ominous black doors that protected his most important of possessions within the sanctum.

As those doors opened, Sidious inhaled deeply, drinking in the familiar, all-empowering taint of the Dark Side, and the lingering pain and suffering that had happened here centuries ago.

The walls of this sanctum were coated in a nullification resin that blocked whatever was inside from being sensed by the Force, and once inside the privacy of his sanctum, Sidious stopped reigning in his power and let the darkness and power that he held over the Force flow out from him.

A smile that would make almost every being and creature in the galaxy recoil in fear crept over his face as he basked in the power of the Dark Side of the Force, as he once more bent it to his will, reaffirmed that he was the one in control.

A beep from the main computer in the room broke him from enjoying his domination of the Force. Quickly he regained control of his emotions, inward and outward, then pulled a black robe over his head to obscure all but his mouth from view.

As he opened the channel, he bowed. "Master."

It galled him to have to admit it, but for the moment, he was not ready or able to replace his master as the Dark Lord of the Sith, which meant he had to continue to play servant to the Muun that appeared in the holocall.

"Sidious." Came the reply from the ruling Dark Lord, Darth Plagueis. Like Sidious, Plagueis' features were concealed by a hood, though it failed to hide the transpirator that the Muun Sith needed to breathe. "How is the plan proceeding?"

The chances that anyone would be able to break the encryption on the signal the Sith were using was slim. It was routed across various relays in multiple systems and hidden under regular communication signals of the Holonet – thanks to a previous Dark Lord being one of the people helping to fund the expansion of the network across the galaxy – so even if, on the off chance, someone did crack the signal, they wouldn't be able to tell who was speaking. However, Sidious suspected that Plagueis' mask would be linked to his alter ego of Hego Damask; or at least Sidious would ensure it was to weaken his master.

"Valorum is all but assured of being re-elected as Chancellor, my master. Both he and the Vice-Chancellor are in contact with the various entities and individuals that we also influence. The plans to weaken Valorum heavily and place our puppets in positions of greater power are in the works. I have also been selected to be the vice-chair of the Internal Activities, Intelligence Oversight, and Budgetary committees." Sidious replied and he sensed his master's approval.

"Good. With Valorum securing a second term, we can begin to push the final stages of the Grand Plan into action. The Yinchorri are unlikely to be suitable for the army we considered, but perhaps they can serve another role." Plagueis began, and Sidious had to drive down the thought of killing his master the moment the plan had placed him in charge of the Republic. The exact details were still unclear, but Sidious felt that would be the perfect moment to remove Plagueis from Sidious' path.

"With their immunity to the Force, coupled with the Jedi's lack of training to fight without it, I postulate that an uprising by the Yinchorri, and attacks against various worlds near their homeworld, could be used to kill several of their Order." Plagueis continued, either not having sensed Sidious' desire to replace him, or encouraged to see the student was still a true Banite Sith.

Sidious thought about the idea for a moment before replying. "That would only allow us to kill a few stragglers, master. Why not arrange for the Yinchorri to directly attack the Temple? Showing that the Jedi could be attacked on Coruscant would undermine the public's faith in them and allow operatives in the Senate to push for a Core-focused redistribution of resources."

Plagueis was still as he considered the idea and Sidious, as was normal, was left waiting for a reply; one that hopefully would not involve being Forcefully reprimanded. "While it is unlikely the Yinchorri could kill many Jedi, the psychological damage caused by an attack on their vaunted temple is certainly something we could use to our advantage."

A moment of silence passed before Plagueis spoke again.

"How is the training of the Zabrak progressing?"

Sidious took a moment to centre himself. "He is progressing rapidly. While he has some distance to go before I feel he is ready to be unleashed, his skill with his chosen blade and his ferocity will make him a match for most in the Order already."

"And he is aware of his purpose?" Plagueis asked as Sidious felt a gentle push through the Force as Plagueis tried to probe his mind for any plans Sidious had for Maul. However, Sidious' mental barriers had always been sufficient to keep Plagueis out – at least when he wanted to not show his master a false memory – so Sidious was confident that Plagueis wasn't aware of Sidious' true plan.

Maul was being trained as an assassin, but he had the potential to make a fine apprentice to Sidious once Plagueis was removed. Of course, for that to happen, Maul would have to prove himself by killing Cameron Shan. If the Zabrak failed, then he wasn't worthy, and Sidious would begin to ingratiate himself further with the child of Revan to see if the Jedi's suspected Chosen One could be turned to the Dark Side.

"Yes, my master." Sidious replied honestly.

Plagueis gave a nod and Sidious kept down the sneer he felt at his master's need to try and treat him as a friend. They were not nor would never be friends. Plagueis was the master that Sidious had to kill. To do otherwise would invalidate the Rule of Two.

Thinking about the Rule of Two had Sidious' thoughts drift back to Cameron Shan.

While he had contact with the boy and one of his Jedi Masters in Dooku, the boy seemed to be avoiding Coruscant. Though Sidious couldn't blame him as the reports he had seen from the Jedi Temple hinted at a divide in the High Council over how to handle Shan.

Sidious always scoffed at the reaction of a large element of the Jedi who seemed to fear what the boy was capable of while at the same time not knowing how to deal with him. Like always the Jedi were weak-willed and unable to make a decision that would upset their order, and thus a split was developing in the Order. One that Sidious felt he could exploit to weaken the Order before the final stage of the Grand Plan was enacted and the Jedi were scattered far and wide fighting a war he would control.

Sidious had observed Shan at close range a few years ago and quickly concluded that he would never fit in with the narrow-minded fools of the Jedi. He questioned things, was easily better than those around him and was unafraid to question what Jedi all took at face value. And after watching the spar young Cameron had fought against Grandmaster Yoda, Sidious was certain the boy had the potential to be the most powerful Force user in centuries, if not millennia.

Witnessing that spar – and the fact Shan had realised he'd overplayed his hand against the Grandmaster too early – had done more to confirm Sidious' belief that Shan was destined to leave the Jedi than any report he'd browsed from the Jedi Temple. The trick for Sidious was going to ensure that Cameron was aware that not all on the Republic Capital were unworthy of his loyalty while subtly guiding the boy to see that if he wanted to change anything, he was going to have to take the power to do so: setting Shan down the path to the Dark Side. And likely bringing several members of the Jedi with him.

The only downside of that spar, and the later reveal of Cameron's incredible increase in midi-chlorians, was that it had drawn the attention of Plagueis. Thankfully, Plagueis' interest was centred around how Cameron had increased his connection to the Force and not the potential the Heir of Revan had for the Sith, nor as a replacement for Sidious himself.

Sidious regarded Plagueis interest in the science of the Force as misguided and a distraction. However, Sidious did not vocalise those feelings as it would only lead to infuriating his master, and likely lead to his master finding a suitable way of chastising him; likely involving Sith Lightning.

"Excellent. I admit that I was concerned about your training of the Zabrak but I now see that your idea of creating a weapon we can deploy to attack the Jedi was a wise one."

Sidious clamped down on his anger at Plagueis claiming Maul was his to command. Maul was under the control of Sidious, and Sidious alone. When the time came for him to finally remove Plagueis and claim his right as Dark Lord of the Sith, he would enjoy explaining the Munn's failures to him as his life slowly drained away.

"Thank you, my master. While Maul is…"

"DIE!"

Sidious was cut off as the word flooded through the Force; accompanied by a wave of pure rage and power that almost made Sidious heady as the Dark Side of the Force reacted.

The sheer power that burned in the Force was intoxicating, but Sidious didn't allow himself to indulge in the chaos the power sent through the Force. Instead, he focused on the voice, the demand for another to die, until he could sense the source of the fury.

Something had happened to young Cameron, something so painful that in his desperation the boy had revealed his true power and taken control of the Force, and for the briefest of moments before the voice and the rage begun to fade, had embraced the Dark Side.

It may have only been a single fleeting moment, but the fact that the boy had such power to be able to reach Sidious in a location shielded against the Force spoke volumes of the true potential and power the boy possessed. And made Sidious seriously question the sanity of the Jedi for thinking of removing the boy from their Order.

"Sidious?" Plagueis' voice drew Sidious from his thoughts about what had happened to Cameron, and as he refocused on the here-and-now, he wondered how much Plagueis had felt.

"Forgive me, master. I sensed… an event within the Force." Sidious replied, trying to stay vague about who the event had been centred around. Having Plagueis become interested in Cameron's potential for the Dark Side wasn't something Sidious desired.

Plagueis nodded, which in the deepest recesses of his mind, annoyed Sidious. "Yes, I felt it too. And while the source was unknown to me, I sense that you know who it came from."

Sidious seethed internally. He did not want nor need Plagueis to be drawn further into investigating Cameron. Yes, the fact the boy had somehow altered his midi-chlorian count was impressive, but Sidious felt that it was less important than Plagueis, who seemed to consider the ability to control midi-chlorians and the Force more important than seeing the Grand Plan succeed. A sign that Plagueis time as a Dark Lord of the Sith was drawing to a close.

"I suspect it came from Cameron Shan." Sidious responded, trying to introduce some vagueness to limit any growth in Plagueis' interest in the boy. "While I cannot be certain of this, the voice and Force signature were remarkably similar."

"Voice you say? Hmm." Plagueis paused and lightly tapped a long, narrow finger against his transpirator. "That one so young, even one with Shan's potential power, could call out via the Force like that. And reach us in our sanctums… Most unexpected. Have we heard anything from our contacts on Mandalore?"

Once more, Sidious seethed internally at Plagueis' assumption that Sidious' contacts were his, and that Plagueis was now interested in young Cameron. "No, my master. All I am aware of is that the boy has left to attempt the hunt that marks the coming of age for a Mandalorian. The exact details of where that is taking place are known only to the boy's Jedi masters and those closest to Duke Adonai."

"Hmm." Plagueis tapped at his mask once more. "Perhaps we should investigate more closely what drove this young and powerful Jedi to lash out with such delicious venom."

"While I agree master, it is proving… difficult to discover information about the Padawan apart from the official Jedi reports. Master Dooku has… distanced himself from both myself and the Order, though I am aware he is investigating the Bando Gora while Master Sifo-Dyas has withdrawn from most people; myself included."

"Interesting. Hopefully, this does not affect our plans regarding him." Plagueis added, irritating Sidious once more as it was his work with both Dooku and Sifo-Dyas that had allowed him and Plagueis to consider using them as fronts for the clone army and the war they planned to initiate for the culmination of the Grand Plan. "Perhaps I should consider hosting a new Gathering."

Sidious was only just able to keep his shock and worry from his face. Plagueis – as Hego Damask – hadn't called a Gathering since before the attack that left him wearing a mask. To call one now, and arrange for a Padawan to attend would send ripples that could alter everything the Sith been working for since Bane took the order into the shadows.

Yes, an invite to a Gathering called by Hego Damask would be hard for Master Dooku and Sifo-Dyas to turn down. However, if Damask suddenly reappeared on the galactic scene, after over a decade in seclusion, it would raise questions that Sidious would prefer were not asked. Questions that may come from the Jedi as well as the Senate. And make it harder to plan out the removal of Plagueis and his ascension to the position of senior Dark Lord.

"No. That has too many issues attached to it for the hassle of arranging a Gathering to be worth it." Plagueis said, dismissing his idea before Sidious was forced to offer an opinion. "However, I recall that Mandalmotors recently approached the IBC for new financing. The proposal is under consideration, and while it is unlikely that they will accept the deal, this may be of use to us."

"I should be able to arrange for an operative to visit Mandalore to discuss the proposal with the head of Mandalmotors." Plagueis continued, as Sidious sensed a subtle shift in the Force, one that made him question the full truth of his master's words. "That operative should be able to use the time on-planet to observe the young Jedi and the reaction of the locals to him."

"I can have someone from my staff suggest the idea to the Banking Committee." Sidious offered, trying to claw back control of the situation before Plagueis' newfound interest in Cameron became a threat to Sidious.

"No. I believe it is better if this is handled without any Senate involvement. Mandalmotors are renowned for being… adverse to Core World oversight." Plagueis replied, rejecting the suggestion. Sidious had expected that, but it didn't help his slowly growing concern about the shift in Plagueis' focus regarding the boy.

"Do you have anything further to report?" Plagueis asked, abruptly ending the discussion, which was both a relief and a concern to Sidious.

"The new program that was uploaded to the cleaning droids in the Temple was a success, master. It will allow us to circumvent the new security protocols the Jedi have added to their Senate reports." Sidious stated, trying to redirect Plagueis away from Cameron.

How and why the Jedi had suddenly grown suspicious of the fact anyone in the Senate building with sufficient clearance could read their reports was not something Sidious knew. It had, however, forced him to remove a small re-routing program that forwarded those reports to this retreat and arrange for a new way to monitor the Jedi's reports.

However, if not for the Jedi spotting the security flaw, he wouldn't have been present to witness Cameron spar with Grandmaster Yoda. That had made the inconveniences of having to hire slicers to develop a new program for the Jedi Temple's droids – and then silence those slicers – worthwhile as it proved the boy had potential and power. Regardless of who prevailed between Shan and Maul, Sidious knew he would have a worthy apprentice when he removed Plagueis from the picture.

"Good. Even if the Jedi still show no sign of being aware of our manipulations, it is better to be prepared. Continue to lobby for Valorum's re-ascension to the Chancellorship publicly while I arrange subtle financial support from Damask Holdings."

"Yes, my master." Sidious replied with a lowering of his head.

The signal cut out without any word to end the conversation, but that was a trivial concern. The Sith did not need to obey the social niceties of the witless masses.
Sidious tapped a few buttons at his console, and once satisfied that Plagueis had not attempted to upload a tracker to his computer – something that Plagueis rarely did but Sidious was taking no chances – he allowed his anger to urge outward.

While Plagueis had danced around the issue, Sidious could easily sense that his master was now very interested in Shan. He snarled at the dual idea that Plagueis planned to steal Sidious' potential apprentice and likely checking if the boy could replace Sidious himself.

A durasteel canister behind him creaked and groaned as it was crushed under his rage, as Sidious realised that he'd need to start more carefully tracking his master's movements and actions. If it turned out that the old fool planned to replace him, then he'd have to accelerate his plans for removing the Muun.

……

 
Last edited:
Stats at the end of the Mando'ade Arc
A/N: This is NOT the monthly chapter. Just a statement of where Cam is in his skills.
(Though I hate dealing with these tables in FFN, and might stop them at some point.)



Stats, Skills, Powers, Perks and Player Powers 3
This is just a listing of the current level, stats, skills, powers, perks and titles of Cameron.
If you are not too interested in the values that run behind the scenes, then you don't need to bother reading.​

Current date: Month 4 Year 964sRR (since Russan Reformation)
[Or 36BBY in the canon timeline]​


  • Cameron Shan
    Species: Human
    Title: The Player
    Age: 13
    Level 26
    HP: 260/260
    FP: 16900/16900
    PP:44/44
    XP [17255/32000]
    STAM [1074/1074]
    Hunger [65/100]
    STR: 21 +
    VIT: 21 +
    AGI: 21 +
    INT: 23 +
    WIS: 23 +
    CHA: 23 +
    Luck: 0 + [+10]
    SP: 28
    SKP: 362
    PerkP: 0
    PPP: 0
    Credits: 292564


    • Form I: Shii-Cho
      Prodigy 2
      Form II: Makashi
      MAXED
      Form III: Soresu
      Master 29
      Form IV: Ataru
      Professional 44
      Form V: Shien
      Professional 44
      Form V: Djem-So
      Professional 13
      Form VI: Niman
      Professional 32

    • Lightsaber [Standard]
      MAXED
      Lightsaber [Shoto]
      Adept 8
      Marksmanship
      Savant 96
      Melee Weapons [1-handed]
      Professional 20
      Melee Weapons [2-handed]
      Adept 1
      Melee Weapons [Thrown]
      Adept 50
      Ranged Weapons [1-handed]
      Savant 34
      Ranged Weapons [2-handed]
      Savant 33
      Ranged Weapons [Heavy]
      Adept 2

    • Athletics
      Professional 72
      Damage Resistance [Bio-Chemical]
      Novice 13
      Damage Resistance [Energy]
      Savant 2
      Damage Resistance [Physical]
      Adept 39
      Damage Resistance [Sonic]
      Novice 2
      Damage Resistance [Thermal]
      Novice 2
      Hand to Hand
      Master 6
      Martial Art: Beskar'pel
      Professional 24
      Martial Art: Beskar'rev
      Professional 24
      Martial Art: Teräs Käsi
      Novice 24
      Swimming
      Professional 37

    • Astrogation
      Adept 97
      Piloting [Atmospheric]
      Professional 1
      Piloting [Space]
      Professional 1
      Riding [4-legged]
      Novice 73

    • Lockpicking
      Novice 16
      Sleight of Hand
      Novice 49
      Stealth
      Professional 27

    • Computer [Electronics]
      Professional 57
      Computer [Programming]
      Professional 38
      Computer [Slicing]
      Professional 69
      Mechanics [Blasters]
      Adept 96
      Mechanics [Droids]
      Adept 67
      Mechanics [Engines]
      Professional 50
      Mechanics [Fighters]
      Professional 42
      Mechanics [Lightsaber]
      Adept 10
      Mechanics [Speeders]
      Adept 52
      Mechanics [Starships]
      Master 13

    • Language [Basic]
      Prodigy 25
      Language [Binary]
      Professional 1
      Language [Durese]
      Novice 13
      Language [German]
      Adept 12
      Language [Huttese]
      Professional 13
      Language [Mando'a]
      Professional 56
      Language [Rodese]
      Novice 15
      Language [Ryl]
      Adept 27
      Language [Shaddaboranese]
      Professional 27
      Language [Sullustese]
      Novice 25
      Language [Togruti]
      Adept 4

    • Anatomy [Duros]
      Novice 16
      Anatomy [Human]
      Professional 23
      Anatomy [Ithorian]
      Novice 9
      Anatomy [Rodian]
      Novice 2
      Anatomy [Sullustan]
      Novice 10
      Anatomy [Togruta]
      Novice 5
      Anatomy [Trandoshan]
      Novice 8
      Anatomy [Twi'lek]
      Novice 33
      Anatomy [Weequay]
      Novice 8
      Anatomy [Zabrak]
      Novice 36
      Forensics
      Adept 28
      Medicine [First Aid]
      Professional 76
      Medicine [Hospital]
      Adept 12

    • Combined Arms Warfare
      Adept 52
      Planetary Warfare
      Novice 39
      Small Unit Warfare
      Master 5
      Warfare [Space]
      Novice 98

    • Concentration
      MAXED
      Composure
      60/100
      Danger Sense
      45/100
      Meditation
      MAXED
      Teaching
      Master 86

    • Deception
      Master 22
      Intimidation/Taunting
      Master 5
      Lie Detection
      Master 21
      Musical Instrument [Synthtar]
      Adept 58
      Negotiation
      Professional 46
      Perception
      Professional 42
      Persuasion
      Master 65
      Seduction/Flirting
      Adept 15
      Singing
      Professional 26
      Survival
      Adept 92

    • Kissing
      Adept 12
      Massage
      Novice 45

    • Cleaning
      Professional 5
      Cooking
      Adept 12
      Economics
      Adept 32

    • Absorb Energy [Tutaminis]
      Novice 1 [LOCKED]
      Breath Control
      Prodigy 10
      Control Pain
      Novice 8
      Enhance Senses
      MAXED
      Enhance Skill
      MAXED
      Enhance Stat
      MAXED
      Empathic Shield
      MAXED
      Force Enlightenment
      Novice 1 [LOCKED]
      Force Fury
      Novice 1
      Heal
      Professional 25
      Negate Hunger
      Professional 88
      Purge Toxin
      Novice 12
      Restore Stamina
      Prodigy 24
      Silence
      Master 46
      Speed
      MAXED
      Serenity
      MAXED
      Tapas
      MAXED
      Telepathic Shield
      MAXED
      Valour: Active
      Novice 1
      Valour: Passive
      Prodigy 62

    • Bullet-Time [Reflex]
      MAXED
      Comprehend Speech
      MAXED
      Detection
      MAXED
      Empathy
      MAXED
      Force Attune
      Professional 17
      Force Fear
      Novice 1 [Locked]
      Precognition
      MAXED
      Sever Force
      Novice 1
      Sight
      MAXED
      Sense Force
      Prodigy 77
      Telepathy
      Professional 84
      Vision
      Novice 6

    • Aerokinesis
      Professional 1
      Alter Mind
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Barrier
      Savant 84
      Battle Meditation: Active
      Novice 17
      Battle Meditation: Passive
      MAXED
      Blast
      Professional 18
      Camouflage
      Novice 5
      Cloak
      MAXED
      Compulsion [Mind Trick]
      Master 65
      Control Beast
      Adept 5
      Cryokinesis
      Professional 39
      Deadly Sight
      Novice 1 [Locked]
      Deflection
      Professional 15
      Dominate Mind
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Electrokinesis
      Professional 1
      Force Affliction
      Novice 1 [Locked]
      Force Crush
      Master 8
      Force Drain
      Novice 1
      Force Persuasion
      Master 85
      Force Plague
      Novice 1 [Locked]
      Force Scream
      Novice 1
      Force Slow [Force Weaken]
      Novice 46
      Geokinesis
      Professional 1
      Hydrokinesis
      Professional 1
      Illusion
      Adept 92
      Inanimate Conversion [Matter Rearrangement]
      Professional 53
      Inertia
      Master 25
      Ionize
      Novice 84
      Jump
      Prodigy 80
      Levitation
      Prodigy 92
      Lightning
      Novice 21
      Lightsaber Telekinesis
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Mind Probe
      Novice 1
      Phase
      Prodigy 18
      Plant Control
      Novice 5
      Pyrokinesis
      Professional 39
      Restore
      Novice 13
      Repulse /Shockwave
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Stun
      Master 59
      Suppression
      Prodigy 55
      Telekinesis
      MAXED
      Teleport
      Master 5
      Wave/ Whirlwind
      Novice 1

    • Oneness
      Novice 1 [LOCKED]

    • Ambidextrous
      Boosted Growth
      Eidetic Memory
      Empathy
      Heart of the Force [1/2]

    • Heart of the Force [2/2]
      Inventory
      Observe
      Player's Body
      Player's Mind
      Silent Interface
      Upgraded Minimap

    • Jedi [2/5]
      Leader [4/10]
      Mando'ade
      Mtael
      The Player

  • (Letter under a quest is its rating)

    Cash in Hand [¤]

    Changing Fate [Anakin]
    [S***]
    Changing Fate [Dooku]
    [A]
    Changing Fate [Giiett]

    Changing Fate [Qui-Gon]

    Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas]

    Flight of the Owl [¤]

    Force to the Max [¤]
    [C]
    Forge your own Path
    [N/A]
    Hope of the Borans [¤]

    Just Don't Get Caught [¤]
    [C]
    Knight Before Queen [¤]
    [C]
    Pre-emptive Strike [¤]

    Skilled to the Max [¤]
    [D]
    Sister of the Night [¤]
    [A]
    The Promise of the Fallen [ꝏ]

    Training Superiority [¤]
    Variable
    Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire
    [S***]
    You Can't Hurt Me. [¤]



 
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The Warrior Reborn
Welcome one and all to book 2 of A New Player in the Force, aka:

The Gathering Storm

A/N:
As always you can find myself (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For my ASOIAF story: Game of Kingdoms (Still under construction, so not much there yet)
In general:
Shiro's Gaming Omniverse
Emerald Library

If you wish to support my writing, gain access to 1st drafts of chapters, and at the highest level, early access to the chapter, consider supporting me on Patreon:
USSExplorer
(Note, the benefits there link to the Heart of the Force Discord server)


Current date: 4 years until the Invasion of Naboo


Mandalorian Words/Phrases: (mainly just curses in Mando'a)

Adiik – Child under 13
Alor – Chief/leader
Cin Vhetin White Fields (Duke Adonai's personal cruiser)
Dini'la – Insane
Evaar'verd – Young warrior
Gett'se – Balls
Haili cetare – Tuck in!/Enjoy!/Fill you boots!
Hut'uun – Coward
Ik'aade – Babies
Kaden – Angry
Mand'alor – Traditional leader of the Mando'ade
Me'shab – What the fuck.
Mirdala – Clever/intelligent
Olarom – Welcome
Osik'palon – Shit-hole
Naast be Me'suum – The Destroyer of Worlds aka Revan.
Ner'sheb – Shove it up your arse.
Shab – Fuck
Shab-gar – Fuck you.
Riduur – Spouse/Partner
Te Taylir Mand'alor – Canderous Ordo
Verd – Warrior
Verd'goten – The traditional rite of passage of Mandalorian culture.
Vor'e – Thanks (informal)
Vor entye – Thank you (formal)


The Warrior Reborn 1
… …

A fog that seemed to infect my entire body slowly lifted and I let out a groan.

"Easy there, verd," Said a voice that I knew I had heard before but couldn't instantly recognize (which was odd, seeing as Eidetic Memory should've told me immediately who was speaking). "You've only just recovered from a rather incredible adventure."

I blinked for a few seconds as more of my faculties returned to me and my head started to clear.

"Don't push yourself too hard," the voice, who I was now able to recognize as Duke Adonai's personal physician, admonished lightly. I felt a gentle pressure against my left shoulder as I attempted to rise.

[Relax, Cameron. You are in a safe place and those who attacked you have been dealt with.]

Fay's voice echoed in my mind, and I sensed both her and Dooku nearby. Slowly, I cracked open my eyes, only to scrunch them up at the influx of light. I knew it wasn't that bright, but it felt a touch disorientating to look around.

[Master? W-where am I?] I asked as I tried again to open my eyes. This time the light wasn't as befuddling, so I blinked rapidly to help my sight adjust.

"You are in the private medical centre of Duke Adonai in Sundari." Fay replied quietly. Her voice sounded off as if she was talking to me through water or a door, but that was likely from the same thing that'd caused my eyes to struggle with the low level of light in the room.

As my eyes adjusted, I was able to make out Fay and Dooku, who were both standing at the bottom of my bed, while Doctor Harvik was hovering over me near my left shoulder.

"Ah." I managed to say. My throat felt hoarse, though not dry. I licked my lips, tasting something sour on them.

"That's the bacta you're tasting. We've had you in a tank for just over a week now." Harvik explained as I felt the bed vibrate and begin to shift. "While your injuries were extensive, thanks to Master Fay we were able to keep you stable until we could return to Mandalore and place you in a tank. The bacta did its job, though we left you in a few extra days in the hopes the scars would heal. However, that wasn't the case." The doctor continued as the bed lifted my upper body until I was in a seated position.

I frowned, though it felt weird to do so as if my skin wasn't comfortable with itself. Likely that was because I'd spent the last week in a tank of bacta, but since it was my first time in the substance, I couldn't be sure) "Scars?"

"Yes. From where the dragon struck you during your hunt. Your back took the worst of that, and while the scarring had diminished, they're still easy to see. The same is true of the blaster bolt that struck your shoulder. And you're lucky that shot was for accuracy over power. A full-powered blaster bolt would've sheered your shoulder clean off." Harvik explained and I gulped at hearing how close I'd come to following in the tradition of the Skywalkers and losing an extremity so early in my career.

"With additional bacta patches, or perhaps channelling of the Force, the scarring will completely fade." Harvik continued, her brow creasing slightly as she spoke of the Force. "As a doctor, that is what I'd suggest, but as Mando'ade, I'd think about keeping them. A memento of your hunt, and how close you came to death, would be a good reminder that even with your Force, you're not untouchable."

"Ah." I replied eloquently. I shifted my gaze to my right shoulder (since seeing my back would require getting out of the bed and heading to a mirror) and saw that I was wearing those annoying medical gowns that seemed to exist in every universe. Cautiously, I clenched my right hand and lifted the arm. I moved slowly, and while there was no pain from the arm, I felt a jolt of discomfort from my back. I ignored it and continued lifting my arm, but the feeling must've flashed across both my face and the Force as Harvik leaned closer (a scanner had seemingly appeared from the ether into her hand) while Fay took a step closer. Dooku stayed still, but the barest movement of his brow let me know he too was concerned.

"Cameron?" Fay asked as she placed a hand on my lower leg while Harvik ran the scanner over my arm and side.

"Hmm, this is odd. There seems to be some residual damage that the bacta didn't fully heal." Harvik stated before playing with the scanner for a moment. "And it didn't show up on my previous scans. Most peculiar."

"So long as the issue is minor, I do not think Cameron will need another bacta patch. The Force will guide us to a solution that doesn't divert your attention or resources from patients in more dire condition." Dooku stated in a tone that to most might sound dismissive, but I knew was just him stating a fact with little care for social niceties.

"Yes, very well." Harvik replied slowly. Her discomfort (or was it distrust?) around discussing the Force was easy to sense. She slid the scanner back into a pocket near her waist and smiled. "I'll leave you in the capable hands of your masters, and I'm sure after they've finished speaking with you, you'll have new visitors. I'll check back in on you in a few hours, but if you feel unwell before then, just press the button here and either myself or a nurse will pop in to check on you." She finished, indicating a blue button on the wall to my left (though well within my reach).

"Vor'e." I replied in Mando'a, which made her smile grow.

"Olarom, Evaar'verd." She responded before turning to Fay and Dooku. "Master Jedi."

"Doctor." Fay answered with a nod of thanks for Harvik's work. Dooku didn't reply, but that was hardly a surprise to me. The man was stoic to the point of almost appearing sociopathic at times.

The room was silent until the doors hissed closed behind Harvik, leaving me alone with my masters.

"What is the last thing you remember?" Dooku asked the second the doors clinked closed.

"Um, a bright red light." I replied slowly as I quickly replayed what had happened on Tatooine in my head. It didn't take me long to realise that the red light had been from me channelling the Dark Side into (what I thought would be) a last, final attack against the Trandoshan that had almost killed me.

"To be clear, we are not angry or upset about your actions." Fay began as she stepped to where Harvik had been standing. "You felt you were dying and lashed out, as any being without a deep bond to the Force would do. However, we would like you to lead us through your thoughts and feelings in those final moments. Whatever you did… The Force reacted violently to you. If not for the presence of Duke Adonai, I likely would've passed out, while Master Dooku easily sensed what had happened to you thousands of light-years away."

My head whipped from one master to the other. While I was concerned that Fay had almost blacked out from my rage-induced attack on the Trandoshan, thanks to my teachings on the nature of the Force and the bonds formed within, I could accept that had happened. But to hear that Dooku had sensed my anger and fury several sectors away...

"Indeed, though thankfully the unexpected spasm from the Force did not compromise my actions at the time." Dooku began, which had me wondering what exactly he'd been doing to think the Force-feedback he'd felt could've potentially compromised him. "Nor was I the only one who sensed what had happened to you. Padawan Keto and Master Drallig reached out to me. It seems your… friend sensed your brush with death almost as easily as I did, yet she was even further from Tatooine than I."

"And Master Yaddle reached out to me, once we had recovered your… body." Fay continued. "Several members of the High Council sensed a moment of uncontrolled rage in the Force and Master Yoda was… concerned that it centred around you. I eased their concerns, but I suspect that when we return to the Temple, the Council will wish to speak with you."

"About a great many things." Dooku tacked on.

"Indeed." Fay agreed with a small smile, which I mirrored, at her mimicking Dooku's common comment. "Additionally, the young lady Vizsla claims she sensed something was wrong as well, though I do not believe she understood what it meant."

"Uh…"

I gulped hard as I processed what my masters had just revealed. I didn't deny that, in that moment where I thought I was going to die, I'd given into the Dark Side and lashed out. And while I didn't regret blasting that over-grown lizard, the fact my moment of weakness had been sensed by many across the galaxy was... mind-numbingly terrifying.

Putting to one side the fact that Sidious had likely sensed my usage of the Dark Side (along with Plagueis if he was alive at this time), the fact that those close to me could sense my actions through the Force really drove home how all-encompassing the Force truly was. I mean, I knew that people could sense each other through it when close, but to be able to feel - and partially experience - what happened to me at great distances. That was insane.

Part of me was concerned as if they could do that, it spoke to the power I had at my disposal. The power to affect others from hundreds of light-years away. Another part of me was worried that so many people sensing my actions would increase the interest in me – from both Orders – and might cause me problems with my goals for the near and medium-term future. Yet the biggest part of me was still trying to come to terms with me wielding such power.

I'd gone from just one cog in the war machine of my country, if a highly skilled one, to a being capable of (potentially) shaping the course of a galaxy. Now, I'd accepted that I could use the Force, and was beginning to grasp a little of just what it could do, but every time something like this – something unexpectedly powerful – happened with the Force, well, I grew nervous at having such power at my fingertips.

And then there was the fear that, if they could sense me almost dying, what would happen when someone I shared a bond with died? Would I be overwhelmed by it to the point my own life would be in danger? Part of me wanted to pull back or go into hiding to avoid that possibility, but the greater part of me knew I had to push on. I had to learn to accept these powers, and all that they could do, if I was to continue with my goals.

My moment of introspection over, I shifted my focus to retelling what happened after killing the greater krayt dragon (though I did wonder briefly what'd happened to my kill). "Well, once I was, uh, attacked by those… whoever they were..."

"Duke Adonai was able to… convince the few survivors to talk. They claimed to have been hired by Decca the Hutt." Dooku answered my unasked question. Though he spoke calmly, I felt the barest hint of cold anger from him through the Force and saw the area around his eyes tighten. "If you recall, he was the one we inconvenienced by freeing the Lokella and removing his access to the phrik mine."

"Ahhhh," I muttered, letting my breath out in a long sigh.

That did make sense, though how they'd known to target me on Tatooine was confusing. I doubted that anyone would've recognised me in Bestine then passed that on to Decca, which made it likely that someone on Mandalore (I'd be willing to put a bet on who) had leaked my location to the Hutt.

"Well, after I recovered enough from the blaster shot to regain my bearings, I began to fight back. One of the bracers had been damaged by the dragon. The other one malfunctioned and refused to come off. I still fought back as best I could. I remember taking out two of the combatants, but then the red light...I don't know what happened..." I trailed off.

Fay looked over at Dooku, and after the faintest of tilts of his head, she returned her attention to me. "After your… moment of weakness, the mercenaries were stunned long enough for the duke's first strike team to reach you. Other teams secured the attacker's ship and second group. After I recovered from the backlash of your outburst in the Force, I helped Doctor Harvik stabilize you and bring you aboard the Cin Vhetin. We left the planet soon after, though I learnt on our return voyage to Mandalore that Duke Adonai secured the mercenaries' ship, and along with hiring a large freighter that was hired to haul your kill, had the vessel brought back here for examination."

She paused and a small smile crept onto her lips. "I must say that the shock the crew expressed at you taking down a greater krayt dragon was only equalled by their respect for doing so, and their fury at someone attacking a child at their moment of weakness during the hunt."

I felt a smirk creep onto my face at her words. Hearing the reactions of the Mandalorians to my hunt – and what had come after – was amusing and would likely, as the story was passed around, help to improve my reputation with the general populace. Well, save those devoted to the New Mandalorian cause (though in my mind, I didn't consider those people to be Mandalorian.)

"Master Fay speaks truthfully, on all counts." Dooku added. "And if I had not seen the dragon with my own eyes, our Padawan or not, even I would have had a difficult time believing you killed such a beast without access to the Force. Impressive." Even if his face stayed stoic (bar the slight upturn at the corner of his lips) I could sense his pride and admiration through the Force.

The only downside I could see to how the locals would react to my kill (and thus me joining the ranks of the Mando'ade) was the sense of wonder that many would now develop for me. Yes, having a large number of Mandalorians respecting me would likely be helpful in the future (the Battle for Naboo being the first time I hoped to use that respect), but there was a risk it would go too far and turn into devotion.

"Thank you." I replied even as I considered the effect my kill would have on the locals. Though my thoughts soon turned to more immediate issues. Like what krayt dragon steak would taste like. Or how many pearls there would be inside. If the one Revan had taken down, which had been a more common krayt dragon sub-species, held several then a greater krayt dragon would have to hold… a dozen? More?

"The mercenaries?" Fay asked, drawing my thoughts away from my kill – even as my mind had wandered onto wondering what my sigil would look like – and back to their attack. The taking down to the first two, while brutal, wasn't something I felt my masters would have a major issue with. No, their concern was centred around how exactly I'd taken down the Trandoshan. There was no Force Power that I knew that generated a red light, and no new power notification had appeared. Or at least none had shown when I'd woken, but maybe there was a time limit before a notification disappeared.

"Right. Well one bracer was destroyed and the other was… being stubborn. I tried to disable it, but it shocked me when I entered the deactivation code." My brow creased in annoyance at remembering that. "My right arm was all but useless, and with a disrupted connection to the Force, I knew I had to move fast if I wanted to survive. I began to move, but the Force seemed to hint that they were adapting to that. Probably due to a tracker of some sort."

"A bounty hunter tracker was found with one of the bodies." Fay supplied. "Master Dooku has already contacted the guilds to ensure that there isn't a bounty out on you, which there isn't, and they have no idea where the tracker came from."

"Ah, ok." Learning that there were ways to track someone across planets, and likely sectors, based on (I assumed) their DNA was scary. Still, knowing that there wasn't a bounty on my head was reassuring. I'd rather not have to worry about people like Cad Bane and Jango Fett coming after me. Well, at least until I was ready for them.

"Anyway, with the Force hinting at danger, I caught sight of something thrown at me. Thanks to my time here, I realised it was a grenade and sent it back to them." I felt my lips twitch at the shock they'd have had as the grenade returned to them then exploded. "As it blew, I used the limited connection I had to the Force to help me move."

"Though, the pain slightly impeded my movement. My arm and back were… Anyway, I knew I had to move, so I kept going and managed to take out two of the combatants before another grenade exploded close by. Given to the ringing in my ears afterwards, I'd say that one was a sonic grenade, and I was still close enough that the shockwave launched me backwards."

"Likely from the Trandoshan you killed." Dooku commented. "I suspect you will be relieved to hear that he, and the two others of his species, are no longer an issue. The first died when you… lashed out. The second was gunned down by a Mandalorian attack squad while the last, well, let us just say Duke Adonai is a formidable warrior."

Now I was wondering what Adonai had done to earn Dooku's praise. Hopefully, I could get someone to tell me about it, or maybe the Cin Vhetin had been low enough that their sensors caught the event.

"After I landed, and before I could regain my bearings, the Trandoshan came over, yanked me upwards then tossed me over a nearby dune. Before I could recover, he drove his knife into my gut and began to taunt me." My hand instinctively went to my stomach, and while I couldn't feel the scar, there was a small bacta patch over the area. "He talked about a scorekeeper, then tried to take my necklace." At this, my hand shot from my stomach to my neck.

Feeling the comforting shape of the gemstone-and-teeth pendant between my fingers – and sensing the reassuring wave in the Force that came with knowing it was there – helped settle my mind as I worked through my memories of my near death.

I took a deep breath before continuing. There was no point in hiding that I'd used the Dark Side to kill the alien – not when it'd been felt by others half-a-galaxy away – yet I wasn't looking forward to how I suspected Fay and Dooku would react to my actions.

"I… I was angry. I, I was going to die, and that… walking lizard was gloating about it and going to take the one thing that I have that links me to both of you." I could feel my anger and rage at the Trandoshan begin to build, begin to seek to be embraced and unleashed once more. Yet the comforting presence of the pendant in my hand helped still those desires and helped me keep my centre; or close enough to it that I remained in control.

"So, I… lashed out. With what little energy I had, I called on the Force and lashed out. I… I wanted him dead."

As I finished, I closed my eyes and concentrated on settling my inner turmoil as best I could. The anger, the fury that I felt when I'd killed the Trandoshan was easy to draw upon (likely because it felt as though it had only happened mere minutes ago to me) but I knew that letting that rage grow and fester would be dangerous.

I didn't agree with the Jedi approach of denying all emotions for fear of what the more negative ones could unleash. Yet, after having experienced the power that came from just giving in and taking the quicker – and possibly more powerful – path, I saw that there were some words of wisdom in their warnings about the Dark Side of the Force.

"Cameron." I opened my eyes and turned my attention to Fay as she spoke. "While we are… grateful that you are still with us, and haven't become one with the Force, we are concerned about what you did."

"You willingly drew on the Dark Side." Dooku continued. His voice was firm but not as emotionless as usual. There was a gentle undertone of reassurance and patience (though that only became clear because of what I sensed from him through the Force.) "Yes, you used it in self-defence, but to do that, even if it was, as you claim an emotional reaction, is still… worrying."

Fay took over. "We know you are aware that many in our Order are concerned about your heritage, least of all elements of the High Council. Those concerns have likely grown since your outburst was sensed by senior members of the Order, and there may even be some who would prefer to lock you away as a potential threat than understand why you… lashed out. Therefore, once you have recovered and the celebration of your successful hunt is over, we will journey to another, quieter sector where both Dooku and myself will discuss with you fully the dangers inherent in embracing the Dark Side."

"But I didn't mean to use the Dark Side." I countered, ignoring how pathetic and childish I sounded.

While I agreed with both my masters regarding the dangers of the Dark Side – particularly now that I'd had my first true taste of the power it held – the idea of meditating and discussing the nature of the Dark Side was less than appealing. Yes, I understood the need for those discussions, but somehow I knew that this would be for more than just a few weeks and the idea of being locked in meditation for a month (or more) was… less than appealing.

Still, I knew that I needed to spend some time doing so as my initial ideas about the Dark Side had been… lacking. Actually, they'd been woefully pathetic.

Without having even brushed the Dark Side of the Force or tasted the temptation to embrace it and the sense of unlimited power it offered, I had dismissed its threat. I'd treated it as something that was only a threat to a Force-sensitive if they didn't have control over their emotions. Now, I was beginning to see that even if I did have control of my emotions, the risk of giving into that temptation again was always going to be there. And while I could likely counter that entirely by using Player's Mind, I would prefer to not do so. Player's Mind left me feeling… less than human afterwards. Having all emotion removed from my decisions, and not letting them be a part of me, felt fundamentally wrong. Though if I ever faced a situation where I felt at risk of the Dark Side overwhelming me, I would not hesitate to use Player's Mind now. The risks of not doing so were far, far greater than the drawbacks of that unique ability.

The other issue was that any power listed as Dark Side in nature – such as Force Lightning which is what I think I'd used to kill the Trandoshan, even if I had no concrete idea as to why it had been red as the few times that I'd used it the lightning had been blueish white – by the Interface. Having experienced the Dark Side now, I suspected that those powers only truly worked properly when the Dark Side (or at least darker emotions) were channelled into them. Though learning if this was true, or if the Interface was going to explain this to me, would have to wait until I was alone; and I'd managed to go through the various notifications that were waiting for me to read.

"We are aware of this; however, you did draw upon it. Given your family's history, and the dangers the Dark Side poses to any Force user, let alone one of your potential, we would be criminally negligent to not speak with you extensively about the dangers of actively trying to tap into the Dark Side of the Force." Dooku countered logically.

"Even as just your friends Cameron, we would still speak with and help you meditate on your actions, and the temptations of the Dark Side." Fay tacked on.

"And again, to be clear, while we are worried that you have now shown some inclination for the Dark Side, we are grateful that you are still living. A brush with darkness is preferable to an early, and unfortunate, death. Particularly when neither of us feel that, at the current time, your death serves a purpose to the Force."

"Yes, masters." I replied with a sigh.

"Good. Now, since several people wish to speak with you, we will delay any further discussions about your actions." Fay said as she leaned closer and placed a hand on my shoulder. "As Doctor Harvik stated, you are well on the way to a full recovery, scars notwithstanding, but I would suggest not getting too animated while speaking with your friends. Particularly when they ask about certain rumours that have spun up around your verd'goten."

"Rumours?"

"Indeed." Dooku responded, I turned my attention to him to see a slight twitch of his lips indicating his amusement. "It seems that Duke Adonai is keeping what you killed under wraps until the feast to celebrate your, elevation into their ranks. However, it is well known that when you returned from your hunt, the duke had to hire a second ship to transport something back from the hunt."

"But why is he keeping it a secret?" I asked. Not because I wanted to shout it from the rooftops that I'd killed a kriffing greater krayt dragon, well not entirely, but because when Serra killed her dragon (and the idea that we'd both killed 'dragons' resulted in me having to fight off a smirk) it hadn't been hidden.

My masters shared a look before Fay answered. "He has his reasons. Though only some of them deal with you. However, he has asked that you don't reveal your kill until the celebration. Something about wanting to see the looks on everyone's faces when they see what you took down."

An image of a room full of Mandalorians being stunned into silence as the head of the dragon was wheeled in came to mind, and a large grin spread over my face. "Yeah, I can see how much fun that's going to be."

"Indeed. We will return at dinner to speak with you once more. Until then, enjoy your… moment of fame." Dooku stated before the two turned and left the room.

With them leaving, and there likely to be a small break before anyone else came in, I turned my attention to the Interface.

The first half of the notices were to tell me that my injuries had been healed – which I already knew from what Doctor Harvik stated – and that if I wished, I could heal the scars left with Force Heal. I was in two minds about that as on one hand, removing the scars would make sense on some level as they were things that most people would have removed. On the other hand, leaving them would mean I'd have a constant reminder (at least until I removed them) of how close I'd come to dying, of failing in making any significant change on the course of history and how I'd been undervaluing this second life I'd been granted. Though any thought of on which way to go slipped from my mind as I perused the second half of the notices.

Adulthood Achieved!
You have been recognized as an adult by one of the major cultures of the galaxy.
All remaining adult skills have been unlocked.


Skills Unlocked!
Sexual Endurance
How easily you can counter stamina drain during adult activities.
Adept: 2

Skill Unlocked!
Sex
Your ability to arouse and please a partner during intercourse.
Adept: 15

Skill Unlocked!
Foreplay
Your ability to arouse and please a partner during adult activities when not engaging in intercourse or oral sex.
Adept: 38

Skill Unlocked!
Oral
The ability to arouse and pleasure a partner with your mouth and tongue.
Adept 26

"The fuck?!" I growled out as I read the list of new skills.

After discovering that Kissing was a skill (though I was still less than impressed with how I did) I'd expected there to be some skills like this, but to get them unlocked now…

I closed my eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths, getting my emotions under control so as to not worry Fay and Dooku enough that they'd return. Once I'd regained my control over my anger at The Powers That Be, I returned my attention to the notifications.

I didn't need, nor want, those skills unlocked now. Yet, to the Mandalorians, I was now considered an adult, so TPTB unlocking them now made (a preverted kind of) sense. Though I had no intention of seeing how those skills worked until I was older; like only once I was an adult by Republic standards. Yes, at seventeen that was a year higher than in the UK, but I didn't want to start a relationship until both myself and the other person were mentally and physically mature enough to do so. A cold shiver shot up my spine as I wondered if Serra thought that me being an adult to the Mandalorians like her would mean we could start…

I shook my head to clear those thoughts. Seeing her in that way, especially as she was now… I felt an urge to take a long shower in acid then jump into a lava flow on Mustafar.

My mind turned to why TPTB would want me to have such powers. I remembered a throw away comment back when I'd been In-Between about someone/thing having a bet about me sleeping with a character from Star Wars, but why would they think I'd want to see my… abilities at such things as skills?

You're in a galaxy far, far away.
Surrounded by attractive beings of many different species.
Male, female and other.
Knowing how good you are at pleasuring others are useful skills to have.
So why wouldn't you want such skills?

I sighed. So much for me thinking that line had been some sort of bad joke on the part of TPTB.

No. We were entirely serious.
Though are you telling us that you aren't curious about what a certain future Queen looks like under her robes?
Or where the sweet spots on a Twi'lek or Togruta are?
Are you telling us that you don't want to enjoy yourself?
Are you a eunuch?

I…

But…

Why…

Realizing that arguing with the ones that had administrator access to my unique powers was not the best idea, I sighed again and shook my head. Yes, I would, once I was older and physically mature, want to enjoy myself. And yes, I couldn't deny that I was curious about how the Force helped one to… enhance their fun. But that was not going to be for years, and no amount of hinting or pressure was going to change my mind.

We will see.

I barely managed to suppress a growl at TPTB's final words, and it was a good thing I did as not a second later the doors to my ward slid open.

"Well look who's up and about." Bo commented with a smile as she and Naz entered the room. Both were dressed in casual wear (which meant they still had their chest plates and gauntlets on but no other part of their armour and only had a single pistol at their hip), but the way Naz moved quickly to my bed and Bo scanned the room as her smile failed to reach her eyes told me neither was relaxed.

"I'm not dead just yet." I retorted as Naz reached the side of my bed, then gripped my right arm in her hands.

"Don't say that!" Naz snapped as her fingers dug in slightly. "We were worried you'd been killed when the Cin Vhetin came back. Everyone was so secretive about what had happened," She added as she seemed to bounce from one foot to the other.

"Yeah. And my dad looked like he wanted to murder someone." Bo added as she reached the bottom of my bed. While she wasn't as outwardly worried about me as Naz was, the way her eyes clinically travelled over my body made it clear she was concerned. "He's barely talked to me since then other to confirm you were recovering from your hunt." Seemingly assured that I was in one piece, she leaned back and crossed her arms. "So what did you kill?"

As Bo asked that, Naz's grip loosened, and her fingers began to trace their way up my forearm.

I smirked. "Sorry. I've been asked by my masters and your father to not say." Naz pouted theatrically, which made me smirk, while Bo flicked her ponytail back over her shoulder.

"Can you tell us anything? Which planet did you go to? How big was it?" Naz asked in rapid-fire. She blinked a few times and smiled alluringly in what was a clear attempt at trying to coerce me into answering. However, with the recent reveal of my new skills in my head, it resulted in me pulling back a fraction, which made her freeze.

"What type of animal was it?" Bo added, clearly thinking there was a chance I might slip up and reveal something. "How did you kill it?"

Naz's fingers began to move once more, creeping ever closer to my shoulder. A small gasp escaped her lips as her fingers touched the area where I'd been shot. That meant that the scarring there was easy to feel through the medical gown, though I'd not felt any pain from it when I'd moved my arm earlier.

"Hey!" I called as without asking, she pulled my gown down enough to expose my shoulder, and I saw the white starburst scar from where the blaster bolt had struck. While I couldn't see my back, nor had Doctor Harvik said anything, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a corresponding exit wound on my back.

"This is from a blaster bolt!" Naz snapped, her tone jumping an octave. "What the shab happened?"

Bo's eyes narrowed as her attention was drawn to my scar, though they quickly moved to lock with my eyes. I realised there was no way I couldn't reveal what had happened in the aftermath of the hunt (though I should be able to avoid mentioning what I'd killed), so with a sigh, I explained what had happened.

"After I'd finished my hunt, I was attacked by a group of mercenaries." Naz's fingers once more dug into my skin – this time on my shoulder just above the scar – but I ignored her and kept my focus on Bo (mainly because I was getting concerned about Naz's behaviour.) "From what I've been told, a sniper's bolt struck my shoulder, which added to a few injuries I'd taken during my hunt, and no, I'm not going to reveal what I killed." I tacked on to hopefully cut off a later question about what had injured me. Bo huffed but didn't interrupt. "It didn't take me completely out of the fight though. I was able to take down three of them before my injuries overwhelmed me and I lost consciousness."

I heard Naz inhale sharply at my comment, but I stayed focused on Bo. Even without actively using the Force, I could sense her emotions were beginning to overwhelm her.

"If not for Master Fay and the duke, I'd have died on that… osik'palon of a planet." Honestly, if not for the fact I still had to go back to collect Anakin and Shmi, I'd likely have done my best to never, ever return to Tatooine. Well, I suppose I could be persuaded to return, if it was only to glass the entire kriffing planet, again.

"Why did they attack you? For your kill?" Bo leaned forward as she asked her latest question. Her face tightened and her muscles tensed as she spoke. For some reason, the attack on me had angered her, which was odd as I hadn't thought we were that close. Probably it was just because I'd been attacked during an important trial to the Mando'ade.

"From what my masters just told me, it was retribution for my actions in freeing and defending a group of slaves who took over a mining operation run by a minor Hutt." I explained as simply as I could. I'd likely have to explain who the Lokella were (provided Dooku hadn't already filled in those blanks for Duke Adonai), but I'd move heaven and earth to make sure no one heard of my title with them; or that I had a seat on their governing council.

"So you were on a world where the Hutts have significant influence?" Naz probed, linking the attack with the Hutts. Which made sense and was accurate. As such, I stayed silent and let her keep her assumptions.

"What happened to these, hut'uun?" Bo asked, returning to the merc who'd attacked me. Seemed she wasn't willing to let the matter drop. "Were they all killed for their interference?"

"Barring the ones captured by your father for interrogation, I'd assume so." I replied, which earned a short, sharp nod from the redhead. "Though I'd check with him to be sure. And learn what he did to impress Master Dooku."

Bo's brow rose at that comment, and her stance relaxed, but she said nothing about it. "So even after your hunt and being shot you still killed three of these mercenaries?" I nodded in confirmation. "Good. A warrior of your calibre shouldn't be an easy mark for that kind of scum."

"Thanks, I think." I replied as I tried to understand her behaviour. Likely, it was just the idea that the mercs had attacked me just after I'd completed my verd'goten that her so on-edge. I was still miles ahead of either in single combat (and when they tried to double team me) and was a two-time Akaan'lor of the Institute, so the fact the mercenaries had seemingly gotten the better of me must've annoyed her greatly.

"So, the beast you killed hurt you enough that the mercs were able to get a jump on you?" I turned to Naz at her question and wished I hadn't. She was close enough that I could feel her breath on my face and smell the fruity hints of her last meal. Plus, the way her eyes darted from mine to my lips then sent a cold shiver up my spine. Doubly so with the new skills that'd just been unlocked.

"Um, yeah." I all but whispered out as I began to devise ways to get her to move back.

"Hmm, so that means you're now Mando'ade." She stated, her voice barely above a whisper, before she licked her lips and used one hand to move a lock of my hair out of my face.

"Y-yeah." I gulped hard before opening my mouth to say something else. "Mmffgh."

My words were cut off as Naz chose that moment to plunge forward, closing the small distance between us, and force her lips against mine.

I froze in place as her breath slipped into my mouth (it seemed she'd eaten something sweet before coming here) as my mind processed that someone was kissing me. Again.

While it wasn't a bad kiss (Naz clearly knew what she was doing as her tongue flicked against my lips) my mind suffered a blue screen of death as I processed the kiss while my mind instantly went back to the newly unlocked skills, and the words of The Powers That Be.

Her tongue slipped past my lips, and my brain rebooted, and I moved to push her back, I swore I heard a faint growl come from Bo.

"Naz!" I snapped once I'd been able to push her back far enough that I could risk speaking within her trying to kiss me again. While I was comfortably stronger (thanks to the Interface) doing so from a seated position while she leaned down over me had made it harder than I'd expected.

"What?"

"Why?" I responded to her question with one of my own, because I thought I'd handled her emerging feelings for me about a year ago. "Why did you do that?"

"What? You don't like it?" Naz answered back with another question as she licked her lips. She smirked and pulled back from my grip (which was only to stop her from trying to kiss me again) then flicked a bang of her blonde hair back behind her ear. "Bo likes it. And other things."

"I…" I paused as, the image of the two kissing – and other things – flashed through my mind. Both were fifteen, so I really, really didn't need those images. Stupid body going through puberty.

That acid shower was looking good right about now.

"Naz, I'm thirteen." I finally finished my sentence once my brain had gotten past the images that had flashed through it.

"You're Mando'ade." Bo replied. My head whipped around to her so fast I swore I heard the bones in my neck crack. My eyes widened at her seeming indifference to her friend (with benefits) kissing me. Yes, her lips were very thin, and her hands were clenched shut, but there was no anger in her stance or tone directed at me. "You're an adult now."

"I'm thirteen!" I snapped at Bo before turning to Naz. "Look, Naz, I…"

"What? You want Serra? I can share." Naz offered as she licked her lips and for the second time in a minute, I froze as my mind was assailed by images I didn't want or need.

Once I was out of here, I was skipping the acid shower and going straight for the molten lava.

Stupid Mandalorians and their insanely young age of consent.

Once my mind rebooted (again) I started to speak.

"I'm thirteen and a f-kriffing Jedi, Naz." I all but spat at her once my mind had rebooted (again.) "Hells, I'm not even a Knight yet. This isn't happening!" I snapped, my anger at the images my mind had created bleeding into my tone. I knew I should reign in the anger, but right now, I just wanted this matter over and done with.

Naz's expression morphed rapidly from one of adolescent desire into fury. Her lips pulled back to expose her teeth as she snarled back at me. "FINE! SHAB-GAR!"

As she spun on the spot and stormed towards the door, I realised that I might've let my anger cloud my judgment and over-reacted in my response.

"Naz…" I began but she ignored me as the doors opened and she marched out of the room, her arms and legs seeming to shake with anger. As the doors closed behind her, I sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

Right now, that month plus of mediation and discussion about the dangers of the Dark Side wasn't looking so bad.

"That could've gone better." Bo muttered and my focus snapped to her.

"You think?!" I snarled only to sigh once more and pinch the bridge of my nose. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Bo replied with a lazy wave of her hand. "Naz has been so focused on you becoming Mando'ade she's forgotten that you weren't raised here. You might now be one of us, and I'm fine with that by the way, but you weren't born one of us. You don't truly understand our ways or know our values, not yet."

I took a moment to process what Bo said, and added in what I'd learnt over the last year. It would make sense that there would be things that could only be learnt by fully committing to the culture, which I wasn't willing or able to do currently. Just like Serra, I was both a Jedi and Mando'ade, and there was always the possibility that those two identities would come into conflict; though I hoped that day would never come.

"That… makes sense." I said slowly. "And because I've completed my Verd'goten, and have now proven I'm a Mandalorian, she feels I'm old enough to..." I frowned as Bo nodded. "And you're ok with that?"

Bo's eyes narrowed for a moment before relaxing. "Yes. While I don't share Naz's interest in you, you are now one of us and have proven yourself worthy to pursue. What we have… we're open about who we pursue and see, and while I am angry with you about how you both behaved, I can understand your feelings as well as hers."

Bo moved around the bed as she spoke, bringing herself closer to me. "While Serra was the first Jedi to become Mando'ade in millennia, she is not a leader. You, as much as it galls me to admit, are." She paused as she reached the position beside my bed that Naz had been at before she stormed off, though Bo made sure to keep enough distance between us that I wasn't concerned about her trying to kiss me. "To many, you could be the second coming of Tarre Vizsla or Revan. If you reject the Jedi, embrace our ways… many would unite behind you, some may even try to proclaim you Mand'alor. With all that potential, with all that power, does it surprise you that Naz, and others, would want to be close to you?"

I didn't respond instantly. Instead, I took the time to ponder Bo's words (which were more expansive than I'd expected, mainly because until now, she'd preferred to keep our interactions focused on combat.)

Everything she'd just said was logical. I wasn't a born-Mandalorian, not that it made any difference, and while Serra was the first Mandalorian Jedi in millennia, Bo was right in saying that Serra wasn't a natural-born leader. Hell, I wasn't really a natural at it either, but my learned skills drawn from my past life gave the illusion that I was. While I'd come here to build the basics of a potential fighting force for the wars I knew were coming (and yes, in those scenarios I'd pictured myself being the one to issue commands), I'd never considered becoming the leader of these people before coming here, at least not in a cultural sense.

The idea that I could possibly lead the Mandalorians had been subtly hinted at by others over the last year – well, really the last five months or so – and I'd given it some thought. There were certainly benefits to me trying to claim the title of Mand'alor, and it would make gaining the Mandalorians as allies much easier, but the drawbacks (rallying a war-like people in a time of peace, the fight to unite all the clans, dealing with the fallout from the Senate and the Jedi, and the fear certain races would have about a resurgent Mandalorian sector) were greater, at least at the current time.

Yet, now knowing that some were beginning to see the potential in me, and when combined with Naz's earlier affection towards me, everything she'd done made sense.

"I kriffed up." I muttered as I returned my focus to Bo. "She's going to be kaden with me for a while, isn't she?"

Bo smirked. "Aye. Should make things fun until you leave." The smirk hinted that she would find what would happen fun, though I highly doubted I would. "Give her time though. Just as you need to remember she was born Mando'ade, she needs to learn and understand that you weren't, and that you're less forceful in taking what you want."

"True." I nodded at her words, then tilted my head to the side. "When did you become mirdala?"

Bo caught a laugh that threatened to escape as she punched my shoulder (landing the shot right where the scar was.) "Funny. Just because I prefer to focus on combat and have none of the interest in playing politics as you do; doesn't mean I don't understand what's going on around me. Plus, even if I'll deny it to anyone you tell, just like Naz, you're my friend, and having your friends squabbling like ik'aade isn't fun to be stuck between."

I sighed. "Aye, you're right." I ignored the spike in pain from the (less than gentle) punch to my shoulder and shook my head. "I really kriffed that up," I sighed once more then met Bo's eyes. "When she's calmed down, can you let her know I'm…"

"Do it yourself." Bo stated, cutting off my attempt to get her to lay the groundwork for me making things up with Naz." She took a step back. "You may be my friend, but Naz is my closest friend. No way I'm taking your side over hers." She paused as a chuckle escaped her lips. "Besides, watching you flail around trying to make this right is sure to be fun to watch."

"Ow, my beating heart." I replied, theatrically placing my hands over my heart. That draw a louder chuckle even as she turned and walked towards the doors.

"Tatooine." I called out just as they started to open, making Bo stop and turn back to face me. "I won't tell you want I killed, or how the fight went – I'm not breaking my word to your father and my masters – but you can tell Naz I was on Tatooine."

Bo smirked. "I already knew that, but I haven't told Naz because my father swore me to secrecy. Though since you've now told me, if he gets angry about Naz knowing I can blame you."

"You're welcome, I think." I replied, letting an exaggerated look of confusion spread over my face. Bo laughed at that, before stepping through the open doorway.

"Well, that was fun." I muttered as the doors closed behind her.

Yeah, I'd massively overreacted to Naz's approach, and while I'd been out of sorts because of the newly unlocked skills, it wasn't an excuse. I'd kriffed up and would have to work on making things right with Naz before I left the planet and sector.

Naz, beyond being very close with Bo, and having a clear interest in me that I'd be interested in responding to – once I was older (like out of my teens) – was the daughter of Pre Vizsla. Having her as a friend and ally had the potential to, at the very least, undermine Pre's leadership of Death Watch. It would also help if (and it was a big if) I attempted to recruit Pre to my side (which by that point would likely be a small, but growing, faction that wasn't aligned with the Republic or emerging CIS.) Losing her friendship would likely result in her falling into line with her father, and thus having us face off across the battlefield. While I had no doubt that I'd win if it came to that, it was better to have her (and others) fight for me, than against.

Any thoughts I had on ways to make things right with Naz were cut off as the doors to my ward opened, allowing entry to my teammates (bar Tiber, thank the Force) from the Institute.

"See, this is why you don't send a Jedi to do a Mandalorian's job." Huzu commented with a smirk as she led our team towards my bed. "They don't have the gett'se to do things right." The rest of our team laughed at that while I shook my head at my former 2IC's comment.

"I'd say 'ner'sheb', but I think you'd enjoy that." I replied, making her laugh, and increasing the laughter from the others.

All of them enjoyed hearing me curse in Mando'a, which made sense as hearing those words from a Jedi had to be funny and was why I'd replied as I had.

Once the laughter died down, Andeeld, who had moved to my left and crossed his arms, smirked. "So what did you kill?"

I barely managed to fight off the urge to roll my eyes. I'd expected every Mandalorian to be curious about it, but were they always going to lead with that question?

… …


… …

It was a few days after I'd woken up before Doctor Harvik and finally signed off on my leaving the Sundari Medical Centre, and I was glad when that day came. Spending time sitting in a medical bed (and being constantly scanned by the various sensors in the room) was boring and not conducive to anything but meditating. Well, save for the intermittent, yet regular visits from my classmates, all of whom constantly probed about what I'd killed for my verd'goten.

The only downside of getting out was that I'd spent the last week in isolation with Fay and Dooku as they began our discussions and meditation on the Dark Side and the inherent dangers it posed to one as young and gifted in the Force as me.

During the week that we'd been in isolation, Fay had spent most of it (when not politely reading me the riot act for using the Dark Side, however unintentionally) preaching from the Jedi hymn book on the dangers of the Dark Side, and anything connected to it. Thankfully, she seemed more understanding than the instructors during my brief time as an Initiate had been, and often spoke of moments where even one as old, wise, and revered as her had been tempted by the Dark Side; of the ease with which she could've just given in and lashed out. Not that she ever had, mind you. But hearing that even someone like Fay had heard the temptations was strangely reassuring.

Dooku, while agreeing with Fay on her points, didn't add much of his own. Now, I knew that in the unaltered timeline he'd have likely been close to quitting the Order by now, and even with me as his new Padawan, there were hints that he was slowly turning into a Jedi-In-Name-Only (what many would call grey Jedi, but I wasn't a huge fan of the term.)

Because of these talks, and the fact I knew both would be looking for any hint that I was not heeding their warnings or trying to use the Dark Side, I'd chosen to avoid training most powers during our joint meditation sessions (save Valour: Passive and Levitation) and instead used the time to try to commune with the Force.

That had been… strange. I could always feel the Force around me as it flowed and connected everything it touched together in a giant web, but I'd never really given much thought to just letting its essence wash over me.

What I'd found was that it was alive yet wasn't. At least in any sense that I could understand. Fay compared the Force to a river that guided us to where we needed to be to bring balance, but I felt that wasn't a great analogy. The Force felt simultaneously stronger and calmer than would fit in a simple river analogy. It was also far, far vaster in scope than any mortal could perceive. As if it was an infinite ocean and our connection to it allowed us to sense the currents beneath its surface. It was something so beyond, yet above, my understanding that I was both memorised and concerned by it was capable of.

Still, the week of meditation and discussion had meant that (bar my evenings) the last month had been a wash regarding training and levelling up any skills or powers. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, I wasn't complaining. Yes, in the sense that almost nothing had increased, it was wasted, but I didn't consider it such. I'd killed a dragon (that was never going to get old), glimpsed what the Dark Side was capable of (and been terrified of how easily I'd been able to use it), and had spent time with both my masters simultaneously. Dooku had even hinted that after we left the sector, he would begin to fully train me in how to integrate more offensive Force techniques into lightsaber combat. That was something I was looking forward to as bar applying approaches from my old life a few times, I'd generally not merged my powers offensively into my fighting style.

Before and after the retreat with my masters, I also made sure to spend time talking via the Holonet with both Serra and unexpectedly Padmé. I'd reached out to Serra the moment I was freed from the medical centre as while I knew she'd been told that I was alive and well, I could still sense her anxiety over the thousands of lightyears between us; and that was both incredible and disturbing. Serra had been relieved to speak with me and hear from my lips that I was ok. She'd explained what'd happened when she'd sensed my 'almost death' and apologised profusely for revealing that I'd done the verd'goten in the Temple. She was curious about what I'd killed, but beyond telling her it was something else called a 'dragon', I hadn't revealed anything. The Holonet wasn't, at least in my mind, entirely secure and the risk that someone at the temple – Like Windu – discovering what I'd killed, and what had happened afterwards, was too great. Serra hadn't been happy about that, but she'd accepted it; on the basis that I gave her a memento of my kill when we next met.

Discovering Padmé had sensed my lashing out in the Force was… surprising, and a little disconcerting. The girl wasn't particularly Force-sensitive, nor was our bond that strong, so I'd been confused as to how she'd sensed anything. My mind had wandered to KOTOR2, and I wondered that if because of the Interface and my other unique powers, I'd developed a bond with her similar to how Meetra Surik had done in that game. Regardless if that was the case or not, Padmé had sensed my 'almost death' and reached out to Serra. Seeing her face, and the relief I'd just barely been able to sense from her when we'd first spoken had lifted a small weight from my heart I hadn't realised had been there, and the same was true of Serra. Then hearing how her new classmates teased her about how (potentially) close she was to the author made me laugh. She'd thanked me repeatedly for getting her an advanced copy of 'Return of the King' (though I'd had to arrange for a copy to be sent to Serra as Padmé had revealed her novel to the other girl) and stated that she'd have to find a way to pay me back for it.

However, despite my efforts, I'd not been able to speak with Naz to apologise, either before I'd left for the week with Fay and Dooku, or after I'd returned. During any of the few meals that Fay, Dooku and myself had shared with Adonai, Pre, and their families, Naz had chosen not to attend. Pre claimed she was handling clan business, but I'd used Observe on him to learn that he was happy that some distance had formed between me and Naz. A distance he hoped to increase once I left the sector. After discovering that, I'd asked Bo for help, but she'd once more chosen to stay out of things (bar her continued subtle supporting of Naz) leaving me with no chance to fix my mistake.

Hopefully, she'd be at the celebration of me joining the ranks of the Mando'ade, which I was currently waiting to be escorted to with Fay and Dooku. While her seeing my kill wasn't how I wanted to create an opening (I suspected once it got out what I'd killed I'd be mobbed by a lot of people offering congratulations) it might be my only chance to begin to heal the small rift that had formed between us. At least before I left the sector.

I glanced to my right and saw Fay looking serenely out of the window of the small room where we were waiting for our escort to the royal banquet hall of Keldabe to arrive. Prime Minister Worra had been furious when he discovered that Adonai wished to celebrate the kill in the old capital, but I was glad we weren't having the feast there as Sundari was a symbol of the New Mandalorian ways. Location aside, this venue was still markedly different from Serra's celebration as then Adonai had only acquired a small hall for the celebration.

I'd asked my masters why Adonai had booked a much larger venue, and Dooku had explained that Adonai was likely using the size and awe of my kill to enhance his political strength. Fay had then explained that many were still unhappy with Jedi training alongside their children and that the more traditional-minded Mandalorians were beginning to grow restless with the duke's alliance with the New Mandalorians (both of which I was already aware of). She also hinted that it wasn't uncommon for alliances between clans to occur at these celebrations, thus Adonai might be using the event to secure his power base, something I hadn't considered but that did make sense upon consideration.

Though what was beginning to get to me was the wait. We'd been in this room for nearly an hour and I was growing bored and wondering how much longer we'd have to sit here and twiddle our thumbs.

Thankfully, a moment later a chime sounded, and Fay and Dooku both stood. Both were dressed in their robes, yet unless I missed my guess, they'd both had their robes cleaned – Dooku's even seemed to shine in places as he moved. Fay gave me a warm smile as she approached the small table I'd been sitting at.

"Are you ready for this?" Fay asked as I stood slowly.

While I was also wearing my Jedi clothing, on top of that I was wearing the armour I'd used on my hunt; or what was left of it. Apparently, it was a tradition for new warriors to wear the armour from their hunt to the celebration, though Serra hadn't been able to do this as her armour had been badly charred and cut from her body by the medics (though I was happy it'd done its job and protected her from worse burns.) This armour would never see combat again, but it was wearable for today.

"Is it wrong to say I'm looking forward to everyone's reaction?" I returned, which made her chuckle.

"No. While most Jedi wouldn't admit to enjoying it, there is nothing wrong with taking enjoyment in your success." Fay replied. "Though only if such things don't lead to one growing prideful."

"Indeed. A hunt such as this deserves to be enjoyed. And it will serve as a reminder that while Mandalorians are capable warriors, against any true Jedi, they are outclassed." Dooku added and I turned to him and was taken aback to see him smiling. Even if his hand still hovered near his lightsaber, seeing the usually stoic (almost sociopathic) man smiling openly was… a touch disconcerting.

I could sense his pride through the Force – though he was doing his usual job of keeping his internal emotions under tight control – though my eyes were drawn to the small crate he was carrying under his arm. It wasn't that large, perhaps thirty centimetres cubed, and clearly wasn't hard to carry, yet when I'd asked about the crate when we'd been led into this room, both he and Fay had claimed it was a surprise that they'd reveal during the celebration.

I was thinking about probing them again about what was in it – mainly because I was bored, not because I expected them to cave in and reveal what was inside – when the doors to the room opened. I turned around to see Dorgo step into the room. Unlike almost all the other times I'd seen him, he was wearing his full armour bar the helmet and jetpack (the former of which was under his arm, and the latter of which I was unsure if he even used) with a pair of blasters strapped to his waist (with force knows how many weapons hidden elsewhere). Gauntlets were strapped to both forearms, though neither hand was wearing a glove. All in all, he looked like he was almost ready to go to war, though from what I'd observed of the people in Keldabe, that was simply the normal way of dressing. His armour was mostly grey, though the gauntlets and pauldrons were red while other places had pale green edging.

He paused a few steps into the room and lowered his head. "Master Jedi, Alor Cameron. I am here to escort you to the celebration." He lifted his head and turned ninety degrees, taking position beside the door. I frowned at being referred to as Alor (chief). I wasn't a member of any clan and Serra never mentioned this happening to her (nor did I recall anyone referring to her by such a title) until after the celebration was over.

"Thank you for the escort." Fay replied as she and Dooku stepped towards the door with me falling into step behind them. "We are ready."

Dorgo nodded and lead us out of the room. The walk to the hall was short, but as we entered through a large door, I let out a small whistle at the size of the room. For Serra's celebration, there'd been maybe a hundred and fifty people present – mainly students from the Institute – however, that hall hadn't been full.

The hall Adonai was using for my celebration was much larger – perhaps five times the size, with tables for maybe three to four times the number of people – and almost all the seats were already taken. The centre of the hall was empty, and as Dorgo led us towards the front of the hall, I noted that the central area leading from the main tables to the far wall was empty. Likely that was for the dragon's head, but the doors at the end of the hall were far too small to allow it to be brought in, so I was curious as to how that feat would be managed.

I saw a few familiar faces (mainly other trainees from the Institute) scattered around, but most of the people were new to me.

"We are honoured today as over four dozen clan leaders have journeyed here." Dorgo began with a voice louder than normal voice – so we could hear him over the din of the hall – as he led us through a row of tables and into the central aisle. "Rumours about what exactly you hunted and killed have spread across the sector. My father has used that to invite many to this celebration, though he has been unusually secretive about it."

"Understandable." Fay replied and while I couldn't see her face since she was in front of me, I could sense her amusement, and a spike in Dooku's pride, at the young man's words; and the hidden question within them. "Cameron's kill was most… dini'la."

I chuckled once at Fay's non-answer to the unasked question, and I'd be glad that soon I'd no longer have to face that question. However, I suspected that I'd be asked to regale many with how I managed to take down the dragon.

"Ah, Alor Cameron, Master Fay, Master Dooku. Good, good." Adonai called out as we neared the main tables. The noise level in the hall had dropped a touch as we'd entered, though it had still been very rowdy. Yet the moment Adonai addressed us from his seat at the high table, the noise level fell far enough that I suspected everyone could hear the duke. "Come, your seats are here."

Adonai was standing at the highest of three tables that dominated the room, and he was pointing at three seats to his right that were empty. The seat to his right was also empty but based on the fact that Dorgo's wife Sellena and Bo occupied the next two seats, it was safe to assume that was Dorgo's seat. Seated below Clan Kryze were Pre and his children, likely indicating Pre's importance and (presumed) loyalty to Adonai. Tor gave me a friendly nod as our eyes met and Pre remained impassive, yet my focus was on Naz. She didn't nod or smile, instead choosing to narrow her eyes as she saw me looking at her, meaning her anger hadn't dissipated that much (if at all.)

My brow rose as I looked to the right of the three seats reserved for myself and my masters. There Duke Torrhen and Lady Asta were seated with their children. I knew the youngest – and the one furthest down the line – was Ebbe, but the other two were newcomers. Thanks to Observe I quickly learnt that the daughter, Alys who was rather pretty, was seventeen, was curious if the stories about me were true. The eldest son and heir, Osto, was twenty-two and even sitting down, it was clear to see he was built like a bear.

The Ordo's being there was a surprise, as they were no fans of Adonai's alliance with the New Mandalorians. However, based on what Dorgo had said about nearly fifty clans being present, and having already worked out that Adonai was using this as a way to play politics, them being here did make some sense. As we reached the stairs to begin our walk up to our seats, I wondered if this was the beginning of the re-establishment of the alliance between House Ordo and House Kryze, and the severing of Adonai's alliance with the New Mandalorians in Sundari. I quickly realised that my presence here was likely the catalyst for that to have happened, and saw first-hand an example of a ripple my actions were having now – even as my mind began to ponder how this ripple would alter the events I knew happened in the canon timeline.

Sat below the Ordos were a dark-skinned family I'd never met before. I knew the man was named Baston Tyri (and that he was loyal to House Ordo) by bothering to use Observe on the man. Baston, like others in the hall I suspected, was curious about me and what I'd killed/done to earn the respect of the two dukes.

Between Vizsla and Tyri, sat Commandant Kraviss and Rangemaster Marod. Given to their location, I had to assume that they were filling in for where a loyal ally or servant of my clan (if I had one) would be seated. The lowest of the three tables held the other instructors from the Institute (along with Nia's sons), and surprisingly Drayy'ven Jral. The game hunter gave me a wink and lifted his glass as our eyes met, and while he didn't seem upset that I'd killed the dragon he'd been hunting, I was still confused as to why he was here.

Yet, as we passed the lowest of the three tables, I returned my attention to the top one. There was clearly more going on here than just my celebration, and my curiosity was growing as to what was about to happen. As the continued to climb, my mind began to run through scenarios that could happen, and plot ways to use them to help my plans for the future. Though even if there was little I could do today in that regard (beyond the reputation boost I was going to get when everyone saw what I'd killed) I would try to help Adonai and Torrhen with their plans as a strong and friendly Mandalore sector had far greater potential than the… waste that existed in The Clone Wars.

As we reached the top of the stairs, Adonai stepped out, as did Torrhen, and both shook hands with me and my masters before directing us to the empty seats. I sat between my masters with Fay next to Adonai and Dooku next to Torrhen. The latter duke sat down, letting the host, and my sponsor to the Institute and into Mandalorian culture take the floor.

"Mando'ade, today we are assembled to recognise a new warrior joining our ranks." Adonai began, a large booming smile spreading across his face. As he spoke, I let my eyes drift over the hall, wondering how they were going to get the massive skull of the dragon (there was no way they could get the whole beast in here without removing the roof and flattening dozens of tables) through the small doors.

"Just over one year ago, two young Jedi came to our sector, eager and willing to learn the ways of our people. Many considered my decision to allow them to train beside our children as foolish, ill-disciplined, and a disgrace to our heritage. However, in those two, and in particular the one we recognise today, I saw… a spark. A spark of something that reminded me of what our people had once been, of what many of you feel I have abandoned with my choices over the last few years."

"These two Jedi adiike trained with our children, listened, learnt, respected our ways, and quickly proved that while they may be Jedi, their hearts beat to the drum of a warrior. They do not shy away from battle, nor reject the ways of our people. And today, we celebrate the triumph of Cameron Shan for completing his verd'goten and recognise that armed with nothing but a single blade and his wits, slew a beast worthy of record in the annals of our people. Today we honour his success and raise a new clan into our ranks."

There was some clapping around the hall at Adonai's words, but many seemed sceptical, and I had to agree. Adonai's speech had been… theatrical and not at all fitting with what I'd heard at Serra's celebration, nor what I'd expected at my own.

"Duke Adonai, if I may." Duke Torrhen stated and after a nod from Adonai, he also stood and addressed the hall. "Mando'ade, while I am not challenging the word of Duke Adonai regarding Cameron of Clan Shan's kill, I must state that we are not raising a new clan." My brow creased so much I must've looked like I'd aged fifty years in a second. What was Torrhen on about?

"No, today we are restoring a Clan founded under the orders of Te Taylir Mand'alor." As a few gasps echoed around the hall my brow uncreased and shot into my hairline. I knew the pair were likely up to something, but linking it to Canderous Ordo… Yeah, I hadn't seen that coming. "Under his leadership, Te Taylir Mand'alor raised two new clans into our ranks. For over three thousand years both those clans have lain dormant, but from this day forward, that will change. In the name of my ancestor, I, Duke Torrhen of Clan Ordo stand and recognise the restoration of Clan Shan among the Mando'ade."

Most of those assembled roared their approval, which shocked me. Why would it matter so much more that I was restoring an old clan than creating a new one? Something told me there was more I'd have to learn about this culture to understand why that was.

Torrhen turned to me and raised his glass. Ignoring my confusion, I returned the gesture and did the same with Adonai.

"Duke Torrhen, Duke Adonai, if I may." A voice called out from those seated in other places and I turned my attention back to the hall to see that Aundars Wren had stood. "While I, like everyone here, are overjoyed to hear that an ancient clan, even one with no battle honours, has returned to the ranks of Mando'ade, there is an issue. We still have no proof of the boy's kill, nor of his claim to the bloodline."

My frown returned as he spoke. Aundars challenges seemed odd as he was an ally of Adonai's yet was openly challenging him and Torrhen. My frown broke as I realised that this was theatre, a show for the masses to cover a challenge the two dukes must've known would come. By having a loyal ally make the challenge, it probably cut off a threat of someone else challenging my kill and causing bad blood between them and the dukes. And with many in the hall nodding in agreement, it seemed that would've been the case if Aundars hadn't acted quickly (too quickly for anyone who should've been caught off-guard by Torrhen's declaration.)

"While my words carry little weight here, as I am not Mando'ade, my long-dead partner was." Fay began as she stood. "And as a Jedi Master, I can speak for the Order in saying that we have confirmed his heritage and accepted it as fact. As have the Republic Senate and the current and former Chancellors." Fays' words were soft yet carried easily over the hall. Yet, what had me confused was the faintest hint of trepidation and worry that I could sense from her. Why would she be concerned about what she'd said unless it had to do with who the Mandalorian she'd been close with had been…

"Forgive me master Jedi, but I know of no Mandalorian who has wed a Jedi." Aundars stated softly.

That sense of trepidation from Fay spiked for a moment before she responded. "That is because we were joined centuries ago, not long after the Dral'Han was carried out by the Jedi and Republic." OK, revealing that she'd been alive during that attack, would explain the concern and the few murmurs that began in the hall at its mention certainly had me thinking that was why there was a small amount of worry within her.

"Master Fay has been confirmed by her Order to be over seven hundred years old." Adonai added, which made the murmurs grow in volume. "As for who her partner was, that is a private thing. However, she has confided in myself, Duke Torrhen, and a keeper of sigils who her riduur was, and confirmed their personal sigil." Adonai pointed to an old man who sat to the far right of the hall.

The ancient man stood, which had the murmurs die off almost instantly, and gave he gave a single nod before sitting down once more. No new murmurs were heard, meaning this keeper of sigils had a position of utmost respect within their culture.

Aundars bowed his head. "Then I remove my concern about the boy's heritage. However, my concerns about his kill still stand."

Even as this set off a new round of whispers and hushed tones, my eyes widened as I saw the far wall begin to lower. It took me a few seconds to realise that this was a design feature and that it was how they planned to reveal my kill to the room (and the space that I could see behind the horns of the dragon suggested it could also be used to expand the size of the room for even larger gatherings.

"Then to you, and to all I present the kill of Cameron of Clan Shan: The greater krayt dragon of Tatooine!" Adonai voice rose to a roar as he extended an arm to point to the now-lowered far wall.

As I locked eyes with the beast that had almost killed me, a small shiver shot through me, though I quickly beat it away. The beast was dead (a point proven by the missing eye where I'd driven my blade into its brain) and was no longer a threat. Yet, even dead and with just the head now present, it was still an imposing sight. The repulsor-lift that was carrying it was being pushed by (at least three people) and even to the top of the skull, it was taller than any man present; to say nothing of the crest-horns, which reached so high that they scraped against the lights suspended from the roof high above the hall.

"Osik!" I heard someone mutter, and while I agreed with the sentiment, my focus was on the skull; specifically, its one remaining eye. Seeing the missing eye was reassuring, but I still felt a shiver go up my spine as the remaining eye seemed to lock onto me. I knew it was dead, but seeing it again resulted in the memory replaying in my mind, releasing all the fear and panic back into me.

A hand came to rest on my shoulder, and I felt a warm sensation flood through me. Slowly, with more effort than normal, I turned my head and smiled at Fay. She smiled back before removing her hand, mere moments before Adonai resumed his speech to the now deathly silent room.

"Traditionally, we would have our newest Mando'ade detail their hunt for you, let you reveal in their retelling of the hunt. However, with a hunt this impressive, I doubt simple word of mouth would suffice. Therefore, another option has been arranged." The volume of Adonai's words had fallen – since there was little need to shout over the hall to be heard – but they carried to everyone. "From the recordings starting on my personal cruiser, the Cin Vhetin, I give you the battle of the dragon versus Mando'ade from my perspective."

The lights dimmed and a large, circular, holographic display appeared (with the dragon's head being inside the screen so as to not disrupt anyone's sight) with the screen flickering to life at the moment I would forever remember. The moment when I'd come face to face with the apex predator of Tatooine.

From the recording, I saw a chunk of the sarlacc the dragon had ripped off just before this and idly wondered if that monster had survived the injury. It'd lost its main stalk but –

--RROOOOAAARRRRRR--

My thoughts about the sarlacc were cut off as the dragon roared. My hand shot to where I knew my lightsaber was hanging, finding comfort in the familiar ridges of the hilt, as the entire hall seemed to shake from the intensity of the challenge the dragon had sent at me.

"Shab!"

The curse came from a female voice to my left, and the recording of me began to run, I suspected many others in the hall shared the sentiment. For me though, it was worse, as seeing how massive the dragon was compared to myself, and how easily it stayed close to my recorded self, had my mind travelling back to that day, reliving the chase.

As the recording of me stumbled, I felt a hand come to rest on mine and I looked down to see that Fay had been the one to do so. A glance at my hand let me see my knuckles had turned white as I gripped the table in a death grip.

Even though I knew the overall chase had only lasted about ten minutes, watching it begin all over again seemed to take forever, and as the recording of me stumbled and fell to my knees, I felt my terror spike.

As the dragon swiped at me with its massive tail, I heard someone whisper out "How…" Likely they were shocked that I'd avoided being skewered by the massive tail of the beast. My hand not being held by Fay moved towards my lightsaber, though I stopped the movement once I realised I was doing it.

A few minutes (that felt like hours) later, gasps echoed around the hall as I stumbled out of the canyon and into the dune sea. Those gasps were likely from people who knew enough about the predator and planet to understand I'd just stumbled into its natural habitat. The number and volume of the gasps grew as the dragon's tail swatted me out into the dunes.

For the first time since the recording had begun, something other than fear flowed through me, and a small smirk crept onto my face as, even as I saw myself fly through the air then smash through a dune, the dragon pulled its tail back and looked at; reacting to the fact my beskar knife had managed to hurt it.

After recovering from the shock of my wild attack irritating its tail (no way it did any real damage), the dragon dove into the sand, disappearing from sight. Or at least it would've if not for the fact the recording was able to track it based on the movement of the sand as it swam beneath the dunes. Murmurs broke out around the room, likely due to people wondering how I managed to take down the beast in its preferred environment.

Though what caught my attention, was that as the chase had continued, the picture had grown steadily clearer, with the smaller details of myself and the dragon coming into focus. That meant the cruiser had been descending the entire time the chase had been happening, but I'd neither heard nor seen it as my focus had (rightfully so) been entirely on surviving or escaping the monster.

A hum of anticipation seemed to vibrate around the hall as the dragon turned towards me, then erupted in a cheer as, at what looked to be the last second, I dove to the side. Seeing how close I'd been to losing a leg to those massive teeth sent a shiver through my body. I heard a faint scratching but kept my focus on the recording. I needed to see this again, to know that I'd made it through and process the unbelievable amount of panic I'd felt during the chase and fight. I hadn't focused on it the time as that was what got you killed, but now, sitting here reliving it, I was forced to confront how terrified I'd been.

Another roar erupted around the hall as I once more dove out of the way of the monster's massive maw, then an even louder one as I was able to slash one of the dragon's paws during its third attack. Though the third roar of approval died quickly my recorded self was knocked away by the force of the dragon's momentum and struck the sand hard, losing my grip on my knife.

I could feel their building anticipation as the recording of me scrambled towards the cliffs. Even without the Force letting me sense their emotions, the slowly growing tension was easy to see. For a brief moment, I felt a wave of anger surge through me as I realised that everyone here was enjoying seeing me almost die, but I pushed it away as it was an entirely natural way to behave, at least for those used to fighting. And of course, because the dragon chose that moment to rear back and stand over the recording of me.

A deathly silence fell over the hall as it became obvious just how much more massive the dragon was in comparison to me – not like there was any ever doubt of that. Seeing the thing stand up so high that, for a moment, the cruiser's cameras couldn't seem me, made it clear just how minuscule I was compared to the mighty beast.

Somewhere in the hall, something fell from a table, but no one reacted. Everyone's attention was transfixed on the recording as I shared a face-off with the dragon of Tatooine.

"Me'shab?" I heard Bo mutter (or at least I thought it was Bo), and even though I knew what was about to happen, I had to agree. Seeing a massive dragon pause and look down at prey no bigger than one of its claws definitely was a 'what the fuck' moment.

Almost as one, everyone inhaled as the dragon's head dove towards the recording of me then watched in morbid silence as I leapt. As the recording of me seemed to kick the dragon's nose (more by accident than on purpose, but I doubted anyone cared) a rumble began to build in the room.

As I desperately grabbed onto one of the crest horns (my eyes briefly darted to said horn on the head below, confirming to myself once more that the dragon was dead) the rumble drew steadily louder.

--RROOOOAAARRRRRR--

Once more the roar of the dragon echoed around the room, though unlike the times during the chase, it wasn't muted. The plates, cutlery, and goblets on the table I was at visibly rattled at the power and volume of the dragon's roar and I swore I saw several Mandalorians cringe or lift their hands towards their head. Yet none of their eyes left the recording. Everyone one of them probably could sense the end was near.

And they were proven right as, when the roar ended and the dragon fell forward, the recording of me swung around and drove the knife into the dragon's eye.

A brief muted cheer when up at that, though it died the instant the dragon recoiled and roared out in pain. Though the moment I pulled back and drove my arm in once more, this time sinking in up to my arm, the cheer returned; louder than before.

The cheer of the hall was drowned out as I was flung clear of the dragon, and it threw its head back and roared to the heavens in pain. Watching myself bounce off and over the dunes was hard to do as it brought back phantom pain surges where I'd struck the sand.

The final roar of the dragon seemed to transfix the hall as I could barely tell if anyone had breathed, never mind moved. All were watching in trepidation to see if this was the moment the beast fell.

As the dragon's final, pained roar died, and it fell to the sand, silence fell over the hall, yet the moment the recording of me stood, a rhythmic banging began. Around the hall, slowly at first, then louder as more joined in, Mandalorians of various colours, genders and species began to slam their fists and stomp their boots in a pattern that I instinctively knew was a type of war cry.

As the recording of me turned from looking towards where the dragon to the sky, then roared (I still wasn't sure if that was more in relief, disbelief or as a challenge to the galaxy) the hall roared along with me.

"Taung sa rang broka Mando'ade ka'rta. Dha Werda Verda a'den tratu, Manda'yaim kandosii adu. Duum motir ca'tra nau tracinya. Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a."

Chanting filled the room as the plates, cutlery and goblets began to bounce from the noise the warriors in the hall were making, and I saw a few empty chairs also bounce around.

"Kom'rk tsad droten troch nyn ures adenn. Dha Werda Verda a'den tratu, Manda'yaim kandosii adu. Duum motir ca'tra nau tracinya. Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a."

For over a minute, the hall was full of the chant as the warriors assembled sang their hearts out. My eyes once more found the remaining eye of the dragon, letting the energy of the room wash over me, and push the last vestiges of residual fear I'd felt from the chase. Reliving that had been more terrifying than the actual fight, but now that it was over, and I had faced that hidden fear, I felt better. In my old life, I'd never enjoyed hunting – likely because my work involved me killing people for a living – but here and now, I felt understood why people did; at least those who hunted something that had a fair (or in my case, insane) chance to kill you instead.

The swelling pride I felt at having faced off against a beast that could've, and should've, killed me and not only survived but won… Words failed to do justice to how amazing that felt.

The chanting began to die down as a loud bang came from my left and I brought my attention back to the hall and turned to see that Adonai had stood. While there was a clear smile on his face, his focus was on trying (rather unsuccessfully) on gained the attention of everyone present and getting them to quiet down.

It took a few minutes from when Adonai had first banged his goblet on the table before the chanting and general volume in the hall dropped to a level where the duke felt comfortable talking.

"Count Aundars, I hope this allays your concerns regarding the kill?" Adonai asked, drawing chuckles from many in the hall, including Aundars himself as I saw a large smile on his face as he stood.

"Aye Duke Adonai." He paused and looked at me directly. "On behalf of myself and my clan, I apologise for doubting your kill, and offer my congratulations." He raised his goblet. "Cameron Shan!"

As one, the whole hall rose, goblets, glasses, and mugs in hand.

"CAM-RON! CAM-RON! CAM-RON! CAM-RON!"

I couldn't stop a large smile from breaking out on my face, though I admittedly didn't try too hard. Being accepted by warriors, being made one of them… My thoughts drifted back to my old life, my old team and for the first time since my rebirth, I finally felt like I was somewhere I belonged.

The chanting seemed to die down for a moment, only to be replaced by a more general roar. I frowned in confusion until Adonai tapped my shoulder and I turned. He pointed behind me and I rotated enough to see what was there.

Two banners had unfurled behind me. The right one was the same image of the Star Forge that I'd used during the trial fight, however it was the left one that drew my attention. That one was of a black dragon's skull; specifically, the dragon I'd killed on Tatooine. The eye that I'd pierced was coloured purple, while there was a red slash over it – signifying how I'd kill the beast much like the blade into the head of the spark-dragon on Serra's sigil signifying where she'd killed that dragon – while the teeth were dark crimson.

Thanks to my time on Mandalore, I understood what all the colouring meant. Black signified justice and a sense of personal honour, red to honour a parent, purple to signify luck – which, even if there was no such thing where the Force was concerned, I'd seemed to have on my side to take down the dragon – and crimson for defiance. All in all, the colours made sense and a broad grin spread over my face as I looked at the banner.

"A worthy sigil." Dooku commented from beyond Fay. "Though I do not expect the High Council to care for the colour choices."

I chuckled at that, as black and red were seen by the Jedi as colours of the Sith. "Indeed."

As I turned back from seeing my new sigil (and getting confirmation that the Star Forge was going to stay as Clan Shan's sigil) I noticed that the cheering had died down, many of the tables were talking among themselves, or to a nearby table; often while gesturing at the massive head that dominated the room.

Adonai lifted a blade and tapped his goblet with it. Once he'd regained their attention, he continued.

"With nothing but a blade, this blade," he lifted the knife high above his head as he spoke, "Cameron of Clan Shan took down a beast of great renown. To mark this feat of incredible courage, I've had the blade reforged to a weapon worthy of such a feat while the hilt is now made of one of the great teeth of the dragon."

He held the knife which now seemed as thin as a hair, though I doubted that mattered because it was beskar, it had been lengthened into something resembling more of a short sword, gently curved and darkened to almost black, its simple guard had four downward-facing spikes that looked like they could do real damage, I suspected the High Council would have issues with them, along with the entire blade in general.

"To honour this achievement, I present this altered weapon to him." He continued as he turned to me and indicated for me to stand. "May it bring you glory in the battles to come." He stated as he passed it to me.

Slowly, almost reverently, I took the blade by the offered hilt. The spikes on the hilt weren't made of beskar – at least they didn't have the distinctive ripple effect I'd come to associate with the metal – but they looked sharp enough to do some real damage. The hilt was smooth, yet seemed to fit easily in my hand (or as easily as it could given that I was still too small to grasp it properly).

As I turned it over in my hand, I saw that where the hilt met the blade – which I now realised was a giant fang from my kill – there was a small engraving of my new sigil, which made me smile. While it could never compare to the necklace from Fay and Dooku, nor the bond I felt with my lightsaber, this blade instantly became one of my most treasured possessions.

"Vor entye, Alor Adonai." I said quietly as I twisted the blade around for show before placing it down on the table. I considered sliding it into my belt, but that would make sitting down a challenge. Plus, if it was as sharp as it looked, then it'd likely slice through my belt without any effort.

"A weapon such as that needs a sheath equal to it." I turned at Torrhen's voice and saw he had stood. He reached down and pulled a leather object from under the table. "One made from the hardened skin of your kill. Capable of resisting both blaster fire and lightsaber strikes." He explained as he passed the sheath to Dooku who turned and then passed it to me.

I picked up the blade, and carefully slid it into the sheath – which shimmered dark grey in the low light with my new sigil near the top. The blade slid in easily, showing that they were meant to be together; much like they were meant to be with me.

"Vor entye, Alor Torrhen." I said loud enough for all to hear as I placed the now sheathed blade on the table.

Torrhen gave me a nod in reply as his wife then stood. "Nearly four thousand years ago, our ancestor, Canderous Ordo, Te Taylir Mand'alor, stood as an ally and friend of your ancestor, Naast be Me'suum. The Jedi and Sith Lord known simply as Revan. Today, we wish to restore that alliance."

As she spoke her eldest son, Osto, stood and took a step back from the table. I had to crane my neck upwards to look at the young man. He was very broad and with the braids in his hair, he honestly reminded me of a Viking.

"We understand that you are a Jedi, much as Revan once was, but to mark the restoration of this alliance between our Clans, we offer you a gift." Asta continued as Osto lifted a small bag from behind his chair then moved to towards me. From the bag he pulled out a dark grey cloth that, like the sheath, had been cut from the dragon's skin.

"Made from the hide of your kill and modelled on the style worn by Jedi during the time of Naast be Me'suum, we present you with this cloak." Asta stated as Osto handed me the cloak. As I held it, I noted that it was a touch darker than the sheath, but the leather felt surprisingly smooth as it shimmered while my fingers gently slid over it. There was a faint scaled pattern to the cloak and I wondered if that was a natural feature of the dragon's skin (I had no interest in reliving my memories to confirm that) or if it was an effect added in by the tanners. "Like the dragon itself, this cloak will protect you from blaster bolts and lightsaber strikes, though they are no substitute for true armour." Asta continued, drawing a chuckle from many in the hall, myself included. "And once you are old enough for the Jedi to allow you to wear robes, we would be honoured to commission them made from the same material.

I smiled at both her and her son. "I thank you for the gift and would be honoured to accept an alliance between our clans. However, I am a Jedi and my responsibilities to the Order, and my masters, are my current priorities." I said slowly hoping that I had avoided insulting them with how I'd worded my reply.

I suspected that there would come a day when I'd leave the Order, but for now, my path was with them. A large chunk of the Order was… less than keen on my continued training as a Jedi, nor on allowing me the freedom to roam the galaxy. While the same could be said of the Mandalorians concerning my training and cultural assimilation – particularly when I'd arrived on-planet over a year ago – they had done more in the last year to truly make me feel like a part of their society than the Jedi– bar a few members – had done in five.

"We understand and had expected this Alor Cameron." Torrhen replied with a smile as Osto returned to his family. "However, know that should the moment ever arise where you require help, House Ordo will stand by your side."

"Then with my master's permission to serve as an acceptance from the Jedi Order, I happily agree to the offer of an alliance. I promise that if the time comes where you are in need, I will do what I can to help." A cheer broke out at hearing that, and I and the Ordo's sat down.

"Alor Cameron." Putting aside my discomfort with being referred to as a clan chief when I was the only member of said clan, I turned at hearing my name come from the Kryze side of the table and saw that Dorgo had stood and was now looking at me. "In recognition of your hunt, and in the hopes of seeking an alliance between our two clans, Clan Kryze would also like to offer you a gift." He explained as Bo stood and walked towards me, a small box in her hands. "We present to you vambraces made of beskar. Though, in keeping with your other role as a member of the Jedi, we have taken the liberty to remove all but the defensive and non-lethal options standard to such devices."

Bo opened the box which contained two vambraces. I picked one up and turned it over slowly in my hands. Similar to the cloak that Ordo had given me, they looked a little large, but that would leave me room to grow into them, and just above the display was my personal sigil. A quick check of the visible options, and the interface confirmed that the vambrace only had options such as a grappling hook or shield generator. There wasn't the flamethrower or combat blaster that was common of vambraces (unfortunately), though there were slots in the design, and options in the menu, to allow the vambraces to be customized further at a later time.

I placed the vambrace back with its partner, smiled and Bo and took the box from her before returning my attention to Dorgo. "I thank you for the gift, Heir Dorgo and accept the offer of alliance under the same conditions I explained to Alor Torrhen."

Dorgo's smiled and gave me a nod. "Of course."

That set off another round of cheering in the hall, and after waiting a few moments to ensure that no one else was going to spring a surprise alliance on me, I sat down.

[Gifts such as these are not normal for a new warrior.] Fay said to me telepathically to ensure none of the Mandalorians would hear. [An making allies of two of the most powerful clans will have repercussions; both here and back on Coruscant. However, the choice is yours and we will respect it.]

[Indeed. Though I am hesitant to allow you to keep the blade until I am sure you can wield it properly.] Dooku added and I turned enough to see that a rare smile had crept onto his face as he lifted the crate he'd brought onto the table [While I know you can fight with a knife, a blade such as that is not to be twirled around indiscriminately.] he continued, indicating my sheathed blade with a tilt of his head.

[I am aware of the repercussions, masters. However, I suspect the two dukes have used me as a way to subtly re-establish their own alliance. While they do seem to genuinely respect me, and carry my great-grandfather in high regard, if only one had allied with me, it would've run the risk of destabilising their dynamic. By having both ally with my clan of one, they removed that issue, offer me some protection from others who might try to target me as a single member clan, and a Jedi, and gain a backdoor to begin restoring their own alliance.]

While that was all conjecture on my part, they were the only reasons I could come up with on the spot as to why both dukes had allied with me.

Feeling brave, I also added a shot to Dooku. [At least now I have an excuse to start practising Jar'kai more since the sizes are similar.]

Dooku's brow rose in disdain, yet the corner of his lip tugged upwards. [We shall see.]

"If I may have your attention." Adonai called out as he stood once more, cutting off any further comment on my theory from my masters. "With the honouring of our new warrior, and the establishment of alliances now concluded, it is now time for the feast."

At this, various side doors opened, and several dozen repulsor-carts were pushed in. The smell of grilled meat quickly filled the air, making many (myself included) salivate at the chance to enjoy a dragon steak. With krayt dragons being such dangerous beasts, eating a steak from one was considered a rare delicacy; to say nothing of the fact this was steak from the greater krayt dragon.

As one of the carts floated up towards my table, I idly wondered just what had happened to the pearls (there had to be more than one from a beast that size), and where they were being stored. I had no fear about Adonai trying to take them as it would be a gross violation of honour and shatter our newly formed alliance, but I was still curious as to where they were being stored.

Once everyone at the main table had a steak in front of them, Adonai turned to me. "Alor Cameron, if you would do the honours."

Realising what he was referring to, a large smile broke out on my face. As I stood, I carefully unsheathed my new blade and sliced off a large chunk of my steak. The blade sliced through the meat incredibly easily; far better than any bladed weapon I'd used before, and I began to understand why Dooku was insistent on me learning to use it properly before allowing me to carry it with me.

Stabbing the slice I'd cut with the blade, I lifted it to my mouth and happily ripped a chunk off with my teeth.

A loud cheer went up as I did so, but my focus was entirely on enjoying the taste of the dragon. I could remember tasting juicier and sweeter steaks before, but the sheer satisfaction that came from dining on the very beast that had almost killed me meant that no meal would ever come close to beating this.

After chewing and savouring the taste, I swallowed the bite. Raising my blade above my head, the steak sliding down it as gravity and the incredible sharpness of the blade worked to further cut it, I smiled out at the crowd.

"Haili cetare!"

That set off everyone else, and as I brought my blade back down to take a second bite, knives flew into the steaks.

While I would forever hate the fact that I'd come close to death fighting the dragon and had a newfound understanding of why Anakin hated sand, I would savour this day and everything that had led up to it, for the rest of my life.

… …


… …
Mandalorian Song:

The ash of the Taung beats strong within the Mandalorians' heart.
We are the rage of The Warriors of the Shadow,
The first noble sons of Mandalore.
Let all those who stand before us light the night sky in flame.
Our vengeance burns brighter still.

The gauntlet of Mandalore strikes without mercy.
We are the rage of The Warriors of the Shadow,
The first noble sons of Mandalore.
Let all those who stand before us light the night sky in flame.
Our vengeance burns brighter still.


A/N:
To be very clear, there will be no lemons/smut in this story, and Cam won't pursue a relationship until he's at least 17/18.
And to any who complain about Cam being considered an adult by the Mandos, their society isn't ours. Don't judge them by our standards.

Still, I hoped all enjoyed the chapter, and until next time.

May the Force be with you. Always.
 
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The Warrior Reborn 2
A/N:
As always you can find myself (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For my ASOIAF story: Game of Kingdoms (Still under construction, so not much there yet)
In general:
Shiro's Gaming Omniverse
Emerald Library

If you wish to support my writing, gain access to 1st drafts of chapters (currently 2 chapters ahead) , and at the highest level, early access to the chapter (currently 1 chapter ahead), consider supporting me on Patreon:
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(Note, the benefits there link to the Heart of the Force Discord server)


Current date: 4 years until the Invasion of Naboo


Mandalorian Words and Phrases:
(Note: I've skipped the more common/recurring words for ease)

Ara'novor bal cuyir haatyc. Jorhaa'ir te resonl'nare bal jor'lekir gar tal. – Approach and be seen. Speak the Resonl'nare and confirm your blood.
Ba'jur bal beskar'gam, Ara'nov, aliit, Mando'a bal Mand'alor. An vencuyan mhi. – Education and armor, Self-defense, our tribe, Our language and our leader. All help us survive. (The words of the Resonl'nare)
Beskad – A sword made of beskar
Dar'Manda – A state of not being Mandalorian - not an outsider, but one who has lost his heritage, and so his identity and his soul.
Di'kutla – Foolish/Stupid
Laam'alverde – High Commander
Meshgeroya – Limmie in Basic. A much more violent from of football/soccer.
Ori'kyroya'kar Big (Mandalorian) Wolf (Personal command cruiser of Duke Torrhen Ordo)
Osik – Shit
Osi'kar – Oh Shit!
Oya Manda – Expression of Mandalorian solidarity and perpetuity
Resonl'nare – The creed of the Mando'ade.
Shab – Fuck
Te Taylir Mand'alor – Canderous Ordo




The Warrior Reborn 2
...
I broke from my meditative trance (which I routinely used during the evenings to level up various Force Powers) a few minutes before my alarm was due to go off, and after disabling it for the morning, looked around my quarters. Like any quarters aboard a Mandalorian cruiser, they were spartan yet comfortable with the only noise I could hear being the faint hum of the ship's power core through the hull as it supplied power to the hyperdrive.

Currently, along with Fay and Dooku, I was travelling aboard Duke Torrhen's personal cruiser (which was larger and far better armed than Duke Adonai's – I blamed the New Mandalorians for that) the Ori'kyroya'kar. At his invite, we were travelling to Ordo (the planet) to deal with whatever the 'Vault of the Preserver' was, though neither Torrhen nor Asta had directly mentioned the vault, instead implying that there was something on their homeworld that was important to our shared history.

As I stood and moved towards the small cleaning area in the quarters, my mind drifted back to the celebration of my hunt.

After I'd officially started the celebration, the noise in the hall had increased sharply. It got so loud that even hearing my own thoughts was difficult, but a gentle tap on my shoulder by Fay had me turning to see Dooku lifting the small crate he'd brought with us onto the table.

The first two bottles he pulled from the crate were birthday presents from Padmé. I knew about those as the girl had mentioned them during our talk before the celebration. Plus, they doubled as a thanks for the early copy of 'Return of the King' that I'd arranged for her to receive for her birthday (which was about two months after mine) before the novel was released to the public.

The other two bottles Dooku removed from the crate were bottles of Alderaanain wine that he had procured to celebrate my successful hunt. While neither he nor Fay were overly comfortable with my killing to prove myself to the Mandalorians, they understood that the event was worthy of celebration. Dooku had then explained that the wine had traditionally been used to celebrate a successful hunt, which made the tart taste of the wine easy to stomach.

Upon seeing this, Adonai had sent one of the staff off and they returned (with help) and brought six bottles of Corellian Reserve, four bottles of Merenzane Gold (as I later learnt, two very expensive types of alcohol) and several casks of one-hundred-year-old Mandalorian wine. While I enjoyed all the drinks, particularly the Merenzane Gold – which was used for a private toast with my masters – I was glad that Player's Body countered the negative effects of alcohol otherwise I'd have either passed out after my fifth or sixth glass – which would've been very embarrassing – or died of alcohol poisoning.

Still, with no risk of either of those happening, I was able to enjoy almost as many glasses as my masters (who it turned out assumed I was using the Force to counter the effects of the alcohol) and gain a good number of levels for Damage Resistance: Bio-Chemical and Purge Toxin and remain sober for the entire party.

The first hour passed quickly as everyone enjoyed the meal, the drinks, and the seemingly random outbursts of singing that would break out. By the beginning of the second hour, people were beginning to mingle (both Adonai and Torrhen had stepped down to talk with others who, thanks to Observe, I learnt were heads or heirs of various clans) with some coming to the table and either offering to join my clan in battle, or challenging me, at a later date, to a friendly spar.

Still, with everyone now allowed to move, I figured this would be my best chance to fix my only error in judgement (well, since waking up back on this planet, at least). After taking my leave of my masters, and sharing a quick drink with Bo, Dorgo and Sellena, I moved down to the middle of the three tables, towards Clan Vizsla.

Both Pre and Tor extended their congratulations on my hunt, though Pre's was less enthusiastic. Curious if I'd learn anything new, I used Observe on him, and I had to take a few moments to calm myself at what was revealed.

I knew that the mercs that had attacked me had been hired by someone and had heavily suspected that Pre was behind, so learning he was annoyed that I hadn't died on that kriffing sand-covered hellhole of a planet wasn't a huge surprise, though it still angered me to have it confirmed. Also, he was right in his thinking that there was little anyone could do to track the leak back to him. Adonai had started an investigation, but nothing had been uncovered so far. The thing that did settle my mood was the fact that one of my options for dealing with him –the most appealing one, in all honesty – involved me killing him and taking the Darksaber. If I did that, then I could either reform the Death Watch into something more useful or disband it entirely.

Pre was also grateful for whatever had happened to distance his daughter from me, though learning that had me turning my focus to my reason for coming down to this table. However, before I could say anything to Naz in the way of an apology, she'd leapt up from her seat, and pulled me into a tight hug. It took me a moment to get over my shock at her hug (and the fact that my head had been jammed between her surprisingly well-developed breasts) before I was able to turn my head so I could still breathe and return the hug.

As we pulled back, I realised a lull had fallen over the hall – or at least the area near us – but at the time, I'd paid it no attention. In retrospect however, I suspected that several who saw our behaviour would begin to suspect that there was more going on than met the eye. And while Naz was an extremely attractive young lady, I felt that I wasn't ready physically to start a relationship. Putting aside any remaining hang-ups over entering a relationship with someone decades younger than my mental self, I could also tell that this body was still in the unstable period of puberty, and therefore not suited for total physical intimacy quite yet.

Plus, with me currently being a Jedi, it was probably best to not give the Council another thing to bash me over the head with.

Once we broke the hug to the point where I wasn't forced to stare at her chest, I began to apologize. I didn't mention anything about how my mood was soured because of TPTB unlocking a set of skills I didn't want to currently have (not that she would have understood that anyway), but I did say I'd been an idiot for how I'd reacted to her kiss.

Naz had nodded along, seemingly in agreement, only to offer her own apology for jumping on me – her words – not long after I'd just woken up from a near-death moment. Like all but a few, she hadn't realised just how dangerous my hunt had been and had been angered at my rejection. However, having just seen what I'd faced, and realising that I was unsettled when I woke, she now understood that I wasn't focused on anything but being grateful to still be alive. She also had come to realise that I wasn't a born-Mandalorian and was raised in the more (in her words) di'kutla ways of the Republic, though she'd mentioned in a few years there'd be no difference.

One thing that had come from that little talk (though I'd already seen evidence of it before) was that Mandalorian teenagers were, generally, more mature than those from my old life. That made perfect sense coming from a more serious, combat-orientated society, but it was something that I regularly forgot about as my old ways of thinking clouded my behaviour and actions. Still, at least now Naz and I were back to being friends once more.

Once we'd broken apart and said our pieces to each other, Bo had come down from the top table and all but demanded to see my new blade. I'd pulled it to me with the Force then let the pair (and the others that came over) examine it. As it was her turn to do so, Alys Ordo had made an offhand comment about getting her own hilt made from a fang.

After that, I headed down further and greeted the others at the lower tables. Nia, Commandant Kraviss and Rangemaster Marod were all proud of having a part in training me, while Gar offered a handshake and asked that the next time I went into battle, I made sure to invite him beforehand. I'd laughed and half-jokingly agreed even as I silently hoped the Force wasn't listening in because I would like a quiet few months after taking down the dragon.

Rook, who was seated next to Gar (suggesting things between them were more serious than I realised) had made a comment about Naz staking her claim, and that she'd seen a few others wanting a piece of me. I'd joked back at her that I guess killing a dragon was good for a reputation boost, though my amusement had disappeared the moment Rook had suggested she'd have to mention this to Serra the next time the pair spoke. At that, I'd had to promise her that we'd spar before I left the sector, and she'd made it clear that she meant a spar similar to what I'd had to become Akaan'lor and not the kind then she enjoyed with Gar.

Drayy'ven Jral clapped me on the shoulder before joking that the next time we were on the same planet, he was going to make sure I was nowhere near his intended kill. If not for the fact that he was smiling and laughing – and a quick usage of Observe to confirm that he wasn't angry with me for killing the dragon – I'd have been worried that he held a grudge. Still, to be safe, I'd promised him that if I ever ended up on the same planet as he was hunting on, I'd make sure to leave as soon as I could.

From there, I'd headed down onto the main floor, and quickly been engulfed by my teammates (bar Tiber who had stayed quiet when I'd spoken with Nia, Gar and Rook) who offered their congratulations, demands to see my blade, and wanting to spar with me one final time before I left the sector. Then, I wandered around the floor, often being pulled aside by Adonai and Torrhen to meet various clan chiefs, heirs and other dignitaries Adonai had invited to the feast.

Most of the clans were known to me (mainly due to me having seen or interacted with a child from them at the Institute), but any that seemed important to the dukes I used Observe on to learn a little bit more about them. What I was able to determine was that around eighty per cent of those present were loyal to House Kryze or House Ordo. The remaining twenty were either possible allies for one of the dukes, or in the case of one table, representatives of major Mandalorian companies like Mandalmotors and Mandaltech and the leadership of the Protectors from a few planets in the sector.

At one point during my walk around, a rather drunk Mandalorian – one, according to Observe, who had issues with Jedi – came over to and challenged me to a duel, right then and there. I'd tried to back out of it, claiming it wasn't fair to fight someone drunk off his arse (ok, so I wasn't the most courteous about it, but it was my feast, dammit) but that only enraged him enough to throw a wild haymaker. I easily sidestepped it, but he stumbled and ended up hitting Bo's plate, sending food flying over her, Rook and Gar. Seeing this, and the look of murder that came to the two girl's eyes, I figured I'd settled things quickly, and struck the man with a Force-boosted punch. That had resulted in him flying off his feet and landing on another table. From there… well, it quickly descended into a short, chaotic brawl.

After the brawl had ended (though no one seemed to mind as I saw people at several other tables fight at different times during the feast), I'd returned to my seat, planning to enjoy more of the steak. Rook, it turned out, had other ideas, and with the help of Bo, dragged me back to the main floor, then through a side door. For a moment I was concerned the pair were going to try to have their way with me, but after laughing at me when I asked them if that was their plan, Rook explained that we were heading for a private party.

As we'd exited the building, we ran into Gar, my teammates (minus Tiber, thank the Force), Naz and Alys and Ebbe Ordo, before heading as a group to the Oyu'baat cantina. Apparently, the Oyu'baat was the oldest cantina on the planet, and apart from that claim to fame (and the fact it also doubled as a hotel) having a drink here was considered a rite of passage for any true Mandalorian.

While the drinks there weren't as expensive or varied as at the feast, the fact no one cared that I was a Jedi – indeed, many bought me a drink when they learnt I'd just completed my verd'goten – was nice. Though I did have to regale the patrons with my hunt a few times (but since that meant even more free alcohol for my friends and me, I was willing to do so). We stayed there for hours, drinking laughing and with my friends teaching me some Mandalorian songs and chants and introducing me to Meshgeroya (Limmie in Basic), which struck me as a far, far more violent form of rugby (and reminded me of an old computer game called Speedball).

As the evening wore on, and the drinks kept flowing, Huzu eventually suggested a game that was a mixture of target practice and truth or dare. Three or more people would compete each turn to hit as close to the bullseye of a target with the loser having to reveal a fact (truth) or pay a penance (dare) demanded by the winner. Thanks to my high skill with a blaster, cheats to limit the effects of alcohol on me, and the Force, I won all my games. Every game I won, I kept the truth or dare simple and harmless, though the others weren't as civil, and since we were there to celebrate my hunt, I was often the one targeted by dares, which were often things like sitting on my lap for a minute or making out with me. That was always a little unsettling, but the most worrying (and confusing) moment of the night came near the end. That was when Rook had beaten Bo, and with a smirk that I had come to associate with her, had dared Bo to make out with me.

I'd opened my mouth to say that Bo didn't have to do that (as I was well aware that Bo preferred the company of women over men) when Bo had smashed her lips against mine. Then held the kiss for nearly a minute. That had left me very confused, and I retreated into myself for the rest of the evening, while doing my best to ignore the comments made by others, and the fact that Bo hadn't even paused to complain before kissing me.

Thankfully, not long after that, guards loyal to Clan Kryze arrived to escort Bo, Naz and me to a flyer that would return us to the palace in Sundari and take the others back to the hall or other locations where their families were gathered.

Since that night Bo had ignored the kiss (which I really wished I could do as every time I saw her, it kept playing back in my mind), though Naz had poked fun at it; while also asking which of herself and Bo was the better kisser (since she'd been dared to kiss me a few times the previous night).

After a late breakfast – which made sense as almost everyone was suffering the effects of a hangover – I headed to a storage room where the now stripped clean skull of the dragon (along with its bones) was being kept. Even as nothing more than a skeleton, it was still impressive (or intimidating, depending on your opinion). Though as I examined it more closely and saw that behind the row of massive teeth was a second set of about forty smaller – but just as sharp – teeth, my mind wandered back to a comment Alys Ordo had made at the feast, and an idea began to form in my head.

Before lunch (though no one was particularly hungry), I had a meeting with Adonai, Fay and Dooku to determine what to do with the remains of the dragon. Ignoring that even after the feast last night, there were nearly thirty tons of dragon meat left, there was the matter of all the skin (which Adonai had already sent to be tanned) and various fibres and internal organs that remained. Adonai was willing to store all the meat, leather, and other parts in several secure frozen containers on the condition that he could occasionally use the meat for special feasts and be allowed to hang the dragon's skeleton in his family's estate back on Kelevada, though he assured me that no one else would take credit for it.

I had no issue with any of that, though Fay was less than impressed that Adonai wished to glorify my kill by displaying the skeleton as an ornament, and I quickly agreed to his terms. After that, I brought up the idea that I'd had about the smaller teeth, and all three adults had said it was an excellent idea with Adonai promising to have them ready in a few weeks.

After that though, my jaw almost hit the floor when Adonai revealed that inside the stomachs of the dragon, they had discovered thirty-four high-quality pearls of varying size. The smallest were at a size that they could be added to a lightsaber (though I discovered that night that my Mechanics: Lightsaber skill wasn't at a high enough level to allow me to do such a thing) while the largest was the size of the duke!

After we'd (my masters had been just as surprised as I) all gotten over our shock at learning how many pearls there were – and having Adonai state that the three largest ones (there were two others close to Adonai's size) could easily fetch several million credits each at auction – we'd decided to place them in a very secure vault for the time being, though Dooku had requested one of the smallest ones to see how it could be adapted into a lightsaber.

Later that afternoon, we (as in Fay, Dooku and myself) headed into Keldabe to a private hall at the Oyu'baat cantina. There Duke Torrhen, Lady Asta and a little over two dozen clan chiefs were gathered, and this was where I discovered what had happened after I'd blacked out from my wounds and tapped into the Dark Side of the Force.

The moment that the camera flared with red light, I saw many glances my way, though my attention was what happened next. The flash of light had sent the Trandoshan flying backwards from me (and from what I could make out I'd hit him with Force Lightning, though I had no idea why it had been red as the only time I could recall seeing that was from the Brother during the Mortis arc), and stunned the remaining mercs enough that the incoming Mandalorian squad was able to engage them before any could close om my crumpled form.

While the mercs had a slight numerical advantage, the Mandalorian strike team was better trained, better armed, better motivated, and, as I watched one Mando blast the arm of a Human mercenary off at the elbow then shoulder, far more brutal. And frankly, they put my old unit – and any other Tier-1 operations group – to shame with just how fast, efficient and devastating they were. It only took less than twenty seconds for all but three of the mercs to be down (two of which were Trandoshans) and those fell soon after, with the last Trandoshan falling to a blindside attack by Adonai, who'd jumped from a small craft, and decapitated the giant lizard – and removed one of his arms – with a single (jet-assisted) downwards strike with a blade. (I later learnt the blade was a beskad and had been in Adonai's family for five generations.)

When the recording had ended just after Adonai's rather epic kill, the room erupted in fury. I was taken aback at how angry the Mandalorian chiefs were, but Torrhen explained (while Adonai tried to calm the others down) that attacking an adiik during, or just after their verd'goten was a mark of such dishonour that wars had been declared for less. It took Adonai nearly five minutes to calm the chiefs down enough that he could explain what he knew.

Adonai's forces had managed to persuade the few surviving mercenaries to reveal that they were hired by Decca the Hutt to attack me and bring me in, dead or alive. From there, Dooku and I had explained our past dealings with Decca, which meant revealing the existence of the Lokella to the Mandalorians (in particular, Pre who was present at the meeting). The anger in the room grew as I explained that the Lokella were freed slaves that Decca had attempted to recapture – though no one mentioned anything about my killing of Girk Saxon when it came up. While I was less than thrilled to have revealed the Lokella to the Mandalorians – particularly due to Pre's presence – many of the other chiefs offered their warriors to help train the Lokella and strike back at the Hutt's operations.

Fay had been adamant that we would not condone revenge attacks against the Hutt, but Count Aundars pointed out (rightly in my mind) that this was not a Jedi matter, but a Mandalorian one, though if I, as chief of Clan Shan, preferred we didn't, he and the others would follow my lead. I was conflicted as I didn't want things to escalate and makes the threat of another attack by Decca on the Lokella worse, but having trained warriors helped the Lokella (whether that be simply training them or cooperating in operations against the slaver) was a boon I couldn't deny to the Lokella plus I would lose standing with the other clans. I decided that the Mandalorians could aid the Lokella with their training and in bolstering their standing defences. If they decided between themselves to launch any incursions into the Hutt's operations, then that could be arranged between their two groups, and I need not decide that for them, nor even be aware of it. The grins on the clan chiefs as they worked out my loophole was unmistakable. I suspected it was not only due to the chance to fight some Hutts, but also from my willingness to skirt the edges of Jedi dogma when necessary.

Fay didn't say anything about my choice then and there, though I sensed her disapproval and we ended up speaking about the matter later. Strangely, Dooku supported my actions and was able to alleviate most of his fellow Jedi Master's concerns. One thing I did mention to both in private was that having the Mandalorians and Lokella train and operate together now had the potential to be useful for the coming darkness. I knew the first possible test of this would Naboo, but my masters didn't, and as such, Fay was sceptical about my reasoning, but willing to go along with it while Dooku considered it a practical approach to the building of a non-Jedi force to bolster our efforts in combating the rising darkness.

The clan chiefs had accepted my suggestion for training the Lokella, and they quickly began to make plans to have the first unit of fifty warriors head to the ShaDo system (Dooku happily explained the reason for such a name when it came up, making several of the chiefs laugh) while I promised to contact the Lokella after the meeting.

After that, Adonai revealed the fact that only a handful of people knew what planet I was on for my verd'goten, however all of them had denied leaking the details to the Hutts and Adonai's operatives so far hadn't been able to determine where the leak had come from. I'd expected Pre to have covered his tracks but hearing that he had was still infuriating. Though I wasn't alone in my annoyance as many grumbled upon hearing that a fellow Mandalorian had leaked the information, however Adonai stated the investigation was still ongoing. While I knew it was Pre, and because of this I was leaning very heavily to taking him out when the time was right, there was little I could do to point Adonai in that direction. A vague comment about the Force and Pre would be about as welcomed by the Mandalorians as an Ewok stripper on the Senate floor would be.

From there, the meeting had delved into the particulars of my new alliances with Clans Ordo and Kryze, and it was all but confirmed that the pair had used me to lay the groundwork for them restoring the alliance between their Houses. That would infuriate the New Mandalorians – and their backers in the Senate – and I could sense Pre's discomfort with this development, but I was more than happy to have this change take place. The Mandalorians in the Clone Wars were… useless. Oh, some of them were still good warriors, but the society as a whole was nothing more than a waste of space that needed to be removed. Now, there was a chance – however small – that this development could turn on me at a later date, but I was more than willing to take that risk; after all, that was one of my main reasons for coming to this planet in the first place. If only it hadn't taken a year to get to this point.

Now, Adonai had no intention of breaking his alliance with the New Mandalorians, at least not for the time being, but nothing was stopping him from slowly preparing for the moment when he would break from them. This irritated several of the chiefs present, but since Adonai had all but stated he planned to break with them at some point and was merely waiting until it was most politically advantageous, the majority were willing to go along with things; for the time being.

That evening, after dinner, Fay, Dooku and I were escorted to a secure landing pad on the outskirts of the old capital, where we met with Duke Torrhen, his family and their retainers and boarded his personal cruiser, the one I was currently on.

We'd been on board for two days so far and provided nothing untoward happened (though with my apparent luck, I couldn't rule that out), we'd reach planet Ordo shortly after lunch today. This evening, Duke Torrhen would hold a celebration to acknowledge the re-establishment of the alliance between our families in Clan Ordo's ancestral estate (for which we'd brought a literal ton of dragon meat). We'd then be taken the following day to the Vault of the Preserver.

I couldn't help but wonder just what was in this vault that Canderous had supposedly left, and why it seemed they needed someone of Revan's bloodline to open it. I doubted Revan had left anything for me specifically in there as that would suggest he'd had visions of what I'd face in the current era and would've cost him resources in his time. Now, while I didn't know exactly what had happened to him after the Knights of the Old Republic games, I suspected he'd gone and tried to take on the Sith Empire that would attack the Republic and Jedi about three hundred years after his time.

With that in mind, I couldn't see him leaving me anything truly important in the vault, and certainly not anything that would help with his quest (The Promise of the Fallen). It was more likely that Revan and Canderous set this vault up as a fallback option for when the Sith Empire emerged to attack the Republic, but it was forgotten about in the centuries between its construction and that war.

A chime sounded, letting me know it was time for the shift change. While that wasn't directly important to me, it did mean that I was expected to be in the mess hall in fifteen minutes. With that in mind, I turned and headed to the small cleaning alcove my assigned quarters had and, as I exited my quarters, pushed thoughts about what I'd find in the vault to one side.

… …



… …

Seven men waited quietly as a large, well-decorated transport began its final descent to the spaceport. This ship carried an unexpected but important guest to their world; one rich enough to travel with four heavily armed cruisers as escort. The passenger, the one the seven men were waiting for, was one of the richest and most powerful beings in the Republic, though why he had come to Mandalore was unknown. The head of Mandalmotors, Dred Yomaget, was keeping the reasons quiet.

However, news of the impending guest had leaked, and there was vocal dissent from non-Death Watch sympathizers about allowing an outsider to visit and invest in Mandalorian companies. Hence why the six-man honour guard waiting with a senior member of Mandalmotor's board were only the obvious sign of combatants present. A further thirty warriors were stationed nearby in various units to prevent any unexpected incidents from occurring.

Less than a minute later the transport had landed (thankfully without any hint of an attack being imminent) and the landing ramp began to descend. Slowly, the airlock hissed open and from within came eight large, armoured warriors, each carrying a force pike whose silver armour forced the senior member to raise a hand and shield his eyes from the glare they gave off. The Mandalorians tensed at seeing the Sun Guards appear as there existed a large amount of bad blood between the groups, however they were all well trained and none overreacted to the presence of the new warriors.

After the Sun Guards had taken up position at the base of the ramp, a single Munn walked down the ramp. He was paler than most of his species and wore a large, distinctive mask over his face. The lead member of the Mandalorian delegation stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his pistol as he eyed the guards cautiously.

"Magister Damask, we are honoured that you have chosen to visit Mandalore, though we are curious why a member of the Banking Clan has come all this way. My name is…"

The man stopped as Damask raised a long-fingered hand. "I am here on a private matter for Damask Holdings and while you are likely someone of importance within your company, you are not who I am here to meet."

"Ah, of course." The board member said, forcing a smile onto his face. "Then if you and your escort would kindly follow me, we'll escort you to Chairman Yomaget."

Damask nodded his consent and the board member turned to the honour guard. Two fell into step at the front, acting as way finders, while the other four waited for Damask and his guards to pass by before bringing up the rear.

"Would you care for a tour of the city before we reach Mandalmotors headquarters?" The man asked once they'd left the landing pad.

"Thank you, but no." Damask replied. "While I am sure there will be time for me to visit locations around the planet later, I would prefer to speak with the Chairman first."

"As you wish."

The large group moved through the bustling streets of Keldabe, though Damask was able to see that guards were stationed along their route to ensure none of the locals came too close to himself or his guards. A wise precaution as the Sun Guards and those who followed the Old Ways of the Mandalorians held no love for each other.

However, as they headed down the main thoroughfare, and came into sight of Mandalmotor's headquarters, a loud noise came from a building to their left, followed shortly after by a man exiting the building through the window.

That man landed at the feet of the front honour guard, who quickly and bluntly 'escorted' him from the road.

"Is it always this… unruly?" Damask asked as he glanced at the cantina the man had been thrown from, the air pungent with the smell of food and alcohol.

"Yes, though this is a rather unusual day." The board member replied, fighting to keep a small smile from his face as he remembered his part in the festivities the previous day. "A new warrior has joined our ranks. Though not born on our worlds, the Jedi proved himself by slaying a greater krayt dragon single-handedly."

Damask's brow rose as he turned to face the board member. "A Jedi Padawan slew such a beast alone?" The man nodded and seemed to stand taller as Damask gazed down at him. "I have heard that such beasts are all but immune to lightsabers. Most impressive that a Padawan was able to take one down."

The board member smiled. "Oh, he didn't use the Jedi weapon. The b… warrior took it down as our traditions demand, with nothing but a single blade. During the hunt he respected our ways and laws, not using the powers a Jedi is known for."

Damask tiled his head. "Indeed? Hmm, then if it is at all possible, I would like to meet this young Jedi. Someone with such skill, courage and uniqueness has the potential to be a valuable ally."

The board member's smile slipped a touch before he replied. "Sadly, the boy is off-world with his Jedi trainers. However, if your meeting with Chairman Yomaget goes well, he may be able to speak with Duke Adonai Kryze to arrange a meeting. The duke is the one who sponsored the boy's training with our youngest warriors."

Damask chuckled, which was a strange sound because of the mask. "Using my curiosity as a potential benefit. Very wise. Though we will see how my meeting with your superior goes before I make any requests to him or this duke."

Without another word, Damask began to walk once more. The board member had to move quickly to both keep up with the alien and avoid being trampled by the powerful Munn's guard.

… …



… …

As I looked at the large door that sealed the Vault of the Preserver, once more my mind wandered as I contemplated what could be within. It turned out that the vault was located below Clan Ordo's ancestral estate (which was in a mountain region in the northern hemisphere of the planet) so getting to it from the estate where we were staying was easy enough. That is if you overlook the fact that it took twenty minutes of heading down into the mountain tunnels before we arrived at the vault doors.

"There's no lock." I commented as my eyes wandered the large (about five by three metres) slab of beskar – it was easy to tell that as the metal had the distinctive ripple effect common to the metal – that served as the door to the vault and completely covered the entrance; sliding into the walls at the edges of the tunnel.

"Aye, and the door, if one could call it that, is embedded about half a meter in all directions." Lady Asta explained from just behind me and to the right. "Previous generations scanned the door to confirm this, though none have risked opening the vault. To do so would insult the ancestors of our clan."

Since the Ordo's expected me to be the one to open the door, they – along with Fay and Dooku – were standing behind me as I surveyed the door. The Ordo children had wished to come down with us, but Torrhen had made them stay with Baston Tyri and his two children, Jakada and Bryn, in the Ordo estate on the surface. Baston held the position of Laam'alverde (High Commander) within House Ordo's military forces and, from what I could gather from talking with both me and using Observe on them, Torrhen trusted Baston implicitly. I hadn't spent much time with Baston outside of the presence of Torrhen, Asta or my masters, but both his children had expressed an interest in sparring with me before I left the planet. (Which meant I'd received over sixty spar requests since my feast, though some were likely to be of a less than friendly form.)

"The Force is unusually strong here." Fay commented, and I knew what she meant. As we'd entered the tunnels, I'd activated Sense Force and almost stumbled at the glare that appeared on my minimap from below. That glare had been caused by the vault we were now standing in front of. The Force seemed to swirl around the door, with a stronger presence coming from inside the vault. That had me curious as to just what Revan had done here to soak a cave so thoroughly in the Force. What object (or objects) was inside that even after millennia, could give off such a strong Force aura.

"Perhaps that is how the vault has stayed sealed for all these years? It needs the presence of one strong in the Force to, at least partially, open the locks within." Dooku suggested. I turned to reply, only to stop at a growl.

That growl had come from Torrhen's… companion (calling it a pet or familiar felt wrong). The thing was a Raqour'daan that came up to Torrhen's midsection and looked like a Force-cursed beast. The body was that of a large wolf that was covered in black fur, while the head was covered by an exposed skull (or what appeared to be one) and from the sockets where the eyes rested, two icy-blue eyes stared back at me. The beast's tail reminded me of a scorpion's stinger, and I was morbidly curious if the stinger at the tip carried venom. Apparently, Torrhen had killed one such beast for his verd'goten, only to discover three pups not long after. He'd brought them home and raised the trio as hunting hounds with the one with us today being the alpha (and only male of the initial three) of a pack of twelve. Everything about the beast yelled 'danger', so for Torrhen to take one as a companion made perfect sense to the Mandalorian way of thinking.

I glanced back at the beast, and its eyes seemed to narrow as it saw me; almost as if it was sizing up a threat to its pack. It growled once more, only to stop as Torrhen idly stroked its fur. At that, it turns its attention to the duke, leaning into the hand and I shook my head at seeing such a dominant beast become so submissive and trusting towards the duke. The bond that existed between them reminded me of those between dog and soldier back in my old life, and while I wondered what it would be like to have such a thing as a companion, I seriously doubted that it would ever happen. There weren't many creatures in the galaxy that I knew of that were suitable or capable of being the companion of a Jedi save for those that were considered a threat by the Jedi Order to any Force Sensitive.

"A former Jedi has tried to open it." Torrhen replied to Dooku's suggestion. "When Tarre Vizsla became Mand'alor, and he proved himself to the then leader of our clan, he was brought here and attempted to open the vault. He failed and stated that the vault was sealed with something called a Force signature, and while he could force his way through, he believed that doing so would risk the contents of the vault."

I frowned at hearing that as I had no idea the Force could have a signature. Was it similar to a genetic marker that passed from parent to child? If so, then there was a fair chance I couldn't open the vault as my link to Revan was… diluted after four generations. If that was the case, then I'd just as likely have to leave the vault alone for now; though a part of me wanted to just phase through the door and see what was on the other side. Yes, doing that could get me in trouble with House Ordo, but so far, I'd failed to see or detect (via Force Sight) any cameras or other methods of detection, so it was an option for a later date. Yet, the more I stood staring at the unopenable door, the more I had a feeling that I had to get in there; as if something within the Force was calling to me.

"Unusual. Such things are almost unheard of in the Order." Dooku commented and I suspected he was stroking his beard. "Though, if I recall my history correctly, they were once used by powerful Jedi to seal away important objects for safekeeping."

"They were, but even when I was a Padawan, such things were rare." Fay added on. "Though I do remember there being rumours that Lord Hoth had one such vault hidden somewhere in or near the Yushan Sector. However, no one has ever come forward claiming to have found it." She paused and I soon felt her hand on my shoulder. "Given to the link that Canderous Ordo held with your ancestor, I suspect that only you have any chance of opening this door."

I turned my head just enough that I could see her. "How?"

Fay smiled, in that enigmatic way she loved to use whenever she felt an answer was obvious. "Trust in the Force. It has guided you here for a reason. Both Master Dooku and I can sense that."

"Indeed." Dooku added from my left. "The Force feels almost… excited by us being here and since that is because of your choice to come to this sector, I am in agreement with Master Fay that you are the one meant to open this door."

I nodded as I turned my attention back to the slab of beskar (and ignored the returning thought about how much such a slab would be worth; financially and culturally) and watched as the Force seemed to dance around the door. With Sense Force active, it was like the aurora borealis dialled up to a thousand as the Force moved, shimmied, and slid over the door. There were no colours, but I could almost feel every ripple, shift, and change in the Force. Though as I stared at it further, I noticed that some of these ripples weren't running along the door, but through it. I couldn't tell how far past the door the Force currents seemed to run, but I was quickly becoming certain that there was more to this door than met the eye and tried to focus on the Force just past the door.

I inhaled sharply as I did, as the Force seemed to react to my gentle push and reach back to grasp me. Yet, there was more to it, something almost familiar to the current in the Force that had reacted to my presence. No, currents because as I edged forward in the Force, I was able to feel that the current was actually two; similar yet distinct enough that I could now tell them apart.

Quickly I was able to place the first, stronger yet more subdued aura as that of Revan's. Even though I couldn't explain how, I knew this aura was his. The other presence was both more familiar, yet not, which made my brow crease in confusion.

If I was understanding what I was sensing (and quite frankly, what I was sensing was insane), then it felt as though Revan's aura was… amused by me being here. Yet even though that should've been my focus – this was Revan we were talking about after all – my attention was drawn to the second aura. While Revan's… spirit (for lack of a better word) seemed to be content to acknowledge my presence and find amusement in it, the second aura seemed to reach out and wrap itself around me. I inhaled sharply as I swore that I felt delight from that aura, and it seemed to almost be singing in the Force; music that vibrated through my very soul and made me feel safe, protected and home.

"Cameron?" Fay asked, a hint of confusion in her voice and in the Force, along with, strangely, a faint sense of amusement.

"I-I'm fine, master." I replied slowly, trying to not verbally react to the almost ancestral presence in the Force as it moved to all but encircle me; almost as if it was trying to hug me. "This place… it was made by Revan. But there's something else here. Or someone. I, I don't know how to …" I stumbled over my words because I had no way to describe what I was sensing and feeling through the Force.

I felt Fay's hand on my shoulder tighten and sensed her support through our bond. "Explaining how the Force is, how it moves, flows and behaves is not easy to do with mere words. It is a wonderous thing that only those touched by it can truly comprehend. Now, these… residual spirits that you feel, do they seem friendly and inviting?"

"I think so. I mean, the older one, the one I think is… a left-over sense of Revan, that one seems amused by me. The other one though… I feel as if I know it." I replied slowly, taking my time to try and put my thoughts – and what I was sensing – into something that should make sense to my masters, and as I spoke, I swore I felt the second, more familiar spirit laugh; or at least I sensed a massive spike in joy and warmth from it. "This… it's incredible."

"The Force often is." Dooku stated and I could sense amusement from him, Fay, and the two residual presences within the vault. "This second presence, why do you think that you know it?"

"I… It's familiar. As if I know who it is, yet I can't place it with anyone I've ever known." I replied, still taking my time with my words as I gently reached out further into the Force, and felt this ancestral aura seem to dance around my probe. "They… They're a part of me, I think. Yet…"

I gasped as the aura seemed to grab my Force probe and pulled it towards the door.

"Cameron."

I swore I heard something whispering in the deepest parts of my mind, speaking in a voice that I instinctively knew. Yet, I also knew I'd never heard it before. Though before I could try and process why I knew the voice, the aura shifted and drew back to the door; yet it was also trying to pull me, or at least then tendril I probed into the Force with, along for the ride.

Trusting in the Force, I let my probe be pulled towards the door and felt as the aura guided me around the metal. Feeling the Force seep through the bonds of the Mandalorian Iron door was… beyond words. The aura led my Force tendril (and even as I thought about it, I knew my words to describe what was going on were lacking, yet there was nothing else I could use) through the door, then over to the left wall. There it seemed to dance around in a certain manner, but before I could understand why it was behaving like this, my tendril was pulled once more; this time to a point that I instinctively knew was right against the wall.

This new location… was both stronger in the Force, and yet lacking, which made no sense. Yet, as I tried to understand how that could be, the aura that was guiding me began to repeat the strange dance. As if a switch had been flicked in my mind, I understood what I had to do, and copied the motions of the dancing aura. As I finished the strange, ethereal dance, I heard something click.

"Wh-what?" Asta muttered, but I paid her no heed, instead keeping all my focus on the Force, and this strange, ancestral aura that now seemed to glow with delight.

As I pulled back from what I now knew was something like a Force lock (though how such a thing even worked, I had no clue), the ancestral aura shifted back as Revan's… spirit came closer. For what felt like an eternity, Revan's aura seemed to gaze upon my presence in the Force. The ancestral aura tried to come closer, but a dark spark from Revan's spirit made it keep its distance. During this I kept my body and Force presence calm; or as calm as I could under the pressure I somehow was feeling from Revan's aura.

Eventually, Revan's aura seemed to accept me, and shifted around; seemingly dragging my tendril with it to the other side of the vault near the door. There it stopped and, if I understood what was going on, was gesturing at something for me to deal with. Slowly, I let my tendril in the Force shift towards where Revan's aura was indicating and felt… something cold, dead, yet not. This was obviously another lock of some sort, but unlike the last one, it didn't have the Force flowing around it as if at one with the Force. Instead, it was almost as if it was challenging me, trying to draw me closer.

A moment later I realised that this lock needed me to touch the Dark Side, or at least not reject it, to have any chance of opening it. Plus, it seemed Revan (or at least his aura) wasn't prepared to help me, and I was forced to push towards the lock; taking on the challenge that I could sense in the Force. It took me much longer to figure out this lock – which wasn't a surprise – but eventually, I managed to move it in the right way and I heard a second click echo through the tunnel.

A loud hiss filled my ears, and I yanked back the tendril I'd extended into the Force and opened my eyes to see the giant slab of beskar that served as the door of the vault shift. My hand moved to my lightsaber as the door slid silently into the left wall, watching cautiously for any further traps that might be inside. Even once the door was over halfway into the wall and ceased to move, I stayed still. There was no way that the door was only opened by two locks that required the Force to use. That was too simple (and at the same time illogical) for people like Canderous and Revan to use.

And I was proved right as when someone behind me shone a light into the vault, we were greeted by a second door; though this one didn't appear to be made of beskar as it lacked the distinctive ripples the metal was known for. And further unlike the first door, it clearly opened centrally and had a device of some form locking the two halves in place.

Cautiously, I – followed by the others – stepped through the first door and approached the lock on the second.

"That looks like a simple blood lock with a verbal interface." Torrhen commented once we were all between the two doors and he shone his torch on the lock. "Though I'm not sure about the wiring running into the door."

"Probably a trigger trap." Asta suggested from her husband's side. "In his place, I'd have done something like that."

"If that is the case, how can we be sure of whose blood will deactivate the lock?" Dooku asked as I felt Fay reach out with the Force, likely searching for a hint of how to approach this obstacle.

Before anyone could answer, the lock beeped, and a small display activated.

"Ara'novor bal cuyir haatyc." The lock spoke in the voice of Canderous. "Jorhaa'ir te resonl'nare bal jor'lekir gar tal."

"Well, that's nice and clear." I muttered as I easily understood that it wanted someone to approach, repeat the Resonl'nare – the Mandalorian creed – and submit blood for a check. "Save for who it wants to approach."

"I suspect it is you, Chief Cameron." Asta commented after a long pause followed my statement. "You were the one to open the outer door. Logic dictates that it should be you to open the inner one."

"Why not you or your husband?" Dooku asked as I kept my focus on the lock. I activated Force Sight and examined the lock, but found nothing untoward, and then followed the cables that ran into the door.

"No. Our duty was to protect the vault, not help to open it. We were not needed for the first door, so I doubt we're needed for the second." Asta replied but my attention was on the cables.

Through the Force, I could see them split into twelve lines. Four curved back towards the first door while the other eight headed deeper into the vault. I turned my head to follow the ones that curved behind us and found all ended in small (twenty by twenty centimetres) boxes at the four corners of the outer door. While I couldn't be certain what was in those boxes, I had a fair idea.

"Padawan?" Fay asked and I turned to face her, deactivating Force Sight as I did. The last time I'd used that power on a strong Force user I'd almost mentally blinded myself from the glow I could sense.

"The cable in the lock leads to four points near the outer door, and at least eight further in." I replied. While that was more than most Force users would be able to determine in such a short space of time, my masters knew I was 'skilled' at sensing such things now while the Ordo's wouldn't realise that I was faster than your average Jedi. "At a guess, I'd say they're explosive charges. An incorrect blood scan, or failure to recite the Resonl'nare will likely set them off."

"Probably something any Mandalorian would do." Torrhen said in agreement.

I turned back to the lock and sighed dramatically. "Well, who wants to live forever?"

"I was hoping to live to a hundred, but osik, what's the point in living if you can't live dangerously." Asta answered my rhetorical question with a chuckle, and it drew one from me as I slid my hand into the small slot that I assumed was a blood scanner.

A light flickered in the slot then the screen bleeped and displayed the Mando'a word for ten. "How droll. A countdown." I commented with a roll of my eyes. "Ba'jur bal beskar'gam, Ara'nov, aliit, Mando'a bal Mand'alor. An vencuyan mhi." I said clearly, repeating the creed of the Mandalorians in their tongue (as there was little chance the recording would ask for it in Basic).

The screen stopped its count (it was at six) as the light scanning my hand flickered off. Taking that as my cue, I pulled my hand out and stepped back, my left hand slowly tightening around my lightsaber. While I didn't expect any more challenges to enter the vault, I wasn't going to be caught unawares.

Thankfully though, I was just being paranoid, and the second door clicked – likely due to the latches holding it together unlocked – then slid back slowly. The door wasn't as silent as most other doors were (or the first) but that might just be an issue of age with the locking mechanism.

"Osi'kar!" Torrhen muttered as his and Asta's torches shone over the vault as they, and the rest of us, realised that this wasn't a simple vault with a single room (or cavern) but an extended section of tunnel that led on about ten metres before turning to the right. However, what drew my eye (thanks to Sense Force) were two small crates that were resting on a pallet about a metre or so into the tunnel. Both had a faint glow within the Force, though the first crate felt… safer than the second.

"Cameron." Fay called out in caution as I began to step forward, but my focus was on the crates. A feeling told me that, while both crates were important, the first was more… linked to me. Though how I knew that I still didn't understand. The Force was such a strange and mysterious thing that I knew (even if it seemed to want to help me change the fate of the galaxy) it would take me decades to even begin to understand. Force, Fay had been living in tune with it for centuries, and there were still times when I sensed her surprise at something we sensed through the Force.

Slowly, I stepped closer to the first crate, and after a moment checking that there were no booby-traps on it (and examining it with Sense Force), used the Force to lift the lid off with a simple gesture.

There were several objects inside, my eyes were drawn to the first (and topmost) object. It was a standard holocron, yet something told me it was important. The ancestral aura I'd sensed in the Force – the one that'd helped me open the first lock on the outer door – was present in the holocron, and I knew this would explain why I felt I should know whose presence in the Force I was sensing.

Almost on autopilot, I reached out and lifted the holocron. Whatever residual Force presence there was inside flared at my touch, and I gasped and the surge that ran through me. As it did, I realised that this aura wasn't just familiar, it was familial; and close family at that.

"Cameron?" Fay asked, trying to draw my attention (and I could sense concern and curiosity from her through the Force), but my focus stayed locked on the holocron in my hand. I closed my eyes and reached out for it in the Force. It seemed to almost revel in my touch, and slowly I pushed through the Force, trying to tease the holocron to open.

As it flared brightly in the Force, I opened my eyes and gasped as the image of a woman (no more than thirty centimetres in height) was projected on the top of the holocron. It was hard to judge the height, eye and hair colour from a small hologram, but there was no denying she was beautiful, having an almost regal air to her and stood with a strong, but weary stance.

"My name is Ressa Shan, Jedi Knight, and if you are seeing this, then I am likely dead."

I inhaled sharply at hearing her name as everything about the aura in the Force I'd been sensing clicked together. This was my mum; or at least the woman who'd given birth to Cameron Shan before I'd… merged (?) with him and altered his destiny.

"Know that what I did, in falsifying my son's records and hiding him away with my father, was all for a reason." Ressa continued as my mind wondered why the auras of my 'mother' and Revan hadn't sensed there was something different about me. When I'd spoken to his ghost in the crystal cave on Ilum, Revan had realised that I wasn't entirely his descendent. So why hadn't the aura he'd left in the Force here react to that? And why hadn't my mother's aura noticed something was different as well?

"Though since only my Cameron, or one of his children, could access this message, then I can be happy that it was all worth it." Ressa smiled and I cursed whatever power had decided that this beautiful woman had to die so that I could be reborn here. Would it have hurt anyone to have allowed her to live and raise me before I'd been driven into the future (and the era I'd chosen when I'd created my new history/body)?

"My dearest Cameron, if you are watching this, then I need you to know that I'm so, so sorry that I couldn't be there for you. That I couldn't train you in the ways of the Force, watch you grow, become a great man and, I hope, if you haven't already, one day have children of your own. And if I am speaking to one of my grandchildren, or further down the family tree, then know that I loved my son, and that everything I did was to protect him." She paused and her eyes seemed to scan the room as if looking for someone from beyond the grave. "If my son, or his descendent is here with a Jedi Master, or another willing to train them in the ways of the Force, you have my deepest and warmest thanks."

"It has been our honour, Knight Shan." Dooku replied, showing respect to a woman long since dead, and even if I couldn't see him, I knew he had bowed to the recording of my mother.

Ressa's hologram – for some reason, it felt wrong to keep referring to her as my mother – shifted, and her shoulders dropped. "My sweet little Cameron. If it is you listening to this message, then I must beg your forgiveness; for both leaving you with my father as a baby, and for hiding your strength in the Force from the Jedi." She sighed and looked down to one side, rubbing her arm as she did so. "You see your father… he was not who I believed him to be."

"I… I met him about four years before you were born, not long after I became a Knight, on a world deep in the Outer Rim; one that had once been a part of Exar Kun's Sith Empire though, by the time I arrived, it had been a part of the Republic for centuries." She paused and took a breath, seemingly to steady herself and I felt a cold shiver travel down my spine. Something told me that what she was about to reveal was not going to be comforting. "He was older than me. Heh, almost as old as my father, yet there was this… air to him. Something regal, noble. And while he wasn't trained at the Temple, he was well trained in the Force, if seemingly lacking in strength in the Force, and claimed that he'd been a Padawan of a travelling Jedi several decades before. Like a fool, I believed him even though the chances of that were remote." She shook her head. "I should've seen the truth, should've questioned more about the chances of such a meeting taking place, but in my youth; in my arrogance, I didn't."

"As time went by, and we travelled together, I quickly fell for him and not long after I realised that I was pregnant with Cameron, something happened. While dealing with pirates on an outer rim world, we were overrun and, in a moment of anger, the man unleashed his full strength in the Force. His power… was unlike anything I'd ever felt before. Pure, controlled fury that obliterated the pirates." She sighed again, still rubbing her arm. "It was at that moment I knew I'd been fooled. The man I'd fallen for was not a Jedi, but a Sith Lord. One of incredible power who I believe had sought me out due to my heritage." I heard Fay inhale sharply and sensed a spike in concern from Dooku at the reveal of my father being a Sith.

And where the fuck was that mentioned in the life setup options?

"Keeping quiet about what had happened, and doing my best to shield my thoughts, I was able to slip away from the man one night. Though it was a close thing as, while my shuttle was leaving the planet, he unleashed a Force Storm that ignited the atmosphere of the planet. I escaped, but even though there should've been little chance that he survived his attack, I took no chances."

"I… I didn't feel safe leaving you with the Order." Her eyes darted up as if looking for something before they returned to looking at the floor in front of her. That man… your father, H-he was more powerful than any of the Masters at the Temple, and possibly all of them combined. So, after you were born, I faked your Force potential check, dropped you with my father then disappeared. I… I wish… that I could've seen you grow; seen you become a man that I know in my heart will help those in need, but I couldn't risk it. The Sith would be after me."

"I'm leaving my personal holocron, along with several other objects for my son here, in this vault set up by Revan and Canderous in the hope that one day, you may find them, Cameron. That you can forgive me for what I've done and can stay safe from Kadir."

For the first time since Ressa had begun her recounting, she stood tall, and her eyes were searching for something as if she was trying to reach out across the millennia to speak directly to me.

"I wish that I could've been there to see you grow, my sweet, sweet boy. To see you take your first steps, get into your first fight, construct your first lightsaber and become the man that I know in my heart you are destined to be, but it couldn't happen. I know there is every chance you cannot forgive me for what I've done, but everything has been to protect you, to set you on a path that I, and the Force, feel is the correct one. Everything I have done is because I love you, my darling boy. May the Force be with you, always."

The message flickered off, but I continued to stare at the holocron, trying to process what I'd just learnt. I didn't know if this Sith was influenced by The Powers That Be to seek out my mother, or if that had been what was supposed to have happened to Cameron before I merged/replaced him but learning that my father was a Sith was… a shock to the system. I didn't know of any active Sith during those years, though thanks to my time at the Temple, I was aware that about two hundred years after I 'left' the past, a powerful Sith Empire attacked the Jedi and Republic - even being able to occupy Coruscant for a while - so my father might have been an advanced scout for that empire.

The other big issue with this reveal (beyond the thoughts about what Kadir had been like as a person – Sith of no, he had been my father) was how the Jedi in general – and the High Council in particular -would react to this. Something told me that if they found out about this, then my chances of altering the future – and thus, preventing the rise of Sidious' Empire – would be… restricted.

"Cameron?" I turned at Fay's voice and felt her hand as she gently touched my shoulder. "How are you handling this?" I turned to face her while still holding my Ressa's holocron.

"I…" I licked my lips and sighed. "I don't know. Knowing my mum seemingly died to protect me is bittersweet, but learning my father was a Sith… The Council will not like that."

Dooku almost snorted at my comment. "I see you are learning the art of understatement." I couldn't keep the smirk from my lips as he continued. "The Council will only learn of this if, and only if, Master Fay and I believe they need to know." He paused and glanced away for a moment before continuing. "The actions of one's parents have no bearing on the child. All the mistakes, triumphs and everything in-between belongs only to the parents, with the child being no more than an observer to them. To judge you for the choices made by a man you have never met would be… unworthy of educated beings."

"Yes. This is a private matter that you, and you alone, have to come to terms with." Fay added as I felt a wave of reassurance from her through the Force. "While this news is… troubling, you have never known your father, nor are you bound to follow his path simply because you share his genetics."

"Okay." I mumbled out as I turned my attention back to the holocron. The Force, while now calmer, was still swirling around the object. I felt as though there was more stored within it for me to learn; about Ressa, my family and the Force. Yet, I knew this wasn't the time nor place to see. Still, I used Observe on the holocron before I slipped it into one of the inner pockets my robes had.

Ressa Shan's Holocron
The personal holocron of Jedi Knight Ressa Shan.
Served as a diary and knowledge storage unit for Knight Shan for over a decade.
HP: 200
Rarity: Unique
Value: 15000
Energy Value: 25000
Special Features:
Almost unlimited storage capacity.
The knowledge within is protected by a 'gatekeeper'.
The almost unlimited storage space was something I'd seen on other holocrons (something to do with the Force and how they worked I suspected), and the Hit Points, Value and Energy Value – which I still had no ideas as to its function, though it wasn't how much Force Power I could push into an object as I'd tried that on a few things without success – values were in-line with other holocrons as well.

Then again, the only holocron I'd played around with was the Sith apprentice's holocron that I'd grabbed before ending up in this era. With that, I'd been reluctant to spend too much time delving into what it contained. While it had belonged to only a Sith apprentice, it was still an object soaked in the Dark Side (making it hard to open when always around Jedi), thus I'd only browsed the more… surface information contained within. Still, I felt better having in my Inventory than being locked away in a vault in the Jedi Temple (with whatever other objects deemed 'tainted by the Dark Side' the Council had locked away over the millennia).

As I dropped the holocron into a large pocket, I lamented that my standard robes had a limited number of pockets. There was certainly not anything big enough to holster my new short sword, though that was hardly a surprise. Said blade was currently back at the Ordo estate as neither of my masters felt I'd require it for the vault. Both were less than thrilled that I even had it with me, but to leave it back on (the planet) Mandalore would've been - according to Duke Adonai - an insult to his clan; and that of Clan Ordo as they commissioned the sheath.

One thing I did plan to have made - once I was knighted - was a set of robes made from the dragon skin that had more pockets than a normal robe. If not for my Inventory, I'd have to have left many things (not least my lightsaber shoto when I didn't keep it secured with a magnetic clamp) behind, or have them stored in a rucksack that would be unusual for a Jedi to carry.

Turning my attention back to the crate, the next thing that caught my eye was a simple, if slightly old, datapad. A quick check confirmed it still had power, and I turned it on.

The screen flickered and took longer to start than was normal, but given to its age and lack of activity, that wasn't unexpected. What was, was the picture that appeared. It showed Ressa, her hair matted against her skull, holding a bundle. I gasped as I realised this was me, or at least my body, being born and again my mind wondered if this boy would've been born if not for me choosing to be inserted into this universe as a descendent of Revan.

Still, even if this woman wasn't technically my mother, I still felt a connection to her; and given to the way her aura had reacted to me, that extended into the Force. Slowly, taking care in case my touch might break the ancient datapad, I ran my finger down the screen. It was clear that this photo was taken not long after my 'birth', and it should've been a happy moment to see. Yet, my mind was quickly drawn back to who my father was, and the fact that not long after this Ressa was forced to place 'me' with her father and run away. A swell of anger grew in me at realising that Sith had stolen 'my' childhood, yet I was quickly able to dismiss it. The fault likely was my own because of my choices before my rebirth, so any anger should be directed at myself and not a Sith that was long dead.

Part of me wanted to spend more time looking at the picture – and any other pictures or data that might be on the datapad – I knew it was something I could do at a later date. So, being careful with the ancient datapad, I placed it down gently on the unopened second crate and returned my focus to what was in the first.

The next thing I picked up was a narrow but long case that reminded me of those fancy cases for expensive pens from my old life. Continuing to be careful due to the contents of the crate being millennia-old, I lifted the small case. After discovering the lock, it opened with a hiss; signalling that whatever was inside had been sealed away to preserve it.

Inside was a lock of light brown hair held together by braids.

"Her Padawan braid." Dooku offered from just behind and to my right. "To many, it's an important link to their past and a reminder that no matter what they have done, there is always more to learn and understand about the Force."

I heard his words, and I lifted a finger towards the braid. I didn't touch it – concerned that doing so might damage it in some way – but instead, I traced from the yellow band and one end to the red at the other. In between red, blue, and green beads that, if the meaning held the same back then as it did now, she had been a Jedi Consular and skilled with a lightsaber and in a cockpit. There were also a few white beads, but those were not used by the current Order, so I was unsure as to their meaning.

As my finger traced down the braid, I swore I felt a residual… spark in the Force. As if it was another attempt by Ressa to reach out across the years to connect with me. I smiled at the idea, and my hand drifted to my necklace. While not made directly for me, the braid felt as though it should be with me, just as the necklace did.

Still, there was more in the crate to examine, so I closed the small case – making sure to reseal the lock – then placed it on the second crate. Looking back into the first crate, I noticed a pile of credits that while old, I would still be able to add to my Inventory, thus allowing me to draw them as 'new' credits if the need arose. I'd already done that with credits I'd discovered under the Jedi Temple and proved worked by withdrawing the entire stored credit reserve in private a few days later.

I shifted the credit pile to the side and found a small box, no bigger than my fist, buried beneath them. Curious as to why Ressa would've done that, I pulled the box out of the crate. The box was nondescript, but inside was a small light blue crystal that looked the right size to place in a lightsaber.

"A rather common colour." Dooku commented in a quiet voice. Whether that was out of respect for the intimacy of my looking through my 'mother's' possessions or because he didn't want his voice to carry to the Ordo's (who were near the second door, possibly examining the explosive trigger system Canderous had set up. I couldn't say. "Though I sense an unusual ripple in the Force from it."

Something about the colour and what Dooku said stirred a memory in me and my mind was drawn, as if by someone else, to the moment Bastila had confronted Darth Revan abroad his flagship. Revan's lightsaber engaged, and I felt a slight tremor in the Force. My curiosity piqued, I used Observe on the crystal.

Mantle of the Force
(Unique Force Crystal)
One of two legendary Force crystals linked with Revan.
While the origins of this crystal have been lost to the ages, the potential it possesses has not.
HP: 20
Rarity: Unique
Value: 50000
Energy Value: 1000
Special Features:
Enhances the benefits of any other crystals used in a lightsaber.
Grants a small increase in the potency of an attuned user's Force abilities.
Attuned Users:
Revan (95%)
Bastila Shan (4%)
Ressa Shan (1%)

NOTICE:
Attuning Force-touched objects that are attuned to others is more difficult than those that are unattuned.
Time to attune varies depending on the strength of attunement, the Force potential of the former user, and the inclination of a Force presence to allow re-attunement.
I managed to stop myself gasping at realising I was holding one of the two crystals Revan was linked to, and silently wondered how and when Ressa had managed to obtain it. Either it had been given to her by my 'father' (hinting that Revan had died fighting whatever Sith Order he had come from), or it was given to Ressa by either my grandfather or Bastila.

"You recognize this crystal?" Dooku asked, indicating that while I'd not reacted outwardly, my masters had sensed my shock through our bond.

"I, I think, this is one of Revan's crystals." I began, rapidly concocting a story in my head about how to explain what I knew. "I saw images of the crystals he used in his lightsaber and… when I picked it up I thought I saw an image of him wielding it in my mind." I paused and slowly lifted the small crystal out of the box. "The Force feels… familiar within, though not in the same way it does with my mother's holocron. If it is what I think, then this is the crystal known as the Mantle of the Force."

I heard Fay inhale sharply and felt spikes of shock and curiosity in the Force from both my masters.

"How certain of this are you?" Dooku asked slowly as I turned and gently handed the crystal to Fay.

"The colour matches, and the Force… It feels like I'm right. Though I won't know until I place it in a lightsaber." I stated as Fay brushed a finger over the contours of the crystal.

"To think that this might be that crystal… That it might be real…" Fay paused and a faint, disbelieving chuckle escaped her lips. "Never did I think the day would come when it might be proven to be real." She handed it back to me and met my eyes. "If this is indeed the Mantle of the Force, then it calls into question many of the official records surrounding Revan, Malak and the Old Republic Insurrection."

"Agreed. Though until we can confirm such a thing, if we are able to, then none of our fellow Jedi will be willing to question the official story regarding Revan." Dooku added.

While I kept my eyes on the Mantle, I wondered about what he was talking about. The records that I'd been allowed to browse within the Archives were accurate, if simplistic, regarding Revan, Bastila, Malak and everyone linked to them during their lifetime.

"To many, the idea that two crystals with such supposedly strong presences in the Force would gravitate to a man who was once a Sith Lord is considered… heretical." Dooku explained, probably having sensed my confusion.

"What about the Star Forge?" I asked, wondering at the apparent idiocy of the Jedi. "Do they consider that merely an act of theatricality in the story of Revan?" Now, there were mentions of it in the records I'd been allowed to read about my family, but it was glossed over heavily; either because the information was restricted, or they simply failed to believe such a station was possible. Around me the Force shifted, and I wondered if this was Revan's residual presence reacting to my questions. Force knew he wasn't a fan of the Jedi Council in his time, and likely in mine as well.

"Yes and No." Fay replied as I placed the crystal back in its box. "While the Jedi and Republic were present for the destruction of the Star Forge, and the Jedi confirmed that the station was strong in the Dark Side of the Force, there is som..."

"SHAB!"

Fay's words were cut off by Torrhen's loud curse. Making sure I still had a firm grip on the Mantle's box, I turned and saw that the duke and his wife had moved further into the cavern. Since they weren't in visual range, but no more than twenty metres away according to my Detection boosted minimap, it was safe to assume they'd headed further into the vault while Fay Dooku and myself had spoken about Ressa's Padawan braid and the Mantle.

"I believe our hosts have found something of significance." Dooku commented, which made me chuckle. While Dooku was often solemn, he had a dry sense of humour and a knack for understatement that I found refreshing when compared to other Jedi. "Perhaps we should see what they've discovered."

Fay nodded her agreement, and I reluctantly placed the case with Ressa's Padawan braid back in the first crate. I slid the Mantle's box into my robes as there was no way I was risking that being left behind. While I hadn't opened the second crate (and there was the faintest hint of the Dark Side coming from it, I suspected that whatever Torrhen had found would be interesting – plus I could always search that crate later.

It only took us a minute to reach the bend in the cavern and see the two heads of Clan Ordo. Both were standing over several small pallets holding small blocks of metal. As we came closer, and I noticed the distinctive ripple pattern in the metal, I let out a small whistle in astonishment.

"How much is there?" I asked, indicating the beskar that sat on the pallets.

Asta turned to face us, a block of the rare (and culturally significant) metal in her hand. "Enough for a squad to get full armour, maybe a bit more."

"A most impressive haul." Dooku commented and Asta nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but this datapad…" Torrhen began as he turned around to also face us, and I spotted a pad in his hand (one that seemed to be trembling slightly). "This… it's a recording from Te Taylir Mand'alor." I felt my brow rise at hearing there was a message from Canderous waiting for us to find. "I watched the start, but it's only to be played in the presence of the heads of Clan Ordo… and Clan Shan."

My brow rose almost to my hairline – and I absently flicked away a lock of hair that had fallen over my cheek – at hearing that the message was for my clan. Especially since until a few days ago Clan Shan had never held any members. Had Canderous and Revan known that I would one day stand here, or had The Powers That Be done something (in conjunction with the Force) to arrange this?

I dismissed the second idea almost instantly. The Powers That Be hadn't shown any interest in directly influencing what I did, or where I went (at least I didn't think they had). However, the Force may have been able to… influence events to increase the chances of this haul being something I might discover.

Torrhen's lip twitched as he watched my reaction to the revelation about who the message was for. "Aye. I wondered the same thing. If they knew that we'd one day all be standing here." He shook his head as he continued. "Then again, I know nothing about how the Force works beyond it giving you Jedi impressive powers."

"The Force… does not tell us what to do," Fay began slowly as if measuring her words, "but it can help one trained to interact with it… glimpse possible events. Or gently suggest something that it feels we need to do or places we might want to visit." She paused and I felt her eyes on me. "Then again, it does seem to have… more ideas for Cameron to use than most Jedi."

The Ordos shared a look, and I could understand it easily. Before being reborn, the idea that some… thing could gently influence events on a galactic scale was… insane and terrifying at the same time. Though now that I'd at least spent a few years using and meditating in the Force, I could also see that how Fay described it was accurate… if one used the limited words that existed in Basic.

"The recording?" I asked, getting the conversation back on track.

"Right." Torrhen lifted the pad and pressed a finger to the screen.

"To those who do not know my voice, I was born Canderous of Clan Ordo, yet by the time of this recording, I have claimed the title of Mand'alor of my people." The gruff, no-nonsense voice of Canderous began and I felt a shiver of excitement shoot up my spine. Just like with other famous characters, to hear that voice for real for the first time was something that would never get old (I hoped). "Several years ago, just before he vanished into the Unknown Regions, Revan came to me with warnings of a dark future. One that would bring ruin to the Republic and my people. At first, I was sceptical. Even after my becoming Mand'alor, the Mando'ade are still a broken, scattered people. A darker fate for them I could not imagine, nor did I care about the fate of the Republic."

"Yet, as we spoke about his visions… I became angered by what he told me would befall my people." A hint of anger was now clear in his voice, and I wondered if Revan had glimpsed what befell the Mandalorians during the Clone Wars, or if there was an even darker future that came afterwards. "To reject our culture, our ways… My blood hungered for vengeance against the dar'manda. Yet, Revan told me this, and that a great evil that would plunge the galaxy into darkness and leave it vulnerable to other threats, would happen long after both of us had passed on. Yet, in this darkness, as it began to grow, Revan claimed to see a… spark of hope." He paused and a brief, wounded laugh came from the pad.

"Hope. Until I met Revan, that is Revan before either of us knew he was Revan, my hope had died on Malachor. Yet, the very man who had destroyed my hope and had shattered my people was the one to restore that hope. For him, for my brother in arms, I would burn the galaxy to the ground."

"So, after he convinced me about this… future, we began to plan. Revan, thank Manda, was never your typical Jedi; never one to place false faith in their vaunted Force that things would simply become 'good'. Thus, this vault was what we decided upon."

"I do not know if those who hear my message will be the ones Revan saw in his vision, this light in the darkness. But I know that only one worthy of his name, and the descendants of my clan, are the only ones I would trust with my offering to the future."

"Here, I have gathered what I could without arousing the suspicion of my people. The beskar was salvaged from those who tried and failed to challenge my right to rule, who wished to lead us back into a war we cannot win. Not now. The wealth within... Heh. Let's just say I knew several people around the galaxy who were willing to donate to the cause. We are not, nor never should've been, scavengers, mercenaries and rabid kath hounds. I trust those who find this understand that and learn from the failings my predecessors as Mand'alor made."

"Revan prepared his own items, in a cave nearby, for this light in his vision. I'm sure it will be a surprise to see what he's arranged. Those items, no one but the heirs of Revan are to touch. This I proclaim as Mand'alor. Any Mando'ade who dares try to claim them are unworthy of the name."

Torrhen and Asta both gave me a nod, accepting that whatever Revan had left (and my curiosity was growing by the second) was mine, and mine alone. Hopefully, my masters would also agree to that.

"Contained on this datapad are… a final gift from myself to my people and the Heir of Revan. Everything on here is to be shared equally between my clan, Clan Shan, and whoever is worthy to claim the title of Mand'alor. Oya Manda!"

"Oya, Manda!" The words left my mouth almost instantly, as they did from the Ordos and Fay (which was unexpected) and as Torrhen and Asta moved closer – likely to see what was on the datapad I looked around for this cavern where Revan had stored his gifts.

I spotted the cavern to my left and took a step towards it only to stop. I glanced back at the datapad. A feeling had me suspecting that whatever was on that pad would be more valuable to my plans than whatever Revan had left for me. And possibly could help alter the course of the galaxy.

"Go. See what the destroyer has left you." Asta said. I turned to see she'd looked up from the pad at me, a slight smile creeping onto her face. "Torrhen and I will review the datapad then speak with you later about what it contains." She shifted her gaze to look at my masters. "That business is between Clan Shan and Clan Ordo and is an internal matter for Mandalorians."

"While Cameron is a Jedi, and our Padawan, we understand that this is an internal matter between two Mandalorian clans. Therefore, we will not be present for any meeting, nor request that we know what you have decided. However, I would hope that we may at least know the generalities of what is discussed." Fay replied diplomatically and Asta nodded her consent.

"And what about the Jedi Council?" Torrhen asked as I felt a spike of amusement mixed with contempt from Dooku. "Will they respect our decisions?"

"The training of a Padawan, and all that entails, is up to the discretion of their master." Dooku responded in as neutral a tone as I'd ever heard. In the Force however, his annoyance – at either the question or the Council; or possibly both – was easy to sense. "Unless we are asked directly about our visit to your world and estate, I see no reason for the Council to be made aware of this vault. Though do not mistake our silence as compliance. If we suspect a threat to the Order, the Republic or our Padawan we will respond appropriately."

Even as he said those words, I wondered just how much the first two would be considered. While he wasn't the Sith Lord he would've become, Dooku's opinion on the Order and the Republic was… very low; mainly due to the fact neither showed much interest in the suffering of the galaxy outside of their ivory towers on Coruscant. His distaste for both hadn't been hidden during my time as his Padawan, though I did wonder if he toned it down because Fay was present. While far more of what I thought a Jedi should be (even if there were times when I didn't agree with her approach or choices) she was also far from an ardent supporter of the High Council of Senate. Indeed, she seemed to have even less faith in the Senate than Dooku, though she just used politer terms when expressing her opinion.

"Understandable and acceptable." Torrhen responded with a small smile that matched his wife's. "We would behave the same for our family, clan and people."

With that agreement made, I walked briskly towards the cavern. I was still curious about the second cart by the entrance (which was likely also from my 'mother') and what was on the datapad, I really wanted to see what Revan had left. Plus, no matter what I'd gained or learnt from my mother's crate – or would discover on Canderous' Datapad –, this cave was the primary reason I was here.

"Be mindful of your excitement, Cameron." Fay said quietly once she and Dooku had caught up with me (not that hard to do since I'm physically a young teenager). "While it is understandable to be interested about what Revan has left, getting too curious or enthusiastic about something is a path that can lead to darker emotions if the reality doesn't meet your expectations."

"Yes, master." I replied. I understood her reasoning (touching the Dark Side on Tatooine had me realising that it was far more insidious and dangerous than I'd originally realised) but the idea that Revan had left something for me made it hard for me to temper my desire to see what was waiting for me.

It took less than twenty seconds for me to traverse the distance to the side-cavern and by the time there I could sense the Ordo's shock and joy at whatever they'd discovered on the pad. Yet, my focus was now on whatever Revan had left for me, and my eyes were instantly drawn to a red-tinted object that was resting on top of another pad that was on a crate smaller than either of those left by Ressa.

I felt my pace quicken as I drew nearer, and barely managed to bite down a sequel of excitement as I realised (or at least suspected) what the object was; or more importantly, who the droid head – because I was in no doubt that was what it was – belonged to. The eye sockets were dark, indicating it was depowered, but the shape, style, and distinctive antenna where the right ear would be on a Human all but confirmed who I was looking at.

Slowly, almost reverently, I reached down for the droid head.

"Cameron, you know what this is?" Dooku asked, but my focus was entirely on the droid-head. As my fingers brushed against, then through the dust and onto the plating of the head, I considered using Observe to confirm that this head was the one I suspected it was. However, I decided not to do so. I'd rather learn the truth when I activated it than ruin the moment with my unique power (or one of them anyway.)

Slowly I turned the droid-head around in my hands, examining it for cracks. Finding none – save that it wasn't connected to a chassis – I found a small area on the underside of the head then flipped open when pressed. Inside, a simple switch existed, and my finger shot forward to flick it.

The head began to hum as power travelled through its ancient circuits and I turned it back so I could be eye-to-eye with the droid once its processing unit engaged. The optical receptors flared yellow as power was restored to them and I found myself holding my breath in anticipation.

"Question: Where am I, meatbag?" Asked the synthesised voice that I'd never thought I'd ever get to hear for real.

"YES!!" I roared at the top of my lungs, ignoring the confusion I could sense from my masters.

"Addendum: Unless you wish to experience a most painful death, I suggest you answer me, meatbag."
… …



A/N: Until next time;
May the Force be with you. Always.
 
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The Warrior Reborn 3
A/N:
As always you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For my ASOIAF story: Game of Kingdoms (Still under construction, so not much there yet)
In general:
Shiro's Gaming Omniverse

If you wish to support my writing, gain access to 1st drafts of chapters (currently 2 chapters ahead), and at the highest level, early access to the chapter (currently 1 chapter ahead), consider supporting me on Patreon:
USSExplorer
(Note, the Discord benefits on Patreon there link to the Heart of the Force server. Haven't found a way to hook up 2 servers to Patreon yet...)


Current date: 4 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Mandalorian Words and Phrases:
(Note: I've skipped the more common/recurring words for ease)
Aruetii – Traitor/Foreigner/Outsider
Gett'se – Balls
Haar'chak – Damn it!
Osik'buurenaar – Shitstorm


The Warrior Reborn 3
...

I slid back, letting the probing cut of Dooku's lightsaber pass by. The air shone blue as it did. However, with the ease that decades of using Makashi allowed, a twist of his wrist redirected the blade back towards me.

I brought my blade up quickly and was just able to block the probing strike. Again, I backstepped, generating some room between us. While that might seem counterproductive against a larger and more experienced duellist, I'd learnt the hard way that getting too close to Dooku resulted in nothing more than a quick and brutal defeat.

Again, he came at me, and I was forced to tilt my blade to deflect his attack. However, the moment our blades touched, he turned his arm slightly and altered his stance. That resulted in his blade sliding down mine. I was barely able to pull my hand back to avoid an instant loss as it simulated the loss of my hand to a Cho Mai attack.

I felt the heat from his lightsaber as it passed over my hand by mere centimetres. I went to reset my stance and counter, but Dooku was already using my reactionary movement to his advantage.

A hand thrust towards me, and I was sent hurtling across the sparring room aboard the Ori'kyroya'kar. A large container slid back with a screech as I slammed back-first into it, though I was able to avoid a grunt of pain.

"Disillusion: Master, I had expected better from a descendent of my creator. Sadly, you have none of his style or fluidity. Weary: You remind me of the annoying one before the creator was able to mould her to his needs."

I channelled the Force and felt a soothing cold spread along my back as the pain numbed and I extradited myself from the now deformed container. That fucking hurt and HK's comment didn't help my wounded pride. I glared over at the droid, or his head at least as that was all that existed of Revan's legendary assassin droid. "I could vent you into hyperspace, you know. Never to be found or seen again."

Not that I would do such a thing. Ignoring the fact that I had HK (or a copy of his base personality, memories and subroutines in a head at least) around, I had a quest to rebuild HK's body, though it was an unusual one in that it had several parts. The first was to get my Mechanics [Droids] skill to at least Master 1. After that, there were objectives regarding the materials and weaponry I used in the construction of HK's new body. While this was a quest I wanted to complete, it was also one that would take time. No way was I doing HK (and Revan) wrong by giving the droid a sub-par chassis. And I had a few ideas to further enhance his combat potential.

"Mockery: Master, you wound me," HK replied and I fought down the urge to send the droid head flying into the nearest wall. "Observation: Without me around, who would recount the adventures of my creator to you, master?"

I bit back a retort about already knowing the story (or at least the ones linked to KOTOR 1) while remembering that this HK knew nothing about the events of KOTOR 2 and pushed myself back to my feet. HK was right in that I needed him to serve as the fall guy for my planned 'retelling' of the adventures of Revan. I wasn't set on how that would go, but I was leaning towards a trilogy at minimum with the final book coming out a little after the invasion of Naboo.

The Jedi Council would be furious about the books once they came out, and I'd likely get a dressing down for them, but I wanted the story out there. It would bring into focus (or I hoped it would) the Sith, their ideals, and the threat they posed to the Republic. Now, I was admittedly conflicted about the Republic surviving the Clone Wars unaltered as the current system just didn't work anymore. Regardless of that, I needed people to understand the threat that a Sith could pose. At the very least, it should make the more moderate systems that joined the CIS less inclined to do so. Though they'd likely need another choice as staying with the Republic was likely not something they wished to do.

To help get to the point where I could publish Revan's story, I'd lied to my masters by saying HK was only a very advanced translation and protocol droid - with very limited defensive capabilities - that Revan had used. HK had not been thrilled about that, but when the other choices were to be scrapped or fitted with programming that would prevent him from engaging in combat, he'd agreed to stay quiet. Though the moment the story came out and his true purpose was revealed, I expected a severe dressing down from both Fay and Dooku. Hopefully, by then HK had proved his worth sufficiently that they wouldn't demand I scrap him, not that I would listen if they did.

Still, getting HK to agree to keep quiet about his true purpose had done nothing to dilute his unique sense of humour. Much to my annoyance since I was often the primary target of it.

"I could simply hack the Jedi Archives and learn the truth from them." I retorted, only to feel Dooku's displeasure at my reply. "Or wait until I'm a Jedi Knight and I'm granted access to said files." I added to prevent the man currently beating me around the training room from making our sparring any more painful.

"I would suggest the latter option, Padawan." Dooku commented. While he wasn't attacking me while I was down, he had adopted a simple Makashi stance indicating he expected me to continue. "Master Nu is most… protective of the archives and is not averse to admonishing even Council members who step out of line there."

The image of her scolding Obi-Wan over Kamino popped into my head, making me smirk. While she had been wrong, that memory (along with my own experiences with her) confirmed Dooku was telling the truth. "Yes, master," I replied as I pulled myself to my feet.

I stood and adopted a more advanced Makashi stance, Dooku made no move to change from his basic stance. Then again why would he? For the last four hours, he'd been beating my arse like I owed him money. Which I didn't, since he and Fay held the controls to the accounts for the money I'd earned from my 'writing'. Plus, the Order was far, far richer than had ever been implied before (a fact Fay had revealed to me when we'd discussed my still growing fortune.)

I barely kept a frown from my face as Dooku saluted me. Yes, he was using the Force in the spar (just like in our other spars over the last few weeks), but I was using what I called my Force combat package. Force Speed, Bullet-Time, Enhance Stat – for Agility and Strength – Enhance Skill – For Makashi – and Detection were all active, and I was still getting tossed around like a training dummy. Just like every other sparring session over the last few weeks. I was able to move faster than him, though I had a suspicion he might be holding back, I could react quicker, and he had told me before we'd left for Ordo that my technical skill with Makashi was greater than any within the Order. Yet for the last four hours (and every spar since we'd started using the Force actively) I'd failed to land even a glancing blow on him.

Instead, I'd been clipped, sliced or stabbed with his lightsaber or tossed around with the Force. If not for the fact I could use the Force to heal my bruises and numb my pain, I suspected I'd wake up tomorrow looking so bad that people would think a black and blue near-human race had just been discovered.

"Good, now come at me. Hopefully, you will be able to land a blow before we reach our destination." I bit off a growl at the comment and readied myself. Even given to the fact that we weren't due to arrive at Mandalore until sometime tomorrow morning, I wasn't holding out hope that I'd succeed. My record so far today was abysmal, at a truly infuriating/embarrassing sixty-two to zero. And the less said about my overall record these last two weeks the better.

I growled at the dismissive tone he used and surged forward.

I grasped my hilt in both hands, shifting to a Djem-So strike, making it seem as though I planned to try to overpower him. Yet, even with Enhance Stat active, I doubted I would be able to as he could use the Force to enhance his own strength. Not that I expected him to mind you, just that he could. As Dooku slid one foot back in anticipation of my attack, I pulled one hand from my hilt and sent a powerful blast with the Force towards him. I doubted it would strike him, but I hoped it would at least make him stumble. In expectation (and hope?) of that, I shifted my body, and leapt, hoping to use the Falling Avalanche velocity.

Dooku seemed to sense the incoming Force attack, but instead of either moving to avoid it (and thus compromising his defence) or getting hit by it straight on, he angled his blade towards the blast. Even as the distance between us closed, I watched in fascination as he used my Force blast to accelerate the movement of his lightsaber. I began to alter my attack once more, pulling back in anticipation of his attack. Yet the speed he'd managed to generate was insane. I could see it, track it, and had moved to defend against it, yet that seemed to be what he expected. His now massively accelerated blade struck mine with such speed and power that I was unable to keep hold of my blade, and it was smashed from my grip and sent clattering away.

Before I could react in any way (be that using the Force offensively, summon the blade back to me or unclip my secondary blade), he slid a hand from his hilt. The next moment, I was once more sailing away from him. I bounced once off the floor before bouncing off the same container as before, making it buckle over before I hit the wall.

"While there are moments when such rudimentary Djem So techniques are applicable; against a larger and stronger opponent is not one of them." Dooku began to explain as I groaned once more. "Nor is it acceptable to allow yourself to be disarmed before completing the velocity." As he continued, I slowly pushed myself up using the wall as a support. "Now stand and try again. However, this time, think before you act." He finished as my lightsaber came to a rest at my feet.

As I picked up my lightsaber I felt my anger rising. Why the kriff couldn't I land a hit? Two weeks and it felt as though I was going backwards in my studies.

I mean, before I'd enrolled at the Mandalorian combat institute for training, I'd been able to at least land one strike against my master, well one for the ten to twenty Dooku would land. Yet since we'd started using the Force more openly in our spars, I was getting my arse kicked every single session.

To make matters worse, I could review every spar via Eidetic Memory, yet I still couldn't understand why I kept losing. I was faster, had maxed my skill and was younger, yet he was able to predict and counter every velocity and technique I tried; no matter how advanced it was or how fast I moved. Was he using some strange Force ability that I'd yet to learn?

"Query: Are you going to alter your attacks, master? So far, I have predicted your every move with a ninety-eight point one-three per cent degree of accuracy. Observation: Frankly, it is growing tiresome to watch your continual failures."

Another wave of anger swept through me, and a desire to lash out and smash the droid swelled within me. However, I knew that wouldn't do anything but grant me a brief moment of satisfaction. Instead, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath; centring my thoughts and bringing my emotions under control.

HK was right in that this was growing tiresome, though that wasn't the only word I'd use to describe these sparring sessions. Him being able to predict my attacks wasn't a surprise as he'd likely seen or learnt most lightsaber techniques while around Revan. Yet to do so with such accuracy meant that…

"Son of a bitch." I muttered under my breath. My anger vanished in an instant as I understood what my flaw was; or at least, I thought I did. Dooku hopefully didn't hear my curse, though he did raise a single eyebrow at my sudden emotional shift. Yet my focus was internal, reviewing this spar in my mind.

I stayed still as I did, my lightsaber unpowered in my hand, as every element of our spar today was played over mentally. Eventually, I opened my eyes and felt my shoulders sag at the realisation of why I was losing became certain.

"I can't beat you because, while I'm skilled at Makashi – your words by the way," I added before he could comment on any hint of arrogance from me, "I'm not using it freely. I'm simply repeating what I've learnt from you and others as if the methods taught were the be-all and end-all of the form." Though the part I didn't mention was that I was also doing so because I'd maxed my skill with Makashi and thus felt I knew all there was to know about the form. And I did, yet I hadn't learnt to adapt it to myself, mould it to suit how I approached combat. A mistake that could've gotten me killed if I hadn't realised this just now.

Dooku nodded and the faintest of smiles crept onto his face. "Indeed. You are, without a challenge, the single most skilled Jedi I have taught in Makashi. You also have the potential to be the most powerful Jedi I have ever heard of." At this point, he depowered his lightsaber and began to walk towards me. "Yet, as you rightly have just now realised, you lack the understanding of the form to truly use it. You stick to the velocities as if they are all there is to learning and mastering the form." By now he'd reached me, and in a surprising show of personal connection, placed his hand on my shoulder as he continued to speak.

"No lightsaber form can truly be mastered until one learns to stop going through the motions and begins to feel the form as if it is a part of oneself. Make what you know and use your own, sculpt it to suit your own ideals, your own approach. Even adopt elements of other forms into it; if that is your wish." I sensed the briefest flash of annoyance from him at the idea of merging the other forms with Makashi, however, it was gone in an instant. He removed his hand from my shoulder and a genuine smile came to my face. I was barely able to suppress my shock at seeing him smile as I sensed his pride and admiration through our bond.

"Every Force user, be they Jedi or Sith, has their own style. Their own ideals and beliefs. These must become a part of your lightsaber style. To do otherwise means denying a part of yourself when using your lightsaber; a flaw that will lead to your death against less powerful, but more attuned opponents." He stepped back, though the smile remained. "Once you have found your style, something that defines who you are and want to be, it will become as natural as breathing. Your blade will flow as you, it and the Force truly become one. And on that day, I truly believe that you will begin your path to be greater than any Jedi or Sith with your blade; even Grandmaster Yoda."

As Dooku turned and walked back across the mat we were using as a training area, my mind reeled. While I was slowly coming to terms with my failings in trusting my skill level meant I was better than others (which, in retrospect, I shouldn't have as Dooku always won our spars), what had my mind reeling was Dooku's behaviour. After five years I'd grown used to him always being standoffish in his behaviour towards me (and often downright cold to others), bar the odd moment like when I'd gotten my necklace for my thirteenth birthday. (Thinking of that made my free hand drift towards it.) Yet that talk, the closeness he'd shown, and the pride and admiration I'd sensed from him made me wonder if perhaps he was genuinely coming to care for me. Truly care.

That might well be the first sign I'd had that I'd done enough to stop him from becoming Sidious' puppet. I wouldn't be sure of that until after that moment passed, or a new puppet was revealed, but I was feeling strangely confident that I'd shifted his path. Perhaps even towards one where he'd support me over any other when push came to shove.

I returned my thoughts to what I'd realised and Dooku had confirmed. A mechanical usage of a lightsaber form, while useful (looking at you Grievous), would never truly allow one to dominate a fight. Not against someone with sufficient skill and a proper personal style.

Because of the Interface, I'd treated Makashi as nothing more than a skill, one that was beyond what almost any other could achieve. That had made me foolish and exposed a huge mistake in my combat abilities. The urge to headbutt the wall was strong, but I resisted.

From now on I needed to stop thinking about any lightsaber form as a skill, and more an extension of myself. I already knew that Makashi would form the basis of whatever style I developed (apart from being my only maxed form, it was the one I was most comfortable using), but there were elements of the other forms that I could adapt into my movements.

"Now, this time when you come at me, do not blindly follow the teachings you're received." Dooku began, breaking me from my thoughts. I looked at him and saw that he had once more adopted the standard opening stance of Makashi, though his blade was still unlit. "Use the Force to guide you. Let it hint and suggest ways to attack that suit you. Become one with the blade and the Force until every move, every action feels as natural as breathing."

As he said, I closed my eyes and opened my mind to the Force. I knew I wouldn't develop a style of my own right away. However, I now understood why working with the Force (or bending it to one's will as a Sith would do) helped weaker Force users overcome greater obstacles than they otherwise could.

"Yes, master." I replied as my black-cored blade sprung to life. "And thank you." I added before I began my attack.

… …


… …

A beep from my gauntlet altered me that it was zero-six-hundred, and I opened my eyes. My quarters were dark however like most nights I hadn't been sleeping. I only needed one night a month of actual sleep, which meant the rest of the time I could devote to levelling up my Force Powers. Well, within reason as I was on a ship in hyperspace and couldn't use the more… destructive powers with others around. Yet the last few nights, I'd only been focusing on a few powers; namely, Levitation, Breath Control and Force Attune. While the first two were close to being maxed out (according to the Interface) the latter was my primary focus, or at least the object I was trying to attune was.
Mantle of the Force
(Unique Force Crystal)

One of two legendary Force crystals linked with Revan.
While the origins of this crystal have been lost to the ages, the potential it possesses has not.
HP: 20
Rarity: Unique
Value: 50000
Energy Value: 1000
Special Features:
Enhances the benefits of any other crystals used in a lightsaber.
Grants a small increase in the potency of an attuned user's Force abilities.
Attuned Users:
Revan (95%)
Cameron Shan (5%)

NOTICE:
Attuning Force-touched objects that are attuned to others is more difficult than those that are unattuned.
Time to attune varies depending on the strength of attunement, the Force potential of the former user, and the inclination of a Force presence to allow re-attunement.
…​
I sighed at the slow progress I was making with attuning the Mantle, even as I began to shift from my position. Every night since I'd discovered the crystal in my mother's possessions, I'd spent the time trying to attune the crystal to me.

Yet, six days – and over fifty hours – later, I'd only gained a five per cent attunement with the crystal. Which was infuriating. And had me concerned about how long it'd take to attune objects where the previous owners actively tried to prevent me from attuning the object. The Force signature left by Revan wasn't fighting me, but it had such a strong attunement with the crystal that it was taking far, far longer than I expected to override Revan's signature with my own.

When I'd attuned my lightsaber crystals to me, it had felt as though I was simply pouring a part of myself into them through the Force. With the Mantle, however, I was actively having to dislodge the presence of others. That was making the process much, much slower, yet I knew that it was something that had to be done. The Mantle was too valuable a crystal to not use without it being attuned to me.

I shook my head in annoyance at the slow process and let my legs slide over the side of my bunk until they touched the floor. Gently, I floated the crystal over to the small table in the corner of the room, then began to stretch. Even if Player's Body prevented me from getting cramps from sitting in a meditative position for hours on end, it felt nice to stretch after doing so.

After that, I stood and gave the room a quick clean. While the place wasn't a mess, I still gave every room I stayed in a quick clean before a morning shower and breakfast. It was a habit from my former life that I'd never stopped. I stepped into the small cleaning alcove of the vessel and began to pull my sleeping shirt over my head. While a sonic shower wasn't the most enjoyable, they were -

- - BOOM - -

The ship shook and if I hadn't been standing next to the shower unit, I'd have likely lost my balance.

"What the kriff?" I muttered as I pulled my shirt back down. I stepped back into my quarters and, with a simple gesture, summoned my robes and cloak to me. Quickly dressing, I then stepped towards the door of the room, using the Force to guide the Mantle towards me as my vambraces floated up to my arms. A mental command had the crystal enter my Inventory. While I could keep it in one of the belt pouches, I felt safer with it in my Inventory, where no one else could get to it.

As the doors began to open, I activated my combat package of powers (even as my mind wondered how my masters would feel about me using the Force to essentially speed-dress.

I stepped through the door, wondering what had hit the ship. It had to be something massive enough to make the ship shudder. That meant we'd either been fired upon as we'd exited hyperspace, or we'd had the sheer dumb luck to exit hyperdrive close enough to a rogue meteor as it crossed our path. And I doubted my luck would let it be the latter.

I reached out with the Force, trying to get a sense of how the crew was feeling. With everyone onboard being Mandalorian (thus trained warriors with a decade of experience – at minimum), it was hard to get a good sense of their emotional states, but it was clear that whatever had happened wasn't over. A rising sense of stress, coupled with spikes of excitement made me realise that I was correct to assume we'd come under attack. Though the question is who would be brazen enough to attack the personal cruiser of Duke Torrhen; especially when we had four other cruisers as escorts.

"Cameron." I turned at hearing Fay say my name to see her and Dooku had both emerged from their quarters as well. Fay's robes weren't perfectly settled on her shoulders, while her usual serene calmness was disrupted; likely from the unexpected wake-up. Dooku, whose cloak looked to be slightly off-centre, looked dismissive about what was happening, and I could sense a faint hint of irritation from him.

"Masters. I believe we are under attack." I replied. "The crew is tense but excited." I continued, detailing what I could feel through the Force.

Fay opened her mouth to reply only for a warning to echo through the Force. I braced as the ship shuddered once more, forcing the three of us to on the force to keep our balance. Even knowing what was likely to happen wasn't enough to prevent me from almost losing my balance, showing once more the limits of what Precognition could do.

"It appears you are correct." Dooku muttered once we were stabilized again. "Surprising as unless we changed course without our knowledge, we should be in the Mandalore system. That someone would be audacious enough to attack someone of Duke Torrhen's power here… It does not bode well for our situation."

"Indeed." Fay replied, the faintest sense of amusement coming from her at using a reply more commonly utilized by Dooku. "Perhaps we should head to the bridge and determine what is going on. And to see if we might be of assistance."

Dooku nodded in agreement, and I slid into step behind them, mainly due to the fact the corridors on the Ori'kyroya'kar weren't quite wide enough to allow three people to walk abreast. As we exited the guest section, a dull low-pitched horn was repeating. My mind instantly placed it as the combat siren from Republic ships, all but confirming we were in combat.

We moved quickly but cautiously down the main corridors of the cruiser, making sure to allow any crew who were moving around the right of way. This was their ship and they needed to get to combat stations ASAP.

It took us about ten minutes to reach the bridge (mainly because we had to keep stopping and letting others pass), but in that time the ship shook three more times. A sense of unease was also slowly building within the minds of the crew. That was concerning as it suggested that our chances of surviving the battle were low; unless we did something drastic.

Either the attackers were having more luck in their attacks than they should be, or reinforcements from the system defence forces were not as helpful as they should be. Neither possibility was comforting.

"Starboard shields at seventeen per cent!" Someone called out the moment the doors to the bridge opened. The place was a hive of activity, though most were glued to their stations. I glanced out of the main viewport and saw three vessels of similar size to the Ori'kyroya'kar bearing down on us. It was hard to get a good read on their distance, but they were moving in an attack pattern on a CBDR. [constant bearing, decreasing range]

"Ten degrees to port and downward. Give the dorsal cannons a clear firing line." Torrhen called out, drawing my attention to him. Unlike what I'd expected, he wasn't manning the captain's chair but was instead standing off to one side leaning over the tactical station.
"The Netra'Kad is reporting a loss of power." That came from Torrhen's eldest, Osto, who was manning one of the secondary sensor stations. I only knew that because on the way to (planet) Ordo, I'd spent time learning what the various bridge stations were used for. Dooku and Fay had been amused that I'd wished to learn that, and Torrhen had assigned Osto to act as my guide/instructor.

"What is the situation?" Dooku asked as the three ships in front of us shifted upwards due to the helm following Torrhen's orders. Though a second later all three opened fire. The ship shook as at least some (if not most) of the turbolaser fire found its mark against our shields.

Torrhen stood up fully and turned at Dooku's voice. The duke's face was tight, with his brow creased and eyes narrowed. Through the Force, it was easy to sense simmering anger from him as well. "What does it look like?!" He snapped, one arm waving wildly towards the main viewport.

Neither of my masters responded to his anger and likely realising how he'd reacted, he took a short breath before continuing. "We dropped out of hyperspace and into this osik'buurenaar. I've got reports coming in that either Death Watch or Duke Anzur have launched an all-out attack on the planet. The local defence force was either caught unawares or some of them were in on it, plus two of my four escorts are dead in the water, while the third is about to join them."

"Can we be of any assurance?" Fay offered. I swore I saw Torrhen bite his tongue to cut off a snide remark.

"Unless you and your damned Force can stop everyone from shooting at us, I doubt it." Torrhen replied, his tone calm even as waves of annoyance and growing fury rolled off him in waves. "If not, then stay out of the way while we try to survive this… disaster."

Torrhen returned his attention to the tactical station, leaving us standing around doing nothing. The viewport flared as the shields blocked an incoming turbolaser blast and I had to fight my instinct to get involved. Sitting out of a fight wasn't something I was comfortable doing.

Dooku, apparently unconcerned with Torrhen's brush off, turned to me as he spoke. "Perhaps you might be able to assist the duke?"

"In what way?" Fay asked, a frown creeping onto her face. I sensed a flicker of concern from her as my mind began to consider just how I could help.

"Against the Lokella, you spoke of how young Cameron was able to disable several attacking vessels. That would be most helpful in our current situation." Dooku explained. His words gave credence as once more the ship rocked when turbolaser fire from the three cruisers that appeared to have no other objective but to destroy us continued their barrage.

"Cameron's actions there were borne of desperation." Fay began to reply. "He did so only as we had no other option. If he does that here, then he would be using the Force in a manner unbecoming of a Jedi."

"Then you suggest we do nothing and trust blindly that the Force will find a solution?" Dooku responded, his tone gaining an edge as he spoke. "That we make no effort to survive?"

I could feel irritation building in both my masters as they began another 'debate' about how one should approach the Force. While they didn't do so often in front of me, it wasn't hard to pick up on the signs that they had different opinions on how and when to use the Force. Not least when their advice came close to contradicting one and another. Thus, to avoid another one of those debates, especially in public in a combat situation, I decided to act.

I turned my attention back to the viewport; and the three cruisers which were slowly drifting upwards as the Ori'kyroya'kar banked to expose those cruisers' ventral sections. Focusing on them while using the Force to enhance my sight, I was able to determine that all three looked to be somewhere between the Ori'kyroya'kar and the Cin Vhetin in size, though closer to the larger, and more heavily armed Ori'kyroya'kar. That meant taking them down would likely be much, much harder than the three older model corvettes I'd taken down with the Lokella.

I closed my eyes, ignored the voices of my masters and others around me, and reached out through the Force towards those cruisers. It didn't take long for me to sense the crews of each vessel, and at that point, I opened my eyes. Surprisingly, all three were beyond the range of my minimap.

For a moment I considered using Battle Meditation but rejected it as Mandalorians actively trained to protect their minds against Jedi trickery – their words – plus the fact I hadn't used the power in a battle while on a ship under attack. Yes, I'd used it to help the Lokella defend their station (I was never going to use their name for that), but then I'd been safe in the command centre of the station; not on a ship actively engaged in combat.

Thus, the method I'd used against the corvettes was my best option.

I reached out through the Force, pushing gently until I felt my telekinetic prod brush up against the shields on the lead cruiser (which I only knew was the lead cruiser based on the ships being close to the central group of sentients I could sense.) As I expected, the power generated against my probe was several orders of magnitude greater than the Corvettes. Still, I wasn't going to let that deter me. I was stronger with the Force and had a greater connection to it (shown in the Interface by a larger FP with a faster regen rate), so I felt I could do this. No. I knew I could do this.

A twist of my wrist had my Force prod spread out, engulfing the cruiser's shields in my grip. Once I felt as though I'd covered the overwhelming majority of the shields with the Force, I pushed down hard, slamming my grip onto the energy bubble protecting the vessel. It took more effort for me to push against the shield, however, as I ramped up the pressure of my grip, it wasn't long before I felt a subtle shift in the energy output.

I hissed as several turbolaser bolts slammed into the shield, making it flare in reaction. That caused the power pushing against my Force grip to unexpectedly flare, and that was after having to deal with the excess energy of said bolts as they impacted the shields.

However, I didn't let that deter me. Sensing a millisecond of flickering in the shields (from a combination of turbolaser fire and my actions, I began to rapidly push and pull against the energy bubble; repeating the process I'd used against the Hutt corvettes that attacked the Lokella.

The bridge where I was, and the voices I could hear melding together in the background as I kept my focus entirely on the cruiser's shields. Nothing mattered beyond using and working with the Force to achieve what I wanted. A part of me began to feel intoxicated at just how powerful I currently was with the Force and wondered just how much more powerful I'd become in the future. Would I reach a point where I could .take down the shields of an ISD?

I felt a spike of surprise come from somewhere near me and allowed my mind to briefly process what was going on around me.

"Sir. The lead cruiser is losing power to its shields. However, our cannons are focused on the other two vessels." Osto reported to his father.

I didn't catch what the duke (or anyone) said in reply. Nor did I deal with the mixture of irritation and pride I sensed from my masters. Instead, I returned my entire focus to the enemy vessel.

Being able to feel the ebb and flow of energy from the Force as it danced almost hypnotically over the bubble of the shield was… incredible. As was the idea that the Force was working with me to achieve something most people could never comprehend.

Soon, I felt the energy bubble begin to weaken – likely due to a combination of my constant torment of it with the Force and the occasional turbolaser blast that stuck it – and The Force seemed to call out to me to act.

Lifting my other hand, I guided a second Force probe around the cruiser, seeking out the massive energy presence of the engines of the vessel. Once there, I gripped onto the shield around the engine and, as my main telekinetic attack pulled the majority of the shield towards me, my new attack yanked back on the remainder of the bubble.

A moment later, I hissed a sudden spike in power surged from the bubble, trying to overwhelm my attacks. Quickly I realised this was the crew diverting power to their unexpectedly (to them) weakening shields.

[Cameron?] Fay's voice echoed in my head as I felt her and Dooku brush their minds against mine.

[I'm fine. I was just surprised by a surge in their shield strength.] I replied as I willed more of the Force into my actions. If they were pushing more power into the shields, it meant my attack was having an effect. A moment later I stumbled as the Ori'kyroya'kar came under heavy fire (either from the three cruisers that were directly engaged with us, or someone else.)

I felt the strength of my force grips weaken. Fearing they'd fail entirely, I threw my will into the Force to strengthen, to increase the pressure on the shields. That brought a spike of concern from both may masters.

[Hmm. While I am reluctant to allow your actions to continue, disrupting you now would be foolish.] Fay responded, her mental tone making clear her disapproval of my actions. While Dooku stayed silent, I failed to sense any displeasure with my behaviour from him. [However, once this situation has abated, we will be discussing your reckless behaviour.] Fay finished before she and Dooku pulled back, leaving me alone in my mind. So to speak.

I was not looking forward to that talk, as while I expected Dooku to help defend my actions, something told me he would defer to Fay when it came to punishing me for acting unilaterally. I'd have to come up with a way to, if not dissipate, then at least temper Fay's disapproval. Otherwise, I felt I'd be spending the next few months (after Fay, Dooku and I all had a long discussion about the nature of the Dark Side and its dangers) in private meditation on a world in the back end of nowhere.

Restabilising my balance, I returned my focus to the cruiser, and the grips I held on its shield. While using Telekinesis like this on the cruiser's shields was working, it was slow going. I wasn't applying direct pressure to try and overwhelm the energy bubble (mainly as Force Crush wasn't at a high enough level for me to consider that), but the constant toing and froing from my twin grips was having an effect. I began to twist my force grips rapidly, making sure that if the front grip went clockwise (relative to me), the rear grip went counterclockwise. I wanted to see if that would have more of an effect on the shield, and the generator responsible for it.

I wasn't sure how long I kept that up, only the slight burn in my muscles from the exertion, but soon I heard Osto's voice once. "Lead vessel has lost its shields."

Suddenly, the cruiser surged forward, straining against my forward grip. I grunted at the unexpected pressure there even as my rear grip struck paydirt and latched onto the three massive thrusters powering the cruiser. Just my luck that instead of fighting the losing battle against my attack, they'd rerouted the power to their engines. Whether that was to escape or ram us, I couldn't say, but neither was a choice I wanted to allow. Thus, even as I strained to slow the cruiser as all three engines laboured to drive the warship forward, I latched onto one of them and began to pull.

I sensed waves of confusion from both the crew around me and the cruiser I was attacking as I felt the Force seep into the joints of the engine mount and, under my command, begin to shear the massive thruster from the vessel's frame.

I could've been subtle, and gently twisted the engine from the mount, however, I wasn't. Ignoring the noise of the bridge around me, I felt and watched as the engine was ripped clean from the cruiser. Even without my currently enhanced sight, I suspected I'd have seen the cruiser buck like a bronco as the engine was wretched away.

Pieces of debris, like blood squirting from wounds, were flung out into space as I gripped the now unpowered engine and flung it against the leftmost cruiser. (Why those two had held their position as it became apparent the lead ship was failing, I didn't know, but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to weaken another ship's shield before I attacked it.) As the engine shattered against that shield, making it flare in response, I managed to resist the urge to smile at seeing the destruction I'd unleashed.

Torrhen had clearly not been idle, as at the same moment I slammed the engine into the leftmost cruiser, the Ori'kyroya'kar unleashed a full volley of turbolaser blots at the lead cruiser. I was barely able to pull back my Force probe before the ship exploded under the intense heat of the bolts. Still, that was one down.

Even as I saw the other remaining cruiser turn and banked hard (likely deciding discretion was the better course of action), I turned my full attention to the leftmost cruiser. However, the moment I felt the Force brush against its shields, the cruiser turned hard to starboard (for it). I tried to ensure my grip on the shield stayed strong, but the extra acceleration, combined with the fact I hadn't fully latched onto the shields, meant I couldn't.

While I was annoyed at not getting to take out another cruiser through the Force (it was a rush to be able to do something so incredibly powerful and frankly just awesome), I could let it go. The whole point had been to ensure me, Fay, Dooku and the crew of the Ori'kyroya'kar didn't die. In that regard, I'd been successful. Plus, by turning as they did, the two remaining cruisers exposed their ventral shielding to the Ori'kyroya'kar and our remaining escorts.

A glance at my FP made my brow twitch. It'd taken nearly thirty per cent of my FP to take out a large (ish), well-armed cruiser. Meaning something like an ISD was going to take a lot more Force Power. Good thing I had about a decade and a half before they'd roll off the construction line. Then again, I'd seen a few ships even larger than that over Corellia when we'd stopped there years ago. Turns out shipyards and planets could build ships that size provided they were vastly underpowered, unarmed, and unarmoured. Which offended my sensibilities.

"Remaining attackers are falling back." A crewmember called out (likely from a sensor station), drawing my mind back to the bridge. And my two masters. While Dooku looked pleased with what I'd done, Fay… was about as apocalyptic as I suspected she'd ever get. Or at least as I ever wanted to see her be. Who knew such a blood-numbing terror could come from such a calm and patient look? "Remaining cruisers are pulling back to rejoin the main bulk of their forces. The Netra'Kad is reporting they've managed to restore power and is moving to check for survivors."

"Good. Now what the shab is going on." Torrhen commented as he turned and began to move back to the centre of the bridge. "Were we attacked by Death Watch, Duke Anzur or both?"

"It appears both, father." Osto responded, drawing Torrhen's, and my own, attention (which was a good thing as it meant I could pretend to not see Fay's disapproving glare.) "Of the six vessels that attacked us as we exited hyperspace, four bore the IFF of House Varaud. The other two bore the Death Watch IFF." At the mention of Death Watch, Osto's lips curled while his nose wrinkled in disgust. "From what we've managed to piece together the two groups attacked simultaneously from three, possibly four, vectors. At the same time, it seems explosions devastated several cities on the surface, meaning they already had boots on the ground. However, communications with the surface are currently down."

"A coordinated strike. Hmm. I didn't think Anzur would have the gett'se to attempt something like this." Torrhen commented as he tapped at his chin. "Regardless, how does the orbital battle fare?"

"The attackers are pulling back, in small groups, towards Concordia, though the defence fleet and others are giving chase." Osto replied and using my still Force-boosted sight, I saw four vessels break from orbit and make for Mandalore's moon. Six other ships were hot on their tail, which confirmed Osto's statement.

"They are not jumping to hyperspace?" Dooku asked, earning a shake of the head from Osto. "Unexpected. From my dealings with the group, Death Watch isn't prone to continuing a battle once the situation turns against them."

"Duke Anzur isn't a warrior who'd run at the first sign of trouble, but he knows when to cut his losses." Torrhen added as he turned to look at Dooku. "And my intelligence heard nothing about any alliance with Death Watch, or any of the various factions that remain of the group after Jango Fett killed Tor Vizsla." He paused before turning his attention to the viewport, which was beginning to be dominated by Mandalore as the ship returned to its original approach vector.

"Due to Death Watch's reputation across the galaxy, I suspect any contact between them and this duke was kept quiet." Fay offered. "Particularly if they were planning a surprise attack like this."

As the three spoke, I spotted one of the four retreating Death Watch/Anzur group slow down. Likely it had taken damage and lost power to its engines (though when I didn't know), however, it mattered little as the six pursuing vessels bore down on it like sharks sensing blood.

"Yes, but there's more to it." Torrhen muttered as he continued to gaze out the viewport. "And Anzur preaches a return to the oldest of ways. To a time before my forebearer was Mand'alor. Back when the galaxy feared us but did not respect our ways. If anything, Anzur not trying to take over the Watch is more surprising than them becoming allies."

The crippled Death Watch ship exploded, and the six turned to continue their chase of the remaining three other attackers. Though those three had reached a larger group that, in confirmation of what Osto had stated, was taking up a rough orbit around Concordia.

"What was their objective?" I pondered openly as I pulled on my experience from my former life. "Why order an attack like this, then not withdraw once the element of surprise was gone? Unless the attack here was a diversion…"

"Aye, that seems likely." Torrhen agreed as he kept his gaze on Mandalore while rubbing his chin. "But what was the real target?"

"It would have to be a sufficiently big target to convince the two groups to ally and attack a sector capital." Dooku offered as I felt him move closer to me, almost as if he was blocking Fay from seeing me. "A bold and daring move."

Torrhen grunted. "Aye. But one that certainly caught us unawares." He turned and moved towards his command chair. That had me wondering once more why, if such seats did exist in this universe, why ships like the Venators or ISDs didn't have dedicated seats for the commanding officer. Not having them – especially without railings while near the lower levels – struck me as a bad design element. "Helm, increase speed to…"

"My duke, I've managed to break through to the surface." Interrupted one of the bridge crew. "There are reports of fighting in Keldabe, Sundari, several other cities and in the Tusza shipyards."

"Shab!" Torrhen cursed and I had to agree. While proving the general attack on the defence fleet was a diversion, the named targets were important symbols. Attacking Sundari made perfect sense for both groups as it was home to the New Mandalorians and Duke Adonai (primary targets of both groups. Keldabe made less sense as it was the capital of the world before the Dral'han and the rise of the New Mandalorian faction. That suggested there was a target of value there, but I couldn't work out what.

As for Tusza shipyards… Yeah, crippling that would hamper Adonai's (and others) ability to build new vessels. Plus, there was the chance that if the strike teams there could liberate the nearly completed ships, Death Watch and Anzur would not only cripple their enemies but strengthen their own fleets. Also, from what I'd learnt it was majority controlled by Mandalmotors, but from what I'd overheard the Techno Union sub-contracted it to do work for them. Any delay on those contracts would make the leadership of Mandalmotors look weak (both domestically and outside the sector), giving Death Watch and Anzur grounds to campaign against the company's leadership and force a change. Or at least force the clans that controlled the company to give in to their other demands.

Everything about this attack felt… preordained, and I wondered if this was the moment when the civil war that led to Satine becoming Duchess began. That was not something I could allow to happen, otherwise the last year of my life would've been a total waste. The other issue was if the attack on the shipyards was large enough, the Techno Union might become involved in the running of the place. Again, that would be a problem for my long-term plans.

"Take us into orbit. Combat burn." Torrhen ordered as he dropped onto his chair. "While the shipyards are important, we're too far away to influence that battle. We'll have to trust that others can defend them for us."

"Yes sir."

I felt the deck hum as power surged through the ship, giving the engines the extra oomph to push us towards the rapidly growing planet at an even greater speed.

Between Torrhen and the main viewport, a holo appeared from an emitter in the ceiling. The holo display was something I'd been wondering about as, unlike every other starship in this universe that I knew of, there was no console for displaying such a thing. From the display, I could easily work out that we were approaching on a vector that would allow us to head to either Sundari or Keldabe, with the final decision being made once it was determined which was the attack's primary objective.

"Is there any way we may be of assistance planet-side?" Dooku asked, drawing Torrhen's attention to us once more as a lull settled over the bridge. Even though no one spoke, I suspected they were all busy with prepping for more combat and trying to repair any serious damage taken before we entered the atmosphere and ran into further combat.

"The offer is appreciated Master Jedi; however, this is an internal Mandalorian issue." Torrhen replied diplomatically before turning his attention to me. "And I believe you have already been of great help to us today."

I considered replying verbally, but that would only confirm to him (and his bridge crew) what I'd done. While I was beginning to trust Torrhen and his son – and could likely somewhat extend that trust to his crew – I felt it would be better to remain closed about what I could or couldn't do. Thus, I responded with a slight nod. That made his lip twitch, meaning I'd made the right call.

"Of course." Fay said in her usual calm tone before she turned her head in my direction. Even if she appeared serene to those around us, I could feel her disappointment at my actions. "Perhaps it would be beneficial if we…"

I grunted in pain, cutting off Fay's words, and stumbled back a few steps.

"Cameron?" Fay asked as she took a step towards me. Her dissatisfaction with my actions was now covered in concern at my unexpected reaction. Dooku also seemed concerned, though he kept it hidden behind a neutral face with the only outward sign being a raised eyebrow.

"I, I'm fine." I answered slowly as I felt her hand touch my shoulder. "I, I felt… something. Pain. But it wasn't mine." I paused as I processed the flash of agony I'd felt. The pain wasn't Serra's. I knew how she felt in the Force and was well versed in sensing her pain through the Force, so who could've…

My thoughts were cut off as another wave of pain struck me. This was far stronger, and I swore I could hear the faintest whisper of a voice with it. Not enough to tell whose pain I was sensing but enough to know the source was female. Still, that – plus the number of females I held any kind of bond with and my location – combined with the fact whoever it was wasn't trained to call out through the Force, was enough for me to determine whose pain I was sensing.

"Naz." I muttered as quietly as I could. While the girl wasn't Force trained, she was sensitive to the Force (at least in the same range as Obi-Wan), so an instinctual burst of pain through the Force was plausible. Combined with the solid Force bond I shared with her and Bo (which was something I shared with all of my former teammates at the Institute as well), it was easy to understand who was pushing their pain into the Force. Even if the action was likely unintentional.

I lifted my head and looked at my masters and Torrhen. "Naz is hurt. I… She's sensitive to the Force but untrained. But I know her signature." Which was odd. Yes, she had the potential to use the Force, and we shared a solid bond, but she didn't know anything about either of those. That meant that either she'd used the Force like this before (possible) or the nature of my Force bonds – when combined with the Interface – made me unusually susceptible to sharing emotions through them. And that was concerning

"You can sense her pain?" Dooku asked, and as I stood up straight, I saw that his brow was knotted, while Fay looked equally concerned. While that could've been over how easily I'd been affected by Naz's burst of pain, I felt there was more to it. As if they were as concerned about the implications as I was.

I pushed down thoughts about Meetra Surik and her Force bonds. This wasn't the time or place to consider if there was a shared similarity between her bonds and mine. Though it was something I'd have to meditate on later. Once this chaos ended.

"Yes." I turned and gazed out the viewport at the rapidly growing planet, ignoring the duelling fighters that ducked and weaved in the upper atmosphere in a deadly dance. "She's down there somewhere and hurt. I'm not sure how badly, but." I paused as another wave of pain rolled over me. This one was weaker and felt different. That meant it likely hadn't come from Naz, and based on how things were likely going, I already had a suspect in mind. "Kriff off!" I mumbled as the wave receded. Force Bonds were fucking broken, and not in a good way.

"Cameron?"

"I'm fine. Just someone else was in pain." I replied, turning back from the viewport. "At a guess, I'd say it was Bo, but I can't be sure. Naz was the only person I met with decent sensitivity to the Force." As I spoke, I saw Torrhen stiffen and felt his unease at hearing Naz had Force potential. Likely it was just because most Mandalorians (like many in the wider galaxy) were unsure of how to deal with the Force and those who used it. However, there was the possibility he was concerned at Tor Vizsla's niece – and a descendent of Tarre Vizsla – being Force-sensitive. "We need to get planet-side quickly."

"Cameron, as Duke Torrhen has just stated, this is an internal Mandalorian matter," Fay began as a frown crept into her otherwise calm demeanour. "While I understand your concern for your friends, as a Jedi we cannot allow ourselves to be ruled by our emotions."

I bit back a comment on the fact she had once been married to a Mandalorian – a breach of the Code, and something that made her current stance rather unfair – and instead went for another option. "I know that Master, but I'm also a Mandalorian." I countered, making her frown more prominent. "The Force guided me here for a reason. And I don't think it was just to train with and learn their ways." I pointed towards the planet that was the only thing that could be seen through the viewport. "This moment is important; I can feel it." And, a brief, almost imperceptible ripple in the Force confirmed my suspicions. "If we do nothing, Death Watch and this duke may end up killing Duke Adonai and his family. Not only would that plunge the sector into chaos, but it will spill out into the surrounding sectors. And Force help us, might even see Death Watch become the dominant faction in the sector."

Torrhen growled at my words. "Over my dead body."

I glanced at him as I replied. "Once Adonai falls, Duke Torrhen would be next. Like a house of sabacc cards, if those two are removed from the base, the house, the entire sector, falls."

Fay was silent, likely contemplating her response.

"Our Padawan is correct in his reasoning." Dooku supplied in agreement. I spotted Torrhen's brow twitch at Dooku's words (likely due to my master's role on Galidraan), but he stayed silent as Dooku continued. "The removal of Dukes Adonai and Torrhen would severely destabilize the sector. The resulting chaos would undoubtedly spill out to the surrounding sectors, and barring a few, most are woefully ill-equipped to deal with any Mandalorian battles." It may have been my imagination, but I swore Dooku had to fight to not sneer at commenting on how weak those sectors were. "That would result in the Senate asking the Order to intervene."

"Which would play into the hands of the Watch." Fay finished with a sigh before turning and giving Dooku a look that I couldn't decipher. "However, it is not our place to interfere in an internal matter or determine the fate of a people. Not without a direct request from the leader of the planet."

I opened my mouth to reply that Adonai was likely under attack, and thus couldn't make such a request when another wave of pain slammed into me. I stumbled back and fell to a knee. This wave of pain was far worse than the previous two, though at least now I understood who was in pain. Whatever was happening on the surface, Naz had been badly wounded. Not enough to keep her out of the fight (she was a Mandalorian after all), but enough that she would be slowed, if not trapped wherever she was.

"Cameron?" I heard Fay ask, but my mind was on what I could do.

Yes, she'd recently crossed a line (one that, back on Earth could've qualified as sexual assault), but she'd realised her mistake. Or at least understood why I'd reacted how I had. And – ignoring a certain quest – both her and Bo were friends, and I didn't abandon my friends.

I turned my head and looked at the planet. We'd just hit the upper atmosphere, and were currently on a descent vector towards Sundari. However, given the current date, Bo and Naz would be at, or near, the Institute in Keldabe.

To be certain, I reached out as far as I could with the Force, trying to detect in which city they were. While my minimap only had a range of a kilometre, Detection could sense every being on a planet. When combined with the fact I shared a decent Force bond with the pair, that would result in them becoming a pinging marker at the edge of the minimap.

However, to throw off my initial plan, Detection pinged nearly two dozen people, which was further proof about how easily my Force bonds with others formed. While a small number of them were in Sundari, the strongest bonds were in Keldabe. Thanks to Eidetic Memory, I knew that the strongest bonds I had with people here were there. Thus, I had a general location to where they were. However, it was not the one the cruiser was heading in.

Asking Torrhen to alter his cruiser's descent vector was stupid. To me, Adonai was the priority target, thus that was where we needed to go. However, with both Fay and Dooku here, I felt Torrhen had enough support to get to and defend his fellow duke. I could've asked for a squad of jet-troopers to be deployed towards Keldabe, but that would take time to arrange; not least if Fay wanted to keep debating that we shouldn't get involved.

An image of training I'd done in my former life came to mind, and as far as I could see, it was the only option I had. Yes, it was risky (verging on suicidal) but who dares wins.

Ignoring a new quest notice, I took a deep breath, centred myself for what was to come, closed my eyes, then called the Force to me.

"Cam…" Fay began, but her voice faded out as my vision was engulfed in silver light.

"Oof!" I grunted as the light faded and I was slammed into by a blast of the atmosphere of Mandalore. I opened my eyes a fraction, taking in the sight of the ground far below, before closing them as gravity began to pull me down. Without any equipment, I was forced to keep my eyes closed as I tumbled end over end from the buffeting of the extreme winds at my current high altitude, even as the cold, wet air began to drain my body of warmth.

I quickly engaged Tapas to handle the temperature issues, though it took me about thirty seconds to gain control of my freefall. Just in time for the Force to scream out a warning. Sensing where the threat was coming from, I extended my arms, using the drag to slow myself suddenly as a fighter craft shot through where I'd have been if I hadn't slowed.

I grunted as the jetstream from the fighter sent me tumbling once more, something that grew worse as a second fighter soared past, firing bolts of yellow plasma at the first fighter. While I'd have liked to help (the idea of jumping from fighter to fighter to reach the ground sounded both awesome and crazy), I had no easy way of telling who was friend or foe. Yes, Sense Force could give a hint as to someone's intention, but at the speed I was falling (and the much, much faster velocities of the fighters around me) I'd never know who was who until I was on a fighter. If I called it wrong, I risked costing an allied fighter their life as they adjusted to my sudden appearance and the disruption that would cause to their fighter's airflow.

Just as I regained control of my descent, the Force called out another warning. This time I knew I had no chance of avoiding the fighter if I tried to slow. Thus, I twisted my body, straining both Bullet-Time and Speed to their maximum. As the fighter came close, I twirled in mid-air and gave a push off the fighter with Telekinesis. While the push wouldn't (hopefully) cost the pilot control, it was enough to allow the fighter to go hurtling pasting me. I felt the air whistle past, indicating just how close I'd come to being struck by the fighter, and cursing at how insane my plan was.

Another fighter swooped in, and again using the Force, I twisted. Though this time I reached out and grabbed the wing of the fighter.

I screamed in my mind at the pain that shot up my arm as my hand fought, and failed even with the force enhancing it, to get a grip on the wing. Even without securing myself against the wing, it felt as though my arm was being ripped off. Still, it was enough to turn me to avoid the worst of the turbulence the fighter created and allow me to (mainly) remain in control of my glide path.

Not wanting to keep dodging fighters (I doubted my luck would hold for more than a few more passes) I rotated my body until I was heading head-first towards the ground. I kept my arms close to my side and my eyes closed. At this height and speed opening them would be fucking stupid. I had to trust the Force to guide me until I was at least below the cloud cover.

Some of the pockets on my belt had slipped open as I tumbled around in the wash of the four fighters I'd had to avoid, which made me glad I kept the Mantle of the Force in my Inventory. I couldn't say for sure what I'd lost, but the standard things like a communicator and grappling hook were parts of my Mandalorian vambraces, so if they'd fallen out it wouldn't be a great loss.

I mentally wondered if there was a way to counter the pain I was feeling from my body as I careered towards the ground. In my old world, a special suit was worn for HALO jumps, but all I had were my Jedi robes (which were almost zero use at keeping me warm as I fell) and my dragon-hide cloak.

Force Power Discovered!
Physical Enhancement

A general ability to improve your body all at once. It covers physical characteristics, sense and general durability.
…​

As the notice popped up in the Interface (which was easier to use with my eyes closed, though more painful to do as the wind buffeted against me), I suppressed an urge to scream. Ignoring the fact that I was falling at terminal velocity (which I wasn't sure was the same as Earth's but was likely close as the air pressure and gravity were similar), it wouldn't help in any way. And could result in me accidentally swallowing something that was floating along in the upper atmosphere.

I suppressed a second urge to hit myself for not seeing if such a thing could be done with the Force, I examined this new power's setup. The cost, like any new power, was a problem (it came in at 10FP per second, though that would drop with time), and likely wouldn't be much use at the beginning – again, like many of my other powers – but it was better than nothing. However, anything was better than nothing, and I activated it. There was no discernible change in the pressure on my skin, but even if the effects were minimal, I'd take it.

Suddenly the air whistling past my skin grew drier. Taking a chance, I altered my shape – by lifting my head and extending my arms and legs outwards – to increase drag and slow my fall, then opened my eyes.

I'd broken through the cloud cover and could now see the vast swathes of desert that dominated the land between Keldabe and Sundari and covered much of the rest of the planet. Still, with how high up I was, I could see both cities; or at least roughly where Sundari was as it was surrounded by other, smaller, domed cities.

A noise to my left had me turning my head to see fighters ducking, weaving and twirling around each other. It reminded me heavily of the training exercises carried out in my old life, though here instead of missiles and machine guns it was blaster bolts that streaked across the sky, giving it a faint yellow tint.

Thankfully, the fighting was taking place over Keldabe, and as I kept falling, by the time I approached the city, I'd be under the combat floor. OR at least what seemed to be one as I quickly spotted that none of the fighters were dropping low. Either none were equipped for ground support (unlikely, but possible) or the city had air defences to deter low-attitude attacks (logical, but I couldn't remember seeing any in my time in the city).

Now that I was closer to the ground (and how to stop without going splat was a rapidly increasing issue) I could determine that Naz and Bo were in the city proper while most of the others I shared a bond with were located in or near the Institute. Since I hadn't sensed anything from the others (either because they weren't injured or my bond with them wasn't strong enough), I focused on getting to Naz and Bo.

Years of training kicked in, and I angled my body to alter my glide path (read controlled fall with no current method to land safely) towards Keldabe. It was hard to tell exactly how high above the city I was but going on some very basic geography I'd learned in my former life, it looked like the clouds I'd come through were mid-level clouds. At a guess, I'd say I had several hundred kilometres still to fall, though what I wouldn't give for an altimeter. Then again, without a parachute knowing when to deploy was less of an issue. (Though I made a mental note that, provided I survived this insane idea, to store at least a parachute in my Inventory.)

A sense of concern, mixed with annoyance, came to me through the Force as I felt Fay's mind touch my own. Her presence, normally one that felt tranquil and reminded me of a pleasant spring evening, was tinged with her worry. I couldn't use the communicator in my vambrace (the wind was far too loud) while the one in my belt was likely gone. Also, the distance between was (currently) too great for me to speak with her telepathically, so I chose instead to send back a feeling of safety. Hopefully, she wouldn't pick up on the excitement I was feeling as I revelled in the free fall; nor the concern that I had about how I was going to land without killing myself.

If I survived this, I was sure both my masters were going to ream me for my reckless/dangerous behaviour. And while a part of me agreed with that (this plan was fucking stupid), the larger part of me was revelling in the feeling of falling once more. Yes, I wasn't deploying with my old squadmates, nor was this Earth. Yet, dropping into a combat situation as a special operations unit (of one) felt comforting.

Of course, that's when a stray yellow bolt of plasma shot exploded close enough that I felt the air ripple in response.

I tumbled end over end a few times before I regained control, and after mentally cursing out the fighter who'd fired that shot, found myself wishing I at least had a glide-suit. A flutter behind me had me having to resist the urge to facepalm. I was still wearing my cloak.

Yes, it wasn't designed for this but if I could just strengthen it with the Force…

Force Power Discovered!
Object Enhancement

The ability to use the Force to temporarily increase an object's durability, damage resistance or another facet.
…​

I smirked as the message popped up, then dismissed it a moment later. Like Physical Enhancement, it wouldn't be the most useful now, but anything was better than nothing. I channelled the Force into my cloak then, as carefully as I could without losing my shape or losing control of my fall, I reached back and slowly gripped the cloak.

It took a few tries, but eventually I managed to get a firm hand hold with both hands. Slowly, careful to not move quickly and risk losing control of myself or risk the cloak ripping, I extended my hands outwards. I grunted as the air caught the cloak and my arms were yanked back by the sudden resistance. I didn't hear or feel anything tear, thank the Force, and I felt my descent slow markedly.

Now, with a moment to plan things, I decided on determining where in Keldabe I had to aim for. I reached out through the Force, trying to lock on to the minds of Bo and Naz.

Unlike all the times I'd trained to do this, I felt neither the serene calmness of a spring morning that embodied Fay nor the rigid coldness that represented how Dooku felt within the Force. Brief, flashing, seemingly random images and sounds buzzed around my brain as I brushed against the minds of the pilots and other combatants in the air around me. It felt as if I was trapped in a wave, with only the minutest of glimpses of the surface as I was tossed around in the water.

Still, I continued to push outwards in slow, constant waves, taking time to not allow the heightened emotions of the minds I could sense to overwhelm me. Mentally, I visualised it as a sort of radar or sonar pulse through the Force; trying to pick up the beacon (Force bond) of two specific targets.

As the sight of the tallest – by far – building in Keldabe (Mandalmotors headquarters) started to stand out against the rest of the city, I angled my pulses through the Force towards the city below me.

Again, I was assaulted by fleeting visuals, sounds and smells from countless minds, and while I couldn't work out where each was coming from, I realised something else. Even at this range, I was able to sense potential foes from friends. I hadn't been able to do that with the fighters, likely due to the speed everyone was moving (and the fact I was more concerned about my descent), but I could do so with those fighting in the city below.

I counted over a dozen funnels of smoke reaching up into the air, indicative of explosions. Thankfully none appeared particularly thick or near where the minimap was indicating the strongest Force bonds were.

["Hold the line! Don't let them past!"]

The voice echoed in my head, yet I somehow knew I wasn't hearing the speaker, but the one being spoken to. A fraction of a second later I realised that I'd brushed up against Gar Saxon's mind. He was somewhere close to the Mandalmotors towers – confirmed by a passing image of the building from the ground – yet he wasn't who I was looking for.

I kept searching through the Force in waves, searching for… wait, what was that?

For a moment I thought I sensed something… off. Something powerful, controlled and dark near the top of the Mandalmotors tower. Everything seemed fine – or as fine as things could be with a city under attack – but in one room, there was something off. I was able to sense that Bo and Naz weren't in the room, yet there was something different. As if the Force was missing something. Yet, as I considered turning my attention towards that, it vanished.

Perhaps this was one of those ways that my masters had spoken about how the Force could be blocked, though why the head of a company would have such a thing in their office (I seriously doubted anyone at Mandalmotors bar the CEO would have the resources to get such a thing) wasn't something I had time to contemplate.

Still, I had more pressing matters. Namely finding my friends in the firefight down below.

From the moments where I'd touched the minds of others, I'd seen scenes of carnage all around the tower. Shops and homes burned, and bodies lay dead on the street as the locals fought against the attackers. And what was confusing me was that all of them were Death Watch.

The attack in orbit had been a combined assault, yet I was all but certain that the attackers in Keldabe were only linked to Death Watch. That meant that Duke Anzur was entirely focused on Sundari (which made sense as he'd want to kill Adonai personally) and that Death Watch had a target in the city.

I pushed harder against the next few minds I sensed. Even though they were clearly trained to resist such things, in the heat of battle their mental defences weren't as active as I'd expected. Which I was happy to take advantage of.

Apparently, there was an aruetii (off-worlder) in Mandalmotors that they wanted dead. I frowned wondering if the source of the strange moment I'd sensed in the Force was a person and not something else. But I shook my head at that. Sidious was on Coruscant, and while I didn't know his Force presence – since he actively repressed to the point that I couldn't sense him while standing next to him – the odds that he'd be here were… so astronomically low that it wasn't worth considering.

I felt a spike in anger as I discovered that Death Watch was also targeting the Institute because of me and Serra. Well, that tried to target it. The complex had driven back their initial assault and while not safe, wasn't in immediate danger. That helped soothe my anger, though since the markers for Naz and Bo were that general direction, there was a chance I'd be able to relive my anger on those fools who'd attacked a training school. (Not that the Mandalorians would appreciate me calling it that.)

I kept searching through the Force, sending out pulses in the hopes that…

A piercing spear of pain slammed into my mind. Naz had been hit again, this time badly. While that made my anger spike once more, it gave me a thread to her in the Force on which to pull. And pull I did.

["Haar'chak, Naz! Stay still!"]

My heart jumped at hearing Bo's voice in my head through the mind of Naz. That was kriffing weird. As were the feelings that Naz had at hearing (and smelling if I was understanding the strange connection that I'd just forced open) Bo's voice, which I now had bouncing around my head.

Stupid kriffing Force bonds.

["I can still fight.!] Naz shot back as I pushed to further open the thread of a connection that I had with Naz. I needed to find out exactly where they were, and what was going on, to be able to help them.

["Maybe, but that wound is fresh enough that it'll break open if you do."] Even as I was able to lock onto their positions through the Force, I frowned at hearing Bo's retort. It confirmed what I'd felt/sensed about Naz's situation. And while Bo was trying to sound calm, I felt a murmur in the force about her pain.

The tip of Mandalmotors tower was coming up fast (I could now make out the windows on the building, though seeing was impossible as they were tinted) and I knew I had to get an exact lock on their location then figure out a way to land. I had a few ideas, however none of them were exactly textbook in their application.

As I locked onto Naz and Bo – and brushed up against Bo's mind even while pulling back from Naz's – I sensed a desire to… hurt/enjoy the two girls.

I had to slap down my rage at what I sensed this mind wanted to do to my friends, even as I focused on them to determine where this… dead man walking was. They were no more than a hundred metres from Bo and Naz (and there was someone else there with them), and – from what I could sense from them and their cohorts – had my friends encircled and outnumbered.

I pushed my rage down, channelling it towards working out how to land instead of aimlessly plotting out how to hurt that mind, and banked my body (and my cloak) so that I could circle around Mandalmotors tower. I knew where I needed to land and had a rough map of that part of the city in my mind already from wandering the streets over the last year. Now I just had to…

A warning from the Force screamed in my mind (as it did via the Interface with a danger notice) and Danger Sense flashed indicating the exact location and distance of the threat.

I banked as best I could while gliding. I felt the heat of a blaster bolt as it flew past my arm, searing a few hairs in the process.

I tracked the path of the bolts back to where it'd come from to see a squad of four Mandos on the roof of a building near the Mandalmotors tower. While that building was only about two-thirds the height of the tower, it did give them an excellent position to lay down suppressing fire on the plaza below. Or taking pot-shots at an insane Jedi who just happened to be gliding by.

I banked again, pulling closer to the tower than I'd like, to avoid a second shot. A third bolt came in, and this one I couldn't avoid. I tumbled as I lost my grip on the cloak. As my sightline rapidly shifted from the buildings to the sky to the now rapidly closing tower – and the mass of darkened windows that covered the upper floors – I knew I had no choice but to enact one of my landing plans.

Trying to keep calm – even as the darkened glass of the tower rapidly came closer – I extended my arms out and down from my body (relatively speaking). I willed the Force to extend outward, using it to bring my now un-controlled fall under control. While I'd trained Levitation to the Prodigy tier, I'd never used it to actually fly. Though it did slow my fall remarkably. Not enough that I could land without hurting myself, but enough that I wouldn't just become a red splat on the duracrete below.

The Force warned of more danger, and I lifted on hand to generate a barrier. Bolts fired by the Mandalorians fizzled out against the invisible barrier, generating brief silverish sparks in the air. However, the movement of my hand had caused me to lose control of my descent.

Before I entirely lost control of both usages of the Force, I made the Force take control of the air itself and generate an updraft. While my training with Aerokinesis was limited, the updraft was enough to stop me from losing control of my levitation and barrier.

I saw all four Mandalorians shift their focus to me, which was an issue as even with Aerokinesis helping me to levitate, I was still falling; albeit slow enough that I'd have more than enough time to select a landing spot. I also needed to get to Bo and Naz quickly as while Naz was no longer screaming through the Force in pain, I could tell her latest wound was causing her problems.

I cursed as the four Death Watch fighters lifted from the roof, using jetpacks to close on my location. Likely they were going to try and surround me and see if that would let them take me out. However, I had no intention of letting that come to pass. Moving two fingers on the hand I was using to control my barrier, I grabbed the rightmost fighter and slammed him into his closest friend.

The pair were engulfed in an explosion, meaning one of their jetpacks had ignited in the collision, which pushed the remaining two off course and away from me, though not before both managed to get off a shot or two with their blasters. Thankfully all their shots either stuck my barrier or sailed harmlessly past me.

As I descended below the top of the spire that reached skywards from the Mandalmotors tower, I saw brief flashes of light coming from inside. Well, save for the top four floors. On those, I couldn't see any firefights taking place, but that might just be due to heavier internal protections or thicker glass. Though those four were where I thought I'd sensed the strange disruption in the Force earlier.

Still, I had more pressing matters than the tower and what was going on inside; namely the two Death Watch flyers who were regaining control of their flight paths and reaching my friends. Both stabilised their flights and had aimed a weapon towards me (one blaster and one vambrace), yet before either could fire, I made my next move.

Both were unexpectedly (for them) jerked forwards and down. They managed to squeeze off a few shots each even as they were yanked by the Force, though again none of the shots caused me any concern. Before they could attempt to counter my actions, I slammed them both hard into the darkened windows of the tower.

The glass groaned at the impact but held, though my immediate focus had shifted from the two to myself. The flick of my wrist to send them into the building had destabilized me enough that I'd begun to fall faster again. As the wind began to whistle past my ears, and I dropped below the two flyer Death Watch members, I grabbed the pair once more, pulled them back from the building then slammed them into it once more.

Seeing both jetpacks spark, I refocused on stabilising my descent and ignored the scream from one of them as the pair fell. They had started this, so hopefully the few seconds of freefall before they hit the ground would have them regret their life choices. Though if they didn't, I wouldn't care as they'd be – at the very least – crippled for life; and that was only if they managed to slow their fall before reaching the ground.

With that brief annoyance taken care of, I could begin to plot my approach to my friends. While they were still over a kilometre away, I had a perfect map of the city in my head thanks to my time exploring the place and Eidetic Memory. Using Levitation and Aerokinesis together was trickly (mainly as I'd never used the latter like this before), I was able to almost float as I banked away from the tower and headed in the direction my minimap indicated the pair were.

As I passed over a corner of the plaza, my minimap highlighted two people that I shared a weak bond with: Gar Saxon and Rook Kast. I couldn't sense if either were injured but given that (thanks to using Enhance Senses) I could see both were tucked down behind cover and relatively safe, I made no attempt to help them.

As I floated over the streets leading from the plaza, I saw people moving around, engaging in smaller firefights. While most of the chaos seemed to be centred around the plaza and tower, the smoking remains of various buildings littered my path; as did bodies lying motionless in the street. I felt my temper flare as I saw a small child desperately trying to make an adult (likely their parent) wake up. A blaster bolt struck the ground near the child, making them scream.

Growling at the dishonourable actions of that attacker, I flicked my wrist three times. The traitor to what it meant to be a Mandalorian bounced off several walls with enough force that I heard two of them crack. While I couldn't bring the child's mother back, I could ensure that… disgraceful imitation of a warrior couldn't hurt anyone else.

I altered my plan and began to descend to collect the child when I saw two new people move over to them. With my enhanced sight, I could tell neither wore the markings of Death Watch (one was even still wearing a partially burnt apron), so I left them to collect the child. But I made a mental note to, if I could, discover who the child was and offer what help I could to the family after the battle was over.

As I continued to float down over the city, I wondered how Death Watch (or at least this unit of them as I found it unlikely Pre would order an attack that might kill his only daughter) had found the manpower to do such damage. Nearly a dozen smoke trails were rising around the city, and I'd seen dozens of civilian bodies on the streets. That suggested they'd planned this attack well in advance.

Yet nothing about it made sense. Attacking here over Sundari didn't make much sense (beyond the target at the tower and the Institute), yet they'd attacked here, and done far more damage than any report I'd seen on the group's strength suggested they could. So apart from the VIP at the tower and the Institute, why did they unleash such chaos across the city?

About a minute after saving the child, two new pulsing markers appeared on the minimap, indicating Bo and Naz had entered range. The pair were with another in the middle of a smaller side alley, with about a dozen others keeping them pinned down from the ends of the alley. I had originally planned to land on a roof near to them then move into help, but with them trapped in the alley, and Naz wounded, I knew time was of the essence.

Altering the direction of my gentle fall, I angled towards the closest group of what could only be Death Watch troopers and began to rapidly plan out my attack. Just floating down risked me being spotted before I was close enough to be sure of what they were doing, thus a rather unorthodox (and slightly flashy) plan took shape in my mind. One that, in no way, was inspired by something I'd seen in a movie in my old life and had wanted to emulate since then.

As I floated down towards the corner that would bring me into sight of the closest Death Watch group that had my friends trapped, I enacted my hastily developed plan. Just before reaching the corner, I floated away from it, released my hole over the air, and lifted one arm. I aimed the vambrace upon it at the wall and a moment later, a grappling wire shot out from it. It bit into the wall, then a slight movement of my hand had the grapple begin to reel me towards the wall. At the same time, I cancelled my levitation.

Gravity took over, though with me being only a few stories above the ground it wouldn't be able to accelerate me to terminal velocity. Plus, the grapple swung me down and towards the corner in a pendulum motion. As I was about two stories up and moving at speed the chances of a member of Death Watch being able to react to my sudden appearance in time to stop me was slim.

As I rounded the corner, I spotted the five members of Death Watch controlling this entrance to the alley where my friends were trapped. Four were grouped around the entrance to the alley, taking aim down it while maintaining cover against the walls with the fifth was closer to me by perhaps two metres and was crouched over a rifle.

As the arc of my swing reached its lowest point, I realised that I'd have to shift from my preferred lightsaber style. While I felt I could take all five with Makashi, it wasn't designed for it and doing so would likely draw out the fight longer than I wanted. Since speed was of the essence, Shii-Cho would make the most sense, though with an altered Ataru Falling Leaf attack to open.

For a split second I closed my eyes, and as my arc reached the closest point to my targets, I released the grapple. The Force flowed through me as I lifted back up into the sky, this time trusting the Force to help me guide my blade as I came down. I tensed and ignited my blade above my head as I began my final descent.

The closest Death Watch fighter turned – likely having heard my lightsaber ignite – and though his face was covered by a helmet, preventing me from seeing his face, I could sense his shock and confusion in the Force. He turned, standing and raising his rifle fluidly – proving he'd had years of combat training – yet before he could bring the barrel to bare, I lashed out.

A flick of one hand – letting it leave the hilt of my lightsaber for a moment – sent a wave of Force energy towards him. The ground between the one now turning and the others exploded. Dust, duracrete and other things exploded under the power of my blast, showering the area in debris and reducing visibility to almost nothing.

Into that cloud and chaos I landed (my eyes closed as I relied on the Force to guide me), my blade swooping down slicing the fighter's rifle – and one of his arm's just below the elbow where the armour was the weakest – in two. My blade flared as it slipped down the side of his nearest leg, letting me know that his armour (and likely that of his squad mates) was composed of a beskar alloy; if not full beskar plates.

"Aargh!" the man grunted out in shock. As he took a stumbling step backwards, I lifted my blade and removed his other hand. Then with a simple gesture, sent him flying to one side. A crack was heard as he hit the wall with enough force to send more dust and debris into the air.

I moved into the dust cloud, using the Force to boost my speed as far as it could. I hoped that the in-built sensors in the helmets of the remaining Death Watch members would have a hard time tracking me, but I wasn't going to take any chances. A flick of my wrist summoned four rifles towards me, each hissing as they smashed into my whirling lightsaber then fell to the ground in pieces. While that wouldn't entirely disarm a Mandalorian, it was a good place to start.

The dust cleared for a moment and as I closed rapidly on the four left, they appeared to be moving in slow-motion. The arms of two were lifting towards me, meaning their helmets could track my movement, while the other pair were trying to untangle themselves from each other. The ones trying to aim at me either weren't fast enough to take advantage of that or their bodies couldn't react as quickly as the in-built computers in the helmets, as none of their arms were able to bring a gauntlet to bear before I was upon them.

I slashed at the back of the legs of one of the tangled pair, slicing through his armour at the back of his knee. My blade continued forward, and after gliding up the chest piece of the other, removed that man's arm at the shoulder. Both seemed to freeze as their minds processed the missing limb, but before either could react, I sent them crashing into the other two.

All four struck the wall next to me with a loud crunch with the two undamaged fighters taking the brunt of the hit. Before they'd even fallen to the ground, I picked all four up and pulled them towards me. As they passed in front of me my blade moved, becoming a dark shadow in the slowly receding cloud. The cloud was whipped up by their movement, and as they exited it, two objects bounced against the street, being carried part of the way by their momentum. I watched dispassionately as an arm and head bounced and flopped into the street even as the four slammed viciously into the stand outside a shop on the other side of the street. The stand exploded under the force the four hit it with, and the remains of it and the group smashed through the window of the shop, ending with a massive crash from somewhere inside.

A stray bolt came flying out of the alley, for a brief instant turning the remains of the dust cloud yellow. While they couldn't have known what they were aiming at, the bolt streaked into the shop. I stumbled back as an explosion ripped through the building and hastily erected a barrier to protect myself from the shockwave and the debris that began to rain down around me.

A Force blast channelled through my barrier sent the debris hurtling away from me – and the alley on the off chance some of it became a threat to my friends trapped within. I quickly generated a smaller barrier around the entrance of the alley, just in time to see another bolt emerge from the alley then splash harmlessly against my barrier.

Knowing that the street was free of hostiles, and with the barrier to protect me from a stray shot from my friends, I stepped towards the alley, exposing my silhouette to those inside and at the far end.

Another bolt fizzled pathetically against my barrier as I gazed down the alley. Bo, Naz and the other person with them looked to be trapped about halfway down the alley while – thanks to Detection and the minimap – I knew six members of Death Watch were holding the far end. The three trapped souls were using what looked like toppled dumpsters or crates as cover, and since all were likely made from durasteel, they could take a pounding; a fact proven by the dozen or so scorch marks on the dumpster covering the alley end I was at.

I swatted away an urge to unleash hell on the remaining Death Watch as they continued to pepper my friends with fire. While that would no doubt be satisfying, there was a risk that if I went all out the alley would collapse on those trapped in the middle.

Instead, I lifted one hand and aimed it towards the far end of the alley while channelling the Force in front of my open palm. "Bo, Naz, Stay down!" I called out, adding Force Compulsion to my words. While they were trained to resist such things, I hoped that the limited bond I shared with both would allow the Force to persuade them to listen.

The ball of coalesced Force energy shot from my palm and I tracked it (thanks to the pressurized wave it created) as it soared past the trio in the middle, and the six at the far end before striking the street behind them The ground shook from the strength of my Force blast, and for a moment I was concerned that my attack had still been too powerful for the alley's walls to survive. Thankfully nothing fell.

That allowed me to reach out for the six now-downed Death Watch fighters at the far end. To anyone watching on that side, I suspected that watching those six terrorists fly around for thirty seconds without anyone nearby would've looked downright weird. But since I was slamming them into buildings and each other with enough force that I could make out the faint sounds of their impacts, I wasn't overly concerned.

Satisfied that they were at least out of the fight (and ignoring that three had stopped appearing on my minimap indicating they were dead), I dispersed my barrier then took a step into the alley. While a part of me was concerned at how easily and brutal I'd been in taking these two groups of Death Watch down, the larger part accepted it as the price of war. And what anyone who willingly killed children deserved.

I paused after taking a few steps and took a deep breath. While I felt I had my anger and rage under control, it was better to be safe than sorry. Ever since Tatooine, I was being more cautious about how and when I let my more aggressive emotions emerge. Yet while the risk from the Dark Side was real, I wasn't ever going to be a 'good little Jedi' and deny they existed, or that they were a part of me.

Plus, as I'd just seen, channelling even a small amount of anger into a universal power like Force Blast seemed to increase its damage potential by an impressive amount. That had me wondering if other 'universal' powers could be boosted by small amounts of anger.

I shook my head. Yeah, no. While it was likely possible, until I understood more about what the Dark Side truly was, and how it affected me with the Interface, I wasn't going to start playing around with using it intentionally to boost my abilities. That was a slippery slope that I suspected had led to the 'fall' of many Jedi before me. While it'd been weeks since Tatooine, the discussions with Fay and Dooku hadn't yet helped me come to any real hypothesis as to what danger the Dark Side posed to me; beyond the inherent danger it posed to anyone capable of using the Force.

A dirtied red-haired head popped up from behind the makeshift defences, drawing my focus back to the present. I watched as Bo's eyes locked onto mine – widening as they did so – before looking past me. She turned and glanced to the far end of the alley before turning back to me.

A scowl crept onto her face as she glanced down into her makeshift foxhole. "Where the shab have you been?!" She all but spat out.

I knew I shouldn't have found it funny, not with dirt covering her face, and one of her pauldrons was darkened from where it'd been hit by a blaster bolt, but I did.

A chuckle escaped my lips, which made her scowl deepen, as the quest notice that had appeared just before I'd teleported blinked once more and shifted to let me know it was now completed. Likely that was a simple quest for saving Bo and Naz, but I'd deal with that later. Right now, I couldn't resist replying to Bo with a quick one-liner.

"Sorry, the traffic was murder."

... ...

... ...
A/N: Yes, I'm a bit of a bastard for cutting the chapter there, but the battle needed a stand-alone chapter.
Until next time;
May the Force be with you. Always.
 
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The Warrior Reborn 4
A/N:
This story is, for now, currently cross-posted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own.


Also, this entire chapter is told from other POVs, though it will cover Cam's fight in Keldabe.

Current date: 4 years until the Invasion of Naboo


(Again lots of cursing. To make a plural, add an "-e" to the word)
Aruetii – Outsider/Foreigner/Traitor
Aru'e – Enemy
Dinii – Lunatic
Di'kut – Idiot
Di'kutla – Stupid/worthless
Haar'chak – Damnit
Hodar – Fool
Hut'unn – Coward
Jareor – Reckless/foolish
Jare'la – Stupid (person)
Jate'kara – Good luck
Manda'yaim – Mandalore (planet)
Me'shab – What the fuck
Shabla – Screwed up
Shabuir – Jerk
Shab ni - Fuck me
Shebs'palon - Asshole
Vor entye – Thank you

The Warrior Reborn 4
… …
Bo-Katan's POV
… …

This was not how Bo-Katan expected today to go. Not by a long shot.

She and Naz had received a day off from training at the Institute (something the Laamyc group were given due to their more intense training) and had been wandering the city trying to relax. Bo-Katan had planned for today to involve some target practice at a range near the Institute, then some light sparring with Naz followed by heading to the Oyu'baat cantina.

There they'd meet a handful of their squad mates and a few other friends who also had the day off for a night of games, singing and drinking. After that… Well Bo-Katan had rented a room above the cantina on the (highly likely) chance that Naz became amorous as the night wore on.

Hell, if they both began flirting with someone else, she wasn't averse to bringing them to the room as well. Though she doubted it would be a male as while she didn't find them unattractive, outside of a few, she preferred to spend her evenings in the company of other females. Naz, on the other hand, was happy to flirt with both genders, but Bo-Katan knew that if the choice was there, Naz would always come to her bed. Well, for now.

Bo-Katan was all but certain that if Cameron Shan ever changed his mind about Naz, she'd likely end up coming second to her lover as to which bed the blonde would choose. And while she couldn't stop the prang of jealousy she felt every time she thought of Naz and Cameron together, Bo-Katan could (at least partially) understand her lover's desire. While a Jetii officially, Cameron was nothing like what she'd expected from a member of their Order. He was a warrior at heart, and a good one as she knew from their spars over the last year and carried himself as a leader. Plus, as much as she didn't want to admit it, he wasn't a half-bad kisser. Haran, if he'd been born a Mandalorian, she suspected her father would be grooming him to take over leadership of House Kryze one day, though at that point it would become House Shan.

Though that wasn't to say she felt Dorgo would be a bad clan chief, just that he was… less martially inclined than she would've liked. And the less said about her sister the better. Satine had been brainwashed by those hut'unne in Sundari and was little better than a lapdog for the Republic.

Still, regardless of if it would've been just her and Naz, or if another (she wouldn't mind it being Ursa, but the heiress of Clan Wren had recently started spending time with an artist) had joined them, she knew that after a day of getting all hot and sweaty from training, a few drinks would help put Naz in the mood for some "fun" later. And Bo-Katan wasn't much different, save that she preferred combat to drinking, singing, and dancing to get her blood pumping.

Of course, those plans had been shot to osik by this attack on Keldabe by those shabuir'yr Death Watch shebs'palone.

"Shab!" She cursed as she was once more forced to duck down behind the dumpster that had been tipped over (along with a few other things) to form the makeshift bunker for her, Naz and a Protector they'd run into on the streets not long after the chaos had started. From both ends of the alley they were taking heaving fire from, at her guess, about a dozen members of Death Watch.

This position was osik, and under normal circumstances she'd have never been caught dead in such a position. However, not only was the attack that had occurred on Keldabe not normal, but it seemed as though this group of Death Watch had been herding her and Naz. Though that had only happened once Bo's helmet had been damaged, and she'd been forced to drop it.

This group of Death Watch (which her father had claimed was all but defunct with the death of Naz's uncle) had altered their attacks from outright attempting to kill them to guiding them here; where the second squad were waiting to ambush them. And, from what little time she'd had to process the attack, none of it made sense.

They'd been coming out of a small shooting range that was run by an ally of Clan Kryze, when at least six explosions had rocked the city. A moment later, Bo-Katan had seen two Protectors gunned down the other members of their patrol squad before opening fire on the crowds around them. At that, she'd begun to drag Naz back towards the range (and the large supply of weapons within) only for said range to explode as a rocket slammed into the front door. Bo-Katan had stared in horror as the owner of the range – an old woman from Clan Brenz – had stumbled out of the door ablaze, only to fall over a moment later as her life ended.

Moments later warning sirens had sounded around the city, and she'd risked a glance skyward. Thanks to it being a clear morning, high above the city, in the very upper atmosphere, she caught flashes of colour. That was when she realised this wasn't just a simple attack on Keldabe but a coordinated attack on the entire planet. Yet, from what she knew of the remains of the group, Death Watch didn't and couldn't have the strength to do that alone.

She hadn't had time to consider who must be helping these hodare, before Naz fell to the ground. A bolt had struck her near her midsection. While her armour had taken the brunt of the damage (though that armour plate wasn't made of beskar and had been deformed by the hit), it was enough to make Naz fall to the ground.

Bo-Katan had reacted on instinct, and in a single move, dropped to a knee, pivoted, and shot the hodar who'd dare shoot her lover in the back in the helmet. The man had stumbled back and seeing the fact his helmet was badly scorched from her hit (indicating it also wasn't made of beskar), she'd shot him in the head three more times in quick succession.

As the body dropped to the ground, one of his cohorts had opened fire on her, striking her helmet and damaging it enough that the internal systems stopped working. As she'd pulled it off, Naz had fired on this second Death Watch fighter; forcing him and his fellows to find cover.

As her and Naz had withdrawn, Bo-Katan had tried to contact her teammates and her father, however the commlink responded only with static. That meant that either the central communications hub had been attacked, or the city was under the effects of jamming (or both). It wasn't long after realising this that Naz was hit again, this time, near the back of her thigh. As Naz had crumbled to the ground, Bo-Katan had cursed that their armour was made from durasteel and not beskar as a section of Naz's had slipped and sliced a long, but thankfully shallow, cut down Naz's right leg. While Bo did have a suit of beskar armour (which had been her mother's before it'd been reforged), that was back in Sundari as beskar armour was not allowed at the Institute; save for the end-of-session tournaments for Laamyc group.

A moment later, just as Bo-Katan had initially wondered how the approaching Death Watch (and the traitorous Protectors who had joined them) would kill them, their new partner had arrived. While she'd been reluctant to work with the lone Protector – since she had no idea if the woman was not allied with Death Watch force – Bo-Katan knew she had no choice. Together, they'd managed to get Naz back on her feet, though that was when Death Watch had begun to herd them towards this alley.

"Control, Blairn, I'm trapped in an alley off Tal'Chortav with two Trainees." The feminine voice of the now-named Protector Blairn with them drew Bo-Katan's attention. "We've got aru'e at either end and are cut off from a retreat." She saw a small hologram of another member of the city's Protector unit appear on the woman's vambrace. However, as the hologram moved, she couldn't hear what was being said by the image; likely meaning the sound was being filtered into the Protector's helmet.

A growl escaped Brian's lips, which wasn't in any way reassuring to Bo-Katan. "One of them's Duke Adonai's daughter."

Bo-Katan tried and failed to keep a scowl from appearing on her face. While Blairn recognizing her wasn't that big of a surprise (since she'd tossed away her helmet when it's stopped working and her armour bore the sigils of both Clan Kryze and herself over her shoulders), hearing the other woman use her as an excuse to try and divert support to their location was irritating. There were others in the city that likely needed help more than they did and trying to use her status as the daughter of the ruling Duke of the sector felt wrong.

The hologram responded once more, but Bo-Katan was forced to divert her attention back to those attacking them. The dumpster she was using as a makeshift barricade rattled as three, no four, bolts struck it while another pair flew overhead, striking the wall of the alley somewhere between their makeshift shelter and the other group of Death Watch. With everything they were using as cover made from thick durasteel, being several layers thick, or both, the incoming bolts were currently not a threat. However, if things didn't improve soon, she doubted the shelter would survive and with the sheer volume of incoming plasma, it was hard for her to fire.

"Understood Control, Blairn out." The Protector stated as Bo-Katan saw – from the corner of her eye – the hologram blink out. "The nearest support is, at least, twenty minutes out but they're busy trying to retake a Protector station."

She grunted in annoyance. Those stations were dotted all around the city and were intended to be fallback points if (or when given her people's history) the city came under attack. Each was meant to have basements able to survive against orbital bombardment for a short while and an armoury capable of outfitting a full company of Mandalorians. To hear that Death Watch and the aruetiie Protectors had seized at least one made perfect sense. Even if it diminished their chances of survival.

"We won't last that long." Naz spat out, her tone echoing Bo-Katan's feelings on the matter. As if in agreement, the dumpster Bo-Katan was hiding behind rattled as another volley of blaster fire impacted against it.

"We might. They seem to want both of you alive, Miss Vizsla." Blairn replied, making clear she knew who Naz was as well. "Both you and Miss Kryze would be important hostages for them to use against your fathers." Bo-Katan suppressed a grunt at the idea. If given the choice, she'd rather die than be used to allow these aruetiie to grow stronger. "So far, you're the only pair I know of that they haven't been trying to kill outright in this attack."

"Shab!" She spat out at hearing that. The idea that she was being 'spared' because of who her father was, and not because they respected her, lit a fire in her. Whatever it took, she was going to survive this attack, find the ones behind the attack and make them pay for thinking she was an easy target to attempt to capture.

The dumpster rattled as more bolts impacted against it (and into the wall above), and with her anger flaring, she reached her arm over the top and fired back a handful of bolts for her gauntlet. As she pulled it back, something hit it – likely a lucky bolt – and her arm jerked back at the force of the hit.

"Aargh!" Naz called out as Bo-Katan saw the damage to her gauntlet (a few sparks coming from the controls suggested the thing was now useless). She spun as best she could while staying in cover to see Naz had slumped to the ground, a hand resting against the section of her armour that had been hit earlier.

"Naz!" She called out before crawling over as quickly as she could. Thankfully the dumpster and other objects meant that she could do so without going onto her belly, though she did so just to be safe.

Once she was close enough, she saw that Naz was holding her side, at the same point where she'd been struck before. However, now there was blood flowing out from between her fingers. Bo-Katan cursed internally as she realised that the bolt that hit her gauntlet had deflected and, incredibly, hit the part of Naz's armour that was already weakened.

Carefully, she placed her hand over Naz's and eased the other woman's hand back. Naz groaned as she allowed her hand to be moved away and Bo-Katan gulped as the flow of blood increased and she saw the wound. The armour plate had buckled, driving the corner into Naz's midsection. Concerned about what internal damage had occurred (the plate sat over one of Naz's kidneys), Bo-Katan quickly ran her working gauntlet over the wound.

She exhaled in relief as the scan showed the plate had missed anything vital but had still cut deep enough that Naz was losing a lot of blood. Bo-Katan ran her scanner over the rest of Naz, and apart from some blood in the blonde's hair (which the scanner assured her wasn't anything more than a shallow cut) and the graze she'd taken earlier on her leg, Naz was in a solid, if wounded, condition.

Slowly, she moved Naz onto her side (mindful of the still incoming blaster bolts), which made her lover wince. "Aargh!"

"Sorry." She muttered as she reached into her belt (mentally thanking her father for insisting that she always kept some basic medical supplies on her person, even when in supposedly secure locations) and withdrew a pair of bacta patches.

While applying two small patches over a larger wound wasn't something she should do, it was all she could do. Naz hissed as the patches were pressed against the wound and Bo-Katan caught the faint whiff of bacta's familiar sour scent as they began to do their work.

Naz grumbled and reached for her pistol, which she'd likely dropped after getting hit, only for Bo-Katan to grab her arm.

"Wha?" Naz mumbled out as Bo-Katan gently forced her arm away from the blaster.

"Haar'chak, Naz! Stay still!" Bo-Katan hissed out as she felt Naz fighting against her grip, trying to reach the pistol.

"I can still fight!" Naz shot back, trying, and failing to push through Bo-Katan's grip. Under normal circumstances, they'd likely be evenly matched, but with Naz wounded and lying on her side, she didn't have the leverage to overcome Bo-Katan; a fact Bo-Katan was grateful for. She'd never forgive herself if Naz ended up more seriously wounded because she allowed the blonde to keep fighting.

"You probably can, but that wound is fresh enough that it'll break open if you stress it too much." Bo-Katan retorted. "We're not completely kriffed yet. They aren't trying to kill us at the moment. Save your strength for when shab gets real." She gave her lover a none-too-gentle poke in the ribs – well away from the wound – to drive her point across. "Stay down." She added as Naz grunted in annoyance at the jab.

"I…" Naz paused and for a moment Bo-Katan was worried the small cut on her head was worse than the scanner stated. She began to raise her working gauntlet (thankfully not on the arm stopping Naz from picking up her blaster) when an unexpected smile crept onto Naz's face. "He's coming."

For a moment, Bo-Katan wondered if the bacta was affecting Naz's mind, though she didn't say anything as ran her gauntlet scanner over Naz's head once more. Just be sure. Still no sign of a concussion, thank Manda.

"He's coming." Naz repeated, and Bo-Katan looked her lover in the eyes. Naz's expression was a mixture of conviction and relief, and Bo-Katan opened her mouth to ask what Naz.

"Me'shab?" She muttered as she felt… something strange. She didn't know what it was, never mind why it was happening, but in the corner of her mind, she felt something strange, foreign, and yet familiar. She tried to focus on it, pull whatever it was into focus, but the moment she did it vanished.

Before she had a chance to process exactly what had happened, Naz gripped her arm just above her gauntlet and squeezed. "You felt it too." Naz whispered, drawing Bo-Katan's focus back to her lover. "You hear his voice."

"Whose voice?" She asked, even as she felt as if she knew who Naz was speaking of. Unrequested, her mind pulled a memory about Jedi and Sith being able to touch the minds of others, and what they could do if a warrior ever lowered their guard around one.

"Cam's." Naz whispered in a tone that made a not insignificant part of Bo-Katan want to punch the boy. "He's coming."

A part of her wanted to say that Naz was wrong, that she was letting the pain from her wounds affect her mind, but the larger part of her realised her lover was right. As much as it galled her to admit, somehow Cameron had found a way to reach into their minds and let them know he was there; or would be soon. That left her conflicted as part of her was relieved that help – real help not the possibility of it – was coming, and at the chance to see what he could do in a combat situation. Though an equally large part of her was furious that she needed to be saved by a Jetii (even a Mando'ade one) and at how this would only play into Naz's feelings for the young man.

"Doesn't matter if that was him or not, or even if he's coming," she began, as she pushed her feelings on the matter to one side, "we're trapped here and if don't stay still you'll likely bleed out and I…" her words trailed off as an image of a dead Naz flashed through her mind. "I don't want to lose you."

Naz's fingers drifted over Bo-Katan's – sending a pleasant shiver up her arm – where her hand was holding her lover down. "I know." Naz said with a weak smile.

Bo-Katan took a moment to look at her lover. Naz meant more to her than almost anyone; certainly more than her traitorous sister – regardless if Satine had softened in her stance over the last year, she still argued that peace was the way forward – or her weak-willed father and brother. While she knew what they had wouldn't last, after all Naz's father had stated clearly that Naz would have to marry Kote Wrajud – which had resulted in Naz shattering the boy's nose when he tried to impress her. Bo-Katan was furious at Pre Vizsla for arranging the marriage for Naz, and not just because it would take Naz away from her. Arranged marriages weren't the way the Mando'ade behaved, but with Pre Vizsla acting as a mouthpiece for those di'kute in Sundari, it wasn't a surprise he acted in such an un-Mandalorian way.

However, for whatever time together they'd have, she planned to enjoy and she'd always… care for Naz.

With the moment over, Bo-Katan nodded and gave Naz a smile back before lifting her hand. She turned to head back to her cover, only for something to be pushed into her hand. She looked down and saw Naz had placed her pistol there. "Kill these shabuire for me." Naz ordered.

Bo smirked, and as she turned, she reached over the dumpster and fired off a volley of bolts towards the group at the far end of the alley. Quickly she pulled the pistol back down, not wanting to give Death Watch a chance to destroy it, then crawled back to her side of their temporary bunker. The entire bunker vibrated as both groups of Death Watch troopers rained down fire on their position, and Bo-Katan had to wonder if they'd called in reinforcements.

While it was nice to have a working pistol again, it was soon apparent to her that, unless Cameron really did arrive soon, she and Naz would be captured (at best) while Protector Blairn would be dead. There was nowhere for them to retreat to, and even if every other skirmish across the city was going against Death Watch, here they only had to wait until Bo-Katan and Blairn were out of tibanna gas for their blasters and gauntlets before they could approach and overwhelm them.

While she and Blairn were able to fire off some bolts to keep their attackers honest, the simple fact was Death Watch was toying with them. Bo-Katan could barely keep a snarl from her face as she became convinced that she'd soon be taken prisoner by these aruetiie. With her and Naz as their prisoners, no matter how the battle for the city went, Death Watch could force her father (And Naz's, though he had far less power and influence) to do what they wished if he wanted to see his daughter again.

Still, she kept taking any opportunity she could to fire in the direction of her attackers. There was always the chance she'd get lucky and take one of them out, even if she thought she had more chance of drawing pure sabacc from her opening cards.

This pattern of their temporary protection rocking as it came under fire, and her and Blairn firing back all but blindly – she was cursing the fact her helmet had been damaged as without the sensor package inside she doubted her shots were coming anywhere close to her attackers – until the moment came where she lifted her pistol and pulled the trigger, only to hear it misfire as the gas inside ran out. With her not having taken any spare power cells from the range when they'd left, nor fully charged her own pistol before they'd left, that meant she was down to just her gauntlets.

"Osik!" Bo-Katan spat out as she threw the now useless weapon to the ground. She checked the gauntlet that was still working, and her mood worsened. There was less than ten percent charge left and with the other gauntlet damaged, she couldn't eject the power cell to swap them around. "Osik!" She spat out again.

"Here." Bo-Katan turned at hearing Naz's voice. Her lover tossed a small object – that Bo-Katan realised was a gauntlet power cell – which, in a single fluid motion, she caught and brought towards her working gauntlet. "About a sixty percent charge." Naz added, making Bo-Katan smirk.

With practised ease, she released the old cell (letting it drop to the ground), slid Naz' one in, and recharged the gauntlet's built-in blaster. The power reading stated a sixty-three percent charge, meaning she was back in business. At least for now.

With a gauntlet that would last more than a few dozen bolts, she felt she had a better chance of lasting long enough until help arrived. However, she knew that if Cameron or other true Protectors didn't arrive soon, it would all be for naught. A glance at the chronometer on her gauntlet let her know that only six minutes had passed since Blairn had called for support; meaning the nearest Protector unit was still a quarter hour out (at best). As for Cameron… even if he was on the way, there was no indication of when he'd arrive.

With this being her last working weapon – she had no intention of asking or taking Naz's other gauntlet's power cell – she knew she had to make every shot count. At the next (relatively speaking) lull in incoming fire, she returned fire with only three shots, instead of the half-dozen or so she'd been taking before the pistol had run out of gas.

"Shab!" Blairn snapped, drawing Bo-Katan's attention as she brought her gauntlet back into cover; just before a new volley of bolts slammed into the dumpster. She saw Blairn throw down her rifle in anger, making it clear the weapon was, much like Naz's pistol, now useless as a firearm. When they'd met the Protector, Bo-Katan had noted that she'd only had one spare power cell on her - likely meaning she'd been heavily engaged before their meeting - and, just before they'd created this bunker, the Protector had slapped that cell into the rifle. Bo-Katan kept her face neutral (as best she could) even as she felt as if something was constricting around her heart, slowly squeezing the life from her.

She took a deep breath, centring herself. She couldn't control when help (if any) would arrive. All she could do was keep fighting, keep resisting and do her best to take out at least a few of these aruetiie before they were overwhelmed.

The dumpster rattled once more, and she spotted a section of wall on the ground at one end. Slowly, she crawled over to it and discovered the makeshift barrier had damaged the wall at some point from when she'd knocked it over or from a stray bolt from Death Watch, she couldn't say – and there was a small gap between the dumpster and the wall. Moving as slowly as she could, he lay down to look through the hole.

There were about a dozen fighters at the end of the alley, though only four were firing. Though what caught her eye was one of the ones not firing had exposed more of his rifle than she would've.

Figuring this was a good opportunity to take out one of the Death Watch, she slid her arm into the hole, and trusting her instincts, squeezed off a bolt. She couldn't see the fighter react, but an unexpected yelp from the alley had her hopeful her shot had been true.

Before the other attackers could shift their aim at her gauntlet, she pulled her arm back and with her free hand, dropped the chunk of wall that had been dislodged into the hole. She'd barely begun to move back when said chuck was shattered into pieces from incoming fire.

Taking another chance, she scrambled to the far side of the dumpster, slid her gauntlet over the top, and squeezed off two bolts. A few grunts came from the alley, suggesting she'd at least come close. And before the return fire impacted near her, she was already fully under cover.

"Bo! Naz! Stay down!"

Even as her mind processed who had called out, she felt her body begin to comply. The air above her seemed to shift as something large and powerful shot overhead. It passed over her dumpster first, then quickly cleared the temporary bunker, before heading to the far end of the alley. There, it sounded as if the walls had exploded, yet she'd failed to smell a blaster bolt or rocket fuel as whatever it was flew overhead, nor hear the sounds of whatever was fired exploding on impact.

Dust was kicked up in the alley, though not enough to obscure her vision, and as she realised who had called out the warning/command, she saw Naz looking at her, a large smile on her lover's face. "Told you."

Bo-Katan slapped down a spike of anger at having to be rescued by a Jetii before she turned and dared to peek over her cover. Her eyes widened as she saw Cameron standing at the end of the alley, one hand outstretched towards her while the other held his ignited lightsaber (and just as every time before, there was a moment where she confused his weapon for the Darksaber) in a relaxed stance. His eyes were open, but in the moment before he spotted her, she swore he was angry about something.

Curious, she turned and looked to the far end of the alley. It was hard to see what was there – a decent sized dust cloud had sprung up from whatever Cameron had done to the wall near the corner of the alley – but there wasn't any sound to suggest the Death Watch were still conscious. Or even alive as, for a moment, she spotted two bodies lying unmoving in the middle of the street.

"Shab." She whispered at seeing the carnage he'd unleashed in only a few seconds. Naz chuckled softly, having likely heard her whispered curse, which made Bo-Katan's anger flare anew.

Scowling as her anger at having to be rescued by him came back, she snapped back around and looked at him. "Where the shab have you been?!" She spat out.

His lips twisted upwards, and she swore she saw him chuckle before he replied. "Sorry, the traffic was murder."

She bit off a growl at his apparent flippancy and moved over quickly to Naz. "Get over here. Naz is wounded." She called out even as she knelt beside her lover.

The dust around them kicked up for a moment. Before she could turn to see why she realised that Cameron was beside her; his lightsaber was already depowered. She had to slap down an instinct to react defensively at the sudden appearance of someone next to her. An instinct that was empowered by her anger at his arrival and behaviour and by how Naz reacted as she looked up at him.

"I heard you in my mind." Naz whispered caringly as Bo-Katan watched Cameron run his eyes over Naz. Again, she had to fight off the small voice inside that told her to strike at him for daring to get close to Naz. Yes, she knew there would come a day when she and Naz would have to end, and yes, if Cameron ever showed interest, then Bo-Katan would accept him being with Naz over Kote Wrajud, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Still, Cameron seemed to either not hear Naz's whispered words, or chose to ignore them.

His free hand drifted over the bacta patches Bo-Katan had applied earlier. She saw a faint silvery-blue glow emanate in the gap between hand and patches. Naz's eyes rolled upwards as her head tilted back and a soft moan escaped her lips. Bo-Katan lifted her working gauntlet – whether to protect Naz or strike out at Cameron for seemingly hurting her, she couldn't say – to aim it at Cameron's head, only to stop as she realised what she was doing.

While he may be a Jetii, he was Mando'ade. Yes, he was wearing his dragon-skin cloak (and a part of her would always be jealous that he'd killed a dragon for his hunt), but it was over the robes worn by his Order. The sooner he stopped wearing those, the sooner she would feel comfortable knowing his loyalties lay with their people and not the di'kute on Coruscant.

The light faded, and she pulled back his hand. "There, that should heal the damage, but I'd still suggest getting a doctor to check it and taking it easy for a while." He said, only to chuckle once and look towards the far end of the alley. "Well, once things aren't shabla around here."

Bo-Katan felt her lips twist upwards at his weak attempt at humour, though they stopped when Naz did smile. To be losing the affection of her lover to a Jetii – even one who had joined their people – was infuriating. If ONLY he'd leave that Order and join their ranks fully. Then she could give her blessing (no matter how much it might hurt her) for Naz to pursue Cameron. He was a far better choice than most around them – especially Kote Wrajud, who in her opinion, wasn't much better than shab on her boot – and the first Mando'ade to take down a shabuir'yr greater krayt dragon.

"Who are you?" Blairn asked, drawing Bo-Katan from her thoughts. "And where the shab did you come from?"

Right, she didn't know who Cameron was, or where he'd come from. After all, the Jetii assigned to their sector (and whom Bo-Katan had met a few times) was a Cathar male named Lhan.

"Cameron Shan, at your service." Cameron replied, giving the Protector a lazy salute. "And I arrived in orbit a short while ago aboard Duke Torrhen Ordo's cruiser." While Blairn was wearing her helmet, Bo-Katan could detect the subtle signs from Blairn at her shock at what she was hearing. Cameron might not realise it, but his name was on the lips of every Mando'ade on the planet (and possibly throughout the sector) because of his hunt. Of course, she and Naz had promised to wait and see how the young man reacted when he discovered this instead of telling him outright. The reaction was one they were both looking forward to seeing.

"S-Shan? Right." Blairn responded, all but tripping over his name. "Duke Torrhen is mounting a counter-attack against Death Watch then?" She asked, killing Bo-Katan's amusement at the Protector's surprise – and Cameron's lack of understanding about why.

Cameron's face contorted, making her wonder if there was something he'd done that he shouldn't have, and he absently rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm, uh, not really sure. I might've, sort've, jumped from the cruiser to get down here quicker." Bo-Katan felt her brow rise at that, because as far as she knew, he'd never had any training with their jetpacks. Come to think of it, where was his jetpack? "They were plotting a course for Sundari, but my friends were in danger, and I, um, felt I'd be more useful here than there."

"I didn't realise you were trained with our jetpacks." Blairn stated, giving voice to the thought Bo-Katan had just had.

He gulped and smiled even as his head shrunk into his neck. "I'm not. I, uh, well I jumped without one." She felt her jaw drop (and hear Naz inhale sharply) at hearing he'd leapt from a cruiser – one likely in high orbit at best – so he could reach them quicker. "The, uh, Force helped slow my descent and helped me land." He finished, looking like he wished to be anywhere but here right now.

"I see." Blairn replied after a moment's silence. Even without being able to see her face, Bo-Katan was sure the Protector was just as shocked as she was about Cameron's way to reach them.

For her part, Bo-Katan was both impressed and shocked at his behaviour. That he'd done something so reckless, so jareor, to help them… it left her conflicted. What he'd done was beyond reckless, and even though she wanted to ask how it felt to sky-dive without any supporting technology – and ignored the strange feeling she had at him doing that to help her and Naz – she was more likely to smack him for the sheer

SMACK

"Ow!"

Bo-Katan felt her brow rise into her hairline at seeing Naz slap Cameron across the face. It hadn't been a gentle slap either, something confirmed by his reaction to it as he fell back onto his butt and lifted a hand to his cheek.

"That was jare'la, you di'kut." Naz growled out, before leaning forward. Cameron, much to Bo-Katan's amusement, scuttled back a fraction before Naz's hand came to rest on his. She fought down another wave of anger as Naz smiled tenderly at him. "Vor entye."

"You're welcome. I think." Cameron replied slowly as Bo-Katan got her anger under control again. He glanced her way, making her wonder if he'd sensed her anger, though said nothing.

The unexpectedly strange moment was ended by a bleep from Cameron's wrist; one Bo-Katan knew came from a Mandalorian gauntlet communicator. Removing his hand from his cheek, he tapped at the small display and Bo-Katan saw a saw hologram of Master Fay appear. While she couldn't deny she found the Jedi Master attractive (who wouldn't?), Bo-Katan would've preferred to see an image of Master Dooku. At least he wasn't being pursued by her father.

"Yes, Master?" Cameron asked, his brow twitching in a way that had Bo-Katan wondering if he'd jumped without permission. Which was something she found amusing, further annoying and further endearing.

"Since you are now answering my comms, I assume you have landed safely." The Jedi Master began. Bo-Katan thought she heard a hint of amusement mixed with annoyance in the woman's tone. "And given that I can see Miss Vizsla's image, you have reached both her and Miss Kryze."

"Yes master." Cameron replied as Bo-Katan did her best to not think back to the last time someone had called her 'Miss Kryze'. She'd hated elementary school; mainly because they weren't allowed to carry a weapon until their fifth year. "They're here with a local Protector. Or one that hasn't turned sides." He added with a sneer that reminded Bo-Katan of an issue she'd insist her father allowed her to help with afterwards; the cleansing of the city's Protector units and the hunting down of friends and family of those who'd broken their oaths. "From what I saw on the way down, most of the fighting is focused on the Mandalmotors HQ, and the attack in the city is being led entirely by Death Watch."

"That agrees with the reports we've received from scattered locations across the city." Master Fay paused and she sighed before continuing. "With that in mind, Master Dooku and I would like you to head to the tower. From what we know an important figure in galactic business is trapped in the tower and is the main focus of Death Watch's attack on the city."

"Understood." Cameron responded. "What about you and Master Dooku?"

Once more Fay paused for a moment, then her hologram turned to face Bo-Katan. "We will be… helping Duke Torrhen to secure Sundari. Duke Torrhen believes that Duke Adonai is the primary target of the assault on Sundari and both Master Dooku and I concur. While I am unsure if us becoming involved in internal Mandalorian matters is the correct course of action, I believe it will help Master Dooku."

"Yes, master." Cameron replied, making Bo-Katan wonder why that would be. A split second later a likely reason came to her. Master Dooku may be upset for his role in the battle of Galidraan, so any action that would harm Death Watch could be a way to re-balance the scales. Or that's how she would see things if she was in the Jetii's position. Though if she was, she'd have no issues with using the full range of the Jetii's abilities to put down Death Watch once and for all.

The hologram turned from her to look at Naz. "While I will not offer false hope, you both may rest assured that we will do all we can to ensure the safety of both your families."

"Thank you master Jedi." Naz offered. Bo-Katan lowered her head in thanks, unwilling to verbally thank a Jetii for help in a Mandalorian matter. Plus, there was still the issue that her father was enamoured with the graceful female Jedi master. Though, she supposed, if Master Fay was able to protect her father, brother, and nephew, she might be willing to… stifle her resentment of her father's affection for the Jetii master.

If anything happened to her family… She felt her fists close tightly as, for all the bad blood that existed between her and her father (and even Satine), she would never forgive herself if they died because of her inaction. If anyone hurt her family, she'd, she'd…

A hand on her shoulder broke her from her dark thoughts. She turned to see that Cameron had been the one to place the hand. He didn't smile or offer any words of support (or thank Manda, sympathy), instead choosing to stay silent. And while she would likely never admit it, she did appreciate the gesture.

"Do you have any details about the attack on Mandalmotors?" Blairn asked, drawing Bo-Katan's focus back to the here and now.

"Sporadic at best, I'm afraid." Master Fay began. "We've learnt that the tower has been breached, though from the last report security is still holding the top third of the building. This dignitary had the foresight to bring their own security, which is assisting the building's beleaguered forces." Bo-Katan thought that bringing their own security wasn't foresight but just common sense. Then again, she wasn't a weak-willed Republic stooge like most dignitaries. "Local forces are trying to retake the tower entrance; however Death Watch have dug in and still have a large force outside the building turning the plaza into a death trap."

While she hated to admit it, Bo-Katan had to agree with Death Watch's tactics. The plaza was a nightmare to hold in a firefight, but if they were bunkered down inside the tower, then it was an almost perfect area to have outside. Bar some monuments, benches and the like, the area had very limited cover that any counterattack could use to approach.

What she wasn't happy about was how weak losing control of the tower and plaza made the Protectors – and by extension those who followed the old ways – to other factions; both internal and external. She saw that Cameron was frowning at his master's report, but she doubted it was because of similar thoughts to hers.

"Who exactly is this visitor?" He asked with a slight edge to his voice.

"A Munn by the name of Hego Damask. Apparently Master Dooku has had dealings with him before and was surprised to learn he had travelled to Mandalore." Once more, Fay paused and Bo-Katan was all but certain she was upset about something. "Once this internal Mandalorian matter is resolved, we will be discussing your actions. Until then, head to the tower and assist the local forces in retaking the tower and rescuing Magister Damask."

She felt her brow rise and her pulse quicken at hearing Cameron would help. Not because of any silly desire about him, but because of getting the chance to fight beside him and see what he could do in a real fight. Oh, he'd taken out the two squads that'd trapped her, Naz and Blairn in this alley easily, but that'd likely been due to him catching them unawares. After engaging Death Watch on the way to the plaza, that would no longer be the case. Meaning he'd have to really show what he could do and something told her that it'd be glorious.

"Yes, Master." Cameron replied before closing the link and turning to face her. "Bo, get Naz to a medic. While I've healed her wound, I'd rather it was checked by a professional."

For a moment, Bo-Katan's brain thought it had misheard him. Was he telling her to stay out of a fight? She opened her mouth to respond – and saw Naz doing the same – only for the area (centred on Cameron) to become engulfed in silver light.

When it faded a second later, she felt her jaw drop. Cameron was gone, as in completely vanished. Since when could that shabuir do that? And more worryingly, could all Jetii do the same because that certainly hadn't been in any combat manuals about the Order (or the other major Force group, the Sith) that she'd read. That was just…

"Me'shab?" Blairn muttered, giving voice to Bo-Katan's thoughts.

Bo-Katan resolved that once things had settled down, she was going to haul Cameron into a ring and demand that he fight her no-holds-barred. She needed to know just where she stood against him (and by extension other Jetii, even if she knew he wasn't a typical member of their order) and how far she still had to go to be as good as her idol; Shae Visla.

"Come on." Naz called out, breaking her from her thoughts. Bo-Katan saw that her lover was beginning to stand, one hand holding the bacta patches against her side as she did so. "I'm not letting Cam do this alone." She added once she was standing. Bo-Katan was quickly on her feet and helped her climb over the dumpster.

"Wait!" Blairn called out, but neither of the younger women paid her any heed. Both had soon cleared the dumpster and begun to jog out of the alley. As they stepped into the street, Bo-Katan saw a shop opposite – one her brother Dorgo enjoyed going to – ablaze while she saw two limbs lying on the ground. Both had been cut cleanly off in a way she knew was the mark of a lightsaber. The carnage they passed made her smile as it proved (in her mind) that Cameron wasn't as weak-minded as most Jetii. He was willing and able to do what he must to end a situation quickly and efficiently.

As they orientated themselves to be sure of which way to go, sounds of blaster fire drifted towards them, coming from both sides of the new street. That was a reminder to her that getting to the plaza was going to be a challenge. Or more of one as they had, at least, a few kilometres to cover; likely more if any of the streets were blocked by fighting or rubble. One thing they'd have to do was rearm, as both were down to a single gauntlet blaster, with hers being down to forty-one percent.

"He couldn't have left us one working weapon?" Naz spat out as she kicked the muzzle of a destroyed rifle.

While they'd passed some weapons as they'd emerged into the street, all of them – like the limbs – had clearly met the business end of a lightsaber. Or at least the ones that hadn't still been holstered/attached to Death Watch fighters anyway. The others had likely been destroyed in the explosion.

Bo-Katan smirked at her lover's annoyance. "I'd have done the same. Taking their rifles out helps against a larger force. Just wish I could've seen him do it."

Naz smirked at that. "What? You going soft on him?"

Bo-Katan shook her head. "Nah. Just want to watch him crack some skulls." She took one last quick look around the street but saw nothing useful. Even the one body that wasn't in flames was useless as it'd been thrown so hard into the wall, a good chunk had fallen on top of the body: burying anything useful in rubble.

Without another word, the pair started jogging again, and quickly reached an intersection. There, she stopped as she heard a groan. She went to one side of the street while Naz went to the other, allowing them clear views down the opposite direction. A pair of nods confirmed both ways were clear of combat, and Bo-Katan moved around the corner. About ten metres in front of her, just outside a kaffa house chain shop, were two Death Watch fighters. Both were down, though one was crawling along slowly; a femur sticking out from their leg with a pistol in one hand.

She jogged over to the man, reaching and disarming him of his pistol before he realised she was there. She knelt beside him then, after removing it from its sheath, drove her knife through the back of the man's neck, severing his spine. The death was quicker than she felt he deserved for his treachery, but there was no way she would move one without making sure he was dead.

She heard footsteps behind her, and while she was all but certain it was Naz, she still turned – pistol raised – in case it wasn't. Thankfully it was. Naz paid no heed to the man Bo-Katan had just killed as she walked past her. Bo-Katan followed Naz's movement and saw her lover gingerly kneel beside the other body before scooping up a rifle.

The pair quickly removed the power cells from the dead Death Watch trooper's gauntlets, then stood. That was when Blairn came around the corner, running into two aimed weapons from Naz and Bo-Katan. Not wanting their new ally to be unarmed, nor likely wanting to have to wait for Blairn to find her own replacement weapon, Naz kicked another pistol – this one coming from the same body where she'd found the rifle – to the Protector before turning and running off.

Bo-Katan was quickly on her heels, a fact made easier as she saw that Naz was moving gingerly at a pace barely above a jog.

Another explosion rocked the city, this one having come from the direction of the tower and plaza, with enough strength that both had to stop. Bo-Katan moved quickly over to Naz as she saw her lover grab her side, a hand coming to rest on the bacta patches.

"Naz?" She asked softly as she reached her lover's side.

Naz waved her rifle-carrying hand in the air. "I'm fine. Come on, Cam needs us." She stood, pushing away Bo-Katan's hand and started jogging again.

Bo-Katan smacked down a wave of anger at Naz being so concerned about the Jetii. While she knew that her lover had feelings for Cameron, letting that anger out in battle would lead to mistakes. Though she did suspect that the reason for the new explosion was the young man. He just seemed to have that kind of jate'kara.

With no intention of letting her lover head into danger alone (nor miss out on seeing just what the Revan'ade could do when unleashed), she took off after Naz. The sound of footsteps behind her let her know Blairn was following close behind.

They passed two more intersections before hearing voices as they approached the fourth – which would be close to the plaza. Upon hearing the voices from the direction they needed to go, the pair slid to a stop before reaching the corner.

With a nod, Bo-Katan slid round Naz so both could emerge with sight lines down the new street. There they saw three armoured warriors groggily getting to their feet. The crest of Death Watch on one of their Pauldrons was enough for both to open fire. A third stream of bolts soon joined them, indicating Blairn had joined them, and the three Death Watch troopers quickly fell under the sustained and unexpected barrage.

As they stood, she heard a hiss of pain from Naz, and turned to face her. "Naz?" She asked as she saw the other young woman holding her patched side tightly.

"It's nothing, I can work through this." Naz replied, though Bo-Katan knew it was a lie. Even ignoring how long they'd spent around each other over the last few years, Bo-Katan would've known Naz was lying. The slightly clenched jaw, and her pale complexion where the skin was exposed made things clear to see. "We need to help Cam."

Bo-Katan batted down another spike of anger at Naz's feelings about Cameron. However, she was unable to ignore her concern about Naz's health. Cameron had stated that he wanted Naz checked by a medic, yet here she was heading directly towards the thickest combat. While Bo-Katan loved that about Naz, right now it was an issue.

"Naz," She began, her insides twisting at the wince of pain that dominated Naz's face. At that, she reached forward and placed a firm hand on her lover's shoulder. "You're not going any further."

Naz's grimace twisted as she replied. "But…"

"No." she cut in, stopping Naz from trying to convince her to let her go. "Cameron was right; you need to see a medic." Naz opened her mouth to respond, but Bo-Katan cut her off by placing her hand over the mouth. Or trying to as it was hard to do that with a pistol in it. "I know you won't do that. It's one of the things I love about you." She added as a smile crept onto her face. "So can you instead take overwatch?" She asked as she removed her hand from Naz's face and pointed to a building that would give sightlines of the plaza.

Naz followed her hand and saw the building. It appeared stable – otherwise Bo-Katan would never have recommended it – while keeping Naz away from the worst of the fighting.

Naz's shoulders slumped as she turned back to face her. "Fine. But you're coming with me."

"No. Cameron does need help." She offered, though she didn't really believe it. The main reason she wanted to reach the plaza was to see Cameron in action at close quarters. She had a feeling it would be something special to watch the Jetii cut loose against Death Watch.

"Bo, you're not going to…"

Bo-Katan smiled at Naz, then acting on instinct, leaned forward and kissed Naz hard. As she pulled back, she took a step away. "Yeah. I need to do this."

"I can't let you do that." Blairn said, reminding her that the Protector was still with them.

She resisted an urge to roll her eyes at the Protector thinking she could stop her from doing anything. While she'd been useful while they'd been pinned down by Death Watch, since then she'd been bringing up the rear and generally doing nothing.

"Try and stop me." She replied to the older woman with a smile, before winking at Naz then taking off at a full sprint. She considered heading directly towards the plaza from her current location, but given they'd run into a small Death Watch unit right here, and smoke from the explosion from a little earlier (which she suspected Cameron was behind) was rising near the next intersection, she decided to head a little south first. Better to come at the plaza from an angle where Death Watch might not be than one where they certainly would be.

Now, she could only hope she arrived in time to see Cameron fight against Death Watch. And maybe kill a few of those aruetiie herself.
… …



… …

Gar Saxon's POV


Gar ducked lower behind the wall he was using as cover (or what was left of it) near the edge of the plaza outside the Mandalmotors tower as said wall was peppered by multiple, rapid-fire blaster bolts. As small pieces of the wall broke loose and bounced off his helmet and armour, he cursed Death Watch for how effective their initial assault had been.

He'd never admitted it publicly (only once to Rook after a rather raucous bout of sex had the topic ever come up), but he understood the appeal of the group. The old ways had been cast aside by those diniie in Sundari and empowered by Duke Adonai's decision to ally with them (and he could understand the duke's reasoning, even if he didn't agree with it), thus any group proposing a return to the natural status of being Mando'ade would find support among the people. But to attack the ancient capital of Keldabe, and slaughter civilians (or at least, Mando'ade just going about their daily lives) and children… No, Gar could no longer believe Death Watch was anything but a group of aruetiie that needed to be exterminated. Along with the traitorous elements within the Protector core who'd aided in the assault on the city; and broken their oaths in the process.

"We're pinned down." Rook's call out over the squad comms came through loud and clear, even with more rubble bouncing harmlessly (so far) off his armour. He turned his head and glanced to where she, and two of the remaining six members of the Protector detail were cowering down. They'd been trapped behind an elevated area of garden that dotted the edges of the plaza outside the Mandalmotors tower. While the tree in the middle of that particular plot had long since been destroyed, the walls of it – while low – were sturdy and could take far more of a pounding than the wall Gar was currently using for cover.

"Stay down Kast. We've got no support incoming." Responded their squad leader, a Zabrak named Roprun. "Other units are working to secure targets closer to their location and get children and civilians out of the warzone." The Zabrak was trapped with the remaining member of their guard squad (two members had fallen in the initial Death Watch assault while the entirety of the other squad that'd been guarding this section of the plaza had been wiped out) inside a small restaurant a short distance beyond where Rook was pinned down.

Initially Gar hadn't enjoyed working with Roprun. Not because he was an alien, though Gar couldn't deny that was a slight issue he still had as his father had been very xenophobic (thankfully his mother was far more openminded about who could be Mando'ade), but because no longer being a team/squad leader was a shock to Gar's system. However, once he'd gotten past that initial discomfort, Gar had found the Zabrak to be a harsh, but fair leader. Roprun lacked any grace in his command style (a failing Gar shared with him) and was aggressive, but he was a solid unit commander.

"Understood." Rook replied, though Gar could detect the annoyance in her tone. Which wasn't a surprise as he was feeling the same way. Being on the receiving end of this attack and watching dozens of their fellow (loyal) Protectors gunned down in the initial assault and following attempts to retake the tower were wearing on Gar's psyche.

There had been no warning of that attack. One minute their squad had been standing guard in the square – keeping their distance from four Sun Guards that the Munn VIP in the tower had brought with him as an escort – when the next chaos was unleashed. Three of the four Sun Guards – along with two whole squads of Protectors – had died in dual explosions that rocked the plaza; then Death Watch had swarmed down from the roofs and streets around the plaza while the aruetiie within the Protector's ranks had stuck at their supposed friends and co-workers.

Before Gar was able to get his bearings, nearly fifty Death Watch commandos had stormed the lobby of Mandalmotors tower, overrun the security forces there, and taken control of the building's defences. Two more squads of Protectors – including the one containing Anno Hark and Trushrul Frka (two members of Gar's unit at the Institute) – were gunned down by the twin heavy repeating blaster cannons that Death Watch deployed once the lobby was secure. Another member of Gar's former unit, Ellan Aran, had already been removed from the battlefield after she lost a leg to a grenade.

With those repeating blasters in place, and Death Watch still holding several buildings and streets surrounding the plaza, a hastily arranged Protector counterassault had been massacred. Now, all Gar and the remaining Protectors could do was stay in cover and await reinforcements. However, given that the Protector communication channels were awash with reports of attacks on major Protector stations – and other targets of value – throughout the city, Gar had doubted any help would be coming. And Roprun had just confirmed that.

A strange silvery light appeared behind him. As he turned to aim his rifle at whatever had caused it, his helmet's sensors flared at a new, unexpected contact that had appeared out of nowhere about a metre behind him. However, in mid-turn, his rifle seemed to hit against an invisible barrier, and he almost lost his grip on it as his body continued to turn. As he saw who had appeared, he was glad he was wearing his helmet as it hid his shock and disbelief from sight (and he'd deny ever being shocked to his dying breath.)

"Hello there." Cameron Shan said, a small chuckle escaping his lips at some private joke. A blaster bolt from a member of Death Watch was swatted aside with a gesture as the Jetii stood there, and he just stood there as if waiting for Gar to respond.

"Where the shab did you come from?" Gar snapped out without any venom as he regained his senses. At the same time, he felt the invisible grip on his rifle (which he now realised was Shan using the Force) end. He pulled the weapon back into a more natural/useful position as he glared up at the younger man.

"From that building there," Cameron responded, flicking a hand (that Gar saw contained his unlit lightsaber) towards a building about a hundred metres west of Gar's location. "Though if you're meaning more generally, then from Duke Torrhen's cruiser."

Gar felt a small shred of hope blossom at the idea of reinforcements from Clan Ordo. "Where are his forces?" While he didn't doubt the remaining Protectors in the city could retake the tower, he doubted that would be anytime soon. And would likely result in the death of the VIP inside – who appeared to be Death Watch's primary target with this assault.

"On their way to Sundari." Shan replied, his head sinking into his shoulders for some reason. "Duke Anzur Varaud launched a simultaneous assault on the capital. He and my masters felt that was the more important target."

Gar grunted in understanding. Even if he didn't want to admit it – mainly because reinforcements would be highly useful right now – he understood that Sundari and Duke Adonai were more important in the current scheme of Mandalorian politics than a VIP from outside the sector. Yes, Keldabe held an important place in the hearts of all true Mandalorians, but in galactic terms, it was just another major city on the planet; hence why the Jetii would prioritize Sundari.

"Saxon! Who the shab is there with you?" Roprun's demanding shout/order cut off Gar's next question. With the computers in their armour and helmets linked in a battlenet, every member of Gar's unit would be aware of Shan's arrival.

"Cameron Shan." Gar replied quietly into his helmet microphone. "A Jetii Mando'ade." He added, which made the younger man frown. Whether that was because he wasn't sure he Gar was talking to, or didn't like being called a Jetii Mando'ade, Gar didn't know nor particularly care.

"Shab ni." Rook muttered softly – though obviously not quietly enough for her helmet to not pick up her words. Gar had to agree as he knew what Shan could do in a spar (even if it wasn't a live-fire or freeform spar), so getting to fight beside the Jetii was going to be fun.

"The Revan'ade?" Roprun asked back. Gar swore he saw Shan's eye twitch a moment later, but there was no way he could hear the Zabrak's comment, right? Gar's audio feed was directly into his ears and muted to external sources so unless a Jedi had a way to enhance their hearing – which, from what he knew about their abilities was possible – to allow him to hear Roprun, he couldn't have heard that.

"Yes," Gar responded. He thought about saying something to Shan since he knew the younger man disliked that title – even if, to Gar at least, he'd earned with his actions over the last year and a bit – but before he could, Shan began to move.

"Get Down!" Gar hissed out as the Jetii stepped beside him, but Shan ignored him. Gar's arm was stopped from grabbing the younger man by the Force, meaning he could only watch as Shan stepped around the wall Gar was using for cover into full view of the plaza. And the Death Watch fighters scattered around it.

"Saxon!" Roprun screeched into his ear, demanding to know what was going on. As he regained control of his arm – the Jetii's abilities were a nuisance – he scurried over to the edge of the wall, planning to pull Shan back into cover.

However, that plan failed because of two things.

Firstly, was the sudden, but Gar had to admit expected, increase in blaster fire. Death Watch had clearly seen Shan step out of cover and planned to mow him down. However, the second thing that stopped Gar was when Shan raised his free hand, and the bolts slammed against an invisible barrier.

It took Gar a moment to remember that Jetii could stop blaster fire with more than their lightsaber, something he'd received training in to counter. Yet to see it done for real was considerably more impressive than seeing it on a recording of when Mando'ade had fought the Republic's defenders in the past. And it was doubly impressive as it was a man of thirteen doing it; and making it look easy as Shan continued to walk forward at a slow but steady pace.

"Me'shab," someone muttered in over the battlenet comms, and Gar found himself agreeing. For a second, Gar's mind wandered back to his tournament fight with Shan; a fight that had been the single greatest fight in his life to date. Then, Shan had been holding back to show Gar (and his people) the respect he deserved. Yet, as Gar watched the younger man continue to slowly walk towards the tower, he began to wonder just how much Shan had been holding back. Once this battle was over, Gar made a promise to himself to spar with the Jetii no-holds-barred. He needed to see just how powerful the young man was, and confirm if what his mother had hinted at was possible.

But before that, he would enjoy the chance to fight beside Shan.

Gar leaned out from behind his cover, and as the fire aimed at Shan increased – indicating one of the repeating blaster cannons had targeted him – he took aim at a Death Watch trooper who was focused on the Jetii. Even as Shan continued to calmly walk forward, apparently unconcerned that a blaster cannon was firing on him, Gar lined up his shot, overcharged the chamber and fired off a bolt. The Death Watch trooper was sent spiralling back; his head bending unnaturally as it struck a bench. Gar quickly returned to his cover, aware that the trooper's squad mates would quickly turn their attention to his location. Something proven as bolts slammed into the cover of the wall, sending chunks flying and forcing Gar to move deeper into cover.

The second the fire at his cover lessened, Gar popped up, hoping to help Shan by taking out another Death Watch trooper. However, that intention was lost as he saw three rockets streak in from Shan's right. He opened his mouth to scream a warning, only for all three rockets to explode, showering the area of the plaza where Shan had been standing in intense flames.

"Di'kutla Jetii," someone else muttered over the squad's comms. While that person likely thought Shan had died doing something typically stupid for a Jetii, Gar wasn't so sure. Shan may be a Jetii, but he always seemed to move with purpose. Shan would've known Death Watch would've focused their attention on him as he stepped out, but that shift in focus by the aruetiie would allow gar and his fellow Protectors to move.

This was proven true as the flames and smoke of the explosions began to dissipate, and Shan was standing there; apparently unharmed. His cloak and robes appeared covered in dirt, while his hair was a few shades darker, yet apart from that, nothing seemed out of place.

The sensors in Gar's helmet detected movement (though that likely was from someone else in the battlenet as his focus was on Shan), on the third floor of the tower. Gar focused the sensors there, getting a zoomed-in image of two Death Watch troopers readying two more rockets. While Shan had survived the first barrage, and likely would do the same again, Gar wasn't going to let them take the shot. Quickly he aimed at the pair – using the sensors in his helmet to gain a boost to his accuracy and snapped off a shot. The bolt flew past Shan, missing him by perhaps a dozen hand's widths and sailed forward to slam into a launcher. The rocket inside exploded, killing both troopers in the explosion, with one unlucky soul sent flying from the third floor and ending up impaled on a railing just outside the tower's lobby.

"DEATH WATCH!"

Gar froze as, somehow, Shan's voice echoed around the entire plaza. If he didn't trust his mental defences, Gar would've sworn the Jetii was projecting his voice directly into his mind. More likely, Shan was using the Force to enhance his voice, and it must've carried to every corner of the plaza – and the surrounding buildings – as the rate of fire from both sides suddenly decreased.

"THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE. SURRENDER NOW!" Shan added, making all blaster fire cease.

Shan started walking once more. His path clearly the lobby of the tower. That movement seemed to be a signal for the battle to resume as over a half dozen rockets came hurtling towards Shan from within the building. Gar moved on instinct to target one of the rockets even as the battlenet informed him others in his unit were doing the same.

However, before anyone could fire on a rocket, Shan thrust out both his arms and seven rockets froze in mid-air. No, they didn't freeze as Gar could still see their engines were active. Yet none of the rockets were able to move closer to the Jetii. Well, not moving quickly as the sensors in Gar's helmet logged that they were moving, but at a snail's pace, shuddering as they went.

Gar was so shocked by this that his focus slipped off of the fight as he viewed first-hand a feat that he'd only ever heard rumours about. His lapse was broken a second later as one, then both repeating blaster cannons opened fire, reminding him of the others on the battlefield. Yet, just as before, the bolts did nothing to Shan; instead slamming into an invisible barrier.

Gar focused his helmet's scanners on Shan and saw that while the younger man appeared comfortable, his fingers were beginning to shake. Likely the strain from holding back that many missiles while raising a barrier to protect against the cannon fire was putting a strain on him. While that gave Gar an idea of Shan's limits, it wasn't overly comforting as it was a limit beyond what anything short of a platoon-strength fireteam could bring to bear. And, provided he survived this, Shan would only grow more powerful in the years ahead.

"Target those cannons." Gar called into his comms. Yes, he was overstepping his authority, but there was no way he wasn't going to help a fellow Mandalorian, Jetii or not. Yet, even as he brought his rifle to bear on the lobby, his sensors informed him that the missiles were losing thrust. With them being short-ranged ordinance, that made sense, but it would more than likely allow Shan to do something with the now u powered explosives.

Shan swept both arms towards the lobby, and Gar could only blink as all seventeen missiles were flung in that direction.

Instinctively, Gar ducked down as a massive fireball erupted from the lobby. The ground shook, though not enough to cause Gar to stumble. While powerful, even twice that many rockets wouldn't have been able to cause that kind of tremor. That meant that they'd either impacted something that boosted the explosion, or Shan had a way to increase their explosive yield. Gar silently prayed it was the former because he'd never heard about Jetii – or their splinter group the Sith – being able to do such things. If they could, then a single properly trained Jetii (like Shan) would be a literal one-being army.

As the tremors subsided, Gar peered over the top of his cover to see the aftermath. The lobby was in flames, and both cannons were gone. It was hard for his sensors to determine if anything was still alive in the inferno, but they could detect the remains of at least two Death Watch troopers on the steps leading to the lobby. Though the only reason the sensors couldn't be sure was that the bodies were in pieces and still burning.

"All units prepare t…" the words of one of the Protector commanders came over the battlenet, only to be suddenly stopped as Shan surged forward. If not for the inbuilt sensors in his helmet, all Gar would've seen was a blur. Even then, he struggled to follow Shan's movements as the Jetii propelled himself forward at a speed Gar could never hope to match.

Several blaster bolts came flying towards Shan, yet none hit him. Haran, the Jetii didn't even bother blocking them with that invisible barrier of his. He simply sped past them, and even as the first few bolts stuck the duracrete tiling of the plaza, Shan was at the entrance of the tower.

Several gasps came through the battlenet as Shan ignited his blade; the blade shape of it standing out easily against the blazing remains of the lobby. A pair of Death Watch troopers surged out of the flames, though before Gar could even scan them to see if they were injured from the explosion or not, Shan had moved forward.

A head bounced down the steps, joined less than a moment later by the upper half of the other trooper's body. Gar's helmet was (only just) able to process Shan's movement but even then, it had happened too quickly for Gar's brain to process.

As he started to understand what had happened, Shan vanished into the flames. A few seconds later, three bodies came hurtling out. As they bounced on the steps – inadvertently knocking the head between them like a ball – Gar confirmed the trio were Death Watch. Gar noticed that all appeared to have their limbs – or most of them, as one was missing a hand – but his focus was on making sure they couldn't get up.

He opened fire with his rifle on the trio, quickly joined by fire from Rook's location. That seemed to be the signal for the battle in the plaza to resume, though Gar noticed that without incoming fire from the lobby, the Protectors had the upper hand. If they were quick and efficient, they'd be able to surround and eliminate the remaining members of the Watch before they could escape into the city and do damage elsewhere.

The trio outside the lobby all fell – the sheer amount of incoming fire made sure they never had a chance – even as two more bodies were flung out of a window on the first floor. Gar shifted his aim to those two – even as he realised Shan was going likely going to clear the entire tower single-handedly – only for his helmet sensors to alert him of a new threat behind.

He dropped down, making sure his cover protected him from incoming fire from the plaza, and brought his rifle to bear on the corner of a nearby street. The sensors had someone at the corner though they hadn't stepped forward.

Gar snapped off a shot and caught the faintest of feminine grunts from the corner.

"Shab, I'm friendly, ok?" A voice called out. Gar recognized it, but he couldn't place who it was instantly. Still, that moment of recognition was enough for him to release some of the gentle pressure he had on his trigger. Not enough that he couldn't fire off a shot if this was a ruse, but enough that he wouldn't make a mistake and accidentally shoot a potential ally.

"BO?" Rook shouted, letting Gar know who was there. "Me'shab you doing?"

"Helping Cameron." Bo-Katan called back as she came around the corner. While Gar was confused as to why the woman was here – he'd been under the impression that, the celebration aside, she wasn't overly friendly with Shan – at least she had the sense to stay low. She crouched and moved towards his cover quickly, which made sense as it was the closest.

"That's Bo-Katan Kryze, commander." Rook explained to Roprun over the comms. "Last I knew she was in the city with Naz Vizsla."


"Kryze." He said in acknowledgement even as Roprun grunted in confirmation of Rook's explanation of who the newcomer was. Gar shifted around, readying himself to return his attention to the battle in the plaza.

"Saxon." The redhead replied. "Where is he?"

"In the tower." Gar replied before standing and firing off a burst at a location the battlenet indicated a threat was located. "Walked straight in there, not a care in the world. Got balls of beskar that one." He added as he ducked down.

"Haar'chak!" Kryze cursed as their cover to some return fire. "I want a recording of it." She demanded a moment later.

Gar began to respond, only for a flash of bright light to erupt in his periphery, followed closely by a heavy rumble. This one wasn't as violent as the previous one, but it did lead to another lull in the exchange of fire.

He popped his head over his cover for a moment – and saw that Kryze did the same, which was jareor as the woman didn't have a helmet – then down again. He saw that several of the windows about a third of the way up the building had been blown out from the force of an explosion coming from inside.


He pulled up a feed from someone else in the unit and watched as a faint black object surged across the opening where the transparisteel window used to be. The object - which Gar knew was Shan's lightsaber - moved like a viper, striking other larger objects, which Gar took to be members of Death Watch, then fading into the smoke and dust. Several bodies were flung out of the opening like pieces of refuse. Sometimes, Gar noted with detached interest, they were indeed in literal pieces as they slammed hard into the ground below.

Gar considered saying something to Kryze, but his attention was drawn to movement to his right. His helmet had movement there, and the battlenet confirmed it was hostile.

A few quick hand gestures let Kryze know what was up, and he raised his rifle to engage the incoming Death Watch. Kryze, though, had other ideas, and before he could ask her why she hadn't aimed her pistol properly, she'd tossed a small object towards the threat. The faint beeping from that object let Gar know what she'd thrown, and he braced himself before a moment later a corner of the building exploded.

Two bodies scurried to get clear of the now collapsing building, leaving them both exposed. Something Gar and his unit had no issues with exploiting.

As they ceased firing at the now, unmoving troopers, Kryze turned to him, a slightly deranged smirk on her face. "I want a copy of your battle logs."

Gar grunted as his helmet located his next target. "I suspect you'll have to get in line."

Gar was sure that, once Death Watch had been handled, many would be wanting to review the footage of this battle. Specifically, to see what one of the two Mando'ade Jetii had done to turn the tide of the battle all but single-handedly.

However, he was once more looking forward to the day when he could enter a battle at Shan's side. Deep in his bones he knew that, when it came, that no matter if they won or lost the battle would echo throughout history, and he planned to make sure his name was remembered with honour in the battle-rolls of his clan.


… …


… …
Hego Damask's POV


As he sat, seemingly helpless at the far end of the conference table (like everything he'd seen on the planet the table was spartan but functional in nature) the Munn known to the galaxy as Hego Damask was infuriated.

Oh, externally, he appeared calm; or he did if you couldn't see a few nervous ticks such as an inability to sit still or long, narrow fingers gently drumming against the table. Those little ticks would've led anyone who saw Damask to think he was nervous about how effective his Sun Guard unit was at defending him against the massive assault on the tower.

Yet internally, Darth Plagueis was irritated.

While he would normally use such anger and frustration to focus his mind, he was slowly reaching a point where he considered he might have to deal with these pitiful fools personally. However, he still maintained a durasteel grip on his restraint, since he knew that indulging in such reckless and fervent immersion in the Dark Side was what often led to Sith becoming unstable, and the purview of trained and bloodthirsty assassins, such as the one Sidious was grooming. A true Dark Lord of the Sith was above such an undisciplined loss of control and knew how to use their anger and hate in more efficient ways to maximum effect. However, the longer this siege continued, the more he felt handling the situation himself would sate the anger, even if it meant a tedious clean up to ensure there was nothing that could be traced back to him.

However, if it came to that, then so be it. Plagueis had already scoped out the tower to be aware of where the various visual and audio recording devices were. He also knew where the central security office was as if he did have to handle this situation personally, he couldn't leave any possible records that could link Hego Damask to the Sith. With every room and floor having a separate circuit for their security systems, the control room was the only easy point of weakness for him to target if he needed to handle the potentially annoying, but well-designed security system.

Within the conference room he was currently waiting in, the sensors – both visible and hidden – were already down (a simple matter for one such as he), so if he could contain his reveal to this place, handing the fallout would be easier. He had, for now, left the simpler audio recorders. If he needed to defend himself, he had several schemes where a recording of his interaction with the attackers would be beneficial to maintaining his cover. Should the attackers possess internal recorders in their helmets…well, then a display of Teras Kasi wouldn't be too suspicious - if unexpected for a Muun -, as long as he allowed himself to be suitably challenged by them.

Still, even with the preparation that he had set up in this room, Plagueis was devising, altering, and scrapping various plans, contingencies, and strategies. The Mandalorians, while much reduced from the time of Darth Bane, held the potential to be useful pawns in the Grand Plan, reclaiming the role that they had unwittingly filled at various points in galactic history for the Sith. Yes, the current ruling faction were nothing more than Lothal cats pretending to be Ralltiir tigers, but from what he'd seen, been told, heard and was now experiencing, a large portion of the populace still maintained their spine. Their obvious – and justified – rage at the Republic and Jedi was something that could be easily sculpted to suit his uses.

Yet, while his various plans regarding the locals were useful for keeping his mind sharp and his plans fresh, they paled in comparison to the potential that lay in his true reason for being on this backwater world.

When Sidious had first brought the descendent of Revan to his attention, Plagueis had been unnerved, if only for a short while. Darth Revan was one of the most powerful Sith of the Old Republic, displaying a deep understanding and mastery of both the Force, and its applications in war. His knowledge and methods were met with such success, that his holocron's teachings were used as the base for Darth Bane's Rule of Two; a system that had allowed the Sith to grow more and more powerful in the shadows while the Republic and Jedi grew weak. Thus, having a direct descendent of Revan appear – and at roughly the same time he and Sidious had attempted the Great Experiment with the Force – was unsettling.

Learning that the boy was being trained by Master Dooku, a man who was as anti-republic as it was possible to be while still wearing the label of Jedi, was an unexpected boon. Plagueis had once considered Dooku as an apprentice before selecting Sidious, and even now still had plans that could use the unusual Jedi to further the Grand Plan; plans that only needed for Dooku to leave the Order to be enacted. Though the knowledge that this child of Revan was also being taught by Master Fay; a one of the most obscured, revered, and least-known Jedi Masters in both the galaxy at large and in the Force, tempered some of Plagueis' approval of the boy's instruction.

For a time Plagueis had been willing to leave the child alone, though he ensured that Sidious and other agents continued to monitor him. When Sidious had reported the child had sparred with Grandmaster Yoda and had shown far more abilities than had been revealed before, Plagueis' interest increased. To any with a sound mind, it was clear the boy was deliberately holding himself back against his peers. While to most that would seem like a very Jedi thing to do, Sidious – and Plagueis once the reasoning was explained to him – felt differently.

His apprentice believed that the boy was hiding his abilities to allow him to gain allies and power within the Order. This theory took on more credence when, in a day that Plagueis could admit was one of those rare moments when he was truly caught unawares – Sidious discovered the child had increased his midi-chlorian count to unprecedented levels. Before, the boy held potential on-par with himself and Sidious - at least before He'd begun his experimentation with midi-chlorian manipulation, but now…

Well, it was one of the reasons Plagueis had come to this backwater of a planet.

Now, an increase in one's midi-chlorian count didn't automatically lead to a better ability to control the Force – or be led around by it like many Jedi were – but it did mean that a higher innate potential existed. And the Jedi, in their infinite wisdom (Plagueis had to suppress a sneer whenever he thought of those two things together) had done nothing with the boy.

Plagueis, though, was far more aware of what that count increase could mean and was eager to see if his hypothesis was correct. Despite that, he knew that kidnapping the child wasn't the way to approach the issue, since both the boy and his masters were far too high-profile. Yet, while he'd been considering just how to meet the boy discreetly, the child had, in another moment that caught Plagueis unaware, bent the Force to his will and screamed out through it, letting his anger and pure, undiluted hatred bleed into the Force.

Plagueis had savoured that moment, much the same way that Corellian connoisseurs would sample a new wine; both allowing themselves to enjoy the taste, while also staying alert for inconsistencies and weaknesses as possible areas of improvement. He wished he could've seen the faces of the Jedi High Council as they felt the wave of fury wash over them. Because of that, and the need to directly see what part the child would play in the Grand Plan, and if it was one that needed to be removed before the Plan could commence, he had travelled to this world under the guise of Hego Damask seeking to invest in Mandalmotors.

However, moments after arriving he learnt that his target of interest was off-world. If not for the fact he'd also been informed soon after that the boy would be returning in a week or two, Plagueis would've wrapped up the negotiations regarding Damask Holdings investing in Mandalmotors in short order. He'd later learnt that the boy had travelled to the homeworld of Clan Ordo at the invitation of the clan leader, suggesting that the boy was indeed beginning to cultivate alliances of his own.

Still, even if this incident today prevented him from meeting the boy, the trip hadn't been a total loss. Meetings with the CEO of Mandalmotors and its subsidiaries had gone well. Provided that the new leadership of the company – he had sensed the CEO Arde Yomaget die perhaps twenty minutes previously – honoured the agreements he'd reached with the old head, Damask Holdings would invest several billion credits in a joint venture with Mandalmotors. While the company didn't have anywhere near the size or capacity of well-known shipyards like Fondor or Rendili, it was a solid, profitable company that had proven its stability for several centuries. That it was on a world and sector where Cameron Shan had spent a year building bridges, was a helpful secondary benefit.

Another benefit of those meetings was being allowed to view a recording of Shan's hunt. While Yomaget had been reluctant to allow him to view the recording due to some cultural issues, Plagueis had successfully been able to purchase a recording from a Mandalorian who had attended the celebration feast and viewing. While the recording didn't show when or why Shan had dominated the Force to his will, it was still an interesting viewing. Shan's desire to prove himself to these people would be ridiculous if one didn't consider the potential the Mandalorians held. Yes, they were a scattered and damaged culture, but at the height of their power, they were a threat to rival the Republic.

From that perspective, Shan's desire to fight a greater krayt dragon while not actively using the Force – he certainly used it, though Plagueis was impressed the boy kept such instances to a minimum to limit suspicion – made sense. And, while he would always prefer subtlety and coercion to make his alliances, Plagueis could respect Shan for managing to kill such a fearsome beast. It was a testament to both Dooku's training and the boy's innate potential that he could manage such a feat.

As was the surge in the Force Plagueis had sensed around twenty minutes previously.

At that time, just after the seventh member of his twelve-member unit of Sun Guards fell to the terrorist onslaught, Plagueis had felt a pulse of formidable power through the Force. The pulse wasn't directed at him specifically and was simply the standard location detection that all Force users employed. Even so, when it brushed up against his cloak of concealment – the ability all Sith mastered to hide their presence from the Jedi – for a moment, it was strong enough that Plagueis was momentarily concerned that his cloak would be detected.

After it passed, Plagueis was able to determine, by process of logical elimination, that it was Shan who had sent out the surge. Why he couldn't say, but the natural researcher that lay at the base of his entire being quickly began to consider tests and projects he'd need to conduct to determine the limit and usefulness of such power. Cameron Shan was shaping up to be a truly fascinating study in his own right; even ignoring Plagueis' burning curiosity to learn how the boy had so massively increased his connection to the Force.

While Sidious was still central to the Grand Plan, perhaps there was a role in that plan for Shan; one where his potential to dominate the Force could be turned into an advantage for the Sith.

Plagueis suspected that Shan had used this surge to find someone within the city. From there, the only valid hypothesis was that his 'friends' were in danger, and he was moving to help them. Said friends, depending on their connections to local figures of importance – Plagueis knew Shan was familiar with the youngest daughter of the ruling duke of the sector – then that might be a vector of approach he could use (as both Damask and Plagueis) to gain a connection with Shan.

Wanting to confirm this hypothesis, Plagueis had sent faint, infinitesimal tendrils into the Force. This was done more to avoid detection and risk his cover rather than worry about the threat a Jedi Padawan (even a potentially powerful one) might pose. Shan had shown himself to be far more intelligent and discerning in his actions than most of the typical plebeian beings being groomed to become Jedi. His first act upon detecting Plagueis would likely be to call for backup, which would possibly throw away his long-crafted anonymity.

From those tendrils, he'd sensed a brief spike of anger, followed shortly after by a Shan bending the Force to his demands. Why it was used, Plagueis couldn't say, but the fact the spike of anger remained throughout this – even if it was seemingly ignored by Shan – was enough to hint at the possibility the boy could be turned from the Jedi. A possibility that grew when, in one particularly interesting moment, Plagueis felt Shan channel his anger and use the Force in an aggressive manner.

The death of two more of his Sun Guard – including one outside his room – forced Plagueis to draw back his tendrils. It was also why he was now at the far side of the conference room, as far from the door as he could be. He had slowly been feeling them die one by one, almost always coinciding with a barely discernible tremor running through the building. Explosives most likely, and powerful ones too considering that this building was designed to withstand an orbital bombardment. True, Plagueis' senses were boosted to the nth degree by the power flowing through him. But it was still an impressive accomplishment. Plagueis couldn't picture one of his Sun Guards being taken down by any less, even if the group he'd brought weren't the best of the best.

With only one remaining guard outside the room facing a group of highly skilled warriors on par with the Sun Guard, it was only a matter of time until they breached the door to this room. Hence why the Dark Side was lapping eagerly at Plagueis and enticing him to lash out and show these imbeciles who they were daring to assault.

He stood and moved gracefully behind the chair furthest from the door. Carefully, he reached into the Force, cautious of alerting Shan to his presence, and slowly demanded its servitude. As the power coalesced around him, he felt the elation and excitement of the Dark Side as it anticipated the glorious bloodshed soon to come. This was the power of the Force made manifest, though unlike many Sith before him, Plagueis was the one in control, not the Dark Side. The urges to inflict pain, to dominate the will of another, to inspire a being's primal fears; he dominated these urges to serve his own purposes and whims, not the other way around.

His thoughts sharpened as the impulses the Dark Side fed upon submitted themselves to him, helping focus his mind on what was to come. The Force began to hum, feeding strength and power into his limbs, sharpening his senses to an unnatural degree, readying his body to spring into action.

Only to turn in surprise as he felt another tremor, stronger this time as it was much closer at hand. As he turned his attention once more to the hallway beyond the door, he felt the lifeforce leave his final door guard – another was several floors below, but his ability to sense them in the Force was diminishing – though not before taking out one of the four outside the room.

The three remaining Mandalorians were easy for him to sense through the Force. Two were brimming with deliciously potent rage that, while he could, Plagueis allowed that rage to bleed into him, drawing further power from his soon-to-be attackers. The third, however, was different. There was rage there yes, but it was more subdued and not directed towards him. Plagueis could easily sense the altered mind of this third individual, but why that would be the case wasn't something the Force was willing to divulge. Still, it could give him a possible angle to work once the three entered the room; or at least an angle to pretend to play if he was able to avoid breaking cover to kill these fools. As they were preparing to enter the room, Plagueis began implanting and tweaking enough arrogant and prideful emotions needed to cause the fools to waste some time grandstanding. With luck, he could still manipulate the situation to his advantage.

The door to the room slid open, and the three Mandalorians became visible, though mainly as silhouettes against the darkened corridor outside. The first to enter did so with pistols drawn. Those quickly focused on him as Plagueis slapped down the desire of the Dark Side for him to lash out at the Mandalorians instantly. He felt there was more to be gained by trying to draw them out in conversation, and while not a significant threat to a Dark Lord, the Force was warning him that this one was the leader and the most dangerous of the trio. To be on the safe side, he continued to feed all three of them the cocktail of arrogant emotions which would manoeuvre himself into a more tactically advantageous position.

The second to enter was female, and the source of the strangely muted/misdirected fury, with her sweeping the room carefully to ensure no threat was hiding in a corner. Through the Force, Plagueis perceived her as less of a threat than the apparent leader, though still greater than the third Mandalorian (or any other Mandalorian he'd examined during his time on the planet.) The third member of the trio, and another male, stayed outside, acting as a bouncer.

"Your plot to seize control has failed," The leader of the trio announced loudly as Plagueis saw his grip tighten on his pistols. "Never again will any Mando'ade ever allow an aruetii to gain a foothold on Manda'yaim!"

Thanks to his master's meddling, Plagueis' ability to sense the future was all but destroyed. Yet, even then, he could tell this man wouldn't just execute him. No, thanks to his mental probes, the Mandalorian would likely feel the need to gloat at the 'inherent superiority' of his people – a falsehood given how far the culture had fallen from the influence and prestige they once held in the galaxy – and/or disparage Plagueis' own species for their apparent shortcomings.

"Nor should they." Plagueis replied in a tone that seemed calm but had a hint of faux concern embedded in it. "I merely wished to discuss a possible investment with the likely former leadership of this company that would've been beneficial to both of our companies, and likely Mandalore itself." He continued even as he sensed a subtle shift in the Force. "Though with the likely death of said leadership, possibly at your very hands, I suppose such an arrangement is no longer possible."

The leader grunted before he responded. "Yomaget fought well, but he had grown weak, honing his skills with words and coin instead of with mind and body. His death will serve a purpose in helping me unify the sector under strong, centralized leadership."

Internally Plagueis chuckled at the misplaced arrogance of the man, though externally he appeared pensive. "If that is the case, then I do hope that once this… situation is resolved, I will be allowed to depart the planet peacefully." He lifted an arm slowly towards his face, wanting to draw attention to his mask. "I am no threat to you or your goals, and I'm not looking to cause offence."

"Your mere presence already has, aruetii." The leader replied and Plagueis suspected the word meant something akin to an outsider. "Just as the training of Jetii by our warriors has. Mandalore is not some world that kneels at the altar of the Senate. You, the Jetii, and everyone else need to be reminded of that." He continued, raising his blaster pistols towards Plagueis.

"Please, I'm sure we can come to an agreement that doesn't carry the need for mindless bloodshed." Plagueis suggested as he raised his hands in what would appear a gesture of surrender. Though, if this maniac didn't accept Plagueis' suggestion to avoid carnage, those same hands were already drawing the Force to them.

The leader chuckled and flicked one pistol-holding hand back, over his shoulder. "Sadly for you, I quite enjoy the bloodshed." He remarked, drawing a chuckle from the bouncer.

Plagueis tensed, readying himself for the moment when he would need to act. Though a strange sensation within the Force, stilled him. And that was followed by spotting a subtle shimmer appear on a wall outside the room, directly behind the bouncer.

That third Mandalorian turned, likely due to technology in his helmet and armour detecting the strange occurrence. He brought his rifle round, only to have to shift his movement when he (and Plagueis) saw, and everyone heard the ignition of a lightsaber.

The saber was barely visible against the dark background, with only a white edging giving away where the blade was. The bouncer instinctively released his hold on the blaster rifle and whipped his forearm up defensively, blocking the lightsaber with his gauntlet. The slight colouration shift as the armour heated allowed Plagueis to determine that at least one of the insurgents – though likely all – were wearing armour at least partially composed of beskar.

Sparks flew from the bouncer's forearm as the lightsaber scraped down the arm, slashing through the weaponized gauntlet Mandalorians were known for. Those sparks, sending flecks of multi-coloured superheated particles throughout the hallway, illuminated the room enough that Plagueis was able to make out the figure that had emerged from the wall. This was Cameron Shan, Plagueis' primary reason for coming to this cursed planet.

The boy was tall for his age, and unlike most Jedi, wore a cloak over his robes. Also unusually, his hair was longer than what was normally accepted for Jedi Padawans. though what drew Plagueis' attention was Shan's eyes. As the lightsaber pulled back and the bouncer suddenly jerked in an unnatural way, Plagueis saw that Shan's amber-green eyes were as cold as the frozen surface of Mygeeto. Either the boy was able to steel his emotions for combat – an unusual feat for a Jedi Padawan – or he took no enjoyment from combat.

The latter hypothesis was proven wrong as the bouncer fell, one knee dropping lower than the other. This was clearly the result of being pulled there by the Force, though Shan hadn't made any grand gesture of doing that suggesting a control over telekinesis that most Jedi lacked. Plagueis felt Shan's excitement, desire and – most importantly – a strong and growing sense of fury as he drove an elbow into the bottom of the bouncer's armoured chin. While the boy was doing an exceptional job of not advertising those feelings, the fact he held them while fighting – and likely after slaughtering his way up to this room, if the constant stream of death Plagueis had been sensing was any indication – suggested to Plagueis the boy might be turned to the Dark Side.

The strike forced the bouncer's head back, exposing his neck. Thanks to the Force, Plagueis was able to track the rapid movement of one of Shan's hands as it reached out and gripped the throat. An accelerated twist – boosted by the Force – resulted in the bouncer all but spinning around while still kneeling. That brought the bouncer's front back to facing Plagueis; and made the kneeling man into a temporary shield for Shan.

By this point the two Mandalorians in the room had refocused their attention on Shan and had begun firing off blaster bolts. However, most hit their disorientated compatriot and the few that didn't were easy for Shan to avoid with the barest of effort. The whole sequence, from elbow to the chin to body shield only took a few seconds, but Plagueis was impressed. Very few Jedi would ever consider using another being for protection – a fact that often made their deaths occur soon after – though Plagueis felt the whole thing was a touch theatrical. Though since it drew the Mandalorians' attention from him onto Shan, he couldn't deny its effectiveness.

Just as the bouncer started to counter the hold, Plagueis was able to see Shan's lightsaber move. The blade slid clean through whatever armour the bouncer had around his neck – obviously not beskar – and as the head slid forward, Plagueis had to fight to stop his curiosity showing. While Jedi weren't against killing, the removal of a head was an extreme method for them to use to end a duel; doubly so when their opponent was kneeling in front of them. When coupled with the complete lack of concern at what'd he done on Shan's face, it made it clear to Plagueis that Shan had killed men before. Additionally, it showed he had no issues with killing in combat or acting in a brutal manner, suggesting that much like his ancestor, Shan may have an inclination towards the Dark Sith. That was a possible avenue to have the boy ostracized by the Jedi, then turned to the Sith; though it also increased the threat he could pose to the Grand Plan.

Plagueis wondered if that behaviour was entirely natural, or the result of an earlier trauma combined with the more sociopathic tendencies displayed by Dooku. Indeed, there were hints of the older Jedi' mannerisms in how Shan moved.

The bolts from the two remaining Mandalorians lessened, though Plagueis was able to see that was more because they were now moving than because of the death of their compatriot. The pair were spreading out, looking to flank Shan when the now headless body fell. Yet, unlike what those two were expecting, the body didn't fall. Plagueis could sense the boy using the Force to keep it upright; allowing him to maintain his mobility while still having it available as a shield.

Again, so very un-Jedi-like.

Even as they moved, the two remaining Mandalorians shifted their fire, trying to aim where the head of their compatriot had been. Yet, Plagueis felt another shift in the Force and those bolts impacted harmlessly with a Force barrier; one that extended out to cover Shan's flanks where the headless body couldn't function as a shield. This time Plagueis' brow did rise. While the generation of a barrier wasn't beyond a Padawan, Shan had done so without any obvious gesture. That spoke to a skill with the ability that many older Jedi lacked, and while a generally defensive ability, Plagueis knew that it had a use to even the Sith.

Once more the rate of fire lessened, and the faintest of movements from the leader drew Plagueis attention to him. He holstered his pistols, though the female increased her rate of fire to prevent Shan from taking advantage of the change. Moments later, the man had raised one gauntlet, and with the other hand made flames leap from it.

Shan's barrier was engulfed in flames, which seemed to be the signal for the female to move. She moved forward quickly, holstering her pistols before Plagueis saw her raise her now empty hands. He blinked in surprise as engaging in hand-to-hand with a Force user was not at all a common occurrence. There were only a few cultures in the galaxy that had come up with effective counters, and he was eager for the opportunity to study one up close.

The flames receded as the female reached striking distance, and while Plagueis wasn't surprised to see Shan unharmed, it was still good to see. Mainly because Shan defeating these warriors allowed Plagueis to observe the boy in action without having to risk his cover. The distinctive blade of Shan's lightsaber thrust forward, aiming for the female's throat. The female shifted her arm up, letting the blade slide harmlessly against her vambraces, which were clearly made of beskar as they held against the lightsaber.

Shan didn't appear too concerned by this development. That wasn't unexpected from someone who's spent a year training with these people. He took a step forward, stepping inside the female's guard and with the fluidity of movement that spoke of his years of training, slid his blade away from the block while thrusting his free hand forward a fraction.

That gesture sent the female flying back with such acceleration that Plagueis was forced to duck. A huge crash came from behind him, and he glanced back to see the female had been thrown into the wall of the room.

A surge of anger burst through the Force and Plagueis saw the remaining Mandalorian tense. "Jetii!" The man all but spat out. "You will fall by my hands!"

Shan smirked even as Plagueis had to fight off an urge to scoff and roll his eyes. This Mandalorian was quickly devolving into one of those villains that were popular in children's stories available over the Holonet.

"Your troops said much the same thing." Shan retorted as he took a step back. "I have to say that it gets a bit repetitive after a while."

Plagueis felt the Force subtly shift and he knew the barrier had been disengaged even as he watched the boy adopt the opening stance of Makashi. That wasn't unexpected as Sidious had informed him that the boy was skilled in the form and was being trained by Master Dooku. However, the relaxed position of the blade, as Plagues expected, resulted in the Mandalorian's anger flaring once again. "Shame they were about as useful as an Ewok in a blizzard." Shan added with a smirk, further inflaming his opponent's anger.

With no hint from the Force that Shan was attempting to empower his words in a display of Dun Möch, Plagueis was impressed, although slightly disappointed that the boy was attempting to use mere taunting as a strategy in his fighting, though he wondered if enraging the Mandalorian was the best approach. Everything he could sense from the human adult hinted that he took strength from that rage. An almost Sith-like quality that was sadly wasted on the fool. Hearing that the lower-level warriors within the building hadn't been able to stop Shan wasn't unexpected; he was here after all. Yet, the casual dismissal of them, along with the arrogant tone was. Again, this suggested a shared inclination towards more natural behaviour like his ancestor, or that Dooku was having a greater effect on the boy's psyche than either Jedi had realised. Though Plagueis suspected it was a bit of both.

"You will find me more than capable of backing up my words." The Mandalorian growled out as he grabbed a long, slightly curved blade from a magnetic clamp on his back. "I will take great pleasure in mounting your head over the entrance of this tower and adding your lightsaber to my family's collection." He continued as the blade was brought into a fighting stance. As it moved in the light, Plagueis could see the distinctive ripples that signified the blade was made of beskar. That would make this fight a fraction more interesting to observe.

Shan's stance didn't shift, though Plagueis saw his eyes glance at the blade. Good. So the boy recognized the beskar for what it was. While seeing a Jedi's face when something was able to block a lightsaber was amusing under most circumstances, Plagueis was more interested in seeing how Shan fought than watching him die.

"AARGH!"

That roar came from behind Plagueis, and the Force warned him of a need to move. Keeping up his cover, he shuffled away from the hole in the wall just in time to avoid the enraged female as she came storming back into the room. Unlike before, the rage was no longer subdued, though Plagueis was easily able to sense confusion mixed in with it. Still, that didn't seem to be impairing the female as her focus locked on Shan.

She charged forward, and Shan shifted on his backfoot in preparation for the new assault vector. However, Shan's shift to the more vocal threat was a miscalculation as it left an opening for the male, which he took. Plagueis could see that, much like his master, the boy clearly favoured Makashi. Unlike Dooku, however, he had clearly not yet learned how to modify the Ysalamiri form to deal with multiple opponents.

The beskad thrust forward in a basic attack, which Shan was easily able to sidestep. He then leapt back to avoid a wild haymaker from the female. The leap back had cost him his stance though, and the male took advantage. Yet even with his stance unbalanced Shan was able to deflect the strike with the elegance of a skilled Makashi practitioner, then angle his blade forward to meet the still attacking female. Yet, in a move that caught both the boy and Plagueis unawares, the female reached out and grabbed the lightsaber blade.

A fraction of a second later, as Shan's brow rose, then furrowed in irritation, Plagueis realised that the female must be wearing a set of the Mandalorians' infamous Crushgaunts, designed to both enhance strength and resistant enough to allow her to grab the superheated blade of a lightsaber with no apparent ill-effects.

In that moment of confusion, the male struck. His blade thrust forward yet again. Shan tried to move to avoid the attack. However, with his lightsaber trapped, he couldn't evade properly; not if he wanted to maintain control of his weapon. The blade sunk into, then through Shan's upper right arm just below the shoulder, exiting the other side with a crunch of bone and a spray of blood.

Plagueis sighed as the female ripped the lightsaber from Shan's loosened grip. The boy had potential, but as his lightsaber was tossed away, Plagueis felt it was about to be squandered by his death. A waste of potential, but not one Plagueis would allow to concern him from this moment on.

Slowly, he altered his stance, and began to summon the Force to him, only to feel the Force begin to churn unexpectedly. Anticipating this new development, he braced himself before, a moment later, he and the two Mandalorians were driven back by a wave of Force energy that emanated from Shan.

While the wave had caught him unaware, he wasn't knocked over; only requiring a single step backwards to restabilize himself. The two Mandalorians however, were far less fortunate. Both were knocked off their feet, with the male slamming into the wall on one side of the room while the female was slammed into the edge of what remained of the table.

Before either could regain their footing, Plagueis felt a spike of anger through the Force as it bent to Shan's will. The female was suddenly lifted upwards with enough velocity that the lights in the roof shattered as she impacted them. As Plagueis watched, he felt yet another microtremor echo through the roof and walls upon impact, though even as that happened, the female was slammed back down into the table.

Plagueis was forced to duck and shield himself – purely to maintain the illusion that he was nothing more than a simple Munn businessman trying to earn a profit in the galaxy – as the table exploded upon the impact.

As the female was lifted upwards into the air again, Plagueis closed his eyes and took a moment to enjoy the pure, unadulterated rage and desire for retribution that was flowing out from Shan. Yet, as a flick of Shan's wrist sent the female careening towards the male Mandalorian, Plagueis sensed the boy begin to reign in that anger. However, Shan wasn't trying to ignore it, nor banish it. Instead, it felt as though he was trying to focus it; as if to draw strength from it, within the Force, Plagueis could sense the anger being directed towards the two Mandalorians.

The male was able to scramble just enough to avoid the inbound female, who collided with the wall behind her again. Plagueis thought he saw the flicker of a grin on Shan's face as, with a larger burst through the Force, the table in the centre of the room sped towards the woman. Just as she was rising to her feet, it collided squarely with her helmet, causing her neck to jerk around, and bouncing her head off of the wall. She slid to the floor and didn't move, her life force dimming in Plagueis' senses as she was knocked unconscious.

Another warning from the Force had Plagueis turn his attention back to the male in time to see him fiddle with one of his gauntlets. The next moment Plagueis was driven to one knee as the room was engulfed in loud, chaotic high-frequency sounds. Being a Munn, his aural perception was weaker than other races, though that was faint help with the mind-interfering patterns being generated by the sonic disruptor.

It seems that these Mandalorians had come expecting to fight a Jedi; or at least were prepared for such an eventuality. While the other weaponry they'd deployed were aimed at Shan, a sonic disruptor affected all Force users equally. Though Plagueis was grateful he hadn't yet broken his cover to reveal he was Force-sensitive, allowing him to channel a sliver of the Force to counter the disruption while the remaining Mandalorian – from who Plagueis could see ripples in the air generated by the sonic device – closed on Shan.

The boy had fallen to one knee – clearly hampered worse by the sounds due to his closer proximity and keener auditory senses – and was trying to cover his ears. However, with one arm badly wounded to the point of almost being useless, that was a failing proposition. The Mandalorian raised his other gauntlet, and a stream of condensed fire shot forth.

The flames engulfed Shan before Plagueis could even consider how the boy could counter them. If not for the boy's rage and pain screaming out through the Force, Plagueis' would've made the mistake of assuming he would soon be dead. However, that pain and fury wasn't because of the flames touching Shan's body. No, Plagueis could almost taste Shan's desire to brutalise the Mandalorian for continuing to hurt him.

Shifting from what remained of the chair he'd been using for cover, Plagueis came to a new vantage point to see that Shan had managed – if only barely – to slide his cloak over his arm; the arm that had been wounded earlier by the Mandalorian's blade. What caught him by surprise was that the cloak was withstanding the flames. He had thought the cloak was a simple way for the boy to emulate Master Dooku, but he now realised that it wasn't. Remembering the recording he'd reviewed several times, Plagueis suspected the cloak was made from the skin of the greater krayt dragon that Shan had killed. A Logical thing to do with skin that was prized for its damage resistance properties, though unexpected for a Jedi – especially a mere Padawan – to wear such a reminder of their kill.

Clearly, the boy was closer to both his Jedi masters than Plagueis or Sidious had anticipated. That would require further analysis to determine possible ways it could be exploited to further the Grand Plan. As would the fact the boy was only likely to grow more distant from the High Council with everything that had and was happening to him on this planet.

As the flames blasted against the cloak, Shan's anger continued to grow. Plagueis knew that, for all its special properties, the cloak would have a limit and he was curious to see what Shan would do; not just immediately after the cloak failed but how he'd win this battle.

The flames died out, which thanks to the Force, Plagueis was able to tell was due to the fuel cell running dry, and Plagueis had a fleeting moment to examine the cloak. It was now almost entirely black, though otherwise appeared undamaged, making Plagueis wonder if he could purchase some of the skin from Shan for analysis.

The male lunged forward, striking out with his blade even as his other gauntlet continued to emit the sonic pulses. While Plagueis was now able to withstand them, it appeared that being closer to the source – combined with his injury – was causing Shan some difficulty. The boy reacted slowly to the incoming attack, sliding back slightly while lifting the cloak towards the blade. Surprising Plagueis, the cloak held against the blade, or at least was able to divert the thrust enough that it missed Shan and guided the sharpened edge of the blade away from his body.

The Mandalorian growled and instantly switched his avenue of attack. He rolled his shoulder, twisted his wrist, and brought the blade down on Shan with a downward stroke. Yet, in the time it'd taken the man to do that, Shan had reached out with the Force and wrapped the cloak securely over and around his shoulder, upper arm, and elbow, fashioning an unconventional shield. The cloak again held, but the force of the blow was enough to force Shan to slide backwards and shift his footing to brace himself.

Plagueis felt a brief flicker in the Force, and then spotted Shan's lightsaber hilt slide up from the floor towards the boy. However, the Mandalorian turned in time to smack the hilt away with a foot. Likely, the movement was detected by sensors within his helmet.

Unbridled fury flared in Shan, and Plagueis enjoyed sensing it, though it only lasted a moment before Shan once more regained control of his emotions. Once more, the boy did something most other Jedi wouldn't and used that fury to focus his attention. Plagueis was impressed as it was something both he and Sidious did, but not something any Jedi would've been taught. While the way Shan did it was crude, it showed yet more promise in the boy's potential to further the Sith's plans.

The Mandalorian took a step towards Shan and lifted one hand from his blade. That hand reached forward, clearly to rip the cloak from Shan's arm, while the other moved the blade into a low guard position from which a quick attack was possible. However, just before the free hand reached the cloak, the familiar hiss of an igniting lightsaber cut through the sonic pulses and a flash of gold came around from Shan's back.

Plagueis saw that the boy now held a lightsaber shoto in his uninjured hand and wondered where the blade had come from. There didn't appear to be a second clip on the Jedi's belt for the blade, so it was likely secured behind his back; being hidden by the cloak. Not something a typical Jedi would do, but Plagueis was more than aware that Shan was far from typical of the delusional Jedi Order.

The lightsaber caught the beskar blade from underneath and near the tip giving the boy overwhelming leverage – Shan making use of his much lower stance to slide under the Mandalorian's guard – and pushed it up and towards the man. That forced the Mandalorian to take a few steps back to retain his balance, which generated a large enough gap between them that Shan was able to regain his footing.

Shan grimaced – possibly from the pain of the quick movement – as he slid into a loose Makashi stance. While he disdained lightsaber combat – even if he had mastered all seven forms to prove – Plagueis understood it served a purpose. Shan's stance was loose, likely due to both his injury and the shorter blade he was wielding. That made his height and reach disadvantage even greater, though the way the Force swirled around Shan, Plagueis was certain the boy could overcome those weaknesses.

Shan lunged forward unleashing a flurry of short slashes and precise thrusts, showing prodigious skill, for his age, with his chosen form. Though they succeeded in forcing the Mandalorian to go on the defensive, Plagueis noted while the velocities were technically proficient, they lacked finesse. It was almost as if he was watching a droid attempt the form: All skill, no style.

To Plagueis, driving the larger man back while wounded and wielding a shorter than normal blade was an impressive demonstration, yet he was more focused on how the boy was interacting with the Force. It was similar to the way other Jedi allowed the Force to guide them, but Plagueis sensed an undercurrent of anger being used to empower Shan's connection. An unusual approach, and one Plagueis was near certain would be unsuccessful in the long term given how diametrically opposed the two viewpoints were. Many before Shan had tried and failed. Oh sure, they were able to pull on both sides of the Force but pulling on both simultaneously as Shan was attempting was infinitely harder than simply having a foot in both camps.

However, as Shan continued his attack, he couldn't deny that the boy was doing far better than most newly minted Knights would do. Yes, the sheer textbook nature of his technique created flaws in his form that any true blademaster could easily exploit, but Shan's opponent, while quite skilled, was not a true blademaster and was neither fast enough nor skilled enough to be able to withstand the boy's speed and precision.

The Mandalorian was able to parry one of Shan's attacks and launch into a short flurry of his own. Though none came close to landing, their probing nature forced Shan to focus on the defence. Or at least it did, until Shan moved forward with a speed few in the galaxy could follow unaided – never mind match – stepped inside the Mandalorian's guard and twisted his wrist. The Mandalorian's helmet clearly allowed him to track the movement – something Plagueis was able to do through the Force, though even he would admit to being momentarily caught off-guard by a speed increase of that magnitude coming from a Padawan – and moved to counter, however his body couldn't match the speed needed.

Sparks flew as the tip of the lightsaber dug into one of the gauntlets, disabling the source of the Mandalorian's flamethrower with a small burst of fire. With unusual grace for one so young, Shan's blade seemed to dance up the beskar armour before biting into the mesh at the elbow. A flick of the wrist and the blade sliced clean through the joint, letting the now detached forearm bounce harmlessly off the floor.

Such a point of attack was more in keeping with a Jedi, but the fluidity of the attack impressed Plagueis. Yes, he was being trained in Makashi by Master Dooku, but he'd never seen one so young move with such ease.

The Mandalorian twisted awkwardly, trying to bring his blade around to behead Shan. The Jedi ducked and brought up his cloak-covered shoulder. Or he tried to, as the arm – badly wounded as it was – struggled to move and locked up. The beskar blade caught the cloak on the edge. Shan hissed as the cloak was severed and the blade ran down his arm with a large spurt of blood, exacerbating the earlier damage.

Even as he grimaced in pain, Shan was on the attack. As the Mandalorian's blade swung clear of his body, Shan thrust forward with his lightsaber, connecting with the Mandalorian's remaining forearm. Plagueis offered him a silent thank you as the accursed sonic pulses ceased as that weaponry on that gauntlet was disabled.

The Mandalorian took a step back, and struck once more from above, bringing his blade down in a powerful overhand chop. However, his pain had made him sloppy, and Shan instantly made him pay for it. Stepping in close and catching the man's downward strike on the shoto's blade near the hilt, he deftly redirected it towards the ground. He stepped on the beskad, moving further into his opponent's guard as he did so, his shoulder almost touching the Mandalorian's chest. His blade flowed up the beskad and traced over the armoured bracer in a shower of sparks before brutally taking it off at the elbow. Smoothly following through on the momentum, the blade then spun in a tight loop before Shan began a second twist that cleanly removed the head of his opponent. The body softly dropped to the floor as the helmet fell to the ground with a clatter, the remnants of the head dislodging slightly from the inside.

Plagueis blinked again in genuine surprise. That was not a move the Jedi condoned, in fact most Jedi considered Sai Cha a borderline Sith manoeuvre; certainly not one which would ever be used on an apparently defeated opponent. If other Jedi learnt of this, Shan would likely be heavily reprimanded, if not expelled from the Order. While this opened up some avenues for manipulation, Plagueis knew that if he revealed that, then any plans he had for ingratiating himself with the boy would fail before they could truly begin.

The battle over, Shan's shoulders slumped as he looked down at the severed head of the man he'd just killed. In that moment, Plagueis considered, and rejected, giving the boy the faintest of pushes through the Force to indulge in the violence he'd just unleashed. The Dark Side clearly hungered for it; however, the rational nature of his mind knew that would be an unnecessarily dangerous risk to take, not to mention premature even if it were to work. Killing the boy now would be child's play, but it would be a waste of a potential asset. An asset for which Plagueis was already considering new strategies for exploitation.

The moment passed and Shan took a deep breath. Plagueis felt the Force settle around him as the boy released his built-up anger. With the battle over, that was the sensible thing to do, even if some anger would likely help keep his mind focused through the pain from his shoulder that must be coming close to overwhelming him. A faint, blink-and-you'd-miss-it, smile crossed the boy's lips before he clipped his shoto onto his back (confirming there was a magnetic clip there.) A simple gesture and his main lightsaber returned to his hand and Plagueis felt a calming aura emanate from the boy. Like most Jedi, he clearly placed a great deal of importance in the tool; something that showed the hypocrisy of the Jedi's code and attachments.

Shan turned to face him, and Plagueis saw the boy's entire posture shift. Where before there was a warrior, now there was a wounded young man. His injured shoulder slumped, and he supported it with his good arm while the effects of the battle seemed to catch up with his body.

"Master Damask, my name is Cameron Shan." He paused and gave a weak nod of his head. That resulted in the remains of the cloak sliding from his arm, revealing a decent slice of the upper arm and shoulder had been removed by the beskar blade. "Are you unharmed?"

Plagueis allowed a weak chuckle to filter out through his mask. "I believe I should be asking you that, Master Jedi."

Shan chuckled as well, though it quickly ended as he grimaced. "Yeah. Though I'm not a Master." There was a pause as he whispered something to himself. "I'm a Padawan."

Plagueis stepped towards the Jedi, making sure to be overly mindful of his step to reinforce his persona. "Truly? Then I am highly impressed by your actions today. Without them, I fear I would be dead, and for that I am in your debt, young Jedi."

"All part of the job." Shan remarked with a strange smile and a lazy salute.

"Are you well?" He asked, showing concern for his supposed saviour while gesturing at the blood still seeping from the wound on Shan's shoulder.

Shan looked at the wound before closing his eyes. The Force swirled around the boy once more as a gentle silvery-blue light caressed the wound. While the skin didn't heal, or the missing muscle regrow – which was something very few Jedi were capable of without significant training – the blood flow slowed then stopped. Shan staggered a little as he opened his eyes.

"There. That'll hold for now, though I know they'll bitch at me about it." He remarked, his eyes drifting towards the darkened window.

"I-I've never seen a Jedi do that before." He commented slowly as he came closer. While he doubted the boy would think about the moment when he'd almost brute-forced his way through the cloak of the Force he used to hide his nature as a Sith, Plagueis needed to be careful. Raising the boy's suspicions was something he wished to avoid. No need to have the boy suspecting that he was more than he appeared until that moment was needed.

"It's not an easy thing, and there are many better than me at it." Shan replied before chuckling as he looked down at the bisected body. "My skills lend themselves more to causing wounds than healing them."

"For which, you have my eternal gratitude." Plagueis offered as he also looked down at the body. While that operative's actions had cost him a dozen Sun Guards, and likely the opportunity to invest in Mandalmotors, it had allowed him the chance to observe Shan at close quarters; and granted him an easy way to stay in contact with the boy. Overall, an acceptable, if pricey, cost.

"As I said, all part of the service." Shan slowly lifted his leg over the chest of the dead Mandalorian. "Now, I don't know about you, but I've had quite enough of Die Hard for one day."

Plagueis was confused about the reference, which made the confusion on his face genuine. "Indeed. Please, lead on young Jedi." He said, gesturing towards the room's original entrance.

As Shan turned and offered his back to him, Plagueis began to run through his strategies. Already he could see that some would be doomed to failure. Others however, had potential.

Yes, the boy was trained as a Jedi, and had elements of their weak-minded philosophy. However, the person he saw in combat today had the makings of, if not a powerful and charismatic Dark Lord leading and guiding the will of the rabble beneath them, then certainly a Sith Warrior on-par with those of the old empires. A general to lead their armies and command the projection of their power and authority. And as Sidious had convinced him, there were uses to having other Sith outside the Rule of Two to act on their behalf in furthering the Grand Plan.

Now all he needed to do was guide the boy down the path most beneficial to the Sith; the path that led to the fall of the Republic and the destruction of the Jedi Order once and for all.

… …



… …
A/N:
As always you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For my ASOIAF story: Game of Kingdoms (Still under construction, so not much there yet)
In general:
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), consider supporting me on Patreon:
USSExplorer



Though regardless of whether you join the Discords, support me or leave a review, I hope that everyone who celebrates at this time of year, has a happy and festive time.
And of course;
May the Force be with you. Always.
 
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The Warrior Reborn 5
A/N: Sorry for the slight delay. Real-life got in the way (as it likes to do).
Now onwards to dealing with the aftermath of the attacks on Keldabe and Sundari and the leaving Mandalore sector.


Current date: 4 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Mandalorian Words and Phrases:
Alor – Chief
Ani'la Akaan – The Great Last Battle (The battle of Malachor V)
Ba'gedet'ye – You're welcome.
Beskad – Sword made of beskar.
Beskar'gam – Armour.
Dral'Han – The Mandalorian Excision.
Jurkad – Attack
Te Tsad Droten liser murcyur ner shebs! – The senate can kiss my ass!
Utreekovyc – Foolish
Naast be Me'suum – Revan (Destroyer of Worlds)
Vor entye – Thank you/I am in your debt.


The Warrior Reborn 5
"Once again, I must offer my heartfelt thanks for your timely intervention," Hego Damask said as we walked onto a transport that had just landed in the plaza outside Mandalmotors tower. "Without it, I, and likely everyone else left alive inside the building, would have died."

I turned and looked up at the tall Munn. It was a hard balancing act. I was trying to appear normal, respectful, and attentive, while at the same time not staring or being otherwise overt. Mainly because I was concerned that too much of either might have him realising that all was not well. Meanwhile, inside I was still reeling from the terrifying revelation I'd gotten from what began as a casual Observe.
Hego Damask [Darth Plagueis]
Race: Munn
Level: 64
Health: 90% (Transpirator mask required)
Age: 104
Force Potential: Very High
Threat Potential: Extreme
Reputation: Neutral [Locked]
Affiliation Loyalty: Himself (100%), Order of the Banite Sith Lords (85%), Darth Sidious (90%)
Emotional State: Curious/Calm/Relieved
Darth Plagueis, the Dark Lord of the Sith, is extremely interested in you for a variety of reasons. Your willingness to use the Dark Side when the situation demands it, along with your family lineage and the massive increase in your midi-chlorian count mark out as someone of interest to the Dark Lord.
While he wishes to learn more about you, he understands that even hinting that he can use the Force runs the risk of alerting you to his true nature. As such, he is willing to take a long-term approach to gain your trust and, potentially, see if you could be beneficial to the Sith's Grand Plan.
Because of the nature of his order of Sith, he is grateful for your intervention as it saved him from risking his cover to protect himself.
Yeah, to say I'd been walking on eggshells for the last two or so hours would be an understatement. Though it was amusing, in a sort of sick and twisted way, that the person Fay had tasked me with saving – and that the Interface had rewarded me for saving – was Darth Sidious' Sith master.

Truthfully, right until I'd used Observe on the Munn, I'd been comfortable around him, even enjoyed his presence to some extent. The ride down the elevator to the lobby – or what remained of it – had covered why he was here and who he was. Yet, when we'd been approached by a Protector-Captain, I'd decided to use Observe on the Munn, and Force was I glad I did.

Plagueis had sensed it, of that I was certain, but because I was able to school my surprise – and shifted my attention to Gar and Rook as they entered the lobby with their squad – it seemed he'd not grown suspicious of the unusual effect that power had on the Force. Or at the very least, he hadn't reacted when I'd used it.

Still, on the chance Sidious had mentioned the time I'd used Observe on him, I made sure to use the power on others as well. While this would make it clear I was using the power, it would – hopefully – remove the suspicion that I had specifically targeted Plagueis with it while not letting on that I now knew who the kriff I'd just saved.

As was my right as a Mandalorian, I'd looted – ahem, relieved of possessions – the bodies of the attackers on the top floor, lamenting that I didn't have time to go back and do the same to the rest of the grunts that I'd beaten on the way up. I'd taken the three sets of beskar armour as well as the beskad wielded by the leader. After arriving outside, I'd moved over to Gar and his squad – well, the squad he and Rook were members of as it wasn't actually his squad – and lazily dropped the body of the female Death Watch warrior at their feet. It was fortunate that I'd removed her armour as I was able to quickly stun her when she began to stir in the lift down.

I was grateful that Plagueis hadn't decided to act against me as with one arm out of commission and my FP reserves only just recovering to ten per cent by the time I dropped the Death Watch female on the ground – that'll teach me for trying to Force Persuade several dozen Death Watch to lay down their arms and surrender – I'd have been rag-dolled by the Sith Lord. Not that it would have made any difference if I'd been at full strength. Force, even if the three of us – mostly Fay and Dooku, with me as BM support – all worked together, I still doubted we could take him; not without at least two of us dying in the process since one of them would be distracted needing to shield me.

Honestly, I'd have preferred to have placed a blaster in my mouth and save myself the pain than try to engage a Sith Lord any time soon.

And, of course, there was the fact that I now had both Sith Lords interested in me. That meant I'd have to be extra careful about when, or if, I brought Anakin to the Jedi. Though if I could avoid them learning about Anakin until much, much later than Naboo I'd be grateful. While I wasn't happy about having their gaze on me, I felt I stood a better chance than a nine-year-old Anakin had when he'd first come to the attention of Sidious. All things considered, not bringing Anakin into the limelight was looking to be a better option all the time.

Plus, in the hour or so that we'd stood around in the plaza waiting for the transport to arrive – which we were now boarding – I'd considered a few ways I could make having both Sith Lords watching me work to my benefit. Now, stopping the Clone Wars was unlikely – not least as I was feeling that both the Republic and Jedi needed the war as they'd both grown lax and corrupt (though in different ways), not to mention the ominous quest reward/warning – but perhaps there was a way I could delay the war. Or at least the sides by trying to create discord between the two Sith. From my limited knowledge, the Sith usually end up betraying each other.

Yes, it was unlikely, and if I made a wrong move, it could have both of them gunning for my head more actively, but it was something to consider. Still, the potential to irritate the Sith "Grand Plan" was there. Though how, when, and where were something that I'd have to give careful thought to. Preferably once there were several systems between myself and Plagueis.

The female Death Watch Warrior had been hauled off by another Protector squad, and the Protector-Captain had thanked me for capturing her. Since she'd been in the trio that had attacked Damask – their apparent target in the raid on Mandalmotors – it suggested she was high up in their leadership, and the Protector-Captain felt she'd be a useful source of information, once they broke her.

After the Death Watch trooper had been dragged away, Gar's squad had been assigned by the Protector-Captain as an escort for Plagueis. The Munn had eloquently explained that, after the events of today, he was uncomfortable placing his security entirely in the hands of Mandalorians and wished for me to have overall control of the operation. The Protector-Captain had agreed quickly, though I saw that the Zabrak in charge of Gar's Squad, Roprun, was less than thrilled with the plan.

That had left me spending the last two or so hours in the presence of a Sith, who according to Sidious, had the power to create life and a squad of Mandalorians that, outside of Gar and Rook, didn't seem overly happy to be stuck working with a Jedi; even a Mando'ade one. Possibly that was because I'd done what they and the other Protectors couldn't and saved Plagueis and ended the Death Watch attack, or possibly they just didn't like any Jedi. Yes, I was fully recognized as a Mando'ade, and one of their people, but some clung to the fact that I hadn't fully renounced my former life as a Jedi. Those hardliners saw me as trying to straddle the line between a Mando'ade, and an aruetii.

Plagueis, rather expectedly, had spent the majority of the time conversing with me. I'd been cautious when talking, which when asked I'd explained as me not being overly trusting of politicians and businessmen, but overall, the conversation had been a generally enjoyable one, if I overlooked who I was talking to. Plagueis kept the topic to simple things, like where I was from, what I thought about the Mandalorians, the Republic and the like, but I could tell he was using everything I was saying to paint a picture of me; and likely comparing it to the one Sidious had given him.

While I'd been as vague in my answers as I could, the Munn had shown a scary level of intelligence and seen my underlying opinions on a few matters. He spoke with a gravitas that made it clear that, even without the Force to do as he wished, he could make others see things from his point of view. He'd explained the public reason that he'd come to Mandalore as Hego Damask, and while some of the things he added in seemed dull as shab, his approach to speaking made it easy to see how he came to certain opinions. Kriff, I even found myself agreeing with him on a few matters – such as the weakness of the Senate, and the issues with the Outer Rim – which was an eye-opener.

Yet, since I knew who he truly was, a voice in my head had me always wondering if what he was saying was how he truly felt, if it was spun to make it more appealing to me and the Mandalorians around us, if it was in keeping with his public persona, or – and this was my suspicion – that it was a mixture of those.

As Damask, an investment in Mandalmotors made sense as they were a stable company – today notwithstanding – with reliable profit margins. Yet, as Plagueis, I could see why an investment here might also allow him a way to, potentially, be able to monitor my actions in the sector. That concern made me glad that Duke Torrhen and I had decided to hold off on revealing some of the things left by Canderous in the vault to others.

"And once more, I must state that I feel you are overstating my importance in today's events," I replied in a calm voice even if inside I continued to feel as if I was parleying with a predator that could, if the desire arose, swipe me aside with contemptuous ease.

As we entered the transport, I slid to one side and let the taller alien take a seat of his choosing. I levitated my newly-acquired beskar suits into a corner out of the way to be retrieved once we arrived in Sundari. Behind us, several members of Gar's squad entered, securing the rear. I knew the squad was under the command of Roprun, but the Zabrak had no interest in joining in the conversation between Plagueis and me, or otherwise making himself known, so I kept referring to the squads as Gar's for simplicity's sake.

My actions were simply the Will of the Force guiding me to my friends," I continued as the Munn slid into a seat. "That same Will was why I was in a position to help with your extraction." I explained, mixing in some bog-standard Jedi drivel to make the Sith think I drank from the collective apathetic Kool-Aid; or at least knew how to fake that I did.

As two more of the squad – including Gar and another– entered the transport, I saw Rook and another member at the front of the compartment. The last two were outside, guarding the ramp while the seventh and final member was in the cockpit, serving as co-pilot. There should've been eight members to the squad, but one had fallen in battle, so the unit was working shorthanded. Even a person down, the squad had taken their role seriously, and I'd failed to find any obvious flaws in the plan drawn up by Roprun for securing Plagueis and myself on the transport.

Plagueis chuckled, which with his mask, sounded ominous and sent a shiver down my spine. "As you say. Yet, without the Will of the Force, I would be dead. As I suspect, would be your friends and our escort." He glanced towards the entrance, and as I followed his gaze, I saw Bo and Naz entering.

A large bacta patch was on Naz's arm, which was also held in place by a mechanical sling. While I'd wanted her to head to a medical station – as had the Protector medic who'd treated her – once she and Bo had learnt where Plagueis and I were heading, they'd all but demanded to join. Since both their fathers were in Sundari, and information from there was sporadic at best – suggesting the fighting was ongoing there – they'd wanted to come with.

The Protector-Captain had been fine with them leaving; likely as it meant he didn't need to assign another squad or two to guard duty. Before he'd left, however, he'd commended both of them on their actions today and promised that, once the time came, he'd be looking for their names to pass over his desk if they chose to serve in the Protectors in Keldabe.

Roprun, on the other hand, hadn't said anything but it was easy to sense his displeasure, which I could understand. Four HVTs were harder to protect with a squad than two, even if three were known fighters, especially for a battle-worn and man-down squad.

"Possibly, though I suspect they'd have made it through without me," I responded carefully, being mindful of my emotions. I didn't need him picking up on anything beyond them being my friends and considering using them as ways to get to me. He was aware – as was pretty much everyone now – that the two were my friends, even if the way Naz kept glancing at me made it clear she still wanted more than that. "And I'm sure that someone in your position, who has survived previous attempts on your life, would have a few tricks up their sleeves – so to speak – to protect themselves."

"Yes, that is certainly true," Plagueis agreed as I eased into a seat in the same row – though across the aisle – from him. "Though I am unsure if such tricks, as you call them, would be effective against such battle-hardened warriors as the Mandalorians." He paused and glanced out of the window before appearing to sigh. "My Sun Guard are, or were, regarded as one of the most elite fighting units in the galaxy, and were a group I hired after the attack that left me wearing this," he pointed at his transpirator mask, "however today, they proved insufficient against a terrorist attack."

"To be fair, they were caught in a surprise attack, isolated and probably targeted by Death Watch." I countered as I put aside any feelings that might have been invoked by the display Plagueis had just put on. "That tells me your attackers considered them a threat to be eliminated with extreme prejudice and haste, and without them, you'd have been long dead by the time I arrived." I paused as memories of how my 'grandfather' had died to protect me, and former squadmates in my former life had died in the line of duty. "Sometimes that is all we can ask for."

Plagueis turned his attention back to me, and his eyes narrowed. "You've lost someone." He commented, either sensing my emotions in the Force or detecting a hint in my voice that I was drawing on memories. Or possibly both. While using the Force would be a subtle thing for the Sith around Jedi, the Munn had decades of experience reading people – as both Plagueis and Damask – and would detect an opening that many others would likely miss.

Though in this case, it was an intentional opening I'd allowed. I needed him to think I was slightly opening up to him in the aftermath of the battle, and my latest brush with death. It was better to do that, I felt, than act standoffish and risk him wondering if I sensed something off about him.

"My grandfather," I began slowly, intentionally not making eye contact by looking down at the floor. "When I was eight, our house was attacked, and he died to protect me. So I could escape and survive." That wasn't anything more than he should already know, but by keeping the story out there, it created a picture of who the Sith would think I was. The less chance there was that Plagueis felt I was an unstable element in their plans, the longer I'd have to prepare and develop counters to it undetected and unmarked.

And to somehow get to a level where Plagueis wasn't listed as an extreme threat; if such a thing was possible. Which wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Force, the only being I'd Observe'd with a higher level was Yoda. Yes, the Grandmaster was listed as an extreme threat – as was Mace Windu and a few other Jedi – but I had a feeling that if it came down to it, Plagueis would likely win any fight between them. After all, this was the being that Sidious had to supposedly kill in his sleep to defeat. And Sidious had been, in my opinion, toying with Yoda during their duel in the Senate Chamber. Admittedly, that would've been years since he'd killed Plagueis, but if he could do that, then I had to rate Plagueis even higher as a threat.

Though the comparison between Sith and Jedi leaders had me wondering just how important levels were in determining the threat potential – along with skills and abilities – of a being. Yoda was at a higher level than Plagueis, but my money would be on the Munn. Perhaps levels – or what the Interface saw as levels in others – didn't decay with age, whereas skills certainly would. Kriff, I'd suffered from that until I'd gained Eidetic Memory.

"I was under the impression that Jedi were raised from a young age at the Temple on Coruscant," Plagueis stated, drawing me from my thoughts about the way the Interface displayed information about others to me. I looked up to see his brow had risen in apparent surprise at my comment about knowing my grandfather.

I shrugged as I spotted Bo and Naz slide into the seats in the row behind mine. "Most Jedi are brought to the Order at a young age, though with how few Jedi there are, many slip through the cracks." Even as they settled into their seats, I could sense their curiosity at what I was now talking about. That wasn't surprising as how the Jedi went about gaining recruits wasn't a widely known thing. Plus, the chance to learn more about my past was also likely a factor in their curiosity. "Thankfully, without the Sith around to scoop up the missed children, there generally isn't an issue when Seekers overlook a random child on a backwater world in the Republic."

"Seekers?" Bo asked, drawing herself and Naz into the conversation.

I turned in my seat and glanced between the gap between mine and the empty window seat to see the pair behind me. "Jedi that travel around the Republic to seek out beings strong in the Force," I smirked as I said the bad pun, which made Bo roll her eyes. "If they're young enough, then they'll try to convince the parents to let the Jedi take the child."

I turned back to Plagueis before continuing. "However, there aren't that many seekers, so it's likely that there are many children that get missed. Plus, some worlds and people aren't exactly fans of the Order," Bo snorted loudly at that but said nothing, "so they might falsify records regarding how the Force is detected in individuals."

As I finished, my mind turned to Naz. Her Force potential was in the same range as Obi-Wan's, so she should've been picked up by a Seeker. That meant that either Pre, his now-deceased wife, or both, had arranged things so that she wasn't detected. Either by hiding Naz's true midi-chlorian count (much as my mother had done for me) or by keeping a Jedi away from Naz until she was far too old to be taken for training. And given the general animosity in the sector regarding Jedi, it wouldn't have been too hard to find friends and allies to help with that.

"But what about the children these seekers miss? Wouldn't leaving such people free to roam the galaxy constitute a threat to the Jedi and the Republic?" Plagueis asked, playing his role as Damask well. As with my time with Sidious pretending to be Palpatine's nephew, there was much I could learn from the Sith about how to interact with others and deceive them with my words. "The Force, from my understanding at least, is an immense source of power that can be used to do incredible things."

"The Force is an incredible thing, that is true," I began as a quote ran through my head. "Though to call it a source of power is not entirely accurate. The Force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together." I said with a small smile.

My eyes shifted back to the two girls, and as I caught their eyes, I continued. "That moment when you find yourself lining up a shot, and know deep inside the perfect time to squeeze the trigger," I turned back to Plagueis to use an analogy more suited to his public occupation, "or when, in a meeting, you are certain that the agreement of investment you are about to make is the right call; even when the figures don't entirely support your feelings. That is a moment when, even if most people don't realise it, the Force is working through you."

I turned my attention away from all of them and glanced out the window as the engines powered up. "Though sometimes what the Force is trying to achieve isn't for us to understand. Which is a source of much debate to many within the Order."

I turned back, taking me time to let the Force pick up on their feelings as my eyes passed over them. Naz seemed pleased with my words, though Bo looked conflicted. That was likely due to me suggesting the Force was helping her be a better fighter, as I knew she prided herself on being as good as she was through hard work and training.

Plagueis appeared to be considering my words, but I suspected it was all a ruse. Likely, He was placing what I'd said alongside other comments I'd made – both today and while staying with Palpatine – and actions I'd taken to further develop a picture that he would use to predict my future behaviour. While it was hard for me to outright lie, especially with how I'd gone about things today, I hoped that, in this battle, I was doing a decent enough job of concealing my true intentions.

"Are you saying that anyone, regardless of their connection to the Force, can make it work for them?" He asked slowly. While his tone was calm, the phrasing of his words was a clear trap. If I used a bog-standard Jedi response about us serving the Force, then it might raise some flags in his mind. During my time with Palpatine, I'd subtly – I hoped – questioned the Jedi Order's philosophy, so changing tack and now suddenly being a full convert to the Jedi Kool-Aid wasn't an option.

"In a sense, yes. Though to say we can make the Force work for us is more akin to what the Sith Order of old believed. To bend the Force to one's will isn't something a Jedi should do. They should allow it to guide their actions, to place them where it needs a Jedi to be to react," I paused and glanced through the gap in the seats to see Bo's mouth creeping open." Yes, I'm well aware that doesn't sound like me." I commented, cutting off her remark. She scowled at my behaviour, though as I turned my attention back to Plagueis, I sensed a burst of amusement from Naz – and the faintest hint of curiosity from the Sith Lord. "As these two know, I'm much more inclined to act first than react, if I can help it."

"Does that not cause issues with your Masters and fellow Jedi?" Yeah, Plagueis was clearly using this as a chance to probe where I stood in the Order. Logical, but thankfully also something I'd expected him to do.

I shrugged in response and leaned closer as if confiding in him. "It does, and I suspect that after my actions today I'll get another few weeks added to the seclusion my masters have planned for me."


I sighed, letting the faintest hint of my real annoyance at having to spend months doing nothing seep out. "However, even if I knew the outcome was a few years stuck in the Temple, I'd have done what I did today all over again. Sitting around and doing nothing just isn't my nature," I heard Naz try to hide a snort.

"But," I continued while ignoring her, "The Jedi approach is still a better one than what I've learnt about the Sith approach. Perhaps there's another way. Some sort of middle ground." I leaned back into my chair and turned to look out of the window, mumbling at a volume just loud enough that I suspected Plagueis could hear it. "Perhaps not. I guess I'll just have to see what the future holds."

A silence fell over the small group, though it was a comfortable one as I allowed the others to digest what I'd said.
I suspected that the two Mandalorian girls behind were, to varying degrees, wondering if what I'd said suggested there was a chance I'd leave the Jedi; and what they could do to facilitate such an event. They – and others – had commented more than once that I seemed more at home with the Mandalorians than I could ever be with the Jedi, and there was a kernel of truth to that. There was something familiar about going through training day in, day out that appealed, though that might just be a small part of my longing for my former life.


As for Plagueis, he would likely be comparing what I'd said so far today against what Sidious had revealed to him. Everything I'd said was close enough to what I'd hinted at several years ago, that he'd likely be developing a picture of me. A picture that, while allowing him a good idea of what I thought and held dear, wasn't a complete enough picture to allow him to determine whether I was a threat to the Grand Plan; or whether I was a possible pawn to be used in furthering said plan.

There was also the possibility, based on what I'd revealed and my actions today, that he would be tempted to consider recruiting me into the plan. Though how he'd go about such a thing, I couldn't say as my knowledge about Plagueis was non-existent. Save for the tragedy that Sidious had mentioned to Anakin not long before the young man had become Darth Vader, I was working blind on knowing how this being would behave.

Still, as I watched the transport begin to climb above the buildings around the plaza, I felt I'd done enough to keep the Sith Lord curious about me without the need to interfere in my actions at the current time. Which was about the best I could hope for.

In no way, shape or form was I ready to take on Sidious; never mind his master. All I could do was keep them, if not on-side, then out of the way of what I was hoping to build to counter their Grand Plan.

Yet as the transport accelerated and flew over Keldabe, my mind returned to my earlier idea. Driving a true wedge between the two Sith Lords would be a nigh-impossible thing, but even the slightest bit of discord might be useful. Any delay in beginning the Clone Wars would be extra time for me to prepare, and time was something one could always use when planning a war.
… …



… …

A few hours later, after travelling over the dune wastes that remained from the Dral'Han, our transport began its landing approach towards Sundari. From what I could see out of the window, the city had been hit worse than Keldabe – though that might just be because the people of Sundari were unarmed whereas almost everyone in Keldabe was fully armed and armoured, even if most were not in actual beskar'gam.

"Shab." Muttered one of Gar's squad – the one with Rook near the front – and as I surveyed the damage, I had to agree with the comment.

I counted over two dozen smoke trails rising from various points on the dome, with the majority coming from impact points and wreckage on the dome itself. Yet, as we banked on the final approach, it was clear the docks – or at least the one we were heading towards – hadn't escaped the damage. Various other transports on landing pads were wrecked, while below on the planet's surface, I saw two gunships still ablaze from whenever they'd crashed. Given the scrape marks on the pad we were circling, it appeared that at least one of the gunships had been pushed over the edge and allowed to fall to the white sands that surrounded the city.

The dock we were landing at, and likely the others dotted around the outer dome, reminded me of the aftermath of terrorist attacks in my old life, which, given Death Watch was listed as a terrorist group, made perfect sense. As the transport vibrated gently and we landed, I saw several people hurrying around the dock. Some were checking wreckage, possibly in the faint hope they'd find survivors, while others were pulling tarps over bodies.

"I think we got off easy," I muttered as I turned and looked back at my friends. Both were frowning, and Naz was biting her lip nervously. I couldn't be sure if their reaction was because of the carnage they saw or concern about their families, but I was leaning towards the latter.

"While I might find that hard to hear, given I was mere moments from death before your timely intervention, I must concur with your assessment Cameron," Plagueis replied, having heard my comment. Him using my given name instead of my rank or last name was a touch presumptuous but given that I'd recently 'saved' his life, such things were semi-expected. Yet, to Plagueis, I suspected he was using my name to try and develop some familiarity between us which he would then use to manipulate me at a later date. Like master, like student.

Logical, but fucking annoying, and something that only seemed to make the pain in my shoulder worse each time he spoke and I had to analyse his words. All this second (and third and fourth) guessing everything he said or did was slowly wearing down my remaining resistance.

"Kast, Valern."

Rook and her partner moved towards the exit, while the rest of the squad moved to stand between one of us (Plagueis, Bo, Naz and myself) and the door. I could see and feel Bo bristle at the implication that she couldn't defend herself and saw her hand clasp the pistol she'd acquired during the fight in Keldabe. While I could understand her annoyance, I respected the efficiency the squad moved with. I'd been on the other side several times before in my old life, so I understood why they moved as they did, and why I sensed trepidation from all of them.

The named pair stepped out of the transport before the ramp had fully lowered, and I spotted one of them sweeping the area with their rifle. That again spoke to them being well trained and treating the LZ as a hot zone until it was confirmed otherwise. Two more quickly slid out, leaving Roprun, Gar and the last to act as cover for their HVTs.

I reached out with the Force, taking in everyone nearby. The four who'd exited had adopted a defensive semi-sphere around the ramp. Slightly more than two dozen others were within a hundred metres of the transport, with four moving towards us. None of them had any hostile intent, though all were on high alert, which was hardly a surprise after the attack.

"Magister Damask, as we exit, please stay between myself and Protector Saxon," Roprun said without taking his eyes from the ramp and what he could see outside. "Our landing area is secure, however until we meet our escort, I'd prefer to keep you close."

I caught Plagueis' shoulders moving and, if he were human, I suspected he'd have rolled his eyes at Roprun's paranoia. "As you wish," he glanced my way, "however I would feel safer if Padawan Shan exited just before I did. After the events of today, I find myself with a less than healthy amount of trust in Mandalorians."

"Those aruetii were not Mando'ade," Bo all but spat out in a voice barely above a whisper. Like the other Mandalorian inside and outside the transport, her anger had spiked at Plagueis' comment.

"Be that as it may, Miss Kryze, those who attacked us today wore the armour of your culture. They spoke the language and carried your weapons. To an outsider such as myself, it is hard to differentiate between yourselves and this Death Watch." Plagueis' tone was soft and polite, but the comment about the armour, language, and weapons felt, at least to me, as a subtle prod against the Resol'nare that governed how a traditional Mandalorian should behave. Then there was the fact he'd used her family name to address her. Using that made it clear he not only knew who she was but who her father was as well.

Bo tensed further at his words, though I didn't know the exact reason why as both things I'd noticed would likely irritate her. A rage – one that hadn't dissipated since the attack – grew inside her and I knew I'd have to step in and defuse things, lest she caused an incident with a powerful galactic figure.

"Relax Bo," I said as I stepped towards her and laced my words with Force Persuasion. "In his situation, you'd likely do the same. Well, unless you chose to just shoot everyone and sort out the mess later." That drew a chuckle from Naz and helped to dissipate some of Bo's growing rage. That had me thinking about the old stereotype regarding redheads, but I wasn't brave enough to mention that around Bo, particularly when her anger at what had happened was still simmering.

I turned my attention back to Plagueis. "Bo-Katan is just… infuriated by the actions of people who claim to want a return to the old ways but are willing to terrorise and kill those who don't agree with them. The dishonourable actions of the false Mando'ade, as she rightly labelled them, is something that she's taken personally. She, I hope, understands where you are coming from, even if she lacks the social graces to fully articulate that."

Plagueis watched me intently as I diffused the situation before it could become volatile, and fractionally lowered his head in acknowledgement. "I understand, Cameron. And for what it is worth, Miss Kryze, I meant no offence to you or the members of your culture who honour the old ways." Bo's only response was to grunt, which when coupled with the turbulent storm of her emotions receding into a simmer, I took to mean she accepted the apology and wasn't going to continue the argument.

With that settled, I stepped out of the transport. The four Protectors were, as I'd sensed, spread out in a rough semi-circle around the ramp. While none were in cover – mainly because there was none available near the ramp – all were on high alert with their rifles constantly scanning the area for potential threats.

The four Mandalorians that I'd been tracking moving towards us finally emerged through a large door – or rather through the arch where the door used to be – and made a beeline for us. Unlike the other locals that were moving around the docks, these four were armed with rifles instead of the ubiquitous stun-pikes the Sundari Guard used. Three were scanning the dock, helmets on and weapons raised, while the fourth had his helmet under one arm and a pistol held in a relaxed way in the other.

As my eyes met the un-helmeted Mandalorian, the briefest of snarls shot across his face, but anything he might have been thinking was pushed to the side as Plagueis stepped up beside me.

"Mayor Vizsla, I'm relieved to see a familiar face," I started as I took a step forward. I reached Pre and his escort near Rook – I could tell it was her due to the weak bond we shared. "Since you're here, is it safe to assume the city is secure?"

I already knew the answer as I could sense both my masters in the palace with neither being in distress, but it was better if Pre – and Plagueis – didn't realise that I could sense them from this distance.

A flash of anger shot over his eyes as I spoke, and while it may have been aimed at Duke Anzur and the Death Watch element that attacked Keldabe, I suspected it was aimed at me. While I wouldn't put it past Pre to order an attack on Keldabe – even if I considered it unlikely based on his character in the show and here – to do so with his daughter present, and being wounded, seemed a touch too far for him to go. Though perhaps her death before the Clone Wars was what made him so willing to do whatever it took to remove Satine from power and take the throne for himself.

"For the most part, yes. There is still intermittent fighting in the tunnels that appear to be nothing more than a rear-guard action by Duke Anzur's forces. There are also a few isolated pockets of attackers that refuse to surrender, but those are well contained and will be overrun before the day has ended." Pre replied, giving a far more detailed idea of the situation than I'd expected. His delivery was slow, but that was likely from having to seemingly defer to me which was something I could sense was irritating him. "Without the timely arrival of Duke Torrhen, his forces or the other Jedi," his face twisted as he said that, making clear to all how much having to rely on the Jedi infuriated him, "I fear today would have been far more…"

"Dad!" Pre's report was interrupted as Naz came down the ramp and spotted her father. Pre's eyes widened at seeing her – and likely the large bacta patch that was secured against her immobilised shoulder – and as he stepped forward to meet his daughter, I slid to one side with the Sith Lord behind mirroring my actions.

As I slid, I saw that Naz had left Bo at the base of the ramp, and as a frown creased the redhead's brow, Pre – who'd holstered his pistol in impressive time – hooked his now free arm around his daughter and scooped her up. She, in turn, wrapped her good arm around his shoulder and held him tight. While I knew a day was coming when I'd have to fight Pre, today was thankfully not that day, thus I could allow Naz to enjoy the reunion with her father.

"The bonds of family and friends," Plagueis began in a soft voice that I suspected was only meant for my ears, "is one many would treat as a weakness to exploit. Today, you've proven that there is also strength in those bonds."

I considered my reply as the Vizslas held each other, watching as Pre leaned down and whispered something to Naz. "I suspect the Jedi High Council may not be as impressed with my actions today as you, Magister," I replied quietly. "From my dealings with them, most see bonds between friends and family, especially those created through the Force, as a potential pitfall." Sensing rising worry and jealousy, I looked at Bo. The redhead was watching her friend share a moment with her father, and while Bo appeared calm on the outside it was easy to tell she wanted to check on her family. "Yet, if we cut ourselves off from those around us, what exactly is the purpose of life?"

Perhaps I was revealing a touch too much about my personal opinions on the Jedi and their guiding philosophy, but there shouldn't be an issue with mixing in some truth with my diversions. After all, the best lies often contained a kernel of truth to them and after spending several hours around the more dangerous of the two active Sith Lords – I'd put questions about if Maul was, or ever truly would be, a Sith Lord to one side as it was a distraction I didn't currently need – I felt I'd gotten a touch better at telling such tales.

"An intriguing question, but sadly one I fear I am unsuited to answer. Human philosophy is still a riddle I have yet to unravel, even after decades of trying." Plagueis answered, and I felt he was telling the truth, or as much of the truth as he was willing to reveal.

As I saw Pre pull back from Naz, and brush a bang of hair from her forehead, I chose not to respond. He turned to face me as his free arm slid around her shoulder and her good arm around his waist.

"I owe you a debt, Alor Cameron. Vor entye." He said before lowering his head. That he was willing to publicly admit such a thing and show me the honour of placing himself in such a position, said much about the man he currently was. That had me once more wondering if the loss of Naz, and possibly his son Tor as well, had been what drove him to commit heinous acts in his pursuit of becoming Mand'alor.

I lowered my head in acceptance of the debt even as I responded. "Ba'gedet'ye, Alor Pre." We both lifted our heads and, as I continued, I gave Naz a small smile. "Though I didn't do this to create a debt between our clans, but to save the life of a friend. Something far more valuable to me."

While I would've liked to have denied the debt, as it may well cause many issues between us when the time came for me to remove him and Death Watch from the board, to do so would've been a grave insult to him; and other Mando'ade. Honour between clans mattered far more than I'd realised before coming here, and as I now was head of a clan (of one) I had to take that into consideration when dealing with such honour-bound cultures as the Mandalorians.

"My father…" Bo blurted out as her concern for her family, compounded by watching the Vizsla's reunion, overtook her. A wave of anxiety came from the three warriors with Pre, who all bore the sigil of Clan Kryze on their shoulder plate, though Pre remained calm with no excess emotion bleeding into the Force.

Pre shifted his attention to her as he answered her open-ended question. "He lives, and is secure in the palace, along with the two Jedi Masters," tension flowed from Bo's shoulders upon hearing that, however, there are… other issues that your father wishes to discuss with you." That had the tension return and I felt her fear spike for a moment before she got it under control.

"Relax Bo," I said gently while lacing the Force subtly into my words. My mind began to play with scenarios even as I continued to speak. "Your father's alive, and I'm sure Mayor Vizsla is here to escort us to him."

I felt her anxiety lessen, though there was little outward sign of that, even as my mind wondered what sort of issues existed. Adonai was alive; however, Pre had purposely avoided mentioning anything about Dorgo, his wife or baby Korkie. That was concerning, but I knew that worrying about possibilities, or what could've gone wrong, was a dangerous road to head down, so I squashed those thoughts and focused on the present.

"The Je… Alor Cameron is correct, my lady," Pre added as I mentally sighed in relief at Bo's concerns lessening. The feedback from her and Naz through the Force was a pain in the arse, and while I now knew what to look for, and how to block such things – thanks to discovering the issue with Serra – sudden changes in emotional states could still unbalance me for a moment. "Your father has assigned me and these men to escort you, Magister Damask and Alor Cameron to him." Pre turned to Plagueis and I had a sudden concern that the two would one day team up to work against me. "Magister, Dukes Adonai and Torrhen wish to speak with you. What has happened today has been an unmitigated disaster for our people, and with the loss of your guards, and the threat to your life, they wish to discuss compensation for the… difficulties you've experienced today due to these unforgivable acts."

I had to stifle a chuckle at Pre calling Death Watch's actions unforgivable. While the scene was amusing, any outward hint of a reaction to it would, apart from angering the Mandalorians, make Plagueis wonder if I knew more than I was letting on about the attacks.

For his part, Plagueis was calm as he considered Pre's words. There was some movement of his facial muscles, but with the lower half of his face covered by his mask – especially when combined with how good an actor he was to hide his true status as a Sith Lord – it was virtually impossible to determine what those muscle shifts meant, especially considering that we were talking about Muun physical reactions and not humans.

"Understandable. Today has been, in a word, terrifying. Yet, I can not, nor will not, allow the actions of a misguided few to alter my perceptions about an entire culture; nor prevent me from finalising the arrangement I'd reached with Arde Yomaget and the rest of the Mandalmotors board."

"I regret to inform you that Alor Arde died in the attack that almost claimed your life," Pre replied slowly, and I hoped that would be the end of whatever business arrangement Plagueis had with Mandalmotors. "However, his replacement, Alor Dred Yomaget, and the surviving members of the company's board have expressed an interest in continuing your discussions." And there went my hope. "While Alor Dred is currently at Tusza shipyards overseeing the repairs to the facility, he has expressed the hope that you would be willing to speak with him via a private holocall at your earliest convenience."

Upon hearing that, Plagueis tapped one long, bony finger against the edge of his mask. "I believe that, once things here and in orbit have been brought under full control, a face-to-face meeting with Dred Yomaget and the other members of the company's board would be preferable. Apart from discussing the final details of our agreement, I feel offering my condolences in person would carry more weight."

"Once we have reached the palace, I can relay your request to Alor Dred, beyond that, there is little I can do," Pre answered, which drew a nod from the Munn.

"Acceptable." He turned back to me and lowered his head.

"Then, unless there is any further business that needs to be discussed," Pre began as he stepped back carefully – as Naz was still reluctant to let go of him – so the path to the large door frame through which he and his escort had arrived was clear. "Might I suggest we head to the palace?"

"Provided Padawan Shan feels it is safe," Plagueis commented as he glanced my way. Pre's brow creased at the deference shown to me by Damask – a simple, yet important banker in his eyes – yet I understood exactly why the Munn was doing this. Still, I couldn't help but smirk at the irony of a Sith Lord's willingness to follow my commands.

"After you, Mayor Vizsla," I said, giving the man control. No reason to agitate the man's pride when he was already struggling with the situation.

Pre nodded to me and replied as he slipped his helmet on. "Pre, Alor Cameron. For saving the life of my daughter, and the debt I now owe you." His voice shifted as the helmet slid on, and it started coming through the speakers. "Titles are no longer needed."

I lowered my head, "Then I also extended that to you, Pre. Vor entye."

Pre turned without another word and headed off to take the lead of our group. While I doubted much had changed with the coming battle we'd have, I did feel the odds of being able to convince him to follow me had increased, if only slightly.

One of the Clan Kryze warriors with him dropped into step behind and to the right of Pre. Rook and Valern moved to flank positions for the pair. The rest of us followed, with Plagueis, Bo, Naz and me in the centre while the remaining two Clan Kryze guards took up the rear.

As we passed through the crumbled door frame that led from the dock into the city, I saw that even if the door was still attached it would've been useless. The mechanism that opened and closed the massive doors was a smoking pile of slag. Other signs of damage and destruction were easy to spot as we moved through the cargo storage area and, even if I wasn't sure of what every area was for, it was clear that the attack was crafted to create maximum impact through the use of both widespread devastation and impeccable precision.

From the few bodies that weren't fully covered by a tarp and the accumulation of discarded weapons, it appeared that the majority of the casualties in the dock and storage area were New Mandalorian guards. Given that the standard loadout for a New Mandalorian guard was usually a stun pike (or equivalent) and ceremonial outfits that could be called armour only if one squinted and twisted the term into the loosest possible parameters, I was entirely unsurprised to see that they had been so much death fodder for Death Watch.

What was more surprising was the fact that none of the surviving guards had thought to rearm themselves more sufficiently. They'd just had their asses handed to them and watched many of their fellow guards die, and while the choice of weapon wasn't the deciding factor, it was a major one. Yet they were clinging to their ways even after this attack.

Kriffing di'kute, the lot of them.

Once clear of the cargo area, three atmospheric transports were waiting for us. Along with nearly two squads of fully armoured and armed Mandalorian warriors. One full squad of eight bore the sigil of Clan Ordo while the other five bore the sigil of Clan Kryze, each crest blazoned on the shoulder. The three guards that accompanied Pre rejoined the rest of their squad, and each squad took over one of the escort speeders while Pre led us onto the middle one and took the controls.

As we rose, I looked around and saw the damage the attack had wrought. There were more smoke trails than had been indicated from outside, with nearly three dozen such pillars rising into the dome, then filtering towards the holes in the dome's surface. I spotted over a dozen buildings in ruins below, with about half having been crushed when a building that hung from the rafters had fallen on it. At a cursory check, it appeared that around half the buildings in the city had been damaged, with a fifth in need of serious repair work to be recoverable. Other locations, like the Peace Park and what I suspected was the prison complex, would need a complete rebuild as they'd been utterly destroyed. That suggested those places had been targeted directly by the attackers.

One other thing that stuck out was the disposition of casualties. While it was hard to be sure, since almost all bodies were under tarps, the discarded weaponry I was spotting was slowly changing from stun pikes to blasters and other more lethal weaponry. Now, there was the chance that citizens of Sundari had broken out their blasters during the attack, but from what I remembered of the city in The Clone Wars, that was highly unlikely. Therefore, I suspected that the fighting had grown more intense as the warriors loyal to Duke Adonai had counterattacked, then Duke Torrhen's forces had joined in.

As we circled the palace, it was clear to everyone that this place had been attacked. The main entrance was a smouldering hole with the doors, or what remained of them, lying in pieces around the hole. Four fully armoured and heavily armed warriors were standing guard at the entrance. All four were behind makeshift cover, but the way they and their weapons were scanning the courtyard outside the entrance, I suspected that anyone foolish to approach without identifying themselves would be gunned down without the slightest concern for civilian casualties.

Once the flyer had landed, and Pre had stepped away from the controls, I spoke to him. "Casualties?" While I couldn't make out exact numbers from my birds-eye observation during the flight, the general sense of anguish, sorrow and growing fury made it clear the total would be high.

"The last report I saw listed over two thousand dead, with upwards of another ten thousand missing," Pre replied tensely. While I knew he didn't give a flying shab about those dedicated to the New Mandalorian ways, everything I knew about him made it clear he wanted the best for his people. To see so many die because of the failing of the Republic-backed ruling faction would likely only harden his resolve to remove the New Mandalorians from power in the future. Well, until I dealt with him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I offered. While my skill with Force Heal wasn't on the level of a dedicated Jedi Healer – or Fay for that matter – I'd improved the skill greatly since Serra's verd'goten.

"That can be discussed with the dukes, and your Jedi Masters, once you've spoken to them," Pre responded. His tone was sharp and his words clipped, which when combined by the rise in annoyance I sensed, made it clear he wasn't happy at having a Jedi – even one he grudgingly accepted as Mando'ade – help with the sick and wounded.

Without saying another word, he slid past me and moved to the entrance to the flyer. I sighed in irritation at his behaviour. While I could understand it, letting people die when you could help them because of your ideals always struck me as fucking stupid. A hand slid onto my good shoulder, and from the size, I knew exactly who it was.

"I suspect he doesn't intend to be so dismissive of you," Plagueis began in a low, almost friendly voice. "From what I know of their culture, many have a low opinion of the Republic and the Jedi. Even one who has chosen to take part in their rituals is still, to many, an outsider and thus not to be trusted." His words were true, but they were also something I knew from my time here. Still, he'd obviously seen this as an opportunity to keep developing a friendship with me, which was something I'd grown used to over the last few hours.

"I know, and I expected the response, but I still had to make the offer," I replied as I slapped down a thread of fear at having a Sith Lord resting a hand on my shoulder. "And I suspect my masters have already extended similar offers to the dukes." I reached out through the Force and a small smile came to my face as I felt their familiar presences in the Force reaching back. I turned to Bo as I sensed several others with them that I recognized. "He's alive by the way. I can sense your father through the Force." I offered to Bo.

Yes, Pre had stated that he was alive, but I wanted to reaffirm that as Bo's rising concern was easy to see, let alone sense. She'd grown more and more agitated as the speeder flew through Sundari and approached the palace.

She gave me a quick nod, then turned and followed Pre, Naz, and most of Gar's squad from the speeder. I slipped from Plagueis' grip and disembarked, with the Sith on my heels. The two squads of warriors that had been in the escort speeders had taken up positions beside the door guards, making it clear that entering this way would result in a quick death if you didn't have permission.

Pre led us past the guards, with Gar's squad taking up positions around us, and once we were inside there were clear signs that the place had been breached. Scorch marks covered the walls, along with the smouldering remains of curtains, drapes, and smashed ornaments littered the floor. Yet, there were no bodies on our path, which suggested they'd been removed to avoid obstacles or booby traps from anyone moving around in the aftermath.

As we neared the massive doors to the throne room, I felt Bo's rising fear, which manifested in her pace slowing. With Naz staying close to her father, that left me to handle the matter. I considered saying something, but decided against it, and instead placed my hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed for a second before withdrawing it.

She looked at my hand, then at me. I gave her a small smile and indicated the doors ahead of us with a nod of my head. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then nodded to me before returning to her previous pace. I spotted Plagueis watching the interplay, but he said nothing. Hopefully, he wouldn't think there was more to that than intended as if he went after Bo it wouldn't matter to me as much as if he went after someone like Serra, or even Padme.

The doors to the throne room had seen battle, made clear by the scorch marks on them from blaster fire, but since the New Mandalorians had in their infinite wisdom used a giant sheet of beskar as a decorative cover for the doors, they'd withstood the attack far better than any other door in the palace.

As we stepped inside, slipping through the gap in the doors and the four well-armed warriors outside, Roprun moved his squad to the side. From there, I suspected they'd take up flanking positions covering the side doors and the large windows; or what remained of them. Though this action by the squad was superfluous as those positions were manned by more warriors from either Clan Ordo or Clan Kryze.

Near the throne, I saw both dukes and my masters deep in conversation with three others. Those three had their backs to me while two had their helmets on, so I couldn't determine who they were, though as we approached, I suspected that would change.

A surge of relief came from Bo as she spotted her father. Unlike Naz, she didn't run towards him, though her pace was only a little below a jog as she slipped past Pre and moved towards her father.

Adonai spotted her, and as I sensed relief flooding off him, he slipped away from the group and moved to meet her. Bo inhaled sharply as we all saw that Adonai was moving with the use of a cane as his left leg from the knee down was gone; replaced by a flimsy-looking mechanical replacement. I knew the technology existed to make far higher quality replacement body parts, so he'd likely chosen this simplistic one for speed of attachment and the need to stay in charge of the city as the aftermath of the attack was dealt with.

"BO!" He called out, which was enough for Bo to lose her restraint and run to him. As he dropped to one knee to catch her – and likely avoid falling over from the sudden weight shift on his new leg – I noted away that he'd used the same nickname for as I did. I remembered how angry she'd gotten when I'd tried to use that once, so the nickname likely held significance for her.

As the pair hugged fiercely, I felt fingers brush against my hand and turned to see Naz had moved next to me. I didn't make any move to take her hand – mainly due to Plagueis being present but also because both my masters were now looking my way along with Duke Torrhen – but I still gave her a small smile.

"They haven't hugged in years," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Not since… her mother…" She paused and pulled her fingers back. "I wish it hadn't taken us almost dying for her to start healing that rift."

"Sometimes it takes us almost dying, or almost losing something, before we realise how much we need or miss it," I responded. My mind drifted back to my old life, and the many former colleagues who'd died inside or outside the fire. I also had other regrets about my old life, and for a moment I wondered what had become of my former friends and family.

"He'd be proud of you, you know," Naz murmured as I felt her hot breath on my ear. "Your grandfather. What you've done today, and what you've done for others, he'd be proud. As would your great-grandparents." She added, having thought my moment of reflection was about my grandfather.

She hadn't been entirely on the mark about why I'd been reminiscing, but her words were still comforting. Though I did wonder if what I'd done over the last few years had helped, in any way, to prove myself to Revan. I'd found HK's head, which he'd essentially gifted me before he'd left for the Unknown Regions, given serious thought to walking a different path than the one trodden by the Jedi and Sith for millennia, and yet hadn't even begun to walk said path, and started forming the barebones of a plan to restore the people he broke over Malachor V. Not the most prodigious of beginnings, and I still felt that I was no closer to understanding his quest than when it'd been revealed.

"Alor Cameron," Adonai's voice broke me from my thoughts, something I found myself getting more and more lost in as I started to develop more coherent plans for the future. I looked to see he and Bo had broken apart, though the girl was unwilling to let go of him. "Words cannot express my relief that my daughter is alive and well. Nor the debt I feel I owe you for saving her."

He stood slowly, steadying himself with the cane as Bo helped him up. "When I learnt that Keldabe was under attack…" He paused and looked down at Bo. "I feared I'd lose another child, another link to my beloved wife. Hearing that you'd gone to rescue them and done something so insane as to leap from a descending warship without a jetpack to do so…" That drew a few looks from those who didn't know the details of my arrival, along with causing Fay's brow to crease.

He opened his mouth to continue, only to stop and wipe at one eye. "I owe you a debt I can never repay." He finished as he came closer, dropped his hand and placed it on my shoulder.

Before I could respond, he stretched out his hand to me. I moved to shake his hand when he shifted and grasped my forearm in a warrior's salute, grasping my shoulder tightly with his other hand. Though his decades of experience in battles and war kept his stoicism in place, I could see the depth of his gratitude conveyed in the shimmer of his eyes. It was clear how much my actions had meant to them.

"I, uh, ba'gedet'ye," I mumbled, conscious of Bo and Naz's amusement as well as my masters'.

His smile expanded even more. "If you weren't already Mando'ade and a clan chief, I'd adopt you into Clan Kryze for your actions today." He stepped back from me, Bo staying by his side, and looked past me. "Magister Damask, I'm relieved to see you alive and well. When I learnt of Death Watch's attack on Mandalmotors, I feared the reputation of my people would be tarnished once more by their actions and your death at their hands."

"Thankfully such a scenario was averted by young Cameron here," Plagueis responded, once more praising me in front of others for my actions. It was a logical pattern to use as most pre-teens and teenagers sought validation from adults even if they didn't realise that they wanted it. "A fact that has earned the young man my thanks and eternal gratitude."

Adonai looked towards the Muun and smiled again in agreement, though this time as I looked at him, I saw it no longer reached his eyes. "Aye, Alor Cameron has a knack for being in the right place to do the extraordinary." He glanced at me. "A sign of a good warrior and Jedi."

I nodded in acceptance of his praise, then watched as his smile slipped. "C-could you take Magister Damask to speak to your masters? Th-there's a personal matter I need to speak with Bo-Katan about."

"Of course, Duke Adonai." I spared the girl a glance as her anxiety spiked once more. While I doubted there was much I could do to help her for whatever Adonai was about to say, I gave her a weak smile and sent a wave of comfort to her through the Force. Her eyes widened as she felt my mental wave but otherwise gave no outward reaction.

With that, I turned to Plagueis. "Magister?"

He fell into step beside me and we made our way over to the throne. While I'd been talking with Adonai, Duke Torrhen had led the other Mandalorians away, leaving me to face my masters. While both appeared calm, I could easily sense their relief at my survival mixed with annoyance and disapproval over my actions.

"Masters," I began with a bow, "I'm glad to see you were able to provide some support to Duke Torrhen here."

Fay's lips tightened as Dooku replied. "Indeed we were, though it would've been a far easier endeavour if we hadn't been concerned about the wellbeing of our Padawan. Your unexpected departure from the Ori'kyroya'kar placed us both in an awkward position of having to become involved in an internal Mandalorian matter." While he spoke in his normal stoic tone, I could pick up on his annoyance through the Force. And Fay's displeasure and disapproval.

"However, it appears that our concerns were unfounded," Dooku continued. "Not only did you manage to rescue your friends but save the life of Magister Damask as well." At that, the two males nodded to each other. It seemed rather stiff for a reunion of old acquaintances, but Dooku wasn't one for such, as he would say "unseemly displays".

"That he did. Without Cameron's actions, I fear those despicable terrorists would've murdered me and the duke's daughter then escaped without repercussions." Plagueis added as he stepped up beside me, almost as if he was trying to shield me from my master's ire. "While his method for reaching the surface was most… unusual, there is little doubt it was effective. I, those two young ladies, and many other potential victims are alive today because of his actions. Though from what he has hinted at, his actions were taken without your permission. For that, I would ask for forgiveness on his part."

Fay seemed to bristle at Plagueis' request and for a brief moment, there was a spike in her emotions before she got them under control. "The training and punishme-"

"NOO!"

Whatever Fay was going to say was cut off by Bo's anguished wail. At her wail, my head had snapped around to find she'd fallen to her knees. Her father was holding her hands and Naz was already moving to her. Given the absence of Dorgo and his family, it wasn't hard to guess the source of her anguish. The sound had me taking a step to join.

"Cameron, that is a personal matter for Clan Kryze," Fay began, making me stop before I could take a second step. "While Miss Kryze is your friend, you are a Jedi. We do not allow our emotional attachments to rule our judgement." Her tone was firmer than I was used to, hinting that some of her issues with my actions today were colouring her words.

I watched as Adonai dropped to his good knee and Naz slid up behind Bo, pulling her into a hug. Bo's head was in her hands and even without the Force to help, everyone in the room could tell she was in severe pain. Yet, with the Force, under the pain and sorrow, I sensed the anger in her – one that had been festering since I'd found her and Naz trapped in an alley – begin to grow once more.

"But Master…" I began to argue, only for Fay to cut me off.

"No Cameron. While I would normally be willing to allow you to comfort your friends, your actions today are another example of a worrying trend. You may have chosen to complete the verd'goten and marked yourself as Mando'ade, however, you have a greater commitment to the Jedi. Your duty, your focus, should be on the Force, not on the affairs of your friends." Her tone was clipped, yet not to the extent of Dooku's normal tone. That, when combined with the emotions that she had bubbling away internally – and given the way they built then receded, I suspected she was 'releasing' those feelings into the Force – made it clear just how disappointed she was with me. While I doubted she would ever be one to lose their temper – and Force, did I not want to see that – this was as angry as she would, hopefully, ever get.

Yet, for all that disappointment and possible anger, to stop me from comforting my friends because of my actions today…

I had to bat down a spike of fury that welled up inside me. I didn't need Plagueis sensing a tension between me and Fay, or at least one that was shared equally. Yet in this, I felt I was more than justified to be angry.

Fay wasn't a Jedi who followed the narrow-minded stupidity of the High Council, but she was still blinded by their dogma that had dominated almost her entire life. She didn't deny emotions, yet still preached about how my emotions were risking my commitment to the Force and the Order. Which, given what I knew and suspected about her past, felt hypocritical. She'd had a lover, a Mandalorian one, yet here she was denying me the chance to comfort a friend simply because I'd risked my life to save Bo and Naz earlier today? OK, Bo and I weren't particularly close, but still…

The spike of anger returned, and again I swatted it away.

Not going to Bo now felt wrong on many levels. Not least because she was in pain and I was here, standing around awkwardly watching. Then there was how she would react later once she realised that I'd done nothing to comfort her. I was aware that the Mandalorians comported themselves differently, but the memory remnants of my old life still tugged at me to proactively offer my support.

"Is it truly against the Jedi way to offer comfort to those in pain?" Plagueis asked, once more inserting himself innocently into the brewing disagreement between me and Fay. "I understand your code forbids attachments, but I was taught that the Jedi offered compassion and mercy to those in need, like young Miss Kryze."

"While I am pleased to see you know about our order and code, this is about more than that, Magister. Padawan Shan has displayed behaviour several times that, if not tempered, risks his safety; and that of everyone around him." Fay replied in a tone that, for her, was the equivalent of snapping.

I turned back to her, surprised at the tone, and saw that Dooku was sharing my concern as his brow had risen and he was now looking at her carefully. That should've helped to stem the well of anger bubbling inside me, but it did the opposite.

"I see," Plagueis said flatly to Fay's dismissal, yet internally I suspected he was overjoyed to see a potential avenue to exploit in further gaining my trust.

Yet, for the moment, my focus was on Fay and her behaviour. All I wanted to do was offer support to a friend, yet Fay was denying me (and Bo) that because of what? A fear that my closeness to Bo and Naz would lead me to 'fall to the Dark Side'?

Fucking bullshit.

I closed my eyes to try and calm myself, only for a fresh wave of sorrow to flow from Bo. Her sobs were now silent, but in the Force, her anguish was only growing stronger, as was a desire for revenge.

"While this is far from an auspicious moment to take my leave, Cameron, I feel I must do so," Plagueis said, making me open my eyes and look up at the tall Munn. "However, I hope that before either of us leave the planet we might speak again. Apart from owing you my life, I've found our short time together to be most fascinating and you show far more insight than I'd expect any human child to have, even for a Jedi."

"If my masters permit it, Magister, I'd be willing to do so," I replied as diplomatically as I could. That was made harder as I managed my anger at Fay's decision; and Dooku's lack of comment one way or the other.

While I'd happily keep as much distance between myself and the Sith Lord as I could, doing that ran the chance he grew suspicious. Thus it was better to keep him at arm's length and defer when and how we could meet to my masters. While I doubted anything would come of me knowing Hego Damask, I wasn't willing to let the chance to create division between Plagueis and Sidious pass by without seeing if it was possible.

"Understandable," Plagueis responded before turning his attention to Dooku. "Master Dooku, regardless of if there is time for myself and young Cameron to speak once more, I hope that you and I might renew our acquaintance before either of us leave the sector. It has been several years since we last spoke and I'm curious as to why you took another Padawan. I recall you stating a desire to avoid such a thing the last time we spoke."

"That was my intent, however, Cameron's arrival in the Order was unexpected, though not without its rewards," Dooku said as I felt the slightest hint of pride from him as he spoke about me. "While young and lacking in the experience of his peers, Cameron has been an unexpectedly exceptional student, today's actions notwithstanding." He paused and I sensed surprise from him before he continued. "However, discussions such as that are better taken at a later time, perhaps over dinner tonight?"

"I suspect we'll have to have dinner in the palace due to today's events, but that would also allow me more time, with your permission, of course, to speak with young Cameron. Thus, I happily accept." Plagueis turned from Dooku and bowed partially to Fay. "Master Fay, Cameron. Until we meet again, I wish you good fortune in your dealings."

"And may the Force be with you, Magister," Fay replied.

The Munn turned and walked away in the general direction of where Torrhen, Pre and the other Mandalorians were gathered. While I didn't know what they were talking about for certain, I suspected Plagueis was going to offer to help them with some of the repairs. In his shoes, I'd then use that goodwill, and play on how close to 'death' he'd almost come, to improve the deal he'd negotiated with Mandalmotors further to his benefit.

I turned back to my masters, only to stop as a faint sob echoed off the tall walls of the throne room. That made me pause, then turn towards Bo. I'd barely taken a step when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

However, instead of it being Fay's hand, I was shocked to feel Dooku's presence, and even more shocked when he began speaking from behind my shoulder. "While we understand you wish to comfort her, even if that means simply being there as a familiar presence, you must be more mindful of your emotions," he began, causing a spike in disbelief from Fay. I opened my mouth to respond, but he kept talking. "You've shown today, and in the past, that when pushed, you're willing to risk everything – even your life – to help those you consider your friends. While that is an admirable trait, rushing into situations without considering everything is a good way to get yourself killed. Which is something neither Master Fay nor I wish to witness."

"It is also a trait, that if it isn't brought under control, carries with it the chance that your rash behaviour would make you more susceptible to the Dark Side, or could be exploited by those who attempt to harm or control you." His grip tightened for a moment before he continued. "Now go. Offer your friend your support. However, understand that afterwards, we will be sitting down for a long and detailed discussion of your behaviour today, and over the last years. Regardless of how that discussion goes, I suspect Master Fay and I will feel an even greater time away from the rigours of the Republic that we originally planned would do your mind and connection to the Force good."

I suppressed a sigh at realising my actions today would lengthen the time I'd have to spend away from the galaxy at large. While it wasn't ideal to lose several months from my planning, I found myself understanding why it was needed better from Dooku's small speech than the previous few minutes of Fay's sharp – for her – responses.

"Yes, Master. And thank you." I replied before sliding from his grip and making my way over to Bo.


… …


… …

As I and my masters were escorted beneath the palace in Sundari, I turned my mind back to the last three days.

After Plagueis had left and I'd gone over to Bo, I'd confirmed that it was indeed Dorgo and his family that made her collapse. He, his wife, and his young son were all missing and given they were meant to have been in the Peace Park when the attack had begun, presumed dead. While it was unlikely that they were still alive in the rubble, I'd promised to do all I could to help, and after getting permission from my masters, I'd joined the search efforts.

Thanks to the way the Force interacted with my minimap I was able to find a dozen survivors in the rubble of the park and help free them by the end of the first day, but none were Dorgo or his family. I'd gone back the next, and even though I couldn't detect any other living beings in the rubble, had stayed to uncover more and more bodies. Late on that second day, Bo and Naz had arrived to help, though it was clear to me that Bo was in no condition to handle discovering her brother and his family's bodies.

By the morning of the third day, the rubble around the park had been cleared, but there was still no sign of Dorgo or his family. That gave Bo a thread of hope, and we began to search the city on a path from the park back to the palace. We pulled two more survivors from the rubble before disaster struck and we uncovered Sellena. Her body was mangled badly, making any visual confirmation of the body impossible, but a quick DNA scan confirmed it was her. That broke Bo once more, and it took Naz and some of her other friends nearly thirty minutes to calm her enough that Naz could take Bo back to the palace.

However, just before they left, I managed to uncover a survivor. Dorgo was alive, barely. He was missing an arm, while both his legs were shattered, but the far greater blow was seeing the body of Korkie. Dorgo had tried to shield his son with his body, yet it hadn't been enough, and a falling piece of debris had crushed the child's skull.

Bo had left with her brother – Naz and her other friends accompanying her – however, I'd stayed and begun a frantic search for any other survivors I could sense. At some point later in the day, Fay and Dooku – who'd been working in the medical centre, and helping to coordinate relief efforts respectfully – had come to find me, having sensed my distress and, after about twenty minutes of gentle coercion, had managed to drag me back to my assigned quarters.

I'd tried to sleep last night, to help me centre my thoughts, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw Korkie's shattered body and those of others killed in the attack. I was used to seeing such carnage, but something about seeing a child die because of such an event always hit me hard.

This morning, Fay had come to speak with me about the events of the last few days. While things between us were still tense- even after long conversations about my actions and her concerns on the first two nights – I felt better having her there than not. She understood what I was going through and provided a shoulder for me to lean on while I vented my emotions.

At some point, as the memories of the last few days mixed with the dozens from my old life, she'd pulled me into a hug and when I'd pulled back, I saw I'd dampened her robes with my tears. I understood why I'd cried, yet I hadn't done so at any point in my old life. Instead, I'd always redirected my emotions – the sorrow and anger – towards finding and killing those responsible for such atrocities. Perhaps it was because my new body was maturing that I was emotionally unbalanced by this, or perhaps because I was semi-close to a relative of the deceased. Fay had mentioned something about the Force innately amplifying strong emotions, but nothing that I'd felt had seemed unnatural, so I was unsure how great of an effect it had. Regardless, I was glad that Fay had come to comfort me.

After the hug, she'd mentioned once more the dangers emotions can cause to those with a strong connection to the Force especially for those, such as myself, who found it easy to form connections with those around them. This had come up on both evenings before today, but clearly, she felt that, with me finally breaking down from the carnage I'd seen, it might sink in better at that moment. And I had to think she'd been right in that regard.

She'd once more stated that she had wanted to keep me from consoling Bo not because Jedi didn't do that, but because of my growing closeness with her and others on the planet. That concern was one shared by Dooku, as both understood that I was doubly at risk of my emotions compromising me due to how easily I made friends and that fact I could make a bond through the Force even with those with little connection to it.

Having just broken down because of said emotions, the short recap of our long talks sunk in better and I thanked her for her support and said that I thought I understood what she was meaning, though I did say that I wouldn't stop risking my life to save others. That made her smile and comment that she was fine with that, as a Jedi should always put others before themselves.

As we stood, she also commented that while she did not agree with the direction the High Council had taken the Order over the last half millennia – which was one reason why she'd not stepped foot inside the Temple until I'd arrived in this time – she still believed in the principles of the Jedi, the tenets and the Code that guided us. Otherwise, she'd added, we risked becoming no better than the Sith of old and carving out personal fiefdoms in the galaxy to rule over.

For a brief moment, I considered telling her that I had 'suspicions' about who the Sith were. Plagueis had left for Tusza shipyards two nights ago, so it would be a safe moment to do so. From there, she and Dooku could contact the Council and have them investigate the pair.

Yet, the more I considered that the more I knew it wouldn't work. While it'd help close the loophole that allowed Sidious to monitor daily events at the Temple, I felt certain the Sith had more than one way to monitor the Jedi. Plus, without proof – a midi-chlorian test perhaps? – all I would be doing would be making wild accusations. And even if the High Council, for some reason, decided to believe me, they'd have to assemble large strike forces to take down both Sith simultaneously, otherwise, the plan would fail. Plus, odds were that the High Council wouldn't send strong enough task forces after each Sith Lord.

Though even as I considered this, I also wondered if I could even hint at who the Sith were without proof. The Powers That Be had told me upon my rebirth, that if I tried to reveal future events what came out of my mouth would sound like nonsense to others. While knowledge of who the Sith wasn't future knowledge, I suspected that the same would apply. Moments later, my suspicion was confirmed, as the moment I tried to spit out that Palpatine was a Sith, what came out instead was a bland compliment for Fay instead.

The warrior we were following stopped outside a room that was around five levels below the palace ground floor. "The dukes are inside," the warrior of House Ordo stated as he took up a position with the five other warriors (three from House Kryze, three from House Ordo) outside.

The doors slid open and as I followed my masters inside, I saw both dukes, Pre Vizsla, and a handful of others, including Osto Ordo and Kann Dur. About another dozen or so were here via holocall, though I only knew three (Aundars Wren, Baston Tyri and Rgnar Lerok) personally. The rest of them I could identify by name, even if I hadn't interacted with them much, since they'd all been at my verd'goten celebration and were clan chiefs, which was true of the six of the holograms I recognized.

All in all, this was a large gathering of clan leaders from clans loyal to both House Kryze and House Ordo.

"Ah, Alor Cameron, Master Jedi, good, good," Adonai began as he broke from speaking to Rgnar as he spotted us enter. At his side, and that of Duke Torrhen's hung sheaths for their beskads. "Before this council is called to order, on behalf of my family, clan and those allied to my house, I'd like to extend my thanks for your work over the last few days. Your skills in healing, coordinating, and aiding in the search-and-rescue efforts for the survivors were a great help. Without you," he paused for a moment and his face fell. "Without you, the events of the last week would have been far worse."

"There is no need to thank us, Duke Adonai," Fay replied with her usual gentle tone. "A Jedi is meant to help those who are in need."

"How is your son?" Dooku asked, moving the conversation on.

Adonai's face fell completely, and he sighed deeply. "My medics assure me he'll survive, though they'll have to replace his right arm."

Although Dorgo's legs had been saved thanks to the advanced medical technology available, certain wounds can't be healed or regrown. I remembered how both Luke and Anakin were fitted with prosthetics after losing the limb to a lightsaber. Whatever took Dorgo's arm had cauterized the wound, making reattachment impossible. That would mean the young man would have a cybernetic limb alongside his father, but given to the higher quality one Adonai was now sporting for his left leg, that shouldn't be a hindrance. Kriff, I suspected Mandalorians placed weapons and other goodies inside such limbs.

"As for his mental state…" his voice trailed off understandably.

From what I'd learnt, the medics had kept Dorgo sedated ever since he'd woken up and learnt the fate of his wife and son. To say he was heartbroken would be an understatement of galactic proportions.

"And Bo?" I asked tentatively. Since the discovery of the fate of her brother and his family, I hadn't seen the redhead at all. Not even at meals in the public canteen that had been set up in the largest conference room in the palace.

Adonai sighed once more, and Torrhen placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Bo has fully recovered physically. Unfortunately, emotional wounds are not so easily mended." Adonai began slowly as the rest of the room stayed silent. "While she wasn't close to Sellena due to her ties with the New Mandalorians, and had distanced herself slightly from Dorgo when they'd married, Bo loved young Korkie. Losing him… it's brought up memories of when we lost her mother and young Urin." Adonai stopped and closed his eyes briefly before blinking harshly. If anyone besides me noticed, no one gave voice to their thoughts.

"I…" Adonai stopped and straightened himself. "We will speak about my daughter afterwards, Alor Cameron." He stated before turning back to the large table and the holographic display of the sector that dominated it. "This meeting is to determine our response to the attacks led by Duke Anzur and Death Watch."

"Has the identity of the Death Watch leader been determined?" one of the holograms asked.

"Ebrn Awaud," Torrhen replied, which set off a round of whispers.

While I didn't know the man personally, well besides killing him, the clan's name was one I knew. Clan Awaud, while not as powerful as the three houses led by Dukes Adonai, Torrhen, and Anzur, were still a significant clan. Nam Awaud, the current head of the clan and someone on-par with Count Aundars for the size of the clan he controlled, was regarded as a recluse. He didn't support any of the dukes or Death Watch and he despised the New Mandalorians with a passion.

Though given his son had led the Death Watch faction that attacked Keldabe – something I was more and more certain Pre hadn't been involved in – it was highly probable Count Nam would ally with Duke Anzur to gain revenge for the death of his son.

"Before we go any further, I would like to remind you that as Jedi, we cannot become involved in an internal Mandalorian matter," Fay said, making the room temperature seem to drop a dozen degrees at her words. "Not without a petition to the Senate and their approval."

"Te Tsad Droten liser murcyur ner shebs!" one of the holograms spat out, with other voices muttering their agreement.

"You would do nothing even when one of your own was killed in the attacks?" Count Aundars asked, his brow creased and his lips tight.

"While the death of Knight Lhan is to be mourned, and the Jedi Council is aware of his death, they have been instructed specifically to not become involved," Dooku answered.

That, as one would expect, set off a round of comments about the usefulness, or lack thereof, of the Jedi and I forced down an urge to roll my eyes. Of course, the High Council would order us not to get involved. Force help us if the Jedi actually did the job they claimed to do, and act as peacekeepers of the Republic; not lapdogs of a corrupt senate.

"We understand your feelings and we asked the High Council if they could arrange relief efforts to assist in the rebuilding," Fay continued. "However, such organisations are the purview of the Senate, so while the Council will speak to them, without a request from yourself Duke Adonai, I doubt any aid will be provided." There were a few murmurs in the room, though I felt those were more about anyone thinking the Mandalorians needed help rather than the Jedi and Republic potentially offering such help. "They are also unwilling to send a team of Jedi healers to a sector on the verge of civil war; particularly, and to be clear this is their opinion not my own, for a people renowned for killing Jedi."

Torrhen cleared his throat, drawing our attention to him. "First, and let me be clear about this, while many of us here aren't as comfortable about Jedi being on Mandalore as Duke Adonai, all of us are grateful for the help you provided over the last few days finding and healing survivors of the attack." There were a few grumbles of agreement, but not many. "Most of us accepted this help as it came through Clan Shan and not the Jedi Order or Republic. Mandalore would not accept aid from your Order even if it was offered." He paused and gave me a nod. "But if such help had involved a large continent of your people coming to our world, even under the banner of peace and support, none of us would accept it. While the Dral'Han was before our time, the wounds it left still run deep among our people."

I turned to see Fay lower her head in understanding, and once more I wondered just how connected she had been to these people – or at least the one she'd fallen in love with – that there was mutual respect between her and those who knew about her connection.

"Good! The Jetii shouldn't stick their noses in our business!" A hologram called out, drawing everyone's attention. "But the question remains, Duke Adonai, as to how you are going to respond to this Jurkad? Will you once more hide behind the skirts of the Republic lapdogs whose city you now command from?"

Adonai bristled at the question and stepped towards the hologram. "Was that a challenge, Alor Ream? If so, then maybe I was wrong to grant you mercy the last time. I assure you I won't make that mistake again," He all but spat out. That made it clear that there was bad blood between the two, which wouldn't be a huge surprise as I knew many of the allied clans of House Kryze were unhappy – at a minimum – to have been working with the New Mandalorian faction.

Ream growled back and looked to be planning a retort only for Torrhen to place a hand on Adonai's shoulder.

"We're getting distracted. Challenges to house leadership can be contested after a response is decided upon," he said slowly, making sure to look at everyone present – figuratively and literally – in the room bar me and my masters. "Once House Varaud and Death Watch have been given a suitable response, and are kneeling, broken and bleeding at our feet, then we can consider the leadership of our houses and the future direction of our people."

That earned him nods of acceptance from many, though some weren't as enthusiastic as others.

"What is the leadership situation in Sundari?" Count Aundars asked as his hologram flickered for a moment.

"The New Mandalorians are decimated," Adonai replied slowly, his eyes taking a long time to leave Ream. "The Prime Minister, deputy and most of their upper leadership was either killed or put out of action by the attack. Several government buildings were targeted by Duke Anzur's forces, limiting the ability of the city's administrators to coordinate search and rescue operations. And while not entirely destroyed, the city's supplies of food and water were heavily damaged." He paused and looked towards Pre. "
As of now, I have appointed Pre Vizsla as acting Prime Minister and placed Sundari under the direct control of House Kryze."

That set off another round of murmurs and I felt a thread of displeasure from my masters. By taking control of the city and appointing one of his direct subordinates as Prime Minister, Adonai wasn't just ending his alliance with the New Mandalorians but all but pulling off a coup. When that was combined with the apparent restoration of the alliance with House Ordo, and that this meeting was to plan a counter-strike against Clan Varaud and Death Watch, it was clear that the sector was on the verge of another civil war. Though, if I was right, this time Adonai was still alive to lead House Kryze.

While I was worried that a long war would weaken the Mandalorians – and thus, looking at it from a purely tactical perspective, damage their potential usefulness to me in the near future – I couldn't deny I was glad to see the New Mandalorian faction weakened. If not outright dismantled. Adonai was alive, as was Dorgo – in a fashion – so the chances of Satine rising to prominence and turning her people and the sector into a backwater of no importance were greatly diminished.

"So we're done pretending to be good little servants of the Republic? About haar time!" Ream spat out, which earned a cheer from a few others.

"We will not be actively seeking to leave the Republic," Adonai countered quickly, "though the ideals put forward by the New Mandalorians will no longer be the guiding principle of our people. A return to the oldest of ways cannot, and will not happen, however, the tenets of our people will no longer be pushed to the side or considered relics of a bygone era."

"I do not wish to see any more of our people die senseless deaths, but I can no longer allow elements within our people that, in their insane desire to return our people to a time that ended with the Ani'la Akaan would have parents to have to bury their children! The time of endless raiding is long dead, but the heart of Mandalore still beats in me, and I promise you, my fellow clan chiefs, that so long as I draw breath, those deluded fools will not claim another innocent life! The time has come for House Varaud to be broken, and the last, corrupted remnants of Death Watch burned to ash!"

A roar echoed around the room as Adonai finished his speech and thrust his fist into the air. Everyone cheered along with him and I realised that this was the moment when the fate of these people, and the sector, had changed. It might bring more death, but in the long run, I knew in my heart that this was the right path for them to take.

"You claim to honour our ways," a voice called out as a large man with an artificial eye stepped towards Adonai, "yet you allow Jetii into our war council!" The mountain of a man spat. He had to be over two metres easily and almost as wide. A finger thrust towards Dooku. "You stand with the Butcher of Galidraan behind you, you speak of the Ani'la Akaan, yet you show submission to an of Naast be Me'suum's who hasn't proved himself in battle! And you have the gall to claim you wish us to follow you into war?" He spat at Adonai's feet. "You are aruetii and think us all utreekovyc as we fall for your..."

The rest of the mountain of a man's speech was cut off as, in a move that belied the injury he had and the years of peaceful ruling he'd done, Adonai stepped forward, slipped his new mechanical prosthesis behind the man's leg, grabbed the larger man by the throat and threw him down onto the table with the holographic display of the sector. Even as most in the room reached for a weapon – and I activated my combat package of force abilities – Adonai had slid his beskad out and rested it against the larger man's throat, just above where he was holding him down.

"Do you think me weak because I chose the path of peace in an attempt to protect my family, Grag?" Adonai seethed as his beskad began to draw blood. "I am not now, nor have I ever been. Something you seem to have forgotten!" Adonai's voice wasn't loud, but in the stunned silence of the room, it carried easily to every corner. He paused and looked around the room even as he held Grag down. "I chose the path of peace after losing my wife and youngest child. An action that, given today's events, I deeply regret. However, this time I will not rest until Anzur's head is mounted on my wall!"

Adonai pulled his beskad back while pushing the now named Grag further onto the table. "If you wish to challenge me for leadership of this house, then I will gladly accept after this war council has concluded. If not, then know your place and be mindful of your words lest I remove your tongue."

"Yes, my duke," Grag replied slowly, his eyes locked on Adonai's.

While Grag's words weren't the clearest, they seemed to be enough for Adonai, because after looking into the downed man's eyes, he stepped away from the table and sheathed his blade.

He turned and looked at those assembled. "Make no mistake, after the unprovoked attacks on Sundari and Keldabe, we are at war!" He called out, setting off another round of cheers. In a different time and place, I'd likely be expecting to join them, but it had been made clear to both dukes and I that within a few days I would be leaving the sector with my masters.

Which was why us being present at this war council was surprising. And of course, that was when Adonai turned to face us.

"Since the Jedi and Republic aren't going to interfere in any way, even to offer aid, then I must ask you both to leave, Master Jedi." He said diplomatically. "However, as a clan chief allied to both House Kryze and House Ordo, Alor Cameron is expected to stay." I sensed some worry and irritation from my masters.

"Due to his divided loyalties, many still will question his dedication to our ideals," Torrhen added in support. "Alor Cameron being present will settle most of those concerns, as will his age and an understanding that he has a code with the Jedi he must obey. The less we allow Duke Anzur, Death Watch and any others who come to oppose us to use the standing of Clan Shan against us, the shorter the war will be."

There was silence in the room, and when I looked back at my masters, I saw both were standing still; baring the odd twitch on their faces. That, when combined with the way the Force was moving around and through them, made me sure they were discussing the matter telepathically.

Soon, I felt the familiar tendrils of the presence in the Force reaching out for my mind and letting them in.

[We will allow you to remain. However, we feel we need to be clear that you aren't to offer any tactical advice unless it is a way to minimise the danger to civilians and innocents caught in the crossfire.] Fay said directly into my mind.

[I doubt there is much I could offer regardless of your warning, master. But I understand.] I replied, trying to keep my shock at them allowing this from flooding our mental communication. For them to leave me here was a surprise to be sure, but it seemed the words from both dukes had resonated with my masters. Of course, there was the fact – that I'd highlighted – that there was likely little I could offer in any sense that would help Still. My training was in small unit warfare and wet-work, and while that would be needed in war, this meeting seemed geared towards the more macro elements of war planning. Still, it should be a good chance to learn how such things were conducted; something I knew for a fact would be important in the decades ahead.

[Also, if you feel there is a way that we could help that wouldn't require the High Council being made aware nor drag us into the conflict, speak with us first.] Dooku added, resulting in a mild sense of irrigation from Fay.

[Yes, master.]

Both of them nodded to me physically, then as one, turned to face the two dukes.

"We will allow Cameron to stay. However, we must stress that he cannot be involved in any way, with any military planning." Dooku stated to the room. There were a few murmurs and a general sense of annoyance, but both dukes nodded as my master continued. "We accept that his status as Mando'ade and ally to your houses means he should be here, yet his higher purpose is to our Order and the Force."

The two dukes shared a look before Torrhen nodded in acceptance. "We understand your reasoning and thank you for understanding ours."

"And we willingly accept your terms," Adonai added.

With that, my masters turned to me, and after some mutual bowing, left the room. As they did, I slipped off to one side, moving to stand next to Osto Ordo. From there I'd be able to watch and learn as these seasoned warriors planned the opening moves of the civil war. Plus, it would allow me to use Observe and analyse what it revealed.

There were a few in the room – Grag and Raum being the obvious two – that could potentially be issues for the dukes, and maybe myself, in the future.

… …



… …

The war council ended up lasting for over five hours and as I'd expected, even if I had wanted to, there was nothing I could add. Still, it had been a good learning experience and Warfare [Space] had gained a few levels; though it was still way short of Professional 1 when I expected it – much like Warfare [Ground] – to break into other skills.

I'd also been considering what to do with the weapons and armour of the Death Watch soldiers that I'd killed. As the victor in martial combat, I was entitled to the immediate spoils of war, which, while appreciated, did create slight logistical issues. After discovering that returning all the armour to their families would be seen as weak or an insult to those clans, I'd sent only the helmets back. The rest of the suits and weapons were largely cannibalized. The beskar was separated, melted down, and entrusted to Duke Torrhen for safekeeping until needed, although one suit's worth of Beskar was set aside for Naz once she'd finished growing. The crushgaunts and beskad I'd gifted to Bo. A few pieces of high-end weaponry were given to Gar as a gift, and the rest was sold. Although I did make sure that half of the profits were used to help with the rebuilding of the two cities and supporting those who'd lost family in the attacks, the rest went into my personal funds. All told, I added 425,000 credits to my account which I'd asked Duke Adonai to place in an account for Clan Shan.

While I could've dropped the credits in my Inventory, that left the risk that Adonai might bring up the credits with my masters. This way I had another place to store credits outside the purview of the Council or my masters.

Yet, once the meeting was called to an end, and the holos of those chiefs unable to physically attend had flickered out, Adonai had pulled me aside. He'd explained there was a personal and private matter he wished to discuss. I'd followed him through the palace – with two warriors of his house as an escort – to what had to be his private office.

The room was dominated by a large table that held a holoprojector while the walls were lined with bookshelves that held various datapads and other devices, along with the skull of a long-dead predator. The inscription under it revealed that it was the skull of a razor-tailed tiger that the founder of Clan Kryze had killed.

As he slid around the table, casually pulling a datapad to himself, the two guards stayed at the door. Adonai slid into a comfortable, high-backed chair with practised ease and indicated for me to take one of the two guest chairs. As I did so, he spoke

"Alor Cameron," he began, making it clear this was a Mandalorian matter, "before we get to why I wished to speak to you privately, I just need to be sure that what was discussed and arranged today will not reach the ears of the Jedi Council or the Senate."

"Nothing that has been discussed here will be repeated, Duke Adonai," I replied, easily understanding his concern. Some of the tactics considered today were… extreme to me, but from the brief teachings I'd had on previous galactic conflicts, they were quite tame. Yet several came close to skirting what was considered acceptable in the Republic in this day and age. "However, I should warn you that if several of the options considered today are enacted, the Senate may choose to investigate or censure you and your allies. They might also consider asking the Jedi to intervene if the more extreme options are selected." I didn't try to hide my concern with those options. Glassing a planet simply to make a point was far beyond what I'd be prepared to do at the moment, and I hoped I'd never have to enact a Base-Delta-Zero. "If you are… all I can suggest is doing so before a replacement for Khan Lhan can be assigned to the sector."

"Yes, that would be for the best," Adonai muttered before tapping at the datapad he'd picked up. He looked around the desk, though not in a way that hinted he was looking for something specific, which made me suspect he was doing so to prepare for why he'd asked me here. That behaviour had me developing a bad feeling about what we were about to discuss.

"Duke Torrhen informed me that you discovered some family heirlooms on his homeworld. Something about an ancient vault…" he trailed off, leaving the question unasked but still in the air.

"I did, and while I won't go into detail of what I recovered, not without Duke Torrhen present and giving his blessing, what I found was… unexpected and deeply personal," I replied, thinking of HK and the holocron and braid left by my mother. The rest of the vault's content was something Torrhen and I had decided to keep hidden and, while they didn't know everything that was inside, my masters had acquiesced to our request.

While most of the vault's contents weren't massive – bar what Revan had left for me and the pallet of beskar – the contents of Canderous' datapad had the potential to alter the balance of power in the galaxy. Yes, what was detailed there was millennia out of date, but the potential was there.

Both Torrhen and I had realised that the Mandalorians, never mind the Republic or galaxy at large, weren't ready for those files to be revealed, which was why we'd all taken a vow of silence regarding the vault's contents. It was better if everything inside was left a mystery than just the more… dangerous elements. Hopefully, that would hide what we needed to hide better than revealing parts of the vault to others.

And while HK's head was known to many now, I still claimed he was nothing more than Revan's protocol and service droid. So far, that lie was holding, mainly because detailed records of Revan and Bastila's companions during their time were not something commonly available on the Holonet. Thank the Force.

"Yes, yes. Understandable, and much the same as what Duke Torrhen said to me. Yet I must ask about the droid you recovered," he leaned forward, a glint in his eyes. "I remember stories of a similar coloured droid that served Revan and fought beside Te Taylir Mand'alor. The tone and mannerisms of the droid you've recovered… They are similar to what little remains about Revan's droid. Is it…?"

I chuckled at his curiosity. While what he'd said helped confirm that exact details about HK weren't readily available, it did show that people could work out the truth if they had enough facts. "He's a copy of that droid, with identical programming and memory files, at least up until Revan disappeared," I answered, deciding to sate the duke's curiosity. "However, that isn't something that anyone outside this room is aware of. Not even my Jedi masters."

Adonai leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Of course. No one will learn the truth from me, you have my words." A smile spread on his face as he looked up at the ceiling. "Still, even if that droid only has some of the original's memory files, and might have corrupted data, the things we could learn from it…" He chuckled. "It boggles the mind."

Suddenly the smile fell from his face and his shoulders slumped, making him look several decades older in an instant. "However, that is for another time." Weariness came over him as I sensed growing waves of trepidation and concern radiating from him.

"I need to ask a favour. Chief to chief," he began slowly. I nodded to indicate I understood the seriousness of what he was implying but stayed quiet. The Force was beginning to swirl around us, and I became convinced that what we were about to discuss would alter things massively for the future.

He opened his mouth to continue, only to sigh then look over at one wall. I followed his gaze and saw a large, framed image – hand-painted by the look of it – of his family. There, he stood with his wife without any hints of grey in hair, though that might just be because of the artist's choice, one arm around his wife's shoulders while she held a young child in her arms. Three children stood in front of them, and it was easy to see the resemblance between Satine, Bo and their mother in the painting. Adonai's other hand was resting on Bo's shoulder, and for a moment I wondered if that was the only way they'd been able to keep the girl there while the artist sketched the basic image.

"Six, long and difficult years ago, I lost my beloved and youngest child to war." Adonai began as we both continued looking at the painting. "After that, I retreated. I chose a path of peace, even one I didn't believe in, in the hopes it would keep my remaining children safe." He sighed deeply and ran his hands down his beard from his ears to his chin. "Yet, one is now in a bacta tank having lost their family, one is on Coruscant having chosen to deny our culture and my youngest clamours for war without having ever taken a life." His eyes met mine, flickers of past wounds stirring in their depths. "I owe you more than you can ever know for helping save Dorgo and Bo. And your masters for getting Satine protection before the attack…"

He sighed and looked back at the painting as my mind turned to the middle child. I hadn't given much thought to Satine since she'd left for Coruscant over a year ago; well, save when I was thinking about how much she took the Mandalorians away from what they'd once been. I held no love for her political goals, even if they might have softened from her short time around Fay, but hearing she'd been attacked as well had come as a surprise, as I had mistakenly assumed that the conflict would be limited to this sector.

"I owe Master Dooku a debt for his arranging of protection for Satine," Adonai resumed quietly, his eyes locked on the painting. "Without that, I would have lost her, yet, may my beloved forgive me, perhaps it would've been better if she had been injured."

"Do not misunderstand. I love her dearly, as I do all my children. However, Satine…" he sighed once more then pinched the bridge of his nose. "She is committed to the New Mandalorian way; to turn our people into sheep. She has refused to carry any weapon, to complete her verd'goten, to embrace any part of our history and culture." He shook his head. "I have failed her, and my beloved. Yet, perhaps, just perhaps, these attacks, and the words she shares with Master Fay, will have her return to our ways."

He sighed again before turning from the painting to look at me. "However, with a war to fight, and the condition of my eldest, I find myself in an unfortunate position. Dorgo will be out for blood in this war, and I am not as young as I once was. Therefore, there is a chance that we may both fall in battle, which would see Satine assume leadership of my clan and house." He took a breath, likely to gather his thoughts. "Given her current leanings, that would mean the destruction of House Kryze and, in all likelihood, a worsening of the situation with our people. As such, I have informed my clan's elders that I am placing Bo-Katan ahead of Satine in the line of succession for clan leadership."

I felt my brow rise at that. While removing Satine, or at least lowering her chances of becoming clan chief was something I could support, placing Bo above her presented its own issues. While far more inclined towards the traditions of the Mando'ade, Bo… well, to be frank, she wasn't much of a leader. Oh, I had no doubts about her ability to lead soldiers into battle, but to lead an entire clan or people in a cultural or political sense… That, in my opinion, was beyond both her current skill level, as well as her temperament. She was a warrior, not a leader.

"With respect, Bo isn't…"

Adonai barked out a laugh. "I know. However, you are." He leaned forward, and a smile that I'd describe as predatory crept onto his face. "Bo is a warrior, and if I do say so, a damn good one. But a leader?" He shook his head. "No. She still has a lot to learn. As do you, though I can already see the signs of a warrior born to lead within you."

He leaned back even as he continued to speak. "Bo's biggest flaw is a habit of focusing on one thing at the expense of others. If Dorgo and I fall in this war, I fear that flaw will develop into a bloodlust and result in her death. That, I cannot allow to happen." He glanced at the skull of the razer-tailed tiger. "I need her out of the sector."

Now both of my eyebrows were raised in surprise. Of all the angles I'd imagined, hearing Adonai not just wanting to send his daughter away from war – something that she'd take a long time to forgive him for – but implying that he wanted my help in arranging it was not among them.

"I'd find myself once more in debt to you, Alor Cameron, if you and your masters could escort her from the sector and keep her away until I'm ready for her to return." He finished as I felt the Force swirling around me, urging me to consider the ramifications of my decision.

If I did this, I risked losing any chance of being friends with Bo if the worst happened – and failing her quest – but not doing so might mean a far worse outcome for the Mandalorian sector and people than even Satine being in charge.

And there was the fair chance that I'd spend the next several months worrying about one of my travelling companions trying to stab me in the back; just as she'd see me agreeing to this as doing to her.

"Bo is a good warrior," I started, drawing out my words as I tried to figure out what exactly to do. The ripples I felt from the Force made it clear that this was a moment when something important would happen, but it was giving me no hints as to what the kriff I was meant to do. "And I'd be willing for her to travel with me and my masters, but…"

"As my father loved to say, anything before a but was shab," Adonai commented, drawing a chuckle from me as I'd heard that expression in both lives.

"But," I continued as the humour instantly died; "If I ask her to come, or you order her to go, she'll never agree. And then there's the fact I'd need to clear this with my masters." I paused as the image of an infuriated red-haired warrior causing havoc in the Jedi Temple appeared in my mind's eye. "Though the idea of seeing the chaos she'd unleash in the Jedi Temple would be amusing."

"Aye, it would. And it'd be something enjoyable for her, as it was something her idol once did," Adonai agreed after barking out a laugh, making me wonder who Bo's idol was, as well as when and how they'd attacked the temple. "Also, I've already spoken with Master Fay about this. She is agreeable provided that you are, as she feels this is your decision to make. Master Fay understands my reasoning, or what I told of it, to protect my daughters which is why Master Dooku has assured me the Jedi he asked to protect Satine will stay with her until such time as it's safe for both to return to the sector."

"If they don't think you have other reasons for this, then you're underselling them," I commented as I'd already seen another advantage of this for Adonai. Provided that by the time Bo returned, she'd calmed down enough to stop trying to kill me, we'd have likely developed a friendship and there was a chance that some of what it was Adonai saw in me would rub off on his daughter.

I immediately had to tamp down my adolescent mind from considering the double entendre I just created. Damn teenage hormones.

"Aye, but sometimes it's better for all if some things are left unsaid," Adonai countered. "Yet, as the – for now – recognized leader of the sector, I can use the Republic and Jedi's rules to my advantage." He explained with a light chuckle. "But yes, it is a cover. What I really want, and I think you've already worked this out, is to learn from you – and your masters – how to lead. Yes, you've never really been forced to lead, but there's a spark in you that, one warrior to another, I recognize." He shrugged. "Perhaps while you travel with my daughter that spark is never ignited, but much like your ancestor, I don't think the path of a Jedi is the only path you'll walk."

"I hope you're not suggesting that I'll turn to the Dark Side or try to conquer the Republic," I commented with a smirk to let him know I was teasing. And while I would do my best to not turn to the Sith, the fact was I was slowly becoming certain that the Republic needed massive reforms. Reforms that might only be possible if it fell, or almost fell.

"Manda, no!" Adonai shot back with a small smile. "The last time one of your line did that, my people were broken in the Ani'la Akaan." While the smile stayed, it did slip a fraction at the mention of Malachor V. "I can't see into the future, thank Manda. However, I've seen enough to be sure there's the makings of a good, if not great, leader in you. What I want is for Bo to see that and learn from it. I need her to be able to lead if the worst happens."

I leaned back in my chair as I considered his request. I put to one side the issues of how to get Bo to leave the sector – as that was her father's problem to handle – and how she'd feel about travelling with three Jedi. I also put to one side the issue of Bo's quest, Flight of the Owl, as while I wanted to keep increasing my level and gaining perks and player powers, this felt more important than a simple quest.

Now, I wasn't sure if Adonai truly believed I had the makings of a good leader, or if he was just flattering me to help me accept his request. Regardless, the fact he was willing to trust me to, if not protect, then travel with his youngest daughter spoke volumes about his respect for me and my masters. Plus, having a Mandalorian along would likely be useful as, while my masters were powerful with the Force, there were times when their withdrawn nature – particularly Fay's – made me want to rip my hair out. Though, having her around meant she'd quickly ask about HK, which could lead to questions about Revan and Canderous that I might not want others knowing the answers to just yet.

"I agree in principle," I replied after weighing the issue. "In practice, however, while convincing her to go is your problem since she's your daughter - and I'd rather not get shot at more than I can help - my issue is how I'm expected to keep her with me. I'm not going to drag her around like a prisoner for months, if not a year, just to make you feel better. Plus, it's not exactly like I have a starship of my own to keep her on. Jedi aren't permitted personal possessions, especially not Padawans."

Adonai leaned forward and interlaced his fingers under his chin. "I have a plan to make Bo comply, so to put you at ease, I won't need your help for that." That was a relief. "The same is true for how to make her stay with you. As for your transportation," he paused, tapped at a small console on his side of the table that I couldn't see and the image of a familiar Mandalorian ship appeared in hologram form between us. "This is a prototype of a new ship design that we're hoping to expand into mass production in a few years. It's been designated as a Kom'rk-class attack transport by MandalMotors. This model was intended to be my transport, and as such is slightly larger than the base design. As such, it's also been modified to have more creature comforts than would normally be afforded to a troop transport. I've already had it refitted for long-term occupation by a squad-sized group."

"While that's certainly tempting, the issue is still with ownership. Placing it in my name, or even my masters would be problematic." I commented.

"The vessel, which you would be free to name, would stay in my name. However, as a way to partially pay the debt that I owe you, it would be on a permanent loan to Clan Shan." Adonai explained as his smile grew slightly. "Officially, it would still belong to Clan Kryze, which would remove any issues the Jedi would have with you travelling in it. Unofficially, the ship would be yours to do with as you want, which I would be willing to make official at a later date when you could take ownership of the transport."

Now that was a hell of a sweetener.

As Adonai had said, the ship wouldn't legally be mine, but for all intents and purposes, it would be. That would make travelling around a lot easier – no more having to hitch rides on commercial transports and being forced to only go where those ships went. It'd also allow me to work on my piloting and mechanics skills while the ship was in flight as, to put it bluntly, Fay and Dooku lacked any interest in such things. Now, Fay would likely have issues, but I felt I could spin it enough that she'd be willing to conditionally accept the vessel.

"OK, I'm almost convinced, though there's still the fact that I'd have to deal with a furious red-haired warrior who'd likely try to kill me several times on the first day," I commented, making Adonai chuckle.

"Reminds me of my first date," he replied, which made me grimace at the suggestion. Of course, that only made him chuckle more. "Still, I'm sure a Jedi warrior as skilled as yourself, can find ways to redirect Bo's anger. Who knows, you might even find you enjoy that about her."

My eyes narrowed at the second less-than-subtle hint that he might be happy if something happened between me and Bo. While I wouldn't deny that Bo pressed a few of my buttons – not least being a redhead – I wasn't interested in starting anything with anyone. Plus, barring the time she's kissed me as part of a drinking dare game, she'd never shown one iota of interest in me. Which I was reasonably certain was because I was lacking the equipment she liked in a partner.

"Very well, I agree," I said as I leaned forward and extended my arm. "However, if she tries to blow up the ship more than twice or kill me more than a hundred times before a month has passed, I'm nulling the agreement and bringing her back to you."

Adonai's booming laughter filled the small room as his large, meaty paw engulfed my hand. "I don't think Bo is that persistent, but if she does, I'll simply consider myself in your debt thrice over." As we broke the handshake, he added, "Though to be safe, I'll both speak to Bo and leave her a recording reminding her of some ground rules for while she's travelling with you and your masters."

For a moment I wondered just how difficult – and painful – that talk would be, and how pissed Bo would be with him for months, but I let the thought go. That was his problem to deal with, not mine.

… …



… …

I sighed and ducked as my Force sense pinged for the third time that hour. I felt a rush of air above me and a hiss as the armoured fist missed my head.

"This is all your fault!" Bo snarled as she advanced on me yet again. I let out an internal sigh as I once more prepared to fend off the irate redhead, moving around the common area of the Kom'rk-class transport we were inside so that the small table was in-between us.

It seemed that I'd been a bit of a fool in thinking Adonai would be able to convince his daughter to leave the sector as war broke out. I knew he'd promised her a new set of full beskar armour, because he'd asked me to give it to her once we were underway. However, I hadn't had the chance to give it to her as from the moment she'd woken up in her quarters she began shouting, stormed out and, upon seeing me, started trying to kill me.

So far, I'd taken three blasters and six knives from her. After I'd disarmed her of actual weapons, she'd resorted to hand-to-hand combat, occasionally augmented by makeshift items that she liberated from the kitchen station.

From what I'd been able to piece together – helped by Observe – it appeared that Adonai had stunned Bo and deposited her onboard an hour or so before we'd left. And of course, she'd woken up while we were in hyperspace, and I'd come down to see how she was settling in.

Dooku was in the cockpit monitoring the ship while Fay was in her quarters meditating. Both had, via telepathic messages, said that, since I was the one who agreed to having Bo accompany us, I was the one who had to handle the irate Mandalorian.

The first few times that she'd tried to attack me, I'd allowed a few shots to get through, hoping that in getting some anger out, she would have the chance to vent her frustration. And while it seemed to work in the short term, it seemed that the peace didn't last very long before she was looking for a fight again.

"Take me back now!" She demanded as the chair between us was sent hurtling towards me. "I'm going to kill him!" I fought to not roll my eyes as I stopped the chair in mid-flight and lowered it to the ground.

Not keen for a repeat of last time, since my jaw was beginning to bruise, I decided to end the fight prematurely. Seeing how she seemed to already be in mid-stride, I reached out and grabbed her with the Force, holding her down.

In retrospect, this wasn't the best idea for calming her down.

"And now, I'm going to KILL YOU as well!" Bo roared as she strained impotently against my grip.

Once we were out of hyperspace, I planned to call Adonai via the Holonet to verbally rip him a new one; probably followed by Bo using every imaginable curse she knew. And, provided I survived the next few months – at a minimum – that Bo was here, then when I next saw Adonai, I was going to knock him on his arse.

Because the longer this went on the more certain I was becoming that he never talked to Bo about this trip, nor left her any ground rules.

… …


... ...
A/N:
As always you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For my ASOIAF story: Game of Kingdoms
In general:
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), consider supporting me on Patreon:
USSExplorer


Regardless if you join the discord or support my writing, I hope you enjoy the story and suggestions, valid criticisms, and ideas are always welcome.
And of course;
May the Force be with you. Always.
 
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Altered Destinies 1
A/N: Again, sorry for the delay. Technical issues caused delays in getting this chapter ready and betaed.

Also, we have left Mandalore behind ( at least for the next several years) barring the redhead passenger.
As such, no more Mando'a words will be listed at the start of the chapter, though they'll still creep up from time to time. The safest bet is to assume they're a curse since that's the most common usage of the language.



Current date: 4 years until the Invasion of Naboo

Altered Destinies 1

Sensing the volley of blaster bolts before the sound of the shots had even ended, I ducked under them. There was no need to deflect them with a lightsaber when it was easier to avoid them, plus that left me able to jump the second they passed by and use the Force to boost my jump to carry me into the higher branches of a nearby tree. The ground behind where I'd been standing exploded as the volley slammed into it, but I'd leapt high enough to avoid the dust cloud that had been kicked up.

"I thought this was just a friendly spar?" I shouted into the sky, towards my fully armoured and flying opponent. While I didn't need to shout since we had open comlinks to each other, I was hoping the sudden loud voice might catch them off-guard.

Bo's laughter came back to me through the link. "It is." She replied even as I was forced to jump from my current branch to one in a tree about a dozen metres away because she began to pepper the first tree with blaster fire. "But you agreed to full-contact rules." She added on as I caught the new branch, then swung, flipping through the air, and landed on a third branch.

I grumbled at that as, in my drive to get her to come out of her funk, I'd promised this once we were finally planet-side; something that took three weeks as the world we were on, Aesolian – was so far out in the boondocks that the Holonet only provided a brief description of the planet and general location of where to find it. While this fitted with what my masters had promised of an isolated world, it was also useful for helping Bo let out a ton of the anger that had built within her in the three weeks it had taken to reach this place. Barring a few isolated farming communities, the closest of which was half a day's hike from where we'd landed our ship, the planet was uninhabited. After a day on-planet, we hadn't encountered any local fauna that might be dangerous, but if we did something told me it would just be another way for Bo to release her pent-up anger.

"I thought that meant we wouldn't be pulling our punches, not you trying to kill me!" I shot back as I dropped down from my current branch moments before it was turned into splinters by another volley of blaster fire from Bo. "Nor use that damned jetpack to attack me from above!"

Said pack was one of two going away presents left for Bo by her father. While that, and the full beskar armour forged from Bo's mother's armour, hadn't been enough to fully placate Bo – she was still promising to punch Adonai when they next met – it had cooled her down enough that the second week of travel hadn't required me to spend my time avoiding a furious redhead looking to murder me.

For that second week, I only saw Bo at mealtimes with her spending the rest of the week locked away in her room, but in the third week she'd finally come out. After giving a weak apology for her behaviour, she'd shown me her armour and the jetpack and once she realised that we'd be heading to this planet, and how isolated it was, she'd extracted the promise that now had me dodging she bolts as she flew high above the trees and peppered the ground with blaster fire.

"This is what full contact is to Mando'ade!" She countered, her enjoyment easy to hear in her voice.

I ignited my lightsaber and swatted away her latest volley of fire. While the bolts were, I hoped, set to a lower power setting given that I was just in my Jedi robes, they'd likely still hurt. Plus, as much as I would never admit this to Bo, this was a good way to not only improve my ability with Soresu and Shien but to see what elements of the forms I could adapt into my personal style.

Two of my deflected bolts went whizzing back towards her, but they bounced harmlessly off her new armour, which made her laugh.

"Is that the best you've got?" She snarked even as she continued to pepper me with blaster fire. "Or is facing a full Mandalorian with a jetpack the limit of your abilities?"

I scowled at her teasing, though I wasn't really irritated. After three weeks of dealing with angry, frustrated or bored Bo, seeing her let loose and enjoy herself was a relief. Still, I couldn't let the challenge go unanswered.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you," I replied.

I ignored her latest burst of fire and pulled the Force into me. The world around slowed down and, as I tracked the individual bolts as they moved far slower than before, almost like they were crawling. I moved easily around the bolts, letting them sail harmlessly past me, before accelerating towards a tree under Bo.

Her blaster fire followed, but even with her helmet tracking my movements – something I'd learnt it could do during Bo's excitement to tell me about her new armour and jetpack – I was able to outpace the bolts. Once close to the tree, I leapt, planted a foot on the trunk and used the Force to leap high into the air.

I brought my blade above my head, planning to land a blow to a critical area of the armour. By the few terms we'd agreed on beforehand, that would signal victory for me and end the duel. However, while I was in mid-air, Bo turned and aimed a gauntlet at me.

The Force called out a warning, and I brought my lightsaber down to defend, however with me being airborne, and unused to fighting in such a location, I was a fraction slow.

"Oof!" I grunted out as my momentum towards Bo was stopped as a metallic cable impacted my chest and lashed around my upper torso. While it didn't make me drop my lightsaber, it did trap my arms against my body.

A further warning from the Force had me phasing through the cord the moment it wrapped itself around me, saving me from a nasty shock as the cable electrified.

I landed in a roll, avoiding another volley of blaster fire, and countered by sending a concentrated blast of the Force towards Bo. While she was able to dodge it easily, it gave me time to reset my stance.

"Right, no more mister nice guy," I muttered before I reached out and grabbed Bo's ankle with the Force.

While I couldn't see her face due to her helmet, I sensed her shock as she was suddenly pulled down hard towards the ground. A smirk crept onto my face as she slammed into a tree, forcing one of her pistols to fall from her hand, then bounced off a branch as I dragged her down.

She impacted the ground with enough force to send a small cloud of dust into the air, but that didn't bother me. With the Force to guide and show me where to go, I was moving towards her the moment she impacted the ground, my smirk having grown into a full-blown smile as I did.

… …



… …

"Why didn't you use your beskad?" I asked as we sipped on some water after finishing our spar. As I'd expected, once I'd gone all out I'd had no problem winning the spar, but there were a few moments where, in hindsight, I felt Bo could've taken the initiative; mainly by drawing her beskad as a counter to my lightsaber. Oh, I'd have still won, but that would've at least given her a slight chance of scoring a lucky hit or two.

Bo glared at me from over the top of her canteen, then glanced down at her waist where the weapon hung. Nothing verbal came, but from the slight shift in her shoulders, I had a suspicion about why she'd not used it.

"Look, how about later, once I'm done with meditating, I will show you some basic lightsaber velocities," I said. Her brow creased and she lowered the canteen, but I kept going to prevent her from shooting my idea down before I explained it. "I'm well aware that a beskad isn't a lightsaber. However, the most basic lightsaber fighting styles, Shii-Cho and Makashi – which is what Master Dooku specialises in – are based on grounded blade work. I've already adapted some of the velocities for when I train with my beskad."

"I thought you weren't allowed to train with that," Bo asked as she resecured the cap on her canteen.

"I am, but only under supervision from Master Dooku," I replied as I recapped my canteen. We both then attached them to our belts as I continued. "I might not like it, but any time to train with it is better than none."

"I guess," Bo muttered before turning and beginning the short walk back to the Ne'tra Sartr. While Bo, Fay and Dooku all thought I'd chosen the name as a reference to my verd'goten – and though they weren't entirely wrong – there was a double meaning. In Basic, the name meant Black Pearl and while I didn't see myself as being at all like Captain Jack – I'll leave that to Hondo – I did like the name of his beloved ship.

As we rounded the final corner and the dark metallic frame – with sections coloured dark purple courtesy of Adonai – of the ship came into view, I felt my heart skip a beat once more. This was mine. Oh sure, there were technicalities that meant the official ownership wasn't with me, but those didn't matter. The Sartr was mine, and every time seeing her and realising that made me happy inside. I remembered how I'd felt when I'd gotten my first car – an old 2005 Ford Focus – but this was… several orders of magnitude greater.

This prototype version was a fair bit longer than the transports featured in The Clone Wars, and MandalMotors had clearly done its best to meet Adonai's expectations. After living amongst them for so long, I was well aware that the Kom'rk-class was not a traditional Mandalorian design, both in terms of structure and definitely in terms of armament. I had little doubt that the angular and stylish design of the hull was commissioned by the New Mandalorians, but MandalMotors seemed to understand that the baseline design that they were given was paltry to what one of the last True Mandalorian Dukes would merit, and had done their best to bring it up to combat standards.

Instead of the single dual laser cannon on the nose, the ship now sported four banks of Laser cannons across both the dorsal and ventral rear wing sections. The front tips of the outer wings had been converted into missile launchers, while the mandibles had been outfitted with proton torpedo launchers. The dual laser cannon on the nose had been replaced with a heavy quad turbolaser turret, with supplementary dual turbolasers running longwise along the wings. As we passed under the structure, I also noted the two mass driver cannons that had been affixed to the underside of each wing.

As much as my masters would scold me for admitting it, I'd fallen in love with the ship the moment I'd first laid eyes on it. Now when I'd been reborn, I'd wistfully dreamed about getting the Millennium Falcon as most fans would, but that ship was a freighter. This…was not. The Ne'tra Sartr was as close to a pure combat ship as it could get without having been structurally designed as such.

"Do you two want a moment alone?" I turned to see Bo watching me, an amused smile dancing on her face with her hair caught in the breeze.

"Sorry. I'm still enjoying the fact I have a ship to myself." I explained, which made her smile grow.

"Aye, I know. Just weird seeing you this… starstruck," she shook her head, making her hair fly around even more. She took a step closer then sniffed the air and made a face. "Come on, I need something to eat, and you need a shower." She pulled back and turned, walking towards the ramp leading into the Sartr.

I chuckled at her behaviour, then after giving my ship one last look over, followed her.

… …



… …

"We have been over this many times already, Cameron," Fay replied to the query with far more patience than I likely would've shown in her place. "The Dark Side of the Force is not something to be trifled with, or even deeply studied. It only takes one serious mistake before your path is forever clouded by the Dark Side."

"I am aware of that, Master. However I'm not sure why certain abilities are considered to be 'Dark Side'," I explained, using my fingers to place air quotes around my last two words as we sat cross-legged and facing each other on a hill not far from the Ne'tra Sartr. Bo was currently onboard in her quarters, thus probably working on her armour, jetpack or weapons while Dooku was somewhere to the south, having left for a walk a few hours ago.

This conversation – one of two that happened daily – along with thrice-daily meditation sessions, had been a regular part of my day since we'd left Mandalore. We'd been on Aesolian for a few weeks now and save for my sparring sessions with Bo – where I regularly won – or my duels with Dooku – where I regularly lost –not much had happened.

For the three weeks it had taken us to get here, I hadn't asked questions about the Dark Side or the powers linked to it, but since arriving, I had. Not because I wanted to become a Sith – both visions in the crystal cave on Ilum still held little interest to me – but because I needed to understand the Jedi mindset. Now, while neither Fay nor Dooku were, in the current Order, conventional Jedi, Fay was at least, more traditional in her approach to how things should be done with regards to the Dark Side. This was probably why these sessions were mainly handled by Fay as it saved Dooku from having to try to convince me on a few issues when he himself didn't entirely agree with them.

"The Jedi High Council – be that the current one, or any previous incarnation of it for as long as the modern structure has existed – designates abilities and usages of the Force as Dark Side in nature due to their inherent intent to cause harm, alter the natural order of the living universe, or unbalance the Force," Fay explained, once more sounding as if she was quoting from a rulebook. Which, in a sense, she was as the Jedi tenets were more than just the Code. The Code was meant as a guiding principle/centring mantra for Jedi while the tenets set down by the various councils were designed to govern the Order. "Yes, there are times when some of those abilities can be used in ways that do not violate those issues, however, their primary applications are aggressive and destructive in nature."

"So why aren't powers like elemental manipulation classified as Dark?" I asked as I turned one palm upwards and ignited a small ball of fire in my hand. This was only something I'd realised I could do about a week ago during one sparring session with Bo. She'd finally broken out the trademark flamer that Mandalorians liked to use. I'd become semi-trapped in a small crevasse somewhere to the north, and instead of blocking the flames with a barrier, I'd tried to control them.

However, instead of simply stopping the flames as I'd expected, they'd almost taken on a life of their own and arched back towards Bo. She'd been unscathed by the incident – her temperature-controlled armour being enough to prevent anything more than light scorching of her outer suit – and I'd stopped the flames an instant later, but from then on, I'd started spending more time with my kinesis powers to see what they could truly do.

"Fire is something that primarily destroys anything it touches, yet the ability to control and manipulate it isn't something considered Dark." I finished as the ball floated around my hand.

Honestly, I didn't expect this line of questioning to lead anywhere, but I was curious how Fay would explain the apparent contradiction away. Mainly so that, when the time came, I'd know how to phrase things in my own mind when teaching others.

I felt another pull on the fireball in the force, and recognizing the presence as Fay's, allowed her to take control of the flames. The small ball – no bigger than my fist – floated over to her hand and rested there as she replied. "While fire does indeed primarily destroy all it touches, that isn't all it does. From the ashes of most naturally occurring fires, the land will be restored and regenerated and harnessing flames for warmth and cooking is a common thread in the ancient histories of many sentient species." The fireball began to move around her hand, copying what I'd been doing, though I saw that she also had it spinning on its own axis as it did so. "Then there is the fact that without the stars, life as we know it could never have evolved." She added with a smile as she pinched her index finger and thumb, and the flames vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Fire is a part of the natural cycle on most worlds, and yes while some worlds have too much or too little 'fire'," here she copied me again by making air quotes, "and chemical fires often don't allow for the natural cycle of regrowth to begin again, on the whole, the ability, as rare as it is for someone among our Order to use, does not violate the natural order of the universe."

That explanation was close to what I'd expected; both as a way to explain how fire manipulation was acceptable to the Jedi and on how to explain it. Still, it didn't mean I wasn't going to see how I could use Pyrokinesis and the similar powers I had to fight, nor not use them as a method to probe about why certain other powers were considered 'Dark'.

"The same also applies to the ability to control the winds or water," she continued as I felt the Force around her swirl gently, as with a wave of her hand, a small sphere of water rose from a nearby puddle and came to rest floating above her other hand. "Those are natural components of most planet's weather cycles. However, the ability we term Sith Lightning has no value beyond a desire to destroy, hurt or kill. Now, the same basic purpose of Sith Lightning can be achieved by manipulating natural lightning, however, that isn't the main purpose of those abilities. Nor do they grow more powerful as they inflict pain on a target as Sith Lightning is known to do."

"Understood," I replied, which drew a small smile from her. I'd expected her counters, though maybe not for her to jump so quickly to Sith Lightning. I hadn't been planning to bring that power up as I already had a decent understanding as to why that was a Dark Side power; though Fay's words helped reinforce why it was regarded as such; and why what I'd done to the Trandoshan on Tatooine had so concerned my masters. Though, in my opinion, the walking lizard had it coming. Kriffing moron trying to take the one thing I had that linked me to Dooku and Fay earned a painful death.

"What about something else I came across in the Archives? There was a time when, supposedly, the Jedi and Sith used the Force to alter objects on a subatomic level." I started slowly, wanting to hear her thoughts on that. I doubted she would let me train up Inanimate Conversion willingly but understanding why it was classed as Dark was something I was interested in. Mainly because the Archives hadn't been forthcoming with an answer for a Padawan, which made perfect sense as – to use a mixed metaphor – you don't teach children how to build nukes. "I understand the potential for abuse that exists there, however, wouldn't the ability to alter grass or leaves into bacta, or free someone pinned by durasteel by turning it into water or air be something a Jedi would wish to know?"

"It sounds as if you're speaking of Force Alchemy," Fay answered as her brow knotted slightly. "That is linked to our aversion to the disruption of the natural order. The idea of altering something in such a way violates some of the oldest tenets our Order holds itself to and was partially responsible for one of the early Great Schisms within our Order."

That was something that had been hinted at in the historical documents I'd studied during my short time as an Initiate, though the records were – on purpose I had to believe – vague. Though it seemed as if Fay wasn't finished as she continued.

"There is also the issue that several species are, unlike most, descended from plants, rocks or other apparently inanimate sources." She paused and looked to one side, a small smile coming to her face. "Do you remember Master Saa?" I nodded. "Her species, the Neti, evolved from plants. If a Force user did as you suggested, and altered grass into bacta, would a Neti such as Master Saa be able to hear and feel their pain? How would doing such a thing be any different, at least to such species, then altering the flesh of an animal while it is still alive?"

"It wouldn't be, Master," I answered, "and I understand your reasoning. I simply wished to know about what the ability entailed. The documents I studied were vague enough that my curiosity was piqued." I explained, though the fact she started to frown meant she didn't entirely believe me. "Don't worry, Master. I don't ever plan to alter any living being in such a way," I added, hoping to alleviate the concern that I was just beginning to sense and I was being honest.

While the ability to alter one thing into another via Inanimate Conversion had the potential to be very useful in the future, I had no interest in messing with something that was alive. Though I understood that that ability, and any Jedi-designated 'Dark Side' power I currently had, or could potentially learn in the future, would get me in serious trouble if it was discovered. Shab, the Jedi might even decide that, for the greater good, it was better if I was locked up for life – or worse, earn myself the attention of a strike team of Jedi Shadows – than to simply expel me from the Order.

"Very well. Now, let us return to the main point of today's session." I just barely managed to stop myself from groaning, but Fay must've picked up on my frustration as her lips twitched upwards. "I understand why you feel bored of the topic. We've been speaking on this topic daily for over a month. Yet I hope you understand why Master Dooku and I feel the need to repeat and reinforce the message is necessary; particularly before we meditate on the matter?"

"I need to, at the very least, learn how to temper my emotions, and understand why it's needed, lest I run the risk of my emotions mixing with the Force. If that happens, then there's a possibility that my darker needs, desires and impulses may bleed into the bond I share with the Force, corrupting both it and me." I replied slowly. I felt I understood the reasoning applied by the Jedi in general, and my masters, in particular. Though I didn't entirely agree with the approach that all emotions were dangerous; just that any carried the risk to make one prone to errors in judgement, yet that was true of anyone even if my ability to use the Force made such errors carry a far higher potential for chaos.

"While not perhaps how I would put it, that is a generally acceptable, if still incomplete, answer," Fay responded after a short gap, giving me a soft smile as she did. She glanced past me, in the general direction of where the Ne'tra Sartr rested before continuing. "What is also true is that, due to your inclination with forming bonds with those around you, you are at risk not just from your emotions, but that of others as well. While all Jedi must learn to let go of these attachments – to ensure that they are in control of their emotions and not the reverse – you, I feel, will also have to be mindful that the emotions of others don't lead you astray." She paused and sighed. "While Master Dooku and I accept that you are still young, and weren't raised in the Temple like most Padawans, the strength of your connection to the Force, and that time raised outside the Order means it is a concern that we feel needs to be continually addressed.

"And Bo being here isn't going to help with that," I added with a chuckle as the unmistakable sound of a blaster being fired somewhere close to the ship echoed around us. Slowly Bo's boredom was becoming a factor, as beyond our spars, and the occasional time Dooku was willing to indulge her in a spar of their own – which never went well for Bo, but she didn't complain – the girl was getting very, very restless. Kriff, yesterday morning I'd found her figuring out ways to make explosives from various components of the Ne'tra Sartr! While I could spend more time with her to help alleviate her boredom, between sessions with Fay and Dooku, developing my personal lightsaber style – which wasn't showing in the Interface as it wasn't considered a skill – working on the Ne'tra Sartr to improve my mechanical skills and speaking with HK about Revan and their adventures I barely had any time during the day to spare. Though perhaps there was a way to use HK to help with that issue.

While I was a long way away from being able to construct a droid body suitable to my (never mind HK's) standards, Bo would surely have ideas for current military tech I could incorporate. While HK would know what he wanted, a lot of his weapon knowledge was millennia out of date, so having someone to help with that would certainly be useful.

Fay laughed serenely, drawing me from my ideas about how to deal with Bo's boredom – and the potential danger it placed me in. "Yes and no. While miss Kryze being here is a distraction from your studies with Master Dooku and me, and thus makes it harder for you to focus on your Jedi training, having someone around whom you share a bond of friendship with maybe be of benefit in learning how to handle your emotions and the desire to help others with their problems instead of your own." There was a pause as her smile took on a mischievous quality.

"It might also be useful in learning to control any desires you begin to feel. You are both young and growing, and Miss Kryze, when not trying to kill you in your sparring sessions, is certainly blossoming into an attractive young lady." I felt my face erupt in a blush at Fay's comment and opened my mouth to retort, but Fay kept going. "There is nothing wrong with such feelings, Cameron, nor that they could evolve between the pair of you. However, there is a risk to any Jedi that attachments formed from such feelings can place us in danger of the ever-present threat of the Dark Side. With Miss Kryze here and this being a controlled environment, we can use this as an exercise in controlling your desires and in not letting them determine your focus."

While I wanted to retort, my mind had turned to thoughts of Bo. Barring that kiss on a dare, Bo hadn't shown any interest in me, yet I couldn't deny Fay's words about her. I had a thing for redheads and strong women and Bo ticked both those boxes along with, for a teenager, being attractive.

All that made me sigh as I realised, irritably, that my second puberty was going to be so much kriffing fun.


… …


… …

"Answer: You are indeed correct, master. That is when the creator, while suffering from the Jedi's trickery, first met the whiny Jedi meatbag," HK replied to my confirmation about when Revan and Bastila first 'met' on Taris. "Conjecture: I do often wonder if my creator would have been better served by leaving that Jedi in the cage, or at least in keeping her restrained. It would certainly have helped with dealing with her incessant whining about the Jedi and how they should do things."

I chuckled as HK made his comment in response to my question about Revan's time on Taris; specifically, when he discovered Bastila in the Black Vulkar base. Since arriving on Aesolian slightly over a month ago I'd been spending daily sessions with HK. Mostly these had been to see what he knew about the time when Revan, Bastila and their group took down Malak and to see how it tracked with what I remembered from playing the game. So far, there'd been a few minor details that didn't align, and HK had been filling me in on other minor events that happened with the crew. Those normally happened during the downtime onboard the Ebon Hawk, and while most wouldn't work in the retelling of KOTOR that I was planning to write, they were still interesting titbits to learn about.

We'd been going over the events on Taris, and while HK hadn't been there directly, he had gotten most of the story from T3. Thus, I was getting a re-retelling of the events via two droids with HK offering observations on several incidents that had happened on-planet.

"Observation: Master, if I may be so bold, your knowledge about the key events of the creator's exploits to take down his treacherous former friend and follower is far more detailed than I would have expected from someone in this era. Even taking into account your explanation of how you arrived in this time, there are still gaps in my logic patterns for explaining this. Conjecture: If I did not know better, I would speculate that you know more about the events we are discussing than you are letting on."

"And if I do?" I asked, curious to see how the droid would react to my non-confirmation. It would serve both as a way to determine how intelligent HK truly was and how much loyalty he felt towards me.

HK was silent for a short while, likely as it considered hundreds of thousands of ways to phrase his response.

"Advisement: If that is the case master, then I would suggest being careful about when and to whom you reveal such knowledge until you are prepared. Addendum: The Jedi of this time seem to be just as blinkered about things that do not conform to their expectations and ideals as they were during the creator's time. Indulgence: It will be so gratifying to witness their horror of realisation in their last moments of functionality. "

I sighed and shook my head. "It certainly does seem to be the case that the Jedi are often inflexible when it matters. Though since we're currently stuck in the middle of nowhere, I wouldn't call either of my masters conventional, even if Master Fay is closer to the traditionalist camp than Master Dooku, and I'm far from being an ideal Jedi." Which was a good thing as the Jedi of this era – at least in the timeline without me present – had missed a Sith Lord becoming Chancellor, orchestrating a war with the primary goal of weakening then destroying the Order and establishing an Empire that ruled over the broken remains of the Republic. Though even before that, it had become clear to me that over the last millennia the Jedi had retreated from the galaxy as a whole, and instead of trying to make things better, they'd tied themselves to the Senate's coattails and worked on 'keeping the peace' as determined by generations of corrupt and misguided politicians.

"Assurance: Being anything but an ideal Jedi can only be a good thing, master. The Jedi as a whole, while potentially dangerous opponents are restrained by their flawed ideals and lack understanding of how the galaxy works away from their ivory tower. Recollection: The Creator often spoke of how the Jedi had 'become so blinded by their belief that the Force was all that mattered that they seemed to have forgotten that even those not able to become Jedi or Sith can influence the Force'. They focused on the abstract to such an extent that they neglected the present and tangible."

"Aye, that's still true," I replied with a dejected nod. If the Jedi weren't so inward-looking, I think I could, maybe, see myself staying in the Order for a long, long time. Sadly, that wasn't the case, and I already had dozens of plans for the future where being in the Order and enacting those plans conflicted.

Still, if HK could see this then perhaps it was time to, if not outright reveal what I knew – as doing so wasn't possible due to TPTB – then at least hint at it. And get HK to begin developing his own strategies for how to deal with what was to come. "I've been having… I wouldn't say visions, but continual feelings that something dark and dangerous is lurking in the shadows." I paused, playing up the dramatics to sell things to HK. "There's a war coming. I can feel it in my bones, so to speak, and it's going to be big. Yet I fear the Jedi, or at least the overwhelming majority, with their inward-looking nature and willingness to blindly follow the Senate, wouldn't see what is happening until it is too late."

"Contemplative: From what I discovered on the Holonet when we still had access to it, that is certainly a possibility. Conjecture: There are several fracture events in the Republic – with most being in the Outer Rim – that, with a judicial application of external pressure, could erupt into war. These events could possibly be tied together to inflame a larger conflict; one capable of engulfing the entire Republic in glorious bloodshed. Admission: My servos are vibrating with the thought of so many meatbags to spill. Cautionary: It would be advisable for you to begin preparations for such a potential conflict, master. While I have only known you a short time, you appear far more attentive than most other Jedi I've encountered."

"Well thanks, I think." I chuckled. "Though I've already begun planning for it. After all, why else would I spend a year on Mandalore training with a group famous for knowing how to kill Jedi and Sith without the Force?"

Before anything else could be said the door beeped. I reached out through the Force and recognized the Force presence of the person outside my room, which I confirmed by checking my minimap. "We can continue this another time," I said to HK before speaking louder. "Yes, Bo?"

The doors slid open, and Bo stepped in. Her eyes had narrowed a touch, though what caught my attention was that she wasn't wearing her armour – save for her gauntlets – and was dressed in only the beskar under-weave. That clung tightly to her limber frame and, as she unintentionally sauntered towards me, for the umpteenth time since that talk, my mind wandered back to Fay's words about Bo and how her being here might affect me.

Kriffing stupid second puberty.

"So, I looked through the ship's database and there's a few things that might work," she began as she slid onto the bed beside me, seemingly oblivious to the frown that had formed on my face at remembering Fay's words. "The Westar 34 likely couldn't be modified how you want, however the DE-10 could." She continued as she slid a datapad onto the table in front of HK, turning it so the droid could browse what was onscreen.

There was a brief pause as HK scanned the pad. "Analysis: This appears to be a suitable choice for this particular feature. A fine choice meatbag."

I watched and felt Bo bristle at the meatbag comment, just as she'd done every other time HK had used it. Neither Fay nor Dooku were overly happy about the term either, but after explaining to all of them that HK used it because Revan had programmed him that way after HK referred to Malak as that, they had grudgingly accepted it. Though HK now seemed to take enjoyment in using the term almost excessively to annoy them, with only Bo visibly reacting to it.

"Stop calling me that!" She snarled as her fists clenched, once more showing her dislike of the term.

"Indignation: I do not understand why you find the term insulting. Are you not a bag of meat containing mostly water?" HK asked back and while he hadn't used the 'mockery' prefix, it sure sounded as if he was mocking Bo, which made me wonder if he was recycling comments that he'd made to Malak millennia ago.

Bo's anger, even without the klaxon it was setting off in the Force, was easy to spot and I placed my hand on her forearm, preventing her from attacking the droid head that could so easily get under her skin. While I did sympathise with her and the others for HK's constant jibes, I felt she needed to learn to control her temper better as it was an obvious flaw to exploit, and HK clearly knew that.

"That's enough!" I stated firmly as Bo tried and failed to pull away from my grip, which was all but impossible as I used the Force to enhance my strength to a level that a Wookie would need to work to overpower at least. Actually, I honestly had no idea if I could overpower a Wookie, but even with my Strength almost maxed and boosted to the fullest by Enhance Stat, I doubted I could. "Bo, you know why HK uses the term, so try to control yourself better. HK, please, stop riling her up so much."

Neither replied to me, though I felt Bo stop struggling against my grip and sink back onto the bed. "I still don't think giving a droid hidden weaponry is a good idea." She mumbled out as she continued to glare at HK whose optical receptors seemed to fluctuate in response to her words. "Especially not a jare'la protocol droid."

"Trust me," I replied, which only resulted in her turning her glare towards me. Before she could retort, an idea came to me. While helping me to consider weaponry for HK had helped alleviate some of her boredom with being stuck on this world, it wasn't going to help forever. But there was something I could reveal that, if it worked, would not only improve her trust in me but get her far more interested in the project.

I flicked my free hand and the unmistakable sound of the door locking echoed through the room. Bo's brow rose at my actions, and I sensed trepidation coming from her before I started to speak. "Can you keep a secret?" I asked. Yes, it was a blunt thing to do, but Bo wasn't one for subtlety and subterfuge. Her brow rose as she considered my words before slowly, cautiously, she nodded. "HK isn't a simple protocol droid. Oh, he can serve as one, if you can put up with his speech patterns being just as likely to incite violence as translate what you say."

"Objection: Master, I must protest. I do not always intentionally go looking for violence, I merely draw the tendencies of meatbags to prefer it to the surface."

"HK-47 was the personal assassin droid of Revan when he turned to the Dark Side," I continued, ignoring HK's comment. "He served with him while Revan was a Sith, and during his return to the Jedi, right up until Revan disappeared into the Unknown Regions, at which point he spent a good length of time with one of his top generals." I watched as Bo's eyes widened in response to what I was saying. "He fought alongside both Revan and Te Taylir Mand'alor."

"Recollection: Now there was a fine meatbag, master. Assessment: Well trained, battle-hardened, and highly efficient; for a meatbag."

At HK's brief review of Canderous, I had to fight back a chuckle as Bo very obviously tried to conceal her surprise and excitement. She looked between HK and me for nearly half a minute.

"You're telling me that this worthless droid head," HK began to reply – likely with a biting retort – but Bo continued talking over him, "was not only owned by Naast be Me'suum but fought with Te Taylir Mand'alor when they defeated Darth Malak?" I nodded and Bo's head whipped around to HK and leaned closer, her free arm resting on the table. "Tell me everything." She demanded.

"Another time," I interjected before HK could respond. Bo's head snapped back to me, but that was what I wanted. "Bo, neither of my masters know this. Haran, the only other person who knows is your father. Duke Torrhen suspects, but he's never asked me directly about it." I glanced at HK. "If my masters or anyone else learns the truth before I've rebuilt his body to a sufficiently advanced level," I shook my head, "they'd have him destroyed, and in the case of the Jedi, probably have me locked away in a prison no one outside the High Council and other senior members of the Order know about."

Silence fell over the room as I waited for Bo to process what I'd just said and respond.

She pulled back – and I let go of her forearm which I'd still been holding – just enough to generate some distance between us before shaking her head. "Jedi are di'kute." She muttered as a faint smirk came to her lips. "I keep forgetting that because of you."

"Commentary: Like the creator, my new master is far from a normal Jedi. Thank the maker." HK added in support, which drew a chuckle from Bo.

"Aye. If you and Serra had been normal Jedi," she cringed as she said that bit, "I doubt either of you would've lasted more than a month on Mandalore."

"Query: Serra?"

I turned to HK. "A fellow Jedi Padawan and friend. She came with me to Mandalore to train, though she'd back at the Temple now; and causing trouble because she fights 'dirty'." I finished, having turned back to face Bo.

The redhead chuckled once more "That I'd love to see. Though 'fellow Jedi and friend'? That's how you want to describe her?" Bo's chuckle turned into a gentle laugh that was unexpectedly pleasant to hear. When she finished, she leaned close to HK, though kept her eyes on me. "Serra followed Cam around like a love-sick Kath hound. But of course, he's a Jedi so he won't return her feelings."

"It's not like that and you know it," I countered quickly. From that very brief – but not entirely inaccurate description – I suspected HK would begin to compare Serra to Bastila which would be unfair. Serra wasn't as skilled as Bastila – yet – nor as much of a sycophant for the Jedi way as Bastila had been, at least not at first. Thank the Force. I very deliberately did not allow myself to contemplate what HK's more likely deductions could imply, instead deciding to attempt a deflection. "Besides, if I recall correctly, you spent a good deal of time chasing after her when she was on Mandalore."

Bo smirked and leaned back. "Hey, I liked what I saw, and when you look like me, why not flaunt it?" she asked as she spread her arms wide and back, forcing her developing chest to push up against the tight under-weave she was wearing. She smirked as she caught my eyes wandering south of her face, as I no doubt thought she wanted. "See? Even you can't resist me. Shame you're not my type."

I shook my head as a smile came to my face. While I sensed the faint hint of something behind her bravado in the Force, I wasn't going down that road. "Anyway," I started, drawing out the word to help me chance the topic, "you need to keep quiet about HK and what type of body I'm really designing for him"

Bo mimed zipping her lips shut before a large smile spread across her face as I sensed anticipation and excitement radiating from her in waves. "So, now that I know the truth, what exactly are your plans for his chassis? Besides the hidden blasters in his forearms."

A shook my head even as I laughed. Of course, Bo's interest would be piqued at wondering how I was going to rebuild and rearm a walking death trap. Then again, this was one of the reasons why I'd asked for her help in the first place.

"I was thinking of staying close to the original build. Keep the red-rust colour and, at least initially, use hardened durasteel for the frame."

Bo scoffed and tutted dramatically then pointed at HK as she responded. "This isn't a simple combat droid you're building. This is a legend you're rebuilding. Durasteel is too common, too basic for such a weapon." She turned her focus to HK and gave the head a once over. "If we can find it, I'm thinking of a high-quality beskar alloy to start. If we could get our hands on cortosis or maybe some phrik initially, we could coat all of your joints and internals in it to give you more of an edge over a Jedi. Then, of course, we've got to redo your ideas for his weaponry. Two hidden blasters simply won't do."

I had to fight off an urge to roll my eyes at how serious and excited she was as she listed ideas for how to rebuild and improve HK.

"Contemplative: Such upgrades would be acceptable. Theory: Master, I believe I am beginning to like this meatbag. She has potential."

Bo laughed at the compliment – or what HK thought was one – as I noted that she failed to react to being called a meatbag once more even as a cold shiver travelled down my spine. What was I unleashing on the galaxy; and what kind of mayhem and chaos would they unleash.

As Bo picked up the pad and began jabbing away at it rapidly I made a silent promise to make sure to never be in their combined line of sight. Watching them unleash hell wouldn't be fun when it was aimed at me.

… …



… …

I sat quietly in my room with the lights off. Bo had taken HK to her room to speak with the droid about Revan, Canderous, the others with them, and the battles they'd fought. While that was likely not all they'd discuss (I suspected they'd go over battles, combat tactics and weaponry) it did allow me a few hours each day of quiet time to reflect on every past spar, duel and battle where I'd used my lightsaber.

What had quickly become obvious was that I was, as both Dooku and HK had observed, very predictable in my movements. Or I was to anyone who understood Makashi to a decent degree. Against my fellow Padawans and a good chunk of Knights, I'd still be able to win by just sticking to the Makashi form book, but against anyone even decently skilled, I was just waiting to lose. All in all, it was a sad state of affairs.

Though while reviewing my spars with Dooku, I'd spotted a few things. Namely, in the ones we'd had since my time on Mandalore, he'd begun to incorporate a variety of new techniques and velocities that were wholly unfamiliar. A slight change in his footwork here, an altered blade angle or body twist there was enough to always surprise me. Why he'd added these elements wasn't clear, but I liked to think it was due to my skill – however mechanical – with Makashi and my younger age and greater stamina that forced him to adapt. Though that may just be my ego talking. Regardless of when or why he'd altered his personal style, it was of little help to me; save for showing why a personal style was needed.

From these meditation/review sessions, I'd come to some basic points on what I'd likely do. Like Dooku, Makashi would stay the foundation of my style, though I was thinking of incorporating far more elements and velocities of other forms into it.

The most obvious issue with Makashi that I needed to overcome was its footwork. As I'd painfully learnt when fighting the two Death Watch leaders – and inadvertently saved a kriffing Sith Lord in the process – was that Makashi was extremely linear in how you were meant to move. Against two skilled combatants at close range, be they other Force Users or people skilled in combating Force users, it was something that, if used by someone insufficiently skilled in the form, would result in their death. This problem would, from my own thoughts and talking with Dooku, be multiplied exponentially the more opponents one had to face.

Shii-Cho, while allowing me to move faster and face multiple opponents easier, but from what I'd seen, it was far too basic, being classified as the initiate's form. I could only imagine what Dooku would say if I wanted to go back to Shii-Cho study. Soresu was also out as it lacked any meaningful ability to counter an attack and was far too passive for my tastes. Ataru held some promise, though I'd have to find a way to not do all the overly dramatic flips, spins and tricks the form was renowned for. From sparring with Dooku, I'd seen the folly of such an approach unless you were shorter or more flexible (or preferably both) than the average Force user. And while there were elements of both Shien and Djem So that seemed interesting to adapt into my style, next to nothing in the footwork suited a finesse-based approach to lightsaber combat.

While Niman might be a form to look at, my skill with the form wasn't great, which meant that I wasn't comfortable integrating it into my style just yet. There was also the issue that, at the lower levels, the form had none of the strengths of the previous forms while simultaneously being a jack-of-all-trades form. That meant that it would take longer to get to a relative skill level than studying other forms would yield. Though realising just how weak the form was at my current level – which was about to where many Jedi who used it as their primary form ever bothered to take it – had me wondering if most of the Jedi who died in the first battle of Geonosis were practitioners of the form. From what I knew of the forms used by survivors, none of them used Niman as a base form.

The one thing that I did plan to adapt into my style that most Jedi that I'd observed didn't was a focus on unarmed combat. Yes, many Jedi were trained in unarmed fighting, but the Jedi's preferred option there was a passive, defensive form, reminding me heavily of Judo or Aikido with their focus on joint locks and quick takedowns. That wasn't how I saw things. Oh, taking someone down quickly was good, but not putting them out of the fight was inefficient. That was something that had been drilled into my brain in my old life, and with a good base in the two Mandalorian combat styles Beskar'rev and Beskar'pel – and with plans to learn as many new combat styles as possible, such as Teras Kasi – using a more aggressive style of unarmed combat felt like the way to go.

Most of my focus had been on my spars with Dooku, but from the few times I'd fought non-Force users, I'd noticed a few things. With Gar, I'd mainly used Soresu to defend myself. That had been both to give him a fighting chance and to limit revealing too much of what I could do to Pre Vizsla; though that had been made worthless as I'm sure he and others had gone over what recordings they could find of my assault on the Mandalmotors tower multiple times already. While Soresu had worked against Gar – probably due to him lacking experience against Force Users – it was so defensive and passive that I knew I'd never be a big user of the form.

Shien felt more natural as it was about defending and redirecting ranged attacks back at the attacker, which was a better fit for how I approached combat. With Bo here, it was easy to train up my skill in the form, though that girl found it far too amusing blasting away at me for her to be anything but a budding battle junkie. Still, at least that, along with her growing bond with HK, had helped temper her agitation at being away from her home and family towards more constructive activities for me. Now, that wasn't to say she didn't want to leave and know what was going on with her family and people (or that her desire to return and fight had dissipated). More than that she understood she couldn't do anything currently. Which was also helped by me locking her out of the navigational computer.

The only Force user, bar Dooku, that I'd sparred with more than a few times was Serra and while her skill with a lightsaber was far behind mine, her style was so different that it was still worthwhile reviewing our spars. That was in no way disparaging Serra, who was possibly the best duellist in our age group outside of myself. However, thanks to the Interface, learning and evolving any skill for me was far, far easier. Though Serra was remarkably good at countering the skill disparity between us with her comfort of using two…

The memory of one of our spars grew hazy in my mind's eye. Almost as if someone or thing was interfering with my thoughts. Slowly, as it faded away into the ether, darkness engulfed my mind before three faint, moving lines of light sliced through the darkness.

One of the slices was a bright, sinister crimson as if one was staring into the heart of a dying star. Like in the previous times this imagery had appeared to me over the last month or so, it was in opposition to two bars of emerald fire, thrumming with inner light and life. As the opposing sides circled each other, a hiss triggered the arrival of yet another beam of green energy. This one was shorter than the others, and a slightly gentler colour, heralding the soft green of the forest floor in the late afternoon sun. In response, a second spit of fire extended opposite to where the first one swayed; both separate, yet connected.

Without warning, three of the blades of light, one green and two red, charged at each other and were met in a brutal contest. The clashes sent up flashes of light that cast the swirling shadows into even deeper relief, further obscuring the scene. The remaining shafts of light delayed slightly before joining in the fray, though with seemingly negligible effect.

The pair of green blades were suddenly knocked backwards, leaving one remaining emerald shaft to stand alone to guard against the lances of crimson fire. A second later, however, the red glow intensified into a burning joy as it overpowered its single opposition, wheeled about, and thrust into the shadows where a body would be. The shaft of emerald brilliance sputtered, then fell to the ground, dying out into blackness as it did.

A scream echoed through the Force and the saberstaff was sent hurtling backwards in a wave of pain. A wave that was strong enough to hit me like a splash of ice water and abruptly threw me back into my own body.


My eyes shot open and I looked around my cabin rapidly, trying to centre my emotions as I processed the vision. For vision it certainly was. It wasn't my first. I'd had several indistinct visions for the past few weeks since we'd arrived on the planet. However, none of those visions had had even this level of clarity, relatively speaking. Although Force Visions were notoriously open to interpretation and could easily be manipulated – case in point being Anakin's visions of Padme's death – I was fairly confident in a few basic deductions.

From the way they moved, I'd already worked out that the shafts of light represented lightsabers, but beyond that, it became a bit more open to interpretation. The use of a double-bladed lightsaber heavily implied that the Sith was meant to be Maul. The paired green blades reminded me of Serra, with the off-coloured shoto matching the hue of the one I'd crafted for her before she left. However, I was wary of jumping to such assumptions since she was far from the only dual wielder in the Order, and that off-colour was used in other lightsabers as well.

On the other hand, the Force Scream solidified my suspicions that it was indeed Serra.

I continued to practice some breathing exercises as, with my deductions on fairly solid ground, I attempted to further interpret what I saw. For some reason, I was seeing a vision of Serra and another Jedi – highly likely to be Master Drallig – fighting and losing against Maul. Drallig had fallen but before Maul could kill Serra, she'd unleashed a Force Scream at the Sith, catching him off-guard. All I could hope as I calmed down was that a; this was just a vision of a possible future and b; if it was certain to happen, that Serra had the common sense to run instead of engaging Maul alone.

I pushed myself to my feet and swatted down my growing concern for my friend. This vision, if it was even real, wasn't something that I felt was going to happen soon. Though even if it was, being stuck on this world and out of contact with the wider galaxy meant there was nothing I could currently do to warn Serra.

After watching the vision several more times (thank you Eidetic Memory for letting me do that), I felt I understood all I was going to of what I'd seen. As I walked from my quarters, I reached out through the Force.

Bo was still in her quarters, as was HK; which wasn't a surprise as he was just a head. Fay was somewhere outside the range of my minimap, which tracked with what she'd said over breakfast. The closest village to us – which was around fifty kilometres away – was having a market day, so she'd likely gone in to see what supplies she could acquire, taking the speeder that we had found in one of the ship's cargo holds. The people of this world didn't have much use for Republic Credits but there were other things we could trade with them. Fay had a strong connection with nature and was masterful at controlling plants.

While using the Force to gain supplies wasn't strictly allowed by Jedi practices, encouraging plants to grow faster and stronger apparently was. I'd asked her how this didn't drift towards a Dark Side usage of the Force – not that I felt it was – and she'd easily explained that she wasn't altering the natural order of the planet; merely encouraging the plants to grow faster and healthier.

Still, with her gone, that left Dooku as the only person I could talk to and thankfully, he was a few hundred metres away from the ship, in the area we'd set aside for sparring.

I walked outside and quickly found him going through a Makashi velocity. Yet as I watched, I saw him alter his footwork slightly. It appeared as though he was adapting a new velocity into his form. A new velocity geared for – unless I missed my guess – blaster deflection.

"Padawan, I sensed a moment of fear and concern from you earlier," he said as he finished, though without turning in my direction. He turned to face me, a single eyebrow raised as he clipped his now depowered lightsaber back to his belt.

"Yes, Master," I began as he stepped towards me. "I was meditating on how to create my own style when I had… a vision." His other eyebrow rose to join the first. Knowing his history regarding visions, I went into detail. "I was thinking about Serra and how she used dual blades, not that I see myself doing so," I added quickly to cut off any disdain he felt about the approach, "but then things changed. My memory turned dark until it was lit by several lightsaber shafts. Three green, and one red." I paused and looked away for a moment. "I, uh, I've been seeing this for a while now."

"Am I to assume that today something changed?" He asked as he picked up a canteen of water from a nearby crate that we'd brought down from the ship to act as a storage point/makeshift table for the training area.

"Yes. It was much clearer today. I was able to see that one of the green sabers was of shoto length and a second red blade extended in tandem with the first. However, unless I completely misunderstood what I was seeing, a total of three Force users began to fight."

"Hmm, so this vision of yours," his disdain at me having a vision was easy to pick up in his voice, though only because I'd been around him for so many years, "involved two Jedi, one of whom utilised shoto-style Jar'Kai, engaging a saberstaff-wielding Sith." I nodded as he took another sip of water. "From your concern, I surmise that you believe that Padawan Keto was one of the combatants."

I nodded to confirm his theory before replying. "Yes, Master. Plus, there was a cry of pain in the Force after the other Jedi, whom I think might've been Master Drallig, was killed and the Sith turned to finish her off." I paused as I realised that I'd have to reveal something that Serra and I had kept quiet for over a year. "The remaining Jedi… they screamed into the Force. I, I've felt and heard that scream before from Serra." I stopped realising I'd just revealed something that I wasn't meant to. Quickly, before Dooku could say anything I continued. "When she was… attacked at the Institute, I heard her scream through the Force and when I got to her, her attackers were flung across the room. It's only now, when I heard the scream in the vision, that I realised that she'd used an actual Force Scream."

Dooku was silent for a moment before he responded. "Hmm. While a Force Scream is an ability considered dark by many Jedi, it isn't officially listed as such. Also, given to the intense fear of what happened during that attack, Padawan Keto instinctively using the Force in such a way isn't outside the realm of possibility. However, if she used it again in this vision of yours, there might be a concern that she'll become proficient with the ability. That may well lead to… complications for her within the Order." Dooku didn't need to explain what he meant by complications as I knew he meant she'd be under the same spotlight as I was. Though she already partially was due to our close friendship and shared time on Mandalore.

"I know there's little I can do about the vision currently," I began, bringing the topic back to the vision for now, "I'd still like to speak with her once we leave the planet and return to civilization. For now, I was hoping you could give me some pointers on how to counter a saberstaff wielder."

Now, I knew Dooku would return to the topic of Serra using Force Scream – both in my vision and real-life – but that would likely be done with Fay present. Dooku wasn't one for hand-holding and gentle words when it came to discussing sensitive issues, but he'd want to be a part of that discussion since the power Serra was seemingly learning her affinity for was very close to being a Dark Side power.

"Perhaps," Dooku responded as he tapped his chin. "The Temple Guard are the main group of Jedi who use a saberstaff, though they primarily only use one end in the style of a saberpike. There are a few Jedi who use a more traditional saberstaff, and I know of one whose physiology allows him to use two." He said, thinking out loud for my benefit. "While it is unlikely, were you able to ascertain anything about this Sith's style of fighting?"

"Just that they were very skilled. Skilled enough to be able to repel both Serra and Master Drallig's attacks with ease. There seemed to be elements of multiple styles at play, but it was too obscure to make out more."

"That hints at either Niman or Juyo. Juyo would be the more likely, as it's the form that's historically favoured by the Sith of old." Dooku paused and closed his eyes. I waited patiently as he did this, wondering if he was searching his memories for what he knew of the form. "I believe I can remember the basics of the form, though I will not be able to teach any of that to you." He said after opening his eyes. "The High Council have ruled that learning Juyo is forbidden for Padawans due to the inherent need to brush close to the Dark Side when one channels their battle lust into the form."

I opened my mouth to protest but he continued speaking, denying me the chance to counter. "The primary reason we are on this world was for Master Fay and I to discuss with you the dangers of drawing on the Dark Side and for you to meditate on your actions when you have done so." He stroked his beard as he kept going "That said, I am not averse to showing you some elementary counters to fighting a saberstaff. While they likely would be of little use against a Sith of the calibre to take down Master Drallig, they are a useful starting point for any who wish to learn to counter the unusual fighting style of a saberstaff. Likely with this information, you could begin to devise counters that work with the style you are currently formulating."

He stepped into the rough ring of the sparring area and I followed. At his direction I unclipped my lightsaber and ignited it. While pointers on the basics weren't what I'd hoped to learn, it was better than him dismissing my vision as nothing more than a worrying dream about a friend I hadn't seen outside of holocalls in nearly a year.

Plus, along with speaking to Serra once we left this planet, I had several years before Naboo to enhance and refine a counter style to Maul. While I doubted that I could get to a level where I was able to guarantee victory against the Sith – he was a trained Sith warrior/assassin after all – the sooner I began preparing for that fight, the better my chances of victory would be.


… …


... …

The light of the twin suns high overhead blazed down on me as I walked down the ramp of the Ne'tra Sartr I had to fight off an urge to turn around and leave this stinking osik-hole of a planet. I hated this world and if not for the reason I'd come back here – which had taken some explaining with my masters to convince them to allow me to do so, though there was still a far harder and longer conversation to come – I'd never want to have anything to do with this place ever again. Well, not unless I was returning to take out some Hutts or turn the planet into molten slag.

"Osik, this place is hot," Bo muttered as she followed a step behind and to my right, verbally using the same curse that I'd just used mentally.

"Says the Mandalorian in full temperature-controlled armour," I shot back, though since I had Tapas active the heat wasn't much of an issue for me either. Yet, if I'd had the choice, I'd have taken the armour over having to wear Jedi robes. These things were far less threatening to the locals than a Mandalorian in armour; plus I'd have been able to keep my longer hair. As much as I hadn't thought I'd miss the shoulder-length mop I'd grown on Mandalore, I found myself missing it; and despising my Padawan braid as it was blown into my face for the first – but probably not the last – time today.

"Aye, but I've got no interest in being on this osik'palon of a planet. Besides, I thought you said you'd never come back here again after your verd'goten?"

"I don't hate the planet," I replied, drawing a cough of disbelief from her, "but if I never come here again that'll still be too soon." The hard metal of the ramp gave way to the dusty sand of the planet that covered the entire surface. While there was far less blowing around Mos Espa than the Jutland Wastes, I still knew I'd be spending hours after we returned to the ship getting sand out of everywhere. The sooner we were done with this Sith-cursed shithole the better.

Kriff, Tatooine almost made me miss Aesolian. Almost. But after three months isolated on that backwater of a world with no outside communications – and only detecting four ships coming or going from the planet over the three months we were there – I was willing to deal with a few hours of intense sunlight and sand. Probably.

"So why'd we come here? And why are your masters not coming with us?" Bo asked as I spotted a grey-skinned Duros begin to approach. His eyes darted from me to Bo and back and using the Force it was easy to sense some trepidation. That made sense since he'd just seen a Mandalorian in full armour disembark.

With the Mandalore sector embroiled in a civil war – which we'd caught hints of on the Republic Holonet, though not much in the way of details beyond the Senate and Jedi were monitoring the situation –, the pair of us must've been a confusing and concerning sight. And that was before you took in the fact neither of us were fully grown.

On that note, I was impressed that Bo was sticking to her word to not run back to the sector to help her family. Then again, after speaking with her father once we'd left Aesolian and him revealing that she was now ahead of Satine in his list of chosen successors for clan leadership and that the battles so far had been going well, she'd seemed more willing to not run. Still, before we'd landed, I'd extracted a promise from her to not run off and book passage on another ship to get back home.

"Welcome to Mos Espa. I'm Nam Burrult, docking manager," the Duros said once he had worked up the courage to come closer enough. "Your ship wasn't on the schedule, as such the fee is ninety peggats."

That felt insanely high, as it worked out to about thirty-six hundred Republic credits. A quick application of Observe confirmed the Duros was trying to rip us off as he had a gambling debt to pay off. Not interested in haggling with the alien over his pathetic attempt at highway robbery, I rolled my fingers and replied. "You aren't looking for trouble. You want us to leave as quickly and quietly as possible." I said as I employed a Mind Trick to facilitate a quick passage.

"I'm not looking for trouble. I want you to leave as quickly and quietly as possible." Nam replied in a slightly mechanical manner.

"You'll only charge us the standard landing fee," I added, feeling giddy at getting to use the Mind Trick. Yes, I'd done it before, but there was always something enjoyable about using this particular Force ability.

"I'll only charge you the standard landing fee," Nam droned back. "That'll be 6 peggats." He added as his voice returned to normal and he extended his hand, palm up.

I pulled two thousand-credit chits from a pouch on my belt and dropped it into the outstretched hand. "Closest I've got, and that should cover refuelling and a basic check for the hull for damage," I said as I took a step past him. "Oh, but I'd suggest not going onboard, my master isn't amused when people disturb his meditation."

You Jetii and your tricks," Bo muttered as we walked towards the personal door that led out of the docking area.

"Hey, it saved us from getting ripped off, though why do I think you'd have preferred to handle the Duros a different way," I replied, which drew a chuckle from her.

"Aye, though I'd have hated getting the blood of my armour. That shade of green just isn't my style." She commented, which made me chuckle.

"If you say so, though I have a feeling that if we'd have started a ruckus here the local crime bosses would've come to see what was happening. While I'd have no issues with us doing a little housecleaning, I'd like to keep things on the down-low until we're done. Plus, I'd rather not give my masters another reason to take me for a sabbatical."

"Aye, that wasn't a fun few months. No matter how much you tried to keep my mind occupied," Bo responded, and I saw her shake her head in a reflection of a nearby computer screen. "Thank you, for that. I know I wasn't the best guest, but it's just so…"

Sensing her frustration, I stopped and turned to face her. "I know, and I know how much you'd prefer to be there with your family. But your father needs you to be safe; unless you're fine with Satine being his choice to lead the clan if your brother dies."

While I couldn't see her face due to her helmet, the scoff and wave of irritation and frustration that radiated from her, told me all I needed to know. "That… urgh, don't even want to think about it."

I chuckled at her response. The last three months had resulted in us striking up a closer friendship. True, it was one brought out of boredom on her part and trying to avoid being hurt by her on my part, but it had evolved from there. Bo was very much a person who enjoyed battle and danger, which further explained – along with her issues with her sister –why she'd joined Death Watch in the main timeline. Though after the attack by Death Watch on her family and friends, I felt it highly unlikely that she'd follow that path in this timeline.

"Hey, maybe we get lucky and run into a bunch of muggers while we're walking around," I suggested with a smirk. "Though hopefully they'd not be connected to the Hutts. As much as I despise them, I know, even if my masters were inclined to help, we couldn't take them all down." Though taking out the Hutts was something that had crossed my mind a few times when thinking of things to do that would better the galaxy.

"Aye, that's true. The Hutts… well, the universe would be better off without them. Though you're right in saying it wouldn't be easy. We'd need most of your Order or my people behind us to stand a chance; especially with the connections they're rumoured to have to the Senate."

I nodded in agreement even as I bit back adding my opinions about the Jedi and Republic to the conversation. From our talks, spars, and sessions with HK, she was well aware of my concerns about both groups so there was no need to state them again.

"Anyway, why are we in this backwater city instead of the capital?" She asked as we stepped through the door leading from the docking area to the street outside. I instantly had to step back to avoid a speeder as it shot past.

"Easy there," I muttered as I noticed her hand twitch longingly towards her blaster. For a moment I considered giving it a gentle nudge to cause it to crash, but doing that would place the lives of others at risk, and at the speed it was going it was only a matter of time until the Nikto driving it crashed, so I let the thought go and a moment later the speeder swerved and disappeared down another street. "And to answer your question before you start shooting up the place, you remember how I was ambushed right after my hunt?"

Bo nodded, and from the way her grip on her pistols tightened and the brief surge of anger I sensed from her, she wasn't happy at having that brought up. While there was a chance that the anger was because I almost died, it was more likely that her anger was about someone threatening to interfere in Mandalorian tradition and wanting to teach them the error of their ways. Still, to see her ready to fight because of what happened to me was, strangely, comforting; and possibly a little bit attractive as well.

"Well, when I lashed out and killed that overgrown lizard," that drew a faint snort from her, "I sensed something… someone on this Sithspit of a hellhole. Someone strong in the Force." I continued, giving her a briefer version of the story that I'd spun to Fay and Dooku. I hadn't managed to sense Anakin, which was a little strange as someone with his strength in the Force should be easy to sense even from orbit, but I'd spun a story convincing enough that my masters had agreed to let me return to investigate this feeling. Though why Fay had suggested Bo accompany me instead of either her or Dooku wasn't something I yet knew.

Yet, with me now being in the same city as him, I felt I should be able to sense where he was. As Bo returned her pistols to their holsters, I reached out with the Force and focused on my minimap, waiting to see a sign of a strong Force presence somewhere nearby.

Initially, I sensed nothing impressive, or on the minimap. Oh, there were certainly people around her with some strength in the Force, but nothing with the brightness that I'd expect from Anakin.

"Cam?" Bo asked, meaning I'd stayed still longer than I'd planned as I searched from Anakin through the Force than I'd intended. Yet, nothing was showing. It was almost as if he was shielding his Force signature from everyone, but that would be a strange thing for any strong in the Force to do; never mind a child.

I kept pushing my senses into the city, searching for anything that would stand out. I passed by the docking port, being careful to not touch the signatures of my masters. I'd sold them on sensing someone in this city, so them detecting me searching in the Force might lead to questions I'd rather not have to answer coming up.

I felt Bo's concern rising, but at that moment I felt a ripple. It was faint, as if far from where I was, but it was there. A moment later, a faded blip appeared on my minimap. It was beyond the map's range to the south, and far fainter than I'd expected. Yet something told me this was the signature I was looking for.

"Whoever it is, they're powerful," I muttered as I opened my eyes. Bo was standing close by, her hands still on her pistols, though at least she'd left them in their holsters. "They're hiding themselves from me somehow. That way." I added, pointing in southwards.

I resumed walking, with Bo quickly falling into step beside me. "So why'd you want me to come instead of your masters?" She asked once we'd taken about a dozen steps. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be off the ship – well almost – but this seems like a Jedi thing."

"It was Master Fay's suggestion," I replied as we neared an intersection. "She finds the world uncomfortable, though I'm not sure why, and Master Dooku…" My voice trailed off as we passed a few street-side stalls. While it wasn't blatantly obvious that the people working them were slaves – as they lacked visible restraints – the general sense of disillusion and despair left me in little doubt most of them were. Or they were so in debt to someone – likely the Hutts or those who worked for them – that they might as well be slaves.

Part of me wanted to help, to find the system in place and give them all their freedom. But I knew I couldn't do that. Not now. And even if I somehow was able to remove all the Hutts and their allies on the planet, when I left another member of the Hutt Clans would move in and take over. Or another group would set up shop on the planet. IF I couldn't fix the underlying problems with the planet, then taking out the current ruling faction would be of no long-term benefit. Which had my mind wandering back to the lesson Kreia had given the Exile on Nar Shaddaa. And there was a world that I never wanted to visit.

Bo scoffed, drawing me from my thoughts as we turned the corner at the intersection and headed southeast. "Yeah, he'd really stand out here. Someone would think him an easy mark, even with his lightsaber." She stepped closer as we moved down this new street. It wasn't as wide as the old one, and shadows cast by netting fell over the gaps between the buildings. "And I think someone has that idea for us as well. I've got four beings tailing us since we left the docking area."

I shrugged even as I used the Force and my minimap to find the four she spoke off. "Hardly a surprise. We're a Jedi and Mandalorian pair; and younger ones at that."

"And if they think we're marks?" Bo asked a slight edge to her voice even through the modulator in her helmet that was making her sound slightly older.

The smell of something cooked wafted by as I replied. "In that case, I pity the fool who comes to us looking for trouble." I stopped at a stand from where the smell was coming from and purchased two sticks of Ewok jerky. I doubted it was really from an Ewok; they were sentient creatures after all, but it smelled good and I was feeling a little hungry. "Mainly because unless they've got a lot more help, it won't be much of a workout dealing with them." I finished as I handed one of the sticks to Bo.

She took it as she chuckled, though my focus was on the four who were tailing us. Two had stopped moments after we had, while the other two were going to pass by. Even though I doubted they'd try anything, I still used Observe on the pair to be sure.

Sadly, it seemed I was mistaken as while they were meant to be following me, both were curious what they could get for a lightsaber and beskar. Though I felt my temper flare at learning one of them was curious if a Mandalorian female was any good on their back.

I repressed a sigh as I bit into the jerky, it tasted a bit like venison, slightly sweeter and very tender, I liked it. If they'd just been thinking about attacking, I'd have likely let them go relatively unharmed. But for threatening a friend…

Suddenly I was glad my masters weren't here to restrain my response once these embarrassments to their species gene pools sprung their trap.

… …



… …

In the end, it'd taken us a bit over an hour to work our way through Mos Espa, though most of that time was due to us getting our tail to ambush us. When they had, they'd brought back up and made it eight-on-two. Unsurprisingly, that went about as well for them as four-on-two would've, and I hadn't even needed to unholster my lightsaber. Kriff, I'd barely had to do much more than disarm them of their more dangerous looking weapons – with a subtle gesture and the Force – before Bo stepped in. Less than ten minutes later the group of eight were all lying dead on the ground and Bo had enjoyed a pleasant, if not entirely strenuous, workout.

There was a part of me that knew just allowing her to kill them wasn't the Jedi way, but the greater part of me understood that this was how worlds like Tatooine worked. If we allowed them to live, then they'd only return in greater numbers and try again; possibly even with Hutt-backed support if they had the right connections. Though both Bo and I agreed that it was better if my masters never heard about this attempted mugging if only to avoid another trip to a remote world for months on end.

Interestingly enough, after the failed ambush many people seemed to give us a wide berth. While I wasn't exactly hiding the fact I was a Jedi – my hair had been cut back and I had my Padawan braid back and I was wearing my robes – I wasn't advertising it as I was keeping my lightsaber hidden under my robes. Because of that, we reached our destination quickly, and I looked up at the sign above the door – which was in Galactic Standard and Huttese – I had to fight to keep a smile from creeping onto my face.

Watto's Junkshop

Though my fight failed as the owner of the shop came flying out and spotted us. According to the faint ping I was tracking via my minimap, Anakin wasn't in the shop but somewhere in the junkyard behind with another being. Given Watto was approaching us, I suspected that he was with his mother.

"Hi chuba da nago?" Watto asked in Huttese.

"Achuta, my pee kasa, Cameron Shan," I replied, putting what I knew of the language into practical use for the first time. "Mi naga tah bedwana…" I trailed off, as I saw the alien's brow rise at hearing me speak the local trade language. "Sorry, my Huttese is limited." I finished in Basic, which was technically true. I could speak Huttese well enough that I would be able to carry out negotiations with Watto, but I felt better dropping back into Basic after proving I knew some of the language.

"Understandable for one from the Core," Watto replied, waving one of his arms in what I took as a casual dismissal of my lack of ability to speak Huttese. "Your accent is atrocious, as is your dress sense." He finished with a smirk before his eyes turned to Bo and he rubbed his chin. "Hmm, I'd heard rumblings of two Mandalorians wandering Mos Espa, but I didn't expect them to wander into my shop…" He shook his head before continuing. "Still, what brings you to my shop? Are you looking for parts for a starship perhaps? I have many modules and components that should work on any ship."

"We're looking for some ammunition for our ships' secondary weapons," I began. "While standard missiles can be found in any halfway decent shipyard, I'm in the market for more…unorthodox payloads. I don't suppose you have anything in stock?"

While we didn't actually need anything for our ship, I figured asking for something valuable then purchasing it would make Watto more inclined to like us when I brought up buying the Skywalkers. The faint presence I could feel in the Force was somewhere behind the shop along with another. I was assuming that was the Skywalkers and they were currently in the junkyard sorting through the parts and scrap Watto had there.

The Toydarian floated in the air as he scratched his chin. "Hmm. Yes, yes. I believe I have what you're looking for in my yard. Though before we go, I need to know you have the money for this, eh? Such…parts do not come cheap." I reached into my belt, making sure to not expose my lightsaber. "Republ…" His voice trailed off as he heard the sound coming from the small bag I'd removed from the pouch. Likely he was going to make a comment about Republic credits being worthless.

That was something I could likely test with my income from the Lord of the Rings series. Return of the King had released Republic-wide about three months ago and from a brief holocall with the publishers – in which I stayed off-camera as to avoid them realising the writer was a child – I'd earned nearly eighty million credits, taking my holdings from the books to a touch north of a hundred and fifty million. While that was a ton of credits compared to what most beings had, it wasn't even a drop in the bucket of what the ultra-wealthy owners of the megacorporations like CEC could draw upon. Still, it was a good starting point.

"Ah, good. Follow me." He said after a moment, eyeing up my bag. While it wasn't massive, the fact it was full and rustled with the sound of something other than credits inside seemed to be enough to make him interested in making a sale.

Watto flew around his shop, which was the same shape as what I'd expected, and led us to the entrance to the junkyard. Above the entrance hung a sign saying Watto's Junkyard and as we stepped inside, I was surprised at how much stuff was lying around. Yes, I could remember how it looked from when Qui-Gon toured it in Episode one, but seeing it for real was another thing entirely.

There were three paths from the entrance. The side two led around the walls and, I had to assume, circled around to meet at the top while the centre path appeared to run straight through the middle of the yard. Using my minimap I could determine that Shmi was somewhere down the rightmost path while Anakin was off to the left. Unfortunately, Watto took us up the central path.

"Hmm, so what kind of ship do you fly?" Watto asked as we moved deeper into the yard. "Sometimes the standard component installed by the manufacturer isn't the best choice."

"A newer model Kom'rk-class heavy-transport," I replied honestly, curious to see what he made of that.

"Hmm, can't say I've heard of that model before. A MandalMotors design?" Watto asked, to which I nodded. "Ah, then I bet it's very handy in a fight. From all I've heard about the company, it should be a very nice ship."

"It is, but even a ship that's in good condition can still need replacement parts, hence why we're on Tatooine and in your yard. I asked around town and I was told the best chance to find such gems was here." I stated, hoping to inflate his ego and make him more cooperative for what I wanted to happen.

"Yes. I have the largest shop in Mos Espa. Only place with a bigger shop is in Bestine, but their prices…" He shook his head vigorously. "Too high. Good for scamming new arrivals but anyone with half a brain knows you always avoid the biggest cities."

"Indeed," I agreed, channelling Dooku into my tone.

While I was glad that he seemed willing to deal, the fact he hadn't commented on my dress, my age or the fact I was travelling with a female Mandalorian was surprising. I'd expected at least a passing comment about one of those things yet so far, he'd not done so.

Eventually, he led us to a pile of semi-ordered weapon emplacements, and I spotted some cases of ordinance that looked promising. While we didn't really need them yet, as the ship hadn't even had any combat experience yet, the missiles I was looking for were both harder to find and worth a considerable number of credits.

"Here, this is it," Watto began as he flew to the large crates I'd spotted. "Cluster missiles, Homing Missiles, Ionising missiles. Several different types of things that go boom, eh? Ho, ho, ho!" He laughed the same gravely laugh that I remembered from the films.

"They certainly look in good condition, save for having been sitting out in the sun for goodness knows how many days, but I'd like to give it a check before I make up my mind," I replied, playing the honest – for Tatooine – buyer.

"Of course, of course." He said as I stepped closer, and he flew back a little. As I passed him, I felt Bo tense and glanced back to see Watto was decidedly too close for my comfort.

"Can I have a little room? My bodyguard has a bit of an itchy trigger finger," I asked with as fake a smile as I could manage. "We were ambushed on the way here and I dare say she hasn't gotten all her anger out after dealing with those fools who thought jumping a Mandalorian in beskar would be a good idea."

Watto's eyes widened as they bounced between me and Bo. "Ah. Yes, certainly." He flew back about a metre, keeping his eyes on Bo the entire time. I turned back to the missiles and started to give them a thorough examination. "Might I ask as to how one your age ended up with a Mandalorian as a travelling companion? And a female at that?"

"As much as I'd like to tell you it's the sex, it's not," I answered getting a loud laugh from the Toydarian as I sensed anger mixed with the faintest hints of… arousal from Bo. No, I had to have sensed that wrong. "I'm not her type. Though the arrangement between us is still of a personal nature. A deal between her clan leader and mine."

"You are Mandalorian too? Then why no armour?" Watto continued with the personal questions.

I ran my vambrace over the most promising of the crates as I checked it for damage. "I find that people are more willing to talk when I'm the unarmoured one. Everyone grows nervous around armoured Mandos, so when they see someone with them who isn't armoured, they feel safer talking to me instead of her."

Yes, I was revealing one reason I wanted Bo along and in full armour for this to Watto, but it was such an obvious reason that if Watto didn't realise it – and was just using this conversation to either put me at ease or hide that the missiles were damaged in some way (or both) – I'd be disappointed with him. You didn't have the biggest junk shop in a city by being a fool.

Watto laughed at my reply and slapped one of his near-vestigial legs. "True, very true. And if they're looking at her they might not spot you sporting Mandalorian vambraces as well."

I shrugged as the scanner concluded what I'd hoped to find. A large crate of Ionising missiles that, beyond some superficial wear and tear, appeared to be in good condition. "Hey, I might be young but I'm not stupid." I shot back as I stood up fully.

"Yes. I've seen that with the young slave I have working for me. He's younger than you but has a knack for machines." Watto commented idly. I was glad I wasn't looking in his or Bo's direction as I don't think I managed to keep a brief look of surprise and amusement from my face.

"You have a child working in a junkyard?" I asked as I turned to face him after tempering my excitement at being given an opening to meet Anakin. One of my biggest issues with this entire plan was working out how I was going to wangle meeting one of the Skywalkers and here was Watto just giving me the chance on a silver platter.

"He and his mother are my slaves," Watto answered with a nonchalant shrug. "The boy has to start earning his keep and since he has a head for machines it is a good way to make use of him."

There was a wave of anger and resentment from Bo as Watto talked so casually about slavery, but other than a tensing of her fists there was no outward sign of her feelings on the matter. With Watto's attention on me, he missed her reaction, though I doubt he'd have been bothered by it.

"I will put aside my… opinions on slavery for the moment and instead ask if the boy is really as good as you say," I said slowly, both because I needed this conversation to go well and to play up my apprehension about slavery. "Surely it would be his mother that understands mechanics."

"The mother is well trained, yes but the boy is already better than her." Watto boosted confidently.

I considered challenging Watto's assertion, but there was an element of risk there. If he grew suspicious that I was asking too many questions about Anakin, he could toss us out of the shop and thus ruin my plans for the boy. "I will have to take your word for it I guess," I ended up saying, trying to brush off the pride Watto was feeling. There was a chance doing this would have him summon Anakin on his own, but that was better than me pushing the issue. "Now, since these Ion missiles here appear to be genuine and working, perhaps we might head back to your shop and discuss the price?"

"Certainly." With that, Watto flew past me and Bo. "ANAKIN! GET OVER HERE NOW!" He called out at the top of his voice.

"Coming!" A young voice called out from where I knew Anakin to be.

Watto turned back to us and smiled. "The boy will be here shortly. He'll bring the crates to my shop out front while we settle on a price." The smile was possibly meant to be friendly but nothing about the flying alien's demeanour hinted that the negotiations between us were going to be anything but easy.

"Sure, but my guard will stay here. Wouldn't want this worker of yours damaging the missiles before I use them," I replied. Watto's smile slipped for a second suggesting he'd had something up his sleeve, but an instant later the smile was back in all its glory and he nodded. "Of course, of course. Right this way."

The short journey to the shop was made in silence and as we stepped inside, I let my eyes wander around. There were various droids, mechanical devices and random components that might be from speeders or starships dotted around though the overall layout of the shop matched roughly with what I remembered of the shop from Qui-Gon's visit.

From my minimap I could see that Anakin had reached Bo and if it was going according to plan, she wasn't being too unfriendly to the boy. While she didn't fully understand why I was interested in him, Bo knew that it was Jedi business and, to help improve her behaviour, I said that given time I saw the boy becoming as good a warrior as I would be; if not more so. That, it seemed, was the right thing to say as now she was interested in helping me, though that might just be for the chance to see if I was right and had found another Jedi that would join the Mandalorians.

When she'd said that, I'd had images of Anakin in the Clone Wars running around in full beskar armour. It was something that filled me with interest in seeing it myself and concern about just how much more dangerous a warrior that would make him. As such, I'd resolved that Anakin would only get such training if I was reasonably sure I'd done enough to keep him from the Sith's clutches. Of course, I somehow doubted the Force would make such a thing easy to achieve.

"So, about the price. Ion ordinance is not an easy weapon to procure. It took me many months of trading to get lucky and find such a stash in a rival yard in Mos Eisley." Watto said, beginning the dance of our negotiation. While I wasn't the most natural at this, I understood the need for it and had, according to the Interface, decent skill at it. Time to put that to the test.

We'd been going back and forth haggling first over a price for about ten minutes and had just shaken on the final price when I heard the same door we'd enter through open. Curious and hopeful, I turned to see Bo leading a hover-cart into the shop. Pushing it was a five-year-old Anakin Skywalker which made this the perfect opportunity to see what I was dealing with.

Anakin Skywalker
Race: Human
Health: 100%
Age: 5
Force Potential: Extreme
Threat Potential: Minimal
Reputation: Neutral
Affiliation Loyalty: Shmi Skywalker (96%) Kitster Chanchani Banai (72%) Pala Kwi'teksa (71%)
Emotional State: Curious/Confused/Hopeful
Young Anakin is confused both why the Mandalorian lady is being gentle to him as the Mandalorians he's met before have always been gruff and scary.
Though he does want to look at her vambrace and is hopeful her words to him about getting him and his mother off Tatooine are more than just idle chatter.
...
Hmm. His Force Potential was where I'd expected it while the other two he held loyalty to were likely his friends and I could remember him mentioning the name Kitster while he was prepping his podracer for the Boonta Eve Classic. Plus, it seemed Bo had given away part of the game by somehow letting on that we planned to free him and Shmi.
As his eyes met mine, I felt a shiver in the Force, like the early onset warnings of a massive earthquake. As quickly as I could, I clamped down on my Force presence until the feeling receded for the time being. I knew that I was simply delaying the inevitable, but I had no desire to see the fallout of two vergences meeting each other within the confines of Watto's shop, especially on the cusp of what promised to be intensive negotiations.

"There you are, boy! What took you so long?" Watto demanded, making Anakin stumble a little. The hover-cart slid forward but Bo stopped it from crashing into a table covered in the remains of a droid with ease.

"I kept offering to push the cart, but he wanted to do it," Bo answered sharply. Her annoyance with the Toydarian is clear to hear even through her voice modulator, which she was only using to make herself sound older and avoid anyone recognizing her voice. While I hadn't felt that was necessary, Bo was taking no chances on Tatooine, which given my history with the world, wasn't something I was going to argue against.

"Y-you're the customer. I should push it for you." Anakin replied in a high-pitched voice. While his voice had annoyed me in the first prequel due to his age, this was even worse. However, it was something I was willing to put up with as it wouldn't last forever. Thank the Force.

"Stupid boy! Be more careful in the future!" Watto snarled and moved towards Anakin, one arm raised as if to hit him. Bo, however, caught the arm before it could come down.

"Don't. Even. Think. About. It!" She snarled out before roughly pushing Watto away. While that broke her cover as quiet muscle and would likely increase how much I'd have to pay Watto for the Skywalkers, I couldn't bring myself to be angry. In her place, I'd have done the same or something much, much worse to the flying alien.

"You'll have to forgive my friend. She was rescued from slavery and adopted into our culture around the same age as the boy," I said while walking to step between Watto and Bo while continuing to look at Anakin. "Hello there. I'm Cameron Shan. My friend here is Bo-Katan." I said as I extended my hand.

"Anakin Skywalker, nice to meet you," Anakin replied with a big smile. Taking a chance, I opened my robes fractionally as I broke the handshake. I saw his eyes widen, meaning he'd likely seen the lightsaber, but a quick finger to my lips stopped him from commenting. I then turned back to Watto. "So, the price?"

"The equivalent to nine thousand credits," Watto shot back, having added an extra thousand to his price. "The increase is for your female's behaviour towards me." He added, explaining the slight price increase.

"While I understand your annoyance, I hardly think a thousand is a suitable increase for her actions. Perhaps one hundred credits extra would suffice?" I offered, figuring I could use this to further improve my ability to negotiate and, by letting him get the better of this round, hopefully, improve his opinion of me before I made my play for the Skywalkers.

"Her actions cost me reputation with you and my slave. Six hundred." He countered, giving Bo a glare that had no effect on her.

"The only people who know about it are those of us here, so let's say two hundred."

"And what if the boy speaks to others about it, hmm? My reputation will be damaged with my regular customers. Five hundred."

"We have business in this sector and near Nar Shaddaa. I'm certain that we'll be back soon, but if you prefer that we mention to our fellow Mando'ade how easily offended you are, none of them will want to deal with you. Three hundred."

There was a pause as Watto thought over my words. Whether it was the chance we'd be back for more business, or that we'd arrange for other Mandalorians to avoid his shop, I couldn't say, but the fact he was weighing my words was enough for me. "Hmm, perhaps the incident can be forgotten. After all, I can easily arrange for the boy to know the price of spreading rumours about me. Shall we say four hundred?" he offered, extending his hand.

"Certainty," I replied as we shook on the new price. It was ridiculous that I had to pay so much for Bo acting like any rational being should when faced with someone threatening a child – never mind a slave child – but if this was how this had to go, then so be it.

As we broke the shake, and Watto turned towards the hover-cart I coughed, making him look back at me. "I know this is very sudden, but would you be willing to consider selling the boy to me?" I asked slowly. Anakin's face lit up for a moment before falling while Watto's eyes narrowed. "He's young and likely a burden on you," I began moving closer to Watto and semi-guiding him away from Bo and Anakin, "plus, if I do this, I think I might finally have a shot with her," I added quietly even though I knew Bo could hear me with her helmet's microphones. Regardless of how this played out, when we got back to the Ne'tra Sartr she was probably going to attack me, but it was a price I was willing to pay if it helped gain Anakin and Shmi their freedom.

Watto rubbed his chin. "While young, he is a good slave. With time he'll be worth far more than most other slaves." He commented quietly. Since he hadn't rejected my idea out of hand, I knew I had a shot. "He'd be expensive. Very expensive."

"I understand, but I'm more than able to pay for him," I leaned closer. "Plus, she's got this amazing red hair that I want to see the top of as she services me," I added as quietly as I could while using Silence to ensure Bo never heard my words – I didn't want to risk her trying to de-man me for my suggestion – and tried to add Force Persuasion. While Toydarians were shown to be immune to the mind trick, the more subtle ability that Fay preferred might just work. I already had Enhance Skill active for most of my social skills and Enhance Stat for Charisma as even though I wasn't concerned about how our earlier negotiation went, I didn't want him thinking I was an easy mark. "And the most piercing green eyes."

Watto glanced back at Bo, probably imagining what she looked like under her armour; though I suspected that if he could see her face currently, he'd fly away. Her anger – which was directed at both Watto and me – was radiating off her in waves and, when I'd glanced at her, I'd seen Anakin had subconsciously taken a few steps back.

To help convince him further to at least enter negotiations I jangled my bag of gems as I stopped powering Silence. "I'm more than able to meet a price; provided it's not daylight robbery," I said as his eyes locked on the bag. Since we'd already settled on the initial price for the missiles, he'd seen what was inside the bag. "So we can at least see if a deal is possible."

"Hmm," Watto mumbled as he once more scratched his chin. "The boy is young but smart. Unlike any I've seen before. Finding a replacement to cover his work would be difficult, and when he's older he'll easily be able to do the work of at least two other slaves." He paused and turned to me, greed in his eyes. "A hundred and ninety druggats."

I felt my eyes widen in shock at that price. "That… is a high price," I said slowly as I processed what he'd said. I'd expected him to demand around ten thousand for Anakin – the upper ceiling of the going rate for a skilled slave from what I'd been able to gather – but his starting price was a little north of fifteen thousand. He either didn't particularly want to sell or had some kind of connection to the boy. Or possibly both.

"As I said, the boy has potential, plus I have grown fond of him over the years," Watto replied with a confident smirk.

"Wouldn't you be prepared to let them go for a hundred druggats?" I asked, not expecting him to accept but wanting to set a lower floor to give me more room to work with.

Watto scoffed. "That would barely cover one replacement for the boy."

I shrugged as we pulled back to allow the conversation to happen loud enough for Bo and Anakin to hear. "Still, he's young and hasn't been formally trained yet. Perhaps one twenty would be acceptable?" I asked. Again, I didn't see him accepting but I wanted him to at least begin to negotiate. The sooner he did that, the more I felt I had a chance to pull this off.

"Yes, he's young. But I saw him modify a vaporator when he was barely three just before I won them. That kind of skill cannot be taught." Watto boasted proudly as if he saw himself as some sort of genius for discovering Anakin. "One-eighty."

I looked at Anakin, then at Bo, making it appear that I was weighing if that price was worth it to bed Bo. While I'd never actually try to pay to get her in bed, it was the idea I'd planted in Watto's head as my motivation, so I had to play the role. "If he's as skilled as you say, then the price makes sense, but I've yet to see any proof of that. One-thirty."

"A test then," Watto offered, and he flew over to the centre of his shop. "Pick any object in here and ask the boy to either fix it if it's broken or improve it if it isn't." He saw as he spread out his short, stubby arms. "If he can, then we settle on one-sixty. If not, one-fifty."

I folded my arms as I appeared to consider the offer/test. Even at the lower price, I'd be paying twelve-hundred credits for Anakin, but that was a minor issue. No, this was actually useful as not only would I see just how skilled Anakin was now, but Bo would as well. Having another voice to comment on that skill to my masters would be helpful in convincing them of my plans for Anakin. "Very well, but so that things are fair, my companion will select the object and you can watch her," I suggested before jerking my head at Anakin. "I'll talk with the boy while you do that and get the earlier payment we agreed on ready."

"Hmm, very well. But no funny business." Watto remarked, pointing one stick-like finger at me.

[Take him to the far corner first.] I said to Bo telepathically. [I want to speak with the boy for a few minutes before the test.] She didn't react outwardly to my voice in her head, though a bout of annoyance radiated from her in the Force. Curiously, I saw Anakin's eyes shift from me – where they'd been stuck since I'd started negotiating to buy him – to Bo. Now that was interesting.

Bo walked to a far corner of the shop, Watto flying close behind and, once they were out of earshot, I moved closer to Anakin.

"Are you a Jedi?" he asked as soon as I moved. That made me glad I'd reapplied Silence around us, otherwise, Watto would've heard him, and the jig would've been up.

"What makes you think that?" I asked back as a small smile crept onto my face.

"I saw your laser sword," Anakin replied, which only made my smile grow. "Only the Jedi carry such things."

I knelt slightly to allow me to look the younger boy in the eyes. "Well first it's called a lightsaber and is far, far more than a simple laser sword," I explained as I took in the innocent, youthful features of the boy who in another timeline had become Darth Vader. "And what's to say I didn't kill a Jedi and take it from him?" I asked back, revelling in the call back to The Phantom Menace.

The young boy shook his head. "No. No one can kill a Jedi." His tone was that of a child that was convinced he was right, with there being little anyone could do to convince them otherwise.

I chuckled and glanced over at Bo. "My companion would beg to differ. Mandalorians have been killing Jedi and Sith for longer than either of us have been alive." I pulled open my robes and showed him my shoulder. While the flesh had been regrown – via a combination of medical tech and Fay using the Force – the scarring was still there. "A Mandalorian did this to me, though I did win in the end."

"Then why are you with a Mandalorian?" He asked, his eyes widening as he saw the scars. Yes, I could remove them with the Force or surgery, but for now, I wanted to keep them. They, and the ones from that blasted dragon, served as reminders that while I was powerful, I wasn't invincible. Even beings without access to the Force could kill me with the right level of training and equipment. Case in point Ebrn Awaud. The leader of the Death Watch faction that I'd fought and killed to save Darth Plagueis – I was still trying to get my head around why the Force had arranged for that to happen – had been considered a dangerous warrior to the Mandalorians. He had been skilled in Tera Käsi, a martial art form designed specifically to fight Force-users by making the most skilled practitioners able to keep up with Jedi in close quarters combat.

"Not all Mandalorians are war-hungry maniacs," I replied as a smile came to my face. Bo was, but Anakin didn't need to know that now. "Nor are all Jedi locked away in the Temple on Coruscant. Some of us go out into the galaxy and try to do some good."

"Is that why you want to buy me?"

"Yes, to a degree." I began to reply, though not before glancing to make sure Bo and Watto were still a good distance away. They were currently examining what looked like a pit droid, but all I was concerned about was the distance between us. "The Force guided me to this world, this ship, to find you. The Force is strong in you, and I see you becoming a great and powerful Jedi."

"Really?" His eyes widened at my words before he deflated. "What about my mum?"

I stiffened as she hadn't yet come up. "Once I've arranged your freedom, I'll speak with Watto about her. I promise you that I'll do everything I can to free her as well."

"Y-you mean we'll both be free?" His words were quiet but hope and desire were radiating from him so brightly that I had to stop using Detection as he was blinding my ability to sense others in the Force.

"If all goes well, then yes. But first you need to stay calm and fix whatever my friend brings to you."

"I can keep a secret." He said, a smile spreading across his face. I smiled back and ruffled his hair. That made his smile slip slightly, but not enough to hide how happy he was.

I turned to see Bo and Watto approaching and dispersed the bubble of silence I'd been generating. "Found something?"

"Aye. This droid is broken and according to the Toydarian, only came into the shop today. He claims the boy hasn't seen it before." Bo answered and even with her voice modulated by the helmet, her annoyance at what we were doing was easy to hear. I just knew that, if she'd have been in charge, we'd have blasted in guns blazing, stolen the Skywalkers, gotten the deactivation codes for their implants and left this planet in the rear-view mirror. While there was an appeal to that, I'd rather not risk having another Hutt angry with me; especially since I'd learnt that Gardulla – who currently controlled Mos Espa – was Decca's progenitor and, at the current time, was just as powerful as Jabba.

"Good. Set it on the table," I instructed as Watto's eyes narrowed and he looked at Anakin and me. "I simply told the boy why he was being asked to fix this droid," I added, giving the Toydarian a partially truthful answer, as those made the best lies. "That if he can fix this droid I'll be buying and freeing him."

"Hmm," Watto muttered as Anakin moved quickly over to the table and climbed onto a chair so he could reach the droid. "That better be all you said to him."

I smiled in response and turned to watch Anakin. Observe told me that the droid had a broken actuator, so I knew what was wrong with it. Now to see if Anakin was as skilled as Watto claimed.

The only sounds coming from the shop were for Anakin as he turned the droid over in his hands. I watched as he reached for a few tools and began to poke and prod at the droid. This went on for around two minutes before he placed the droid down on the table and tapped its power button. The droid stood up and began moving around the table, making the same noises as the pit droids in the Boonta Eve Classic race had.

"It wasn't moving when I brought it over," Bo said, confirming that Anakin had fixed it.

With a semi-reluctant sigh, I turned to Watto. "Very well. One hundred and sixty druggats." I said, extending my hand for him to shake on it.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at me, but eventually, he sighed then shook my hand. "Agreed."

"What about my mum?" Anakin asked as his excitement at being freed fell. "You said you'd free her too."

"I said I'd try," I replied to him before turning to Watto. "Could we discuss her price?"

"No! I won't allow it!" Watto screeched, which made waves of anger flood through the room, radiating from Anakin. I could feel the Force reacting to him and realised that if I didn't step in, he might accidentally use the Dark Side before he even knew it existed. That could be very, very dangerous.

"I'll match his price for her," I offered quickly, trying to defuse the situation and saw Watto's temper pause at the offer. "With all that money you can easily replace both of them and keeping his mother while he's free would only result in her being less focused on her work," I added as I came up with reasons for him to take the deal. Force Persuasion was still active, as was the boost to my Charisma and various social skills, so I had to hope they were helping.

Watto looked at me carefully, then down at Anakin. The boy's face was inflamed with rage and if not for Bo placing a hand on his shoulder, I suspected he might try and attack Watto. With a sigh, Watto turned back to me. "I feel as though this was always your plan, and I don't want to let both go. But your reasons are… valid." He reached into his pocket as he continued. "However, I think we should leave this up to chance." He said as he pulled a small cube from the pocket. "One simple role. Blue, and I'll agree to sell both mother and son to you. Red and you're only getting the boy and can't come back for her in the future."

I considered his offer as he turned a familiar dice over in his hand. There were two blue sides and four red, so the odds weren't in my favour. Though if he was willing to stack the odds in his favour, I was more than happy to do the same; and have a call back to Watto's deal with Qui-Gon.

"Regardless of how the dice lands, you promise to give me the implant codes free of charge?" I asked. His eye twitched, confirming he'd been planning to extract more from me for that. While not unexpected, it was a touch predictable that he was willing to haggle over something that, from my brief overview of the laws regarding slave purchasing, shouldn't be charged for.

"Fine, fine." He agreed reluctantly, waving his free hand in the air. "But you can't throw the dice, or do anything to it." He added

"Fine, though I think Anakin should roll it. We are, after all, talking about his mother's future here." I suggested softly, smiling at Anakin.

There was a moment's silence before Watto grunted. "Fine." He tossed the dice to Anakin, who almost failed to catch it as he simmered with rage. I wondered if that had been Watto's plan, but Anakin foiled it by catching the dice before staring at the small object in his hand that would determine his mother's fate.

"Trust in yourself and the Force," I said to him. Since the deal had already been agreed, there wasn't much Watto could do if he somehow discovered that I was a Jedi and giving Anakin encouragement was more important anyway.

He closed his eyes as his hand closed around the dice, before tossing it up into the air. It bounced twice on the table the droid was still moving around on, then over the side to the floor. There it bounced two more times, each time the arc and speed decreasing.

Sensing the Force beginning to swirl around us, I reached out through it for the dice, planning to shift it and force a blue side to finish face-up. Yet, as I touched the dice through the Force, I felt another moving there. It was faint but powerful and I could easily sense that it was coming from Anakin. It seemed that knowing what was at stake he was unconsciously calling on the Force to help him.

Placing my trust in him and the Force, as I'd just told him to do, I pulled back from the dice. It bounced one more time before settling with one of the two blue faces looking back at us from the topside.

"Wahoo!" Anakin called out and jumped from the table. While I was happy for him, I turned my attention to Watto. While unlikely, there was always a chance he'd reneged on the deal.

He glared at the dice, then at me before sighing loudly and turning to face Anakin. "Go. Find your mother and then prepare your belongings. After we've sorted out payment, I'll bring these two to your home to collect you." He said grumpily.

"I'd like my friend to go with him," I interrupted before Anakin could run from the shop – something he was mere moments from doing. "While I don't think you'd renege on our deal, there's always a chance. Plus, Mos Espa isn't a friendly city. We were, after all, attacked on our way here."

"Fine, fine," Watto replied, waving his hand in dismissal.

I turned to Anakin and smiled. "Go on then. Find your mum." His smile threatened to rip his face in two, but before it could, he ran from the shop heading towards the junkyard. I chuckled and turned to Bo. "Yes, I know we'll need to talk but keep them safe." She nodded before walking out after the overly excited boy.

Once she'd left, I turned back to Watto. He'd picked up the dice and was glaring at it. "Now, while I tally the total of my payment for the part, Anakin and his mother, perhaps you could get the disarm codes for their implants?" I asked, opening the bag just enough that he could see the gems inside. His eyes widened as he saw just how much was inside – somewhere northwards of half a million if I had to guess – and he realised that I've been able to pay for the Skywalkers many times over if he'd taken a higher starting price.

As he turned his back to me and flew to a small office at the back of the shop, I allowed a smile to break out on my face. Yes, I still had to formally pay for the Skywalkers, but by the end of the day, I'd have altered the timeline dramatically. Though that would generate some immediate issues.

Once back on the Ne'tra Sartr I'd have to introduce Anakin to Fay and Dooku, then convince the pair to not only not take the boy to the Temple – something I felt Dooku would be more supportive of than Fay – but perhaps, have them taken to the Lokella in the ShaDo system instead. That part of the conversation was going to be much more complicated as I suspected both would have issues with me deciding the near-term fate of two freed slaves.

If, and it was a big if, I could manage that I'd need to find a way to give him a few basic Jedi training techniques to keep him occupied until I was able to return and formally train him as my Padawan. And on that, I was still uncertain. Qui-Gon still felt like the best Jedi choice for training Anakin, but by taking the boy off Tatooine now, I was breaking that link before it could form; though that, and how the events of the Naboo crisis would play out now were issues for a little further into the future.

The Lokella might not be the best choice for Anakin, but with the system secured by former slaves with strong connections to me – as much as I disliked some of that – and having over half a dozen light ships for defence, it was as safe a location as I could find. Plus, with the Jedi having stopped their research of the station's past as a Pius Dea Cathedral ship – according to Rachi – then there'd be no Jedi around to accidentally realise Anakin had the potential to be a Jedi.

Still, regardless of what the near-term held for the Skywalkers, with my actions today, I'd royally kriffed up the timeline; but that was one of the reasons I'd come here and likely why The Powers That Be offered me the chance to be reborn in this galaxy.

Whatever came of this change was going to be a great adventure; one that, hopefully, wouldn't end until long after I'd defeated Sidious and enjoyed my new life to its fullest.

… …


A/N: And with that, canon is well and truly kirffed.


As always you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For my ASOIAF story: Game of Kingdoms
In general:
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), consider supporting me on Patreon:
USSExplorer


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

May the Force be with you. Always.

 
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Altered Destinies 2
A/N: Once more, a slight delay in getting this out. That was due to the main members of the backroom wanting to add a scene (the vision) and me not being able to find the energy/will while stuck in a lockdown here in China. 1 month in, 10 checks (7 for everyone, 3 extra as a teacher/parent) and less than 100 cases in a city of 1 million.

To quote Queen, "I'm going slightly mad!"


Current date: 4 years until the Invasion of Naboo


Altered Destinies 2
...

"You're sure of the reading?" Fay asked as I sat with her and Dooku in the cockpit of the Ne'tra Sartr. It'd been a few hours since we'd left Tatooine, and after helping Anakin and Shmi settle into one of the quarters on the vessel – which had resulted in me having to bunk with Dooku – I'd been summoned to the cockpit to explain why and how I'd found the boy and my plans for him.

The first part was easy, and just a rehash of the 'vision' I'd used to convince them to let me pilot the ship to Tatooine. The second part though was proving far harder, especially as Dooku had just revealed Anakin's midi-chlorian count.

Twenty-seven thousand seven hundred was the count, and after a moment where both Fay and I had processed that reveal, Fay had asked for confirmation from Dooku.

"I am," Dooku began, passing a datapad to her. "I rechecked it four times. The boy's count is higher than any on record, even your own Cameron." He continued. I knew that my count of twenty-five thousand had been the highest on record which my masters had confirmed not long after my increased count had been discovered. Though Fay suggested that such counts might have existed in older eras as, unlike Master Nu, she accepted that the Jedi Archives were far from complete and not as extensive as many believed. "With such a count, I find it hard to continue with your original suggestion of placing him with the Lokella. A child with this much potential needs to begin their training as soon as possible."

Both my masters turned to face me and as I met their eyes, I took a deep breath. When I'd first convinced them of my vision, I'd revealed I wanted the child, if there was one, to be taken and raised with the Lokella. At that time, I'd been clear that the vision showed them with a family, but I hemmed and hawed about the composition of said family. That had helped persuade my masters to at least consider the idea of having the person in my vision stay with the Lokella for a short time.

Now with the reveal of Anakin's count, that plan was in doubt. Plus, it likely hadn't been helped by Anakin standing in front of the two Jedi Masters mere moments after arriving on the vessel and stating, with total confidence, that he was going to be a Jedi just like them when he was older. Shmi had smiled at that, though I'd sensed her fear as she did, hinting she feared losing her son right after being freed. Anakin though, in that way children do, failed to see any downside to being a Jedi.

I felt the Force swirling around us and realising this was the moment where I could completely alter Anakin's future – I hoped – I activated Enhance Stat for Charisma and Enhance Skill for all my relevant social skills. I knew that I was going to need every trick and advantage I had to convince my masters to at least consider not sending the most powerful Force user in recorded history to the temple on Coruscant.

"In my vision," I began, hating that not only was I having to frame what I knew in such a way – though it was an interesting loophole to use as, so long as I stayed vague, I seemed able to hint at future events – but that I also had to lie to my masters. "When I had the vision about someone on this world, there was more to it."

"Then why didn't you say something at the time?" Fay asked, her face calm but firm. "Was there a reason you left part of the vision out?"

"Yes and no." I paused and took another breath. While I didn't need the time to think as I'd been expecting this talk since long before we'd arrived in-system, I had a role to play. "The initial vision was about someone on a twin-sun world, but as we got closer to Tatooine, it began to alter. It grew longer. The newer… images were hazy, like they'd been with the vision of the Jedi fighting the Sith." I explained, looking at Dooku and getting a faint nod in – what I hoped was – understanding back.

"Slowly, as seems to be the case with any vision I get, things started to become clearer. I saw a child, one we now know is Anakin, grow into a young man. He seemed powerful, impressive, becoming someone others looked up to, almost adored even. Yet through it all, there was a darkness just behind his shoulder; almost as if it – whatever it was – was whispering into his ear and moulding him to its designs." I paused and gulped as I allowed images of the end of Anakin's duel on Mustafar to enter my head, wanting them there in case either Jedi Master picked up on my thoughts. "But then things turned dark, and I saw this man burn. From the ash of the flames, a large black metallic monster arose like a pillar of darkness. Soon, that darkness spread out like cancer across the galaxy. As much of a pillar and conduit of the darkness, the monster wasn't the actual source. There was something else that was the root of it. That same shadow just behind his shoulder, whispering and conducting the monster as ably as a master puppeteer. Together, as the monster and the shadow cast the darkness over the galaxy, I felt… death. I saw deaths. Too many to count…" I gulped as I remembered the images I'd seen of Fay, Serra and others dying just before I'd touched the Dark Side on that cursed planet nearly half a year ago. "Your deaths and others came at the hands of the black figure."

I paused and shook my head; mimicking clearing my thoughts and worries before I reached my end. "I feel it in my soul that if we let Anakin go to the Temple, be raised under its roof, then this vision will come to pass and the Jedi, the Republic will fall into darkness and the Sith will reign triumphant over the galaxy." Yes, I was laying it on thick, but I felt I had to. I needed Anakin to stay away from the Temple, to stay clear of Sidious' grasp, for as long as I could manage and for that to happen, I needed Fay and Dooku to be convinced of my fears.

"Before we go over these visions of yours, I want you to understand that we trust you, Cameron," Fay began slowly after the pair had taken a few moments to consider my words. "One thing I do not doubt was that, at least regarding us coming to Tatooine again, this is what the Force wanted. Now, if that was for us to find young Anakin and begin his training as a Jedi, or for another path to have been taken, I cannot say. The Force has never been entirely clear about what it reveals to us through visions." Dooku frowned at this, but with his opinions on visions and not listening to them well known to me after our years together, his reaction made sense. "That said, to suggest that a child with potential to use the Force, never mind one as gifted as the boy, shouldn't be sent immediately for Jedi training…" her words trailed off and she shook her head. "To my knowledge, such a thing has only ever been done by wandering Jedi – like I was before you became our Padawan – who discover a gifted child on a far-flung world. Unless you are suggesting that one of us should formally end our bond with you to begin young Anakin's training – and I don't feel that is the wisest course of action for us to take – then I'm reluctant to acquiesce to your wish.

"I understand that Master, I truly do. However, as we came closer to Tatooine, and I became sure that whoever I'd discover would be the person in my vision, I started to meditate more frequently."

"At least that small mystery is solved," Dooku commented, drawing a brief smile from Fay. I frowned in confusion, though when Dooku failed to explain, I moved back to my 'story'.

"In my meditation, I felt the Force moving around the figure in my visions; I can't say how, but the fate of far more than just that one boy rests on our actions. I… I wasn't and I'm still not overly comfortable with that idea, but putting that aside, above all, the vision made one thing very clear. We cannot send him to the Temple. If we do, he will fall to the Dark Side." I was surprised that I was able to get that out without the TPTB turning my words into gibberish. Perhaps me revealing the general details to my masters as a vision, and having them accept that, allowed me a touch more leeway about what I could reveal about the future. Or perhaps it was because of what my quest detailing Anakin hinted at if I failed that I was able to provide more detailed reasoning/imagery to them. Though that was something to ponder at another time.

"I do concede that those like us who can commune with the Force easily often have a larger than normal impact on the people and planets around us than most could ever hope of achieving," Fay remarked with what I hoped was a hint of doubt in her voice as she spoke about me and Anakin. "And I cannot deny that, in millennia gone by, a small group of Jedi or Sith could alter the destiny of the republic and the very fate of the galaxy itself, so perhaps there is some truth to these visions of yours, and the concern they are causing you. I merely am wary of committing to the belief that we are once again on such a knife-edge that the Force would choose to introduce such potential wild cards again."

"Putting aside the idea of the boy not going to the Temple for a moment," Dooku said slowly, "I disapprove greatly of not having someone begin the boy's training in the ways of the Force. The longer he is left untrained and unsupervised, the greater the chance for his actions to have severe repercussions for himself and others."

"On that, I agree master, which is why I was willing to secure his release from slavery. While Watto seemed a decent being, he still treated the Skywalkers as property. Leaving him in that situation would've increased the chances that he'd inadvertently lash out against Watto or another with the Force; tainting him in the minds of others for using the Dark Side as a child." I concurred while using my own moment of giving in to the Dark Side as an example of the problems Anakin might face with the Jedi. Now, that wasn't to say that I felt the Dark Side wasn't a potential source of power, just that I was beginning to understand the issues inherent with trying to use and control that aspect of the Force.

"While I am curious as to how you convinced the Toydarian to accept Republic credits, that is unimportant. What is important is that we remember that Anakin is young, though not ideally so. If we took him to the Temple, we'd be taking the boy from his mother just after freeing them would likely result in him feeling resentment towards the Jedi in general, and us in particular, for that." Fay offered. While that did sound like support for what I wanted, I knew she was simply placing another issue on the table for us to discuss.

"Regarding the credits, I used them to purchase gems first," that wasn't entirely true as even though I'd found a small gem store on Mos Espa, it hadn't carried nearly enough gems for this to work. I'd bought some gems though, for appearances sake, then placed most of the credits I'd been given – around seventy thousand – into my Inventory. "But yeah, separating Anakin from Shmi would be an issue. In all likelihood, he would eventually grow out of it, but having him resent us could be an issue. Particularly if Anakin is the one Master Nilas spoke of seeing with me in her visions."

My masters looked at each other for a moment before Fay turned back to me and spoke. "You feel Anakin is the other that Master Nilas spoke of? The one who is the Chosen One but is not?" I nodded in answer, which brought silence to the cockpit. From the subtle shift in the Force, I knew they were speaking privately to each other and thus waited patiently until they were finished.

A faint nod from Dooku had me shifting my focus to him just as he began to speak. "As we recall, you mentioned to Master Nilas that you felt the easiest way to handle this dual Chosen One concept was to befriend the other she saw. Are we to assume that you still feel that is the best course of action?"

"Yes, master." I paused and glanced towards the closed door of the cockpit. "Though I didn't expect this… partner, for lack of a better word, to be nearly a decade younger than me. That does make things more complicated." I added, drawing a small smile from Fay and a grunt from Dooku.

I reached out with the Force, curious as to what Anakin was doing, and sensed that he was with Bo – which was an interesting pairing and I wondered what sort of things they were discussing – while Shmi was in the common area of the ship. While it was still hard to sense Anakin, now that I knew what to search for, it was easier to locate – something made even easier given that we were in hyperspace with only five sentients and a droid head onboard the transport.

Something that I was glad of now, but surprised about at first, was just how roomy the Ne'tra Sartr was. Apparently, this prototype that Adonai had commissioned was quite different from the transports I remembered from the CW show. Instead of a general troop transport, this larger model was a ship capable of carrying four to eight people on longer operations; though four people would have to bunk in the cargo area to carry that many. With this change, the ship went from what I suspected was a cramped but capable military transport to a long-range strike vessel for a covert op team. Or in our case, a mobile base for a small group of Jedi, even if it was a bit excessively armed for Jedi tastes.

"That it does, though one thing I have become sure of is that, just as we have guided you in the ways of the Force, you would help guide the other. I wondered if that might mean you would become their master, however, with the age difference between you two such as it is, I do not believe the Council would agree to you taking one with such potential as your first Padawan." Fay mentioned before her lips curled upwards, strengthening her smile. "Then again, something we are all aware of is that none of us place total faith in the Council or its decrees."

That brought a smile to my face, and even one to Dooku's though you had to know and understand him to know it was there. "Yes, master. Though I admit the idea of becoming Anakin's master is both enticing and terrifying. Perhaps, when the time comes for him to be formally taken as a Padawan, another might be found to train him so that I could serve merely as an older brother or mentor figure for him." And that was the truth. Training Anakin was tempting but the risk involved was massive. I felt I could do a better job than Obi-Wan – mainly as I wasn't drinking the Council's Kool-Aid – but the risks with having Anakin as my first Padawan were immense. One wrong move, one big fuck up, and I ran the risk of making him into something worse than Darth Vader had been in the original timeline.

"You say that you wish to, at the very least, help to train him, yet you're adamant that he isn't placed with the Order currently," Dooku observed as he leaned closer to me. His hands came to rest against each other via their fingertips. "This feels like a contradiction. After all, how could we begin his training if he is not to be taken to the Temple?"

"While we could take him with us, I'm against that," I said slowly, "but for now, I think giving him and his mother time to adjust to their freedom would be the smartest choice. And while the Lokella aren't the safest place for them, they are people we know, trust and with – as far as we know – no permanent connection to the Jedi or Sith."

"I still fail to see why you are so disinclined with placing him at the Temple," Dooku replied as his eyes watched me intently. "Ignoring any issues that you know Master Fay and I have with the current leadership and mindset; I feel we need to hear your reasoning for why the boy shouldn't be placed there before we are prepared to consider your request."

"First, which we've already touched on, is the idea of separating Anakin from his mother so soon after freeing them. Along with the point Master Fay made, there's also the issue with taking a recently freed slave and dropping them in a place where all adults are referred to as Master." As I spoke, I could see the shift in both their faces to indicate this point hadn't occurred to them. "I understand fully that the meanings are different, but when added to the fact we'd be taking him from his mother, that is an issue there to consider. Shmi is the only figure in his life showing him compassion and love, so depriving him of that and forcing him to not see her again is a problematic situation I'd like to avoid, at least for the time being until both of them have had time to adapt to their new circumstances of living."

"Sadly, this is a true consideration and a significant reason why the Order is generally against the addition of older children," Fay observed. "A familial bond is one of the strongest in nature, but also one that, if not managed well, places a Force user at great risk of corruption from their desire to protect their family. Older Younglings often have issues with this, to say nothing of the rare cases of Initiate-aged children brought into the Order."

"Indeed. The simple fact, Cameron, is that if you had arrived at the Temple with your grandfather, then the Council would never have even considered accepting you into the Order. Your lack of family, when combined with your high potential to use the Force, was one of the primary reasons they were willing to overlook your advanced age for an Initiate and admit you into the Order." Dooku added, using my past as an example.

"Would I be right in assuming that was something that also factored into them letting Tedra into the Order?" I asked as neither of her parents had been among the freed slaves.

"That was one thing in her favour, yes. Master Yaddle stated that between that, Initiate Zill's high midi-chlorian count, and the recommendation of Master Dooku, the Council of First Knowledge granted her admittance into the Order." Fay confirmed along with letting me know Dooku had essentially put in a good word for Tedra; which was unexpected but proof he wasn't as uncaring as he appeared. "As for young Anakin, one thing in his favour there is that he's never had a father figure. Shmi claims to not know who his father is."

"That is, sadly, not unexpected of any female slave," Dooku commented. If not for the slight edge that came to his voice at the mention of slavery, I'd almost think he was talking down about Shmi. Honestly, if not for the fact I knew how anti-slavery he was, it would've come as a surprise to see his reaction when having to discuss – never mind deal with – slavers. Still, it was always an eye-opener to see the possible Darth Tyrannus be so against slavery given to the groups he'd associated with as leader of the CiS.

"While that is true in many cases, here it is not," Fay responded after a gentle shake of her head. "Shmi is adamant that not only did she never take a lover around the time Anakin was conceived, but that her master at the time didn't give her to others to enjoy." Fay's face twisted so much by the end that, when combined with the brief burst of anger I sensed before she let the feeling go, it was almost as if Fay had been replaced by someone far less compassionate for a second. "The boy has no father." She added once the moment had passed, revealing something that I was hesitant to bring up.

Dooku's eyes narrowed as he took that in. "No father? I do hope you're not suggesting the child was conceived by the Force or another miraculous event." His words and tone made it clear just how preposterous he found the idea to be.

Fay's smile shifted into one of those 'I'm older and wiser than you' ones I remembered my grandmother used to love as she replied. "While there is a possibility that is the case, I feel it unlikely. More likely the child is the result of a dalliance that Shmi Miss Skywalker has either forgotten or wishes to forget. I only bring it up because, based on the rough date of Anakin's birth occurring around the time of Cameron's arrival, there is a clear sign that the Force is at work here. Two unusually strong Force users appearing or being born at the same time is not a coincidence."

Dooku's brow twitched. "As much as I wish I could dismiss such a point, I cannot." He sighed, and in that moment, there was a rare glimpse of a man in later life who was growing tired of life, and everything connected to it. "While I would appreciate it if the Force found ways to limit how difficult it makes things for us, I accept that is not how the Force works; nor that it allows coincidences to occur without reason."

"Quite so. Though it is in those moments, as you well know, that we can influence events in accordance with the Force's needs," Fay added, her grandmotherly smile still present. "However, I feel we have drifted slightly off-topic here. Cameron, if you would continue."

"Yes, master. Another issue, and one I dislike the most, is that within the Temple – specifically within the High Council itself – there are people who dislike me. Given this, and the fact Anakin's potential is greater than even my own, there's a chance that these people, this element, might try to… indoctrinate Anakin to see that everything I have done or will do is against the Council's, the Jedi, and the Republic's wishes. As much as I don't want to admit it, they would use Anakin to counter me and label either a subversive element in the Order or even a Dark Jedi in training."

"Something that would be even easier to manage if the truth of your parentage came to light," Dooku added as he tapped his forefingers against each other. "And while I would prefer that the Order wasn't rife with internal issues and instead focused on… difficulties inherent in the Republic, it is a fact of nature that any sufficiently large group of beings will develop internal factions with differing opinions on the direction their group is heading and how events should be handled." He sighed before continuing. "And now with the threat of the Sith hanging over us, even if only a small number of us are aware and accepting of this, any schism in the Order brought on by you or those opposed to you could well prove catastrophic to the Order's – and indeed the Republic's – survival."

I nodded as Dooku spoke, finding that I agreed with what he was saying. Yet, a part of me was becoming convinced that a schism in the Order might be the only way to save it; or at least correct the flaws inherent in it from those who would blindly follow the Republic and the Senate without asking why they were doing so. "Aye, plus there's this feeling I have that the Sith, or their puppets, are active in the Senate. If I'm right, and I feel as though I am, then they have influence there, and thus over the Order the closer the Order decides to cleave itself to the Senate. Placing Anakin in the Temple will place him in the Sith's crosshairs right just as he begins to show resentment towards us from separating him from his mother."

"You feel the Sith would move to try to corrupt him, turn him to the Dark Side?" Fay asked as her smile fell and her brow creased.

I nodded before verbally responding. "Yes, master. If not him, then me. We all know I've touched the Dark Side. Many Jedi felt when I lashed out, kriff, even Padmé did. If it was strong enough of a ripple that she felt it, then I have to assume that the Sith felt it as well."

And that idea dominated my thoughts during my downtime. If either Sith Lord – or Maul, wherever he was, for that matter – decided to kidnap me for 'training' there was shab-all I could do to stop them. Kriff, even if I knew they were coming, my only options would be to run or die; and I wasn't sure either would be allowed. Then, of course, was the fear of them getting their hooks into Anakin from an even earlier age. That gnawing, ice-cold pit in my stomach had kept me up more than a few nights, and several times I'd found myself contemplating ways to kill Anakin to prevent his fall, which made me sick to my stomach.

Dooku leaned back and began to stroke his bread. "That… is concerningly probable."

"Even with those issues, real or potential, the Jedi Temple is still the best option we have for training Anakin to become a Jedi." Fay countered; her brow still creased. I could sense her unease with the subject and some reluctance that I assumed was to do with placing Anakin in the Temple. Or I hoped it was as that meant there was a small but growing chance that I could convince her to, if not prevent it, then at least delay it for a year or two. "If we go with your suggestion to place him with a group of freed slaves, there is a risk he forms attachments to others. That would hinder any future development he will have as a Jedi."

"I understand your concern, master, and I agree with the risk you mention about placing Anakin with the Lokella poses. Plus, there is always the chance that the Hutt behind the initial slave mining operation makes another concerted effort to recapture the system and slaves. However those risks are, at least to me, less than the chance that the Sith learn about Anakin and move to train him to bring about the end of the Jedi Order."

Silence fell over the cockpit for a while as we all contemplated the two options on the table. All I could hope was that, when the time came to make a decision, my masters at least allowed me a vote on the matter because while they did treat me like an adult, I was still just their Padawan and was expected to follow their instructions.

"Perhaps," Dooku began slowly as if giving voice to a still-forming thought. "Perhaps, we might consider sending Anakin to another group. As much as I have issues with several members of the group, there are the Green Jedi on Corellia. They could be another option if we decide to follow Cameron's advice and not send the boy to the Temple." That wasn't something I'd considered, but it was an option. "Or even a Force sect with less connections to the High Council, such as the Matukai."

Now those options were completely unexpected. Although I did remember the name Matukai from the KOTOR games, that had only showcased their force-enabling equipment, not anything further about their practices.

"While I don't know that the Matukai would be entirely suitable, I do concede that such groups need to be considered," Fay replied almost as slowly. "If we are truly concerned with Anakin's fall to the Dark Side, then perhaps a visit to the Voss would be more beneficial, as they have a unique affinity for such futuristic visions. It's possible that they might also be agreeable to guiding and educating him."

Dooku's mouth twisted. He looked like someone who had been forced to swallow a bowl of lemon drops. I didn't know who the Voss were, but they were obviously not held in high esteem by the Serennian master.

Fay continued, seemingly ignoring him. "And, in the interests of fairness, if we are going to consider not sending Anakin to the Temple – and for the record, I am still to be convinced that is not the best course of action – then we need to continue these discussions and consider all possible options. That would also give us time to meditate on them."

"Agreed. Now, since regardless of our decision regarding the boy, you wish for the mother to be placed with the Lokella?" Dooku asked as he turned his attention to me. I nodded in reply. "That we can all agree on," he continued as he slowly stood. "Once we've exited this hyperspace jump, set course for the ShaDo system. Master Fay and I will both meditate on the boy."

"And perhaps talk with him," Fay offered as she also stood. "While he's too young to fully understand his choices, I feel that speaking with him might help us in deciding which path is the correct one. Just before we arrive, we will reconvene this discussion. If we allow Anakin time to settle on Mtael's Gift, we run the chance of him making more attachments that would need to be broken if we both feel he should head to the Temple."

Dooku lowered his head in agreement and acceptance, then the two left the cockpit. As I turned to the controls and readied the request for the hyperspace routes for the next stage of our journey – there was no direct route from Tatooine to the ShaDo system so we needed to take several hyperspace lanes that skirted Hutt Space – I felt relief that my wish for Anakin to not go to the Temple hadn't been dismissed out of hand. Yes, there was still the chance Fay and Dooku could decide that was the best option, but I now had just under a week to not only hope they saw things from my perspective but to prepare more arguments why the Lokella was the best current place for Anakin.

I'd also planned to spend time with him getting to know him and building the start of a friendship. If my masters planned to speak with him about his choices, then having him trust me and wanting to stay close to his mother was a card I would play.

It might be underhanded but given the very real risks with placing him in the Temple held, I was willing to do all I could – short of directly disobeying my masters – to get the outcome I wanted.

… …


… …

Two figures, each bearing shafts of light, blades of energy, stood across from each other. The lower blade glowing a deep, rich blue; the higher one shining pure on the edges, yet dark as pitch at its core. The Force hummed in excitement around them, contrasting the bright shine of new and untapped yet seemingly limitless potential, with the older and more focused well of energy that boasted nearly as much depth as the first.

Suddenly, the smaller figure moved, their blade surging forward, though the taller one blocked with the faintest flick of his wrist. The challenger pulled back, then came again. The strike was fast, yet due to the wielder's stature, was physically weaker and easy for the older and more experienced duelist to deflect with their black blade.

Yet, as time passed, the student grew stronger. The attacks came more controlled while maintaining their power. The two blades grew brighter in power and slowly shifted. One from the rich azure into a light violet hue, while the other thinned, and shortened slightly, the white nimbus growing fainter until it was little more than a shell to give the darkness a predefined shape. The student also grew slowly, and as the tendrils of the Force receded, Cam and Anakin were revealed. Cam was older, ash brown hair pulled back behind his head in a low-slung ponytail held in place by an engraved clasp, holding the Darksaber in a loose one-handed grip at his side. Anakin was also slightly older, barely in his teens as he came into focus.

The image shifted as dark grey waves of smoke filtered across it, when they cleared both Anakin and Cam were now back-to-back. From all around them, multi-coloured blaster bolts raged in a deadly storm. Yet none touched them.

Their blades moved as one even though neither could see the other, deflecting and blocking all the fire that came their way. Nothing breached the spherical walls of fire the pair had conjured with their sabres. Anakin was grinning wildly, seemingly enjoying the chaos erupting around them and, while Cam was less exuberant, joy still shone through in his eyes, if only at the enjoyment of teaming with Anakin, rather than the calibre of the opponents that they faced.

Ripples of smoke appeared once more, briefly obscuring the scene. When it once more became clear, the bolts of energy had shifted, replaced by shafts of sunfire in various hues. Yellow, green, and blue blades moved in a loose outer circle, their faces hidden by robes of shadowy mist, contrasting the two warriors, who remained in the middle, back to back. Anakin still appeared eager but seemed to be restraining himself.

Suddenly, one of the figures, who sported the twin blades of a saberstaff, surged forward while twirling the blades above their head like the codependent orbit of flaming binary stars. Anakin moved to block and retaliate, only for a second figure to break from the circle and strike in an effort to separate them. Cam answered by shifting to guard Anakin's flank, guiding and pushing back the blade, before spinning back to his starting position. That was the signal for the others in the attacking ring to move. Blades of various colours thrust, struck, and crashed against the defences of the central pair. Anakin was clearly the less skilled of the pair, but never did he seem overwhelmed as Cam was always there, ready to intervene when necessary. A gesture here, a tug on Anakin there, an elegant and fluid parry there. Always, the master protected the student from being struck.

Faster and faster the attacking ring moved, but no matter how fast they came, from what direction or combination, the central pair stood firm. Enjoyment radiated from both as they moved in sync, flowing with grace, power and determination. Though that all changed in an instant when, after blocking an emerald strike, Anakin stepped forward, pivoted around the blade lock, and struck the figure in a blitzing counter-strike, his sabre a tongue of searing violet ice. The figure collapsed to the ground and their blade winked out. A brief, unexpected lull fell over the scene before the attackers surged forwards once more, this time with far more intensity.

Anakin was forced to step back, pushing his back against Cam's. In response, Cam's movements shifted, replacing the calm but excited demeanour with grim determination. With a flick and twist, he redirected an oncoming blow into its neighbour, unbalancing two of his attackers before a jet of flame engulfed another. Anakin, encouraged by his mentor, started striking back against their foes with renewed intensity, driving back their attackers who wavered; almost as if shocked at what they were seeing.

The smoke spun around the pair once more, as the various blades of lights faded into it. As the smoke cleared, it revealed a battered Cam backing through a shallow river, one arm hanging uselessly at his side as his other armoured glove held the Darksaber tightly. After him followed a group of shadowed figures. Not Jedi, but hardly less dangerous, they wielded a variety of exotic weapons as they stalked their prey.

Even as Cam turned to face them, wisps of sickly green mist began to rise from the water and cling to Cam's boots and greaves like long sinister fingers, responding to the chants of several of the attackers. As a shimmer of energy met the tendrils and began to force them back, Cam raised his saber to guard against a torrent of emerald lightning that was arcing towards him, forcibly splitting his attention.

As the rest of the attackers moved in to exploit this opening, an earth-shattering roar filled the air around them. An instant later, a streak of purple sliced through three of the figures before coming to rest beside Cam and forming into an enraged Anakin. There were no words that needed to be exchanged as the two-faced their assailants in a furious counterattack, the air soon rent by battlecries and war chants.

The smoke fell across the vision once more, though this time it engulfed the central pair. When it cleared, Anakin was furiously clashing with another figure with a dark purple blade. He was attacking with the fury of a star, his anger easy to sense, yet even as it swirled around them both, it was seemingly absorbed by the wielder.

His opponent was aggressive, powerful, and easily matched Anakin's lighter blade stroke for stroke, as they clashed. Suddenly, his adversary diverted his blade, crippled Anakin with a sharp kick to the knee, and then stuck out a hand, catching Anakin off-guard, and sending him soaring backwards. The young man tumbled end over end coming to a sudden stop against an obstacle, yet before they could move a flash of purple lightning arced the distance between the two and impaled Anakin where he lay.

A cry of pure anguish sent the purple blade hurtling back as Cam slid to a stop next to his apprentice. Pained ripples emerged from them as faint, golden light swirled around the pair, only to be driven back by a howl of pure, unadulterated rage from the older man, as his brother had fallen slack in his arms.

Another cry rent the air. However, whereas the first was the call of a wounded animal, this was rage and chaos incarnate. The air thrummed, translucent sonic waves nearly visible under the strain. The earth cracked around them, then cratered, earth and stone simultaneously compressing and exploding outwards in a maelstrom of furious energy. From the bodies of the two arced lances of non-energy. Bolts of pure nothingness tore through the air, rending apart the world of mortal sight and revealing an abyss darker than the frozen void between stars.

Seconds later, the energy reached a critical mass and the explosion came in an outward blast of pure chaos. Trees were uprooted and tossed aside like leaves. Boulders the size of starfighters were reduced to dust. The figure was blasted off his feet, his cloak torn from his body as he landed hard dozens of metres away, hastily scrambling to his feet. Stray ambient cracks of darkness permeated the air before slowly beginning to cyclone down towards Cam as the man stood and slowly turned towards their attacker.

A heartbeat later, a burst of darkness arced across the near-kilometre that separated the two. The killer barely had enough time to raise his blade in defence before a bolt of black lightning crashed downwards at him with the fury and strength of a meteor. The blow drove him to his knees as the ground cracked and shook once more.

The darkness coalesced once more into Cam, who stood blade-locked over his opponent. His eyes, completely pitch-black except for irises blazing with hellfire, stared down into the sickly yellow gaze of Mace Windu.

The smoke once more returned, though this time, faint black and red tendrils surged within it. Cam reappeared with two others, striding along the command bridge between the crew pits, his black glittering cape, emblazoned with a red dragon's head scarred with a purple slash across its left eye, billowing out around him like a monarch's mantle. Around them, things – people – buzzed, all moving hard to avoid their gaze.

Behind Cam, his companions followed on behind: one with dark, raven hair flowing freely behind them. The other with a river of fiery hair flowing down over both shoulders and blasters strapped to their hips. Both moved close, with the raven-haired one reaching out for Cam's hand. The hand dropped however, as a lumbering shadow approached and laid down, its body curled around Cam protectively, a wisp of thin shadow curling around his legs. It was almost completely silent amidst the murmuring voices of the crew, yet still massive enough that Cam merely reached out in front of him to absently stroke it.

The world they were seeing came back into sight as the dreadnought finished its flight pattern. Massive, magnificent towers reached the stars from all over the world as objects, starships, flew between wherever the mentor was and the planet below. A large vessel, decked in red and grey, fragmented and began a fiery free-fall as it was hammered from multiple sides by streaks of turbolaser fire.

Suddenly, images flashed across his vision. A yellow world, heated by twin suns. A dark, dirty red world that made the skin crawl. A dank, corrupted planet, sickly orange from the swampy pollution, orbited by a moon that was somehow even more vile. Each world then was enveloped by hundreds, thousands, of streaks of yellow. The surfaces of the worlds burnt and melted away under the intensity of the light, leaving no trace of life or infrastructure behind.

Those images faded away as the original planet came back into focus. Waves of energy, of life, radiated up from the world, almost as if pleading with Cam. Yet their pleas, that energy, found nothing to cling to as they struck the beskar-cold surface of the man's determination.

A cold, focused fury radiated from Cam as a single word echoed around the room.

"Ragnarök."

A moment of silence, then in simultaneous coordination, a hailstorm of red and blue bolts began to rain down on the city-planet below. A faint blue barrier blocked the initial volley, but that only made the volleys grow stronger and more frequent until nothing could be seen except the illuminated corona of laser fire. Yet Cam stood unmoving.

Finally, after what felt like days, the light died down. Gone were the gleaming towers of metal that had reached for the sky. Gone was the energy of trillions of souls pleading for their lives. Gone was everything. All that remained was a black, twisted, lifeless rock that floated in the dead of space.

Eyes stared out through the viewport analysing the wreckage of the planet and the surrounding fleets. With the illumination of battle now over, the transparisteel had once more become semi-reflective. Yet there were no red eyes to stare back at him. The only thing visible was the mask. A dark cold visage with twisting horns, and teeth the colour of scarlet blood, the visor shining crimson like hellfire.

The smoky wisps returned, brushing away the death and rage, and replaced them once more with Cam and Anakin. Once more they were fighting back-to-back, but their surroundings were vastly different.

The two of them stood on a glowing disk of a hundred billion pricks of light, slowly spinning in a massive white vortex and condensing into a recognizable z-axis view of the galaxy. From all around them, from every corner encroached a vast web of shadowy tendrils, absorbing the light of stars. Blotting out entire sectors and consuming them to feed its growing formlessness. The two men stood with their blades drawn and drove away the shadows as much as possible, but despite their best efforts, more and more of the galaxy was consumed. Finally, Anakin stepped forward in front of Cam, and began taking the brunt of the focus. Cam stepped back, switched off his lightsaber and readied himself for a moment before hurling a hand down to land on the Deep Core in a single Force shockwave. The omnidirectional blast billowed out from him, vaporising the tendrils and scattering the remaining wisps of smoke back to the edges of the galaxy beyond all sight.

However, at the same time, the foundations on which the pair stood could not withstand that strike either. There was a great rumble as cracks began to grow along the length and breadth of the expanse of the galaxy. Splinters began to form, sectors of space broke off, entire galactic regions became displaced from the cohesion that they'd once been party to. As both Cam and Anakin reached out and tried to steady the tremors and disruption, they could only meet each other's gaze in triumph and exhilaration at their ultimate success, yet simultaneously sadness and resignation at what their victory had ultimately cost them.


I snapped up in bed, sweat dripping from my forehead as it made my sleepwear stick to my skin. "What. The. Fuck?" I muttered out between rapid shallow breaths. My mind spun as my mind raced, trying to process whatever the fuck I'd just dreamed.

I closed my eyes, trying to centre myself as I fought to regain control of my vision. I thought I heard something, but it was muffled, distant, so I ignored it and focused on what I'd just experienced. It took me longer than I'd have liked to get my heart rate under control, but I got there soon enough. With that done, I replayed the vision in my head, going over it slowly and carefully.

Everything about it screamed that it was a vision, yet it was unlike any I'd had before. The figures – which were myself and Anakin – were clear to see, even if many of the various attackers weren't.

The first scene, for lack of a better word, had clearly been me training him in how to use a lightsaber. I knew I was heavily leaning towards taking him as my Padawan when I could, but was this the Force telling me of what could or would happen if I did, or warning me of the dangers such a path posed?

Our first fight had been against, well mooks. I could understand the excitement Anakin had radiated, and my apparent disinterest as even now, after only a few years, I was growing bored of engaging groups of such people in combat. It wasn't fair to have them go against someone trained in warfare or the Force. Certainly not both.

The shift had shown us being attacked by Jedi, which was disconcerting. Did the Council deem my training of Anakin a threat, or the fact that between us we had the potential to be the most powerful Force users to exist? Would the idea of us having such radically different opinions from the majority of the Order result in them wanting to kill us? That seemed excessive, yet when I thought about it a moment, I could see it happening. If Windu – who I'd get back to in a moment – had felt the threat of Palpatine was too dangerous to be left alive, and he already had reservations about me being a Jedi, then how would he react if I altered Anakin's opinions to more closely align with my own?

Now that wasn't to say that I planned to, as I think how he'd grown up in the canon timeline wasn't too far removed from how I'd approach certain situations, but I guess I could understand their logic, even if I'd call them fucking morons to their faces about it.

The third scene… an ambush, or multiple ambushes. I'd seen hints of ways Bo had attacked me when she'd used Mandalorian ways to counter Jedi in our spars in that part of the vision, but this had been far more aggressive and dangerous than anything Bo had done. Which made sense. Still, I'd have to be cautious as clearly someone – or multiple someones – had decided that hiring assassins and bounty hunters to take me out was a good idea.

I shivered as I got to the part where I saw Anakin die. That had been Windu, he had been unmistakable, even with the yellow eyes. And speaking of which, since when was Windu a prospective Sith candidate to be Sidious's apprentice? While I knew the man had major issues with me, the possibility of him falling so far into zealotry as to embrace the Dark Side…

I paused and took a deep breath, pushing away the surging emotions that section of the vision had brought on. I needed to analyse this clinically to try to understand it as there was no way that I could avoid…

My door opened and someone surged into the room.

"CAM!" Anakin calling out my name was the only warning I got before he leapt and slammed into me. His arms wrapped around my stomach tightly, almost too tightly.

I blinked, trying to work out why…

"Anakin, what happened?" I asked slowly as I wondered if he'd either picked up on my emotions while I'd slept – unlikely but possible as he was absurdly strong with the Force – or, and this was an idea that made my blood go cold, had he experienced the vision, or something similar, as well?

The boy didn't answer, instead hugging me tighter, and instinctually pulling the Force around us. He was using it to protect us, which had me more concerned that he'd shared my vision, or at least parts of it.

Knowing that it'd take a while for him to calm enough that he'd been willing to speak, I placed my hand on his back and made small, circular motions even as I radiated as many calm and safe thoughts as I could within the Force.

Since I didn't see Anakin relaxing soon and, so far, I hadn't sensed anything from my masters meaning they either hadn't sensed my vision – unlikely – or were sleeping – probable – I went back to analysing the vision; or what I'd seen at least.

I let the issue of Windu killing Anakin pass, both because I wanted to spare the boy from my anger, and also due to my relative lack of surprise at that particular turn of events. Instead, I moved onto the scene of me on a bridge of a warship. The two beside me had been Serra and Bo, and since we'd all been decked out in armour, it heavily implied that I'd not only left the Jedi after Anakin's death but also control of the clans and… gone to war with the galaxy.

The worlds I'd seen burn briefly were easy to place. Tatooine, Geonosis and Nal Hutta. All three were logical targets to attack, that I didn't have an issue with. But shattering them until no life remained, and doing the same to Coruscant, that was something I couldn't understand. Had my anger at Windu's killing of Anakin, and the threat Sidious posed been enough for me to work my way to the point where I'd willingly burn a planet of a trillion sentients to kill a handful of targets?

What scared me slightly was that yes, I could see the path I'd take, the small steps in wars that could lead me there, and it terrified me. I knew such orders existed. The Republic called it the Base Delta Zero naval code, though it hadn't been used in over a thousand years. But to think that I'd so willingly use it against Coruscant…

I closed my eyes and took a breath, clearing the dark and dangerous road my thoughts were heading down. I chose instead to focus on the end of the vision, where Anakin and I had been fighting back-to-back once more. There, he'd clearly been fighting Mace, yet this time Anakin had been holding his own, and even going out of his way to defend me. I'd do the same for him fighting Sidious – which hinted that what Anakin might've seen was his fate as Vader, which wasn't something a boy of five should have to witness – and while that was a fight I knew I'd have to have one day, I felt this wasn't what the vision was hinting at.

Unless I missed my guess, what the Force was suggesting was that, to prevent either of us from falling, we had to defend each other.

"C-Cam?" I looked down to see Anakin had pulled back enough that I could see his face. His eyes were red and his cheeks wet, though I'd never realised it as my clothes were still soaked in sweat. In his eyes, I saw fear and terror, though the faintest hints of hope were buried beneath them.

"I'm here," I replied, brushing some of his hair off his forehead, "and I assume that, like myself, you saw… images of what might be."

He nodded slowly, then sniffed. "I, I, uh, saw you training me. Then us fighting…" His voice trailed off, and I picked up the conversation.

"Fighting beings with blasters, then others with lightsabers, then a collection of beings with lots of different types of weapons?" I asked. His eyes widened and he nodded again. "And whatever came next, it scared you, didn't it?"

His head went back against my chest though, from the movement he made, I understood he was once more nodding.

"I won't go into detail, but would you like to hear what I saw?" I asked very slowly. Revealing what I'd done might scar him for life, but at the same time, him hearing that I'd seen myself doing terrible things might help him.

I paused and took a deep breath as I felt something shift around us. "I saw… I saw you die," he held me tighter, "then I saw myself do… things I'd never do. I, I killed anyone and everyone in my way just to kill the one that killed you." That was as far as I was willing to take it. Any more, and I instinctively knew I'd drive a wedge between us.

"Wh, when I saw you die," he said slowly after a moment, his head still pressed tightly against my chest, "I went after the one who killed you. Suh-sometimes he had a red sword, sometimes a longer blue one. I, uh, I lost each time. They placed me in a cage of metal and made me do horrible things." He paused and whimpered. "I was a slave all over again, and I helped them enslave others."

"Shh," I whispered as I stroked his head. "It's alright. What we saw isn't the future, not unless we let it be." I added slowly, trying to take his thoughts past those images to the final part of the vision; the part I would move planets to reach. "Focus on the end. We fought together, we kept each other safe. That is the part I want you to focus on, to keep in mind whenever you think about this again. So long as we work together, we fight together, neither of us will do those things."

His head moved in a nod as he tightened his grip even further. He had to be using the Force subconsciously as there was no way a boy this young could hug me tight enough that I started to hurt. Still, I understood perfectly why he needed to, and so let it go. I merely continued to rub gentle circles on his back, waiting for him to calm down enough that I could get him back to his room.

As I soothed Anakin, my mind turned to the very end of the vision. When I'd been trying to hold the galaxy together, to drive back the darkness, I'd shattered the galaxy. I didn't know though if the vision of me had intentionally broken the galaxy, or if it had been an unintended side effect of trying to protect it from whatever had been in those dark, malevolent tendrils. What could possibly have driven me to be so desperate that I'd even consider doing something that carried such a risk?

The door to my quarters opened and Shmi stormed in "Anakin! There you are!" she said as she moved towards us. It was clear she was panicked about him, which suggested he'd woken her when he'd jumped from his bunk and come to me.

"It's alright Miss Skywalker," I began before she was close enough to try and pry her son from his hug, "Anakin just had a dream; one brought on by the Force." I paused and gulped as a worried mother turned her attention to me, making it clear she was less than impressed with what she was hearing. "Um…" I paused and licked my lips, trying to work out how to explain this to someone who knew next to nothing about the Force.

Shmi crossed her arms and looked at me. It wasn't a glare, but it promised that once Anakin was calm and back in bed, she'd return to this point, probably with my masters present.

That was going to be a fun conversation.

… …



… …

It took just over five days to make the various hyperlane connections of our journey. With the system being well off the beaten path, and needing to manoeuvre carefully so close to the Hutt Space border, it'd taken longer than I'd expected but that'd just given me more time to think up reasons for Anakin staying with the Lokella and to bond with him.

"We're approaching the exit coordinates," Bo said from the co-pilot's seat next to me. "Exiting hyperspace in thirty seconds."

While Bo wasn't the most natural choice for a co-pilot, she was the only choice I had. Neither Fay nor Dooku had much interest in piloting a starship and both had made clear that since the Ne'tra Sartr was 'mine', then I was the one expected to pilot and maintain it. That hadn't been a huge issue while on Aesolian but going to Tatooine it had. However, once we'd left and with Bo proving she was prepared to honour her word about not running back to the Mandalore sector – no matter how much she wanted – I'd allowed her access to the cockpit and assigned her as my co-pilot.

Before we'd left Tatooine, and at a few stops along the way here, we'd managed to get more details about the situation in the Mandalore sector. War had broken out but with the Senator for the sector being loyal to Adonai, the Senate was unwilling to intervene. Though the Holonet news mentioned the Jedi were watching the fighting carefully given to the historical problems the Mandalorians had caused the Order and the Republic.

As we'd passed by the Aridus system, Bo had managed to get a message from her father. Houses Kryze and Ordo had taken out two major bases controlled by Death Watch and driven House Varaud back in three separate battles.

The ship shuddered slightly and the streaky lights of hyperspace slowed down, and a large red gas giant came into view. That placed us at the inner edge of the system inside the radius of the system's Oort cloud but far enough away from the station and only habitable world that any defenders wouldn't start firing on us instantly.

And so, naturally, the moment we'd finished transitioning to normal space, the alarm klaxon sounded.

"There's two ships bearing down on us from two-five mark four-one," Bo called out as I increased the power generated by the ship's core and shifted around the extra power. "Profiles read as one CR-90 corvette and an older model Guardian-class."

"The Guardian's new," I muttered even as I began to recharge the hyperdrive. While I wasn't sensing any danger until I was sure that the ships coming towards us were from the Lokella I'd keep prepping as if to make a quick exit. Though that would be delayed given the hyperdrive had only just deposited us back into real space.

"Woah," Anakin mumbled from the navigator's station behind my seat. Since he'd come on board, he'd been soaking up everything he could about how the Ne'tra Sartr worked and what the role of each part of the ship was. While he was still young, that knack he'd had in the main timeline was shining through with how quickly he was picking up everything I taught him. About the only thing I wasn't willing to do was to let him fly the ship, though that was only because Shmi had begged me to not let him do so.

"I thought you said these people were friends!" Bo called out as her hands flew over her controls and I saw power being diverted to the weaponry.

"They are, I think, but we just dropped out of hyperspace on the only vector in and out of the system. With this being so close to Hutt Space, coupled with the fact that they're former slaves, them being cautious isn't unexpected," I answered.

A small light blinked between Bo and me, and I breathed a sigh of relief as a channel was opened between our ships. Slavers wouldn't bother talking in a system like this, they'd have just attacked.

I flicked open the channel and started speaking. "Approaching vessels, this is Cameron Shan of the Jedi Order. Transmitting clearance codes and requesting permission to enter the system and land on the station orbiting the second planet." The door to the cockpit slid open at the same moment as a small hologram display above the communication control flickered into action.

"Mtael," a well-endowed female Togruta said as she saw me before bowing slightly. I caught Bo's eyes widen then narrow as she glanced my way, but I said nothing as the Togruta stood up straight and continued. "It has been some time since we last heard from you. We heard reports of a young human Jedi in the Mandalore sector, and we grew concerned when war broke out there. Some wondered if you had died, though I had complete faith in your survival."

"We left just as the war began," I explained, glancing at Bo. Surprisingly while I could sense her anger and despair – probably about being away from home – she didn't make any outwards reaction. "Though we were there when the first battles were fought. However, the reason we're here is that I wanted to stop by and see how everyone was doing; and drop off two additional refugees I recently liberated from slavery."

The Togruta, whom I remembered was named Baalta Iradel, smiled. "Then we are glad to greet you. I will contact Mtael's Gift and inform them of your impending arrival. Freerunner out."

"Acknowledged," I managed to get out before the hologram faded. From the corner of my eye, I saw Bo looking at me, a smirk growing on her face, but I kept my focus on the consoles in front of me.

As we moved forward, the two ships swung to each side to allow us to pass between them. As we did so, both ships activated their running lights, bathing the Ne'tra Sartr in the light. I heard Anakin inhale and let out a whispered "Wizard!" at the display but kept my eyes firmly on my consoles as I sensed growing curiosity in Bo.

"Mtael?" Bo asked once we were past the two Lokella corvettes, but I chose to ignore her. While I figured she'd get the story once we arrived at the station – whose name I would never, ever say or think – I'd rather not have to explain the title if I could avoid it.

"While Cameron is uncomfortable with the title, it is one he earned," Dooku said, revealing himself and Fay to the others in the cockpit after they'd silently entered minutes earlier. "He is, after all, the one the Lokella see as most responsible for freeing them from Hutt-controlled slavery. From defending and inspiring the defence of the station from a counter-attack, through defeating Girk Saxon in single combat to stopping an ambush when the Lokella went after the Hutt responsible for their enslavement, the Lokella feel he is worthy of such an accolade."

"Wait, the station we're heading to is where Gar's old man died?" Bo asked as she turned her seat around to face my master. I, however, found as much interest in my displays as I could.

"Indeed. Neither I nor Master Fay were present for that battle, however we heard about what happened from both our Padawan and the Lokella afterwards. While Cameron is… reluctant to speak of that day, I'm sure if you ask, many of the Lokella would be willing to recount the battle and Cameron's fight with Girk Saxon to you."

I fought down the fleeting desire to throttle the old man. Still, I wished the bastard wasn't enjoying putting me on the spot like this as much as he was. As Dooku began to recount the events that led us to discover this system – after Anakin asked him about how this place had come to be – I silently prayed to the Force that, when we arrived on the station, the Lokella didn't make a big deal out of my return.

Yet in the very pit of my stomach, I had a bad feeling that even the Force was enjoying my discomfort with how I felt about the Lokella's reverence towards me.

… …



… …

I'd been right. After we'd landed, the ruling council of the Lokella – which had expanded to eleven members due to their increased size, but with me still holding a seat on it – had greeted us and proclaimed that there would be a feast that evening in honour of Dooku and me.

While the Lokella showered me with affection and respect – with several offering prayers of thanks to me for founding the colony – Bo had failed miserably to contain her enjoyment. She'd all but doubled over in laughter by the time the sixth person had come forward and offered their thanks. Though she was the most overt, it was plain that my masters, Shmi, and Anakin all found amusement in my discomfort as well.

When we'd finally been able to leave the landing bay – which had taken nearly an hour to manage – Maan Lonwin and Tweq Ruhn, two of the original seven council members, had escorted us to the bay where I'd fought Girk. There we discovered that some of the freed slaves had painted a mural detailing the fight to defend the station against the slaver's attempted recapture. Taking prominence in the mural, and mirrored by a stone statue, was an image of my fight with Girk.

I'd expressed admiration of the work, even if inside I wanted to destroy the thing, while Dooku had commented that the artists had done a good job capturing my likeness as Fay looked on silently with a wry smile.

Anakin and Shmi, while now aware of why the Lokella held me in such regard thanks to Dooku telling them the story, were still in shock at the reception. That issue though was cleared up at the feast when Maan, Tweq and Baalta – who'd arrived back on the station in time for the celebration – took it in turns retelling the story of the "Mtael's Defiance" as the Lokella had taken to calling the battle.

Of course, Bo couldn't settle for just one retelling and asked them several times to retell the story, and then, once she'd been happy with hearing the story four or five times, she hooked up her vambrace to a display and showed my verd'goten hunt to the Lokella, Anakin and Shmi. That had resulted in both Skywalkers looking at me almost reverently, with Anakin peppering me with questions about the rumours he'd heard of a Mandalorian taking down a greater krayt dragon single-handedly. It also had him asking Bo – much to Shmi's terror – about what it took for one to become Mandalorian. That had me seeing images of him hunting rancors, or bigger, monsters in an attempt to one-up me; which was both chilling and, when I was honest with myself about it, a little flattering.

Logically, I understood that this was Bo's way of getting back at me for going along with her father's initial plan, and possibly even the comments I'd made on Tatooine to Watto, but that didn't stop me from wanting to drag her into a sparring ring and beat her arse like she owed me money.

Still, the Lokella, new and old – the colony now numbered nearly six thousand after their most recent freedom raids – had enjoyed watching the hunt. Though when some of the older, and more respectful members of the group had looked at me almost devoutly, the urge to reveal what I knew about the Sith to Sidious and Plagueis was momentarily appealing.

Of course, because I'd wanted a distraction the Force had provided me with one, though not in the way I'd wanted. About an hour into the feast, after Bo had finished showing the recording of my hunt – which she'd somehow gotten from her father – a group of newer Lokella members at the far end of the hall had stood and approached. They were led by two humans; Ferox who was the shorter, broader and less diplomatic of the two and Validus who was taller, leaner and far more eloquent.

Ferox had an issue with the deference shown to me by the Lokella; because I was a Jedi – I learnt a short while later that a Jedi had done nothing to free him a decade ago just before his wife was killed by his former master – and was a child he felt I was unworthy of the respect the council was showing me. Thus he challenged me to prove my worth against him in combat. Maan had tried to calm him down, and I saw Baalta speak quietly to him, but he'd not been willing to back down. He'd called my victory over 'The Mandalorian' – his words – a fluke and the recording of my hunt a fake.

Bo had leapt from her seat at that, and if not for the fact I'd grabbed her arm, would've likely leapt over the table and tried to kill Ferox. Instead, she was forced to throw insults at him and question his manhood, which while disturbing, resulted in me learning a few more obscure Mando'a curses and being very, very glad Bo hadn't ever been that angry with me. While scary, I was ashamed to say a part of me enjoyed seeing Bo this animated.

Ferox had ignored the insults and kept his focus on me. He stated loudly for everyone to hear that, if I truly had defeated Girk in single combat, and killed a greater krayt dragon then I'd have no issues with proving it in the ring against him. I'd wanted to ignore the challenge but, much to my annoyance, Bo had accepted for me. Fay's disapproval at me not backing out was easy to see, even without the Force, as while her face remained calm, the twitching at the corner of her eyes and the narrowing of her lips made her feelings on the matter clear.

That evening, after the feast had ended without any further incident, Fay had given me a dressing down for not backing out of the fight while Dooku had simply instructed me to make it quick. I countered that not doing so could undermine the current leadership of the Lokella – something I'd learnt about from Maan and Tweq before the dressing down – as Ferox led a group of recently freed slaves that wished to be more aggressive in attacking the Hutts and other slavers. If he had his way, the Lokella would likely anger a far more powerful Hutt than Decca, bringing down a massive retaliation strike on the station and resulting in the Lokella either being killed or re-enslaved. In that context, Fay gave her reluctant permission for the spar to take place; though on the condition that I didn't use my lightsaber and that the fight would be to first blood.

Ferox had happily accepted, though as I found myself standing across the combat ring from him – as he casually flourished twin swords with extreme ease and skill – I wondered if he would obey the rule. Now, I would admit that I was curious to see how I'd do against this galaxies equivalent of a gladiator as, going by the few underground fight clubs I'd visited before, such fighters were always more brutal and unrestrained than other fighters.

About the only thing I was glad of as I handed my cloak, outer robes and lightsaber to Bo was that the fight wasn't taking place in the Force disruption room. That room caused a fifteen-hundred per cent cost penalty for any Force power and actively drained my stamina the longer the field was active.

"You've got this," Bo commented as she clipped my lightsaber to her belt. "Just go all-out like we do in training, and you'll kick his arse with ease."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her. "Bo, one, when we spar, I'm never going all out. If I did neither of us would learn anything from the spars." I commented as I ignored the narrowing of her eyes and I gave my sword a few experimental swings. I kept them basic and even made them slightly unwieldy on purpose as in this fight I wanted every advantage I could get. "Two, this fight is under the same conditions as my fight with Girk, so no blatant Force powers like picking him up and rag dolling him around the room. And three, from what I've been told Ferox here was something of a legend in the Hutt fighting pits. He fought and killed Wookies, Trandoshans and the like for over a decade in the pits and was undefeated until he lost to Validus."

Bo scoffed at that and looked over at my opponent. Validus was helping him put on some basic armour that further enforced the image I had of Ferox as a gladiator. The two men, and about a dozen other fighters including a Wookie, were freed about two months ago on a raid. The Lokella had attacked a convoy that had just exited Hutts space. Onboard they'd found a group of gladiatorial slaves that were returning to their master's home after a tournament. While Pad Keba had lost his life leading the operation, almost a hundred slaves had been freed during the raid. I wasn't particularly sad that Keba was gone as he'd been a pain in my arse during those initial few weeks when the Lokella movement had been born, losing someone I knew meant having to deal with newcomers, such as Ferox and Validus.

"He doesn't look that tough," She remarked before turning back to me. "Besides, you defeated Girk under those same conditions nearly two years ago. That was before you became Mando'ade and proved your worth in the battle of Keldabe. Yeah, he's been fighting for a decade in the pits and looks to have muscles in places you haven't even discovered yet, but you can take him." She smirked and jerked her thumb towards the side, where Anakin, Shmi and my masters were standing. "Besides, we don't want you disappointing your future Padawan now do we?"

I made a face at Bo's comment, but I didn't deny it. There was a strong thought in my mind about taking Anakin as my Padawan if I was able to. Yes, the age difference would be an issue, as would my standing with the Order – there was no kriffing way they'd be happy with me training someone with the potential to be more powerful than me; not with my actions over the last few years – but it would, I hope, help ensure the timeline changed enough that Vader wouldn't arise; and I wouldn't die because of that.

Still, I was impressed at how quickly Bo had cottoned on to my plan and accepted the boy. In the time it took us to get here, Anakin had not only learnt the names of every major component in the Ne'tra Sartr and what their function was, but Bo had taught him how to field-strip and reassemble a blaster. He'd picked it up quite well and was able to regularly perform the feat without error, even if it was somewhat slower than Bo or I due to his age.

All of that had caused Bo to promise him that if the Jedi, in their infinite wisdom, decided against letting him join, then she'd adopt him into her family and make a Mandalorian out of him. The idea of Anakin being raised as a Mandalorian was tempting, as it would likely give him a more fitting structure to his life than the Jedi way. Indeed, the vision that we'd shared made it all but certain that Anakin would indeed join the Mandalorians, but it was still up in the air how and when that would occur.

"This has nothing to do with Anakin, beyond possibly wanting him to see a spar between skilled fighters. This is about ensuring that Ferox doesn't start to run roughshod over the Lokella and allowing them to continue to progress down their own path," I replied, which caused her smirk to widen into a grin.

"You mean the path where they continue to worship the ground you walk on? And here I thought you Jetii didn't go in for that sort of thing." She chuckled as she adjusted the strap on my belt, making it a touch tighter than I'd like. "Still, at least now I know why you didn't like all the challenges on Mandalore, we weren't kissing your arse enough."

"I'd make a comment about why you're thinking about my arse, but I'd rather keep my head attached to my body." I quipped back, making her laugh darkly.

She leaned close and whispered. "It's not your head you'd have to be worried about in that case; or at least not your overinflated one." I chuckled nervously at the image as she pulled back, a slightly feral look to her grin. "And relax, I'm just teasing. While I'm no leader like my father or a politician like my mirshe-kryayc sister when it comes to these things, I understand enough." She paused and turned, taking another look at Ferox. The man was stretching out his arms, seemingly flexing for Baalta who was standing close by.

"Damm," she muttered under her breath though I still heard her. While she might've been commenting on the impressive build of the man, the faint hint of arousal I sensed in the Force suggested she found the man attractive. That was surprising as she'd never, to my recollection, shown any interest in a man before.

She turned back to me, her grin having slipped while she'd been looking at Ferox. "Just… be careful. He's got you beat for size, strength, and experience for certain. Beat him fast before he has time to realise he shouldn't underestimate you." She paused and patted my chest over my heart. "K'oyacyi!"

I smiled at her encouragement but was unable to reply as that was when Maan Lonwin, who would be serving as the adjudicator for the fight, stepped into the ring between me and Ferox. That was the established signal for the pair of us to step forward and meet before the fight started. Ferox's eyes locked onto mine as we stepped forward, and he flexed his pectoral muscles in a show of strength. Knowing I couldn't currently match that, I just smirked and rolled my eyes in a casual dismissal of the gesture.

What I did do was watch the way he moved. Every step, every action was controlled, concise as if he was just waiting to be unleashed. It was apparent to me that he wasn't just a pit fighter, but someone who won such fights and was confident in his victory. That was, I hoped, something I could use.

"The rules are simple," Maan began once we were close enough, "first blood wins. Doesn't matter if that's a small cut on your arm or a deep gorge to your stomach. At that point, I'll sound a klaxon and end this. Apart from that, and Mtael agreeing to not actively use his abilities, anything short of a killing blow is allowed." He paused and looked us both in the eyes, though when he looked at Ferox, he held the warrior's gaze as he added. "And by the Great Spirit, try not to break anything important, Ferox. We've only just got the place in one piece after your last fight."

Ferox snorted at Maan without ever taking his eyes off me. "Heh. The man had it coming, making moves on my female." His eyes narrowed as he continued. "Always wanted to fight a Jedi; shame it has to be a runt."

I shook my head, choosing to break eye contact and end the pointless staring contest he'd started. "And once again someone insults my height. How refreshingly original." I spotted Baalta had stepped closer to Validus and saw a possible avenue to get under Ferox's skin. "Still, if you want to know what a Jedi can do ask Baalta. I believe she enjoyed the company of another member of the Order many months ago and couldn't persuade him to leave it for her."

Ferox snarled. "Maybe after I'm done beating you to a pulp, I'll show your little redhead what a real man can do." He spat back, which made me laugh.

"Bo ain't anyone's. Trust me on that." I responded as I ignored the small part of me that wanted to crush him. "And sorry, but you're not her type. She prefers no cock." Ferox again snarled but I ignored it as I turned to Maan. "Anything else or can we get started? I promised some of the younglings that I'd play with them later."

Maan nodded and took a step back. His eyes darted to Ferox who looked ready to attack, but the Human made no move to do so. Either he had more control than I'd expected – which could be a problem – or he was so well indoctrinated that he wouldn't begin until the klaxon sounded to start the fight.

I took a few steps back and slid into a basic Makashi stance. While the form was meant for a lightsaber, its roots were based on duelling with real swords so the basics were at least adaptable. Which was a good thing as my skill with a one-handed weapon like this sword, while solid, was likely nowhere near Ferox's. Which made it a good thing that while limiting my Force usage, I hadn't agreed to entirely negate it.

The klaxon sounded and a split second later, Ferox darted in. The blade in his right hand, which had started as the rear of the two he was using, swung downwards in a quick cut. The move was simplistic and easy to see, but that was the purpose. Thanks to my experience of fighting dual wielders from sparring with Serra, I spotted the obvious feint, my focus remaining on his body rather than on the overt strike.

I waited, pretending to focus on the arcing blade until the last second, when I slid to my right, letting the blade sail harmlessly through where I'd formerly been standing. I then stepped back to avoid the thrusting second blade that was now used as an actual attack.

I flicked my wrist, aiming the tip of my blade for his now-exposed calf. However, he was able to block that by rotating his wrist and redirecting the arcing blade down onto mine. Then, in an impressive display of control, reorientated himself.

Even as he turned to face me, the left blade thrust forward and I was forced to parry it, using his bodily momentum to try and once more expose his side. He was ready for that however, and pushed his blade into mine as they made contact. Thanks to the force warning me of this, I was ready and ensured the strength of his push didn't destabilise my stance; though I used it to quickly slide back a few steps, putting me out of reach of an upwards cut for his right blade.

He grunted as his blade met nothing but air. "Not bad kid." He muttered as we both resettled into our stances. I didn't respond to the comment, choosing to instead maintain my focus.

He came at me fast this time, each blade moving in quick, probing attacks, looking for an opening in my stance. Thanks to my ability with a blade, practice against a dual-wielding lightsaber user, and the Force I was able to move my blade quickly and accurately to not only block each of his rapid strikes but avoid exposing myself to his next attack. Though one thing that was happening, even as he went from shocked to annoyed rapidly at my ability to match him strike for strike, was that I was slowly being forced back.

While the fight was free to move around and there was no set area to use, if he kept forcing me back, I'd eventually be backed up against the wall and lose my ability to move. As this pattern continued, a small smile crept onto his lips, and I realised this was his plan. Thus, on his next strike, instead of simply guiding it away and moving to defend the follow-up attack, I stepped forward.

Using my smaller stature to my advantage, I slid under his arm and drove my elbow into his gut before he could alter the attack angle of his next blade to take advantage of my closer location. I wasn't using the full power of Physical Enhancement as if I did, after over four months of almost constant use and maxing the power out, I felt that could literally punch through durasteel. Not that I'd tried that, mind you.

"Oof!" he wheezed out as my elbow connected and he was driven back a few steps. I brought my blade down, sliding it over his calf, however, his armour there held so no blood was drawn, and I was forced onto the defensive again before I could try another attack.

As my blade met his, The Force called out a warning and I used his blade as a launch point and pushed back, barely avoiding his elbow as he tried to bring it down on my shoulder or head. He stepped forward, his left blade flicking towards me. I slide one foot back, avoiding the feint then brought my blade up to deflect his real attack.

That left a fractional opening, which I took. I slid my blade down his, even as I kept it away. Then, taking a step forward I boosted my strength with the Force, flicked that blade away and slid my blade along the underside of his forearm. The area was again armoured, but I'd been expecting that and kept my blade moving.

I took another step inside his reach and rolled my wrist, guiding my blade to the underside of his upper arm. There I felt the blade slice his flesh and realised the fight was over. However I knew I was in too close for him not to counterattack, and as the Force warned me of his knee coming for my midsection, I dove over his leg. I felt the air above me move as a blade travelled through it, but there was no flash of my health bar, so I knew the attack hadn't landed.

As I landed, I rolled to carry myself away from him quicker, then came to a stop in a crouch. I turned back, wanting to see if the wound was visible. It was, but he was now moving towards me. "Match!" I called out loudly and after he'd taken a couple more steps towards me, his face contorting in anger, I heard the klaxon sound, signalling the end of the fight.

However, it seemed Ferox either didn't hear the klaxon, or was more interested in the fight, as he was still coming at me. The Force was swirling around, warning me of the increased danger I was in. Time seemed to slow as I raised one hand and sent him tumbling back with a blast from the Force. Even as he stumbled, I leapt forward and stretched out my arm towards where I knew Bo was standing.

I brought the hand down, towards his neck and heard a faint roar as my lightsaber engaged. The sound had changed once I'd managed to insert a smaller krayt dragon pearl into the matrix. I'd tried to add the Mantle of the Force, but due to its slightly larger than normal size I was unable to add it beside the two miniature crystals that focused my lightsaber's beam, thus I'd settled on the pearl until I was able to add the Mantle. Though the idea of four crystals in one lightsaber felt like too much.

As time returned to normal, Ferox's eyes widened as my lightsaber's blade. "This fight is over!" I growled, locking my eyes on him. "You're cut on your underarm; therefore, I win," I added as I ignored the fact my voice was going through that awkward stage of shifting from a child's to an adult's.

Before he could reply, I pivoted and started to move away.

"Ferox!" Validus called out, but I was already carrying through my pivot into a full circle. Having been warned by the Force, I slid my left foot out and used the momentum to guide my body and blade. Sparks flew as both his vibroblades were sliced clean through with the slightest of wrist flicks from me. I followed that up with a blast of the Force, and unlike last time, sent him flying across the room, with him coming to a tumbling halt near Validus' feet.

"Stay down!" I barked out sharply. Ferox growled as he stood back up, but Validus laid a restraining hand on his shoulder before he could further embarrass himself.

A small cheer went up as the spectators realised the fight was over and things hadn't gone too far, but my attention was on my group. My masters wore their usual expressions and neither felt as if they were unhappy with my actions in the short fight. Bo's eyes were narrowed, and I sensed faint traces of anticipation and excitement while Shmi looked concerned.

"That was Wizard!" Anakin called out once he was close, openly displaying the amazement I sensed from him. "You were like, hah, whah, pow." He continued, adding sounds as he tried to mimic my movements. "You were so fast! Can all Jedi move so fast? Can I learn that?"

I chuckled at his enthusiasm and raked his hair. "One day, maybe."

"I've seen faster in our spars," Bo added as she came close enough, a small, predatory smile dancing on her lips. "Though only when fully armoured. Tracking you without my helmet's sensors is nigh on impossible." She added on. In our spars, I moved at a decent speed, though not anything close to my maximum. That was both because I didn't want to reveal all I could do to her – friend or not, there was still a chance we'd be enemies in the wars to come – and because while her helmet's systems might be able to track me, she couldn't move quick enough to react.

Even limiting myself like that, I'd only lost one spar with her during the three or so months we were on Aesolian. That had been because I'd wanted to take it easy and make things fairer only to realise that with her armour, she was a much more dangerous fighter. Honestly, I think she enjoyed that day – which ended with her straddling my chest and her Knife to my throat – a touch too much, but as it was the only time she'd won, I let the irritation I felt over the loss go.

"While Mandalorian technology is impressive, there are select Jedi, such as myself, who are capable of overloading their tracking capabilities. While physical augmentation is something that most every Jedi learns, Cameron's ability to push his speed to such levels is far less common, and is highly impressive for one of his age," Dooku commented even as I tried not to smile at his rare praise. "Though I am reassured to see that you both limited your velocity in a training bout against a potential opponent and kept control when he failed to accept his defeat." He added as Shmi dragged Anakin away from us. While I didn't think she was upset with me letting Anakin watch the fight, it was something I'd have to be mindful of. All mothers did their best to keep their children out of harm's way; which must be a nightmare for those with inquisitive and helpful children like Anakin.

I looked at Fay and lowered my head. "I know you weren't happy about my acceptance of this challenge master, I am sorry that it became necessary."

Fay sighed as her nose wrinkled. "I accept why the fight had to happen, Cameron. And I am glad that you managed to end it with a minimal amount of bloodshed," Bo scoffed quietly at that, "while ensuring Ferox's voice is diminished within the ranks of the Lokella. That said, am still concerned about leaving the boy here; particularly when people such as that man are here and banging the drum of war."

I opened my mouth to respond – as a final decision on Anakin's fate hadn't been made, though it would tonight – however, at that moment, members of the Lokella came over to us. Led by Tweq and Maan, they began to offer their congratulations on my victory and pepper me with questions about my thoughts on various plans and ideas they had for the group's growth and continued survival.

As I felt myself being gently steered away from my masters and Bo, I glanced back, hoping that one of them would save me from the next few hours of impending boredom. Though I saw that Fay and Dooku had moved off to speak with Shmi and Anakin while Bo smiled and gave me a little wave.

Kriffing traitors, the lot of them.

… …



… …

I looked at the crate in front of me and tried to stop my jaw from dropping. While it wasn't massive – being around two cubic metres in size – it was full of unrefined phrik. From what Ezan Vidal, an older yellow-skinned Togruta who was mayor of the small settlement that had developed on the planet below, had said, the Lokella had restarted the mine Decca the Hutt had discovered around about six months ago.

In that time, working slowly while also setting up the farms and other facilities for the settlement, one of the miners had discovered an untapped vein of phrikite and from that, they'd extracted this crate-load of the unrefined metal. Along with nearly three dozen more that were stored in the largeish cargo bay I was standing in currently. Though what had shocked me was that the crate in front of me was being gifted to me by the Lokella.

While the ore, according to Observe, wasn't worth that much in its current unrefined state –about twelve thousand credits – if the Lokella could refine it, which Ezan said they were purchasing the machinery for that with money that I'd diverted to them before they'd restarted the mine, then each crate had the potential to be worth three to four times that. And that was if they chose to sell the metal.

"I, uh, I don't think I can accept this," I muttered as Bo beside me seemed to hyperventilate as she looked around the cargo bay and realised what was stored here. Already I could see her mind turning about using refined phrik to replace durasteel on Mandalorian armour. While I knew they'd use beskar if they could, the metal was a finite resource – which further angered her about the New Mandalorians using it for decorations in Sundari – and many warriors had to use durasteel plates instead. Phrik, from my research, was not only lightsaber resistant but had a higher resistance to blaster damage than durasteel.

"But Mtael, without the work done by your and Master Dooku, none of this would be possible," Ezan responded almost pleadingly. "This gift is but a show of our respect and admiration for your actions." Maan nodded along with the Togruta while barely I resisted the urge to facepalm.

Along with this crate – and there was one for Dooku as well, though he'd indicated he'd only take as much as needed to make refined phrik for his lightsaber casing – Dooku and I each controlled five per cent each of any minerals taken from the mine; or any other mine that might be built on the planet – which I'd discovered had been named Mtael's Refuge, much to Bo's continual amusement – below. The rest of the mine was to be used for the good of the Lokella, with those decisions reached by the now eleven-membered ruling council; a council on which I was the only lifetime member. Neither Fay nor Dooku were happy with this arrangement, but both begrudgingly acknowledged that not accepting would be highly disrespectful.

"That's some gift," Bo muttered as she slowly picked up a smaller chunk of phrikite in her armoured hand. "This crate looks to have enough ore to make quite a few sets of armour for a warrior." She remarked, giving me a sly grin that made it clear she saw the usage for the metal that I suspected she would.

"I understand this is a very generous gift, however, as a Jedi, I cannot accept it at this point," I explained slowly. "Once I'm a Jedi Knight, I'm sure I'll have enough leeway to return for it but as I'm currently a Padawan, it will cause far less hassle and scrutiny to follow their guidelines."

Ezan and Maan shared a look before they both turned to me and, with understanding smiles, lowered their heads. "We understand, Mtael. Once the ore is refined, we'll ensure a crate remains untouched until you are willing and able to collect it."

"Wait, you're telling me you're going to just leave this here because of some di'kut Jedi rule? Bo asked as her brow rose.

"Yes, but I'm also not telling them to take away the gift," I explained with a wink. "I just need to play things safe until I'm free of regular Jedi oversight. As I'm sure you're aware, I'm far from a conventional Jedi. So until I'm made a Knight, or kicked from the Order, I'd like to play it safe and not antagonise 'the establishment'."

"Shabyr di'kute Jetii and their jarela rules," Bo muttered colourfully as she shook her head and placed the ore chunk she'd taken back in the crate. "If your people are serious about refining this ore, I can show you some basic armour designs. With just this ore here, you should be able to fully armour several squads for your raiding parties." Bo offered to the Lokella leadership.

"We would be grateful for your help," Maan replied after glancing at me to make sure I approved. "While we know these last few days haven't been easy for you, we hope you understand that many of our people have… reservations about another Mandalorian being here; even one in the Mtael's company."

Bo chuckled. "It just means your people know how dangerous I am." She commented, making me smirk. "And if not for the war back home, more of my people would be arriving to help train your warriors. C-The Mtael had arranged that." She said, using their term for me and giving me a grin as she did.

"We are sorry your people have become embroiled in civil war," Maan said carefully, still seemingly unsure of how to speak with Bo about the matter. It had come up during dinner a few nights ago and Bo had quickly grown tired of both the questions about the fighting and various members of the Lokella offering their sympathies for the needless suffering happening in her home sector. "Once the matter is… handled, I will bring the Mtael's offer before the council and, provided the leadership of your people are still amenable, approach them about this training."

"So long as those… aruetii don't somehow find a way to emerge from the war stronger, we'd enjoy training your people," Bo replied, grinding her teeth at the thought of the traitors among the Mandalorians. Though I suspected that, in this case, she meant both Death Watch and the New Mandalorians.

"Ah, yes," Maan mumbled out, seemingly unsure of who Bo was speaking about. "Still, would not peace between all factions of your people be a good thing?" He asked, and I tensed, worried I'd have to grab Bo to avoid her lashing out at Maan over a seemingly harmless question.

"In theory, yes, a united Mandalore is stronger than a fractured one," Bo began, making an obvious effort to conceal her frustration. "However, sacrificing who we are as a people is too high of a price for that so-called unity. They would have us give up our ways to become nothing more than glorified lapdogs of the Senate!"

"I, uh," Maan gulped hard," I see."

Knowing that he didn't, I decided to explain it as briefly as I could.

"The New Mandalorian faction believes in peace at all costs. During the recent attack on Mandalore, the planet, the former and current capitals were attacked. The death toll in the current, which is run and defended by the New Mandalorians, was over thirty times higher. There, no defender, before or after the attack, used anything but stun weaponry and the general populace lacked the means to defend themselves during the attack." I could feel Bo's anger rising as I explained this, her thoughts likely drifting to the death of her nephew, but I felt this needed to be known to the Lokella. "Their extremist pacifism resulted in severely inflated casualty numbers, although with the death of their leaders, the city is now under the authority of Bo's father."

There was silence in the bay for a moment as I let Maan and Ezan process what I'd heard while I hoped I wouldn't need to turn and calm Bo down once more. A cargo bay was hardly the ideal place for her to blow off steam if she wanted to spar.

"It is a good thing those leaders are dead," A new voice came from the entrance of the cargo bay and I, along with Maan and Ezan turned to see Ferox and Validus enter; followed by three other former gladiators including the only current Wookie member of the Lokella. "Such people deserve death for failing to protect those in their care." All five were armed with some form of blaster – with the Wookie having a heavy repeater cannon strapped to his back – while Ferox and Validus had vibroswords at their waists as well.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Bo tense, her hands drifting towards her pistols, and even with the Force assuring me no threat was imminent, I was concerned a battle might break out.

"We mean no harm," Validus said, raising his hands in the universal gesture that showed he wasn't looking for trouble. "We just want to talk about things and happened to overhear your explanation of the things on Mandalore."

"Talk about what?" Bo snarled out, which made Ferox's expression darken before Validus gave him a look. With a resigned sigh, Ferox forced himself to relax and fixed his attention on me.

"I wish to speak with you directly."

I looked from Ferox to Validus and the rest of their group. There was a tense air around them, but I still wasn't sensing any danger from the Force. "Very well," I replied, taking a step in front of Bo and the others.

Silence fell over the bay, and I saw Ferox tense as his eyes stayed locked on mine.

"Ferox," Validus said in a tone that sounded like a warning. Ferox growled very quietly, and I had to suppress a smirk at the behaviour. From what little I knew of the pair, Validus, while the younger fighter, was the more cautious of the pair. Ferox, as I'd seen in our fight, was very dangerous and often lost himself in the battle.

"In our fight, I underestimated you. I made a mistake, and you won. That won't happen again." Ferox began, his voice barely carrying to me even with everyone staying silent. "For taking the advantage and winning, you have my respect," he kept going as he stepped towards me and extended an empty hand, "however, I wish for a rematch before you leave the station."

"Of course," I replied as I clasped his forearm. While I wasn't sure that was the right thing to do, it felt like it was. Apart from being the Mando way, it was something I'd seen in a few combat matches on the Holonet. A slight smile came to Ferox's face as he grasped my forearm in return.

"You'll have to forgive Ferox," Validus said as he stepped close to his friend in the now relaxed atmosphere. "He is a great fighter, just as dangerous as me, but he lacks subtlety. Both inside and out of the arena."

"I know someone like that," I replied with a jerk of my free hand back over my shoulders. As Ferox and I released our grips, Bo gave me a none too gentle cuff on the back of my head. Give me another year or two and she'd have to reach up to pull that off. "Though I'm curious as to why you two have issues with me."

Validus chuckled and glanced past me to where I knew Maan and Ezan were standing. "I thought that was obvious. When we finally gained our freedom and were brought to this system and station, we expected to meet the great Mtael who'd freed the Lokella in single combat from a Hunt-backed invasion. Instead, we were left to deal with… less martial minded leaders. Then, when you finally did decide to return, you were a boy still waiting for his balls to drop." That earned a few chuckles from those with him and Bo. "Yes, you may be a Jedi, but you are still a child."

"For three months we heard of this great warrior, Three months." Ferox continued the story. "A warrior who defeated a Mandalorian in single combat without using your lightsaber, or the powers you people are said to wield." Ferox grunted and shook his head. "After two decades of fighting, and with only the strongest leading, I would not follow a child." He paused as Validus placed a hand on his shoulder. Something unsaid passed between them before he continued. "I felt you were weak. A figurehead for the leaders of this place to use as a reason they were in power. I know now I was wrong. You are a warrior; one who killed a great beast alone and unaided." He chuckled. "If such a story was told in the pits, the promoters would've called you 'The Dragon'."

"A fitting name," Bo commented, drawing a nod from Ferox as he glanced her way.

"Aye, it is." He turned his attention back to me. "One that fits better than this Mtael these people call you."

"They're your people now," I countered. "And, honestly, I'm sick of titles."

Bo chuckled. "You keep saying that, yet you keep gaining them. Mtael, Revan'ade, The Dragon." I turned and saw her reach for something under her armour. She pulled out a small metal necklace from inside her under-weave and attached to the end of it was one of the smaller teeth from the krayt dragon's maw. "You made weapons and gifts of your kill, as is the way of the Mando'ade, and yet you choose to not want titles; not want glory." She shook her head and laughed. "Di'kute Jetii."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose as I saw Validus looking at the tooth necklace curiously. I'd had the necklaces made based on Alys Ordo's idea, and so far, given them to Bo, Naz, Gar, Rook and the members of my former team at the Institute. I also had one to give to Serra when I next saw her and there were about six dozen more stored with the rest hide and skeleton of the dragon back on Mandalore. I'd planned to have them transported to the vault on planet Ordo for safekeeping, but we'd left the sector before that could be arranged.

"He has claimed you?" Ferox asked and I found myself choking on the air in my throat. I shook my head, indicating that she wasn't with me in that way, though Bo had other ideas.

"What?" Bo muttered even as I started to cough. She took a step forward, one hand heading for a pistol. "Say that again, I dare you!" She challenged which made me step forward, in case she went too far and I needed to get between them.

"He is not your man?" Ferox asked and I saw a faint smirk appearing on his face. It was time for some intervention.

"As amusing as it would be to see you two rip each other apart," I cut in swiftly to give Bo a chance to recompose, "I can assure you that we are not currently involved. I gave the necklaces to each of my friends as tokens, both male and female. Moreover, it is not permitted for Jedi to form relationships, especially for one as low-ranking as I am."

"Ah." Ferox said, he turned to Validus and shrugged. He then turned back to me and Bo. "I apologise. I misunderstood the closeness between you two and then she showed a gift you made for her."

"Can I ask, what was it like fighting the dragon?" Validus said, changing the topic drastically in an effort to divert the conversation. "We fought many beasts in the pits but nothing on that size or scale, thank the spirits.."

Seeing there was little I could do to stop the fight from happening, I let them have their win and played dumb by not reacting to their plan working. "My initial reaction, right after watching that monster take a bite of a sarlacc, was 'kriff me sideways'." That drew laughs from everyone bar Bo – who was still grumpy – though Maan's and Ezan's sounded weak, scared. "Of course, as Bo well knows, my luck in such moments really needs work," hence why I'd dropped ten stat points into Luck, "and the dragon decided that I'd make a better meal than the wounded sarlacc."

That drew another round of laughs as Ferox stepped closer. "Aye, but in the end, you took it down with nought but a knife. A worthy kill." He slapped me on my shoulder, and if not for me continually having Physical Enhancement active as a precautionary measure since our fight, he might well have dislocated the joint. Still, even with the Force ability active, I took a stumbling step forward. "This cloak is made of the kill?" he asked as my step made my cloak flutter.

"Yeah, though this is the second cloak I had made. The first saved my life, but was ruined, fighting Death Watch leaders on Mandalore." I replied. I had a further six cloaks stored on the Ne'tra Sartr – and three more in my Inventory – on the off chance another was damaged and I couldn't take a trip back to Mandalore for a replacement.

"Death Watch are a… fanatical element of our society. They attacked several of our cities about two months ago," Bo explained slowly, surprising me with how easily she was able to get her temper under control. "Many of my people died that day due to Death Watch's cowardly actions." A wave of regret flowed from her, and I suspected she was thinking about her nephew Korkie, who'd died in the attacks. "Cam here saved many when he fought and killed their leader in combat. The dragon's hide saved him from losing his arm."

As much as I didn't want to admit it, that was true. I'd made a mistake engaging the two Death Watch leaders in close combat under the impression they'd be on par with the others. They weren't. Not only had they been better trained, but they'd have weaponry designed specifically to counter a Force user. Since I knew that such fights were bound to happen again, I'd been learning what I could from Bo about how Mandalorians fought Force users. She wasn't willing to reveal everything to me, but even basic pointers were a great help. At least for Mandalorian anti-Force user tactics.

Still, the scars would serve as reminders of my mistake, and hopefully having them present would prevent me from repeating it.

Now if only Bo would stop glancing my way whenever I exposed said scars, I'd be happy. I swore the girl was jealous of my wounds, which wasn't a mindset I approved of.

… …



… …

"It's not fair!" Anakin wailed as I stood facing him in the landing bay that housed the Ne'tra Sartr. "Why do I have to stay? I want to be a Jedi!" He added, which amused me, though I kept that on the inside as I saw Shmi's expression fall at hearing Anakin wanting to join the Jedi. Even after having been told what being a Jedi would entail, Anakin still wasn't understanding that the odds of anyone but me allowing him to return and visit his mother were essentially zero.

It'd been about five weeks since we'd arrived in-system. A few days after my fight with Ferox, Fay and Dooku had confirmed what I'd hoped and allowed Anakin to remain on the station. Now, they said this would only be for a year, but I suspected that the Force, if it agreed with me, would find ways to ensure we didn't return to take Anakin to the Temple. Which would suit me as, save for a few friends like Serra and Darihd there, my interest in returning to Coruscant was all but non-existent. I'd rather not be dragged over hot coals by the High Council and their sycophants for my actions over the last year and a half. Then again, the longer it took for us to go back, the longer my list of 'infractions' would grow.

"We've been over this Anakin," I replied as I looked down at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you come with us, then we'd be required to take you to the Temple. There, while you'd get better training than what little I and my masters have offered you over the last month or so, you'd been denied all contact with your mother. Even once you become a Jedi Knight, the High Council would have reservations about you having any interaction with her ever again."

"Why?"

"Because Jedi feel that having attachments to people is a dangerous thing," I replied, glad that Fay and Dooku were far enough away that I didn't have to be too careful about letting my feelings on this topic show. While they both weren't as strict as the High council on the matter, they felt the issue was one to be wary of.

"That's stupid," Anakin spat back, "family's important."

I chuckled at the clear desire to stay close to his mother. "It is indeed. However, when one uses the Force one must be careful about how we allow our emotions to interact with it. It amplifies everything we feel, and if it gets strong enough, our connection to the Force becomes simultaneously stronger and more chaotic. That is something the Jedi's leaders consider to be a path to the Dark Side and becoming an evil person." I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. "Due to your… status when we found you, and your close bond with your mother, there will be many who are uncertain about letting you join the Order. The fact that I'd be the one bringing you in would only complicate things even further. You don't need to understand all of it, but let's just say that a good portion of the Order, especially the High Council, aren't fans of the things I've done; or with my masters for allowing me to do them."

"But you freed us! You freed the Lokella! How can that be a bad thing?" He asked, his brow scrunching up in confusion.

"It's not what I did, but how I did them that they'd have the biggest issues with," though there were a few who weren't happy I'd freed the Lokella simply due to the fact I'd done so from a Hutt. While Decca was a minor Hutt, his 'mother', Gardulla, was a powerful member of the Hutt clans; a group the Jedi – due to instructions from the Senate – weren't meant to interfere with. I could see Anakin wanting to ask more questions, but knew we'd either be going over something we'd already discussed since I'd told him he'd been staying on this station, or go into details that weren't something I wanted to burden him with just yet. Or both.

"I promise that, when time allows, I'll come back and show you some more things you can do with the Force," I said, drawing his attention away from my reasoning. "However, for that, you have to prove you've read and understood the teachings Master Fay has left for you and shown aptitude with the exercises I taught you. Can you do that?"

He nodded vigorously, then stopped. "I.. I don't like Master Fay's teachings. They're so boring." That made me chuckle once more.

"Sadly, that is the way of life. We have to do the boring stuff so we can get to the fun stuff." At that, I rolled my fingers in the air and several crates nearby floated into the air and began to move around us. "We need to understand why something happens, and the dangers it can cause before we can learn to use what we know. Safety matters in all things, Anakin, the Force especially."

"I guess," he mumbled out after pulling his eyes from the floating crates and the casual way I controlled them.

"Anakin, I'd give anything to have been able to spend time with my mother. She… died trying to protect me from bad men, and I never got the chance to know her; to learn from and be around her." I lowered the crates back to where they'd come from and glanced at Shmi, who was standing over with Fay speaking about something. "This time you have now as a free man with your mother should be treasured."

"I know. It's just not fair! I want to be a Jedi and see my mum!"

"Life rarely is," I replied as he scowled at the idea of being forced to choose. "Still, think of it this way. You've already shown the Lokella how good you are with technology – better than I am, that's for sure – so now, you can use the time here to learn about starships. After everything you learn here, you may not even want to be a Jedi in the future at all."

"Bo-Katan said that if I didn't want to be a Jedi, she'd adopt me into her Clan and I could become Mando'ade," he commented, which made me shake my head at Bo's action.
I knew Bo had made the offer, but I hadn't realised he was interested in it. Still, it made sense she did. Anakin really was a prodigy with technology – or really anything that he put his mind to, for that matter – and soaked up anything he was taught like a sponge. Bo wanting that kind of intelligence in her clan was logical, and a little surprising since Bo had never shown such long-term thinking before. She'd even shown him some very basic movements of beskar'pel during our time there.

She'd told me she'd done that as she didn't want him trying to copy Ferox's fighting style. The former pit-fighter had taken over training many of the Lokella in a clear bid to earn power among the group. Strangely, while Bo was less than thrilled with the power plays, the two seemed to hit it off and had developed a friendship based over, from what I'd heard, battle stories. I'd spent more time with Validus as he was the better thinker of the two, and we'd come up with a few strategies that could be implemented in future raids to free other slaves and on how to react if Decca or others tried to attack the station again.

While I suspected the pair would manoeuvre to claim the glory for any future battles for themselves, by having Bo and I spend time with them, I'd ensured that we'd also get some of that glory. Not because I wanted it, but to help counter the pair's growing clout in the Lokella.

"I know," I replied to Anakin. "And, if that happens, then I'd possibly feel pity for the Jedi for letting you fall into the Mandalorian's hands."
"Then why shouldn't I just join them now? They'll take me and not keep me from my mum." He asked.

"The sector is embroiled in a civil war, and if I took you there, I'd spend the rest of my life fearing your mother's anger," I countered, making him grin. "Plus, with your gifts, you need the training that comes with being a Jedi. Your connection to the Force is so strong that if they don't take, and instead act like a bunch of brain-dead banthas, I'll defy them and train you myself. Once I'm old enough to be allowed to, that is."

That made his grin grow. "OK." He turned as I saw Shmi and Fay begin to walk over to us. Bo and Dooku were already onboard the Ne'tra Sartr with Bo handling pre-flight checks and Dooku… not. "When will you return?

"I can't say. The Force seems to have this knack for guiding me where I need to go when I should go – such as to Tatooine so I could discover you – but sadly, trying to know what it wants and when is like trying to understand the very working of the universe. Far beyond my mortal mind." Fay must've heard some of that as I caught her smiling at me. "Still, provided the Force doesn't need me to do anything too insane – like, you know, fight another massive dragon – I'll do my best to come back around in the new year. No promises though." I added to avoid getting his hopes up. "While you're here, study what we've given you and continue to learn all you can. Heck, you've met HK, so why not try and build your own droid. Though one with better manners than that hunk of junk."

Hopefully, he wouldn't make C-3PO as I'd always found that droid to be annoying. Though if he did, watching HK try and comprehend the pacifist mentality C-3PO displayed would be entertaining if nothing else.

"Mum doesn't like HK. She says he's a very rude droid."

That made me laugh. "HK is an… acquired taste. Though once you begin to understand him, he's mostly harmless." At least for now.

"Are we ready to depart?" Fay asked as she and Shmi reached our side.

"Yes, master. Bo should've finished the final pre-flight checks while I've already confirmed the supplies we need are on board and secured." Fay nodded and turned to Shmi.

"Miss Skywalker, I hope you and young Anakin come to enjoy your time here with the Lokella. They are, for the most part, a kind and good group; much like yourself."

"We will," Shmi said as she gently pulled her son to her side, and he did nothing to resist. "And thank you Cameron for freeing us. I'd have been happy if you'd only taken Anakin away from that life, but to go out of your way to free us both," she paused and wiped her eyes. "Words cannot express how much we owe you."

"You owe me nothing, Miss Skywalker. Freeing slaves is something any rational being would do. I only wished that the Force wanted me to free every one of them on that planet."

"Perhaps one day it will," Shmi replied with a smile. "And on that day, I and every former slave will give thanks to you and those like you who brought about the end of that abhorrent practice."

I smiled back and lowered my head in agreement. "Indeed. Until we meet again, may the Force be with you, Anakin and all the Lokella."

"And with you," Shmi replied.

After that, Fay and I walked up the ramp into the Ne'tra Sartr. Fay broke off to head to her quarters. Something I'd need to thank Adonai for when we next met – I hadn't had a chance to speak with him as I'd let Bo have all the time when we'd established communications with Mandalore – was converting this vessel from a troop transport into something akin to a mobile base for a much smaller unit. It was clear the plan had been for this to house a squad of eight or so Mandalorians who'd likely work as an elite unit sent from place to place to deal with issues. Now, with only four of us onboard – five if you count HK – it was roomier and a perfect way for us to move around the galaxy without having to hitch rides on passing ships.

Honestly, it made me wonder why the Jedi didn't have a fleet of similar-sized vessels for members to use. It would make the Order more able to react to situations around the galaxy without having to wait for the Senate to get off its arse and do something.

"Finally," Bo muttered as I stepped into the cockpit. "I was thinking you'd never say your goodbyes."

"Anakin took some reassuring that I'd return, that's all," I replied as I slid into the pilot's seat. "You ready over there HK?"

The droid was currently hooked into the gunner's console. "Confirmation. Affirmative master. I must say, this is something I am most eager to experience."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Bo whispered as I increased the power flow to the sub-light engines.

"Analysis: Even missing my body, I still have far superior reaction times and accuracy than you, meatbag." HK countered, making me chuckle as Bo glared at the droid head.

"Anyway," I muttered as I gently eased back on the throttle and the ship lifted from the deck. I saw Anakin wave from where he'd moved with Shmi. Beside them were the entire ruling council of the Lokella, along with others. Most were waving us off, though I knew that Baalta wasn't there as she, and the Freerunner were waiting outside to escort us to the edge of the system.

While I'd tried to argue against the escort, the council had put down their foot about it, saying that as the head of the council – something that I'd barely been able to suppress a groan about – I deserved nothing less.

The hyperspace calculations had already been plotted, though I'd go over them before we jumped. From there, Dooku had a personal matter that he needed us to look into; one that, thankfully, was located in a Mid Rim system not far from the Lokella system.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be as boring as the last six months had been. As much as I would never admit it publicly, I found myself missing the action and adventure that I'd expected when I'd come to this universe.

"Query: Master, would it not be amusing to test the anti-personnel weapons while targets are still in range?"

… …



A/N: Before anyone comments that I've given Anakin too high an m-c count, that is the number he officially has in the EU.
He is the Chosen One after all.


Also, for reference, Ferox and Validus are based on Crixus and Spartacus from the TV show named for the latter.




As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own and you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For my ASOIAF story: Game of Kingdoms
In general:
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), consider supporting me on Patreon:
USSExplorer


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

May the Force be with you. Always.
 
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images
General images for things related to Cam.
(I will try to remember to add to this as time goes by)

If someone wants to make better images, feel free to do so. These are just rough guides.
Pre-teen
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Around Naboo
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Fanart
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Do remember this is 80 to 100m in length rather than the ~40m from the ships seen in TCW
Colours and markings
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Weapon loadout
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Fallen Apprentice 1
A/N:
Sorry for the delay in getting this out, real-life got in the way horribly.
Fingers crossed, schools in the city I'm in are going back to in-person lessons later this week. That will be just the second full week of in-person teaching since March 6th. Through 2 lockdowns, and something like 25-30 checks, they've only found ~3000 cases, of which 300 have been symptomatic.
Teaching from my personal computer makes doing anything to relax on it, including writing, a kirffing pain in the arse.
Next year (and returning to the UK) can't come soon enough.
...
This chapter was released, in Google Docs version, about a week ago on the story's Discord server, and drafts of it have been available on my Patreon for several months, in un-betaed forms.
This isn't to force people to join, but to - I hope - catch those annoying little spelling/grammar mistakes that creep through. If you wish to join the server (which is mainly for the story but covers SW in general, with a heavy focus on the EU) or support my work, the links are at the end of the chapter.


Current date: 3 years until the Invasion of Naboo


Fallen Apprentice 1
...

"Are you sure this is what you wish to do?" Fay asked me as we stood at one of the many viewing stations dotted around the space station we were standing on.

"It is, master," I replied as I watched an older model YT-series freighter lift-off while, behind it, an Action VI class bulk freighter came into land. "This matters to Master Dooku and I feel helping him is the right thing to do." Fay took a moment to reply, during which I continued to watch the various starships coming and going from this station as we orbited high above Lantillies in the Mid Rim.

"While I agree with you that this is important to Master Dooku and determining the fate of his former Padawan will help him heal the wound he still carries, I cannot agree with the methods he wishes to use," I heard her move and when I glanced her way saw she was now looking down at me. "The Bando Gora are not a group to be taken lightly. There are rumours that their leadership is engaged in the worship of the Dark Side and the last time a Jedi force went after them, very few survived." She sighed and shook her head. "Just… be careful. I do not want to lose you to them the same way Komari Vosa was lost to Dooku."

"I will be careful, master. And I'll do my best to make sure Master Dooku is as well," I added. That earned a small smile from her before she sighed and turned away from the viewport. I followed behind, and soon we were soon walking away from the view station.

"I do wish you were coming with us," I added as we stepped out onto the main concourse of the station. Several people glanced our way with some deliberately moving to avoid us. Either they were simply showing respect to the Order or they felt that a Jedi brought bad luck to them. While the latter was silly, there was some logic in that, as outside of Coruscant and a few places with secondary academies or centres of learning like Corellia, the odds of running into a Jedi were slim; suggesting they were on business for the Senate or the local judiciary forces.

While I was behind Fay slightly, and thus couldn't see her face, I could sense her displeasure in the Force. Though that was directed at Dooku and not me. While I hadn't overheard the argument the pair had a few nights ago, I'd felt their annoyance. At a guess, Fay had an issue with us going after the Bando Gora directly, likely seeing it as an unnecessary risk. However, due to the unique situation with me having two masters, I was given the right to choose who to follow in this situation and chose to stick with Dooku.

After I had, Dooku had given me and Bo a briefing on the Bando Gora and his former Padawan. While the information about Vosa was generally recycled information for me, for Bo it was a surprise to hear Padawans could be kicked from the Order. She'd made a few sly digs since the briefing about Jedi wasting resources and members they'd spent decades training, but Dooku hadn't risen to the bait.

After going over those points, Dooku explained that during my year on Mandalore, he had spent time searching for links to the Bando Gora. He'd taken out a few smaller operations, but nothing so far had led him to learn where their main base was, nor what fate had befallen Vosa. However, he was more hopeful about a lead we would be working on. Hean Castim was a human whose name had come up in several of Dooku's investigations, and since he was also wanted in dozens of systems on charges ranging from kidnapping to slavery, it was within a Jedi's purview to seek him out and arrest him.

Dooku had discovered that Castim frequented a trade station in the Comkin system in the Inner Rim. His plan was to locate Castim, persuade him to talk – before turning him over to the authorities – then follow this lead until it led him to the Bando Gora. From what I could gather, Fay felt Dooku was becoming obsessed with this mission and that it wasn't in keeping with the ideals of the Order to pursue it. As such, she was leaving us today.

I knew she wasn't happy about me choosing to go with Dooku, but she accepted it. Fay understood why, but still felt we were being too aggressive about our approach.

Privately, I was aware that I still had the quest to change Dooku's fate and Vosa was linked to that. In addition, it irritated me that, instead of sending a larger, better-prepared strike force to deal with the Bando Gora, the High Council had all but swept the incident under the rug. There was also the fact that, if I had to move openly against the Republic – as I was beginning to suspect, especially if there was no way to prevent the rise of Palpatine to Chancellor – then Dooku was far more likely to support my actions than Fay.

Thus, with all that in mind, and the fact that I'd end up spending several more months quietly reflecting on the Force while doing nothing to prepare for the battles to come if I went with Fay, my choice had been an easy one.

"I know. However, without going over points already discussed, I cannot bring myself to support the plan of action chosen by Master Dooku." Fay replied as we slipped between three Trandoshans and there was a moment where I wanted to kill all of them, but I didn't act on that desire. Apart from it angering Fay, and likely forcing me off this mission with Dooku, the public spectacle of a Jedi randomly slaughtering three Republic citizens wasn't something I was willing to give to the Sith. "I am also concerned by your apparent choice to constantly place yourself in dangerous and volatile situations, even before your Knight Trials are completed."

I fought to keep a smirk from forming on my face as I replied. "I don't go looking for trouble, master. Though it does seem to enjoy finding me." That wasn't entirely true if I considered my former life. There I'd chosen to join the military, making a conscious choice to fight, and as it turned out, die for my country. As for my new life, while I wasn't actively looking for dangerous situations, I certainly preferred adventure to months of meditating on the Force.

Now, to be clear, I understood why that was needed, or I did now after our retreat on Aesolian, but if I'd been forced to spend the last several years inside the Jedi Temple doing that every day, with little chance for a change of pace… Well, I'd likely have either left the Order or become known as a troublemaker. Though the latter was true anyway I guessed.

Fay laughed softly at my reply. "That is true of any Jedi who follows the will of the Force and ventures out into the wider galaxy. Though I have noticed a pattern that when combat occurs or could occur, you tend to rush in." As we reached an elevator, she turned and looked at me while we waited. "I cannot fault your reasons for doing so. Helping to defend the innocent is a noble cause, but I must caution you against making combat your first choice. The Force seeks balance and harmony, not conflict. By engaging in such regular fighting, I am concerned that if you are not mindful of your thoughts and feelings, it could lead you down a dark path."

"I, I understand and agree with your warning, master. However, as I said, I don't go looking for trouble." I answered as the door pinged, telling us the elevator was here. "I can also promise you that I'm not rushing into a fight because I want to kill others. I just… I want to help and while I know there are times when words would work better, so far most of the moments where I can help haven't been ones where diplomacy would work."

We stepped into the elevator, ignoring the Togruta family already there. As we began to descend, falling through the levels towards the docking bays for smaller, non-freight vessels, Fay spoke again.

"That has been true, but I hope that after our meditative retreat, you now understand and recognize why a Jedi needs to consider diplomacy before combat. I don't deny that combat is needed in certain situations, but a Jedi must consider all possible choices in any given situation and only choose… aggressive negotiations when all others have failed. To do otherwise when one is strong in the Force risks allowing the Dark Side to twist and corrupt you so that your once noble goals become twisted beyond recognition."

A smile came to my face at her using the term "aggressive negotiations", which I hid by looking at the Togruta child. Once my moment of amusement had passed, I turned back to face Fay. "I do, master. And I promise that I'll try to be more… conscientious of my actions before I take them. However, I won't sit around and do nothing when it would risk the lives of others."

"That is all I can ask for," she said as the elevator slid to a stop, and seeing it was our floor, we disembarked. Once we'd done so, she turned and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know there are moments, which are becoming more frequent, where you doubt not just the Order and our ways but the choices I and Master Dooku have made. I need you to understand that we are always doing what we think is best for you. You have a good and strong heart, but that can often lead people into doing the wrong things for the right reasons."

"My grandfather used to say that 'the road to hell was paved with good intentions'," I commented, making her smile.

"An accurate, if antique, saying." She squeezed my shoulder gently. "Your heart has, so far, been in the right place, but, and I'm sorry to have to remind you of this, the road the Force has you on has not been, and will not be an easy one. Just remember that no matter what happens, I will have confidence in you to do what is right and just; even when I don't agree with your methods."

"I," I paused, unsure of how to respond to that, and licked my lips. The searing image of a burning Coruscant flashed across my mind, but I was able to dispel it almost instantly. "Thank you, master," I mumbled out. The faith and conviction in her words of support were humbling. While some of that was likely linked to her trust in the Force, and the visions it had provided to her and others about my role to play, I could sense that she meant it on a personal level as well. I could only pray that that trust wouldn't be misplaced.

"You are most welcome, my Padawan, but now it is time for us to depart," she said, taking a step back and letting her hand slide from my shoulder. "The Ne'tra Sartr is waiting for you, and I feel leaving Miss Kryze alone to spin her heels for too long is inviting trouble the Force would otherwise wish us to avoid." That made me chuckle.

"That is indeed true, master," I replied as I thought about our time together since we'd left Mandalore.

Bo had, once she'd calmed down, realised that I wasn't the one to blame for her appearance on the ship, which had made her first holocall with Adonai something everyone on the ship had overheard. After that, she'd settled down, with our daily spars and me teaching her some parts of lightsaber forms that she could use with her beskad. Amusingly, she'd taken a liking to the more acrobatic moves of Ataru, or at least the ones she could mimic with her jetpack. Plus, she'd bonded with both HK and Anakin, with the latter being a welcome surprise. However, if she was left caged up in the ship with little to do or forced to repeat the same daily patterns over and over, then she did get restless.

Then again, I could be much the same. I understood the need for constant practice, but spending half a year outside the wire, so to speak, wasn't something I enjoyed.

"May the Force be with you, Master," I said after the moment of contemplation, bowing to Fay.

"And with you as well, Padawan."

With that, she turned and headed off. I watched as she disappeared into the crowd of beings heading towards the commercial starliner docking ports. While I didn't know where she was going, mainly because she would likely allow the Force to guide her where it wanted her to be, I knew she'd be fine and that, once this mission was over, we would see each other again.

I turned myself and headed down the quieter path towards the personal starship docking area. As I entered the general facility, I saw several people looking my way and chuckled as I saw the dockmaster arguing with a Rodian. As I caught his eyes, he gave me a nod after I indicated we were leaving. He then jerked his hand towards his office so that I could settle my fee with his staff. As I walked there, I wondered how good this lead of Dooku's would be, and how long it would take to determine Vosa's fate.
… …



... ...
"How much longer are we going to waste here tonight?" Bo asked as we sat in a dark back corner of the bar (and I used that term generously) in the Comkin system that Dooku's information suggested Castim frequently came here. "He's not coming tonight, just like he hasn't for the last two weeks!"

It'd only taken a few days to reach the trading station, but after discovering the bar in question was, to put it mildly, rundown, Dooku had determined that Bo and I would handle the stakeout while he monitored from another location. Yet after two weeks of spending my evenings in this womp-rat-infested osik-hole, Bo was beginning to reach the end of her rope. Frankly, I wasn't much better and I was worried that I'd end up spending my birthday in this vile, useless, hole-in-the-wall establishment.

"I know, but this is the only lead we have on our target," I replied softly, leaning over and placing my hand on hers. I was doing that not because we'd magically grown close over the last few weeks, but because part of our cover was to be a couple of young Mandalorians who were enjoying some private time away from the war (and clearly not wanting to be found if we were coming to this pisshole). Sadly, apart from being given licence to drink, and thus levelling up Resistance: Bio-Chemical and Purge Toxin repeatedly, nothing of any note had happened. And that was saying nothing of the swill this place served.

I looked down at my mug, swished the contents around then downed the last of this round while doing my best to hide a grimace. This kriffing brew somehow made Budweiser taste like kriffing champagne, to say nothing of a good single malt. Which, as the remembered taste of one passed through my mind, resulted in me sneering at the offending mug in my hand and wondering what the galaxy had to offer that could rival a good single malt.

"Only good part is we're not paying for this out of our pocket," I muttered as I dropped the mug on the table as if it offended me.

Bo glared at me before grumbling and downing the last of her mug. "I know, but this osik is so bad." She spat out as she slammed her mug into the table. "And if I have to deal with one more shabuir coming over and trying to get me to leave so they can 'show me their guns', I'll kill them!"

"While I can understand your disdain for the current locale, it would be preferable if you did not engage in wanton brutality Miss Kryze," Dooku spoke through our shared comms. Ours were open so he could hear and record everything in the bar within range for analysis while the cameras on Bo's helmet were active and recording. Since there wasn't a spare helmet on the Ne'tra Sartr, I'd gone without one for my disguise, though thanks to Eidetic Memory, I knew every regular face in here, though only focused on any human that came through the door. "While such a decision may alleviate your boredom, and would likely not be out of character for such an establishment, it would compromise this operation and risk having our target flee into the underground, forcing us to resume our search from the beginning."

Bo rolled her eyes in response to Dooku, which made me smirk even if it was becoming clear she was getting antsy. Little movements of her hands and jerky shifts of her shoulder were clear signs of someone growing restless. "How about when we get back to the ship we spar?" I asked as something nearby shattered. My hand reached hers. To anyone watching it would've come across as a hint of something going on between us, but I did it as a precaution. With her so irritable, it wouldn't take much to set her off. "Better you burn off that energy with me than waste your time on these di'kute."

Bo's eyes narrowed at my hand before she chuckled once at my comment. "That does sound far more enjoyable than burning this place to the ground," she replied before pulling her hand back from mine slowly. "I just hope you have the stamina to keep up."

I laughed and leaned back into my seat. "As I recall, when all is said and done, I'm always the last one standing." That made her snort. "Besides, you know how serious I am about my exercises," I added, enjoying the double entendres I was using. Nothing was going on between me and Bo, and never would, but to anyone listening in, it would certainly sound like there was, thus keeping our cover intact.

Bo let her eyes wander over me as a smile came to her face. "Aye, I know. And how long and energetic they can be," she added, seemingly enjoying the little game we'd started. She shifted her eyes away from me and raised her hand. "Two more." She called out as a Rodian walked past my shoulder. As he walked away, I let my eyes wander over the place, though they focused more on the door than the central bar area. Seeing no new human entering or already inside, I turned my attention back to Bo.

"Still nothing," I whispered so that only Dooku and Bo would hear me over the comms.

"Unfortunate but not unexpected," Dooku replied. There was a short pause before he continued. "Continue surveillance for another hour then return to the ship."

"Easy for you to say, outside of the company, there's nothing about this locale that endears itself to me," I muttered while channelling Dooku's dry tone as well as I could. Bo chuckled and I felt a faint sense of amusement in the Force.

"I see that you are learning more from me than just lightsaber techniques and understanding of the Force, Padawan. Perhaps there is hope for you after all." A faint click meant Dooku had closed the channel leaving me unable to retort. That made Bo's chuckle develop into a laugh and a shake of her head.

"What?" I asked, which only made her laugh more. I waited for her to stop; one eyebrow raised in a questioning expression.

"It's nothing," she began as the Rodian waiter returned with our latest round of pig's swill, "it's just that…"

Our heads snapped around at hearing blaster fire from outside. I saw Bo tense in anticipation, likely hoping whatever was going on outside would spill into here and allow her to burn off some excess energy. Wanting to know what was going on, I reached out through the Force, trying to sense the emotions of those outside the bar.

"Huh," I muttered as my Force probe brushed up against a familiar presence. "What's she doing here?" I mumbled. I stood, indicating for Bo to follow, and moved towards the door. My hand drifted to my belt, only for me to remember that I didn't have my lightsaber on hand as my fingers brushed the grip of a pistol I was wearing as part of my disguise. Though at least to sell the look, Dooku had permitted me to carry my beskad. While it wasn't my lightsaber, it was lightyears better than a kriffing vibroblade.

As I moved towards the door, Bo just behind as I pushed past people standing around for whatever reason, I empowered my combat Force abilities. Those now included Physical Enhancement which I'd long since maxed out along with Object Enhancement. From the rough tests I'd run, I could now easily dent durasteel with a punch without feeling any pain from it. I suspected I could do more damage than that, but after Fay discovered the fist-sized dent in a bulkhead on the Ne'tra Sartr and had given me another lecture about not using the Force so frivolously, I'd not tried to take it further. Plus, I'd rather not break my ship with a misplaced punch.

I knew Bo was hot on my heels as I heard the tell-tale sound of her helmet seals engaging and could sense her growing excitement and anticipation just as I pushed my way towards the door. Most of the traffic was people trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was going on outside without going outside, but that just meant I had to be a touch more forceful to get past the gathering crowd than I'd have expected.

I took a step outside, only to pull my head back as the Force called out a warning. A split second later, a blaster bolt sailed right past my eyes. The light from the bolt blinded me as it shot through where my head had just been, and the smell of ozone filled my nostrils.

"Finally, some fun!" Bo called out as she slid past me on the same side the bolt had come from. After she'd stepped out into the corridor, and once I'd channelled the Force to remove the blinking light from my vision, I followed her. My pistol slid from its holster as I looked down the tunnel that posed as the road in this section of the station.

The sounds of blaster fire made it easy to know where to look, though what caught my attention – and I'd been expecting ever since sensing the presence through the Force – was the purple lightsaber that was deflecting the bolts. Blue lekku swung in the air behind the blade and I smirked as I watched the Rutian Twi'lek chase after her target while blocking his sporadic fire.

"Friend of yours?" Bo asked as she lifted her blasters to join in.

"Aye," I replied as I diverted my attention from Aayla to the person shooting at her. My brow rose in surprise at seeing who she was engaged with. "And looks like she's after the same thing we are."

"Haar!" Bo exclaimed, likely because her helmet cameras had identified the shooter as Hean Castim. "What are the odds of that?" She asked as she fired off two bolts for her pistols. They missed as Castim slipped into an alley.

"When the Force is concerned, pretty good I'd say," I remarked as we saw Aayla run into the alley in pursuit of Castim.

I took off after them, the Force empowering me to move faster and slide between people in the street who were beginning to emerge from cover now that the fighting had moved away. Though through the Force I could sense that most were generally unperturbed about the sudden outbreak of violence here, which suggested this was a semi-regular occurrence in this section of the station.

Once I reached the alley, I failed to see Aayla or Castim in it, though thanks to the Minimap, I knew where Aayla was. When combined with the fact I'd already scouted every road, alley, maintenance shaft, and the like over the last two weeks, I could work out where they were roughly heading.

"They went that way!" Bo called out as I headed down the street, then slipped down a narrow passageway between two buildings.

"Trust me!" I shouted back, then used the Force to empower my legs. A refuse container was blocking the passageway, and as I landed on the other side, I heard Bo's jetpack flare to life confirming she was following me.

We exited into another street. People here were ambling about with little concern for the distant sound of blaster fire and while it was quieter than the street we'd come from, due to being narrower, it felt more crowded. As I pushed my way past two Duros who were stumbling around, I silently wondered once more where the kriff the local security forces were, and just how much were they paid to turn a blind eye to this section of the station. In the two weeks that we'd been coming to this district, I'd yet to see any law enforcement personnel or droids in it. Oh, they were stationed at the entrance to the district, but not inside, making this place a lawless area of the station. Of course, that was likely why it attracted people like Castim and his ilk.

As we reached an intersection, the Force called out. I dove forward and caught sight of a tray flying over me.

"Sithspit!" a familiar voice called out from where the tray had gone and as I came out of my dive and roll, I whirled around with my blaster drawn towards where it had originated from. There I saw Castim, his eyes widening as he saw my blaster aimed at him. He turned and pushed his way past a Togruta, hoping to escape.

"Nope," I growled as I reached out with the Force, "I am NOT going on another wild chase!"

I clenched my free hand and was rewarded with a cry of shock before flicking my wrist up, sending Castim into the ceiling, then dragging him towards me along it. I didn't pay any heed when he screamed out as his knee smashed an overhead light, though any pain he'd felt from that was surpassed when I brought him down face-first into the floor in front of me.

Bo stalked forward, holstering her pistols, then as Castim raised his head in confusion, she smashed her armoured fist into his face. "That's for making me wait in that osik'palon for two weeks!" She spat at him, though he was unconscious before his head once more hit the floor.

"Hey! That's my… Cam?!" Aayla called out as she came forward to challenge Bo only to stop as she saw my face.

I stood and smiled as I holstered my pistol. "Evening Aayla. Fancy meeting you here." I replied jovially as Bo leaned down next to Castim.

"Um, yeah, I…" she paused and looked at Bo as the sound of cuffs locking reached our ears. "Who's she?" she asked, jerking her head towards the redhead.

"Right, where are my manners," I said with a smirk. "This is Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze. She's…well, I guess you can call her a travelling companion of mine." I explained to Aayla. "Bo, this is Padawan Aayla Secura, a friend of mine from the Temple back when we were both in Dragon Clan."

"Dragon Clan?" Bo asked, her amusement at the name carrying through her helmet's speakers. I chuckled as I caught the link between that and my verd'goten.

"Yes, that was the name of our Initiate Clan back before we became Padawans," Aayla explained as the joke flew right over her lekku. She stepped towards Bo and extended a hand. "And if you're a friend of Cam's, then you're one of mine too."

Bo's head tilted down to see the hand. There was a moment of silence before Bo scoffed and shook her hand. "Di'kute Jetii…" she muttered before grasping Aayla's forearm. Aayla took a moment to seal the clasp, though barely a second after she did, Bo pulled her arm back.

"So why are you after this reprobate?" I asked as I casually lifted the man off the floor with the Force. Just to be sure he wasn't going to die on me, I used Observe which confirmed he only had a mild concussion and a cracked rib. Nothing that couldn't be easily healed with some bacta once we were back on the Ne'tra Sartr.

"We were tasked with locating and arresting him," Aayla explained as the Castim floated beside me, "he's wanted in over two dozen systems on charges of smuggling, trading in restricted creatures, and slavery." She added as we started to walk. "Why are you two here?"

"Funnily enough, we're also looking for him," I answered as people saw us and shifted out of our way. Seeing two Mandalorians and a Jedi walking around together with a body floating between them was enough to make most beings step back. Even if we were all just teens, people here seemed to have decent self-preservation instincts. "Master Dooku wishes to speak with him about a personal matter."

Aayla stepped beside me, forcing Bo to walk in the rear. There was a brief spike in irritation from the Mandalorian, but she didn't comment on it. Likely she was more focused on making sure Castim stayed secured and that we weren't ambushed by any possible associates of Castim that had seen us capture him.

We'd come into sight of the nearest entrance to the district when Aayla's communicator beeped. She pulled it from her belt. "Yes, master?"

"Have you sighted Castim yet?" The voice of Quinlan Vos came through the commlink.

Aayla glanced my way and smirked. "Yes, and I've managed to capture him with the help of a friend."

"Knight Vos, it has been some time since we've spoken, so I'm not sure you'd remember my voice," I began after Aayla gave me a subtle nod." I'm Cameron Shan, Padawan to Masters Dooku and Fay."

"I remember you, Padawan. Hard to forget the Initiate who walked through walls during his Trials." Vos replied, an amused edge to his voice. "Though why you're here is something I find myself curious about."

I smiled as I responded. "I feel Master Dooku would be better suited to that. Our ship is docked in personal bay Besh-17. Master Dooku is waiting for me to bring Castim to him there so you can speak with him about your shared interest in this waste of space."

Vos chuckled through the comm. "That is certainly a nicer term for him than I would've used, but accurate nonetheless. Very well, I am currently near the main promenade of the station, but I'll make my way down to meet all of you in the bay you've specified. Aayla, I trust between you and Padawan Shan, you can keep Castim secured until you arrive in the bay?"

After a roll of her eyes and a glance at the unconscious and floating man in question, Aayla replied. "Yes, master." As she did, her lekku twitched about halfway down.

"Then I shall see you there." The channel closed with an audible click and Aayla placed her communicator back in her belt. A moment later we rounded the final corner to reach the exit to the district. However, as I looked at the checkpoint I saw several guards eyeing us carefully – an unconscious man floating along between three people did draw attention – while between us and them were a group of about a dozen beings. As one they turned and looked warily at us with most having either a blaster in hand or with their hand centimetres away from one.

Three of the group stepped forward and the lead one, a Klatooinian, snarled.

From behind me, I heard Bo chuckle. "Please, draw your weapons," she said loud enough for everyone to hear as I felt a spike in her excitement and anticipation. "I haven't had a real fight in days and I'm getting restless."

"What, our spars aren't enough to keep you happy?" I asked as one of my hands hovered over my weapons.

Bo laughed even as I felt Aayla's eyes upon me. "Oh, you certainly know how to keep things fun, but nothing beats the thrill of a real fight."

"Release him." the Klatooinian growled, seemingly unimpressed with the little byplay between us.

"You sure you want to go down this road?" I asked as, from the corner of my eyes, I saw Aayla had slid into an opening stance of Ataru. While the form had its uses, in a semi-confined space like this, most of its advantages were negated.

"Release him now!" the Klatooinian replied.

"Your funeral," I muttered and reached for my pistol. If it'd just been me and Bo, I'd have happily shot first, but with Aayla here I'd prefer the High Council weren't given another instance of me acting un-Jedi-like to hold over my head. Thus, I didn't move as fast as I could.

That meant one of the group at the checkpoint drew and fired their blaster before I did. Of course, just because I was moving slow didn't mean I wasn't channelling the Force. The bolt said harmlessly past me as I leaned to one side. The sentient never got the chance to fire a second shot as I struck him centre-mass with two bolts for my pistol.

Pandemonium fell over the checkpoint as those not involved in the impromptu shootout ran for cover. The security guards ducked behind their protected counters, proving just how ineffective they were while the group blocking our path opened fire on mass. Not wanting to take the chance that Castim would be killed by the incoming fire – which was a risk as the group seemed more interested in killing Bo, Aayla and me than saving him – I threw up a Force Barrier.

I knew I relied on the power heavily, but when all my enemy combatants, so far, had been blaster-wielders, it was a logical first defensive power to use.

As their bolts slammed into the unexpected wall of Force energy, Aayla and Bo both went airborne. Bo had likely suspected I'd use Barrier to defend our position as it was a common tactic I'd used in our spars, while Aayla was using her preferred lightsaber form.

Bo's bolts rained down on the larger group as Aayla landed in the trio at the front. She slashed through two blasters quickly, then ducked a wild swing from the third of the trio. Seeing the Klatooinian who'd lost his blaster but not his hand reached for a knife, I moved forward. Before he could fully unsheathe it, I removed his hand with my beskad, spraying him with his blood.

He stumbled backwards in shock, something I took advantage of by hitting him with a blast of Force energy. As he slammed into the nearest wall, I drove the hilt of the beskad into the throat of the other who'd lost his blaster. He stepped backwards, grasping at his throat, Aayla used the Force to take out his legs, making him slam face-first into the deck.

With the third already out of the fight – two blaster markers on his chest confirming who was responsible – I turned my attention to the second group. With four down, including the one I'd shot at the start, those remaining were quickly realising they were outgunned. Of course, that didn't stop Bo from shooting them, nor Aayla and I from continuing the attack until they were all taken out.

When the last thug fell, I leaned down and used his clothes to clean the blood from my beskad. I wasn't happy that we'd had to kill most of them, but they'd brought this on themselves by not backing down.

"That was disappointing," Bo commented as she landed.

"They were common thugs, not soldiers," I replied as I sheathed my beskad. "They likely thought that with four-to-one odds they could take two Mandalorians and a Jedi."

"But you're a Jedi," Aayla commented with a frown.

I chuckled and tapped the chest plate of the armour I was wearing. "I look like a Mandalorian, which is part of my cover," I explained, cutting off her next comment/question. "Now, unless either of you lovely ladies wishes to stay here and wait for their friends to arrive," I suspected Bo would've done so if we didn't have a prisoner to deliver, "I suggest we get moving."

"Fine, but we're still sparring later, right? I barely worked up a sweat with those di'kute." Bo commented, making Aayla's eyes widen, and her cheeks darken slightly.

I gave the guards at the checkpoint a pointed glance as we walked through, almost daring them to try something. Thankfully for them, they showed more intelligence than the thugs and waved us through without even a cursory check.

The walk to the elevators that led to the docking bays was boring, save for the growing confusion and curiosity that was radiating from Aayla in waves. Force, I suspected even Bo could sense it given how much it was making Aayla light up like a beacon in the Force.

As the three of us - well four if you counted the still floating and unconscious Castim - entered the elevator, Aayla turned to me and asked the question she'd been dying to ask since we'd passed through the checkpoint.

"Why is she with you?" She blurted out, "And why do you have that?" She added, pointing at my beskad.

I smiled at her, channelling one of Fay's patented 'I know more than you do' looks. "Long story."
… …



... ...

"Of all the planets in the galaxy, why the shab did it have to be this one Castim directed us to?" I muttered moments after we'd dropped out of hyperspace to see the Sith-cursed shithole of Tatooine and its twin suns.

From the co-pilot's seat, Vos chuckled. "It could be worse. At least we don't have to go to Nar Shaddaa or Sleheyron." After meeting us in the docking bay and speaking with Dooku, Vos had joined my master in interrogating Castim. Though calling it an interrogation was a bit of a misnomer as instead of an aggressive interview, Dooku had simply overwhelmed the man's meagre mental defences and plucked the answers from Castim's mind. While he was more careful than I would have been to not leave Castim a drooling mess on the floor, that had still gotten us the name of the man's contact with the Bando Gora; Gardulla the Hutt.

After dropping Castim off with what I hoped had been non-corrupt judiciary forces in another system, we'd flown to a planet that I was starting to think was cursed by the Force. I know it came up in the movies a lot, but I'd now been here three times inside a year and only once had that been by choice. That had me wondering once more if the Force had some sort of twisted sense of humour that enjoyed torturing those touched by it.

Still, after dropping off Castim, Vos had decided that, with their mission from the Jedi Council over, they'd stick around and assist Dooku with his mission. While Dooku was accepting of the extra help – the Bando Gora did take out a Jedi strike team the last time the Order had clashed with them – he didn't seem impressed with either of our fellow Jedi.

Vos wasn't much like he'd been in his appearance in the Clone Wars. The jovial, devil-may-care attitude shown by that version was nowhere to be found in this one. Instead, there was a strict, demanding Jedi with a slightly short temper and a sharp, sarcastic sense of humour that I enjoyed. Yet, underneath this outwardly off-putting persona, it was easy to see the bond between him and Aayla, and how much he cared for her.

He'd settled into life on the Ne'tra Sartr quickly and taken over the co-pilot seat from Bo; something the redhead was glad for as she had little interest in flying if it didn't involve her jetpack. He and Aayla helped with general maintenance of the ship, though there was little of that. Even with it being essentially a prototype of an enlarged Kom'rk-class transport, I'd only found a handful of issues since we'd left Mandalore.

I'd also spent a fair bit of time sparring with him. While Dooku was dismissive of Vos' preferred form of Ataru, seeing a skilled practitioner of Ataru move was giving me more ideas about incorporating some of the footwork into my personal style. Plus, unlike Aayla, Vos was a difficult opponent for me to fight.

While the confines of the ship limited a lot of what he could do with Ataru, he was highly skilled at the form. I also noticed that he'd adopted many elements of Shien and Djem So into his style. As such, from the dozen spars we'd had over the last week and a bit getting here, the count was five wins for him, five for me and two draws. I'd also sparred with Aayla but, Force bless her, she wasn't an even match up for me. She was further behind me than Serra was when I'd last sparred with her, so most of our spars had turned into tutoring sessions. Kriff, even sparring with Bo wasn't going well for Aayla. Bo was up eleven to one, though she was finding the chance to spar with someone different enjoyable, and it was a good test of how far she'd come with her beskad to put her up against a young Jedi Padawan.

"I'd prefer those places to here," I shot back as my mind returned to my first trip to this shithole, the dragon and the walking lizard that had almost killed me. Since there were no orbital facilities around the planet, we were free to approach without challenge, though we'd still have to deal with the Hutt-controlled price-gouging of the docking masters once we landed. "I know I shouldn't say it, but I hate this planet."

"A Jedi shouldn't deal in such absolutes, Padawan, but since seeing the recording of your trial here, such a reaction is understandable, and I can sympathise with your desire to be elsewhere," Vos commented before chuckling. "Though why you didn't take off the bracers is beyond me."

"I forgot ok!" I snapped back, trying my best to not re-enter the memory of that 'fight'. "I was more interested in getting the osik away. Then, when I remembered about them, the shabyc things didn't want to come off!"

Once more he chuckled. "I see you picked up more than just combat techniques and your red-haired passenger from the Mandalorians. Still, I understand why you're angry and why you did what you did. Any rational being in such a situation would face a fight or flight response, with those with common sense choosing the latter." He paused for a moment. "And I suspect that, in a similar situation, most Jedi would've tried to use the Force to defend themselves; forgetting about the bracers entirely and getting themselves killed."

"Then get turned into dragon chow," I added, drawing a sharp laugh from him.

"Most likely." Silence fell over the cockpit as I eased the ship into the atmosphere. The winds were, thankfully, not as severe as they'd been the last time, which limited the amount of chop I faced and how drastically visibility was reduced.

"I find myself impressed with the skill of the Mandalorians," Vos commented as I dropped us through lower still. "This ship is large enough to function as a large freighter, yet she's better armed and protected than a judicial cruiser, and moves like something half her size."

"I'll have Bo pass along your compliments the next time she speaks to her father. This ship was built to his specifications."

"And that is another thing I'm still trying to fully understand." He continued, seemingly ignoring my comment. "Finding common ground between Mandalorians and Jedi is… a rare event. That you have the daughter of the leader of their people travelling with you is, well, shocking really. I know you've both explained the reasons why she's here, but I can't see any reason she has for not leaving beyond her word not to."

"Bo's reasons for staying are her own," I answered slowly as the canyons of the Jundland Wastes came into view. Vos was right that, since we'd left Aesolian, Bo could've left at any point she'd wanted. Yet, after a long holocall with her father, she'd stopped threatening to do so, instead only jokingly suggesting she might leave. I couldn't say for sure why that was, but I doubted the alliance between our clans – something neither Vos nor Aayla were aware of – was a reason for her staying, nor the agreement between her father and me. Perhaps one day she'd reveal why she stayed, but I wasn't counting on it.

"Of that, I'm sure. Still, seeing a Jedi and Mandalorian working and fighting side by side…" he paused, "Well, to many in our Order, it would be a surprise. Some would be concerned, given your family legacy. More so, I'd fathom, if they know about your completion of their trial of adulthood."

"Do you have something you'd like to ask, Knight Vos?" I inquired, wondering if he was going with this where I suspected. After nearly two weeks of run-arounds and snide comments about Bo and me and our situation, I was reaching the end of my rope with him regarding the topic. "Or do you just enjoy needling people to get a reaction?"

And again, Vos chuckled, though this time it stoked a small ember of anger within me. "I don't deny that I enjoy getting under your skin, Padawan. Apart from bringing me amusement, I find that agitated and annoyed people often reveal things they'd rather not. Though as for any direct question regarding you and miss Kryze, no. You're both young and growing. Just be mindful that, if anything does happen between you, many in the Order would demand you end it before you are knighted."

To prevent myself from remarking on the insanity of the idea of Bo and I hooking up – something that has been commented on by several people now – I bit my lip. Ignoring the chances of that being, in my mind, closer to zero than one, there were also thoughts floating around my head regarding the Order and its failings.

To keep myself distracted, I focused on what was outside the Ne'tra Sartr. The outskirts of Mos Espa were coming into view. We'd land there and then arrange passage to Gardulla's residence which was a few hours north of the city in the Dune Sea. Aayla had asked why we didn't just fly there and Dooku explained that, apart from the likely presence of defence measures, landing directly outside the residence of a powerful Hutt like Gardulla was an insult. It made it appear that you considered yourself above them and would severely limit the chances of a diplomatic mission succeeding.

Of course, that didn't do anything to dissuade the idea in my head of carpet bombing Gardulla's residence and Jabba's palace. Not that I was going to do it in the Ne'tra Sartr as that would lead to blowback on the Mandalorians, but the idea had appeal. Possibly in the future, I'd find a way to act on the idea, but not today.

For today, I was more concerned about Decca – Gardulla's son and the former slave owner of the Lokella – being present. While it was unlikely that he'd know me by face, his presence could complicate matters immensely.
… …


... ...
I shook my leg after stepping out of the large speeder we'd taken from Mos Espa to Gardulla's residence. Though calling it a residence was a bit like calling a mansion a detached house. While true, it did nothing to hint at the size of the place we were now standing in front of. This place was more a palace than a house, and judging by the turrets that tracked our approach, a well-defended one at that.

"I kriffing hate sand," I all but spat out as more of the annoying stuff slipped into my boot. "Gets kriffing everywhere."

"While I agree that this planet is a less than appealing place to visit once more, perhaps you might keep your concerns to yourself," Dooku commented without glancing back at me. "Insulting the home of our host isn't the most appropriate way to begin negotiations." He added before he started to walk towards the main entrance, where two Gamorreans stood guard.

"I guess I'll just have to make up for Cam then," Bo muttered behind me, making Aayla giggle as they brought up the rear. Vos was walking at Dooku's right shoulder while I was between the senior Jedi and the girls. The pair had, when Bo wasn't schooling Aayla in spars, struck up a strange sort of relationship. They weren't friends, though it could develop that way, but ever since Aayla had come on board and Bo had gotten past the issue of Aayla being a very sheltered Jedi so far, they'd started spending time together.

That was fine with me as it meant I didn't have to spend too much time around Bo, thus giving me time to concentrate on improving my skills around the starship and with HK. It also meant that Dooku wasn't commenting on Bo's inability to relax like a Jedi did as more people meant more distractions for the trigger-happy girl.

Aayla seemed fine with losing the spars, taking each as a learning experience, which I think helped endear her to Bo. Now if the Twi'lek would stop being so damn gentle in spars she'd be better prepared for real combat. While she'd handled herself well in the Comkin system, she'd been looking to unarm and disable those thugs. Against more skilled and dangerous opponents, not going for a kill shot when the opportunity presented itself was asking for trouble. That was something Bo had made clear in their spars as Aayla had picked up several small nicks from Bo's electro-blade. While not fatal, the location of the cuts made it clear that they could easily have been. Thankfully, while Vos wasn't happy about his Padawan being cut, Aayla understood the point Bo was making. Or so I hoped.

"If you cannot restrain yourself while we are here, Miss Kryze, I must insist you remain with the ship," Dooku commented, a slight edge to his tone. "While I understand your displeasure with having to interact with the Hutts, the less we irritate Gardulla, the sooner we can vacate this planet and resume our mission."

I smirked at the shutdown from my master, even as I heard Bo grumble behind us. A chuckle from Aayla was accompanied by the hiss of Bo's helmet seals engaging. Somehow, I just knew Bo would be making comments throughout the meeting while her helmet speakers were turned off. Likely ones about how easy it would be to kill Gardulla and her minions, which was something I'd agree with and probably support at a different time.

The Hutts, while not the only criminal issue in the galaxy, were the single biggest source of organized crime that existed. They didn't control every illicit trade, but they had their fingers in so many pots that cutting them off would destabilise the entire criminal underworld for years, if not decades. Still, I understood that wanting to remove the Hutts and truly doing so were massively different concepts.

The Hutts were such a large and powerful group that, after existing even before the early days of the Republic, twenty-five thousand years ago, taking them out with anything less than dozens of fleets of Star Destroyers would be next to impossible. Still, even if a day when I could move openly against the Hutts was decades away, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to observe the inner workings of one of the most powerful members of the Hutt cartel within their private citadel. You never knew when such information would be useful – to me or others – in the future.
… …


... ...
"Sensors on passive." Vos semi-ordered as we slid back into normal space. We were dropping out just inside the Oort cloud of this system as we'd been informed it was the location of a decent-sized smuggling and slaving operation meant I wasn't taking any chances. Hence why HK was currently plugged into the weapons console.

Gardulla had supplied this location (in the Tantajoc system) after some negotiations with Dooku. While she'd been reluctant to divulge anything, Dooku promised that when the time came to disclose our mission to the Jedi High Council and the Senate, no mention of her involvement – in any way – would be revealed. Gardulla had accepted this, on the condition that if any links to other Hutts were discovered, those would be revealed. From talking with Vos and Dooku once we'd left Tatooine, I'd learnt that it meant the operation we were now approaching had likely fallen from Gardulla's hands into the control of another Hutt. Dooku suspected this was Jabba as he was aware of a growing cold war between the two. He postulated that Gardulla would use the embarrassment of Jabba being linked to a slaving operation in Republic space to embarrass him to the other Hutt kajidics (crime families in all but name) that ran Hutt space.

While a part of me was sickened that the Hutts could be so casual about being involved in active slavery operations, the fact the Hutts acted like the crime families from old mafia movies in my former life was amusing, in context. Still, the blatant disregard of others by Gardulla and other Hutts made me even more inclined to eventually go after the species. While genocide wasn't something I ever thought I'd consider, for the Hutts, it might well be the only choice. Though to take out the Hutts, then secure, stabilise, and - most likely - control, their territory would require a massive amount of manpower and firepower. Likely on par with what I imagined the Galactic Empire could bring to bear.

On a more personal note, I'd had the 'honour' of meeting Decca, though he had failed to recognize me. Something I'd confirmed just before we'd left via Observe. I'd been concerned at the way he'd seemingly watched me during the meeting with his 'mother', but according to my special ability, he didn't realise that Dooku and I were the ones to take down his operations in the now-named ShaDo system. Still, his face – as fugly as it was – was committed to memory along with Gardulla's and anyone in her palace that wasn't collared or acting like staff. While I wasn't sure if I'd ever get a shot to take those beings (and I used the word loosely) out, I knew there'd come a day when Decca would make a direct move against the Lokella. Possibly arranged by one or two of the employed mercenaries I'd met that day.

Still, we'd left the meeting unscathed, and left that sand-covered osik'palon planet behind (and if I never had to return other than to free the slaves/kill the Hutts it would be too soon) and made our way here, to the Tantajo system. Since the system was a few jumps off the Perlemian Trade Route – which, I had to admit, made it a good place to base such an operation from – it'd taken us about 2 weeks; though some of that time was taken up by us stopping to refuel and learn about the system before flying in blind. Due to some things that we'd heard about the size of the operation here, which didn't entirely match with what Gardulla had told us, we'd chosen to exit hyperspace at the edge of the system.

While Bo had been more than happy to jump closer and engage the slavers instantly, Dooku felt – and Vos and I agreed – that a slower, more cautious approach was better. I remembered the few operations in my old life where we'd gone in without good intel. While I'd come home from all of them, those operations had been the most perilous and I'd lost a few brothers in arms in them.

"Derogatory: I am fully aware of the functions I have to fulfil during this operation, meatbag. Unlike you, I do not suffer from unstable programming that only serves to distract me." HK replied to Vos' comment with his usual blunt and insulting tone. Vos grumbled quietly, which brought a small smile to my face. Ever since coming onboard, Vos had taken a dislike to HK, one the droid was more than happy to exacerbate.

Through the Force, I felt Dooku's amusement at our fellow Jedi's reaction, though I doubted there was any external reaction to the exchange.

"I still fail to see why you're allowing a protocol droid to handle the sensors and weapons," Vos eventually commented. "His programming isn't designed for it, nor is his personality matrix suited for household chores."

"Revan programmed him this way on purpose," I replied before HK could get a word in. While the droid knew not to reveal the truth of his purpose, too many subtle slips might clue Dooku into the truth of HK's primary function. Plus, letting HK needle Vos was a distraction while an operation was active; something I couldn't abide. "And I can't believe I'm the one saying this, but your focus should be on the mission and not HK's speech patterns."

"My Padawan is correct, Knight Vos. While I agree with you that the droid's mannerisms are… unusual, we have more pressing issues to deal with. It would be beneficial to all of us if you gave your full attention to what is outside of this vessel than allowing yourself to be distracted by the aural idiosyncrasies of the droid." Dooku added. While his words were polite, the casual put-down of Vos made my smile grow larger.

Vos didn't reply, though HK gave a single chuckle. Moving the mission forward, I powered up the sub-light engines. From Republic records, this system only had one habitable planet, which was on the far side of the system, but there was always the chance the slavers were semi-competent and had some patrols wandering the system in case outsiders stumbled on their operation.

"How long will our approach take?" Dooku asked as we moved towards the sixth – and outer – planet in the system. It was a large, blue gas giant with, at least, three dozen moons of various sizes, though that was all the Republic records mentioned about it. Like the rest of the system, the details were sparse.

"It'll depend on what forces they've got in orbit and near their basecamp," I replied. "If they're even halfway intelligent, we'll need to approach from the far side of the planet to avoid detection. The Ne'tra Sartr's capable of taking on anything they might have, but if we go in guns blazing, we risk them wiping the base's computers of anything useful or threatening the slaves to force us to back off."

While Dooku likely already knew this, I suspected he used these little moments as ways to see how I thought tactically. Plus, he might get some satisfaction in showing how much farther along in my non-Force training I was than Aayla. While he rarely ever showed it, Dooku did feel pride in how quickly I was learning and growing under his tutelage.

"Very well. I shall return to my quarters to meditate. Contact me if the situation changes, but otherwise, I will return with Padawan Secura to relieve you both in four hours."

"Yes, Master." A moment later the door to the cockpit opened and closed.

"Looks like we've got the first watch," Vos commented a few moments after the door had closed. "I'll carry out checks on non-critical systems just to be on the safe side while you fly us closer. Can the droid do the same for the weapon systems?"

"Condescending Reassurance: Of course, meatbag. Additional Query: Would the meatbag also like me to prepare your evening meal while I carry out the eighty-fourth check of our primary, secondary, and tertiary offensive and defensive systems over the last six hours?"

I didn't even try to stop myself from chuckling at HK's behaviour. While I'd step in again if it became a distraction, hearing him speak down to everyone around me wasn't something I'd ever grow tired of. Vos was an entertaining target as the man seemed the most likely to respond in kind, while Aayla regularly became perturbed by HK's remarks. Dooku and Fay just ignored them while Bo, at least since learning who the droid had fought alongside, seemed amused to be insulted by HK. Though ever since Bo had started helping me with what weapons to give HK once he was up and about, the droid had toned down his remarks around her.

Honestly, I was beginning to suspect that, once deployed in combat, Bo was going to become my version of Canderous alongside HK as we kicked arse.
… …


... ...
As I leaned back to avoid the massive paw with claws longer than my hand, I grunted in annoyance. Even as my lightsaber came up and removed said paw, and the immense feline it was attached to howled in pain, my frustration at this situation continued to grow.

"When this mission is over I'm going to kill your master!" I snapped at Aayla as I thrust forward, impaling the feline through the neck with my lightsaber.

"How is this his fault?" She shot back even as she leapt onto a high branch of a nearby tree; avoiding another massive feline as it pounced on her former position.

Said feline was struck six times with blaster bolts, once in each eye then four in the neck, making it slump to the ground dead. "Because he's the shabuir who suggested this attack plan!" Bo spat as she floated above the ground, using her jetpack to keep herself out of reach of the cats.

A growl from behind me followed by a warning from the Force, had me rolling to one side then sending a blast of Force energy towards where I'd just been. The largest member of this pack – likely the alpha – howled in pain as it was slammed into a tree.

"Woah!" Aayla muttered as she almost fell from the tree as it shook under the force of the alpha's impact.

The beast slumped to the floor, but my attention was taken by a roar to my right. I turned to see the only other – according to my minimap – remaining feline charging towards me. I leaned back, avoiding its pounce, and slid my blade along the underside of the beast, once more filling the air with the smell of cooked meat. It fell to the ground, a four-inch-deep cut running from between its front legs to its tail, dead.

The alpha hollered, drawing my attention back to it. It took a step forward, its eyes narrowing as it saw me standing beside the dead body of the last of its pack, and I could see its legs tense for an attack. The Force flowed through me, helping me know when and how the attack would come and I readied myself; sliding into an adapted Ataru stance while keeping my grip set for a simple deflecting Makashi strike. Just as the beast moved forward, bolts rained down from above, and it roared in pain before slumping to the ground, sliding to a stop about half a metre from me.

"I could've taken it," I remarked to Bo as I looked up at her before stepping closer and driving my lightsaber through the alpha's skull.

"You're welcome," Bo replied as she descended, "and that's four to me."

I chuckled as I relaxed my stance. Of course, Bo would see this as a competition. The pack of ten was never a true threat to us, and we'd have avoided them entirely if they hadn't been attracted to our drop site. Likely they'd been drawn by the sounds of my ship hovering above the trees before the three of us had disembarked, then attacked, thinking us easy prey.

"A tie then," I replied as she landed next to me, holstering her pistols as she did. Aayla jumped down just behind Bo, a frown on her face. "We didn't go looking to kill them, Aayla. It was the will of the Force that they happened to be here when we landed." I said, figuring she was probably upset that we'd had to kill the entire pack to defend ourselves.

"I know. It's just… It's not fair." she responded before sighing.

"It was them or us," Bo countered bluntly. "And if not for the Sartr coming under attack, we'd have given ourselves away with this skirmish." She added, getting me to look up.

Somewhere up above, likely back in space, my ship was engaged in a fight with two or three slaver vessels. We'd taken our time approaching the planet, spending nearly two weeks tracking ships coming and going before we'd initiated our attack plan. There'd always been three ships in orbit of the planet and while I knew the Ne'tra Sartr could handle them, we needed to take the base reasonably quickly to avoid mission failure.

As such, Vos had suggested – and Dooku had agreed – that Aayla, Bo and I would drop onto the planet a few kilometres from the base and then trek through the forest to reach it. Vos and Dooku would remain on the ship then, once I gave a signal, they'd attack the ships in orbit while we snuck into the base and secured their command-and-control centre.

Of course, that had all been shot to shit not long after we'd dropped, as just as the Sartr was pulling back, it came under fire from one of the ships in orbit. I'd seen two ships drop into the atmosphere to engage the Sartr, both looking to be about the size of a small corvette. While I didn't doubt my ship could handle that – it not only matched its pursuers in size but was heavily armed for its weight class, like all Mandalorian ships were – them coming under attack meant stealth was no longer an option. Something that was even less likely given our run-in with the local fauna.

"Master Vos didn't know we'd be attacked like this," Aayla said, feeling a need to defend her master even as she depowered her lightsaber.

"He literally said before we jumped that nothing would go wrong," I countered as I used my lightsaber to point around us at the dead pack of forest cats. "And why have you turned off your lightsaber? We're in hostile territory with them aware of our presence." I commented even as I saw a group of beings rapidly approaching us from the direction of the slaver base.

As if willed by the Force, the tree Aayla had just jumped down from groaned, then fell to the ground with an almighty crash. The sound echoed around us as we lost vision from the dirt and dust that was thrown into the air from the fall.

Coughing in the dust, I pushed the Force out from me, blasting back the dust cloud in a wave. Aayla looked at me between coughs and grimaced. "I…"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as the Force warned of danger and, on instinct, I erected a barrier in the direction it warned about. Blaster fire erupted from the treeline, though most impacted against the invisible wall I'd raised. I saw the briefest look of surprise pass over Aayla's face as she glanced my way and worked out that I'd thrown up the barrier.

I knew I could call upon the Force faster than most other Jedi – something that'd likely saved my life a few times already – but that wasn't unique, just abnormal for someone my age, a very useful perk of the interface.

A few bolts missed the barrier, though that was due to poor marksmanship by our attackers, not my barrier failing. The sound of a jetpack engaging let me know Bo was heading airborne, which was followed a second later by the sound of Aayla's lightsaber reigniting.

According to my Detection-boosted minimap, we'd been ambushed by about a dozen sentients, and given they were attacking us from the direction of the base, it wasn't much of a leap to assume that's where they'd come from. However, given the loud and rapid incoming fire, I suspected at least one of them had a heavy repeating blaster cannon of some sort, if not a tripod-mounted repeating cannon.

"What do we do?" Aayla asked, a sliver of fear emanating from her into the Force. I glanced her way, even as more bolts struck my barrier and Bo began to return fire, to see her gripping her lightsaber tightly.

"Teach them the error of their ways," I replied as I lifted my lightsaber-wielding hand and summoned the Force to it. The air grew thick around my hand before I thrust it forward, pushing the gathered energy, now concentrated in an invisible sphere, towards the treeline. It struck with the fury of a god, shredding trees, bushes, and bodies at its point of impact, while those further away were whisked from their roots and sent hurtling away. Something exploded, adding a ring of fire to my Force blast and making the waves of erupting Force energy seemingly dance before my eyes. The edges of the flame-tips blast fizzled harmlessly against my barrier while branches, rocks and even a few limbs impacted the unseen wall, then slid to the ground.

An almost lazy sweep of my arm generated a gust of wind powerful enough to clear the devastation between us and the source of the explosion; sending the debris tumbling away to the right. That allowed me to see the destruction I'd unleashed. Though the Force Blast had only travelled about thirty metres, it'd carved a divot through the ground until it hit whatever exploded. There, all that remained was a three-metre-wide crater, and on the edges, a few groans came from the slavers who were unlucky enough to have survived my counterattack. Bolts resumed raining down from above, ending the groans as Bo finished them off.

Less than half a minute later Bo landed and holstered her pistols. "Well, if they didn't know we were coming before they sure as osik do now," she remarked, which made me chuckle before she scoffed. "I suppose you couldn't have left some for me."

"Not like they would have been any fun," I remarked as I finally lowered the barrier and took a step towards the devastation I'd caused. "Untrained thugs aren't a challenge." According to Detection, only a single slaver was left alive.

Figuring he might be willing to provide information for medical aid, I walked towards the carnage. Bo was at my side in an instant, with Aayla taking a moment before following.

"Kriff, Cam," Aayla muttered as we reached the edge of the crater. "When did you get so…"

"Violent?" I suggested as she trailed off. "After having my life flash before my eyes while face-to-snout with a kriffing dragon, I realised that this galaxy was out to kill me, all of us really. I'm not going to pussy-foot my way through things anymore. If someone wants to hurt or kill me or my friends, I'll respond appropriately." I explained as I made my way around the crater towards a flattened tree that was wider than me. "I know it skirts the Jedi way, but this isn't the Temple, Aayla. This is the wider, wilder galaxy and things out here will try to kill you if they can. Kriff, some people will actively target us just because we're Jedi and have no compunctions about killing innocents to get to us."

Technically, this wasn't a revelation for me, merely a return to the way I'd approached combat in my former life. Serving in a unit like the S.A.S. taught me that enemy combatants would always be out for my blood. Killing them first was just the smart thing to do. So far in my new life, the need for overwhelming firepower hadn't been needed, but as I'd just proved, I had no issues with going big to end a battle quickly. After all, there was no such thing as overkill.

Still, I was glad that Fay wasn't around as I'd rather avoid another lecture on using the Force offensively. I enjoyed having her as one of my Jedi masters, but there was no denying that we had very different opinions on how to approach certain situations. I doubted Dooku would have any issue with my actions against the slavers, though he might wonder why I didn't do such a thing against the kriffing cats.

"T-that's not the Jedi way…" Aayla began only to stop and gag. Clearly, someone had forgotten to use the Force to block the smell of burnt bodies.

"Thank Manda…" Bo muttered just quietly enough that I could hear her as I turned to look at Aayla. Her cheeks had lost a lot of their colour while her lekku were twitching erratically, almost as if they were vibrating. She then turned around to block her view of the devastation I'd caused.

"Aayla, first, use the Force to limit your breathing. It'll help with the smell," I offered as Breath Control was how I was countering the smell I was more than familiar with. "Secondly, I'm still a Jedi. I still believe in the ideals of the Order," or most of it at least, but she didn't need to know that. "That said, when battle comes, shying away from it because it's 'not the Jedi way' is how I suspect many Jedi end up dying. The Force doesn't make us unbeatable and believing it does is, to me, almost as big a flaw as blindly following the Galactic Senate." I paused as the colour returned to her cheeks and she turned to face me. "These beings, and I use that very loosely, actively engage in the enslaving of sentients. That, and the trading in endangered or illegal animals and substances makes them an affront to everything the Jedi Order is supposed to stand for."

"I, I guess I see your point." Aayla began, her lekku no longer twitching randomly. "But the Code teaches us to show compassion to all," she continued as she slowly turned back to face me. The colour had returned to her cheeks, and she looked steadier.

"I'll save my compassion for those in need or deserving of it." I countered as I turned and resumed walking towards the upturned tree. A groan came from behind it and as I leapt onto it, I looked down to see the last remaining slaver. The Duros was barely hanging on. Both legs were trapped under the trunk, and barring a large dose of bacta, I doubted they could be saved, while one of his arms was bent at such an ungodly angle that the bone had pierced the skin of his forearm, soaking the ground with his blood. His chest and much of his face were charred black, and all in all, I figured he only had a few more minutes before the pain and blood loss ended him.

"F-force…" Aayla muttered from my right, and I turned to see her and Bo had come around the fallen tree and seen the Duros.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I leapt down beside the Duros and used the Force to heal some of his wounds. In the long run, it would only delay the inevitable, but that's what I needed. "How many are in the base?" I asked softly. "Tell me and I'll take away the rest of your pain."

"Or don't and die slowly and painfully," Bo added unhelpfully. The Duros was already dying, and from the look in his eyes, he knew it. Even without the Force, I knew Aayla was uneasy with us interrogating a dying man, but she had the sense to stay quiet instead of wasting valuable seconds.

"Arg… Trddh…" The Duros groaned out. I leaned closer, lifting his head so that I could hear anything he whispered. Sadly, as I did, his blood-red eyes seemed to lose their lustre and he went limp.

"Kriff," I muttered after using Observe to confirm he only had seconds left. As I dropped his head to the ground, I briefly considered using Mind Probe. However, doing that with Aayla present was risky, to say nothing of entering the dying mind of an alien whose biology I only barely understood. I looked up at Bo and shrugged. "Guess we're flying in blind."

"Says the Jedi to the Mandalorian with a jetpack." Bo retorted, and I just knew she was smiling under her helmet. The jetpack was something near and dear to her and she never missed a chance to use it.

"True, but if you go above the treeline, they'll see you coming and there's a limit to how clearly I can sense others through the Force," I replied as I stood. "I know there are a lot of sentients over there, but exact details of how many and where are, at this range, far, far beyond me."

"Nice to see even you have limits," Bo replied and again I just knew she was smirking.

"I wish Master Vos was here," Aayla commented slowly, making me wonder if having her along was a mistake. "He's one of the few Jedi who can use psychometry," she continued, and I turned to look at her. I couldn't recall that power coming up in his only appearance in the show. Though, now that I considered it, the moment where he seemed to know which way Ziro went on Nal Hutta could've been him using that power and just a well-honed ability to track a target. "It's, um, a really rare ability that allows a user to learn details about someone or thing by touching them." She explained, having taken my expression as I considered my memories as a sign that I was confused about what she'd just said.

"That sounds like bantha-osik." Bo muttered even as I saw and opened a new Interface notice.

Force Power Discovered!
Psychometry
This is the ability to use the Force to gain an understanding of an object's history. Specifically, one can learn about the previous users of the object and where it was used.
...
WARNING!
As you don't have a natural affinity for this ability, nor have taken a perk to gain such an affinity, several restrictions are in place.
XP gains for this power are reduced by a factor of 10 and you will be unable to take the ability above Professional: 1 without the relevant perk.
Said perk will be available from level 30 onwards.
...
And just like that, the hope of a new and unusual power was undercut by the Interface placing massive restrictions on it. Still, once I considered the limitations, they started to make sense. The implications of this power were frightening. Knowing who had used what and where and when sounded cool, but what if it engaged on a weapon used to kill someone I cared about; or anyone in general for that matter. Would I then have to relive that moment over and over in my mind, or experience what the killer had felt when they ended a life? That sounded like a one-way street to sociopathy.

"It's probably for the best Vos isn't here," I commented as I put aside the new power. "If he was, Bo and I might well have broken his nose for how kriffed this plan has become." Bo snorted in amusement at the idea. "Still, we can only hope that this group was, if not most of their forces, then some of their better fighters. Otherwise, the attack could prove troublesome."

"You say troublesome, I say fun," Bo replied with a chuckle. I glanced at her, wondering once more just how someone could be so battle-mad. While I didn't deny that a part of me enjoyed combat, I didn't go actively looking for it. Though thanks to the Force, trouble and combat did seem to not only have my address but the keys to my front door.

Not bothering to respond, I started walking towards the slaver base. Bo, taking the hint, slipped to the rear and even though she knew I could sense lifeforms at a far greater range than her sensors, still checked every bush for someone I'd missed. The fact I heard a lightsaber engaging behind me let me know that Aayla had learnt her lesson, at least for now, and would be keeping her blade powered as we moved. Though given we were trying to move stealthily, it wasn't the best time for her to apply that lesson.

While that was a relief, and while I considered Aayla a friend, it was clear she was far too naïve about the wider galaxy. From what she'd told me, Vos took her out of the temple at least once a year since she'd become his Padawan, but from the last few weeks, it was becoming clear that he'd been keeping her safe. At least until this mission. Being willing to depower her primary weapon – and consider reclipping it to her belt – while in hostile territory was a mistake many Jedi would make, which might be why so many died on Geonosis. The lack of a fighter's instinct to be ready to do what they must could, and did, cost many Jedi their lives.

Perhaps once this mission was over, Bo and I could teach Aayla why trusting that a battle was over and that the Force would warn you in time wasn't a valid reason to lower your guard in a combat situation. I knew that in the original timeline, she'd survived the Clone Wars, well until Order 66. However, with things having changed dramatically this time around, I wanted to make sure she, and all my friends in the Order, survived what was to come. Or at least, be better prepared for the chaos and carnage that awaited the galaxy.
… …


... ...
It took us a touch over two hours to get to a point where we could see the walls of the compound. I already knew how many were inside with the minimap showing 300 signs, though the vast majority weren't sentient. Or weren't sentient according to the minimap. Most of the sentients were grouped near the far edge of the compound in three groups of about twenty each. Those had to be newly captured prisoners that hadn't been taken to slave markets for sale or were held for ransom if they would earn the salvers more credits from that.

However, we'd had to stop once we were about a hundred metres from the walls of the compound as, in an irritating display of intelligence, the slavers cleared that area around their base.

Given the local fauna, which included a herd of wild pigs that we'd run into between here and the failed ambush, that made sense. Thankfully the local variant of warthogs had shown more sense than the cats and decided to not attack us. Though that might've been because I'd used the Force to generate strong winds between them and us.

"Just our luck that we get not only well-fortified but competent slavers," Bo remarked as she scanned the wall with her helmet. Apart from clearing a no-man's-land between the compound and the thick forest foliage, there were turrets on the walls with two such installations having firing arcs on our current location. Plus, given that the side we were on was the quieter side of the base, I doubted the defences would be weaker at other parts of the wall.

"Just means we'll have to earn our victory." While not the Jedi way, it was something I knew Bo would agree with, which was proven when she chuckled.

I reached out through the Force, searching for the flow of energy that indicated the turrets. Once I could sense those, I started tracking the flow of energy. I followed the power out of the turrets, along the power lines that ran along the walls, making a note of the other eight turrets that dotted the outer wall, then back towards the centre of the compound. The power grew brighter – meaning the cables were transferring more power – as they led to two more complexes. The one shining like a beacon would be the power plant while the other was likely the command centre. Power ran towards and around four different groups of people in such a way that I was sure those were prisoners. Four other buildings which were full of animals had power running through them, marking them out as cages.

"How are we going to deal with the turrets?" Aayla asked as she lowered a set of macrobinoculars she'd brought with her. Unlike me, she wasn't well trained in using the Force to augment her sight, so like Bo, had to rely on technology.

I smirked as I glanced her way. "I think a variation of what I did during our Initiate trials. You remember the obstacle course?"

Aayla smiled light a moment later, likely after remembering how that'd gone for me. "How could I forget? No Initiate's come close to your time. Kriff, according to Master Vos, there's only one Jedi Master he knows of that uses the same tricks." She replied.

"And how exactly did you deal with that obstacle course?" Bo asked as looked at both of us.

I smirked at the armoured Mandalorian. Though instead of saying anything, I depowered my lightsaber, reactivated the few combat abilities that I'd disabled to conserve my Force reserves, then let the world dissolve into a silver glow.

As the silver faded from my vision, I felt gravity take effect. A glance down showed the twin barrels of the turret I'd teleported to, along with a single slaver next to it. The now familiar gentle roar of my lightsaber engaging drew roar Rodian's attention. He looked up, his blaster sliding from its holster, only for my blade to slide down as I landed, carving a deep canyon in his chest.

Before the body had even struck the ground, I flicked my wrist. Dirt sizzled as the tip of my blade ran through the ground, then sparks flew as the blade sliced through the turret. Sparks began to appear from where I'd sliced the power converter, but I didn't pay it any attention as my vision once more filled with a silver light.

As the light faded for a second time, I found myself above another turret. Like the first, this was on the opposite of the compound from where Aayla and Bo were waiting, though not near the prisoners or caged animals. The plan was to cause a ruckus at this section of the wall, then a few minutes later, assault the wall where Aayla and Bo were. Hopefully, this would draw most of the slavers to a section of the compound not near our assault and away from the slaves, removing the risk of them using the prisoners as shields.

I landed with my lightsaber pointed down, driving it deep into this turret, then I let the world dissolve into silver for a third time. As the light once more faded, I found myself appearing above the third turret I'd targeted. This one, as I'd expected, had two slavers nearby, though one of them glanced up as gravity kicked in. Whether it was random chance, or he saw the flash of silver light as I teleported, I didn't know, though watching his eyes bulge as I fell beside him, my lightsaber bisecting him from head to toe, was morbidly amusing.

"Wha…" was all the second slaver was able to get out before my hand shot out to crush his throat with a meaty crunch. As the Duros struggled to breathe, I stepped forward and thrust my blade through his heart, then turned and slashed through the turret at the same point as on the previous two.

A moment later I reappeared behind Bo and Aayla, finding a pistol aimed at my head. "How rude," I commented as Bo lowered her blaster.

"So, what di…" Bo's words died in her throat as three explosions in quick succession erupted from the compound. Even from where we were it was easy to see all three had been on the far side, and soon pillars of smoke began to rise into the air. "Oh. . . impressive," Bo commented after a second, "though why didn't you attack the ones nearest us? Or go after the power generators directly?"

"Targeting the ones near us would've drawn the slavers to our location. While that might've been fun for you, the mission is to secure the compound not level it," I retorted, earning a grunt from Bo, "as for the power generator, there are nearly a hundred prisoners and twice that number of beasts inside. I'd rather not have all that kind of chaos running wild while we attack." I finished before stepping out into no-mans-land.

The two turrets that could fire on me turned, but before either could unleash their streams of blaster fire at me, I sent a massive Force Blast at the nearest one. The air rippled as the ball of Force energy surged through the air, kicking up waves of air contortion that were bigger than me, before it slammed into the wall under the turret. Both objects were obliterated, and I saw one of the barrels glinting high in the air. I quickly grabbed it as it was heading into the compound, and turned my attention to the second turret, only to watch as a tree slammed into that. To be sure it was taken out, I threw the cannon barrel I was levitating into it like a spear, making that turret erupt in a fireball that likely destroyed anything nearby.

A glance back showed Aayla breathing heavily, which confirmed she'd launched the tree when I'd concentrated on the nearest turret. Even if she was still stuck in the Jedi's peaceful approach, it showed she could think on her feet if given a little bit of time. I'd have to make sure to reduce that delay as much as possible in training before this mission was over.

"That was dramatic," Bo commented though I suspected she was just upset she hadn't been able to get involved.

"Inside now," I called out before accelerating myself forward with the Force. I reached the remains of the nearest turret, and the ruined remains of a five-metre section of the wall, a moment later. While the wall and turret were gone, the amount of rumble there had formed an ad-hoc replacement defensive measure. The sound of a jetpack behind me let me know Bo had arrived, and a small dust cloud being kicked up meant Aayla had joined her.

"Most of their forces should be caught between my distraction and their barracks or the command centre," I explained as I walked cautiously over the rumble. While I could Phase or Teleport to deal with it, I'd prefer to not do so on the remote chance I'd need to heavily exert my Force reserves once inside the compound. "Bo, stay low but cause as much chaos as you can, and feel free to take down any slavers you run into. Aayla and I will make for the centre of the compound."

"Understood," Bo replied before her jetpack engaged and she lifted off. She flew overhead, though she stayed low enough that any remaining turrets or slavers couldn't see her over the tops of the nearest buildings. While that'd limit how effective the jetpack would be, I had little doubt she'd have no trouble with any slavers she ran into.

"Why the central buildings?" Aayla asked as we moved forward.

"That's the power generator and a building that I suspect doubles as both their barracks and a command centre," I replied as I reached the edge of the closest building to the wall. A flick of my wrist upwards was followed by a scream of terror, and I glanced up to see a random slaver soaring up. "If we can secure the command centre, then not only will we have the base, but we can get in contact with our masters and secure the data we came here for," I add as the slaver stopped moving upwards. "Plus, if we take the command centre, we'll have control of the remaining turrets." I finished as another scream of terror came from the slaver as he realised that he was now falling.

"Ah," Aayla commented before I heard her lightsaber moving. A blaster bolt flew towards us, then back the way it'd come as Aayla redirected it. A groan followed soon after, though I paid it no heed as the slaver it'd likely come from disappeared from the minimap; indicating he was dead. As was the one who's just returned to the ground.

With those two taken care of, and no one else within twenty metres of us, I let the Force enhance my speed, feeling it concentrating behind me as Aayla kept up. The few buildings between us and the central area of the compound passed by in an instant before I brought us to a stop just before we reached what I suspected was the command centre as there was a decent-sized open area between us and the centre. Absently, I realised that this space, while not large enough for the Ne'tra Sartr, could easily allow the smallest slaver vessels to land.

"There's a dozen or so inside," I whispered to Aayla, "keep up."

I didn't wait for a reply as I stepped into the small open area between our current cover and the command centre. We'd only taken a few steps when the beings inside moved and a door on the side facing us opened. I tensed in expectation as around ten aliens burst out, all with their blasters or vibroblades in hand.

"There! Kill them!" a Weequay near the back of the group called out. His comrades followed his instruction, forcing me and Aayla into defensive stances as blaster bolts hurtled toward us.

After moving a few metres, I noted that while I'd taken out three of our attackers with redirected fire, Aayla hadn't managed to take down any. Now, that might be because she lacked the skill with her lightsaber to do that. However, given that in our last fight she'd shied away from killing, I suspected her lack of a kill count was due to her Jedi upbringing. I considered calling her out on it now, but that ran the risk of distracting her. I would be safer and wiser to speak with her afterwards.

An explosion on the far side of the base reached my ears, and I could only assume that Bo was engaging the slavers over there. Hopefully, there'd be some left alive for questioning afterwards.

"Sithspit!" Aayla spat out and I saw she'd ducked behind a crate, one hand coming to her shoulder.

"You alright?" I called out as I took out another slaver with a redirected bolt.

"Yeah, they just got a lucky hit," she replied. A moment later I felt the Force move around her and assumed she'd used it to heal the wound; or at least, numb the pain. While it was good that she could heal herself and the wound wasn't serious, having a friend of mine get injured infuriated me.

"Time to end this," I muttered as I leaned back to dodge a pair of bolts, then flicked a few fingers from my right hand. A split second later, two crates hurtled away from me. Since some slavers were using them as cover, they collided with them with one taking the corner of a crate flush in the face. His neck snapped back at an obscene angle even as the crate continued to fly, smashing against the wall of the command centre as the body slumped backwards. The other slavers were luckier, though one was clipped on his leg, which sent him sprawling on the ground.

Another flick of my fingers, even as I deflected more bolts, sent that slaver hurtling into his friends who'd scampered behind another set of crates. He screamed as his leg was twisted horribly by the edge of a crate, though a moment later his scream was joined by three others as I sent them, and the crates they'd been using as cover, soaring into the air.

"Inside!"

That command came from the same Weequay who'd ordered the others to attack us, suggesting he was a senior member; thus, someone I wanted alive for questioning. As the remaining group retreated, another fell to a deflected bolt, though this came from Aayla, not me. That made me smile, even given the seriousness of the situation.

The Weequay I now marked as the leader was the first inside and three more managed to slip inside. Before any more could join them, I pulled the remaining slavers towards me abruptly. Their looks of confusion and fear only lasted a few seconds before they lay dead at my feet with the faint smell of burnt flesh filling the air.

I surged forward, reaching the door just in time to see the external lock turn red and indicate it wouldn't open from the outside. Through the Force, I sensed the Weequay and one other slaver move deeper into the building while the remaining two stayed close to the door. Suspecting those two were waiting to ambush/delay us once we entered so the others could wipe the computers, I depowered my lightsaber, walked along the wall until I was a metre past the waiting pair then let the Force flow through me.

The familiar, uncomfortable tingling sensation rippled over my body as I phased through the walls, and the active power cables within it, until I emerged in the dark interior. In front of me, I saw the two slavers ducking behind an overturned table, blasters aimed at the door.

Both turned as a faint howl, now familiar to me, echoed in the darkened, stilled corridor. They'd barely turned enough to realise I was behind them before I attacked. One lost a hand, screaming even as the other lost his head. I then struck the one-handed Duros with a burst of Force energy, and he slumped to the floor unconscious. While it would've been easier to kill him, I wanted more than one prisoner to provide corroboration for anything the Weequay leader told me.

"Come on," I said to Aayla after I'd moved over and unlocked the door before heading down the corridor towards the centre of the building where the last two slavers were located.

"That always creeps me out," Aayla whispered from behind me as we moved quickly but carefully through the darkened corridor towards what I hoped was the main door to the command-and-control room. Phasing was such a strange power that it unnerved Aayla and others, which was something I liked about it.

"Which is why it works so well," I replied with a smirk she couldn't see. "Here," I added as I slid to a stop at the door that, if I was judging things right, led to where the last two slavers were. I could sense other life signs nearby, both sentients and beasts, but since none were right next to a slaver – for now – they weren't being used as shields or bargaining chips.

A simple gesture channelling the Force, had the door opening, though that was followed by multiple bolts that impacted harmlessly against the far wall. "You'll never take us alive, Jedi!" The Weequay shouted. I looked at Aayla who was on the far side of the door and rolled my eyes.

"D-did he really just say that?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Sadly yes," I replied, "and somehow I suspect he's not the first nor will he be the last, to say something that stupid." I continued before I reached out through the Force to where both slavers were. Once I was sure I had them with the Force, I flicked a finger.

"Aargh!" came the voice of the other slaver as both were propelled upwards. That was followed by twin thunks as they struck the ceiling. With that, I stepped into the room and glanced up at them as they struggled against the invisible power pinning them to the ceiling.

"You were saying?" I asked the Weequay as I took in the room. The room was dominated by a large table while dotted around the walls were various computer stations, including the communication station, along with an older R-series astromech droid that was trying to hide in a corner. Before the Weequay, or the Rodian with him, could say anything, I pushed a wave of the Force towards them, and they both turned limp.

"Check the back room," I said to Aayla as I brought the two unconscious aliens down from the ceiling, "I'll secure these two then work on opening a channel to the Sartr." While there were other sentients through there, neither had moved since the attack had started which suggested they were non-hostile. Aayla slid past me as I dropped the two slavers on the central table, and once she was gone, I pulled two sets of standard cuffs from my Inventory.

At that, I turned and walked towards the communication station only for Aayla to call out. "Cam, c-can you come in here?" Her voice wasn't steady and I could sense confusion, revulsion and a little fear radiating from her.

I moved quickly over to the back room. Once inside, I noted the various crates and containers near the door that were, if the few opened ones were any indication, filled full of credits, spices and other items of value. Next to Aayla was a table littered with credit chits, a small canister of what appeared to be a red narcotic and maybe a dozen death sticks. There were also three datapads lying there that I'd have to look over later for intel. However, what drew my attention were the other occupants of the room.

On a large bed – that could easily hold five or six people – were two female Twi'leks that were severely underdressed. While that alone angered me, the bruising on their arms and legs and the way they cowered in fear as they saw me had me fighting an urge to turn around and educate the two captured slavers on their behaviour. However, I was stopped from doing this by the cage that was at the foot of the bed, and the small dog-like creature within it.

The dog appeared no bigger than a collie, yet was clearly a pup, and had black fur that almost seemed to suck in the light. There were small, underdeveloped spikes running down the length of its spine and as its two azure eyes locked onto me, I felt a jolt. As if the Force was trying to tell me something about this animal was important.

"C-cam…" Aayla started but my focus was on the pup as I took a step forward. On the bed, I heard the Twi'leks move but I kept my eyes on the pup as I knelt in front of its cage. As I moved my hand to the front of the cage, the pup moved back and growled rather pathetically. That unleashed another ripple of anger through me, and I knew the next time the Weequay spoke I'd have to be very careful of my thoughts and feelings.

Yet as I let the ripple of anger wash over and away from me, the pup tilted its head. Almost as if it could sense my feelings in the Force.

"Easy there little one…" I said softly and quietly as I undid the latch on the cage door. "I'm not going to hurt you," I added as I slid my hand partially into the cage. The long tail of the pup flicked once before its eyes shifted from mine to my hand.

[Stay still.] I mentally commanded Aayla as I knew that building trust with any animal started from the first interactions. Doubly so for creatures like this who'd been abused by their previous owners.

I kept still, ignoring the whimpers of confusion coming from the Twi'leks on the bed, and waited patiently while releasing calm feelings into the Force. Slowly, unsure if it was wise to do so, the pup inched forward. Once it was close enough, it took a cautious sniff of my hand. This was followed by another, longer sniff. Its' ears perked up and it took a step closer, then pushed its head against my palm. I smiled at the gesture and slowly moved my fingers to scratch it behind the ears. The pup all but cooed at my action and pushed its head up into my hand.

Bestial Force Bond Available
You have started to form a bond with a creature with a strong connection to the Force.
If you accept the bond, then with time, you will gain a loyal and faithful companion along with other benefits linked to its species and affinity in the Force.
However, if the bond is severed, either by choice or by force, there is a chance the creature will turn on and attack you.
...
Accept the bond?
Yes/No
...

I pondered the choice. I'd never seen or heard of a Jedi bonding with an animal, but for those with a strong affinity for beasts, it was likely something that could – and probably did in the past – exist. However, forming a bond was a risky thing, as I'd still need to train the pup. Plus, there was how others would feel about me bonding with – and in some eyes, possibly enslaving – a beast. Yet, when the pup once more pushed its head into my hand, I felt a… pull from the Force; one drawing me towards the pup. It was almost as if the Force itself wanted me to bond with the beast. While I was hesitant to do exactly what it wished, so far, the Force hadn't been wrong in where it had guided me, at least in the long run.

As such, I accepted the bond, and a moment later the pup leapt at me. I barely managed to avoid falling over as it licked at my face. "Oi, stop that!" I got out between laughs even as another notice appeared.

Bestial Force Bond Formed
You have formed a strong bond within the Force with a beast.
This bond can grow stronger with time and training.
However, keeping the bond active results in a permanent drain on your Force Power.
...
Bond Cost: 120FP/min
...

The bond cost made sense, but why it was so high was unclear. None of the powers I had maxed out and had constantly running drained that much. Kriff, even all together they were only fifty per cent more costly to run. Yet, when I looked into the eyes of the pup, I wondered if there was more to it than met the eye.

No animal so far, save perhaps the greater krayt dragon, had shown the same sense of intelligence that the pup had as it looked up at me. Its tongue was still trying to lick my face even as I held it back as gently as I could and still be able to stop its licking attack while its bright blue eyes seemed more alive since I'd accepted the bond. I couldn't help but smile at its antics, which resulted in it copying, or at least trying to copy, my action. That exposed a row of still developing but undoubtedly sharp teeth.

"C-Cam…" I turned to look at Aayla following her weak, almost fearful words even as I gently pushed the pup into my lap and started scratching it. It let out a content whine as I saw Aayla look both surprised and fearful. She glanced at the pup, which seemed to know she was looking at it. For some reason, it growled at her, making her take a step back.

"Shh, she's a friend…" I said to the pup even as I continued scratching it. "What's wrong?" I asked Aayla, drawing her attention to me.

"Th-that beast… I, I think it's a Sith creation," she all but whispered even as the pup whined in happiness as I scratched it under the chin. "I can sense the Dark Side around it." The pup chose that moment to bark; well yelp since it was a pup, and I turned back to look at it.

Curious if there was anything to Aayla's concern, I used Observe, and immediately regretted it.
??? (No name currently)
Level: 3
Species: Tuk'ata
Health: 70% (malnourished, abused)
Age: 2 months
Threat Potential: Minimal
Loyalty: Cameron Shan (50% – Force bonded)
This tuk'ata is bonded to you.
Tuk'atas are powerful war beasts originally created by Sith magic to do their master's bidding.
When fully grown, they have been known to be bigger than Kath hounds and far more dangerous.
In addition, with the right training and control, a fully-grown tuk'ata is more than capable of killing skilled Force users.
...
"Osik, Dooku's going to kill me…" I muttered upon realising that I'd bonded with something capable of killing Jedi.

"I'd be more worried about the High Council," Aayla added, unintentionally adding to my concern.

Kriffing great.
… …



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

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


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

May the Force be with you. Always.





 
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Stats at the End of the Altered Destinies Arc
Stats, Skills, Powers, Perks and Player Powers 3
This is just a listing of the current level, stats, skills, powers, perks and titles of Cameron.
If you are not too interested in the values that run behind the scenes, then you don't need to bother reading.​

Current date: Month 4 Year 964sRR (since Russan Reformation)
[Or 36BBY in the canon timeline]​


  • Cameron Shan
    Cameron Shan
    Species: Human
    Title: The Player
    Age: 13
    Level 27
    HP: 260/260
    FP: 17550/17550
    PP:54/54
    XP [1184/34000]
    STAM [1152/1152]
    Hunger [70/100]
    STR: 21 +
    VIT: 21 +
    AGI: 22 +
    INT: 23 +
    WIS: 24 +
    CHA: 25 +
    Luck: 10 + [+10]
    SP: 22
    SKP: 385
    PerkP: 0
    PPP: 0
    Credits: 287345


    • Form I: Shii-Cho
      Prodigy 10
      Form II: Makashi
      MAXED
      Form III: Soresu
      Master 29
      Form IV: Ataru
      Professional 57
      Form V: Shien
      Professional 56
      Form V: Djem-So
      Professional 22
      Form VI: Niman
      Professional 45
      Form: Jar'Kai
      Novice 9

    • Lightsaber [Standard]
      MAXED
      Lightsaber [Shoto]
      Adept 8
      Marksmanship
      Savant 96
      Melee Weapons [1-handed]
      Professional 30
      Melee Weapons [2-handed]
      Adept 1
      Melee Weapons [Thrown]
      Adept 50
      Ranged Weapons [1-handed]
      Savant 34
      Ranged Weapons [2-handed]
      Savant 33
      Ranged Weapons [Heavy]
      Adept 2

    • Athletics
      Professional 72
      Damage Resistance [Bio-Chemical]
      Novice 18
      Damage Resistance [Energy]
      Savant 2
      Damage Resistance [Physical]
      Adept 49
      Damage Resistance [Sonic]
      Novice 2
      Damage Resistance [Thermal]
      Novice 2
      Hand to Hand
      Master 11
      Martial Art: Beskar'pel
      Professional 51
      Martial Art: Beskar'rev
      Professional 51
      Martial Art: Teräs Käsi
      Adept 46
      Swimming
      Professional 37

    • Astrogation
      Professional 6
      Piloting [Atmospheric]
      Professional 1
      Piloting [Space]
      Professional 1
      Riding [4-legged]
      Novice 73

    • Lockpicking
      Novice 16
      Sleight of Hand
      Novice 50
      Stealth
      Professional 27

    • Computer [Electronics]
      Professional 57
      Computer [Programming]
      Professional 40
      Computer [Slicing]
      Professional 69
      Mechanics [Blasters]
      Adept 96
      Mechanics [Droids]
      Professional 6
      Mechanics [Engines]
      Professional 59
      Mechanics [Fighters]
      Professional 42
      Mechanics [Lightsaber]
      Professional 1
      Mechanics [Speeders]
      Adept 52
      Mechanics [Starships]
      Master 36

    • Language [Basic]
      Prodigy 33
      Language [Binary]
      Professional 1
      Language [Durese]
      Novice 13
      Language [German]
      Adept 12
      Language [Huttese]
      Professional 13
      Language [Mando'a]
      Professional 78
      Language [Rodese]
      Novice 15
      Language [Ryl]
      Adept 27
      Language [Shaddaboranese]
      Professional 27
      Language [Sullustese]
      Novice 25
      Language [Togruti]
      Adept 4

    • Anatomy [Duros]
      Novice 16
      Anatomy [Human]
      Professional 23
      Anatomy [Ithorian]
      Novice 9
      Anatomy [Rodian]
      Novice 2
      Anatomy [Sullustan]
      Novice 10
      Anatomy [Togruta]
      Novice 5
      Anatomy [Trandoshan]
      Novice 8
      Anatomy [Twi'lek]
      Novice 33
      Anatomy [Weequay]
      Novice 8
      Anatomy [Zabrak]
      Novice 36
      Forensics
      Adept 28
      Medicine [First Aid]
      Professional 76
      Medicine [Hospital]
      Adept 12

    • Combined Arms Warfare
      Adept 52
      Planetary Warfare
      Novice 39
      Small Unit Warfare
      Master 5
      Warfare [Space]
      Novice 98

    • Concentration
      MAXED
      Composure
      62/100
      Danger Sense
      45/100
      Meditation
      MAXED
      Teaching
      Master 98

    • Deception
      Master 45
      Intimidation/Taunting
      Master 29
      Lie Detection
      Master 44
      Musical Instrument [Synthtar]
      Adept 58
      Negotiation
      Professional 86
      Perception
      Professional 53
      Persuasion
      Savant 9
      Seduction/Flirting
      Adept 74
      Singing
      Professional 41
      Survival
      Adept 92

    • Foreplay
      Adept 38
      Kissing
      Adept 12
      Massage
      Novice 45
      Oral
      Adept 26
      Sex
      Adept 15
      Sexual Endurance
      Adept 25

    • Cleaning
      Professional 28
      Cooking
      Adept 51
      Economics
      Adept 32

    • Novice -> Adept -> Professional -> Master -> Savant -> Prodigy

    • Absorb Energy [Tutaminis]
      Novice 1 [LOCKED]
      Breath Control
      MAXED
      Control Pain
      Novice 8
      Enhance Senses
      MAXED
      Enhance Skill
      MAXED
      Enhance Stat
      MAXED
      Empathic Shield
      MAXED
      Force Enlightenment
      Novice 1 [LOCKED]
      Force Fury
      Novice 1
      Heal
      Professional 38
      Negate Hunger
      Master 8
      Purge Toxin
      Novice 21
      Restore Stamina
      Prodigy 45
      Silence
      MAXED
      Speed
      MAXED
      Serenity
      MAXED
      Tapas
      MAXED
      Telepathic Shield
      MAXED
      Valour: Active
      Novice 1
      Valour: Passive
      MAXED

    • Bullet-Time [Reflex]
      MAXED
      Comprehend Speech
      MAXED
      Detection
      MAXED
      Empathy
      MAXED
      Force Attune
      Prodigy 10
      Force Fear
      Novice 1 [Locked]
      Precognition
      MAXED
      Sever Force
      Novice 1
      Sight
      MAXED
      Sense Force
      MAXED
      Telepathy
      Master 1
      Vision
      Novice 25

    • Aerokinesis
      Professional 1
      Alter Mind
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Barrier
      Savant 84
      Battle Meditation: Active
      Novice 17
      Battle Meditation: Passive
      MAXED
      Blast
      Professional 18
      Camouflage
      Adept 88
      Cloak
      MAXED
      Compulsion [Mind Trick]
      Master 65
      Control Beast
      Adept 5
      Cryokinesis
      Professional 39
      Deadly Sight
      Novice 1 [Locked]
      Deflection
      Professional 15
      Dominate Mind
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Electrokinesis
      Professional 1
      Force Affliction
      Novice 1
      Force Crush
      Master 8
      Force Drain
      Novice 1
      Force Persuasion
      Master 85
      Force Plague
      Novice 1 [Locked]
      Force Scream
      Novice 1
      Force Slow [Force Weaken]
      Savant 70
      Geokinesis
      Professional 1
      Hydrokinesis
      Professional 1
      Illusion
      Master 84
      Inanimate Conversion [Matter Rearrangement]
      Master 14
      Inertia
      Prodigy 47
      Ionize
      Novice 84
      Jump
      Prodigy 80
      Levitation
      MAXED
      Lightning
      Novice 21
      Lightsaber Telekinesis
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Mind Probe
      Novice 1
      Object Enhancement
      MAXED
      Oral Projection
      MAXED
      Phase
      MAXED
      Plant Control
      Savant 27
      Physical Enhancement
      MAXED
      Pyrokinesis
      Professional 39
      Restore
      Novice 13
      Repulse /Shockwave
      Novice 1[LOCKED]
      Stun
      Master 59
      Suppression
      MAXED
      Telekinesis
      MAXED
      Teleport
      Master 5
      Wave/ Whirlwind
      Novice 1

    • Oneness
      Novice 1 [LOCKED]

    • Tutaminis: Until Deflection = Master 1
      Alter Mind: Until Compulsion = Savant 1, Mind Probe + Telepathy = Professional 1
      Dominate Mind: Until Telepath, Alter Mind and Mind Probe = Master 50
      Lightsaber Telekinesis: Until TK, Lightsaber [style], Makashi, Soresu, Shien, Djem-So are all = Master 1
      Repulse/Shockwave: Until Wave =Professional 1
      Deadly Sight: Until Force Sight is Prodigy 1, Pyrokinesis to Savant 1 and Force Plague is Master 1
      Force Plague: Until Force Affliction is Master 1
      Force Fear: Until Compulsion is Master:1 and Alter Mind is Pro 1
      Force Enlightenment: Until Valour: Active is Savant 1​


    • Ambidextrous
      Boosted Growth [1/3]
      Eidetic Memory
      Empathy
      Enhanced Regeneration
      Heart of the Force [1/2]

    • Heart of the Force [2/2]
      Inventory
      Observe
      Player's Body
      Player's Mind
      Silent Interface
      Upgraded Minimap

    • Jedi [2/5]
      Leader [4/10]
      Mando'ade
      Mtael
      The Player

  • (Letter under a quest is its rating)

    Cash in Hand [¤]
    [ B]
    Time to earn some cash

    Changing Fate [Anakin] [¤]
    [S***]
    Can you prevent the rise of Darth Vader?

    Changing Fate [Dooku] [¤]
    [A]
    Can you change the fate of the Jedi known as Count Dooku?

    Changing Fate [Giiett] [¤]
    [ B]
    Ensure that Master Giiett lives long enough to be useful to you.

    Changing Fate [Qui-Gon] [¤]
    [ B]
    Can you delay the death of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn?

    Changing Fate [Sifo-Dyas] [¤]
    [ B]

    Can you prevent or delay the death of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas?
    Flight of the Owl [¤]
    [ B]
    Prevent Bo-Katan Kryze from joining Death Watch

    Force to the Max [¤]
    [C]
    Max out your abilities Force

    Forge your own Path
    [N/A]
    What will you do with your life?
    Unlike most quests, some of the objectives here are mutually exclusive.


    Hope of the Borans [¤]
    [ B]
    Can you help save a race?

    Just Don't Get Caught [¤]
    [C]
    If you want to read secure files, you need to be better with computers.

    Knight Before Queen [¤]
    [C]
    Can you beat Padmé to rank up?

    Pre-emptive Strike [¤]
    [ B]
    Find a way to handle Pre Vizsla before the outbreak of galactic war

    Rebuilding a Hunter-Killer: Part 1 [¤]
    [C]
    Restore the legendary droid, HK-47, to basic combat ability.

    Skilled to the Max [¤]
    [D]
    Max out your skills

    Sister of the Night [¤]
    [A]
    Deal with Asajj Ventress before the outbreak of the Clone Wars

    The Promise of the Fallen [ꝏ]
    [ B]
    Prove yourself to the one who was known as Revan

    Training Superiority [¤]
    Variable
    Win some training duels while a Padawan.

    Tremors of the Ancient Sith Empire
    [S***]
    Investigate the former capital of the Sith Empire that Revan tried to end then which later launched an all-out war on the Republic.

    You Can't Hurt Me. [¤]
    [ B]
    Time to be (almost) unhurtable.

    [ƍ] = Mission Quests Given when assigned a mission by another (HC, Senate, etc) Evolves as time passes
    [ꝏ] = Revan Quests Quests linked to Revan, his history and the path he wishes to guide Cam towards Cam be granted by other Force Ghosts?
    [ ] = Incident Quests Quests generated by the interface to reward/punish Cam for how he handles a situation/battle/event. Also used for quests given to suggest a path to take.
    [¤] = User Defined Quests Quests Cam creates for himself. Generally short-term goals that the interface uses to reward Cam for an action he chooses.
    [ɸ] = Challenge Quest Generated when someone challenges Cam to a duel/complete a task. Generally, this relates to something that must be done in a certain timeframe.
    ...
    Training Quests
    Training quests will not be listed below. These quests are linked to a skill's stratum and level, with no quest for the next stratum being available if the skill is level 50 or higher in the current stratum. There are six strata;
    Novice, Adept, Professional, Master, Savant, Prodigy
    ...
    Training Quests are only available from the Adept stratum upwards. The names of the quests based on strata aimed for is as such; Training Quest name:
    Trainee, Competent, Expert, Generational, Legendary
    targeted Strata aimed for:
    Adept, Professional, Master, Savant, Prodigy

 
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Yoda and Tuk'ata omake
Yoda and doggy omake

The moment I entered the High Council chamber I knew that there were gonna be consequences. After being recalled to Coruscant, I had been informed by a knight that the council was ready to see me. While most of them appeared calm, I could see some sweat on Windu's forehead and Yoda eyeing my puppy carefully.
"Padawan Shan, after great consideration the council has decided that you will be allowed to keep this…animal, as long as you will allow it and yourself to be examined by Grandmaster Yoda and Master Kant Luss, who has studied the works of Master Khanzei Opli, and knows how to deal with these particular dark-side abominations"
While I didn't know this Kant Luss, I don't really believe Master Yoda would do anything to my Tuk'ata if it was proven that I could control them.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


What I certainly didn't expect was Yoda playing around with telekinesis after it was proven to be harmless.
"A very good boy you are, hmmmm…"
"A bone you would like, yes…"
While I knew that Yoda had a soft side for small creatures, mostly due to his own size, I didn't expect him to actually ride my dog like a horse.
"Prepare for the biggest jump of your life you will"
And now he was actively rearranging the furniture to jump around in the air. Though, thinking about it, when it is grown and able to support my weight, riding it wouldn't actually be a bad idea. I quickly dodged to the right, the cushion that would have hit me moving towards the green knight and his steed. Yes, riding into the clone wars with a Jedi-killing steed would be a great idea.
 
Fallen Apprentice 2
A/N:
This chapter was released at the beginning of the month on the P-word and about 4 days ago on the story's server.
This will be a regular feature going forward but be assured that at no point will I not release chapters for free on this and other sites.
Links are at the end of the chapter.
Now, onwards we go down the rabbit hole that is the Bando Gora.

WARNING!
The last scene (the one with combat) has some dark imagery and actions within it. Be prepared.



Current date: 3 years until the Invasion of Naboo


"The compound is secure, Master," I stated as Dooku led Vos down the ramp from the Ne'tra Sartr towards where Aayla and I stood waiting to greet them.

"Where is Miss Kryze?" Vos asked, looking around.

"Watching over the survivors," I answered. "The remaining slavers are restrained in an empty block, and she's guarding them to prevent any of the freed slaves from seeking retribution." I refrained from mentioning the black mass at my side or the four Wookies standing a few metres behind me.

Apparently, they felt they owed us a life debt for freeing them, and after Bo and Aayla had explained how we'd take the base – read they'd given me all the credit to avoid having the four acting as shadows – the group had decided to act as a quasi-bodyguard unit. Much to my annoyance and Bo and Aayla's amusement.

"Logical," Dooku commented as his feet touched the dirt of the planet. "Though I suspect there's more to tell." He added as his eyes locked onto the pup at my side.

"Is that what I think it is?" Vos asked as he spotted the pup as well. The man's hand drifted towards his lightsaber, which made the pup growl. I lowered my hand towards its head, making it turn so I could scratch it under its chin.

"If you think it's a tuk'ata, then yes, it is," I replied as the pup leaned into my hand. "However just because someone or thing has a lineage with the Dark Side doesn't mean they should be condemned because of it." I added, making it clear I was referring to my known family history of being Revan's descendent. While that likely would work in my favour, any reveal about my father would result in me likely being thrown in a place like the Citadel.

Dooku stroked his beard even as Vos spoke. "While you speak the truth, I highly doubt the High Council will be," his lips twitched upwards, "impressed that a Padawan has taken an animal companion. Particularly one with a history soaked in the Dark Side."
"Very true," Dooku murmured. He stepped closer and looked down at the pup, which narrowed its eyes but made no move to withdraw from my touch. "Still, it is clear that, even after such a short amount of time, the beast has formed a connection with you," Aayla shifted her stance and the pup shifted to watch her warily, sliding its ears back and growling, though that sounded more like a whine given its young age. "And only you, it seems."

"Eh, he's not the only one that has issues with my Padawan," Vos remarked with a smile. "I still remember that Dug on Denon."

"Master," Aayla whined, making me smirk as Vos' smile grew.

"Yet, while I am uncomfortable with that beast being allowed to live," the pup growled/whined again, "any decision regarding the beast's fate is something for your master to decide. Besides, we have more pressing matters." He finished as he shifted his gaze beyond me towards the four Wookies.

"Indeed." Dooku agreed as he looked to his right at a group of Twi'leks that were huddling together near some crates. While most were female and adult, I knew that some were children with three not even having reached double figures. Aayla had been furious when we'd discovered the children – not just the Twi'leks but Humans and Togrutas as well – and there'd been a faint ripple in the Force as her anger bled into it. She hadn't acted on it, but even now I could sense her discomfort with the situation. "Given to your new friends, can we assume that the compound was far more active than Gardulla led us to believe?"

"It was indeed, Master," I began to reply as I moved back to show the compound with the tuk'ata moving to stay near my hand. "Most of the slavers died in the assault. However, those that didn't, including one that I believe is in charge," well I knew he was the leader due to Observe which had also revealed his links to Jabba, "are secured. Some of the freed slaves were… understandably angry about their capture and sought retribution; hence why Bo is guarding the prisoners."

Not that I personally was against the idea of a freed slave getting retribution. It was just that the slavers had yet to be interrogated. Once that was done… well, I suspected Bo wouldn't be as stringent in her security measures, but I doubted I would care. Nor would Dooku I suspect. Not least that whatever punishment the slavers would face from Republic justice would, in my opinion, be pathetically weak.

"Impressive," Vos commented as he moved past Dooku towards Aayla; though he took a wide arc to avoid the pup. "I'm curious though, as to how you were able to assault the compound without support." He paused and looked towards the walls where four stacks of smoke were still rising from the destroyed turrets. "Or how you managed to take out those turrets when they're on opposite sides of the compound."

As Vos reached Aayla, he placed a hand on her arm. Nothing was said but Aayla nodded in silent confirmation, I assumed, that she was uninjured.

"Cam used the Force to teleport to the far ones to create a distraction," Aayla explained as Vos stepped back from her. "From there we broke through the wall then Bo-Katan caused a distraction while Cam and I assaulted their command centre." The pup growled/whined once more as Dooku moved closer to me, though my master showed no signs of being concerned by its behaviour.

"And it was in this command centre that you found your new companion I presume?" Dooku asked as he came to a stop in front of me, though on the opposite side to the pup.

"Yes, master. We found it caged in what I believe was the leader's private quarters - along with two Twi'lek females that were…involuntary bedmates." A flash of anger from Aayla rippled through the Force, "There were also several crates full of credits and illegal substances."

I paused and gestured towards a large building near the south wall of the compound. "In there, we found dozens more captive creatures, many of which are quite…exotic," I added. They were, in fact, so exotic that I'd had to use Observe on those beasts. There were animals from razor cats to shriek hawks, from a nexu to a young pair of bull rancors. Kriff, there was even a trio of blood owls which had drawn a laugh from Bo since those were what she'd killed during her verd'goten. The only common thread between the animals was that all were illegal to trade within the Republic without some very specialised, and thus expensive, permits.

"Hmm. I suspect then that we will have issues with transportation," Dooku commented.

"After your signal saying the compound had fallen, the ships in-system fled," Vos explained, having likely seen the confusion on my face at Dooku's statement. "We were able to disable one transport during our fight and convince another to stay but the rest fled."

"How'd the Sartr hold up in combat?" I asked, curious as to the condition of my ship. From the outside, it looked fine with no scorch marks to indicate the shields failed, but I didn't know for certain.

"Like a dream," the Kiffu Jedi replied, a small smile coming to his face. "She might be shorter than a diplomatic cruiser, but she's got them beat in every other way." He glanced at the Sartr as he continued. "Got to hand it to the Mandalorians. When they build a ship, they don't mess around."

"Yes. Though of the two ships we managed to persuade to remain, both were carrying further slaves within." Dooku remarked, bringing the conversation back towards a more pertinent topic. "Four dozen slaves to go along with a dozen slavers all told need to be added to the numbers."

I frowned as I did the mental math. "Based on the rations we've discovered and distributed, we've only got enough food for a week, two if we stretch things." I paused then glanced towards the turret we'd taken out when we'd assaulted the walls. "However, the forest nearby is teeming with life. We, uh, were attacked by some of the local predators not long after deploying and chasing off a family of wild pigs before we assaulted this base. If we arranged hunting parties, I think we could supplement our supplies with what we could find in the forest."

"While hunting is not the most efficient method of feeding everyone, it appears it will have to do," Dooku remarked before looking at Vos. "Once we've… spoken with the remaining slavers, in particular their leadership, I suggest you take Aayla and our ship to a nearby system, deposit the slavers with the relevant authorities and arrange freighters to ferry the newly freed slaves back to their homeworlds."

"We could use some of the slaver's credits to pay for that," Aayla suggested. "We'd need to take the spice and other illegal goods with us anyway for processing."

"That is a logical suggestion, Padawan," Dooku commented, giving out some unexpected praise to Aayla. The girl seemed to stand up straighter at this, which made sense as, as far as I knew, that was the first time he'd complimented her since she and Vos had come onboard. "I think we should split our focus," he continued as he looked back at Vos. "I will take Cameron and his companion and speak with the slavers and freed slaves while you and your Padawan work to catalogue the ill-gotten gains within this compound."

Vos shrugged. "Eh, fine by me. Doubt I'd have the patience to deal with those scum." He started to walk away. "Come Aayla," he added as she quickly fell into step beside him.

Once they were a few metres away, Dooku looked at me. "Cameron, as we walk to where Miss Kryze has secured the slavers, I wish for you to fully detail everything that happened after you landed." He glanced down at the pup. "I am most curious to learn how exactly you not only adapted your rare Force abilities to assault this compound but what drove you to form a Force Bond with a tuk'ata - yes, I can sense the bond you share," he added before I could try and deny it, " - and why four Wookies are now following us intently."

I bowed to hide a smirk that had come to my face. "Of course, Master. This way." I indicated the rough direction towards where Bo was.
As we walked the pup fell into step beside me instinctively – something that caused a faint ripple of curiosity and amusement from Dooku – while the four Wookies took up positions behind. No doubt they were scanning the base for any potential threat, though if there was anything here that could sneak up on two Jedi I doubted four Wookies would be much more than a nuisance to it.

Then again, the idea of having four Wookies with a life-debt to me was intriguing. I didn't need the support – most of the time – but the image of having them standing with me would be a powerful one. Sadly, I knew the idea wouldn't fly with Dooku, never mind that the Sartr didn't have the room to accommodate four adult Wookies on top of its current passenger load.

… …



… …

I watched a familiar figure lead the delegation down the main ramp of the CR-90 that had just landed outside the compound, I silently prayed to the Force that she wouldn't make a scene in front of people I'd asked her to collect.

The purple-skinned Togruta bowed once she was close enough, as did most of those behind her. "Mtael, we have come as you requested." I suppressed a groan of irritation at hearing her use that Force-be-damned title.

"Mtael?" I caught Aayla whisper from behind me and to the left, which only further inflamed my irritation.

"I'll tell you about it later." Bo answered in a whisper of her own as I took a steadying breath to help me not let my irritation show. The last thing I needed was Aayla learning about this and bringing it up among our friends in the Order. Oh, Rachi Sitra had likely heard the term several times while on the Lokella station, but she didn't have the same circle of friends as Aayla and me, so I doubted the term had spread among our fellow Padawans.

"Miss Iradel, thank you for coming." Dooku began, saving me from having to deal with another round of hero worship from Baalta and her crew. Or at least, allowing me to put off the issue until we weren't standing in front of the compound with most of the freed slaves watching. "As you can no doubt see, we recently liberated a slaver operation and have a large number of sentients who do not wish to return to their old lives or wish to strike back at other slavers in the Outer Rim."

As Baalta looked past us at the assembled masses, I considered the last half month or so. About a third of the freed slaves had wished to return to their former lives, while the rest had shown interest in joining the Lokella after Bo brought the group up. Those who didn't want to join had already left on a transport that Vos had hired and they, along with the slavers and most of the animals, had been taken to a stable Republic world nearby. To help them recover, they along with those that would join the Lokella had the confiscated credits split evenly between them. While it wouldn't in any way make up for the hardships and horrors they'd suffered, it was better than the credits ending up in the account of some corrupt politician on a random Republic world.

Behind us, Baalta could see the nearly one hundred and fifty former slaves who wished to join her organization. "When Mtael calls, the Lokella will answer," she replied after looking at the assembled masses. Behind her, two YT-1300 freighters were descending towards the planet. The Freerunner would be taking almost everyone who wished to join the Lokella, while the two freighters would carry the animals to a Republic zoo on Centares. Though as I watched them descend, it was obvious the rancors wouldn't fit inside either, even if there was only a single deck from top to bottom of the vessels.

I ignored the chuckles coming from Aayla and Bo at the latest display of reverence from Baalta as I commented. "You don't have to do that."

Baalta smiled and her montrals seemed to vibrate. "Without the actions of you and Master Dooku, we would still be nothing more than slaves, as would those you have recently freed on this world. We owe you a debt that can never, ever be repaid," she paused as her smile grew then turned back to the Freerunner and waved her arm. "Nor could we deny our rather insistent passenger the chance to visit you."

"Cam!" Anakin yelled as he ran down the ramp, a wide smile on his face. He ground to a halt as the pup let out a sound somewhere between a whine and a growl. Anakin's eyes bulged, and excitement burned across his presence in the Force. "What is that?!"

"This is a tuk'ata, though only a pup," I explained as I continued to casually scratch the pup under its chin, making the pup calm down. "He, like other animals we found and all the people you see behind me, were enslaved in this base until we liberated it." The pup whined happily as I found a particular spot near its ear, and it leaned into my hand. "He's become rather attached to me." As I'd spoken, Anakin had continued to step closer, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Bo scoffed. "More like he's joined to your hip," she remarked, drawing Anakin's eyes to her. "Kriffing thing almost attacked me the first time we sparred after securing this place," she added with a smile that let Anakin and me know she wasn't angry about the incident. Anakin's smile returned upon hearing her little story.

"To be fair, you did come at me with a beskad." I countered to which Bo shrugged.

"I always come at you like that." She glanced down at the pup. "Still, I'm glad it's only a pup and got time to know me. I'd rather not have to fight that once it's fully grown." The pup growled out what sounded like a chuckle. "And that haar thing is smarter than it should be."

"If we might return to more pressing matters," Dooku remarked, though the faintest of upwards movement at the corners of his lips let me know he wasn't to upset with things getting side-tracked. "While we have managed to keep everyone here fed by arranging hunting parties and Knight Vos purchasing rations on each trip out of system, our supplies are getting low." He explained to Baalta.

Baalta smiled and looked up to where the two YT-1300 freighters were beginning their final descent. Above them, the Ne'tra Sartr could just be seen with Vos piloting my ship on the off chance anyone tried to attack. While no ships beyond the ones we'd expected had come into the system, Dooku and I weren't taking any chances which forced Vos to man the ship with HK acting as a gunner. While he'd never admit it to the droid, he'd come to respect the droid for how it'd performed in the battle; though HK wasn't returning that respect, much to my amusement.

"The Wayward Son and the Ando Pioneer are both laden with food and other supplies to keep everyone here fed for several weeks." Baalta explained.

"Whoa! Are those Wookies?" Anakin blurted out. I lowered my gaze to see he was looking past me at the four towering sentients that were still, after nearly two weeks, intent on acting as my honour guard. While Dooku had managed to convince them that they didn't owe me a life debt – which was something I was both happy and upset about – they still wished to serve as my guard until they arrived in the ShaDo system. I was generally fine with that, though I'd wondered why they hadn't expanded their protection to Bo and Aayla. They'd explained that as I was the one that led the assault, I was the one worthy of the guard, which made sense.

Still, the idea that a Jedi needed a guard was amusing to me. Even more so when Aayla had wondered how the High Council would react when they heard I had a Wookie honour guard, especially if I walked into the temple with them at my side. The image of Windu's forehead vein throbbing in annoyance had kept me amused ever since.

"They are. However, do not point," Dooku answered in a firm tone I knew meant he was being both strict and teaching. "To some species, thankfully not Wookies, pointing at them is a grave insult."

Anakin's arm snapped back as if it was on fire. "Sorry, I was just curious." He replied in a quiet voice, almost as if he was fearful of being struck for stepping out of line. I felt a momentary surge of anger at Watto, but I managed to control and release it almost instantly, mainly as there was shab-all I could do about it currently.

Dooku's lip twitched, and I sensed annoyance from him, though whether it was directed at Watto or Anakin was hard to tell. "There is nothing wrong with being curious, within reason. However, pointing at others is considered rude in most cultures at a minimum. In others, it is seen as a challenge or even a threat and will be responded to accordingly." He paused and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Still, it would be wise to be mindful of your actions in future."

"Yes sir," Anakin replied as I put aside my surprise at seeing Dooku be almost comforting to Anakin. A faint intake of breath by Aayla reminded me of something.

"Oh, before I forget; Anakin Skywalker, this is Aayla Secura. She's a friend of mine and a fellow Jedi Padawan," I said, introducing the pair.

Anakin smiled as he looked at the Twi'lek. "You're a Jedi too? Nice to meet you." He said, parroting the movie line as he extended his hand.

Aayla's lekku twitched before her eyes glanced my way. I smiled back and indicated Anakin with my eyes. Her brow rose before she shook the boy's hand. "Likewise. Any friend of Cam's is a friend of mine." She commented.

"Di'kute Jetii," I heard Bo mutter, though that only made my smile grow at seeing Anakin meet another Jedi. My smile faltered as something occurred to me.

"Anakin, where's your mother? She does know you came here, right?"

Anakin broke the handshake and looked at me sheepishly. "Sorta. She's on the Freerunner but I may have, um, forgotten to tell her I, uh…"

"Miss Skywalker is aware her son is with me," Baalta interrupted, which drew my attention to her. "She's currently assisting our engineers with some minor repairs, though I informed her that her son was with me before we landed. It would be safe to assume she knows he's here with us." Baalta was smiling as she looked at me and Anakin, though made no comment on why.

"I am pleased to hear she has found a role within your community," Dooku commented, which drew a slight nod from Baalta. I hoped that meant he was more accepting of my decision to place the Skywalkers with the Lokella as I think if Shmi hadn't managed to settle he might've been more inclined to take Anakin to the Temple. "However, I believe it would be worthwhile if we focused on more pressing issues. Like explaining to those watching who you are and what you represent."

"I was under the impression they already knew of our activities?" Baalta asked.

"They do. However, I want them to hear it from you as well," I explained to counter her confusion. "Hearing from a Jedi that there was a group working to strike back against slavers is all well and good but hearing from one of the group's leadership would carry more weight." I paused and looked at the large group that was standing about a hundred metres behind us. "They have hope, now you just have to convince them the Lokella are worthy of that hope."

"They also have credits," Aayla added, giving me a smile. "Cam had the… funds we discovered split up between all the freed slaves."

Baalta smiled broadly at me. "Why am I not surprised that Mtael would give all the rewards to those in need." she commented. I wanted to retort that a Jedi didn't claim rewards nor gain money but that would be a falsehood since, the last time I checked I had over two hundred million credits from the sales of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Baalta had walked past me and as I turned, I saw her looking out at the assembled former slaves. "Everyone, my name is Baalta Iradel," she began gaining the attention of most people present, which was a bit of a surprise. Baalta had never come across as a public speaker before, let alone one capable of being confident talking to over a hundred strangers, yet here she was doing just that. "When I was nine, my family and I were captured and enslaved. I never saw them again, and over the next ten years I endured some…horrible things." She paused, and I felt a brief wave of sadness and pain within the Force. "However, that all changed three years ago when, along with Jedi Master Dooku, this young man," she pointed at me with a proud, devoted smile, "Cameron Shan, freed me and hundreds of others from the control of a Hutt. He then defended us against reprisal from the same Hutt and helped us form a group we now call the Lokella."

Murmurs could be heard in the crowd which was unexpected. I hadn't realised that the Lokella name had spread among other slaves, but if it had, not only was that impressive, but also dangerous. It would only be a matter of time before Decca or another Hutt moved against them directly, and while their forces were decent, I didn't feel they could hold up against a concerted attack.

"With continued support from Cameron Shan, the Lokella – which means Reborn in Togruti – now strike back against those who enslaved us. We work to do what the Republic and all their might and alliances can't; to end slavery within the galaxy." Again, she gestured at me. "Cameron Shan is a Jedi, but he understands the flaws within the Republic. He helps us with donations when he can, which have allowed us to purchase the ships you see behind me." I could hear both YT-1300s finally touch down behind us as she spoke. "But that is not all we have. Over a dozen ships, including sister ships to the Freerunner, defend our home and strike out against those who would dare enslave others! Who would defy the right of all sentients to be free!" The crowd was all but hooked on Baalta's words, and I doubted any that remained would not head off with her to further strengthen the Lokella.

"I stand here today, not just a freed slave, or starship captain, but as a member of the ruling council of the Lokella to offer you this choice. If any of you still wish to return home to your former lives, then you are free to do so. However, here and now I extend an offer to all of you to join us, to join the Lokella. To help us strike back against those who would threaten our freedoms! Against those who want to own others, or feel they have some given right to look down on the rest of us! To help us make the Rim a place free of oppression and servitude to those who think money allows them the right to treat others as toys; as cattle."

She paused and took a breath, and when she continued the fervour in her tone had calmed. "As I said, you do not have to join, but know that the offer will never, ever be withdrawn so long as you yourselves do not enslave others. However, know that we share a common bond. Thanks to the actions of Cameron Shan, our Mtael, my crew and I stand here today, like you, free from the shackles of those who wish to enslave us!"

I heard Aayla and Bo chuckle – and felt Dooku's amusement though it was tinged with concern through our bond – at this as Baalta turned my way and I suddenly found myself the centre of attention. Baalta bowed to me then returned her attention to the crowd. I could sense more eyes were on me now after that, and while I wasn't comfortable with it, I thought I understood what she was doing. Though I hoped she didn't take things to the extreme.

"Regardless of your choice today, know this. By the time the sun sets, we will have left this world never to return, and have reduced this place, this symbol of your oppression, to ash so that no one else can ever suffer here as you have!"

She bowed deeply to the crowd, and very quickly, first in a few corners but then spreading across the entire assembled masses, cheering, clapping and hollering reverberated around the compound. People began hugging each other in a mixture of relief and joy and the volume continued to grow. I watched Anakin and Aayla flinch as the four Wookies roared to the heavens and had to fight off a grin as Baalta came towards me, a smile forming on her face.

"That was impressive." I commented even if I was uncomfortable with her embellishing my actions to help the Lokella.

"Indeed. Rarely have I heard such an honest, forthright, and impassioned speech," Dooku added from my right. "One that, if shown to the Senate, would embarrass many for being unable to be as dedicated to a worthy cause."

Baalta's smile grew massively. "I thank you for your kind words, Master Dooku." she said before bowing deeply to both of us. While I understood the gesture was nothing more than a mark of respect, I wondered how those watching would react to it. "However, without your critical and continuing support, I fear our ideals would already have been trampled beneath the feet of those who fear the hope we are spreading to all those enslaved throughout the galaxy."

"Hope…"

"Mtael! Mtael!" What I was going to say about hope being a powerful tool was cut off when someone began shouting that accursed title. I looked over to the Freerunner to see that the shouting was coming from a new group who'd disembarked at some point during Baalta's speech then had spotted me.

"Oh kriff me…" I muttered as the chant was taken up by more members of Baalta's crew. Said Togruta simply smiled as she watched my reaction to her crew's action.

A hand came to rest on my shoulders. "It's not that bad," Aayla offered, "I mean it's only th…"

Aayla's words were cut off by the Wookies roaring to the skies. They were joined by the other recently freed slaves. While they didn't chant that title - Thank the Force - many were looking towards me in admiration.

"Um, sorry." Aayla finished even as I sensed her amusement while catching faint sniggers from Anakin. As the chanting began to spread, I felt Dooku's concern grow.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, master." I said as I turned to him. His face was its usual stoic self, but from the faint ticks I'd learnt to spot it was clear he was less than impressed with what was happening.

"I am aware of that. I was there when this all started, Padawan," He remarked as a single eyebrow rose as the chanting continued to spread. "However, this form of… respect is dangerous. Not just to you but them as well." He turned his gaze to me. "While I highly doubt you will become arrogant because of this, the Lokella risk placing you on a pedestal which is beyond anything you can do."

"My people do not worship the Mtael, Master Dooku. We merely wish to show him the respect he has earned and will always have from us." Baalta said as she came to my defence.

"I understand and accept that logic, Miss Iradel. However, there are many in our Order who would not. They would condemn young Cameron for forming a cult, of seeking power over others. To our Order, such behaviour is akin to turning to the Dark Side. Which is why it would be best if this… incident was not mentioned to any other Jedi, even Knight Vos." Dooku added as he looked at me and Aayla.

"Yes, Master." "Yes, Master Dooku." We replied together as I did my best to ignore the chant which had now spread to around half the freed slaves.

The sooner we were off this backwater and could return to finding out what happened to Komari Vosa, the better.

… …



… …

The cargo bay echoed with the thrum of Aayla's lightsaber as she cautiously stepped around the room. My eyes narrowed as I watched, observing her attempting the initial velocities of Makashi. If I had a mirror, I would have been surprised at how closely my stance mirrored Dooku's in that moment; hands clasped behind my back and feet slightly spread apart.

"Tighten up your steps," I barked out as Aayla made a wide turn. "Makashi is precision, not exuberance. This is not Ataru. You're not putting on a performance."

Her brow tightened and she repeated the turn, her movements now slow and deliberate. I let out a sigh.

"When I said tighten up your steps, I didn't mean for you to turn into a Gonk droid." I let the corner of my lip curve as she blushed involuntarily. "Tighter control does not mean blocky movements. It means that every action you take is calculated and precise. Ataru is the release of energy to overpower and bewilder. Makashi is the conservation of energy through careful timing of your strikes to offset your opponent and capitalise on their openings."

She nodded, took a breath, and then started the series of movements over again. Though there was noticeable improvement in her footwork, her sole focus downwards resulted in neglect of the blade itself.

"Launch your strikes from your wrist, not your arm," I directed. "You're not looking to overpower an opponent, just land a glancing blow. When facing another saber, that is often enough. This also allows you to both strike quicker, and also recover quicker in the event that you need to course-correct mid sequence, since you're not as committed to the action."

Aayla nodded and continued to repeat the motions as I continued to give direction and corrections. Slowly, her form firmed up, and as it did so, her speed gradually improved as her confidence in the velocities rose. We continued in this vein for another hour before I called a halt. After a brief respite, I moved into the centre of the cargo bay and motioned to her to take a position facing me.

"Let's see how well you are able to apply the basics," I murmured, as I ignited my blade and swept it to the side in the traditional Makashi salute. "We'll begin with a quarter-speed, no-contact spar."

I signalled her to begin and watched as she carefully threw out some probing thrusts. At first, I didn't even parry, simply weaving my body around her blade, wanting to see how Aayla would adapt. Soon, she transitioned from single strikes to chaining movements together, and I brought my blade up for the first time in a minute of this session, taking advantage of an opening. I easily slid my blade down and out, guiding her blade away from both of us and placed the base of my lightsaber against her throat. "Good improvement," I complimented. "However, don't overextend. That leaves you vulnerable to a quick end or, in the right hands, a deadly counter."

"I, um, I can see that," Aayla mumbled out as her neck and lower jaw was cast into relief by the dark light of my lightsaber's blade. "I, uh, thought I saw an opening."

"A good duellist, or any skilled combatant, will make you think there's an opening," I remarked as I pulled my blade away from her neck. The energy settings were lowered as was standard for sparring to avoid 'accidents' but that didn't mean a strike wouldn't hurt; especially if it was against a weak point like the neck. "However, the opening isn't for you, but for them. They're looking to draw you into making a mistake because one mistake is all it takes to end your life, never mind a fight." I moved as I spoke, shifting my position to the far side of the cargo bay.

"H-how will I know when an opening is an opening?" Aayla stumbled out as I reached the far side of the room and turned back to face her. She was still standing in the middle, a hand near her neck making it clear she was still processing just how easily I could've killed her.

"Training, patience, and trusting in yourself and the Force," I replied as I gestured with my hand for her to return to her starting location. "While much of that must come from you over time, I can help with the foremost to the extent that you wish to spar with a focus on Makashi." I adopted the standard Makashi opening stance and saluted her with my blade.

Aayla looked at me for a moment before copying my stance; or trying to at least. Her form was, to put it politely, pathetic at best and I knew that if Dooku saw it he'd sneer in disgust. Still, Aayla had only been doing these sessions with me for about a month, and she'd been on par with where Serra had been when I'd started her teaching nearly two years ago.

"Begin," I said, letting her initiate things. She took a moment to consider before stepping towards me. I instantly noted that her footwork was wrong. Those movements were Ataru-based, which, while making sense since that was her dominant form, exposed far too much of the fighter to an opponent. For now, I decided to have a teaching moment, and allowed the misstep.

Her blade was pointed towards me, though with her coming at me face-on, she'd lack power behind any thrust or jab. This was something Dooku had drilled – sometimes painfully – into my head during our early training sessions and was another thing I'd have to mention to Aayla after this round. However, as I'd been taught in this life and the previous one, never correct an opponent when they're making a mistake. I took a step forward, exaggerating how little of my body was towards her so that when she reviewed the spar, she'd be able to understand my points.

Her first attack was a thrust that, due to her body angle, lacked any distance and was easily batted away, as was the second. The third attack, however, was a wide, aggressive swing and that was where I drew the line.

With a sigh, I caught the blade and slid my own along its surface, absorbing more and more of her leverage before, with a mildly elaborate twist, I spun her blade up into the air and out of her grip before catching it in my off-hand.

"As much as I know you enjoy the style, Makashi doesn't use large, exaggerated swings," I explained as I pulled back my blade and tried to keep my disappointment with her attacking in such a way off my face. "Remember: Control, precision, distance and timing define Makashi. You keep slipping back in Ataru velocities and as you've just seen, those will only get you killed if you cannot get away from an attacker."

"Uh, am, o-ok," Aayla mumbled out as her cheeks darkened. Seeing my point was made, I returned her lightsaber and stepped back, re-establishing a comfortable distance between us while clipping my lightsaber to my belt. "I know you feel most comfortable in Ataru, but in close quarters or tight spaces every weakness of the form is exposed, and the strengths negated. If you want to survive such encounters, shab if you just want to defeat Bo, you'll have to learn to meld elements of the other forms into your style."

A growl from Fenrir – a suitable name for a tuk'ata in my opinion – had me turn to look at him. His head was aimed at the door of the room which opened a moment later to allow Bo to enter. The growling grew louder until Bo bopped Fenrir on the nose. I chuckled as Fenrir went cross-eyed at the gesture. On the journey to the ShaDo system – as we were escorting the Freerunner and the YT1300s home – Bo was the only one who seemed unconcerned of touching Fenrir. Oh, I didn't think Dooku was afraid of Fenrir, but my master and the pup gave each other wide berths; almost as if they understood neither wanted to fight the other. Vos and Fenrir got on worse than the Kiffu got on with HK while Aayla, as was proven by her backing up rapidly at hearing Fenrir growl, was still afraid of the pup.

Funnily enough, the only ones other than Bo who didn't seem to have issues with Fenrir were Shmi and Anakin. The former as she'd bribed the pup by cooking him a meal every day while Anakin joined me in wrestling and playing with Fenrir in the main cargo hold of the ship whenever possible.

"O-ok," Aayla mumbled, drawing my attention back to her. While she was hiding it as well as she could, I could see the ease with which she had been defeated unsettled her.

"Go, get some rest and think about what I said. We can spar again tomorrow," I said. While she didn't take on lessons as well as I did with Dooku, she did seem to learn faster when she was soundly beaten. Almost as if she learnt better when being dominated, but that was probably the twisted part of my mind in action.

"Ok," she mumbled out again. She gave Fenrir a wide berth as she reached the door, which made Bo chuckle even as the Mandalorian female moved over to the table that was used as a resting place for anything not being used in a spar.

I'd been continuing Bo's training in how to use a blade ever since we'd left Aesolian. While we didn't have as much time to spar since picking up Vos and Aayla, Bo always managed to get a couple of spars in every week.

Like during most sparring sessions, Bo went about removing her armour, or at least most of it. She placed her chest piece next to her helmet and smirked at me as the doors closed behind Aayla. "How come our sessions aren't so… intense?" She asked as she removed her pauldrons then turned and bent to remove her greaves.

Seeing her bend over like that as her beskar underweave was pulled very tight against her frame, distracted me. My eyes wandered down, taking in the sight of her well-toned legs and arse and I wondered…

"Hey!" Bo called out, making me jump. "Eyes up, warrior." She finished as she stood, the blade of her weapon pointed at me while a massive smirk dominated her face. While I knew I wasn't her type – or gender – that didn't mean I couldn't appreciate the very fine woman she was becoming. Especially since I'd always had a thing for redheads.

"I, uh," I muttered, trying to figure out a way to apologise before she decided to attack. Now, I didn't think I couldn't take her, but I'd rather not have her angry at me again, especially not for real this time.

"If you want to look, you'll have to earn it." she commented, and I felt my jaw drop.

Where the kriff had that come from?

She chuckled at my reaction and lazily flicked her beskad. A few strands of hair fell between us, and I felt the cloud in my mind shift at seeing my hair hit the ground.

She walked past me, only for me to jump again as she swatted my backside with the flat of her blade. "Unless you think you're not up to the task." she added. I turned and I swore she was sauntering towards one of the starting positions.

I shook my head to clear the fog before it could descend again, then unclipped my lightsaber. "Oh, I'm more than up for it, but you're going to pay for the hair." I retorted.

Bo turned back and adopted a loose duelling stance that she was beginning to favour. "Prove it." She sent back, the smile still on her face, before surging forward.

With a smile forming on my face, I set out to do so.

… …



… …

"Once we have secured entry to the base, stay together and be on your guard," Dooku commented as he led us through a run-down lower level of the capital city of Kidriff V. The city was massive, covering over half a million square kilometres, yet once one headed away from the inner ringed areas where the government and most of the money was concentrated, it was easy to see the place had a lot of problems.

From orbit, the city's gleaming spires reached towards the stars, yet in the district we were in, said stars were hard to see under the layers of grime that hung in the air. Technically, the city's police force had a presence in districts like this, but after we'd passed through the outermost ring – the core of the city had six rings that enclosed various areas with the central ring housing the government and the richest members of the city – three hours ago, I hadn't seen hide nor hair of anything approaching official law enforcement. Which, when added to what I knew of Coruscant and other places, seemed to be a common occurrence on many Republic worlds; and a clear sign of the malaise and corruption that engulfed the galaxy at large.

"The Bando Gora are acolytes of the Dark Side of the Force, and while they lack the proper training a Jedi or Sith would have, they can still use it to disrupt our connections to the Force and are very well versed in fighting and killing Jedi." Dooku finished.

"We understand, master." I replied as I glanced down a darkened side alley and instantly wished I hadn't. Deep in the darkness was a sign that made it clear the building housed a brothel and, given what I'd seen of the undercity on our descent to this level, I doubted that any of the females inside were working there willingly. However, as much as I wanted to determine if that was true, and free any being held against their will, which wasn't the mission. We were down here to investigate a major Bando Gora manufacturing and distribution centre that had been indicated as the largest that the slaver compound's computers knew of.

My fists clenched as I saw a dark-skinned human lead a Togruta along via a leash and collar. A yank on the leash had the Togruta grimacing, and I felt a surge of anger at such an open display of slavery on a world so deep within the Republic. I took a single step towards the pair before I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"While I understand your feelings on the matter Cameron, and I agree that such a thing shouldn't be allowed to exist, remember the larger picture," Vos said quietly, likely using my name to avoid anyone listening realising we were Jedi; something we'd hidden by altering our clothing. "The desire to help is commendable, but you must determine when and where to help otherwise you'll never be able to do any good."

"I know, it's just…" my fists clenched tighter, allowing me to find some solace in the hilt of my beskad which I'd been allowed to carry for this mission as part of my cover. "We're so deep in the Republic, and this planet is held up as a beacon of a free and open society, yet this… behaviour still exists."

"The Republic has been a slowly decaying pool of decadence, discrimination, and disease longer than any of us have been alive," Dooku offered with an edge to his tone that, when combined with the faint hints of disgust and anger I sensed, made clear the depth of his disappointment with the Republic. "Even if we altered our mission to help that female, and the others around here, it would do nothing to change the overall situation in this district, though it would cost us our opportunity to damage a Bando Gora operation."

Bo snorted, and a glance her way showed her hands were gripping her pistols much like I was gripping the beskad. "And this is what my sister wants for our people?" She snarked before shaking her head as Vos guided me away from the retreating man and Togruta. "Osi'kovid."

I bit off a chuckle. While the curse was, perhaps, a touch too severe for her sister – who last I heard had toned down her more extreme opinions – I couldn't argue with the sentiment. However, any humour I found in her comment was lost as a green-skinned Duros pushed past me and Vos and walked right up to Aayla.

"Ain't you a pretty little thing…" the Duros leered as his head tilted down to look Aayla over. A faint snarl came from Vos as Aayla stepped back, trying to put some distance between her and the Duros while pulling her arms over her chest. Since we were undercover, she wasn't in Jedi robes, but a tight underweave and some light armour that did nothing to hide her figure.

The Duros stepped after her and I swore I felt his twisted desire as he continued to approach her. "Hmm, I wonder wha…" the Duros' words were cut off as he slumped to the ground as if the strings holding him up had been cut. Barely controlled rage radiated brightly from Vos as he stepped towards his Padawan, one foot shifting its stride to kick the downed Duros across the face.

"Aayla?" He asked as he came to rest a hand on his Padawan's shoulder. She flinched at the touch, which drew her attention away from the downed Duros.

"I, um, yes, master." Aayla mumbled out slowly as she blinked, as if trying to clear her mind. Vos gently squeezed her shoulder as I took a step closer to them.

"Forget him. He's a worthless bottom-feeder, barely any better than the crap we've gotten on our boots while trekking through this kriff-hole," I said slowly, drawing Aayla's attention to me. "I know it's not the Jedi way, but some beings are not worth caring about." I added, channelling perhaps a touch too much of my master's tone into my voice as I denied the urge I felt to drive my beskad through the Duros' heart. Beyond the fact that doing so wasn't the Jedi way, and would likely further traumatise Aayla, the arsehole wasn't worthy of dying to my blade.

Vos moved his hand to her chin and lifted it until she met his gaze. "While Cameron's words are harsh, his sentiment is accurate. No one ever has the right to speak to you in such terms or that tone," he said slowly, making sure she stayed focused on him. "Ignoring what you've learnt over the last decade with us, never forget that you are your own person, not an object for others to fawn over."

"Y-yes, master. Thank you." Aayla replied slowly, a weak smile coming to her face before she shifted her gaze to look at me. I smiled and nodded to indicate my agreement with Vos' words, which made her smile grow a touch.

Vos stepped back and pivoted. We shared a moment where his eyes made it clear he wanted me to keep an eye on his Padawan. Even without the request, I'd have done so, thus agreeing to it with a fractional nod was never in doubt. With that confirmed he stepped past me and returned to his position at Dooku's side.

While I was sure Vos wanted to stay close to Aayla, our group – and the personas we were projecting – meant he couldn't. None of us, bar Dooku, were wearing robes though since Dooku's were of a far higher quality than standard Jedi robes, they could easily pass as something worn by a rich client, which was how he was portraying himself while we were on Kidriff V. His lightsaber was still present, but further back to hide it from the easy view of others.

Vos was wearing his regular clothing, which without Jedi robes made it hard to tell he was a Jedi, though there was an added chest piece made of durasteel to further the idea he was hired bodyguard for Dooku. Like my master, Vos' lightsaber was out of sight, though this time it was slid inside the chest piece making it a little difficult to reveal if needed. I was dressed as a Mandalorian, with the only differences between Bo and myself was that she was wearing her helmet, her vambraces had lethal ordinance and her armour was made of beskar while mine was durasteel; bar my vambraces. My lightsaber was hidden in the small of my back under a cloak of dragon skin Dooku had allowed me to wear for the mission.

I stepped towards Aayla, and with a gentle push, led her around the down Duros. "I know you won't want to hear this," I began as we stepped away from the Duros, "but this won't stop happening. You're pretty and a Twi'lek. Sadly, that's going to draw out the worst in some beings, and it'll only get worse as we get older. However, that doesn't give anyone, be it me, your master, or some random shabyr on the street the right to speak to you like that. Nor does being a member of our Order mean you have to stand there and take it." I added seeing it as a moment where I could add some doubt about the Jedi into her. While I doubted Aayla and Vos would be suitable members of the Coalition that'd formed in the Order, never mind being brought in on my plans for later on, there was no harm in adding some doubt about the current direction of the Order into her mind. "And anyone who says otherwise doesn't value you as an individual."

"Deal with him." The words came from Dooku, and a quick glance indicated they were aimed at Bo, who nodded and stepped towards the Duros.

"I, I know, but," Aayla paused and took a deep breath as I removed my hand from her arm, "I know many see Twi'leks as nothing more than property or toys. B-but, I've never… not like…" her disintegrating sentence was cut-off fully as a blaster sounded behind us. Aayla tried to turn, but I stopped her by sliding my arm around her shoulders in a half-hug. I knew the blaster shot was from Bo and that she'd killed the Duros, which I was fine with. Yes, it went against the Code, but anyone who treated another like he'd treated Aayla had such a fate coming to them. Plus, with Bo not being bound by the Code, there was little bar a light reprimand that Dooku or Vos could do about it; though given the lack of reaction from either it was clear they either didn't care or weren't bothered by Bo's action.

As much as Dooku might state privately to me that he would prefer if Bo was sent back to her father and people, we both knew it wouldn't happen. Bo might want to go, but she'd given her word to stay just as I'd given my word to have her travel with me to her father; even if he'd tricked me into how he got her on board the Ne'tra Sartr. Plus, going home now would be an issue.

The civil war had heated up when Clan Awaud had entered the fray and sided with Clan Varaud against House Kryze and House Ordo. Death Watch had been driven back to a few remote holdouts on the edge of the sector, but with Clan Awaud's intervention, Adonai and Torrhen hadn't managed to burn those last boltholes.

Clan Awaud wasn't a massive clan, but given they'd avoided the last several decades of fighting – at least officially – and were renowned warriors, it had complicated the war. Houses Kryze and Ordo still held significant advantages in pretty much every category important to the war, but the addition of another powerful house would draw out the war further. I couldn't say for sure for how long that'd be, but I'd be shocked if the war was over anytime in the next year.

I slid my arm from Aayla's shoulders but stayed close as we continued walking behind our masters. The way she was hugging herself as we moved suggested she wanted her robes to hide behind, which made sense. They'd bring a sense of familiarity and comfort to her. However, until this mission was over that couldn't happen, thus I'd make sure to stay close and offer what moral support I could.

One upside of this little incident was that it had made Vos irritable, which since he was acting as the lead bodyguard for Dooku, meant most scurried out of his way while I hadn't heard Bo slide her blasters back into their holsters. Those two actions should discourage all but the most idiotic or drunk from trying to approach. At least for the time being.

We were still a few kilometres from the general location of the Bando Gora operation however, since Dooku had been insistent that we limit using the Force to try and discover its exact location, I'd not been actively using Detection beyond the range of my minimap. It meant we were taking a slightly meandering route, but that would help hide our intentions as would, according to Dooku, us actively avoiding using the Force. The downside of that was that, for the first time in years, I was heading into a situation all but blind and with limited intel. Operations like that had a nasty habit of going sideways not long after contact.

Hopefully, having four Jedi and a Mandalorian would help mitigate that risk, though given how the Force seemed to enjoy toying with me, I wasn't holding out hope that would be the case.

… …



… …

I ducked under the wild, frantic swing of a vibroblade even as I thrust to my left with my lightsaber. The familiar smell of burnt flesh filled my senses as my target grunted. Not wanting to give them a chance, I lifted my blade upwards, slicing them in half from belly to neck.

Before the body had even slumped to the ground, I was sliding back, avoiding another furious attack from the vibroblade. I made sure to keep the blade away from me with my beskad before thrusting my lightsaber-holding fist towards the vibroblade's wielder.

A grunted oof came from them as a powerful Force blast slammed into them. They flew back, taking a fellow cultist with them into a wall where both hit with loud, sickening crunches. As they slumped to the ground, blood and brain mucus trailing behind them on the duracrete wall, I turned to see how Aayla and Bo were doing.

The pair were working surprisingly well at holding off a group of three cultists with Aayla managing to block their blaster bolts while Bo moved around behind her, returning fire. Four other cultists lay dead near the remaining three, smoke lifting from where Bo's bolts had struck them, and they were soon joined by one of the remaining three as two crimson bolts found their mark. The first hit a shoulder, forcing the cultist from their cover while the second landed right between the eyes, leaving a small, smoking hole in their skull before they fell face-first to the ground.

With all the cultists I'd engaged now dead, I was able to turn my attention to helping my friends. I felt the Force shift around me as the corruption that this place had infected it with swirled around, yet it was far weaker than when I'd opened myself fully to the Force earlier and I was able to ignore it. A moment later the two remaining cultists were ripped from their cover. Their heads slammed together hard enough that blood was sent flying before both were struck by a volley of blaster bolts. The bodies slumped to the floor as I released the Force energy I was using to hold them.

Aayla slowed her blade, then turned my way only for her face to lose some colour and her to bite off a cough.

"Uh, gross…" she muttered as I stepped over the bloody bisected body of one cultist I'd killed with my beskad. Seeing that we were alone again, she depowered her lightsaber.

"Keep it powered," I ordered with a glance at her hilt, "we're trapped somewhere in a Dark Side cult's operation and have already been ambushed three times. If that doesn't teach you the benefits of keeping your weapon ready, I'd suggest speaking with Master Nu when we get back to the Temple about a career change." I snapped, my annoyance at her behaviour mixing with my irritation at how this place was fucking with my Force connection.

"S-sorry," she muttered before reigniting her blade. Though as she did this, I saw that her hilt-holding hand was shaking. It wasn't much, but it was there. I sighed as I realised my tone had likely not done anything for how she was feeling about this mission had gone so far.

"Don't be sorry, be ready," Bo commented as she stepped up beside me, looking at the built-in scanner in her vambrace. "Whatever shab is in these walls, it's blocking my armour's scanners. What about you?" she asked, likely hoping that my ability to use the Force to scan wasn't being hampered as well since she was well aware of how much I relied on it in combat.

"Nothing. This place is kriffing with the Force badly enough that I can't sense anyone, bar Master Dooku, more than a few metres away from me," I replied after letting out an annoyed breath. Beyond the Dark Side disruption to my Force connection going on – which had been apparent when the Interface had stated we'd entered a Dark Side Location the moment we'd entered the base – I could feel my anger and frustration growing far more rapidly than normal.

The moment since I'd gotten the warning about entering a Dark Side location, things had been going from bad to worse. Not only was the penalty to my Light and Neutral powers – which were basically all the powers I used in combat, though the penalty was far more severe for those powers that the Interface labelled as 'Light' than those labelled 'Neutral' – growing stronger but the faint whispers I felt at the edge of my mind were also doing nothing to keep me centred. I'd tried engaging Player's Mind just before the last ambush, but the interface had stated the Force was preventing that ability from being activated. That had never happened before and had me heavily concerned about not only getting out of this place but what would happen when I travelled to worlds dominated by the Dark Side like Dromund Kaas in the future.

"Osik!" Bo cursed, her anger clear to hear even through the modulator in her helmet, "guess we have to push on."

I grunted in agreement even as I stamped down on my imagination as it considered what we'd find further into this place. So far, things hadn't gone well at all.

After entering and encountering a door that was not only lightsaber resistant – which I'd discovered after imitating Qui-Gon onboard the Trade Federation command ship over Naboo – but without a visible way to open it, I'd attempted to Phase through it. I still shivered at the mistake that had been. The second I'd opened my mind to the Force to use it to slide between the very molecules of the door, my mind had been assaulted by… I honestly didn't know what to call it beyond the terror of the Dark Side. According to Bo afterward, I'd screamed, gripped the side of my head then fallen to the floor, which was when the Bando Gora had launched their first ambush.

In the ensuing chaos of that attack, Bo, Aayla, and I had been separated from Dooku and Vos. Our comms was jammed and even the Force Bond I shared with Dooku was hard to use for anything beyond general emotions without opening my mind to the Force; which I had fuck all interest in doing since my failed Phase attempt.

About ten minutes after that, the Bando Gora had ambushed us again. While smaller than the first it was more ferocious, and we'd been lucky to not be further separated by the attack. This third ambush, which had involved teams attacking for the front and rear along with a pincer from a door that we'd been unable to open previously, had been the worst yet with the cultists seemingly no longer caring about separating us, but instead overwhelming us. Though as I quickly replayed the battle in my mind, I noticed that the majority had worked to drive a wedge between myself and the two girls. It hadn't worked, but it was concerning (and a little satisfying) that they were focusing on me.

I looked over at the door the pincer force had come through to see it was once more sealed with no clue as to how it opened. Possibly it used the Force in a similar way to Revan's vault on planet Ordo, but there was a kriff-all chance I was going to reach out into the Force to find out. The other option was that they were controlled remotely – like the doors in Grievous' fortress in the Clone Wars – however, I'd yet to see anything resembling a camera or sensor on the walls as we'd travelled deeper and deeper into this hellhole.

"I guess so," I replied as I stepped forward, heading deeper into the darkness of this place. "I'll take point, you bring up the rear," I stated, ignoring the continuing tremor in Aayla's hand that was making the light from her blade bounce around as her wide eyes darted suddenly to our left. There was nothing there, but she clearly felt something was.

"Copy."

Each step forward was taken very cautiously as I channelled all my training for black ops. My steps were silent even in the emptiness around us, as were Aayla's as I felt the Force gently circling around her. That left the only sounds as the gentle, irregular tapping of Bo's beskar-soled boots as the only hint we were there.

With Detection being next to useless, I activated Enhance Senses for my sight, hearing and smell. With the penalty to my Force powers now running at twenty-two per cent and climbing that meant I was further past my FP regen rate, though that'd been true since we'd entered this hellhole about ten minutes ago. Going by the FP bar in my Interface, I was already down to about sixty per cent capacity, so I'd have to be careful about how often and for what I used even powers like Telekinesis and Force Blast.

The creeping shadows at the end of the light coming from my and Aayla's lightsabers continued to play tricks on my mind, as the walls seemed to shimmer as the light hit them. The feeling that something was hiding just in the shadows continued to grow as we moved cautiously further into the base. As if something sinister, malevolent, was waiting just outside of our senses to attack, to devour us. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up as we passed another apparently sealed blast door, and it took far more effort than I'd expect to drive down my concerns about this place.

We finally came upon a door that wasn't sealed, but inside was nothing but a storage room. Crates lay scattered around the room, some half-opened, others not, and while what was inside was useless to us currently – apparently being spare parts for something – the faint, darkened trails in the corners of the room did nothing for the sensation that this place was cursed. I suspected this room was left like this on purpose, to disturb and unnerve any intruders, and as much as I didn't want to admit it, it was working.

Once more, I cursed myself for not engaging Player's Mind before we'd entered the base, though I somehow suspected that the Dark Side of the Force would have interfered with it even if it'd been running before we'd breached this place. It wasn't the first time the Force had obstructed the Interface, and likely wouldn't be the last, which kept giving credence to the idea that, in some ways, the Force was alive beyond how it interacted with those strong enough to manipulate it.

Then again, the blocking of Player's Mind might well be beneficial in the long run. If I wanted to understand the Force better, and maybe even find a personal balance within it, then I couldn't just try and block the Dark Side off. I needed to, at the very least, know how it felt to brush up against it, to hear its twisted whispers of promised power. Of course, the place was showing me just how underprepared for entering a location strong in the Dark Side I was, and how badly the Jedi's teachings let down their younger members when there was a chance they'd have to experience it.

As we moved further into this Dark Side location, the ripples in the Force grew more persistent. Still faint, almost as if they weren't strong enough to affect me properly, but they were gaining in strength. In the darkness around us, the air seemed to pulse and move under my Force-enhanced sight, which sent more shivers up my spine.

A door emerged from the darkness, almost as if it was revealed from a thick, sickly tar that had hidden it just moments before.

"I-I, d-don't l-like th-this," Aayla mumbled out fearfully as the edges of the sealed door became clearer. While it was easy to hear her fear, the sheer terror I was sensing from her through the Force was very concerning. "Th-this pl-place… i-it's wr-wrong." She finished and I felt myself forced to agree.

"It is," I replied slowly, keeping my voice as steady as I could. "Something… depraved happened here to twist the Force and make this place strong in the Dark Side. Whatever the Bando Gora are doing here, we have to stop it. We need to end their corruption of the Force otherwise everyone in this district will be affected and they've got no training for dealing with this kind of sickness." While I didn't entirely believe everything I'd just said, I hoped it would help steel Aayla's nerves long enough for us to complete our mission. Once that was done, I planned to fly over this place and vaporise it with the Sartr's cannons. That might not heal whatever had caused the twisting of the Force here, but it would prevent others from entering and would make me feel a lot, lot better.


"O-ok, bu…" I felt a blast of air slide over my shoulders, making me tense as tendrils caressed my neck. "What was that?" Aayla asked, her initial comment lost as she felt whatever I had as well.

"What was what?" I asked back, fighting to keep my rising fear from seeping into the Force for her to sense. I gripped my lightsaber and beskad tighter, readying myself for an attack as I silently cursed the fact that I didn't have a helmet as part of my disguise. It could've interfered with some of my Force abilities, but the sensor package within would've been a great help along with it hiding my face from others. I had quasi-night vision with the Force, but it was restricted by the Dark Side so having a mechanical form of that would also have been very helpful.

"I… I heard someone," Aayla all but whispered as I caught the sound of Bo's pistols moving around in her grip. The light from Aayla's blade jerked around rapidly on the wall. "M-master?" Aayla asked into the darkness. I felt a need to turn and comfort her, but I knew that doing that would be the perfect moment for an ambush to be sprung so resisted.

"There's no one here but us," Bo remarked, any emotion in her tone hidden by the vocal modulator in her helmet. "It's just your mind playing tricks on you in this darkness."

"Says the person not attuned to the Force," I muttered under my breath as I mentally cursed Bo's lack of attunement with the Force from, probably, saving her from the worst of what the Dark Side was doing to Aayla and me. "Aayla," I began loud enough for her to hear, "it's in your mind. This place… the Dark Side is twisting the Force in strange ways. Clear your mind, concentrate on and trust in yourself and what you can control. Don't let this place have the chance to overwhelm or break you."

While my tone was firm and controlled, internally I was far from it. This place… everything about it felt wrong. I'd had a very limited interaction with a Dark Side nexus years ago under the Jedi Temple, but this place was something else. From the limited contact I was allowing with the Force outside my own body, everything here was wrong, worse. It was as if the Force had been twisted and corrupted by diseased, fouled and deranged acts to such a degree that the Force almost wished for more such acts to occur. This feeling was growing worse with every step further into the base we took – what I wouldn't give for a quick exit – but I felt as if this was worse than the Nexus not just because worse things had taken place here more recently, but because my understanding of and connection to the Force had grown since entering that nexus nearly five years ago.

"Okay," Aayla replied weakly, though she sounded slightly more certain of herself than before. Part of me wanted to reassure her through the Force, but I wasn't prepared or brave enough to open my mind to the Force while we were in this place. Memories of what I'd experienced while trying to phase still rattled around my mind no matter how much I tried to ignore them.

Knowing that was likely the most assured Aayla was going to get while we were in this place, I resumed moving forward at a bantha's pace. Drawing on my experience of black-ops and high-risk missions I scanned every corner, every shadow on the lookout for anything that even hinted at a potential threat.

A faint sound had my eye-line shift to the right. A swore I saw something there at the very edge of my vision, but when I focused on it, nothing was there.

A quick shake of my head to clear my thoughts before they began to fill with nightmarish scenarios later, and I resumed my slow, methodical march deeper into this hellhole. Another flicker of movement at the corner of my vision occurred, but I ignored it, keeping my eyes focused on the path ahead. The movements, the faint sounds and whispers, it was all the Dark Side trying to tease me, tempt me into making a mistake.

- - CLANG - -

I pivoted fast and ducked low. To my left, in the flickering darkness, a corridor reached into nothingness. There didn't appear to be any doors down there, but I swore it hadn't been there a moment before; not before whatever had made that sound had drawn my attention to it.

"Cam?" Bo asked, her vocal modulator still masking her feelings even as I sensed her growing unease with our location.

I stared into the darkness, straining to see what, if anything, had made the sound I'd heard. "Thought I heard something," I replied slowly, as my eyes failed to find anything in the murky darkness of the corridor. "Nothing there."

I turned back to our main path, even as a nagging feeling at the back of my mind told me there was something down that corridor. Something important, powerful, desirable.

I shook my head to clear those thoughts. The corridor, as far as I could see, was clear, and led further from where Dooku – and I assumed Vos – was. There was no logic in going that way which had me convinced it was the Dark Side playing tricks on me.

Hoping against hope, I activated Player's Mind only to be met with the same message I'd gotten earlier.

WARNING!
Player's Mind is suffering from interference.
Due to the strength and veracity of the corruption of the Force in your current location, this Player Power will not engage.
...

I sighed in annoyance at that. What was the point of me wanting to use it in a place it would be beneficial only for the damn thing to not work? Just my fucking luck.

Time seemed to slow as we continued our wanderings deeper into the base. At one point, it appeared as if we were moving closer to Dooku but then we ran into another Sith-cursed blast door that couldn't be opened and were forced to turn away. Twice more during our trek, Aayla swore she heard and saw someone in the shadows, but no matter how hard we looked, we never found anyone. Yet even though I was certain it was only the three of us in this section of the base, I knew we weren't alone. Something twisted and corrupt was grazing up against my senses, looking for a way into my mind. I wanted to pull back from the Force, restrict what limited access to it I already had, but I needed my abilities to be sure we weren't about to be jumped again.

After what felt like an hour but had only been ten minutes according to the Interface, we reached a blast door that was not only larger than the others but had a control panel next to it. I used Observe to ensure it wasn't a trap, though with how limited my ability to sense others through the Force was, I had no idea if a trap wasn't just inside the other room, waiting for us to open the door.

"My scanners aren't showing anything wrong with the control," Bo offered, letting me know she'd scanned it, "do we go through?"

I considered the door for a moment. If we didn't go through this door, we'd be forced to backtrack as best we could and hope we'd missed another door. However, a… whisper, a feeling at the back of my mind was insistent about something to do with the door. Whether that was to go through or not though, I couldn't tell. Nor was I willing to reach out into the Force to find out for certain.

"We've not really got a choice," I replied slowly, my eyes staring at the door, trying to convince myself of what we had to do. As I concentrated on the door, the feeling grew stronger; almost as if something was trying to scratch its way into my mind. I couldn't be sure, but it felt as if whatever it was held a dark and deranged intent.

"d-do, w-we ha-ve t-to?" Aayla all but whimpered out, which drew my attention from the door. Her cheeks had gone almost white, her eyes were jerking around as if seeing things in every shadow while her lekku were twitching in what appeared to be random patterns that I didn't recognize. That had me realising that whatever was irritating my mind was having more of an effect on her. That might be due to the Interface offering up some basic protection even if Player's Mind wasn't working, or it could be because I was mentally much more mature than her, or even that her upbringing in the Temple made her more susceptible to the worst this galaxy had to offer, but regardless of if she didn't get herself under control, she'd start to turn into a liability for us.

"We haven't really got a choice," I replied to her as I slid back from the door and placed my hand on hers. With the physical contact, it was much easier to feel through the Force just how emotionally unbalanced she was. Apart from the expected fear, there was something else. It was weak, buried under her growing terror, but whatever it was made it easy for the Dark Side to toy with her and place her on edge.

Using the contact as a bridge, I opened myself to the Force slightly. The insanity and chaos that I was sensing grew stronger, louder, but I pushed it away and focused on the weak bond I shared with Aayla. Something whispered to me to take her, make her mine but I ignored that desire and instead focused on sending her as much reassurance and comfort as I could through our bond.

Her eyes locked onto mine as some colour returned to her skin. A glance at our hands brought small patches of purple to her cheeks, but I ignored that and gave her what I hoped was a comforting smile. "We'll make it through this," I said softly even if a faint whisper, as if trapped on a breeze, teased me about making promises like that in situations like this. She nodded and I slowly pulled my hands from her, letting it linger to prevent a sudden loss of contact sending her spiralling back into her fears.

"Be ready," I said to Bo, which was entirely unnecessary as the girl still had both blasters in hand. She chose not to reply verbally, hopefully understanding what I was saying was mainly for Aayla, choosing instead to simply nod.

I turned back to the door, and almost on instinct reached for the controls with the Force. Thankfully I stopped myself just in time. I'd grown so used to using the Force that I'd almost opened myself up to the corruption that enveloped this place. Repressing a shiver at almost making that mistake, I reached forward with my beskad. The familiar, comforting feeling from it wasn't as strong as what I got from my lightsaber, but it still helped, and I reached forward with the blade. Using it to open a door was degrading, but I wasn't taking any chances in this place.

A dull scraping sound filled the corridor as the metal door slid back, groaning in protest at being forced to open after who knows how long. As the door took an excruciating amount of time to pull back, I readied myself, sliding into a modified Jar'Kai stance that allowed me to block with my beskad while keeping my saber ready to thrust forward if anything came through the door. Behind me I heard the shuffling of Bo's armour suggesting she was readying herself as well and I could only hope Aayla was also preparing.

The new area somehow felt darker than our current corridor, even when considering most of the light from our lightsabers wasn't reaching far into the blackness. Something in there had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up; almost as if there was something malevolent waiting for us. Yet, with no choice but to keep pushing forward, I took a step into the doorframe.

"Once more unto the breach," I muttered to myself as I crossed the threshold into this new area. My eyes scanned every section of shadow for a threat even as I strained my hearing to pick up anything out of place lurking in the blackness. I kept one foot in the doorframe, not wanting to risk the door closing while I was separated from the others, and after feeling as good as I could about the new area, I waved my beskad to indicate they should enter.

A light shone past me as Bo stepped forward, having decided to forgo the night/low-light option on her helmet for the flashlights mounted on her helmet and vambraces. I was relieved to see she'd finally decided to do that, even if it took away most of our ability to move stealthily through this place. The light her armour was generating drove back the darkness, but it felt as if it was fighting to not surrender ground to the brightness.

I wanted to shake my head to clear the macabre thoughts I was having but doing that would mean dropping my guard for a split second and in a place like that, such a move could – and probably would – be fatal. The corruption of the Force in this place was playing tricks on my mind, trying to get me to lower my defences enough that it could seep into my mind and begin corrupting me. That I would not allow.

Aayla came through a second later, holding her hilt with both hands. Her skin still looked an unhealthy shade of blue, but it was better than it had been before I'd tried to comfort her. A fractional glance let me see her eyes were still wide, reminding me of a frightening gazelle right before the lions attacked.

Once she was through, I removed my leg from the doorframe. Bo took point this time and began to lead us into this new room of obscurity, though we only got a few steps before I heard the door behind us begin to close.

Concerned we were about to be ambushed or trapped, I pivoted and upon failing to spot any controls on this side, reached out on instinct through the Force to disable the door's mechanism.

"Aargh!" I grunted out as screams, ripples and chaos invaded my mind and I sank to my knees.

Flashes of everyone I knew in danger or dying slammed into my brain. I saw Fay being bisected by a giant armoured figure with what looked like tentacles seeping out of the armour. Serra screamed as twin blades of red descended towards her enlarged stomach. Aayla's head bounced across the ground, kicking up dirt as strange mushroom-like trees loomed in the background. Naz screamed in terror as a massive, green figure slashed down at her. Bo spun rapidly, firing off her blasters only to fall as over a hundred return bolts slammed into her. Dooku stumbled backwards, blocking rapidly against a red lightsaber while a deranged laugh echoed around them.

And through it all I heard and felt a… desire, from both inside me and without, to take the power and prevent what I was seeing from happening. To do what I must to save those I cared about.

As I heard something clatter on the ground, I pulled back from the Force, closing my mind to whatever had just struck my thoughts.

"Cam!" Aayla's pained scream snapped my mind into focus as my hand reaffirmed my grip on my beskad. The sounds of blaster firing drew my attention, and I turned my head to see Aayla and Bo were under attack. Over a dozen cultists had emerged from somewhere and were trying to gang-rush them. I stood, ready to help them, only for the Force to faintly whisper a warning.

I leaned back, avoiding a vibroblade by mere millimetres. My lightsaber thrust towards the wielder, slicing clean through the cultists arms before a twist of my wrist removed their head from their body. Another body moved towards me from the other side, and I parried their attack with my beskad before dropping the point and slamming it into their chest. Before they could react, and with the Force swirling around me, I ripped the beskad out, sending their guts splattering onto the floor next to them.

In the brief moment of stillness, as that pair fell to the ground, I noted a faint mist gathering around everyone's feet. Not wanting to take the chance it was poison, I activated Breath Control. The Force called out another warning and I turned to face two more cultists bearing down on me.

I blocked an extended thrust from one then avoided a wild swing from the other. Before either could recover, I stepped closer, my blades moving naturally. My nostrils were filled with the smell of more burnt flesh and exposed guts as both blades struck home, fatally wounding both cultists. Not wanting to even risk them trying a final, desperate, attack, my blades kept moving. One cultist was bisected by my lightsaber while the other was sliced open from hip to neck by the beskad. Both fell to the floor, joining their dead compatriots even as I turned to face the next attack.

"Agh!"

Aayla's scream drew my attention to her, to find her down to one knee with a knife embedded in her shoulder. Her lightsaber was still lit but was not in any position to defend her from the cultists bearing down on her. Before I knew what was happening, I surged forward. A cultist's blade came down, holding a knife similar to the one embedded in Aayla's shoulder, though before it could land, the accompanying arm was sent flying as blood spurted from the now exposed shoulder. Before the arsehole could even process what was happening, his head joined the arm on the ground.

Another blade, this one larger and broader than any I'd faced so far, came towards me. I blocked it easily, though since I'd used my beskad it didn't break. The face of my new opponent was hidden behind a skull mask of some animal I didn't recognise while their skin was black and mottled with strange grey lesions. Putting aside any thoughts about what the shab had happened to this being, I flicked my wrist and my lightsaber removed their hands before my beskad surged forward entering their chest below the ribcage before I dragged it upwards. The blade emerged from his shoulder, blood and what remained of their heart and lungs surging out behind the blade before I sent their body away with a nudge from the Force.

"Can you still fight?" I asked Aayla. I wanted to heal her wound at least partially, but I couldn't risk opening myself up to the Force again. That last time… it had almost overwhelmed me with the briefest of touches and healing would take longer and far more concentration.

Aayla pulled the blade from her shoulder, making her wince and concerning me that would make the wound worse before she nodded slowly. "I-I think so," I muttered before she tried to stand, only to stop and groan in pain. The hand from her good arm – her non-lightsaber arm – moved to her wounded shoulder. "O-or not."

Making sure that, for now, we were safe – which we were as Bo gunned down the last cultist, taking perhaps a touch too much enjoyment in riddling their flesh with bolts of plasma – I sheathed my beskad, depowered my lightsaber and knelt in front of Aayla.

"This is going to sting," I said as I reached into a belt pouch and pulled out a bacta patch. It wouldn't handle all the healing, but it would do for now. I applied the patch to the wound. She winced but didn't react in any other way, before sighing as the bacta was slowly released into the wound.

Her eyes suddenly widened but I was already moving as the Force wailed out a warning. The faint roar of my lightsaber powering up echoed in the stillness of the place only to be replaced by the sound of metal clattering to the ground as I sliced through a vibroblade. The blade's wielder slumped forward a moment later after he'd all but ran himself into my lightsaber, resulting in it slicing him from right hip to left shoulder. As the body slid to the floor and I unsheathed my beskad, I wondered just what sort of insanity the Bando Gora used to make their minions so willing to throw away their lives even as my thoughts drifted for just a moment to facing similarly deranged opponents in my previous life.

I put aside any curiosity at the fanatical insanity these cultists had as another three came at me. The Force guided my movements as I leaned back to avoid a vibrosword thrust, pivoted to make another miss then pivoted and bisected the third as he tried to tackle me. My lightsaber came around, slicing both vibroblades with easy flicks of my wrist before lightsaber and beskad sunk home, striking the two remaining cultists in the heart.

As I pulled my blades free, I saw Bo was engaged with two more cultists. They'd managed to close on her and a vibroknife clipped her hand, knocking a pistol from her grip. I moved to help only for Bo to shoot that cultist in the stomach – his blade was blocked from doing any further damage by Bo's gauntlet. As that one stumbled away dead, she turned her free hand towards the remaining cultist as flames erupted from her vambrace. The cultist paused but worryingly didn't scream out as their flesh burnt, which gave Bo enough time to turn her remaining blaster and gun them down.

"Sooran, shab!" she spat at the dead cultists before reaching down and picking up her pistol. From the slight sparking that came from it I suspected it was broken, which was confirmed by Bo grunting and holstering it. To replace the missing weapon, she unsheathed her beskad before turning to look at me. "Any left?"

"I don't think so," I replied slowly as my eyes scanned the darkness around us. A faint groan brought my attention back to Aayla. "She's wounded. Nothing critical but it is going to slow her down."

"Shab!" Bo spat out and I had to agree. Trying to fight against beings coming from the shadows with an injured companion was never an easy thing, and it was made a million times worse by whatever the shab had happened to the Force in this place.

"Aye. We need to…"

Master!

My head snapped around at the voice. Anakin's voice. There was no one there in the darkness even as the mist continued to swirl around our legs. Yet I knew I'd just heard him, or at least his voice once he'd matured into the man that he'd become during the Clone Wars. There was no logical way that I should be hearing that voice now, but I had.

"What?" Bo asked and I felt her come up beside me.

"Noth…" The crackling laughter of Darth Sidious had my head spinning in another direction. Again, nothing was there but I knew I'd heard it. I shook my head and then tried to reply once more.

"It's this place…" I was cut off again, though this time it was due to hearing the door we'd come through minutes before beginning to reopen. I pivoted and readied myself as Bo did the same. Aayla moved over to the side, her lightsaber hissing back to life as she tried to keep herself out of any immediate fighting and, I hoped, place her in a position to ambush whoever came through the door.

"Aarrgh!" a roar came from several voices as the door opened enough to let people through. My minimap was showing at least a dozen people gathered near the door and I shifted my stance, readying myself to block any blaster bolts that might come. While the Bando Gora preferred to gang-rush, there were always few in each ambush that used ranged weaponry.

The first man through had the same blackened skin as my most recent kills along with a skull mask, though this was larger than the last mask I'd seen. Two horns reached up, almost scraping the roof of the area we were in.

"For the Priestess!" he shouted as he started making a beeline for me. He lifted a large, two-handed vibroaxe – which was a first for me in this galaxy – above his shoulder as he charged. The area suddenly lit up as Bo used her vambrace's flamethrower. The giant, horned man ignored the flames, rushing through them towards me, even as the flames impacted those behind him.

I kept my attention on this group's leader, moving a few steps away from Bo to give myself room to engage him. While the Force was less than helpful in this place, I knew this man wouldn't go down as easily as the others.

My left foot slid back, letting his massive axe sail past me harmlessly. As his rush took him beside me, I threw my shoulder into his gut. It didn't do much more than make the massive, and very muscular man, stumble, which was enough for me to hit him with a Force Blast and send him tumbling down.

I wasn't able to strike at him as he fell, as two more cultists reached me. I blocked the strike of the first with my beskad while my lightsaber slashed through the second's weapon, then removed the arm holding the blade. A pivot helped me guide the first's blade away from my body. My beskad kept the blade at bay while I thrust forward with my lightsaber piercing his chest and destroying his lungs and heart.

A quick rotation of my beskad was followed by a reverse thrust into the one-armed remaining cultist. I pulled it through his body as I pivoted to face him, and he fell to the ground with his stomach and its contents now outside his body.

There was no time to let myself care about how violently I was killing before another cultist was upon me. This one came at me while rapidly thrusting, twirling, and slashing the air with twin vibroblades. I ignored any thoughts about how stupid that was to do against a Jedi as I met his charge with my lightsaber. The black blade danced against the flames covering the area as Bo continued to use her flamethrower and a moment later both knives fell to the floor, the hands wielding them still attached, followed almost instantly by the head of the cultist.

A faint warning from the Force had me turning and bringing my lightsaber up to defend. I felt my eyes widen as, for the first time since entering this base and dealing with these fucking maniacs, my lightsaber failed to slice through a vibroweapon. The massive, muscular horned-mask leader had recovered and attacked while his cohorts distracted me.

"The priestess desires you Jedi," he snarled as, even with the Force boosting my strength to far beyond what most could hope to achieve, I struggled to keep the massive man from overpowering me. "She longs to meet you."

"Sorry to disappoint her," I snapped back as I realised, I couldn't just overpower this man, and suddenly shifted my stance. He stumbled as he was caught unaware by my movement. "But I've got better things to do than meet a crazy lady." I added as I flicked my wrist, aiming my blade for the shaft of his axe.

I grunted in annoyance as the shaft, like the heft, had resisted my blade. That moment of unexpected resistance gave the man a chance to throw out an elbow at my face. I was able to block it with my other arm, but the strength behind it forced me back a few steps.

As I reset my stance, I saw the man's face move behind the mask as he faced off with me again. "We've captured and killed your kind before," he commented as behind him Bo ducked under a blade of another cultist before they were pierced by a purple lightsaber blade. "We can do it again."

"Not today," I retorted as I sent him flying with another Force Blast. He flew backwards, missing Bo but striking another cultist and sending them both crashing into a far wall. I walked forward, dismissively blocking then killing two more cultists who dared to charge at me. As their lifeless corpses fell to the ground, the large man stood, though not before driving his axe into his fellow cultist. I could feel his anger at falling for the same trick twice as he stood, blood dripping from his axe and my beskad as I moved towards him.

Something tried to touch my mind, something familiar if cold, but I ignored it as my focus was entirely on the masked man. He needed to suffer for being here, for threatening me and my friends and his fellow arseholes hurting Aayla. A screaming cultist ran between us, his entire body aflame, only to crumble to the ground as a blaster bolt struck his back.

Another cultist came at me, attacking stupidly. I didn't know or care if they realised the futility of their attack before my lightsaber pierced their skull, and frankly, I didn't give a shab. All that mattered was the shabuir in front of me and making him die a painful fucking death.

Cam!

The narrowing of my focus shifted as I heard a familiar voice call in fear. I turned towards where I'd heard the voice, only to see shadows. "Serra?" I whispered, trying to see where she was.

Help me, Cam! Please!

A door shifted where the voice was coming from, however before I could even think about getting to her, something slammed into me.

I grunted out in shock as I was taken off my feet, and then driven into a wall.

"The priestess awaits," the masked man commented as he pushed me down to help himself stand. His axe rose, readying to strike.

Cam! I need you!"

"ARGH!" I roared as the axe started to fall. The man was sent hurtling back as the Force erupted outwards from me, making the very air ripple.

As the man impacted first the roof, then the floor of the room we were in, I pushed myself to my feet. I summoned my weapons to my hands, enjoying hearing the faint roar of my lightsaber; almost as if it sung out for battle. Again, I felt a familiar cold presence in the Force, however all that mattered was Serra. I had to get to her.

I moved towards the newly opened door. I heard a female voice call out, but it didn't matter. My lightsaber slashed the large, masked man across the back. He grunted, but if he was alive or dead, I didn't care.

I stepped through the open door and looked around. "Serra?" I said into the darkness as the mist around me grew thicker.

Cam! Help me! Please!

"I'm coming," I called out as I moved into the darkness. Behind me I thought I heard metal moving but all that mattered was finding my friend. "Where are you?"

Cam, come to me.

I paused mid-step as the voice shifted. "Wh-what?" I mumbled out at the now unfamiliar voice. It was still female, but now there was something darker, sinister in the tone. As if taunting and tempting me at the same time.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I saw red flashing warnings in my Interface. My Force bar was blinking red. "Fu…" The Force roared at me, bringing my mind back to my surroundings.

I jumped back and watched as the spot I'd just been standing was bisected by the tip of a wide and massive vibroblade. From out of the thickening mists a monster of a man emerged. Like the man in the last room, this one wore a skull mask, but he dwarfed that one. I had to strain my neck to meet his eyes as he stood comfortably over two metres and likely could give a Wookie a run for their credits for height.

The monster of a man stepped forward, and I readied myself only for something hard to slam into me from behind. I fell to the ground, tumbling into a wall as my beskad slipped from my grasp.

"The priestess desires you." I felt my anger spike once more as I saw the man that I'd fought in the other room move next to his massive companion. The pair readied themselves as I pushed myself up using the wall. "She will have what she desires."

"Fuck you." I snarled as I felt blood in my mouth. A simple gesture had my beskad back once more in my grip.

"She demands your presence." the massive man added as he readied his massive vibrosword, or at least that's what I was calling it as the thing was longer than I was tall but still looked small in the giant's hands.

"Again, fuck you!" I shot back as I felt the Force swirl around me. Yearnings to strike down these fucking pricks, find Serra, and kill whoever this deranged priestess was flooded my mind, and with a roar, I rushed towards them.

The axe-wielder moved to meet me. He pulled back the axe as he moved, readying it to swing, yet as we closed and it began to move, I pulled the Force to me, demanding it slow everything down. The glinting edge of the axe slowed, and I slid. My beskad extended and I sliced clean through the man's leg just above the knee. Flesh, cartilage and bone offered no resistance to my blade as I pushed the Force into the weapon, making it an unstoppable instrument of my wrath.

Even with the mask I could see his face twist in shock at what I'd done, which brought a smile to my lips. I planted my feet and pushed, lifting myself into the air. Turning as I flew, my lightsaber moved and a moment later his head was separated from his body.

A rush of delight flooded through me at ending that pathetic worm's life only to stop suddenly as something powerfully hard slammed into me.

For the second time in less than a minute, I was sent flying across the room, slamming hard into a wall.

"Escape is impossible," the monstrous man said in an abnormally calm voice as I slumped to the ground. I shook my head, then fell over in a pathetic attempt to right myself. My hands groped around for my weapons, with relief and fury surging through me as they found their targets. "She saw your coming long before you entered her domain." He continued.

I looked up and saw him approaching slowly, his blade ready but not in a position to attack. "She desires your service." He added as he continued to approach. I pushed myself to my feet, gripping my weapons tightly as I ignored the ringing in my head. My body ached and protested as I forced myself to stand. I stumbled, only to steady myself as I felt my anger empower my muscles. There was no kriffing way in hell that this giant dumb son of a bitch was going to take me down.

His eyes narrowed as my grips grew tight enough that I knew my knuckles were turning white then he stopped. "I see now why she desires you so," he commented as he readied himself to attack, "the fire burns within you."

"I'm going to kill you." I replied in a cold voice barely above a whisper as I pulled the Force to me. Ordered it to do as I wanted.

The moment I saw his muscles ripple, indicating an attack about to begin, I surged forward. Fury raced through my veins as my blades sought his flesh, seeking to take him down painfully.

His blade came round. Not wanting to waste time blocking, I willed the Force to boost me up. I soared into the air, pushed off the blade even as it came towards me, and leapt. His eyes tracked me as I sailed over him, barely missing hitting the ceiling, and a vicious smile came to my lips. I turned in mid-air so that I was facing him as I descended, and my blades came down, removing both arms at the shoulder.

Blood gushed from one wound while the other smelt delightfully of burnt meat as I brought my arms together. My blades sunk into his sides, adding more red mist and burnt flesh to the mix, only to emerge from his inside calves.

I snarled as the remains of his body fell to the floor in pieces. A tendril of pleasure surged through me as his blade clattered on the ground, splashing blood and guts around before demanding I find a new target to main, kill, destroy.

As I stared at the remains of his body, I blinked.

"Wh-what…" I mumbled out as my arms sagged. I stumbled back, barely able to hold onto my hilts as the strain of the fight flooded my body and my mind processed what I'd just done. "Shit!" I spat out tiredly as I fell to a knee. My beskad was the only reason I didn't end up on my arse. "Shit!"

A hissing sound drew my attention to one side of the room, and I saw a vent disgorging more mist into the room.

"Fuck," I mumbled out as I felt my muscles grow weaker as my eyes struggled to stay open. I barely managed to focus on the fact there were now four red warnings in the Interface.

I felt my weapons slip from my grip before my rear smacked against the hard, cold floor of the room. The mist swirled around me, blocking my sight as I felt my connection to the Force grow dimmer.

As my eyes started to lose their battle to stay open, I could only hope that Bo and Aayla were safe and that they, Dooku and Vos managed to get out of this place before it overwhelmed them as well. I'd fucked up royally and all I had now was the faint, and slowly weakening, hope that they'd managed to escape while the Bando Gora had been focused on me.

… …



… …
A/N: Well that didn't end well for Cam.
And before anyone thinks I've nerfed the Interface with Player's Mind not working, this has happened before. Way back in the shrine under the Jedi Temple, but back then Cam didn't realise as he passed out before doing anything and never got the message. We've already seen Revan Force Ghost interact/override the Interface as well.
... ...
As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own and you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse

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


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

May the Force be with you. Always.


 
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