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A New Player in the Force (SW/Lite Gamer)
- Thread starter USSExplorer
- Start date
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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The New Republic and NJO got slaughtered in the first few months of the Vong war. The Republic and Jedi as they are now... "Ouch Time"
I'll place up a base image next chapter, but the ship is built with organic tech so, while the lines of those two fighters are nice, they don't quite work...
I've used colours before with Holocrons so the text stands out. I didn't want to use a bright red here and went for the darker shade. Sorry if it was hard to read for you.
Vealie
Versed in the lewd.
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I'm not sure that stats add anything to this system/story tbh.
A skills only system would still let you do all the force stuff as discrete powers and passives but I've never really felt like having maxed out physical stats has made cam notably athletic outside of the normal force sensitive stuff and writing ever growing mental stats is always a tricky thing.
+IQ is obviously the godstat in most cases but it's impossible to write beyond a certain point so best to take it off the table to begin with.
I'm not bashing here fyi, it's a good story and I enjoy it but I often find myself thinking less is more when it comes to gamer-ish and System fics.
Case in point being Naruto fics, afaik in Naruto the superhuman physical feats are attributable to chakra techniques which become second nature to Ninjas through constant practice.
Almost definitionally a (set of) passive skill(s) in a Gamer system. so what does it mean that the Gamer has a gorrillion str/Dex/con/agi/whatever and skills for chakra enhancement and they're still on the typical curve for progression somehow?
Anyway, I can't see Cam's time with the Jedi Order as anything but finished after starting & fighting a dark side fuelled insurgency largely against the wishes of what passes for the local government.
Not with his recent history. The first time someone he has an attachment to is hurt he dives headfirst into the dark side wholesale despite being able to opt out of most emotions whenever he wants to.
He's a poster child for the order being right about attachments for force sensitives, the danger of falling etc etc only out of context cheats keep him on the edge rather going full Vader on Bo and Fay.
A skills only system would still let you do all the force stuff as discrete powers and passives but I've never really felt like having maxed out physical stats has made cam notably athletic outside of the normal force sensitive stuff and writing ever growing mental stats is always a tricky thing.
+IQ is obviously the godstat in most cases but it's impossible to write beyond a certain point so best to take it off the table to begin with.
I'm not bashing here fyi, it's a good story and I enjoy it but I often find myself thinking less is more when it comes to gamer-ish and System fics.
Case in point being Naruto fics, afaik in Naruto the superhuman physical feats are attributable to chakra techniques which become second nature to Ninjas through constant practice.
Almost definitionally a (set of) passive skill(s) in a Gamer system. so what does it mean that the Gamer has a gorrillion str/Dex/con/agi/whatever and skills for chakra enhancement and they're still on the typical curve for progression somehow?
Anyway, I can't see Cam's time with the Jedi Order as anything but finished after starting & fighting a dark side fuelled insurgency largely against the wishes of what passes for the local government.
Not with his recent history. The first time someone he has an attachment to is hurt he dives headfirst into the dark side wholesale despite being able to opt out of most emotions whenever he wants to.
He's a poster child for the order being right about attachments for force sensitives, the danger of falling etc etc only out of context cheats keep him on the edge rather going full Vader on Bo and Fay.
LuciferBael
Mand'alor Te Talyc
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Ya the stats are more a periphery thing tbh, Cam is at the max he can reach and you may see that more if he has to fight without the force(which may happen, not saying) or just chooses to in say an honor duel
As for staying with the Jedi, you'll see, he may be with them longer than you think
Not sure if he's a poster child of the order being right, remember the order thinks nothing the Dark does can be anything but a negative and what he does if he actually falls hasnt been explored
Celtic Spartan
Not too sore, are you?
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I completely agree with this right here and I think it's best when the gamer elements are secondary to the story or they get treated as plot elements like in What's HP? Does it taste good? where the main character actually wants to get rid of his gamer abilities because it's railroading his adventure
Vealie
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Even with the system & out of context knowledge assisting him he's gaining a useful level of personal power for these small scale engagements in guerilla warfare in exchange for a good chunk of his judgement and restraint.Not sure if he's a poster child of the order being right, remember the order thinks nothing the Dark does can be anything but a negative and what he does if he actually falls hasnt been explored
The level of sadism and lack of control shown is antithetical to actually waging a successful war against a peer opponent, ruthless pragmatism is one thing but the dark side really doesn't seem to be that.
Truthfully I'm struggling to suspend my disbelief with the notifion that the school of space wizardry which focuses on selfbuffing and environmental TK is less effective vs magic resistant opposition than the one which likes to make direct magical attacks on the opponent.
Fay wasn't ruthless enough but she had the right idea with smacking them around with tree trunks as did Cam before he lost it and went all zzzzzaaaappp on them.
LuciferBael
Mand'alor Te Talyc
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The dark side powers are canonically what works best on Vong and overcomes the resistance they have to direct force attacks, which makes perfect sense because the Dark Side is the side of the force more geared toward offensive applications, dark side also generally is better at self buffing whereas lightside is better at ally buffing, of course that's not to say you can't be an expert at those if you use the other side
His judgement and restraint is fine ATM when it comes to planning the attacks and war, he just has to take into account that during combat hes likely to be a bit more blood drunk
The dark side has a lot of ruthless pragmatics but Cam isn't a trained dark sider so he doesn't really have the experience to directly control his urges, and the sadism hasnt really effected the war overall as shown in the chapter
Hammerfury
Know what you're doing yet?
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They don't really need a poster child. They've had multiple examples of them being right over the centuries. They are content because their system works for most people.
Exceptional people with tremendous self discipline (even compared to other Jedi) might be able to minimize risk of falling, but the risk is still there.
Hdjksnsndaj
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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TBH I could see Palpy throwing together a makeshift army from various defense forces to throw into the meat grinder. It would definitely help him convince the Senate to fund more militarization.
The environmental TK not being as effective as you would expect does kind of make sense. Jedi generally rarely the force that way, especially in combat. We usually see force pushes or, in Cam's case, slamming people into walls. The Vong and their gear are also far more durable than any human, and so are likely to survive a hit and close to melee range before you can smack them again.
Also, Force Lightning being extremely effective against them is completely canon. Seemingly just to fuck with the Jedi. The Vong got really lucky that there wasn't a Sith Empire kicking around to ruin their day when they actually showed up.
S!ËGFR!ÊD
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Depends on how it works. Is it like a stadium flood light? Or does it hijack a person's neural system to prevent the brain from getting signals from the eyes? If it's the latter, then no.
Anjels
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can i use this comment in my profile quote (forgot the correct name ) ?
Commedia
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Anjels
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The Living Planet 4
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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A/N:
As always, thanks to those helping me write and plan out this story and checking it for continuality and logic errors.
This chapter was released at least 2 weeks ago to my Patreons (with them seeing a draft version around 2 months ago) and on the story's Discord server (in GDoc form) about a week ago.
Links for both are at the end of the chapter.
Hopefully, all the little mistakes have been found and removed.
Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo
I turned back to the transport to see Simvyl step off, his face slightly tense, which was understandable as the transport had been prone to random, sometimes violent shaking. While that would've been bad if we'd been above the tree canopy, we'd stayed low to avoid detection from any Vong fighter craft, ducking and dodging in between the trees. On three occasions, I'd been forced to stabilise the vessel with the Force, with one such incident being to avoid us slamming into a tree when we'd been travelling at over a hundred klicks an hour.
"The Jentari are currently inactive, from what I understand." The reply came from Gann who had stepped off the transport between Simvyl and me. He pointed at the trees even as Bo and Fenrir emerged from the transport. "Clients are normally brought here while the shaping takes place. According to those who work with the Jentari, this helps with the bonding process. However, with the invasion, the shapers were forced to move forward without your presence. Which was why according to the missive I received; your vessel took considerably longer to shape."
I frowned as my eyes returned to the trees. When we'd been shot down by the Vong, the connection I'd had with the seed-partners had gone, though around a week later, I'd felt something familiar yet different at the very edges of my senses. Over the last half-year, I'd put that feeling to one side, focusing on the war, yet as we'd flown here, the sensation had moved from a vague thing into one that was based around this area. It was still weak, yet there was little doubt the source was coming from the direction Gann insisted we'd have to walk before we'd landed.
"By the… the trees! They're not trees!"
I glanced at Simvyl after his exclamation to see him staring and pointing at the large trees in front of us. Focusing on them, and using the Force to boost my sight, I blinked at what I saw. At certain parts of the trunks of the strangely coloured trees, I could see metal glinting in the sunlight.
"No, they are the Jentari. They shape the growth of new client vessels, under the watchful eyes of the builders." Gann explained even as I felt Fay's presence move. That meant Bo was guiding the hovercart, carrying my comatose but recovering Master, from the transport. The trip, which if we'd hiked would've taken four to five months, had taken less than one, mainly because we had to go slower than normal and arrange our travel to ensure we were less likely to be spotted by the Vong. If her rate of improvement continued, I expected her to awaken within the next week or so.
The rest of our supplies, minus the thermal detonators, had been left at the base camp with the Sekotan recruits. Bo had been very reluctant to leave the weaponry and food with them, but I'd gotten promises from the senior Sekotans in the resistance that they'd not attack until we returned. It wasn't much, but it – along with finding a pleasant way to distract Bo – had been enough to settle the Mandalorian's discomfort.
"Master Fay would've loved to have seen that," I said, my eyes still on my master.
"Yes, the builders were hoping to see that as well." Gann offered before he moved past me, moving toward the giant trees, the Jentari, that were still a few klicks away. We'd landed here as the ground between this point and the Jentari as there was insufficient cover to hide the transport and Gann wasn't willing to risk the Vong discovering the planet's ship-creating facilities. While I agreed with that, I wished we were already there and I could see my new ship.
The Force was shifting around us as if it was growing excited about something and I had to assume that was to do with the vessel that'd been grown for Fay and me.
… …
… …
"I do hope the ship is to your liking." The lead engineer, a male named Vidge, stated as he guided us onto a platform. The red-skinned Langhesi had met us at the entrance to a valley where the ships were grown and shaped – his words while detailing the normal process. While neither Fay nor I had been present, the designs I'd gone over with Shappa had seemingly been enough to help guide the process, along with the wishes of the seed-partners and, Vidge claimed, Sekot's wishes. The way the Sekotans revered the planet reminded me of religion, yet I couldn't deny that there was something profound about this world. Which made it a shame the Vong had arrived before Fay and I could investigate that matter further.
The platform we stepped onto was, like most of the valley aside from the branch canopy that hid us from aerial view, an open one, allowing the smells of the organic factory – which reminded me of freshly cut grass and roses – to swirl around us. There were no walls for the platform, only a guide rail, and I moved forward; the strange feeling that'd continually grown stronger as we'd landed earlier almost demanded that I hurry up. And yet, it felt weak, faint, as if in some way damaged.
"And here it is." I barely heard Vidge's words as I reached the edge of the platform and gasped.
Below, held in place by vines wider than I was tall, rested my new starship. A cornucopia of light emanated from below, bathing the dark green hull in an array of colours that made the ship appear alive. Almost making it look as if it was rocking in the vines, desperate after months of resting to finally slide free and fly.
My eyes wandered over the hull, judging its length to be a little shorter than the Ne'tra Sartr, though, unlike my former ship, the internal structure covered most of the width. Provided the internal structure filled most of the shape, then it should be more spacious even if it lacked some length. The body was angular, but with a natural feel, reminding me of an enlarged jet fighter. While not exactly how I'd helped Shappa with the design, it was still easy to see it was based on those plans.
While there were darker indications over the top surface of the hull that seemed decorative but felt to me to be if it could be wrangled, excellent locations for weapon hardpoints even if Gann assured me no Sekotan vessel was ever armed, the overall shape screamed speed. The lights dancing over the hull only enhanced that feeling, as did the two protrusions at the rear that extended a few metres beyond the body.
Yet, for as beautiful as it was, my focus shifted to the Force, and what ripples the vessel left within. It was weak still, almost reluctant to create a flutter of presence, but the ship was radiant within the Force. As if it was alive in a way similar to Fenrir. There were hints of Fay in this new presence, hints of myself and the planet, showing the ship to be a merging, somehow, of the three of us. And yet, it was timid, restrained. Almost as if it was dying.
"What's wrong?" I asked, not taking my eyes from the wondrous vessel.
"It is failing." My head snapped to Vidge, and he took a step back. "A newly shaped vessel needs to be with its client. The seed-partners merge to create the living heart of the starship and for that, and the growth, the client should be present. You and your master weren't. In truth, if you were any other client, the ship would've died long ago. We would have all mourned for it." He gestured to the far end of the valley where I'd seen buildings meaning those that worked with him to create this wonder. "That it hasn't must be due to your connection with the Force, the number of seed-partners involved, and the will of Sekot. Yet, even so, it grows weak." He moved toward one side of the platform and ran his fingers over a console.
My head snapped back to my vessel as a faint, odd rumbling filled the area. Slowly the vines seemed to tighten, and the ship slowly rose toward us. I watched in awe as it came closer, showing the hull seemed to be one smooth surface, bar the viewports of the cockpit and two along the starboard side. In the darkened areas at the nose, small flints of metal protruded, likely marking the sensors and similar features. The vines shifted, turning the vessel around to show the rear, where three sunlight engines were mounted – two smaller ones mounted under the protrusions with a larger one resting under and between them – and then confirming the two viewports on the port side. As it finished rising, I saw a ramp lowering near the main engine.
Once the ship was at our level and facing away, Vidge moved next to me and pulled back the railing. "Come." He walked onto the vines, finding his feet with years of experience. I took a few cautious steps after him, my focus struggling to not stay on the vessel and the faint, hesitant ripple it was generating within the Force.
As I moved under the main engine, feeling an urge in the Force, I lifted my hand and brushed my fingers over the hull. That weak pitiful presence in the Force reacted and I felt something reach out for my mind. it was all at once new and old, familiar, and undeniably alien, and I yanked my hand back with a gasp.
"Cam?"
I turned to Bo. "I'm fine. I think." I licked my lips, trying to put into words what I'd just felt. "The ship's alive, in a way. I think." Even without our Force bond, I could tell Bo wasn't comfortable with my words, though given how uncertain I sounded and felt, that was understandable. It had only lasted for a moment, yet in that time I'd felt as if there was something within the ship that was a part of me, and yet wasn't. That wanted my help with something.
Not waiting for her response, I moved hastily after Vidge, my feet finding solid ground on the mass of vines with ease. As I reached the ramp, which seemed to be a part of the hull that had simply been cut away, and then walked in, I inhaled sharply. The walls were the same shade of green, though they looked faded almost black in places, as the outer hull, with lights pulsating underneath in an almost hypnotic fashion.
"It knows you're here." I reluctantly looked away from the wall toward Vidge. "The lights have grown stronger over the last few weeks. Today they are almost as bright as they were when it was shaped, and we added in the components needed to bring it to Republic standards."
"She's weak. Hurting." I muttered as I lifted my hand toward the wall, tracing the movement of the lights within it. When my hand touched the wall, the unusual feeling I'd felt outside returned, though it was more encompassing than before, if still very weak. "Because we weren't here?"
Vidge smiled after I spoke to him. "Yes. The bond between the client and their ship is weak, but it is there. We feared you would not understand, to know otherwise will make many happy." He lowered his head. "Sekot has blessed you." I tried to keep my face neutral, not wanting to insult his beliefs as he raised his head. Even as he offered it, I felt the ship's presence grow slightly stronger. As if it was a snail emerging from its shell just enough to taste the morning's light.
"How do I help her?"
Vidge smiled widely and moved into the ship, waving his arm. "This way." I followed quickly, though not so fast that my fingers slid from the wall. The connection I felt to the ship was tenuous and I didn't want to break it just yet.
We left the entranceway and emerged into a corridor. The walls were mainly covered in the same dull green of the hull, though there were a few metallic panels that I recognised as power monitors and the like. A few steps in the corridor and I followed Vidge into a new room. This was circular, with couches placed around a central table in a configuration that oddly reminded me of the central area of the Ebon Hawk. Though, given the shine from the table and the feel of a couch as my other hand touched it, with far superior materials.
"The seed-partners you and your master bonded with formed the core of the ship's heart," Vidge began, shifting my attention from the luxurious-looking fittings that had been added to the vessel, including a kitchen area that gleamed in the odd light of the ship. "Yet without you, it has begun to weaken, to rot." He touched a spot on one wall and I winced at seeing parts fall away like leaves falling from a tree in autumn; though without any of the colour.
"She's alive but dying," I muttered as I pushed my hand against an array of lights. "She needs help." Even as I spoke, I reached out through the Force. It was easier to sense the ship now, and while I'd thought it was just weak and scared earlier, I could now sense the pain, the decay. Without us here to help, she'd retreated in on herself; cannibalised her body to keep herself alive while reaching out for us. For me. "I'm sorry," I whispered to the wall. "I'd have been here sooner if I'd known."
A hand came to rest on my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I saw it was Bo. While she said nothing, I could sense her concern, though I doubted it was directed at the ship.
"With you here, now we can help her." I looked over at Vidge to see he was near another passageway which wasn't there when we'd entered the area. Almost as if the door has merged into the wall while I'd not been looking. "Come."
I offered Bo a smile as she removed her hand and then followed the Sekotan. The passageway he'd gone down was short, ending at the cockpit. There were two chairs at the fore with two more further back at stations that, from what I saw of their consoles, handled secondary systems. Vidge indicated one chair, which I knew was meant for the pilot, and I slid into it.
"Wow!" I gasped as the chair seemed to shift as I sat, becoming so comfortable that I felt like I was sinking into and merging with it. The seating on the Ne'tra Sartr had been hard, befitting a ship built for combat, but this seat was incredibly comfortable. As one would expect from a ship built for the most exclusive of clientele. And through it, I could sense the ships' presence slowly growing more pronounced, more confident with each passing second.
Vidge smiled down at me and indicated the consoles in front of me with a tilt of his head. The layout was like the Ne'tra Sartr though only some were marked. Still, I was able to find the switch for the main power core and smiled as the console confirmed the power levels were increasing. That smile widened as I felt the power seeping into the hull, making the ship's lighting more prominent.
My fingers moved over the controls, lightly touching each to get a feel for them. With each touch I could feel the ship reacting, wanting to further the faint but growing connection between us. As my hand drifted over the thrusters, I swore I felt the ship vibrate, as if wanting to break free of the vines and race into the clouds. As much as that idea filled me with joy, the threat posed by the Vong, and the faint hints of decay within the ship made me pull back.
I chuckled at the way the ship distantly seemed to whine at not getting to be free. "Soon, darling," I whispered to the console, my fingers running over a display.
"You will spend time here," Vidge began, reminding me that he was here, as was Fenrir who'd come in and settled against one of the empty secondary chairs, making himself at home. "While your companions can come and go, you will stay onboard for at least several days. The link between you and her is weak and pulling away now, just as it seems to be growing stronger, would likely kill her."
"Never. I'll never let that happen." I shot back with conviction.
Vidge laughed. "Good. You understand. Most clients know their ship is special, but few seem to truly understand the gift Sekot has given them." He looked down at Fenrir. "Your beast seems to feel this also."
Fenrir lazily lifted his head and growled, which made me chuckle. "He doesn't like being called a beast, but yeah. Tuk'ata, that's his species, are animals with a strong Force connection. Since this ship also has one, though it's faint, and that it'd linked to the seed-partners I bonded with, I guess he'd sense it as well."
Vidge nodded. "Yes." He looked down the passageway, toward the common area. "I will speak with your companions. They will have the choice of staying onboard with you, though that isn't required."
"Can you also have someone move my Master into a room?" I asked, figuring the weak but surrounding presence of the ship might accelerate her recovery.
"Of course." With a bow, Vidge left, leaving me alone to soak in the connection I felt from my ship. It was still very faint, but even in the brief time I'd been aboard, I'd felt it grow stronger. With time, which I hoped we'd have, it would return to the level it was meant to be, if not more. While uncertain, I did hope my connection to the Force would further enhance the bond I shared with this magnificent almost-living vessel.
… …
… …
"I understand why you fought and killed the Vong that assaulted us," Fay said slowly, her hand drifting unconsciously to where her wound had been, "but what, if I might ask, drove you to not only keep fighting them but develop an insurgency campaign in which you trained locals to fight?"
I resisted the urge to sneer at that being the first thing Fay asked about. She'd woken up the day before and while she'd wanted answers then and there about what had happened since she'd been wounded, I'd been able to distract her with the ship we were on when she woke and delay this talk a day to give her time to recover a little.
As expected, even after a day to meditate and sleep, after nearly three-quarters of a year in a Force-empowered coma, she was weak on her feet. Her cheeks had thinned slightly, hinting at some malnourishment and her skin had lost some of its ethereal glow, but it seemed her mind was as sharp as ever. How else could you explain the fact that after I'd been reasonably detailed about what had happened while she'd been in her coma – even showing her the Council-prepared recording of us engaging a Vong patrol – that she'd zeroed in on the issue that defined the entirety of her time asleep.
When I'd first mentioned engaging the Vong, I'd sensed her concern, likely due to me engaging in desperate combat when I'd only just been cleared for missions by the Jedi Council after my time with the Bando Gora. Yet for all that concern, the moment I'd mentioned recruiting and training Sekotans, I'd sensed revulsion from her. As if helping the locals defend their home from invaders, just because they were peace lovers before the invasion, was somehow an insult to her. I'd pushed away my anger at sensing that, not wanting to both reveal how close to losing control I often was and because I wanted to wait until I'd finished and heard her opinions on the matter before responding to the repulsion. Yet, even after detailing what had happened while she coalesced, even the Vong taking Sekotans and torturing them for what felt like fun – since none of them could have any useful intelligence – her focus was on my training of the Sekotans.
I looked away, taking a moment to centre myself. I knew this was going to come up, knew she was going to push against it, but that it was the first thing she went for was a little unexpected. I felt for sure it'd be the hints of darkness she could sense within me. Even with Dark Side Masking in the Master range as I'd expected, I felt she should still be able to sense the subtle changes in my Force signature. The moment to centre myself also let me push away the anger I still felt from the debacle of our last ambush where Zarkos and over a dozen Sekotans had lost their lives. The day would come, soon I hoped, when we'd strike back against the Vong and make them pay for their actions. However, that wasn't something I wanted to dwell on while defending my actions in the war.
"When we first encountered them, they attacked us, Master. They left you close to death. There was no effort to speak with us, to find common ground. Only a fact, made clear in the months since, that they weren't interested in any outcome but the one they desired. With that in mind, and the fact the Sekotans are the ones suffering the most under the Vong's boot as it presses down on their throats, why shouldn't I ask them to fight and defend their home?"
Answering a question with one of my own wasn't polite, but I'd long since decided that I wasn't going to be passive in this discussion. If I was, then Fay would likely undo everything I'd done over the last three-quarters of a year in the name of peace. While her goal was noble, she didn't know the Vong and was failing to understand that with beings that used force to get their way, a gentle word – even when backed by the Force – was insufficient to change their path.
Plus, being passive during her interrogation, which is what it was no matter how Fay dressed it up, of my actions, would, I felt hurt my standing in her eyes, at least more so than trying to defend my choices and actions assertively.
"While often a situation does dissolve into conflict, the path of peace must always be attempted first. It can be a challenge to seek the narrower path peace offers, but it is always preferable to one that involves taking a life before its time."
"They almost killed you when we first met them, Master! Haran, they then tried to kill the rest of us! Two of the Rangers have died fighting against them, one in those initial assaults! I told you what… the Vong have done to Sekotans; taking and torturing them simply to scare the populace into submission! How, by the Force, should we've sought peace with such a species?!" I wasn't sure how I stayed seated, but I did even as my anger at her wanting to push a peaceful solution to the matter flared.
"Be mindful of your emotions, Cameron. A Jedi should be careful about drawing on them." I leaned back in my chair, slamming a cap on the building rage within and then pinching the bridge of my nose at Fay's gentle rebuke. Even if she had a point about my anger getting the better of me at this moment in time, the pointless, almost mindless, drivel she was sprouting was fucking stupid. Not least because it was my emotions, my anger, that'd helped the Resistance gain some early successes. Force, the only reason we survived the initial Vong assault was by losing control of that rage. Yet, after all that I'd done, to keep her and others safe, she felt the need to preach about my having emotions!
Feeling a hand rest on my forearm, I opened my eyes – which had closed when I'd pinched my nose – and saw Fay had leant over the table. "Cameron, I'm not saying what you did was wrong. You were faced with a challenging situation that would push even a seasoned Jedi Master. Yet I feel you chose the lightsaber too quickly; a failing of many Jedi over the millennia. However, alone – barring Miss Kryze and Fenrir – you've not only managed to survive but help the locals defend their home and secured passage for us off-world. And critically, while your emotions are far more evident within the Force, for all the carnage and destruction you've seen, you appear unfazed by it. Something when I first woke and learnt you'd been fighting for months concerned me greatly. To see you not sink into the depths you so easily could've after your recent trials," she smiled warmly and I felt some of the strain on my heart lift, "warms my soul and gives me hope for the future."
Her words helped me cool down, though only until I caught onto something she'd said in the middle of that. "Master, surely you don't plan for us to take this ship and leave the Sekotans behind? The Vong on this world aren't enough to secure it and I fear a larger force is on its way. If we don't help the Sekotans now, we risk them all dying when the main Vong forces arrive and fully secure the planet."
"I'm not suggesting that Cameron. Merely stating that, when the time comes, we have a method to depart given the fate of the Sartr." I sighed in relief, as that would've meant failing the Invaders From the Void quest, and accelerating the Vong's invasion – which I was beginning to think meant the Republic – by up to fifty years. Since they were never hinted at in the movies or show, that must've happened sometime after Return of the Jedi, which had me cursing myself for not browsing Wookieepedia for information on what came after. "That said, the approach you've taken while I was recuperating won't be continuing." I opened my mouth to argue only for her to keep going. "A Jedi doesn't use the Force to attack, only to defend. Yes, I understand you feel you've done this to defend the Sekotans, but your actions say otherwise. A Jedi doesn't lay ambushes for enemy forces, doesn't carry out autopsies on a being's body after they killed it, nor consider capturing someone for… questioning." Fay frowned as I felt my anger begin to simmer once more. "These are not the actions of a Jedi, and while the taint of the Dark Side hasn't encased you, it's clear you've been placed at risk of its influence with the choices made in your conflict."
I took several hard, deep breaths to calm myself. If I responded to this issue with anger it would, in her mind, only prove her point. Once I felt I had it under control, I responded. "I didn't mean to lash out like I did, Master. But I saw you fall; felt you scream out in the Force. I feared…" I paused, wiped my eyes, and took another deep breath. I'd had to draw on that memory, and those of my time under Vosa's tender mercies, to help fuel my rage and empower Force Lightning – which was far more dangerous the more I drew on my rage – yet I knew I was walking a fine line regarding doing so. Yet I'd had little choice but to do so to ensure most of us survived.
Fay sighed and looked away for a moment, clearly thinking about something. "I understand, Cameron, and I'm sorry you've had to face this situation essentially by yourself. I felt moments where you drew on that anger you're struggling with currently while I was… indisposed and used that to help save those around you. Given the situation, I can understand why you did so, but I cannot in good conscience allow this to continue." While this confirmed Fay had sensed moments when I'd drawn on the Dark Side, it also proved that the training – brief as it was – that I'd gained from King Adas had helped to hide just how heavily I'd bent the Force to my will at times. Without that training and the removal of the cap on Dark Side Masking, I had no doubt Fay would've demanded we leave the planet immediately to protect me from the Dark Side ravaging my soul. Or something to that effect.
Amusingly to me, Adas, while not being happy about me having to hide my power from the Jedi, understood why I had to hide it. The Jedi of this time were too numerous that while he felt I could already eliminate many of them, I wasn't ready to openly challenge them. To him, it would be a waste of a potential successor, even if he did wish to see how the Jedi of this era would've fared against him and his axe.
"Yes, master. But the Vong are dangerous. Putting aside how I can only sense them by sensing the blind spots they generate in the Force, they're a warrior people. They attack first, with brutal force and efficiency and I've… no we've, lacked the numbers to engage them from an equal footing." Which, I hoped, she'd see was why I'd gone for the ambush route for engaging the Vong. Not that the Sekotans had been the greatest of help as in four ambushes they'd joined, they'd only directly killed six Vong. The rest, with me being responsible for the majority, had fallen to some combination of Bo, Fenrir, Zarkos, Simvyl, and myself. That had helped me get close to levelling up, but I was still a few thousand XP away. "I… there were moments in combat where I feared losing Fenrir or Bo. When I thought they might die. I couldn't lose them, not when I was so close to losing you."
"Death is a natural part of life, Cameron." As she spoke, I could feel her concern mixed with some despair, which I assumed was for leaving me alone to face the Vong. "Every being dies and, as much as Miss Kryze might dislike the notion, becomes part of the Force. On the day that happens to me, Master Dooku, or any friend you currently have or will gain, you shouldn't mourn them. Instead, we should celebrate their life and remember that no matter where you go from there, they are one with the Force, and thus, still with you."
"I… yes, Master." What she said made sense, even if I wasn't comfortable about placing such blind faith in the Force.
"Good. Now, while it may hurt to relive them, I want you to detail your actions for every encounter you had with the Vong. Every detail, no matter how minor, might grant us some insight into their goals on the world beyond, as you believe, simply holding it for the rest of their species to arrive. I also want you, while detailing the last several months, to think about how those events affected you: how they altered your emotions and made you take actions you might not have otherwise done."
I looked away and took a moment to collect my thoughts. I'd already gone over the events since Fay went down, but I'd avoided focusing on any details. Mainly to hide my drawing on the Dark Side. At least now I knew Fay had sensed me drawing on it on occasion, so I could mix truth with lie as I detailed my actions, plus, once this was over, I could let her view the Council-prepared recording Bo had made. I'd avoided using Force Lightning there for exactly this purpose.
"I was angry, Master. Angry at what they'd done to you, at what they'd done to m-our ship," I hoped she didn't focus on my slip about ownership of the Ne'tra Sartr, "and what they began subjecting the Sekotans to. That anger hasn't faded, but I've done my best to not focus on it as I'd tried to help the Sekotans however I could."
She stayed silent for a moment, and I swore I saw the gears in her mind turning, trying to place what I'd said with what she'd felt within her coma. "I understand that, Cameron. But I wish to hear full details about every battle you fought. Starting with our initial encounter with the Vong. Specifically, how you reacted to my injury."
I took a breath to prepare myself. I'd held little hope this discussion would be short for months now, and it looked like I was correct. Hopefully, once it was over – though I suspected it would take several sessions over the next few days at least to cover most of it – she'd be willing to return to focusing on the Sekotans and Vong.
Even as I began a fuller recounting, a part of my mind was already working on what to say to make sure she allowed us to stay and fight.
… …
… …
"Sorry, what?!" Bo snarled out as we stood in the central area of the new living ship while discussing our next move against the Vong. It'd been about a week since Fay had awoken and she'd convened this meeting to discuss our next move. Though given Bo's aggressive response, and the way Simvyl looked to be almost shaking with rage, her suggestion went down about as well as I'd expected.
"We are to seek out the Vong leadership and attempt to find a peaceful resolution to this conflict." As Fay replied earnestly to Bo, I ran my palm down my face. I didn't need to see Bo's face to know her cheeks were turning the same colour as her hair. "I understand that many have lost their lives in this conflict and that finding common ground with these Vong seems ludicrous. However, to seek a way back from the brink, to try and ensure no more Sekotans die protecting their world is a goal worthy of any Jedi."
"Of all the…" Bo grunted before slamming her hand down hard on the table. the map being projected by the table flickered for a second but otherwise remained, leaving Bo's hand crushing Middle Distance. "Te'habi jetii'kad gar'shebs!" My brow rose at that curse even as Bo jabbed a finger at Fay. "The only way to save the Sekotans is to kill the Vong! They only care about power and taking what they want, and yet you want to shabyr talk to them?!?"
I might agree with Bo's opinion, but voicing it with that curse was, perhaps pushing it a touch. Or it would be if she'd said it to me. Fay would, I was sure, brush it off, even if it was odd to see Bo step outside the light command structure that had existed ever since she'd joined us when we'd left Mandalore.
Still, even with Fay having nominal command over all of us, I wasn't happy at her just grabbing the reins after I'd led what I felt was a generally successful insurrection. However, I was willing to allow it; mainly so I could let Fay see how opposed to a peaceful solution the rest of our team was. Though I hadn't expected Bo to curse my master out. Nor for Fay to suggest we head to the largest Vong base on the planet – which was near Far Distance – in the hopes their leaders were there and not in orbit, and then calmly ask them to come out and talk. That was, quite possibly, the dumbest decision I'd ever heard of, and I'd dealt with intelligence officers during missions in my former life who'd only gotten their posting due to nepotism.
"Firstly, I lack the required lightsaber to have one trapped in my posterior," Fay's initial response made me cough back a laugh even as Bo rolled her eyes. "Secondly, that is what I wish to do. While your actions over the preceding months have generally been successful, they've done, I suspect, little more than irritate the Vong. Continuing that approach, or even trying to use this unarmed vessel, to attack the Vong would only result in more death; likely including ours. Therefore, I'm suggesting an alternative approach to the invasion that, if it works, would save more lives on both sides than any other option presently on the table."
My palm moved upward and began to rub my forehead. I agreed wholeheartedly with Bo's position, but before the meeting, Fay had asked me to allow the others to voice their opinions first. Possibly she felt Bo and Simvyl would agree with whatever I decided, but I knew that wasn't the case as free discussions were how most of our strategy sessions had gone.
That said, it was clear that everyone, even Gann and Vidge, was against the idea. Hell, just before the meeting, Vidge had come to Fay and me and mentioned that apart from working on our vessel, and another private project, every engineer here had convinced the Jentari to shape fighter craft. Now, Vidge had implied that none of the vessels had laser cannons, as the Sekotan refused to keep any on-planet, but the simple fact they'd used this time to develop and build fighters was unexpected. And impressive. Plus, I suspected that they'd found a way to have weapons developed in those fighters that didn't meet Republic expectations.
That, of course, had gotten me thinking about how to arm my new starship. While I'd done little, bar sitting in the cockpit getting acquainted with the controls and helping the bond I shared with it grow stronger, I'd found myself wondering how easy it would be to add weaponry to her. I knew Fay wouldn't approve but given the regularity with which I seemed to find myself in tense situations, flying around in an unarmed starship felt like a great way to die. Which was something Bo had commented on during our introduction to the ship. Vidge had explained that the ship was designed to use its speed and manoeuvrability to escape hostile encounters.
A growl from Bo brought my thoughts back to the meeting. "That is…" She shook her head and then forcibly pushed back from the table. that sent her hair flying, making her look as if she was on fire for a moment before she glared at me. "She's your master! You deal with her!"
I reached for her, wanting to stop her, but my fingers barely touched her before she stormed past me and exited the room. Part of me wanted to head after her, to help calm her. Or failing that, redirect her passion, but I knew I shouldn't. Not with Fay watching me carefully. Plus, it would also undermine the strength of Bo's statement, which was the last thing I wanted to do since I agreed with it.
"She's right!" My head snapped back to the table at hearing Simvyl speak up before I could offer anything. It was odd to hear him agree with Bo when you considered the issues between their peoples, but over the last few months of fighting together, that hatred – mainly from Simvyl's side – had died away. Replacing it had been a sense of kinship between them, between all of us really, which had only grown stronger after Zarkos' death. "Those monsters killed my friends! My teachers! They've tortured innocents in the streets for kriffing fun! You can't talk with beasts like that, only put them down. Hard!"
"I understand you're angry ab…"
Simvyl snarled, baring his teeth as he cut Fay off mid-word. "With respect, Master Jedi, I'm not just angry. I'm furious! Blood demands blood!" In an unintentional mirroring of Bo, he slammed his fist against the table. "They deserve nothing but death!"
The Sekotans present took a few steps back, clearly wary of finding themselves between the brewing conflict. It probably didn't help that Fenrir was prowling around behind me, his ears back slightly while his remaining spinal spikes seemed to quiver whenever I caught sight of them. I knew he wouldn't attack, but he was agitated by the rage flowing around the room. As was the ship; the lights around us pulsed brighter in an almost chaotic pattern.
"Master," I cut in before Fay could respond, or Simvyl could continue, "While I agree with the others that this plan is… foolhardy at best, I understand why you wish to attempt it." Fay gave me a small nod of thanks for the support, though I doubted it would stay as I continued. "However, it won't work because the Vong are unlike anything you've ever encountered. I'm not going to rehash what I brought up when we talked over the last few days, but if you heard anything I or the others have said, you'd see this plan won't work." I paused and took a long breath, settling the rising anger that was always brought on by thinking about the Vong. "Still, it is your choice to attempt this, and mine to accompany you. Though let me be clear when this fails, and it will, and after we've fought our way back to safety, I will remind you of the folly of the plan."
"Do you doubt my abilities, Padawan?" Fay asked with a smile and tone that irked me. It was almost as if she had supreme confidence in her ability to mediate a situation. Or she felt her opinions on the Vong were greater than the three of us who, unlike her, had interacted with the Vong.
"No, Master. I simply feel that such time and effort are wasted on a race with a mindset like the Vong. To them, from what we've observed while you have recuperated, the normal galactic civilities aren't a concern. The only language they speak is one of battle and power, so the only way to speak with them, in my opinion, is while holding a weapon to their throat."
Fay's smile, as I'd expected, fell as I explained myself. When I finished, her eyes were locked on me and she seemed almost disappointed by what I'd said. "I see your time with Master Dooku hasn't been forgotten." She may have meant it as a subtle slight, but it amused me and I smirked at the comparison. Particularly as, if he were here instead of Fay, there'd be little to no discussion about seeking peace with the Vong. Hell, at this moment, I'd prefer Windu was here as I felt he'd realise the threat the Vong posed. Not just to the Sekotans, but potentially to the entire galaxy. "Though I will endeavour to prove your pessimism unfounded."
I bit the inside of my mouth to cut off the retort brewing in my throat. There was little point, not after a week of similar discussions, in dragging this conversation out. No, it was better that I allow Fay time in her fallacies while I started planning out how I was going to rescue our arses from the fire after the Vong laughed in our faces and tried to kill us.
Then, once we were back here, I'd try to not enjoy rubbing Fay's nose in it too much over how wrong she'd been.
… …
… …
"This is a jare'la plan," Bo muttered through my earpiece. She'd made that observation almost every hour on the hour since I'd agreed to support Fay with this and even though her feelings on the matter were clear, she kept saying it. "If you make it out of this, I'm going to kill you for agreeing to it."
"You're welcome to try, but it'll end the same way it always does," I shot back with a chuckle. Bo was far more aggressive than anyone I'd been with in my former life, and most sessions between us were a fight of dominance. I always won as I didn't think she was trying particularly hard to stop me once she knew she'd gotten my full attention, but last night's session had been far more vigorous than normal, a sign of just how furious she was with this plan. Though as I walked a step behind Fay toward the Vong base, my issues with the plan were returning.
Assaulting the compound near Middle Distance would've resulted in high casualties but attacking here would've been suicide. Based on the size alone, I'd have had to drop a fucking mountain on it just to be sure to take out the compound. And that was only if the defences I could see on the walls, and whatever was hidden inside, didn't blast the mountain out of the air.
The base itself looked to be nearly a kilometre wide with walls at least thirty metres reaching into the sky. Dotted around the walls, no more than a hundred metres apart, were cannons that wouldn't look out of place on a cruiser; which they sure as shit didn't on the cruiser that rose from the base as we approached. The area around the base for about a kilometre had been scorched, which ensured that the moment we emerged from the forest, several Vong cannons on the high walls of the base turned our way. Honestly, it was a fucking miracle they hadn't fired the moment we'd appeared, though I sort of wished they had, because then I'd be able to get the fuck away from the place and consider how in the blue hell I was going to win this war.
"I believe they know we're here."
I coughed back laughter at Fay stating the obvious as the wall cannons tracked our approach. Any sudden movement would likely result in them opening fire and while I'd be able to teleport away, I feared Fay would fuck up and use a Force barrier or telekinesis to defend herself. To try to since those powers didn't work directly against Vong or their technology. And if by some miracle, we survived the cannons, the fact the entire base was one giant null-zone meant I had fuck-all idea how many Vong were inside.
All in all, the feeling that this was a shitshow waiting to happen was only growing stronger; not helped in the least by the way the Force on this planet was almost shivering as we approached the base. I tensed, my hands drifting ever closer to my weapons – Fay hadn't wanted me to carry the beskad but I'd made it clear I'd only stop carrying it once the Vong were gone – as the wall facing us seemed to vibrate before a large section, perhaps twenty metres by ten, peeled back – like the peel being removed from an orange – revealing the inside of the base.
Through the gap, after boosting my sight with the Force, I saw over a hundred Vong arrayed inside. Some were going about their business, while the majority were glaring at us. I also saw a dozen fighter analogues and what looked like some kind of giant beetle that, unless I missed my guess, was some sort of ground transport. My temper flared as I saw the Vong with missing claws standing near the front and given the way it barked something, it saw me.
From that mass, three Vong stepped forward, exiting the base. The centre figure was clearly in charge as the other two walked a step behind its shoulders, and all three wore a different armour from any Vong inside the base. It was like the red-shell armour the clawed-Vong wore, but black. From various locations, large, vicious-looking spikes sprang out and I quickly saw how many could be used in close-quarters-combat to inflict an insane amount of fatal damage to an enemy. There were also spikes rising from behind their skulls, which wouldn't prevent the head from moving but provide extra protection against head strikes, which would explain why none wore anything akin to a helmet. As they came closer, it became obvious that the armour was solid, with no obvious weak spots beyond the hands – though each had an arm that looked to not have been a natural occurrence, much like the clawed-Vong – under the arms and a frontal assault. The fact they, like the clawed-Vong, seemed to have chosen to replace limbs, and I saw others with odd legs inside the base, had several worrying implications about their culture. Though I wasn't going to jump to conclusions until I had one of these altered bodies on an autopsy table.
"Master," I whispered as one of the Vong behind their leader snarled and the amphistaff in his hand hissed.
"Stay calm, Cameron. We are here to speak with them in search of peace. Any sign of aggression might result in that failing before we can begin."
I rolled my eyes at her words. "I won't strike first, master. But when these talks fail, and after we've somehow managed to escape, I'll remind you of my words when you put this plan forward." The odds of this succeeding were closer to zero than one per cent, and that was before we'd even arrived here. Now, my only concern was finding a way out of here that didn't result in our deaths. Hopefully, that wouldn't need me to draw on the Dark Side, but if push came to shove, I'd take that over losing Fay.
"Normally I'd find your lack of faith in my abilities concerning. However, given your previous encounters with these Vong, it is understandable. That said, try not to speak unless you have something to add that isn't a threat." I glared at her back, my barely controlled rage flaring at the dismissal. "I don't wish for you to upset these negotiations."
"However short they will be." I shot back with a bit more venom than I'd have liked as Fay glanced at me. No retort came though came as the trio of Vong came closer.
Before they reached us, I used the Force to boost my eyesight and examined every Vong that I could see inside the base and determined what might be the best place to toss the trio of thermal detonators I had stowed away in my belt to ensure maximum carnage. It wouldn't likely do much to their overall strength level, but it, I hoped, would give Fay and me the time needed to slip back into the woods. At least provided the cruiser floating ominously overhead didn't go scorched earth when we entered the forest.
"Why are you here?"
The words that came from the lead Vong's mouth came as such a surprise, that I almost stumbled at hearing him speak Basic. There was an unbelievably bad accent, likely as he'd not used it much before arriving on this planet, but it was clear enough that there was no confusion about what he was saying. Once I got over that shock, I noted that all three Vong had shifted their gaze to me, or more specifically the weapons at my waist, with the one who'd snarled from a distance doing so once again. It seemed the clawed-Vong had reported my existence and weaponry to its leaders, and now they were placing a face to that report. Though if they wanted a closer look, I'd happily give it to them by burying the blades in their skulls.
"We seek a peaceful way to resolve this conflict that has arisen between you and the inhabitants of this world. One that would, ideally, be suitable to both parties." If the Vong hadn't been watching us, I'd have facepalmed at Fay's way of phrasing it, and then done so again at the way the three Vong seemed to be taken aback by her words.
"You speak for the invaders and wish to surrender?"
"I seek a path out of this conflict for all parties, meaning your people and the inhabitants of Zonama Sekot…"
"They are unbelievers upon our holy world!" The Vong cutting Fay off was one thing, but the reverence they held for Sekot was concerning and brought back memories of my previous life when dealing with the most ardent religious fanatics. "This world belongs to us!"
"When they settled here, the planet was uninhabited." The Vong bristled at Fay's words with the more agitated one needing to be restrained by an arm across the chest of the other standing behind the leader. "They've lived here in peace with the galaxy and the planet for over eight standard cycles. Unless you can provide evidence going back further, then by the laws of the Galactic Republic, that grants them control of the world."
The lead Vong stepped closer, towering over both of us. "This world is a seed of our lost home. This we know in our bones and by our holiest words. Those on this world currently are honourless pests that the gods demand we remove."
The two Vong behind it tightened their grips on their amphistaffs. Danger Sense flared up, warning me of threats from everywhere in front of me. My finger drifted closer to the control to engage my lightsaber even as my feet slipped around slowly, settling me into a combat stance.
"As a Jedi, I wish to find a way to resolve this dispute peacefully, in the manner all civilised beings should," The Vong leader's eyes seemed to widen, as if not believing the words coming from Fay. Oddly, I agreed with it though that didn't mean I was going to let this thing kill her even as my mind rapidly played over its words looking for another avenue of approach. "Violence and death serve no purpose."
"Death in the service of our gods, our crusade, is a fate any of us would accept with honour. Many under my command already have." Its eyes locked onto mine. "They fell in battle for this cause, a worthy death even if the warrior who killed them worships false gods."
There was the subtlest shift in the Force coming from Fay. Hopefully, that meant she saw that these talks were failing – not that they ever had a chance to succeed – yet I was seeing a conceivable way to escape this situation unharmed. Possibly.
"You claim that the Sekotans have no honour by invading this world that you claim," I shot out as I moved beside Fay. "That those who've died by my blade did so with honour, yet what proof do we have that any of you have honour?"
The three Vong bristled at my words and again the snarling one tried to move toward me only to be stopped by the other. It spat strange, twisted sounds at me that were likely nothing more than insults in its tongue, yet Comprehend Speech failed to translate any of it. Likely because they lacked any connection to the Force.
"You question our honour?"
I smirked up at the lead Vong. "I question its existence."
All around me, I felt the Force react even as the Vong leader snarled down at me. The amphistaff snapped its teeth in barely contained fury, I felt the Force moving. Though I didn't need that to know I was playing an extremely dangerous game. However, given our location, it was the only option I could see that wouldn't result in Fay dying. Not so long as the Vong were focused on me and not her.
"We know of you, Jedi." The lead Vong confirmed what I'd suspected. "You've fought well against my warriors, killed many of them. To prove our honour, I will grant you death by my hands. The gods will surely favour me with glory for your head."
"And yet, with your lack of honour, you'd be nothing more than a notch on my belt," I replied with fake disdain. The Vong stepped closer, its amphistaff centimetres from biting me as I ignored the fucking smell of the Vong. "Unless you are willing to prove it."
"Explain."
My nose wrinkled at its breath, which gave me another moment to plot out this insane idea I was developing. Yet it seemed I'd gotten the Vong's undivided attention and led this thing to where this plan wanted it to head. Or so I hoped. "We settle this with a duel. Single combat."
"Cameron!"
"I accept." The Vong's agreement cut off Fay from whatever speech she was about to give me about reckless behaviour. And since the Vong agreed, her trying to force me to back down would mean our deaths. Or I hoped she understood that as I'd rather not have this Hail Mary fail because she couldn't see what I was trying to do. "What are the terms?"
I kept my focus on the Vong. "If I win, then you and your forces leave this world. If you somehow win, then we will arrange for the Sekotans that don't wish to remain under your control to do the same." Fay was glaring at me, or as much as she'd ever glare, but I didn't care. Her plan had failed so badly that if I'd not risked this, we'd both likely be dead, which wasn't something I'd like to experience again for a long arse time. And then there was the quest that implied that if I failed here the Vong would invade the galaxy soon, which would cause untold chaos and destruction. This was, at this moment the only path I could find that would end this war without trapping me here for a decade plus leading an insurrection against the Vong. And insurrection that would likely fail once the bulk of their forces arrived.
Behind the lead Vong, the calmer one spoke up. the lead Vong stepped back and turned to speak – though it sounded more like snarling – with its subordinate. As before, I couldn't understand any of it even with Comprehend Speech active.
"This is a reckless move, Cameron," Fay stated while doing a fair impression of Dooku with her tone, "with time, I feel a diplomatic solution could've been discovered."
I knew I shouldn't have, but I openly scoffed into Fay's face. "If you truly believe that master, then I've got a lovely seaside property on Tatooine I'd like to sell you." Fay frowned, not enjoying my humour, but frankly, I didn't care. "I know this is reckless, but it's the only play I can see. The only way I can guarantee gets all of us off this world alive."
Fay's expression softened in an instant, and one of her hands came to rest on my shoulder. "Cameron," she began, her tone far gentler. Yet before she could say anything more, the lead Vong turned back to us.
"Your terms are accepted." Behind him, the other Vong didn't look pleased. Though it was hard to tell with how fucked up their faces were. The hot-headed one looked furious while the calmer one – and that term was relative since I think he simply wanted to rip my limbs from their sockets – seemed almost resigned about what was to happen. "Will this one honour the terms when you fall?"
I snarled up at the Vong, letting it know I didn't think it was going to win even as Fay sighed. "Yes, I will accept my Padawan's decision and abide by the Force's will on this matter. No matter how foolish I feel it to be." She looked at the other Vong. "Will your followers do the same when Cameron defeats you?" Well, at least Fay wasn't trying to undermine me in front of the Vong.
"We will," replied the calmer Vong. "Yum-Yammka will be honoured with blood this day."
I rolled my eyes at hearing that a race that held no connection to the Force and was skilled at warfare would worship gods with blood. Based on the strange limbs I'd consider it a safe bet that they practised ritual sacrifices and mutilations as well. "Are we going to fight or are you going to bore me to death with details about your gods?" I asked, wanting to rattle the Vong. Yes, it being angry when we duelled would make it more aggressive, but it was also something I might be able to exploit. The Vong was likely a better fighter than any Vong I'd encountered before, but as it was single combat, I wouldn't have to worry about another Vong stepping in to save it before I could land a blow as had often happened during ambushes.
Oddly the Vong laughed as if it was amused by my challenging its religion. "I will teach you about our gods when I offer your life to them. However, before then, they require prayer. Return here in ten hours and I will introduce you to the true gods."
"Five," I shot back, not wanting to give it the time he needed as it might place the Vong off-balance. "And I'd rather not fight you in range of the guns of your base and ships. Who's to say that one of them would place victory by any means above honouring your gods?"
"We all serve the gods as their warriors in this life," that came from the hot-headed Vong as it took a step forward. "To suggest otherwise is to court death!" it spat out as the calmer one yanked on its shoulder.
"Then go ahead and kill me now," I snarled back, feeling slightly safe in the fact it wouldn't as that would break the honour of its superior. "That is, of course, if your talk of honour was nothing but empty words!" From the way all three Vong were trying to burn me to ash with just their glares, it was clear I was planning a dangerous game. But I was feeling secure in having manipulated the Vong into fighting me for the planet by understanding a tiny fraction of their culture. I needed the Vong off-balance since, with Fay likely to be nearby when the duel took place, I'd not be able to draw on Force Lightning to claim victory.
"Five hours. And we will fight where the pitiful leader of this world died." The Lead Vong stated, drawing my attention to the two behind it. "Only our seconds will stand witness."
"Agreed." It gave me a nod and then took several steps backwards, not wanting to turn its back on me before it reached its subordinates. As they headed back, but before Fay could speak, I used Observe on the Vong leader to see what I'd be facing.
I was pleased to see it was enraged about my behaviour towards its gods. While it would likely have calmed down by the time we fought, it proved that going after its honour and gods was a valid method to anger it. Still, the fact it was level 33 – which placed it on par with low-end Jedi Masters – was a concern. Doubly so since it didn't have access to the Force. There was also the issue that it had replaced two limbs, as I'd seen the arm, but the leg was something I'd have to keep an eye on during the duel.
"Cameron," I raised a hand toward Fay, cutting her off. There was a spike of displeasure in the Force which was mirrored by confusion on her face.
"We have much to talk about, master, I know. But perhaps we do so away from the Vong compound when we're not under the cannons of the Vong base?"
For a moment, I didn't think Fay would let the matter wait, but it ended with a sigh and a nod. "Very well. Though I'm more concerned with how you felt threatening the Vong leader and insulting their beliefs was the correct way to achieve what you desired."
I took a step back, not wanting to turn around when in range of the Vong base, even as Fay showed less concern and faced toward the forest behind us. "Like Mandalorians, they are warriors, Master. As I've said several times already. Soft words and kind gestures are unlikely to work, even from a position of strength."
Fay paused for a minute as if she was going to say something, only to shake her head. As she walked calmly to the treeline, unconcerned with the Vong cannon tracking our movement, I frowned. Her attempts at peace had failed, I'd proven the Vong were warriors, yet she was now willing to blindly trust that they'd keep their word and show them her back. It felt like a mistake to me, even a character flaw that hadn't been shaken by spending over half a year in a coma.
I kept my eyes on the base until I was inside the trees, feeling that turning and showing my back might be taken the wrong way. Once past the tree line, I slipped from view, and then once sure there were no null-zones within range of my Detection-boosted minimap, turned and moved quickly to reach Fay and the transport to take us back to our ship.
… …
… …
I watched calmly as the Vong cruiser, likely the same one I'd seen over their base several hours ago, came closer. Standing here and waiting did carry the risk the Vong would just attack us here and now, but if honour truly didn't matter to them, then they'd have taken the opportunity to take us out when we'd approached their base.
Around us was, for the most part, rubble. The Magister's compound had been reduced to a massive pile of rubble; at least in the places where the ground hadn't been scarred by whatever the Vong had done here.
"Are you prepared for this?" Fay asked as she stood at my side. While, as I'd expected, she'd been harsh toward me choosing to settle this conflict in single combat – and thus risk my life so brazenly – she'd also accepted that her attempted peace talks had failed. She recognised that if I hadn't intervened, then we'd have likely been forced to fight our way away from the Vong base. Still, that didn't make her happy with my choice to engage in combat to settle the matter. Something that likely influenced her making me meditate in solitude for three hours after we arrived back aboard our new starship. Currently, I'd still to give her a name, but a few options were bouncing around my head.
As we'd meditated, I'd initially tried to commune with the Force to see if this was the correct path to take. As expected, it'd been less than forthcoming in that regard, so I'd spent most of the time planning out how to fight the Vong leader. Force Lightning was out unless I wanted Fay to drag me over the coals when we returned to the temple. It'd still be there as an emergency asspull, but I'd rather not rely on it to defeat the Vong. Thus, I replayed every engagement I'd had with the Vong, trying to see what'd worked and what hadn't. Since I knew nothing about this Vong's combat capabilities, I was working from the worrying position that he was as far beyond the claw-handed Vong as that one was above their regular squad leaders.
When we'd finished our meditation, Bo had been waiting for me outside the room, and much to Fay's amusement – and possibly some concern – had dragged me right back in before locking the door. Bo was angry that not only was I the one to fight the Vong leader but that she'd not be my second. Going unsaid there was that she didn't believe Fay would be of any help if things went sideways, however, I had faith in Fay to stick to the agreed terms. When I'd pushed Bo about her feelings on the matter, she'd grown angry, thinking I was mocking her and that I didn't consider that she'd be left looking after Fenrir if I fell. To settle her nerves, and distract me for what was to come, I'd all but leapt at her and the next hour had been lost in a symphony of passion, mixed with some violence since Bo wasn't the most gentle of lovers.
After emerging from my quarters again, and ignoring the looks the others gave us, I'd spoken briefly with Simvyl and Fenrir. The Cathar, like Bo, had wanted to be the one to fight the Vong, but he understood that I had a better chance of making the son of a Hutt – his words – pay. I'd asked him to keep an eye on Bo and Fenrir, and I'd also said something similar to Bo and Fenrir. The tuk'ata had walked at my side as I'd headed to the transport and then whined when I'd told him to stay. Bo gave me a look, making it clear she was relieved that I had returned but made no move to hold me. While I'd have enjoyed the comfort, such public displays of affection weren't common in Mandalorian culture, which was an odd counter to how important family was to them.
Our journey, up until this point, had been taken in silence. "I guess we'll see," I replied jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. The ripples of concern that emanated from Fay at my blasé response meant I'd failed. "I've fought and killed dozens of Vong since they arrived here, master, and while I expect their leader to be the toughest opponent yet, I know I can take him."
Fay frowned, which was always an odd expression to see on her ageless face. "Again, I see Master Dooku's influence in you, though be mindful of your confidence, lest it leads you to arrogance," I smirked at both parts of that as I couldn't deny that I had adopted many of Dooku's mannerisms and understood well the concept of pride beyond the deserved. "And while I'd prefer you offer clemency to the Vong once you defeat him," it was nice to hear her voice confidence in my abilities, "I doubt such a moment will present itself, or that the Vong would accept."
Overhead, the cruiser stopped, and from the port side, a smaller ship emerged. The way the hull seemed to ripple back to expose the landing bay felt alien and yet oddly familiar. Something that was true for all Vong technology I'd seen as there were similarities to Sekotan technology, but whereas the Sekotans found joy in life and the world they lived on, it felt as if the Vong only cared about their needs and twisted their creations to suit those needs. As I pondered that more while the smaller ship, a troop transport by the looks of things, descended, I realised that while they were mainly different, there were odd angles and lines on the Vong cruiser that mirrored my new starship. Perhaps that was why the Vong felt so strongly that this world belonged to them.
The transport touched down near the remains of the main building of the Magister's compound and I watched as two Vong exited. A quick usage of Observe confirmed the lead figure was Feir Kr'Lenah and it looked like the one behind it was, thankfully, the calmer of its subordinates.
"Are you prepared?" Feir called out once it was about thirty metres from me, it's second having hung back near their transport. Along with other Vong that I could just see staying inside the vehicle.
I took a step forward only for Fay to stop me by placing a hand on the crook of my arm. "The Force is with you. Always." I smiled at hearing her use that line and place one of my hands on hers before bowing slightly.
I slid from Fay's grip and walked toward the Feir until I was about twenty metres from it. "I'm ready, though I wish to know the name of the being who will die by my blade today. So that his name might be known by others."
"I am Feir Kr'Lenah; Subaltern of the Praetorite Vong. This day, I claim this seed of Yuuzhan'tar for my people." As the Vong spoke, I felt the Force around me shift. Yet it didn't feel as if it was a general ripple in the Force, but one centred upon the world. As if it somehow understood what was at stake. As for the Vong, its rank meant nothing, though being a member of the Praetorite Vong was interesting as that was similar in name to the Praetorian Guard of ancient Rome. Those had served as the bodyguards, spymasters, and agents of the emperors of Rome, so might these Vong be serving a similar role for their Supreme Overlord? Yuuzhan'tar was a word that came up often and based on its similarity to the species name, it was likely their homeworld, but how the fuck could a planet be the seed of another? That just sounded like some bullshit reasoning to explain their invasion.
"Well met, Feir Kr'Leanh," I began as I slipped into a Makashi stance. I wasn't removing my lightsaber as that might be seen as the start of combat, but I moved my hand in the gesture for an opening salute. "I am Cameron Shan, Chief of Clan Shan, Mtael of the Lokella and Padawan of the Jedi Order," it seemed to snarl at hearing that, making me wonder if it realised my rank was very low, "and I fight today to protect this world for those who've lived here long before you arrived. And will do so long after your death."
"Today is a good day for you to die." Feir snarked, his amphistaff twisting around and snapping at me from across the dust-filled ground that separated us.
"And for me, it's just another day killing your species." I retorted as I flicked on my lightsaber, enjoying as always the faint roar it generated due to the small krayt dragon pearl. While I'd love to add the Mantle of the Force, it wasn't quite at the point where the crystal was fully aligned to me, nor was my skill with lightsabers at a point where I could add a fourth crystal to the matrix. My beskad stayed against my hip for now, as I didn't want to use it too early and have him realise the danger it posed to him and his living weapon.
Feir's head tilted to one side as if confused or insulted by my comment. A moment later, with no roar of anger nor hint it was coming bar the slight shifting of its feet, the Vong charged. I settled my feet, and waited, wanting to see what this Vong was capable of doing in the opening moments of our duel. My eyes carefully tracked the amphistaff as it hardened.
My rear foot shifted, altering the angle of my body as my lightsaber tapped the staff away. It shifted into its whip form, but I'd already rotated and slid back, so the snapping jaw found nothing but air. Even then, Feir was turning, using the ability of its weapon to swiftly change the attack vector. The snake-head leapt low, aiming for my lead leg. I pulled it back even as my lightsaber twitched down. The snake-head recoiled in pain as my blade slashed one eye, though the movement prevented the plasma from doing any further damage.
A roll of Feir's shoulders had it shifting direction, the amphistaff coming upward and hardening in a single motion. I slid back, my lightsaber filling the space between me and the Vong. This entire segment of the duel was a feeling-out section. Feir was only attacking as quickly as the Vong squad leaders, while I was keeping my distance, trying to spot holes in his form while making sure neither Vong nor its weapon landed anything more than a glancing blow. I had plans for later in the duel, but I'd only use them if needed.
Feir came at me directly, possibly because I was defending on a linear axis and wanted to test that. A sidestep one way was a feint as he swung his staff from the other side, keeping it in its rigid form, aiming low toward my legs. My lightsaber slid out, pushing the snake-head into the dirt. Feir pulled it back while bringing the tail overhead. I slid back and turned, placing my lightsaber over my head to block the strike.
As I came out of the spin, my lightsaber came around quickly, having picked up speed from my move, and aimed for the Vong's thigh. Feir blocked with the heft of his spear and then pushed the snake-head, which was down low, toward me. With no choice, my beskad came out and the flat of the blade slapped the snake-head under its jaw as I couldn't turn my wrist in time to slice the damned living weapon.
With both my weapons now out, the Vong saw an opportunity. One hand slid from its staff and thrust toward me. Seeing the claws extend from the hand, I leapt back and they caught nothing but air. That made me glad I'd left my robes back on the transport. If I'd worn them here, the claws could've caught them enough that the Vong knocked me off-balance.
Yet even as I withdrew, my wrist twisted, guiding my lightsaber over its elbow. It struck the black armour yet left only a faint discolouration as it withdrew. That confirmed its armour was on-par, at least, with the red-shell armour of the claw-handed Vong. Still, I'd landed the first hit, and it hissed in annoyance as I re-established a gap between us and saw the mark on his armour.
"My warriors spoke truly." Feir's words caught me off-guard as I'd not expected him to speak once the duel had started. "You have some skill. Still, it won't be enough to defeat me." Feir finished as he shook his arm almost nonchalantly.
"Yet I landed the first blow. One that only saved you as you hide behind your armour." It was a weak insult, but I knew I could get under his skin by targeting his beliefs. "I doubt your gods will look favourably upon that."
Something that was likely a laugh, but sounded more like diamonds scraping over metal, slipped from Feir's lips. "Being wounded in battle is a mark of respect for our gods, and our cause. Though what they desire most is our victory."
I smirked, shifting my stance to account for me now holding my beskad. While I hadn't yet maxed out either Jar'Kai or dual-wielding, I'd grown far better at both over the last few months. "Sadly, you won't taste victory here, but perhaps your death will suffice for your gods to forgive you in the afterlife."
Whether the insult bothered him or not, the Vong rushed forward, resuming the duel. It took Feir less time to reach me, indicating he'd been holding back, and three rapid thrusts came at me. None landed as I blocked two and avoided the last by sliding to one side, mainly as the first two had more power behind them, causing me issues with my balance.
Feir pulled back slightly and began to circle, the hardened staff probing for an opening as I turned to match his movements. My lightsaber stayed low, keeping it ready to parry or attack if the situation arose while my beskad stayed closer to my chest as a higher defensive option.
The Vong probed my defence several times, each being parried or pulled back before I had to, until, after what felt like minutes but was likely barely one since the Force was increasing my speed and reaction times, he twirled the staff. For a moment I considered attacking, only to realise the movement of the Vong's weapon was a ruse, designed to lure me in.
Seeing that his plan hadn't worked, Feir brought the staff down, snake-head coming in from high. My lightsaber slid upward to guide the attack away from my legs as the alien weapon was too far away for my beskad to reach without upsetting my stance. Yet, as my lightsaber touched the staff, it lost rigidity.
The weapon started coiling around my lightsaber even as the blade slid down the staff's body. The fangs of the snake-head were dangerously close to my hands and I pulled back. Yet, even as the plasma blade slid out of the rapidly closing coils, the Vong removed one hand from his staff. A twist with the other hand had the whip-staff snap around.
The weapon spun and hardened as it moved around my blade, and before I could even shift my wrist to counter, the Vong weapon hardened; the fangs of the snake-head closed rapidly on my chest. My beskad came down frantically, hoping to stop the attack before it landed, even as I attempted to shuffle back. The beskad caught a chink in the staff and drove it down, yet I hissed as the fangs gorged my side, some of my blood staining the ground below.
I used the Force to leap back, establishing a good ten metres between us, yet as I landed, I saw Feir hadn't pushed his attack. Instead, his weapon had coiled around his arm and he'd run a finger over the snake's fangs. "First blood," Feir stated before licking my blood from his finger. "I shall enjoy savouring more after you fall this day."
I snarled as I quickly opened the notice detailing the wound. I offered a silent prayer to the Force that the wound wasn't poisoned, nor painful. However, not wanting to heal it and risk losing FP when I didn't know how much I'd need later in the duel, I let it bleed. Control Pain was already active, having auto-engaged the moment I was wounded, and since it was a minor thing, the wound was easy to ignore for now.
Feir charged, his staff shifting into its whip form. The snake-head hissed loudly, barring its fangs, though black ichor seeped from the missing eye. The Vong threw what was all but a punch, though the amphistaff leapt with it, snapping frantically. My beskad moved, seeking a chink in the armour, only for the weapon to harden. Feir lunged forward as it did, getting the snake-head past my beskad, though I was able to get enough contact that the weapon tip sailed past my shoulder.
The Vong shifted his stance, moving the staff toward my skull. I ducked and at the same time, my beskad slid down the weapon and then clipped the guard over the top of the lead hand. That was enough to halt the attack, and also left Feir exposed. My lightsaber came up, though rocks I'd scooped from the ground with the Force struck the Vong in its face.
Feir spluttered as dust gathered around his face, his grip on his weapon slackening for a moment, which was all I needed. My lightsaber followed the rocks, yet instead of going for his hands, which were exposed, the tip was thrust forward. It slid up his chest armour, which caused him to react, trying to pull back. But it was too late. I smiled in satisfaction as the tip sunk into the flesh under his arm, making it fall limp in an instant.
The Vong roared in defiance and twisted. My lightsaber moved around inside before being forced out as it clipped the edge of the armour and was guided away. Then, in a display of impressive speed and resilience, the Vong slammed his shoulder into my chest even as my beskad moved along the amphistaff, looking to cleave the weapon in two.
The staff's snake-head lunged forward, its fangs missing my heart but digging into my clothing. I pulled back, bringing my lightsaber up closer to my body. The snake-head was forced to let go, though not before it and my lightsaber left me with an exposed chest, the wound from earlier still seeping blood onto my skin.
I moved back, establishing some room even as the amphistaff coiled around the Vong's now useless arm. I shifted my stance in reply, adopting a modified Makashi stance with my beskad down and to the side, ready to strike if any opportunity arose.
For the briefest of moments, Fay's hope that I'd offer mercy to the Vong floated into my mind. Yet seeing the thing snarl at me as its weapon, blood seeping from its ruined eye, hissed pathetically, I squashed the idea. The Vong deserved no mercy. Only death.
It seemed the Vong agreed as, even with one arm hanging limply, he still attacked. A roar of defiance came from his lungs as he raced toward me, and I felt a smile creep onto my lips. This was a good fight and if he wanted a clean death, I'd give him one.
His good arm surged forward, claws extending. My lightsaber came up, slicing through them, though the hand kept coming and I was forced to backpedal to avoid taking the stumps of the claws in my face. Though as I moved back, I saw strands of hair fall away, the claw stumps still sharp enough to slice them from my head. The snake-head lunged, but my beskad clipped it before it could do any damage.
The working fist went low, the sliced claws tracking for my thigh, though my beskad was able to quickly get down with a rotation of my wrist, removing several of the Vong's fingers and all but ending the threat the fist posed. However, as if sensing that, the amphistaff leapt from the useless arm, sailing through the air toward me.
My lightsaber moved across my face, catching the amphistaff in its remaining eye though not before the thing slammed into the side of my face, forcing me to close my left eye as the fangs reared back on approach.
With my left eye closed from the wound, and the hissing of the snake-head overwhelming my ear, I knew I needed to generate room quickly, and watched the world turn silver as I teleported away. As the light faded, I found myself a good forty metres from Feir, though given the unstable ground, before I could set my feet, I slipped, dropping to a knee.
The hand holding my beskad came up and my fingers touched around my eye. I winced at the small jolt of pain that came from the wound before I opened the newest notice from the Interface. I breathed deeply in relief when it said that while I had a deep cut over my cheek, eye socket and forehead I hadn't lost the eye. Even as Force Heal sealed the wound, and I used an undamaged and undirtied section of my robe to clean the wound, I felt the rage inside me surging; demanding to be let out and make this thing pay for daring to injure me as it had. To burn the Vong to a crisp and leave its ashes to scatter in the winds.
That urge was strong, but I was stronger still. Allowing my anger and fury to control me wasn't the path I wished to take, wasn't how I wanted to defeat the Vong. Nor did I want Fay to sense me doing so in that way. The darkness inside was a part of me, but it didn't control me. I controlled it. I wasn't going to allow it to twist me, the ramifications of doing that were far too great. Thus, with some effort as images of Zarkos and Sekotans that'd died because of the Vong flashed through my thoughts, I pushed the anger aside and brought the storm raging within under control once more.
With the cut healed, though the Interface said I still had to heal the scar as the Vong weaponry interfered with Force-assisted healing, I opened the eye, only to grunt. While the wound was no longer bleeding, and surface blood had mainly been wiped away by my robes, there was still some in my eye and even with Control Pain active, it still itched. I blinked rapidly, ignoring the itch, to clear my eye, even as I saw the Vong moving toward me.
The entire incident, of teleporting away and then discovering and healing the wound and clearing my had only taken a few seconds with the Force accelerating my body. Even after years of using the Force, this always impressed me, as it was still something that amazed me, especially when I saw that Feir had only covered perhaps half the distance between us while I'd dealt with my wound. Hell, the entire duel, even including the short verbal exchange, had barely been going on for under three minutes, even if it felt closer to ten in my mind.
I pushed aside that wonder as the Vong continued to rush me. His face was twisted in rage, having realised, with one arm useless, the claws on the other removed – along with a few fingers – and his amphistaff blinded, that he was going to die. Yet still, he fought on. I could respect that, even as I took pleasure in seeing the damage that I'd done to him was far greater than anything I'd taken.
As my feet slid on the dust-covered ground, I took a deep breath, centring myself. My weapons were held low, ready to move to defend and counter anything the Vong could do while I plotted out possible ways he might try and attack with virtually no offensive weaponry beyond his body and armour left. The Vong had made me taste my own blood, as some had run down my cheek to my lips, and my body sang to return the favour before I ended this fight.
Feir's working arm pulled back, going for an overpowered but telegraphed attack. My lightsaber flicked up to meet the oncoming hand, sliding between two remaining fingers, then slicing the hand in half until stopping as the armour around the forearm slammed into the blade.
The Vong pushed against my blade, forcing it back, but I used this. With the plasma blade lodged against his armour, I pushed the blade across my body, forcing him to one side, while I pulled my front foot back and pivoted. The Vong rushed past my back even as my lightsaber slid free of the armour, unable to attack since his body had been guided away from me.
My pivot ended with the blade of my beskad swirling around, slamming into the back of the Vong's neck. While the armour stopped me from beheading the creature with the blow, it forced the Vong to fall face-first into the dirt. The amphistaff hissed pathetically, snapping at nothing as it tried in vain to defend its master, right up until my beskad slammed down, finding a chink in the armour while it was in the whip form, and severed the head from the body.
As the weapon fell limp on my metal blade, my lightsaber slid between the armoured spikes that rose to protect the Vong's skull, finding no resistance as the plasma burnt a hole through the brain. To be sure, I twisted my wrist, drawing the tip of my lightsaber to each side, and watched in grim satisfaction as the upper section of his skull slipped to the ground, smoke rising from where the flesh had been instantly cauterized.
Sure, the Vong was now dead; I turned, wanting to see how Feir's second would react. The terms had been agreed and they'd come here for this fight, but I still couldn't be sure the second would accept the terms. It took one step toward me, and even as I used Observe, I reached out with the Force, taking control of several large boulders nearby that, if it came to it, I'd launch at the Vong cruiser. It'd likely not take it down, but the chaos would allow me to move before it fired on my location.
Of course, as I read the information from Observe, I felt myself relax a fraction.
As Sekr came closer, it's amphistaff hissing as it looked down at its brethren, I slid into a relaxed defensive posture. Though I didn't release the grip I was keeping on a dozen boulders with the Force. Observe said he accepted Feir's death, not that he'd acknowledge the terms of the duel.
"The duel has ended," the Vong all but spat after taking a long look at the partially decapitated body of its former leader. "By the terms agreed upon, we will withdraw from this planet. That will take a planetary cycle to complete."
Hesitantly, I nodded in acceptance. It lifted a wrist to its mouth and spat out something in the cursed Vong tongue. Behind it, four new Vong emerged from the transport, making me tense.
"They will claim the body." My eyes stayed on the rapidly approaching Vong even as Sekr spoke. "Today you fought well, proved your honour, and the gods accept your victory. However, your name will now join those of others who've defiled our holy mission. When our people are ready, they will hunt you and those around you down, making you suffer eternal agony for this defeat."
"They are welcome to try," I shot back as the four Vong reached us. Three gave me evil eyes but did nothing. Much to my annoyance. I still wanted to fight, still wanted to kill more Vong, yet I pushed that desire aside. Doing so would risk the victory I'd achieved here today.
Though since the Invaders From the Void quest wasn't showing as complete, the desire to keep fighting was kept close. Until all these fuckers had left the world, I'd not relax, nor savour my victory. No matter how much I enjoyed it.
… …
… …
Only once the transport had reached the treeline, and slunk away from sight, did I relax in my seat. The rush of the fight slowly fell away, giving way to relief that it was over, though there was little exhaustion as while the fight had been intense, my sparring sessions with Dooku were often more taxing. Now, that wasn't to undersell Feir's ability, just that without the Force, and with me knowing how to fight Vong – or at least those on or below his standing – it meant the fight had been far easier than I'd expected. Though that hadn't stopped Fay from fussing over my cuts once we'd reached the transport. She'd used the Force to heal the wounds on my stomach and leg, but the scars remained, as they always did as I had to actively choose to remove them. Or at least move to keep them within a certain amount of time as was the case after spending a week or so in the bacta tank after my rescue from the Bando Gora.
"While I was confident in your ability to defeat the Vong's leader," Fay said as she placed a small bacta patch over my eye, hoping to help the scar heal faster, "I still wish you had been able to secure the Vong's departure without further death. Though the cost of a single life to save thousands is a trade I would reluctantly accept."
"Yes, Master, and thank you," I replied, trying not to look too smug - which was hard since I'd been right all along – even as a smile crept onto my face.
Fay laughed softly and shook her head. She then placed a hand on my shoulder, the one away from my now-covered eye. "You have the right to be proud of what you've accomplished today. You may be brave, and occasionally foolish in how you approach situations, but you always find a way through. I, along with Master Dooku I'm sure, am eternally grateful to the Force for guiding me to you. The Force has a plan for you, as I'm sure you're well aware," I chuckled nervously as it wasn't just the Force that had plans for me, "and while that path will undoubtedly be a difficult one, it has been my honour to guide you on your first steps, help you stand back up each time you fell, and I look forward to watching what you and the Force shall accomplish together in the future."
My smile grew. It was a relief to hear she wasn't letting any feelings about how I'd behaved in the duel, or how I'd forced the Vong into it, to damage our bond. After squeezing my shoulder, she moved back and settled into her chair. A comfortable silence fell over the cabin.
…
A few hours later the transport began descending as we approached the Jentari foundries and my new starship. About halfway through the flight, Fay started speaking again. She'd mentioned moments in my duel, focusing on the feelings she'd sensed from me when my emotions had been at their peaks. When she'd first started I'd been concerned she was going to lecture me on the negative emotions she'd sensed, but instead, she praised me for not giving into those desires. For letting them drift into the Force and letting it guide my actions instead.
Now she was slowly removing the bacta patch from my eye, a frown coming to her face. "It appears the scar hasn't healed." She paused and stared into my eyes. "Might this be because you wish to keep it as you did those suffered during your verd'goten?"
I nodded. "Aye. Even though I won the fight, I want a reminder that even when it felt like I'd already won, the fight hadn't finished, and I almost lost the eye because of that mistake."
Fay shook her head, though there was no sadness behind the gesture. "While I feel there are other ways to learn that lesson, I am glad you have." She dropped the used bacta patch with the ones from my stomach and leg – those scars I had healed – in a bin. "Though I do wonder if the scar isn't also to show off for Ms Kryze?" she smirked as she asked that, and I chuckled back as I shrugged.
"Well, that would be a nice bonus." Again, Fay shook her head, though this time it was accompanied by her gentle laughter.
"True enough." The transport shuddered as it landed, reminding me once again that it was a small miracle that it still flew. "Though I do hope you don't allow this bonus to consume too much of your time. I, for one, look forward to returning to the temple with this marvellous new vessel to show the Council. And perhaps, speak with others of the trials you've endured upon this world." My brow creased at her odd phrasing, but before I could think on it more, the door hissed open and Fay waved her hand toward it. "I believe there are some friends who would prefer to see you emerge first."
With a smirk, I stood and moved to the door, putting her words aside as I stepped into the sunlight. Though I only got a few steps before a large black mass slammed into me, and it was only by a small miracle that I didn't slam my head into the transport as Fenrir started licking my face.
"Fenrir! Get off!" I shouted as I tried to push the massive beast – he'd grown more in our time on the planet and now was about the size of a pony – however, Fenrir wasn't about to let me go. Even as his tongue covered my face in saliva, I heard laughter from all around.
Eventually, even as I failed to move the giant beast, I felt someone pull him back. "Alright, you've had your turn," I heard Bo say as the light returned to my vision. "Let the rest of us see him," Fenrir whined loudly but obeyed her – which, even after months on this planet always amused me as Bo was the only other person Fenrir even considered listening to – and slunk away. As I pushed myself to my elbows, I saw him walk over to Fay, who laughed as he gently pushed up against her.
"That thing's dead, then?" I looked up at Simvyl. His face was hard to read, though the Force let me know he was conflicted. Hope, anger, and relief radiated from him in equal measure.
"Aye, and the rest are leaving in the next day or so. Or so they claim." That seemed to settle the Cathar, though the fur on his head matted as he frowned.
"Good." His shoulders suddenly slumped. "While I still want them all dead for what they did, at least if the planet's saved then Kekda and Irone's deaths mean something." He took a step back, but I leapt up and gripped his shoulder, stopping him even as I saw Bo trying to not jump me.
"They, and those who also died, will be remembered by the Sekotans. And us. Their name won't fade into the blackness of the cosmos." He got a strange look on his face, which wasn't a surprise as my words were a little unexpected even to me before he nodded. He then gripped my forearm, and I returned the gesture. After a moment, he nodded again and then broke the grip, before walking away.
"I see you made it back in mostly one piece," Bo remarked, drawing my attention to her just as I saw Fenrir bound over to Simvyl with the Cathar now comfortable around the massive war hound.
"Aye, more or less," I replied before coughing as some of Fenrir's drool slipped into my mouth. As I heaved to get it out and wiped my face with the ruined remains of my robes, Bo laughed.
"And the other guy?" She asked once she'd gotten her laughter under control.
It took me about a minute to reply as I desperately wiped my face clean. Or at least clean enough that no more slobber was going to seep into my mouth or eyes. "Dead, though he did leave me a parting gift," I remarked, rapping my head near the scar.
Bo leaned closer, examining the mark. She nodded, seemingly pleased about it. "Oof!" I fell back, landing on my arse after she slammed her fist, encased in her crushgaunt, into my gut.
"Next time you're taking me, you ois'kovid!" she snarked before taking a step forward. As she dropped to a knee in front of me, I rubbed my stomach, glad the Force had healed that wound long before I'd returned. For a moment, I was worried she'd strike me again, and as her hand came toward my head, I rather embarrassingly tensed. She smirked at that, and then after gripping my hair, slammed her lips against mine. Before I could respond to the passion-filled kiss, she pulled back, the smirk still on her face. "And that's for winning." She leaned close. "Or at least a taste of what's to come." She whispered into my ear, sending excited tingles throughout my body.
She pulled back, and her face wrinkled. "But first, go and wash. You stink of Vong and the mutt!"
Somewhere behind her, Fenrir whined, which made me laugh. I watched Bo as she walked off, my eyes not even trying to not watch her arse as it swayed with each step. I knew Fay could see me, but I frankly didn't care. Issues regarding my closeness to Bo could wait for after we left the planet, for now, I had a hot, quick shower to take before I claimed my prize.
… …
… ..
I smirked as I read the notices from the Interface the night after returning to my ship. Gann had just arrived to tell me the Vong had left the planet, and that the Sekotan engineers were having a party to celebrate. I'd said I'd be down later, having wanted to head somewhere to confirm this with these notices.
The bigger increases than at level 27 in terms of SP – Stat Points – and SKP – Skill Points – were due to be spending my reserve of SP on increasing my Intelligence to 40. I'd done so at the start of this mission, fearing that I might fail and wanting to spend them how I could. My physical stats were out as those had reached the combined limit of 65, and while boosting Charisma and Wisdom to 30 was also done, the bulk went into Intelligence for when, I'd hoped, I completed the quest and levelled up.
Now, it was hard to judge how the increases in my Charisma and Wisdom had affected me, but I felt I was seeing possible avenues to use faster with the marked improvement in my Intelligence. Though it was a hard thing to quantify. Plus, with me now being level 28, I could select a new perk, thus I quickly called up the relevant menus to see the choices.
I smiled at the list even if it was all but the same as the last time. That meant most perks were ignored or pushed aside for lack of usefulness. Of those I considered, Boosted Growth Mark 2, One with Beasts, Physical Regeneration Mark 1 and Stat Limit Boost Mark 1 made the most sense.
Boosted Growth would make it easier to reach level-ups, which was a growing concern as my rate of level growth had slowed considerably over the last few years. One with Beasts would, I felt, offer some help with Fenrir, though to be honest, things with him felt well established and our bond was already strong and clear. Physical Regeneration would be useful for those moments when the Force wasn't able to be accessed or struggled to work in healing me. While Stat Limit Boost would lift my physical stats by an overall total of 10.
It was a tough choice, and one I was still considering when my door chimed. A gesture had the door slide open, and Bo sauntered in, a wide smile on her face.
"What's this I hear about you not celebrating with us?" She asked, her face slightly rosy and as she came closer, I caught hints of fruity alcohol on her breath. "Think you're too good for us?"
"No. I was just meditating on the matter, wanting to be sure that the Vong were gone and would stay gone."
At my reply, she shook her head and then slid her legs over mine. "If they're gone, then good. If not, then we just get to kill more of them. Either way, I want to have some fun."
As her lips crashed against mine, and I fell back onto my bed, I pushed thoughts of which perk to take from my mind. That could wait, were as the hot and willing redhead who was crushing her breasts against my chest wouldn't.
… …
… …
The sound of something pounding nearby forced my eyes to reluctantly open. The beds the Sekotans had installed on my ship were incredibly soft and lying on them for more than a few minutes resulted in me falling asleep. At least when alone. I looked around, blinking to clear the cobwebs from my mind even as I felt something large, soft, and warm pushing up against my side, having trapped my left arm under it.
A smile came to my face I looked down at Bo as she snuggled into my chest. "Bo," I said as I gently prodded her with my free arm. She groaned in annoyance and pushed herself further into my side. The smile on my face grew at her antics, and if only because there wasn't one in easy range – and she'd kill me six ways to Coruscant – I didn't take a picture of her with a holopad. These were the only moments where Bo let down her tough, outward persona, reminding me that inside the beating heart of this warrior lived a beautiful woman that was quickly worming her way into my heart. Honestly, these little moments where she was entirely at peace around me and lowered her guard meant more than the vigorous fucking we engaged in, not that I didn't enjoy those, mind you.
I needed to see what Simvyl – and I knew it was him because of the Force – wanted so desperately, but there was no way I was letting him see her like this. She was mine and mine alone to enjoy. With that in mind, I flicked her on the forehead. "Eyes open warrior!" I snarled while pushing my words with Force Persuasion. She was trained to resist Jedi mind tricks, but in this condition, her defences were down and she was more malleable. Though any thought of using that to my advantage slipped from my mind as I felt the Force swirling around as if something had gone horribly wrong. I grimaced as bursts of pain ripped through the Force with the strength of tidal waves even as Bo's eyes fluttered open.
"Wh-what?" She mumbled out, her eyes struggling to find mine in the dimly lit room as I struggled to not laugh at how Force-damn adorable she looked.
"Simvyl's banging at the door."
"Shab'pir," she groaned out before her head returned to my chest.
"I would tell him that, but something's up." the banging on the door was coming at more than three beats a second, which helped emphasize my words. "I sense a disturbance in the Force," I added, my lips curling further upward at using that wording. Though they soon fell as I wondered if the Vong had returned.
As Bo bounced upright at my words, her breasts jiggling in a way that, if the situation didn't feel so dire, I'd have attacked them. My mind felt the ship, searching for answers from it. While the bond between us was stronger than it had been, this lovely lady was still distant and reserved, and while the rot had begun to heal, there was still a way to go.
My eyes followed Bo as she slid from the bed and walked naked toward where her armour was gathered. While she'd disposed of it rather haphazardly last night, I'd moved it to a corner with the Force once she'd become more docile. I'd found that having it semi-ordered for her in the morning made her less grumpy, and often meant we managed to squeeze in another quick round before starting the day. "Come on," she said as she reached the pile and picked up the combat underweave. "Once we've killed more of these shabyr, you can do more than just touch, but until then, eyes front warrior."
Using the Force, I slapped her arse, making her rear up. She glared at me as I shot back. "I'll touch them whenever I damn well please, woman!" That made her chuckle as she slipped her legs into the underweave. Almost every one of our moments together was semi-confrontational, and while she was the one who initiated most of our couplings, she always submitted relatively easily.
I followed her from the bed, my clothing coming to me as I lifted them with the Force. Once I'd slipped on enough to be decent, and Bo had the underweave on, I opened the door with the Force. Simvyl stumbled in, having been caught out by the door opening silently. Behind him, I saw Fenrir pacing, clearly agitated by Simvyl's behaviour.
"The Vong are attacking!" He spat out once he'd regained his footing, his eyes narrowing into slits as anger rolled off him with an intensity that made him burn like a star in the Force. "I knew we couldn't trust them!"
Even as I pulled my cloak to me – my robes having been placed aside for repairs after the duel with the Vong commander – my mind reached out for Fay's. [Master?]
[I'm in the cockpit, Cameron. The situation is graver than Simvyl realises.] With those ominous words, Fay closed the link. I stepped forward, moving around Simvyl even as I clipped my dragon skin cloak into place. While I'd lost a few during the insurgency, I still had three more stored onboard. They'd been kept safe in my Inventory until Fay had awoken, at which point I'd placed them in a drawer in my room.
As I walked toward the cockpit, my fingers brushed against the organic sections of the walls. I could feel the combined mind of the ship, formed from the seed-partners of myself and Fay, reacting to my touch. The ship might not understand what something was happening, but she knew she'd soon fly. I could feel her excitement at finally doing what she was born to do: dance among the stars. Vidge, who last I knew had left the ship to join the party with his fellow shapers, had said that touching the ship would accelerate her healing, and restore the weakened bond between her, myself, and Fay. From what I'd felt since we'd arrived, she'd been on point as whereas before the ship had been timid, now she was coming alive at the thought of flying for the first time.
"Master," I said as I emerged into the cockpit. Fay, as usual, was in the co-pilot's seat. While she could sit in the main chair, she'd made clear I'd be piloting the ship, and with the majority of the seed-partners coming from me, she understood I'd have a stronger connection to the ship. Though, like me, she marvelled at feeling the ship all around us, even returning to the giddy schoolgirl moment I'd seen when we'd first bonded with our seed-partners.
"The Vong fleet have re-entered orbit several hours ago, however, this time they are choosing a more blunt-force approach to subjugating the planet," the ship shook, and I heard various vines groan, as if to punctuate her words, and wondered just what the fuck the Vong were up to. "In keeping with the terms of your duel, the Vong aren't landing, and instead are bombarding the planet from orbit; targeting the various population centres of the planet."
I slid into the pilot's chair, it adapting to my body so seamlessly that it felt like a part of me. My fingers quickly found the controls I needed to learn the ship's status. As they did, it felt as if the console was reaching out for my hand, wanting to merge with me, and I felt the mind of the ship if it could be called that, grow even more impatient and excited. As the displays told me the ship's status, I felt its mind do so as well, though in more instinctive language.
One hand drifted to a lever and gently eased it forward to push power from the core into the sub-light engines and anti-gravity generators. The lever moved forward so easily that it almost felt as if it was anticipating my touch. As a faint hum passed through the ship for the first time as the engines powered up under my control, the ship's mind seemed to ready itself for flight. Almost granting me knowledge of how to move the controls to get her airborne faster.
Around the cockpit, the lights seemed to brighten and pulse energetically, and as the ship slowly rose from the massive vines cradling it, I shuddered as the ship's excitement grew stronger. A glance over at Fay showed her smiling enthusiastically, meaning she was experiencing the same sensations. My fingers danced over the controls, seemingly knowing where they needed to go before I thought about it, and the ship rose and turned with a grace I felt no sentient could match.
The ship rippled with pleasure in the Force, and I could feel her reacting to the lift, adjusting the power to the thrusters lifting us upward before I could. Faint images came to my mind about ways to improve her reaction time as the canopy above us, the one that had hidden her for months from the Vong, slid back; allowing her to bask in starlight for the first time.
Readings came in from the sensors, noting atmospheric conditions, yet as my fingers brushed against other controls, for the briefest of moments, a shiver went up my spine as I felt the air caressing the hull. In my mind's eye, I saw fleeting images of the trees outside, of the Jentari as they seemed to move to watch their latest, and in my mind greatest, creation rise into the sky.
Further than I seemed to glimpse within my mind, the Vong were moving. The shipboard sensors were tracking two dozen in orbit, volleys of fire emerging from them and raining down on Zonama Sekot. It wasn't turbolaser fire, but from the gouges being inflicted on the surface, it was just as effective. Provided we found some way to drive off the Vong fleet – and I was still racking my brains for anything that might work, bar a suicide run against their largest vessel – I'd be pouring over the sensor logs to determine just what those starships were firing.
My thoughts were drawn to the readout from the sensors as we lifted high enough that data from beyond the valley housing the shaping pits and the Jentari could be collected. "They're not aiming directly at Far Distance," I detailed for Fay, letting her know what I was seeing and faintly sensing. "Though it appears I was incorrect about their target. While some parts of the city appear to have been struck, most of the impacts are beyond the city limits. I'd surmise the same is true for Middle Distance and will be for the shapers here once the Vong realise we've taken flight."
"While I'd normally suggest moving to help those in danger, in this case, I'd advise against it." I looked at her from the corner of my eye as the ship felt as if she was begging me to take her higher; to let her dance among the stars. "It is only a matter of time until we are detected and approaching a built-up area would increase the rate of fire upon it."
"We have to fight!" The words came from Bo as she strode into the cockpit. I'd been expecting her to arrive as I could sense her both through the Force and by a general feeling from the ship that indicated where the other beings within her were. I heard Simvyl grunt in agreement which meant that, with Fenrir lying at the rear of my seat, everyone was inside the cockpit, making it a very crowded place.
"As much as I agree, I'm not sure how," I replied as the ship rose higher and higher. A ripple in the Force came from all around me as if the ship felt I doubted her. "She's a remarkable creation, but unless you plan to step outside and bolt yourself to her hull, we're unarmed." I didn't need to see or sense Bo to know her opinions on that matter echoed my own. The first moment I could, I was going over the hull and the power core and seeing where I could attach weaponry.
"Take us into orbit. While there is little we can do directly to stop the Vong, perhaps we might reach an accord with the new Vong commander."
I rolled my eyes at Fay's words, though as my fingers drifted over the relevant controls – the ships seemingly anticipating my commands before I inputted them – I sensed Fay was as doubtful that talking would solve things as I was. There was no feeling of acceleration as the ship surged upward, the clouds sliding past as we raced through them. As we neared the ozone layer, I could almost feel the shifting pressure, and the joy the ship felt as she felt the light of a star unobscured by the planet's atmosphere.
I felt the vessel shift as Fay spoke. "Several Vong ships have broken from the nearest flotilla and are heading our way." Even as I heard the words, it felt as if the ship was offering me advice on how to move her; which angles would work best to avoid the incoming ships and any fire they might send our way. Yet, as I felt that information, something far more powerful, yet still barely out of infancy, pulled my mind deeper into the mental link I shared with the ship.
…
'What?' The word felt as if it slipped from my mouth, yet I knew I was deep inside my mind. Or I thought I did, as the more I looked around and failed to see anything marking this mindscape, the less certain I was about things. 'Where am I?'
'We must talk.' I spun, acting as though standard gravity was still affecting me even though there was not present, and found myself staring at the Magister. However, I knew that couldn't be the case as the odds that he survived the devastation of his compound were, well closer to zero than one per cent. Plus, the more I focused on the man in front of me, the clearer it became that whatever I was talking to was simply borrowing his visage to communicate with me.
'About what? And who the hell are you?' While I didn't feel threatened in this mindscape, I disliked not knowing whom I was speaking with.
'About choices, I think.' The Magister paused and looked off into the distance. 'This method of… interacting is strange, new.' I blinked as the Magister's hand seemed to shift in and out of phase. 'Yet it is the only way I have found to talk with you. I simply wish we had more time to speak.' I frowned, my mind slowly putting together just who I was speaking to even if I found it impossible to process even if the presence the 'Magister' was radiating reminded me of only one thing: the planet. 'As for who I am, to some, I am called Sekot.'
I blinked at having my suspicions confirmed even as I took a step back in disbelief. 'How?' The question escaped my lips as the final pieces of the puzzle reading the planet fell into place. The constant, seemingly overwhelming, yet never dominating, ancient yet new-born sensation given off by the Magister in this mindscape made complete sense now. 'You're what we've been sensing ever since we arrived in orbit? The presence that permeates every native thing on the planet?'
Sekot smiled. 'Yes. For a long time, I've wished to speak with you and the other. Her mind was easier to sense yet hers was closed not long after a link was formed; before I could attempt to reach her. She was focused on healing. I offered what help I could, though I failed to understand what was happening to her, or how to help.' Sekot looked down, as if ashamed of this failure, reminding me of a child speaking to an adult.
'How old are you?' I knew the answer was going to be slightly confusing as Sekot felt both ancient and young, yet I wanted to hear it from the source to confirm.
'I awoke, as you would understand it, only a few cycles ago. Until today, the only ones to have ever heard my thoughts have been the Magisters, and even then, I could only speak in images.' Sekot's head tilted to one side before it took a step toward me. Part of me was concerned about being near a sentient planet and wanted nothing to do with what was happening. Yet, I could feel the Force so much clearer in this mindscape than I'd ever experienced; could feel it shifting around us, wanting this moment to happen, and I knew I had to stay for now. 'To speak with words, to meet one who also communes with the Force," Sekot smiled, though it looked off, likely because it was seemingly wearing an image of the Magister to communicate. "Yet, time has moved against us. The Force cannot hold our connection for long.'
'Why?' Even if I failed to fully understand what was happening here, I knew it was monumentally important.
'While I only awoke a few cycles ago, I have images in here,' it tapped its head, 'of a time before the pinwheel in the sky brought heat to my skin. There is more inside that I need to understand, but we lack the time for me to learn what it is.' Sekot's face fell, and it shook its head. 'The Magister taught me what he could about the Force. He felt I was what those who came before him had sought. What they all believed. '
I frowned, taking what felt like a few moments to piece together Sekot's words into something useable. ''Potentium,'' I muttered. "The Magister, and his ancestors, they thought you were the Potentium."
Sekot nodded, a sad look coming to its face. 'Yes. The Magister thought I could be everywhere, see everything. Yet, as I understand more of what I am, of what the Force is, I see he was wrong. I cannot see beyond the edges of myself without significant effort. He believed there was no evil in the universe, only good. Yet I have felt evil, sensed it upon my surface. I sensed your anger, your rage when the other Jedi fell. You drew on something dark. I was worried the Magister was wrong about you Jedi. Yet as you worked to help those I protect, I saw you weren't, you aren't, evil. You are not what he said a Jedi should be, nor are you the Potentium.' A hand came toward my face, and as it did, I saw through it in places; reminding me of something ghostly. 'I wish you and the other Jedi might stay. That we might commune more and guide me to know the Force. Sadly, that cannot happen.'
'We're going to fight the Vong.' While this wasn't why I'd wanted to come to this galaxy, I knew instinctively that Sekot was special in a way that I couldn't quite understand. 'We'll keep you safe. Keep the Sekotans safe.'
'The Vong… They are from far outside, from where no one has come before.' Sekot got a faraway look in its eyes, seemingly forgetting that I was close by, and seemed to get lost in a memory. 'They come from a place I feel I should know, yet don't.' Sekot blinked, though it was slower than it should've been. 'The ones who came before the Magister, they knew I… could create. They helped me learn how to shape children, to shape other things. The first spoke of how others would come, seeking what I could accomplish. What he, in his mistake, believed I was. While he was mistaken about that, he was right about others coming, and the potential of my children.' The air around us shifted, lights circling in rapid patterns that, after a week aboard, I knew represented my starship. 'My youngest child is the most different yet, yet they are weak. Those from far outside stopped them from bonding with you, yet now that you've helped them grow stronger, I can use them to speak with you. Thank you for what you've shown me over the last partial cycle.'
'I'm sorry, but don't I understand.' It annoyed me greatly to admit that, but it was the truth. Sekot's speech varied from succinct to obtuse in an instant, as if it was still learning Basic as it spoke.
Sekot's shoulders slumped, mirroring how a Human or near-Human would indicate sadness. 'You must leave.'
'The Vong…'
'I will be safe from those from far outside, those under my protection have readied for this day since I first heard the thoughts of the Magister. My children with me will be safe, I will protect them. Those far away, I cannot say. You must leave while you can. The Force needs this. This, above all things, I know.'
'The Vong,' I repeated, not liking the idea of running away even as I felt the gentle pressure of the Force trying to guide me toward doing so.
'Will trouble you no more. It is me they seek. When I am gone, so shall they be.' Sekot started taking very slow steps back, though not turning as if trying to burn my face into its memory. 'The one who came before, he made plans. Taught me to shape new things. Though untested, I know they are what I must use. If you do not leave now, do not use my child to escape, then you and those with you will be trapped with me. I do not wish that for you.'
…
I lurched forward as my mind was forced back into the real world.
"Cameron?" I waved one hand toward Fay, letting her know I was ok to keep piloting even as I quickly reviewed what had just happened.
"I, I'm alright. I think." With time to spare before the Vong fighters reached us, I glanced at Fay. The concern on her face mirrored what I could sense from her within the Force. Yet before I could explain further, I felt something lean against my mind. Recognizing it as the ship, though far stronger than before, I allowed a connection to form and then gasped at the flood of information that came through it. "Oh, wow!"
Until just now, while growing stronger, the connection I felt to the ship had been remote. As If talking over a radio from half a world away. Yet now, while there was still a disconnect, it was like talking to someone in the same city on a mobile phone. A gentle nudge from the ship, directing me to sensor data refocused my thoughts. "We've got to get out of here." I could feel confusion from the rest of the cockpit, along with anger and dismay from Bo and Simvyl. "The… planet, it spoke to me," I explained to Fay, knowing there was no way the others would understand. "It's alive, in a sense and used the ship to speak with me. It's going to do something, and if we don't leave now, we'll be stuck on it, or worse."
While Sekot hadn't been clear about the plans, the way it spoke, as ludicrous as it sounded, suggested it was going to leave. While every rational part of my mind struggled to even comprehend such a thing, the part of me that'd grown to understand the Force over the last seven years somehow knew this was possible.
"We have to fight!" "Cam!"
The dual shouts of dismay and anger from Bo and Simvyl echoed around in the cockpit as I kept my focus on Fay. I hoped she'd believe me, that she'd trust me, but even if she didn't, I could already feel power flowing into the hyperdrive as one hand brought up the navigation console to begin plotting a jump.
"You believe this was the planet?" I nodded. "And that it wants us to go?" I nodded again. For a moment, I felt I'd lost Fay's support before she smiled. "What did it say?"
A smile crept onto my face even as I felt Bo move closer to me. "Enough, but not. It wants, no needs us to leave."
A faint growl came from Fenrir as Bo stepped closer even as Fay stared at me as if trying to see into my soul. "Then I place my trust in you and the Force."
Any response of dismay from the others in the cockpit was cut off as the ship screamed out a warning in my head. My fingers danced over the controls, feeling the ship respond to my commands as if I was the vessel. Fire came in from the Vong fighters as my starship danced between the streaks of light, letting them illuminate the hull as they sailed harmlessly past.
I inhaled sharply as I felt the faintest of tendrils reach up from the organic parts of the console and brush against my hand even as we dove between the four Vong fighters. Three broke to avoid colliding, but the last didn't and I winced as part of the fighter scratched the hull. As we emerged on the other side of the fighters, I felt the pain from the ship even as the hull reacted to the wound.
"Three larger vessels are angling toward us while the fighters are circling for another pass." I didn't need Fay's report as I could already see the ships moving, their flight paths being plotted out in my mind's eye. While I was a competent pilot, I'd never truly enjoyed it. Now though, as the ship gently angled its path to slip between the three new ships and pushed more power into the impressive sub-light engines, I began to see why Anakin loved it so.
To be this free, this connected to the ship as it moved… Words failed to describe how incredible it was. Though I doubted that even with the connection I had with my new ship I'd ever be as instinctive a pilot as Anakin. He was born for flying, whereas I'd developed a taste of it, relatively speaking, later in life.
Bolts of superheated plasma came toward us from the larger ships even as the four fighters completed their arcs and slid back onto our tail. Seeing a way to shrink the chasing pack, I rolled the ship, letting one bolt sail over the hull close enough that the warmth of the bolt was felt by the ship. That bolt sailed past, forcing two fighters to dodge, though only one succeeded as the second was clipped by the bolt and spun away chaotically.
I sunk into the Force, letting it guide my actions as the ship felt as if it was reacting to my thoughts, and before the Vong gunships could react, we'd slipped through their ranks. Not wanting to continue onto the main fleet – which was comprised of a half dozen cruisers and nearly two dozen smaller ships – I banked us away.
A gentle shudder went through the hull as the hyperdrive engaged for the first time, and a moment later, the stars seemed to merge as we left the system. Faintly I felt relief coming from behind us even as the Force seemed to ripple in anticipation of whatever Sekot had planned.
… …
… …
A/N:
Next month I'm going on a short holiday with the family. As such, posting might be later in the month than normal, but it will still come.
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As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own and you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse
If you wish to support my writing, gain access to 1st drafts of chapters (where every level bar the lowest has access to at least the first draft of the next chapter and all got the redraft ~2 weeks early), consider supporting me on Patreon:
USSExplorer
Regardless if you join the discord or support my writing, I hope you enjoy the story and suggestions, valid criticisms, and ideas are always welcome.
And of course;
May the Force be with you. Always.
As always, thanks to those helping me write and plan out this story and checking it for continuality and logic errors.
This chapter was released at least 2 weeks ago to my Patreons (with them seeing a draft version around 2 months ago) and on the story's Discord server (in GDoc form) about a week ago.
Links for both are at the end of the chapter.
Hopefully, all the little mistakes have been found and removed.
Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo
The Living Planet 4
...
"I expected something… different," I muttered as I stepped off the rickety transport that had carried us from Middle Distance to where we were currently. Around us was a forest, and while the trees were massive – the largest being the size of a Redwood from Earth – and have strange green and purple trunks, there was nothing that stood out in the area. Well, aside from the transport that had brought us here. I was still shocked that the cobbled-together flyer had managed to lift off from Middle Distance, never mind bring us here, wherever this was....
I turned back to the transport to see Simvyl step off, his face slightly tense, which was understandable as the transport had been prone to random, sometimes violent shaking. While that would've been bad if we'd been above the tree canopy, we'd stayed low to avoid detection from any Vong fighter craft, ducking and dodging in between the trees. On three occasions, I'd been forced to stabilise the vessel with the Force, with one such incident being to avoid us slamming into a tree when we'd been travelling at over a hundred klicks an hour.
"The Jentari are currently inactive, from what I understand." The reply came from Gann who had stepped off the transport between Simvyl and me. He pointed at the trees even as Bo and Fenrir emerged from the transport. "Clients are normally brought here while the shaping takes place. According to those who work with the Jentari, this helps with the bonding process. However, with the invasion, the shapers were forced to move forward without your presence. Which was why according to the missive I received; your vessel took considerably longer to shape."
I frowned as my eyes returned to the trees. When we'd been shot down by the Vong, the connection I'd had with the seed-partners had gone, though around a week later, I'd felt something familiar yet different at the very edges of my senses. Over the last half-year, I'd put that feeling to one side, focusing on the war, yet as we'd flown here, the sensation had moved from a vague thing into one that was based around this area. It was still weak, yet there was little doubt the source was coming from the direction Gann insisted we'd have to walk before we'd landed.
"By the… the trees! They're not trees!"
I glanced at Simvyl after his exclamation to see him staring and pointing at the large trees in front of us. Focusing on them, and using the Force to boost my sight, I blinked at what I saw. At certain parts of the trunks of the strangely coloured trees, I could see metal glinting in the sunlight.
"No, they are the Jentari. They shape the growth of new client vessels, under the watchful eyes of the builders." Gann explained even as I felt Fay's presence move. That meant Bo was guiding the hovercart, carrying my comatose but recovering Master, from the transport. The trip, which if we'd hiked would've taken four to five months, had taken less than one, mainly because we had to go slower than normal and arrange our travel to ensure we were less likely to be spotted by the Vong. If her rate of improvement continued, I expected her to awaken within the next week or so.
The rest of our supplies, minus the thermal detonators, had been left at the base camp with the Sekotan recruits. Bo had been very reluctant to leave the weaponry and food with them, but I'd gotten promises from the senior Sekotans in the resistance that they'd not attack until we returned. It wasn't much, but it – along with finding a pleasant way to distract Bo – had been enough to settle the Mandalorian's discomfort.
"Master Fay would've loved to have seen that," I said, my eyes still on my master.
"Yes, the builders were hoping to see that as well." Gann offered before he moved past me, moving toward the giant trees, the Jentari, that were still a few klicks away. We'd landed here as the ground between this point and the Jentari as there was insufficient cover to hide the transport and Gann wasn't willing to risk the Vong discovering the planet's ship-creating facilities. While I agreed with that, I wished we were already there and I could see my new ship.
The Force was shifting around us as if it was growing excited about something and I had to assume that was to do with the vessel that'd been grown for Fay and me.
… …
… …
"I do hope the ship is to your liking." The lead engineer, a male named Vidge, stated as he guided us onto a platform. The red-skinned Langhesi had met us at the entrance to a valley where the ships were grown and shaped – his words while detailing the normal process. While neither Fay nor I had been present, the designs I'd gone over with Shappa had seemingly been enough to help guide the process, along with the wishes of the seed-partners and, Vidge claimed, Sekot's wishes. The way the Sekotans revered the planet reminded me of religion, yet I couldn't deny that there was something profound about this world. Which made it a shame the Vong had arrived before Fay and I could investigate that matter further.
The platform we stepped onto was, like most of the valley aside from the branch canopy that hid us from aerial view, an open one, allowing the smells of the organic factory – which reminded me of freshly cut grass and roses – to swirl around us. There were no walls for the platform, only a guide rail, and I moved forward; the strange feeling that'd continually grown stronger as we'd landed earlier almost demanded that I hurry up. And yet, it felt weak, faint, as if in some way damaged.
"And here it is." I barely heard Vidge's words as I reached the edge of the platform and gasped.
Below, held in place by vines wider than I was tall, rested my new starship. A cornucopia of light emanated from below, bathing the dark green hull in an array of colours that made the ship appear alive. Almost making it look as if it was rocking in the vines, desperate after months of resting to finally slide free and fly.
My eyes wandered over the hull, judging its length to be a little shorter than the Ne'tra Sartr, though, unlike my former ship, the internal structure covered most of the width. Provided the internal structure filled most of the shape, then it should be more spacious even if it lacked some length. The body was angular, but with a natural feel, reminding me of an enlarged jet fighter. While not exactly how I'd helped Shappa with the design, it was still easy to see it was based on those plans.
While there were darker indications over the top surface of the hull that seemed decorative but felt to me to be if it could be wrangled, excellent locations for weapon hardpoints even if Gann assured me no Sekotan vessel was ever armed, the overall shape screamed speed. The lights dancing over the hull only enhanced that feeling, as did the two protrusions at the rear that extended a few metres beyond the body.
Yet, for as beautiful as it was, my focus shifted to the Force, and what ripples the vessel left within. It was weak still, almost reluctant to create a flutter of presence, but the ship was radiant within the Force. As if it was alive in a way similar to Fenrir. There were hints of Fay in this new presence, hints of myself and the planet, showing the ship to be a merging, somehow, of the three of us. And yet, it was timid, restrained. Almost as if it was dying.
"What's wrong?" I asked, not taking my eyes from the wondrous vessel.
"It is failing." My head snapped to Vidge, and he took a step back. "A newly shaped vessel needs to be with its client. The seed-partners merge to create the living heart of the starship and for that, and the growth, the client should be present. You and your master weren't. In truth, if you were any other client, the ship would've died long ago. We would have all mourned for it." He gestured to the far end of the valley where I'd seen buildings meaning those that worked with him to create this wonder. "That it hasn't must be due to your connection with the Force, the number of seed-partners involved, and the will of Sekot. Yet, even so, it grows weak." He moved toward one side of the platform and ran his fingers over a console.
My head snapped back to my vessel as a faint, odd rumbling filled the area. Slowly the vines seemed to tighten, and the ship slowly rose toward us. I watched in awe as it came closer, showing the hull seemed to be one smooth surface, bar the viewports of the cockpit and two along the starboard side. In the darkened areas at the nose, small flints of metal protruded, likely marking the sensors and similar features. The vines shifted, turning the vessel around to show the rear, where three sunlight engines were mounted – two smaller ones mounted under the protrusions with a larger one resting under and between them – and then confirming the two viewports on the port side. As it finished rising, I saw a ramp lowering near the main engine.
Once the ship was at our level and facing away, Vidge moved next to me and pulled back the railing. "Come." He walked onto the vines, finding his feet with years of experience. I took a few cautious steps after him, my focus struggling to not stay on the vessel and the faint, hesitant ripple it was generating within the Force.
As I moved under the main engine, feeling an urge in the Force, I lifted my hand and brushed my fingers over the hull. That weak pitiful presence in the Force reacted and I felt something reach out for my mind. it was all at once new and old, familiar, and undeniably alien, and I yanked my hand back with a gasp.
"Cam?"
I turned to Bo. "I'm fine. I think." I licked my lips, trying to put into words what I'd just felt. "The ship's alive, in a way. I think." Even without our Force bond, I could tell Bo wasn't comfortable with my words, though given how uncertain I sounded and felt, that was understandable. It had only lasted for a moment, yet in that time I'd felt as if there was something within the ship that was a part of me, and yet wasn't. That wanted my help with something.
Not waiting for her response, I moved hastily after Vidge, my feet finding solid ground on the mass of vines with ease. As I reached the ramp, which seemed to be a part of the hull that had simply been cut away, and then walked in, I inhaled sharply. The walls were the same shade of green, though they looked faded almost black in places, as the outer hull, with lights pulsating underneath in an almost hypnotic fashion.
"It knows you're here." I reluctantly looked away from the wall toward Vidge. "The lights have grown stronger over the last few weeks. Today they are almost as bright as they were when it was shaped, and we added in the components needed to bring it to Republic standards."
"She's weak. Hurting." I muttered as I lifted my hand toward the wall, tracing the movement of the lights within it. When my hand touched the wall, the unusual feeling I'd felt outside returned, though it was more encompassing than before, if still very weak. "Because we weren't here?"
Vidge smiled after I spoke to him. "Yes. The bond between the client and their ship is weak, but it is there. We feared you would not understand, to know otherwise will make many happy." He lowered his head. "Sekot has blessed you." I tried to keep my face neutral, not wanting to insult his beliefs as he raised his head. Even as he offered it, I felt the ship's presence grow slightly stronger. As if it was a snail emerging from its shell just enough to taste the morning's light.
"How do I help her?"
Vidge smiled widely and moved into the ship, waving his arm. "This way." I followed quickly, though not so fast that my fingers slid from the wall. The connection I felt to the ship was tenuous and I didn't want to break it just yet.
We left the entranceway and emerged into a corridor. The walls were mainly covered in the same dull green of the hull, though there were a few metallic panels that I recognised as power monitors and the like. A few steps in the corridor and I followed Vidge into a new room. This was circular, with couches placed around a central table in a configuration that oddly reminded me of the central area of the Ebon Hawk. Though, given the shine from the table and the feel of a couch as my other hand touched it, with far superior materials.
"The seed-partners you and your master bonded with formed the core of the ship's heart," Vidge began, shifting my attention from the luxurious-looking fittings that had been added to the vessel, including a kitchen area that gleamed in the odd light of the ship. "Yet without you, it has begun to weaken, to rot." He touched a spot on one wall and I winced at seeing parts fall away like leaves falling from a tree in autumn; though without any of the colour.
"She's alive but dying," I muttered as I pushed my hand against an array of lights. "She needs help." Even as I spoke, I reached out through the Force. It was easier to sense the ship now, and while I'd thought it was just weak and scared earlier, I could now sense the pain, the decay. Without us here to help, she'd retreated in on herself; cannibalised her body to keep herself alive while reaching out for us. For me. "I'm sorry," I whispered to the wall. "I'd have been here sooner if I'd known."
A hand came to rest on my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I saw it was Bo. While she said nothing, I could sense her concern, though I doubted it was directed at the ship.
"With you here, now we can help her." I looked over at Vidge to see he was near another passageway which wasn't there when we'd entered the area. Almost as if the door has merged into the wall while I'd not been looking. "Come."
I offered Bo a smile as she removed her hand and then followed the Sekotan. The passageway he'd gone down was short, ending at the cockpit. There were two chairs at the fore with two more further back at stations that, from what I saw of their consoles, handled secondary systems. Vidge indicated one chair, which I knew was meant for the pilot, and I slid into it.
"Wow!" I gasped as the chair seemed to shift as I sat, becoming so comfortable that I felt like I was sinking into and merging with it. The seating on the Ne'tra Sartr had been hard, befitting a ship built for combat, but this seat was incredibly comfortable. As one would expect from a ship built for the most exclusive of clientele. And through it, I could sense the ships' presence slowly growing more pronounced, more confident with each passing second.
Vidge smiled down at me and indicated the consoles in front of me with a tilt of his head. The layout was like the Ne'tra Sartr though only some were marked. Still, I was able to find the switch for the main power core and smiled as the console confirmed the power levels were increasing. That smile widened as I felt the power seeping into the hull, making the ship's lighting more prominent.
My fingers moved over the controls, lightly touching each to get a feel for them. With each touch I could feel the ship reacting, wanting to further the faint but growing connection between us. As my hand drifted over the thrusters, I swore I felt the ship vibrate, as if wanting to break free of the vines and race into the clouds. As much as that idea filled me with joy, the threat posed by the Vong, and the faint hints of decay within the ship made me pull back.
I chuckled at the way the ship distantly seemed to whine at not getting to be free. "Soon, darling," I whispered to the console, my fingers running over a display.
"You will spend time here," Vidge began, reminding me that he was here, as was Fenrir who'd come in and settled against one of the empty secondary chairs, making himself at home. "While your companions can come and go, you will stay onboard for at least several days. The link between you and her is weak and pulling away now, just as it seems to be growing stronger, would likely kill her."
"Never. I'll never let that happen." I shot back with conviction.
Vidge laughed. "Good. You understand. Most clients know their ship is special, but few seem to truly understand the gift Sekot has given them." He looked down at Fenrir. "Your beast seems to feel this also."
Fenrir lazily lifted his head and growled, which made me chuckle. "He doesn't like being called a beast, but yeah. Tuk'ata, that's his species, are animals with a strong Force connection. Since this ship also has one, though it's faint, and that it'd linked to the seed-partners I bonded with, I guess he'd sense it as well."
Vidge nodded. "Yes." He looked down the passageway, toward the common area. "I will speak with your companions. They will have the choice of staying onboard with you, though that isn't required."
"Can you also have someone move my Master into a room?" I asked, figuring the weak but surrounding presence of the ship might accelerate her recovery.
"Of course." With a bow, Vidge left, leaving me alone to soak in the connection I felt from my ship. It was still very faint, but even in the brief time I'd been aboard, I'd felt it grow stronger. With time, which I hoped we'd have, it would return to the level it was meant to be, if not more. While uncertain, I did hope my connection to the Force would further enhance the bond I shared with this magnificent almost-living vessel.
… …
… …
"I understand why you fought and killed the Vong that assaulted us," Fay said slowly, her hand drifting unconsciously to where her wound had been, "but what, if I might ask, drove you to not only keep fighting them but develop an insurgency campaign in which you trained locals to fight?"
I resisted the urge to sneer at that being the first thing Fay asked about. She'd woken up the day before and while she'd wanted answers then and there about what had happened since she'd been wounded, I'd been able to distract her with the ship we were on when she woke and delay this talk a day to give her time to recover a little.
As expected, even after a day to meditate and sleep, after nearly three-quarters of a year in a Force-empowered coma, she was weak on her feet. Her cheeks had thinned slightly, hinting at some malnourishment and her skin had lost some of its ethereal glow, but it seemed her mind was as sharp as ever. How else could you explain the fact that after I'd been reasonably detailed about what had happened while she'd been in her coma – even showing her the Council-prepared recording of us engaging a Vong patrol – that she'd zeroed in on the issue that defined the entirety of her time asleep.
When I'd first mentioned engaging the Vong, I'd sensed her concern, likely due to me engaging in desperate combat when I'd only just been cleared for missions by the Jedi Council after my time with the Bando Gora. Yet for all that concern, the moment I'd mentioned recruiting and training Sekotans, I'd sensed revulsion from her. As if helping the locals defend their home from invaders, just because they were peace lovers before the invasion, was somehow an insult to her. I'd pushed away my anger at sensing that, not wanting to both reveal how close to losing control I often was and because I wanted to wait until I'd finished and heard her opinions on the matter before responding to the repulsion. Yet, even after detailing what had happened while she coalesced, even the Vong taking Sekotans and torturing them for what felt like fun – since none of them could have any useful intelligence – her focus was on my training of the Sekotans.
I looked away, taking a moment to centre myself. I knew this was going to come up, knew she was going to push against it, but that it was the first thing she went for was a little unexpected. I felt for sure it'd be the hints of darkness she could sense within me. Even with Dark Side Masking in the Master range as I'd expected, I felt she should still be able to sense the subtle changes in my Force signature. The moment to centre myself also let me push away the anger I still felt from the debacle of our last ambush where Zarkos and over a dozen Sekotans had lost their lives. The day would come, soon I hoped, when we'd strike back against the Vong and make them pay for their actions. However, that wasn't something I wanted to dwell on while defending my actions in the war.
"When we first encountered them, they attacked us, Master. They left you close to death. There was no effort to speak with us, to find common ground. Only a fact, made clear in the months since, that they weren't interested in any outcome but the one they desired. With that in mind, and the fact the Sekotans are the ones suffering the most under the Vong's boot as it presses down on their throats, why shouldn't I ask them to fight and defend their home?"
Answering a question with one of my own wasn't polite, but I'd long since decided that I wasn't going to be passive in this discussion. If I was, then Fay would likely undo everything I'd done over the last three-quarters of a year in the name of peace. While her goal was noble, she didn't know the Vong and was failing to understand that with beings that used force to get their way, a gentle word – even when backed by the Force – was insufficient to change their path.
Plus, being passive during her interrogation, which is what it was no matter how Fay dressed it up, of my actions, would, I felt hurt my standing in her eyes, at least more so than trying to defend my choices and actions assertively.
"While often a situation does dissolve into conflict, the path of peace must always be attempted first. It can be a challenge to seek the narrower path peace offers, but it is always preferable to one that involves taking a life before its time."
"They almost killed you when we first met them, Master! Haran, they then tried to kill the rest of us! Two of the Rangers have died fighting against them, one in those initial assaults! I told you what… the Vong have done to Sekotans; taking and torturing them simply to scare the populace into submission! How, by the Force, should we've sought peace with such a species?!" I wasn't sure how I stayed seated, but I did even as my anger at her wanting to push a peaceful solution to the matter flared.
"Be mindful of your emotions, Cameron. A Jedi should be careful about drawing on them." I leaned back in my chair, slamming a cap on the building rage within and then pinching the bridge of my nose at Fay's gentle rebuke. Even if she had a point about my anger getting the better of me at this moment in time, the pointless, almost mindless, drivel she was sprouting was fucking stupid. Not least because it was my emotions, my anger, that'd helped the Resistance gain some early successes. Force, the only reason we survived the initial Vong assault was by losing control of that rage. Yet, after all that I'd done, to keep her and others safe, she felt the need to preach about my having emotions!
Feeling a hand rest on my forearm, I opened my eyes – which had closed when I'd pinched my nose – and saw Fay had leant over the table. "Cameron, I'm not saying what you did was wrong. You were faced with a challenging situation that would push even a seasoned Jedi Master. Yet I feel you chose the lightsaber too quickly; a failing of many Jedi over the millennia. However, alone – barring Miss Kryze and Fenrir – you've not only managed to survive but help the locals defend their home and secured passage for us off-world. And critically, while your emotions are far more evident within the Force, for all the carnage and destruction you've seen, you appear unfazed by it. Something when I first woke and learnt you'd been fighting for months concerned me greatly. To see you not sink into the depths you so easily could've after your recent trials," she smiled warmly and I felt some of the strain on my heart lift, "warms my soul and gives me hope for the future."
Her words helped me cool down, though only until I caught onto something she'd said in the middle of that. "Master, surely you don't plan for us to take this ship and leave the Sekotans behind? The Vong on this world aren't enough to secure it and I fear a larger force is on its way. If we don't help the Sekotans now, we risk them all dying when the main Vong forces arrive and fully secure the planet."
"I'm not suggesting that Cameron. Merely stating that, when the time comes, we have a method to depart given the fate of the Sartr." I sighed in relief, as that would've meant failing the Invaders From the Void quest, and accelerating the Vong's invasion – which I was beginning to think meant the Republic – by up to fifty years. Since they were never hinted at in the movies or show, that must've happened sometime after Return of the Jedi, which had me cursing myself for not browsing Wookieepedia for information on what came after. "That said, the approach you've taken while I was recuperating won't be continuing." I opened my mouth to argue only for her to keep going. "A Jedi doesn't use the Force to attack, only to defend. Yes, I understand you feel you've done this to defend the Sekotans, but your actions say otherwise. A Jedi doesn't lay ambushes for enemy forces, doesn't carry out autopsies on a being's body after they killed it, nor consider capturing someone for… questioning." Fay frowned as I felt my anger begin to simmer once more. "These are not the actions of a Jedi, and while the taint of the Dark Side hasn't encased you, it's clear you've been placed at risk of its influence with the choices made in your conflict."
I took several hard, deep breaths to calm myself. If I responded to this issue with anger it would, in her mind, only prove her point. Once I felt I had it under control, I responded. "I didn't mean to lash out like I did, Master. But I saw you fall; felt you scream out in the Force. I feared…" I paused, wiped my eyes, and took another deep breath. I'd had to draw on that memory, and those of my time under Vosa's tender mercies, to help fuel my rage and empower Force Lightning – which was far more dangerous the more I drew on my rage – yet I knew I was walking a fine line regarding doing so. Yet I'd had little choice but to do so to ensure most of us survived.
Fay sighed and looked away for a moment, clearly thinking about something. "I understand, Cameron, and I'm sorry you've had to face this situation essentially by yourself. I felt moments where you drew on that anger you're struggling with currently while I was… indisposed and used that to help save those around you. Given the situation, I can understand why you did so, but I cannot in good conscience allow this to continue." While this confirmed Fay had sensed moments when I'd drawn on the Dark Side, it also proved that the training – brief as it was – that I'd gained from King Adas had helped to hide just how heavily I'd bent the Force to my will at times. Without that training and the removal of the cap on Dark Side Masking, I had no doubt Fay would've demanded we leave the planet immediately to protect me from the Dark Side ravaging my soul. Or something to that effect.
Amusingly to me, Adas, while not being happy about me having to hide my power from the Jedi, understood why I had to hide it. The Jedi of this time were too numerous that while he felt I could already eliminate many of them, I wasn't ready to openly challenge them. To him, it would be a waste of a potential successor, even if he did wish to see how the Jedi of this era would've fared against him and his axe.
"Yes, master. But the Vong are dangerous. Putting aside how I can only sense them by sensing the blind spots they generate in the Force, they're a warrior people. They attack first, with brutal force and efficiency and I've… no we've, lacked the numbers to engage them from an equal footing." Which, I hoped, she'd see was why I'd gone for the ambush route for engaging the Vong. Not that the Sekotans had been the greatest of help as in four ambushes they'd joined, they'd only directly killed six Vong. The rest, with me being responsible for the majority, had fallen to some combination of Bo, Fenrir, Zarkos, Simvyl, and myself. That had helped me get close to levelling up, but I was still a few thousand XP away. "I… there were moments in combat where I feared losing Fenrir or Bo. When I thought they might die. I couldn't lose them, not when I was so close to losing you."
"Death is a natural part of life, Cameron." As she spoke, I could feel her concern mixed with some despair, which I assumed was for leaving me alone to face the Vong. "Every being dies and, as much as Miss Kryze might dislike the notion, becomes part of the Force. On the day that happens to me, Master Dooku, or any friend you currently have or will gain, you shouldn't mourn them. Instead, we should celebrate their life and remember that no matter where you go from there, they are one with the Force, and thus, still with you."
"I… yes, Master." What she said made sense, even if I wasn't comfortable about placing such blind faith in the Force.
"Good. Now, while it may hurt to relive them, I want you to detail your actions for every encounter you had with the Vong. Every detail, no matter how minor, might grant us some insight into their goals on the world beyond, as you believe, simply holding it for the rest of their species to arrive. I also want you, while detailing the last several months, to think about how those events affected you: how they altered your emotions and made you take actions you might not have otherwise done."
I looked away and took a moment to collect my thoughts. I'd already gone over the events since Fay went down, but I'd avoided focusing on any details. Mainly to hide my drawing on the Dark Side. At least now I knew Fay had sensed me drawing on it on occasion, so I could mix truth with lie as I detailed my actions, plus, once this was over, I could let her view the Council-prepared recording Bo had made. I'd avoided using Force Lightning there for exactly this purpose.
"I was angry, Master. Angry at what they'd done to you, at what they'd done to m-our ship," I hoped she didn't focus on my slip about ownership of the Ne'tra Sartr, "and what they began subjecting the Sekotans to. That anger hasn't faded, but I've done my best to not focus on it as I'd tried to help the Sekotans however I could."
She stayed silent for a moment, and I swore I saw the gears in her mind turning, trying to place what I'd said with what she'd felt within her coma. "I understand that, Cameron. But I wish to hear full details about every battle you fought. Starting with our initial encounter with the Vong. Specifically, how you reacted to my injury."
I took a breath to prepare myself. I'd held little hope this discussion would be short for months now, and it looked like I was correct. Hopefully, once it was over – though I suspected it would take several sessions over the next few days at least to cover most of it – she'd be willing to return to focusing on the Sekotans and Vong.
Even as I began a fuller recounting, a part of my mind was already working on what to say to make sure she allowed us to stay and fight.
… …
… …
"Sorry, what?!" Bo snarled out as we stood in the central area of the new living ship while discussing our next move against the Vong. It'd been about a week since Fay had awoken and she'd convened this meeting to discuss our next move. Though given Bo's aggressive response, and the way Simvyl looked to be almost shaking with rage, her suggestion went down about as well as I'd expected.
"We are to seek out the Vong leadership and attempt to find a peaceful resolution to this conflict." As Fay replied earnestly to Bo, I ran my palm down my face. I didn't need to see Bo's face to know her cheeks were turning the same colour as her hair. "I understand that many have lost their lives in this conflict and that finding common ground with these Vong seems ludicrous. However, to seek a way back from the brink, to try and ensure no more Sekotans die protecting their world is a goal worthy of any Jedi."
"Of all the…" Bo grunted before slamming her hand down hard on the table. the map being projected by the table flickered for a second but otherwise remained, leaving Bo's hand crushing Middle Distance. "Te'habi jetii'kad gar'shebs!" My brow rose at that curse even as Bo jabbed a finger at Fay. "The only way to save the Sekotans is to kill the Vong! They only care about power and taking what they want, and yet you want to shabyr talk to them?!?"
I might agree with Bo's opinion, but voicing it with that curse was, perhaps pushing it a touch. Or it would be if she'd said it to me. Fay would, I was sure, brush it off, even if it was odd to see Bo step outside the light command structure that had existed ever since she'd joined us when we'd left Mandalore.
Still, even with Fay having nominal command over all of us, I wasn't happy at her just grabbing the reins after I'd led what I felt was a generally successful insurrection. However, I was willing to allow it; mainly so I could let Fay see how opposed to a peaceful solution the rest of our team was. Though I hadn't expected Bo to curse my master out. Nor for Fay to suggest we head to the largest Vong base on the planet – which was near Far Distance – in the hopes their leaders were there and not in orbit, and then calmly ask them to come out and talk. That was, quite possibly, the dumbest decision I'd ever heard of, and I'd dealt with intelligence officers during missions in my former life who'd only gotten their posting due to nepotism.
"Firstly, I lack the required lightsaber to have one trapped in my posterior," Fay's initial response made me cough back a laugh even as Bo rolled her eyes. "Secondly, that is what I wish to do. While your actions over the preceding months have generally been successful, they've done, I suspect, little more than irritate the Vong. Continuing that approach, or even trying to use this unarmed vessel, to attack the Vong would only result in more death; likely including ours. Therefore, I'm suggesting an alternative approach to the invasion that, if it works, would save more lives on both sides than any other option presently on the table."
My palm moved upward and began to rub my forehead. I agreed wholeheartedly with Bo's position, but before the meeting, Fay had asked me to allow the others to voice their opinions first. Possibly she felt Bo and Simvyl would agree with whatever I decided, but I knew that wasn't the case as free discussions were how most of our strategy sessions had gone.
That said, it was clear that everyone, even Gann and Vidge, was against the idea. Hell, just before the meeting, Vidge had come to Fay and me and mentioned that apart from working on our vessel, and another private project, every engineer here had convinced the Jentari to shape fighter craft. Now, Vidge had implied that none of the vessels had laser cannons, as the Sekotan refused to keep any on-planet, but the simple fact they'd used this time to develop and build fighters was unexpected. And impressive. Plus, I suspected that they'd found a way to have weapons developed in those fighters that didn't meet Republic expectations.
That, of course, had gotten me thinking about how to arm my new starship. While I'd done little, bar sitting in the cockpit getting acquainted with the controls and helping the bond I shared with it grow stronger, I'd found myself wondering how easy it would be to add weaponry to her. I knew Fay wouldn't approve but given the regularity with which I seemed to find myself in tense situations, flying around in an unarmed starship felt like a great way to die. Which was something Bo had commented on during our introduction to the ship. Vidge had explained that the ship was designed to use its speed and manoeuvrability to escape hostile encounters.
A growl from Bo brought my thoughts back to the meeting. "That is…" She shook her head and then forcibly pushed back from the table. that sent her hair flying, making her look as if she was on fire for a moment before she glared at me. "She's your master! You deal with her!"
I reached for her, wanting to stop her, but my fingers barely touched her before she stormed past me and exited the room. Part of me wanted to head after her, to help calm her. Or failing that, redirect her passion, but I knew I shouldn't. Not with Fay watching me carefully. Plus, it would also undermine the strength of Bo's statement, which was the last thing I wanted to do since I agreed with it.
"She's right!" My head snapped back to the table at hearing Simvyl speak up before I could offer anything. It was odd to hear him agree with Bo when you considered the issues between their peoples, but over the last few months of fighting together, that hatred – mainly from Simvyl's side – had died away. Replacing it had been a sense of kinship between them, between all of us really, which had only grown stronger after Zarkos' death. "Those monsters killed my friends! My teachers! They've tortured innocents in the streets for kriffing fun! You can't talk with beasts like that, only put them down. Hard!"
"I understand you're angry ab…"
Simvyl snarled, baring his teeth as he cut Fay off mid-word. "With respect, Master Jedi, I'm not just angry. I'm furious! Blood demands blood!" In an unintentional mirroring of Bo, he slammed his fist against the table. "They deserve nothing but death!"
The Sekotans present took a few steps back, clearly wary of finding themselves between the brewing conflict. It probably didn't help that Fenrir was prowling around behind me, his ears back slightly while his remaining spinal spikes seemed to quiver whenever I caught sight of them. I knew he wouldn't attack, but he was agitated by the rage flowing around the room. As was the ship; the lights around us pulsed brighter in an almost chaotic pattern.
"Master," I cut in before Fay could respond, or Simvyl could continue, "While I agree with the others that this plan is… foolhardy at best, I understand why you wish to attempt it." Fay gave me a small nod of thanks for the support, though I doubted it would stay as I continued. "However, it won't work because the Vong are unlike anything you've ever encountered. I'm not going to rehash what I brought up when we talked over the last few days, but if you heard anything I or the others have said, you'd see this plan won't work." I paused and took a long breath, settling the rising anger that was always brought on by thinking about the Vong. "Still, it is your choice to attempt this, and mine to accompany you. Though let me be clear when this fails, and it will, and after we've fought our way back to safety, I will remind you of the folly of the plan."
"Do you doubt my abilities, Padawan?" Fay asked with a smile and tone that irked me. It was almost as if she had supreme confidence in her ability to mediate a situation. Or she felt her opinions on the Vong were greater than the three of us who, unlike her, had interacted with the Vong.
"No, Master. I simply feel that such time and effort are wasted on a race with a mindset like the Vong. To them, from what we've observed while you have recuperated, the normal galactic civilities aren't a concern. The only language they speak is one of battle and power, so the only way to speak with them, in my opinion, is while holding a weapon to their throat."
Fay's smile, as I'd expected, fell as I explained myself. When I finished, her eyes were locked on me and she seemed almost disappointed by what I'd said. "I see your time with Master Dooku hasn't been forgotten." She may have meant it as a subtle slight, but it amused me and I smirked at the comparison. Particularly as, if he were here instead of Fay, there'd be little to no discussion about seeking peace with the Vong. Hell, at this moment, I'd prefer Windu was here as I felt he'd realise the threat the Vong posed. Not just to the Sekotans, but potentially to the entire galaxy. "Though I will endeavour to prove your pessimism unfounded."
I bit the inside of my mouth to cut off the retort brewing in my throat. There was little point, not after a week of similar discussions, in dragging this conversation out. No, it was better that I allow Fay time in her fallacies while I started planning out how I was going to rescue our arses from the fire after the Vong laughed in our faces and tried to kill us.
Then, once we were back here, I'd try to not enjoy rubbing Fay's nose in it too much over how wrong she'd been.
… …
… …
"This is a jare'la plan," Bo muttered through my earpiece. She'd made that observation almost every hour on the hour since I'd agreed to support Fay with this and even though her feelings on the matter were clear, she kept saying it. "If you make it out of this, I'm going to kill you for agreeing to it."
"You're welcome to try, but it'll end the same way it always does," I shot back with a chuckle. Bo was far more aggressive than anyone I'd been with in my former life, and most sessions between us were a fight of dominance. I always won as I didn't think she was trying particularly hard to stop me once she knew she'd gotten my full attention, but last night's session had been far more vigorous than normal, a sign of just how furious she was with this plan. Though as I walked a step behind Fay toward the Vong base, my issues with the plan were returning.
Assaulting the compound near Middle Distance would've resulted in high casualties but attacking here would've been suicide. Based on the size alone, I'd have had to drop a fucking mountain on it just to be sure to take out the compound. And that was only if the defences I could see on the walls, and whatever was hidden inside, didn't blast the mountain out of the air.
The base itself looked to be nearly a kilometre wide with walls at least thirty metres reaching into the sky. Dotted around the walls, no more than a hundred metres apart, were cannons that wouldn't look out of place on a cruiser; which they sure as shit didn't on the cruiser that rose from the base as we approached. The area around the base for about a kilometre had been scorched, which ensured that the moment we emerged from the forest, several Vong cannons on the high walls of the base turned our way. Honestly, it was a fucking miracle they hadn't fired the moment we'd appeared, though I sort of wished they had, because then I'd be able to get the fuck away from the place and consider how in the blue hell I was going to win this war.
"I believe they know we're here."
I coughed back laughter at Fay stating the obvious as the wall cannons tracked our approach. Any sudden movement would likely result in them opening fire and while I'd be able to teleport away, I feared Fay would fuck up and use a Force barrier or telekinesis to defend herself. To try to since those powers didn't work directly against Vong or their technology. And if by some miracle, we survived the cannons, the fact the entire base was one giant null-zone meant I had fuck-all idea how many Vong were inside.
All in all, the feeling that this was a shitshow waiting to happen was only growing stronger; not helped in the least by the way the Force on this planet was almost shivering as we approached the base. I tensed, my hands drifting ever closer to my weapons – Fay hadn't wanted me to carry the beskad but I'd made it clear I'd only stop carrying it once the Vong were gone – as the wall facing us seemed to vibrate before a large section, perhaps twenty metres by ten, peeled back – like the peel being removed from an orange – revealing the inside of the base.
Through the gap, after boosting my sight with the Force, I saw over a hundred Vong arrayed inside. Some were going about their business, while the majority were glaring at us. I also saw a dozen fighter analogues and what looked like some kind of giant beetle that, unless I missed my guess, was some sort of ground transport. My temper flared as I saw the Vong with missing claws standing near the front and given the way it barked something, it saw me.
From that mass, three Vong stepped forward, exiting the base. The centre figure was clearly in charge as the other two walked a step behind its shoulders, and all three wore a different armour from any Vong inside the base. It was like the red-shell armour the clawed-Vong wore, but black. From various locations, large, vicious-looking spikes sprang out and I quickly saw how many could be used in close-quarters-combat to inflict an insane amount of fatal damage to an enemy. There were also spikes rising from behind their skulls, which wouldn't prevent the head from moving but provide extra protection against head strikes, which would explain why none wore anything akin to a helmet. As they came closer, it became obvious that the armour was solid, with no obvious weak spots beyond the hands – though each had an arm that looked to not have been a natural occurrence, much like the clawed-Vong – under the arms and a frontal assault. The fact they, like the clawed-Vong, seemed to have chosen to replace limbs, and I saw others with odd legs inside the base, had several worrying implications about their culture. Though I wasn't going to jump to conclusions until I had one of these altered bodies on an autopsy table.
"Master," I whispered as one of the Vong behind their leader snarled and the amphistaff in his hand hissed.
"Stay calm, Cameron. We are here to speak with them in search of peace. Any sign of aggression might result in that failing before we can begin."
I rolled my eyes at her words. "I won't strike first, master. But when these talks fail, and after we've somehow managed to escape, I'll remind you of my words when you put this plan forward." The odds of this succeeding were closer to zero than one per cent, and that was before we'd even arrived here. Now, my only concern was finding a way out of here that didn't result in our deaths. Hopefully, that wouldn't need me to draw on the Dark Side, but if push came to shove, I'd take that over losing Fay.
"Normally I'd find your lack of faith in my abilities concerning. However, given your previous encounters with these Vong, it is understandable. That said, try not to speak unless you have something to add that isn't a threat." I glared at her back, my barely controlled rage flaring at the dismissal. "I don't wish for you to upset these negotiations."
"However short they will be." I shot back with a bit more venom than I'd have liked as Fay glanced at me. No retort came though came as the trio of Vong came closer.
Before they reached us, I used the Force to boost my eyesight and examined every Vong that I could see inside the base and determined what might be the best place to toss the trio of thermal detonators I had stowed away in my belt to ensure maximum carnage. It wouldn't likely do much to their overall strength level, but it, I hoped, would give Fay and me the time needed to slip back into the woods. At least provided the cruiser floating ominously overhead didn't go scorched earth when we entered the forest.
"Why are you here?"
The words that came from the lead Vong's mouth came as such a surprise, that I almost stumbled at hearing him speak Basic. There was an unbelievably bad accent, likely as he'd not used it much before arriving on this planet, but it was clear enough that there was no confusion about what he was saying. Once I got over that shock, I noted that all three Vong had shifted their gaze to me, or more specifically the weapons at my waist, with the one who'd snarled from a distance doing so once again. It seemed the clawed-Vong had reported my existence and weaponry to its leaders, and now they were placing a face to that report. Though if they wanted a closer look, I'd happily give it to them by burying the blades in their skulls.
"We seek a peaceful way to resolve this conflict that has arisen between you and the inhabitants of this world. One that would, ideally, be suitable to both parties." If the Vong hadn't been watching us, I'd have facepalmed at Fay's way of phrasing it, and then done so again at the way the three Vong seemed to be taken aback by her words.
"You speak for the invaders and wish to surrender?"
"I seek a path out of this conflict for all parties, meaning your people and the inhabitants of Zonama Sekot…"
"They are unbelievers upon our holy world!" The Vong cutting Fay off was one thing, but the reverence they held for Sekot was concerning and brought back memories of my previous life when dealing with the most ardent religious fanatics. "This world belongs to us!"
"When they settled here, the planet was uninhabited." The Vong bristled at Fay's words with the more agitated one needing to be restrained by an arm across the chest of the other standing behind the leader. "They've lived here in peace with the galaxy and the planet for over eight standard cycles. Unless you can provide evidence going back further, then by the laws of the Galactic Republic, that grants them control of the world."
The lead Vong stepped closer, towering over both of us. "This world is a seed of our lost home. This we know in our bones and by our holiest words. Those on this world currently are honourless pests that the gods demand we remove."
The two Vong behind it tightened their grips on their amphistaffs. Danger Sense flared up, warning me of threats from everywhere in front of me. My finger drifted closer to the control to engage my lightsaber even as my feet slipped around slowly, settling me into a combat stance.
"As a Jedi, I wish to find a way to resolve this dispute peacefully, in the manner all civilised beings should," The Vong leader's eyes seemed to widen, as if not believing the words coming from Fay. Oddly, I agreed with it though that didn't mean I was going to let this thing kill her even as my mind rapidly played over its words looking for another avenue of approach. "Violence and death serve no purpose."
"Death in the service of our gods, our crusade, is a fate any of us would accept with honour. Many under my command already have." Its eyes locked onto mine. "They fell in battle for this cause, a worthy death even if the warrior who killed them worships false gods."
There was the subtlest shift in the Force coming from Fay. Hopefully, that meant she saw that these talks were failing – not that they ever had a chance to succeed – yet I was seeing a conceivable way to escape this situation unharmed. Possibly.
"You claim that the Sekotans have no honour by invading this world that you claim," I shot out as I moved beside Fay. "That those who've died by my blade did so with honour, yet what proof do we have that any of you have honour?"
The three Vong bristled at my words and again the snarling one tried to move toward me only to be stopped by the other. It spat strange, twisted sounds at me that were likely nothing more than insults in its tongue, yet Comprehend Speech failed to translate any of it. Likely because they lacked any connection to the Force.
"You question our honour?"
I smirked up at the lead Vong. "I question its existence."
All around me, I felt the Force react even as the Vong leader snarled down at me. The amphistaff snapped its teeth in barely contained fury, I felt the Force moving. Though I didn't need that to know I was playing an extremely dangerous game. However, given our location, it was the only option I could see that wouldn't result in Fay dying. Not so long as the Vong were focused on me and not her.
"We know of you, Jedi." The lead Vong confirmed what I'd suspected. "You've fought well against my warriors, killed many of them. To prove our honour, I will grant you death by my hands. The gods will surely favour me with glory for your head."
"And yet, with your lack of honour, you'd be nothing more than a notch on my belt," I replied with fake disdain. The Vong stepped closer, its amphistaff centimetres from biting me as I ignored the fucking smell of the Vong. "Unless you are willing to prove it."
"Explain."
My nose wrinkled at its breath, which gave me another moment to plot out this insane idea I was developing. Yet it seemed I'd gotten the Vong's undivided attention and led this thing to where this plan wanted it to head. Or so I hoped. "We settle this with a duel. Single combat."
"Cameron!"
"I accept." The Vong's agreement cut off Fay from whatever speech she was about to give me about reckless behaviour. And since the Vong agreed, her trying to force me to back down would mean our deaths. Or I hoped she understood that as I'd rather not have this Hail Mary fail because she couldn't see what I was trying to do. "What are the terms?"
I kept my focus on the Vong. "If I win, then you and your forces leave this world. If you somehow win, then we will arrange for the Sekotans that don't wish to remain under your control to do the same." Fay was glaring at me, or as much as she'd ever glare, but I didn't care. Her plan had failed so badly that if I'd not risked this, we'd both likely be dead, which wasn't something I'd like to experience again for a long arse time. And then there was the quest that implied that if I failed here the Vong would invade the galaxy soon, which would cause untold chaos and destruction. This was, at this moment the only path I could find that would end this war without trapping me here for a decade plus leading an insurrection against the Vong. And insurrection that would likely fail once the bulk of their forces arrived.
Behind the lead Vong, the calmer one spoke up. the lead Vong stepped back and turned to speak – though it sounded more like snarling – with its subordinate. As before, I couldn't understand any of it even with Comprehend Speech active.
"This is a reckless move, Cameron," Fay stated while doing a fair impression of Dooku with her tone, "with time, I feel a diplomatic solution could've been discovered."
I knew I shouldn't have, but I openly scoffed into Fay's face. "If you truly believe that master, then I've got a lovely seaside property on Tatooine I'd like to sell you." Fay frowned, not enjoying my humour, but frankly, I didn't care. "I know this is reckless, but it's the only play I can see. The only way I can guarantee gets all of us off this world alive."
Fay's expression softened in an instant, and one of her hands came to rest on my shoulder. "Cameron," she began, her tone far gentler. Yet before she could say anything more, the lead Vong turned back to us.
"Your terms are accepted." Behind him, the other Vong didn't look pleased. Though it was hard to tell with how fucked up their faces were. The hot-headed one looked furious while the calmer one – and that term was relative since I think he simply wanted to rip my limbs from their sockets – seemed almost resigned about what was to happen. "Will this one honour the terms when you fall?"
I snarled up at the Vong, letting it know I didn't think it was going to win even as Fay sighed. "Yes, I will accept my Padawan's decision and abide by the Force's will on this matter. No matter how foolish I feel it to be." She looked at the other Vong. "Will your followers do the same when Cameron defeats you?" Well, at least Fay wasn't trying to undermine me in front of the Vong.
"We will," replied the calmer Vong. "Yum-Yammka will be honoured with blood this day."
I rolled my eyes at hearing that a race that held no connection to the Force and was skilled at warfare would worship gods with blood. Based on the strange limbs I'd consider it a safe bet that they practised ritual sacrifices and mutilations as well. "Are we going to fight or are you going to bore me to death with details about your gods?" I asked, wanting to rattle the Vong. Yes, it being angry when we duelled would make it more aggressive, but it was also something I might be able to exploit. The Vong was likely a better fighter than any Vong I'd encountered before, but as it was single combat, I wouldn't have to worry about another Vong stepping in to save it before I could land a blow as had often happened during ambushes.
Oddly the Vong laughed as if it was amused by my challenging its religion. "I will teach you about our gods when I offer your life to them. However, before then, they require prayer. Return here in ten hours and I will introduce you to the true gods."
"Five," I shot back, not wanting to give it the time he needed as it might place the Vong off-balance. "And I'd rather not fight you in range of the guns of your base and ships. Who's to say that one of them would place victory by any means above honouring your gods?"
"We all serve the gods as their warriors in this life," that came from the hot-headed Vong as it took a step forward. "To suggest otherwise is to court death!" it spat out as the calmer one yanked on its shoulder.
"Then go ahead and kill me now," I snarled back, feeling slightly safe in the fact it wouldn't as that would break the honour of its superior. "That is, of course, if your talk of honour was nothing but empty words!" From the way all three Vong were trying to burn me to ash with just their glares, it was clear I was planning a dangerous game. But I was feeling secure in having manipulated the Vong into fighting me for the planet by understanding a tiny fraction of their culture. I needed the Vong off-balance since, with Fay likely to be nearby when the duel took place, I'd not be able to draw on Force Lightning to claim victory.
"Five hours. And we will fight where the pitiful leader of this world died." The Lead Vong stated, drawing my attention to the two behind it. "Only our seconds will stand witness."
"Agreed." It gave me a nod and then took several steps backwards, not wanting to turn its back on me before it reached its subordinates. As they headed back, but before Fay could speak, I used Observe on the Vong leader to see what I'd be facing.
Feir Kr'Lenah
Race: Yuuzhan Vong
Level: 33
Health: 100% (Replaced right forearm. Replaced left leg)
Age: 40
Force Potential: None
Threat Potential: Very High
Reputation: Hatred
Affiliation: Yuuzhan Vong (100%), Supreme Overlord Zho Krazhmir (100%)
Emotional State: Curious/Insulted
Feir is wondering if you are as competent a fighter as his warriors have reported and looks forward to granting you a quick death.
However, he is furious about your disrespect toward his gods.
...
Race: Yuuzhan Vong
Level: 33
Health: 100% (Replaced right forearm. Replaced left leg)
Age: 40
Force Potential: None
Threat Potential: Very High
Reputation: Hatred
Affiliation: Yuuzhan Vong (100%), Supreme Overlord Zho Krazhmir (100%)
Emotional State: Curious/Insulted
Feir is wondering if you are as competent a fighter as his warriors have reported and looks forward to granting you a quick death.
However, he is furious about your disrespect toward his gods.
...
I was pleased to see it was enraged about my behaviour towards its gods. While it would likely have calmed down by the time we fought, it proved that going after its honour and gods was a valid method to anger it. Still, the fact it was level 33 – which placed it on par with low-end Jedi Masters – was a concern. Doubly so since it didn't have access to the Force. There was also the issue that it had replaced two limbs, as I'd seen the arm, but the leg was something I'd have to keep an eye on during the duel.
"Cameron," I raised a hand toward Fay, cutting her off. There was a spike of displeasure in the Force which was mirrored by confusion on her face.
"We have much to talk about, master, I know. But perhaps we do so away from the Vong compound when we're not under the cannons of the Vong base?"
For a moment, I didn't think Fay would let the matter wait, but it ended with a sigh and a nod. "Very well. Though I'm more concerned with how you felt threatening the Vong leader and insulting their beliefs was the correct way to achieve what you desired."
I took a step back, not wanting to turn around when in range of the Vong base, even as Fay showed less concern and faced toward the forest behind us. "Like Mandalorians, they are warriors, Master. As I've said several times already. Soft words and kind gestures are unlikely to work, even from a position of strength."
Fay paused for a minute as if she was going to say something, only to shake her head. As she walked calmly to the treeline, unconcerned with the Vong cannon tracking our movement, I frowned. Her attempts at peace had failed, I'd proven the Vong were warriors, yet she was now willing to blindly trust that they'd keep their word and show them her back. It felt like a mistake to me, even a character flaw that hadn't been shaken by spending over half a year in a coma.
I kept my eyes on the base until I was inside the trees, feeling that turning and showing my back might be taken the wrong way. Once past the tree line, I slipped from view, and then once sure there were no null-zones within range of my Detection-boosted minimap, turned and moved quickly to reach Fay and the transport to take us back to our ship.
… …
… …
I watched calmly as the Vong cruiser, likely the same one I'd seen over their base several hours ago, came closer. Standing here and waiting did carry the risk the Vong would just attack us here and now, but if honour truly didn't matter to them, then they'd have taken the opportunity to take us out when we'd approached their base.
Around us was, for the most part, rubble. The Magister's compound had been reduced to a massive pile of rubble; at least in the places where the ground hadn't been scarred by whatever the Vong had done here.
"Are you prepared for this?" Fay asked as she stood at my side. While, as I'd expected, she'd been harsh toward me choosing to settle this conflict in single combat – and thus risk my life so brazenly – she'd also accepted that her attempted peace talks had failed. She recognised that if I hadn't intervened, then we'd have likely been forced to fight our way away from the Vong base. Still, that didn't make her happy with my choice to engage in combat to settle the matter. Something that likely influenced her making me meditate in solitude for three hours after we arrived back aboard our new starship. Currently, I'd still to give her a name, but a few options were bouncing around my head.
As we'd meditated, I'd initially tried to commune with the Force to see if this was the correct path to take. As expected, it'd been less than forthcoming in that regard, so I'd spent most of the time planning out how to fight the Vong leader. Force Lightning was out unless I wanted Fay to drag me over the coals when we returned to the temple. It'd still be there as an emergency asspull, but I'd rather not rely on it to defeat the Vong. Thus, I replayed every engagement I'd had with the Vong, trying to see what'd worked and what hadn't. Since I knew nothing about this Vong's combat capabilities, I was working from the worrying position that he was as far beyond the claw-handed Vong as that one was above their regular squad leaders.
When we'd finished our meditation, Bo had been waiting for me outside the room, and much to Fay's amusement – and possibly some concern – had dragged me right back in before locking the door. Bo was angry that not only was I the one to fight the Vong leader but that she'd not be my second. Going unsaid there was that she didn't believe Fay would be of any help if things went sideways, however, I had faith in Fay to stick to the agreed terms. When I'd pushed Bo about her feelings on the matter, she'd grown angry, thinking I was mocking her and that I didn't consider that she'd be left looking after Fenrir if I fell. To settle her nerves, and distract me for what was to come, I'd all but leapt at her and the next hour had been lost in a symphony of passion, mixed with some violence since Bo wasn't the most gentle of lovers.
After emerging from my quarters again, and ignoring the looks the others gave us, I'd spoken briefly with Simvyl and Fenrir. The Cathar, like Bo, had wanted to be the one to fight the Vong, but he understood that I had a better chance of making the son of a Hutt – his words – pay. I'd asked him to keep an eye on Bo and Fenrir, and I'd also said something similar to Bo and Fenrir. The tuk'ata had walked at my side as I'd headed to the transport and then whined when I'd told him to stay. Bo gave me a look, making it clear she was relieved that I had returned but made no move to hold me. While I'd have enjoyed the comfort, such public displays of affection weren't common in Mandalorian culture, which was an odd counter to how important family was to them.
Our journey, up until this point, had been taken in silence. "I guess we'll see," I replied jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. The ripples of concern that emanated from Fay at my blasé response meant I'd failed. "I've fought and killed dozens of Vong since they arrived here, master, and while I expect their leader to be the toughest opponent yet, I know I can take him."
Fay frowned, which was always an odd expression to see on her ageless face. "Again, I see Master Dooku's influence in you, though be mindful of your confidence, lest it leads you to arrogance," I smirked at both parts of that as I couldn't deny that I had adopted many of Dooku's mannerisms and understood well the concept of pride beyond the deserved. "And while I'd prefer you offer clemency to the Vong once you defeat him," it was nice to hear her voice confidence in my abilities, "I doubt such a moment will present itself, or that the Vong would accept."
Overhead, the cruiser stopped, and from the port side, a smaller ship emerged. The way the hull seemed to ripple back to expose the landing bay felt alien and yet oddly familiar. Something that was true for all Vong technology I'd seen as there were similarities to Sekotan technology, but whereas the Sekotans found joy in life and the world they lived on, it felt as if the Vong only cared about their needs and twisted their creations to suit those needs. As I pondered that more while the smaller ship, a troop transport by the looks of things, descended, I realised that while they were mainly different, there were odd angles and lines on the Vong cruiser that mirrored my new starship. Perhaps that was why the Vong felt so strongly that this world belonged to them.
The transport touched down near the remains of the main building of the Magister's compound and I watched as two Vong exited. A quick usage of Observe confirmed the lead figure was Feir Kr'Lenah and it looked like the one behind it was, thankfully, the calmer of its subordinates.
"Are you prepared?" Feir called out once it was about thirty metres from me, it's second having hung back near their transport. Along with other Vong that I could just see staying inside the vehicle.
I took a step forward only for Fay to stop me by placing a hand on the crook of my arm. "The Force is with you. Always." I smiled at hearing her use that line and place one of my hands on hers before bowing slightly.
I slid from Fay's grip and walked toward the Feir until I was about twenty metres from it. "I'm ready, though I wish to know the name of the being who will die by my blade today. So that his name might be known by others."
"I am Feir Kr'Lenah; Subaltern of the Praetorite Vong. This day, I claim this seed of Yuuzhan'tar for my people." As the Vong spoke, I felt the Force around me shift. Yet it didn't feel as if it was a general ripple in the Force, but one centred upon the world. As if it somehow understood what was at stake. As for the Vong, its rank meant nothing, though being a member of the Praetorite Vong was interesting as that was similar in name to the Praetorian Guard of ancient Rome. Those had served as the bodyguards, spymasters, and agents of the emperors of Rome, so might these Vong be serving a similar role for their Supreme Overlord? Yuuzhan'tar was a word that came up often and based on its similarity to the species name, it was likely their homeworld, but how the fuck could a planet be the seed of another? That just sounded like some bullshit reasoning to explain their invasion.
"Well met, Feir Kr'Leanh," I began as I slipped into a Makashi stance. I wasn't removing my lightsaber as that might be seen as the start of combat, but I moved my hand in the gesture for an opening salute. "I am Cameron Shan, Chief of Clan Shan, Mtael of the Lokella and Padawan of the Jedi Order," it seemed to snarl at hearing that, making me wonder if it realised my rank was very low, "and I fight today to protect this world for those who've lived here long before you arrived. And will do so long after your death."
"Today is a good day for you to die." Feir snarked, his amphistaff twisting around and snapping at me from across the dust-filled ground that separated us.
"And for me, it's just another day killing your species." I retorted as I flicked on my lightsaber, enjoying as always the faint roar it generated due to the small krayt dragon pearl. While I'd love to add the Mantle of the Force, it wasn't quite at the point where the crystal was fully aligned to me, nor was my skill with lightsabers at a point where I could add a fourth crystal to the matrix. My beskad stayed against my hip for now, as I didn't want to use it too early and have him realise the danger it posed to him and his living weapon.
Feir's head tilted to one side as if confused or insulted by my comment. A moment later, with no roar of anger nor hint it was coming bar the slight shifting of its feet, the Vong charged. I settled my feet, and waited, wanting to see what this Vong was capable of doing in the opening moments of our duel. My eyes carefully tracked the amphistaff as it hardened.
My rear foot shifted, altering the angle of my body as my lightsaber tapped the staff away. It shifted into its whip form, but I'd already rotated and slid back, so the snapping jaw found nothing but air. Even then, Feir was turning, using the ability of its weapon to swiftly change the attack vector. The snake-head leapt low, aiming for my lead leg. I pulled it back even as my lightsaber twitched down. The snake-head recoiled in pain as my blade slashed one eye, though the movement prevented the plasma from doing any further damage.
A roll of Feir's shoulders had it shifting direction, the amphistaff coming upward and hardening in a single motion. I slid back, my lightsaber filling the space between me and the Vong. This entire segment of the duel was a feeling-out section. Feir was only attacking as quickly as the Vong squad leaders, while I was keeping my distance, trying to spot holes in his form while making sure neither Vong nor its weapon landed anything more than a glancing blow. I had plans for later in the duel, but I'd only use them if needed.
Feir came at me directly, possibly because I was defending on a linear axis and wanted to test that. A sidestep one way was a feint as he swung his staff from the other side, keeping it in its rigid form, aiming low toward my legs. My lightsaber slid out, pushing the snake-head into the dirt. Feir pulled it back while bringing the tail overhead. I slid back and turned, placing my lightsaber over my head to block the strike.
As I came out of the spin, my lightsaber came around quickly, having picked up speed from my move, and aimed for the Vong's thigh. Feir blocked with the heft of his spear and then pushed the snake-head, which was down low, toward me. With no choice, my beskad came out and the flat of the blade slapped the snake-head under its jaw as I couldn't turn my wrist in time to slice the damned living weapon.
With both my weapons now out, the Vong saw an opportunity. One hand slid from its staff and thrust toward me. Seeing the claws extend from the hand, I leapt back and they caught nothing but air. That made me glad I'd left my robes back on the transport. If I'd worn them here, the claws could've caught them enough that the Vong knocked me off-balance.
Yet even as I withdrew, my wrist twisted, guiding my lightsaber over its elbow. It struck the black armour yet left only a faint discolouration as it withdrew. That confirmed its armour was on-par, at least, with the red-shell armour of the claw-handed Vong. Still, I'd landed the first hit, and it hissed in annoyance as I re-established a gap between us and saw the mark on his armour.
"My warriors spoke truly." Feir's words caught me off-guard as I'd not expected him to speak once the duel had started. "You have some skill. Still, it won't be enough to defeat me." Feir finished as he shook his arm almost nonchalantly.
"Yet I landed the first blow. One that only saved you as you hide behind your armour." It was a weak insult, but I knew I could get under his skin by targeting his beliefs. "I doubt your gods will look favourably upon that."
Something that was likely a laugh, but sounded more like diamonds scraping over metal, slipped from Feir's lips. "Being wounded in battle is a mark of respect for our gods, and our cause. Though what they desire most is our victory."
I smirked, shifting my stance to account for me now holding my beskad. While I hadn't yet maxed out either Jar'Kai or dual-wielding, I'd grown far better at both over the last few months. "Sadly, you won't taste victory here, but perhaps your death will suffice for your gods to forgive you in the afterlife."
Whether the insult bothered him or not, the Vong rushed forward, resuming the duel. It took Feir less time to reach me, indicating he'd been holding back, and three rapid thrusts came at me. None landed as I blocked two and avoided the last by sliding to one side, mainly as the first two had more power behind them, causing me issues with my balance.
Feir pulled back slightly and began to circle, the hardened staff probing for an opening as I turned to match his movements. My lightsaber stayed low, keeping it ready to parry or attack if the situation arose while my beskad stayed closer to my chest as a higher defensive option.
The Vong probed my defence several times, each being parried or pulled back before I had to, until, after what felt like minutes but was likely barely one since the Force was increasing my speed and reaction times, he twirled the staff. For a moment I considered attacking, only to realise the movement of the Vong's weapon was a ruse, designed to lure me in.
Seeing that his plan hadn't worked, Feir brought the staff down, snake-head coming in from high. My lightsaber slid upward to guide the attack away from my legs as the alien weapon was too far away for my beskad to reach without upsetting my stance. Yet, as my lightsaber touched the staff, it lost rigidity.
The weapon started coiling around my lightsaber even as the blade slid down the staff's body. The fangs of the snake-head were dangerously close to my hands and I pulled back. Yet, even as the plasma blade slid out of the rapidly closing coils, the Vong removed one hand from his staff. A twist with the other hand had the whip-staff snap around.
The weapon spun and hardened as it moved around my blade, and before I could even shift my wrist to counter, the Vong weapon hardened; the fangs of the snake-head closed rapidly on my chest. My beskad came down frantically, hoping to stop the attack before it landed, even as I attempted to shuffle back. The beskad caught a chink in the staff and drove it down, yet I hissed as the fangs gorged my side, some of my blood staining the ground below.
I used the Force to leap back, establishing a good ten metres between us, yet as I landed, I saw Feir hadn't pushed his attack. Instead, his weapon had coiled around his arm and he'd run a finger over the snake's fangs. "First blood," Feir stated before licking my blood from his finger. "I shall enjoy savouring more after you fall this day."
I snarled as I quickly opened the notice detailing the wound. I offered a silent prayer to the Force that the wound wasn't poisoned, nor painful. However, not wanting to heal it and risk losing FP when I didn't know how much I'd need later in the duel, I let it bleed. Control Pain was already active, having auto-engaged the moment I was wounded, and since it was a minor thing, the wound was easy to ignore for now.
Feir charged, his staff shifting into its whip form. The snake-head hissed loudly, barring its fangs, though black ichor seeped from the missing eye. The Vong threw what was all but a punch, though the amphistaff leapt with it, snapping frantically. My beskad moved, seeking a chink in the armour, only for the weapon to harden. Feir lunged forward as it did, getting the snake-head past my beskad, though I was able to get enough contact that the weapon tip sailed past my shoulder.
The Vong shifted his stance, moving the staff toward my skull. I ducked and at the same time, my beskad slid down the weapon and then clipped the guard over the top of the lead hand. That was enough to halt the attack, and also left Feir exposed. My lightsaber came up, though rocks I'd scooped from the ground with the Force struck the Vong in its face.
Feir spluttered as dust gathered around his face, his grip on his weapon slackening for a moment, which was all I needed. My lightsaber followed the rocks, yet instead of going for his hands, which were exposed, the tip was thrust forward. It slid up his chest armour, which caused him to react, trying to pull back. But it was too late. I smiled in satisfaction as the tip sunk into the flesh under his arm, making it fall limp in an instant.
The Vong roared in defiance and twisted. My lightsaber moved around inside before being forced out as it clipped the edge of the armour and was guided away. Then, in a display of impressive speed and resilience, the Vong slammed his shoulder into my chest even as my beskad moved along the amphistaff, looking to cleave the weapon in two.
The staff's snake-head lunged forward, its fangs missing my heart but digging into my clothing. I pulled back, bringing my lightsaber up closer to my body. The snake-head was forced to let go, though not before it and my lightsaber left me with an exposed chest, the wound from earlier still seeping blood onto my skin.
I moved back, establishing some room even as the amphistaff coiled around the Vong's now useless arm. I shifted my stance in reply, adopting a modified Makashi stance with my beskad down and to the side, ready to strike if any opportunity arose.
For the briefest of moments, Fay's hope that I'd offer mercy to the Vong floated into my mind. Yet seeing the thing snarl at me as its weapon, blood seeping from its ruined eye, hissed pathetically, I squashed the idea. The Vong deserved no mercy. Only death.
It seemed the Vong agreed as, even with one arm hanging limply, he still attacked. A roar of defiance came from his lungs as he raced toward me, and I felt a smile creep onto my lips. This was a good fight and if he wanted a clean death, I'd give him one.
His good arm surged forward, claws extending. My lightsaber came up, slicing through them, though the hand kept coming and I was forced to backpedal to avoid taking the stumps of the claws in my face. Though as I moved back, I saw strands of hair fall away, the claw stumps still sharp enough to slice them from my head. The snake-head lunged, but my beskad clipped it before it could do any damage.
The working fist went low, the sliced claws tracking for my thigh, though my beskad was able to quickly get down with a rotation of my wrist, removing several of the Vong's fingers and all but ending the threat the fist posed. However, as if sensing that, the amphistaff leapt from the useless arm, sailing through the air toward me.
My lightsaber moved across my face, catching the amphistaff in its remaining eye though not before the thing slammed into the side of my face, forcing me to close my left eye as the fangs reared back on approach.
With my left eye closed from the wound, and the hissing of the snake-head overwhelming my ear, I knew I needed to generate room quickly, and watched the world turn silver as I teleported away. As the light faded, I found myself a good forty metres from Feir, though given the unstable ground, before I could set my feet, I slipped, dropping to a knee.
The hand holding my beskad came up and my fingers touched around my eye. I winced at the small jolt of pain that came from the wound before I opened the newest notice from the Interface. I breathed deeply in relief when it said that while I had a deep cut over my cheek, eye socket and forehead I hadn't lost the eye. Even as Force Heal sealed the wound, and I used an undamaged and undirtied section of my robe to clean the wound, I felt the rage inside me surging; demanding to be let out and make this thing pay for daring to injure me as it had. To burn the Vong to a crisp and leave its ashes to scatter in the winds.
That urge was strong, but I was stronger still. Allowing my anger and fury to control me wasn't the path I wished to take, wasn't how I wanted to defeat the Vong. Nor did I want Fay to sense me doing so in that way. The darkness inside was a part of me, but it didn't control me. I controlled it. I wasn't going to allow it to twist me, the ramifications of doing that were far too great. Thus, with some effort as images of Zarkos and Sekotans that'd died because of the Vong flashed through my thoughts, I pushed the anger aside and brought the storm raging within under control once more.
With the cut healed, though the Interface said I still had to heal the scar as the Vong weaponry interfered with Force-assisted healing, I opened the eye, only to grunt. While the wound was no longer bleeding, and surface blood had mainly been wiped away by my robes, there was still some in my eye and even with Control Pain active, it still itched. I blinked rapidly, ignoring the itch, to clear my eye, even as I saw the Vong moving toward me.
The entire incident, of teleporting away and then discovering and healing the wound and clearing my had only taken a few seconds with the Force accelerating my body. Even after years of using the Force, this always impressed me, as it was still something that amazed me, especially when I saw that Feir had only covered perhaps half the distance between us while I'd dealt with my wound. Hell, the entire duel, even including the short verbal exchange, had barely been going on for under three minutes, even if it felt closer to ten in my mind.
I pushed aside that wonder as the Vong continued to rush me. His face was twisted in rage, having realised, with one arm useless, the claws on the other removed – along with a few fingers – and his amphistaff blinded, that he was going to die. Yet still, he fought on. I could respect that, even as I took pleasure in seeing the damage that I'd done to him was far greater than anything I'd taken.
As my feet slid on the dust-covered ground, I took a deep breath, centring myself. My weapons were held low, ready to move to defend and counter anything the Vong could do while I plotted out possible ways he might try and attack with virtually no offensive weaponry beyond his body and armour left. The Vong had made me taste my own blood, as some had run down my cheek to my lips, and my body sang to return the favour before I ended this fight.
Feir's working arm pulled back, going for an overpowered but telegraphed attack. My lightsaber flicked up to meet the oncoming hand, sliding between two remaining fingers, then slicing the hand in half until stopping as the armour around the forearm slammed into the blade.
The Vong pushed against my blade, forcing it back, but I used this. With the plasma blade lodged against his armour, I pushed the blade across my body, forcing him to one side, while I pulled my front foot back and pivoted. The Vong rushed past my back even as my lightsaber slid free of the armour, unable to attack since his body had been guided away from me.
My pivot ended with the blade of my beskad swirling around, slamming into the back of the Vong's neck. While the armour stopped me from beheading the creature with the blow, it forced the Vong to fall face-first into the dirt. The amphistaff hissed pathetically, snapping at nothing as it tried in vain to defend its master, right up until my beskad slammed down, finding a chink in the armour while it was in the whip form, and severed the head from the body.
As the weapon fell limp on my metal blade, my lightsaber slid between the armoured spikes that rose to protect the Vong's skull, finding no resistance as the plasma burnt a hole through the brain. To be sure, I twisted my wrist, drawing the tip of my lightsaber to each side, and watched in grim satisfaction as the upper section of his skull slipped to the ground, smoke rising from where the flesh had been instantly cauterized.
Sure, the Vong was now dead; I turned, wanting to see how Feir's second would react. The terms had been agreed and they'd come here for this fight, but I still couldn't be sure the second would accept the terms. It took one step toward me, and even as I used Observe, I reached out with the Force, taking control of several large boulders nearby that, if it came to it, I'd launch at the Vong cruiser. It'd likely not take it down, but the chaos would allow me to move before it fired on my location.
Of course, as I read the information from Observe, I felt myself relax a fraction.
Sekr Grlaniq
Race: Yuuzhan Vong
Level: 26
Health: 100% (Replaced left hand, replaced lower right leg, replaced left foot)
Age: 40
Force Potential: None
Threat Potential: Very High
Reputation: Hatred
Affiliation: Yuuzhan Vong (100%), Supreme Overlord Zho Krazhmir (100%)
Emotional State: Impressed/Concerned
Sekr is impressed at your combat prowess and accepts Feir Kr'Lenah died a good death in service of the gods.
That said, Sekr is worried about how Prefect Da'Gara will react to them losing the seed of Yuuzhan'tar to a Jedi.
...
Race: Yuuzhan Vong
Level: 26
Health: 100% (Replaced left hand, replaced lower right leg, replaced left foot)
Age: 40
Force Potential: None
Threat Potential: Very High
Reputation: Hatred
Affiliation: Yuuzhan Vong (100%), Supreme Overlord Zho Krazhmir (100%)
Emotional State: Impressed/Concerned
Sekr is impressed at your combat prowess and accepts Feir Kr'Lenah died a good death in service of the gods.
That said, Sekr is worried about how Prefect Da'Gara will react to them losing the seed of Yuuzhan'tar to a Jedi.
...
As Sekr came closer, it's amphistaff hissing as it looked down at its brethren, I slid into a relaxed defensive posture. Though I didn't release the grip I was keeping on a dozen boulders with the Force. Observe said he accepted Feir's death, not that he'd acknowledge the terms of the duel.
"The duel has ended," the Vong all but spat after taking a long look at the partially decapitated body of its former leader. "By the terms agreed upon, we will withdraw from this planet. That will take a planetary cycle to complete."
Hesitantly, I nodded in acceptance. It lifted a wrist to its mouth and spat out something in the cursed Vong tongue. Behind it, four new Vong emerged from the transport, making me tense.
"They will claim the body." My eyes stayed on the rapidly approaching Vong even as Sekr spoke. "Today you fought well, proved your honour, and the gods accept your victory. However, your name will now join those of others who've defiled our holy mission. When our people are ready, they will hunt you and those around you down, making you suffer eternal agony for this defeat."
"They are welcome to try," I shot back as the four Vong reached us. Three gave me evil eyes but did nothing. Much to my annoyance. I still wanted to fight, still wanted to kill more Vong, yet I pushed that desire aside. Doing so would risk the victory I'd achieved here today.
Though since the Invaders From the Void quest wasn't showing as complete, the desire to keep fighting was kept close. Until all these fuckers had left the world, I'd not relax, nor savour my victory. No matter how much I enjoyed it.
… …
… …
Only once the transport had reached the treeline, and slunk away from sight, did I relax in my seat. The rush of the fight slowly fell away, giving way to relief that it was over, though there was little exhaustion as while the fight had been intense, my sparring sessions with Dooku were often more taxing. Now, that wasn't to undersell Feir's ability, just that without the Force, and with me knowing how to fight Vong – or at least those on or below his standing – it meant the fight had been far easier than I'd expected. Though that hadn't stopped Fay from fussing over my cuts once we'd reached the transport. She'd used the Force to heal the wounds on my stomach and leg, but the scars remained, as they always did as I had to actively choose to remove them. Or at least move to keep them within a certain amount of time as was the case after spending a week or so in the bacta tank after my rescue from the Bando Gora.
"While I was confident in your ability to defeat the Vong's leader," Fay said as she placed a small bacta patch over my eye, hoping to help the scar heal faster, "I still wish you had been able to secure the Vong's departure without further death. Though the cost of a single life to save thousands is a trade I would reluctantly accept."
"Yes, Master, and thank you," I replied, trying not to look too smug - which was hard since I'd been right all along – even as a smile crept onto my face.
Fay laughed softly and shook her head. She then placed a hand on my shoulder, the one away from my now-covered eye. "You have the right to be proud of what you've accomplished today. You may be brave, and occasionally foolish in how you approach situations, but you always find a way through. I, along with Master Dooku I'm sure, am eternally grateful to the Force for guiding me to you. The Force has a plan for you, as I'm sure you're well aware," I chuckled nervously as it wasn't just the Force that had plans for me, "and while that path will undoubtedly be a difficult one, it has been my honour to guide you on your first steps, help you stand back up each time you fell, and I look forward to watching what you and the Force shall accomplish together in the future."
My smile grew. It was a relief to hear she wasn't letting any feelings about how I'd behaved in the duel, or how I'd forced the Vong into it, to damage our bond. After squeezing my shoulder, she moved back and settled into her chair. A comfortable silence fell over the cabin.
…
A few hours later the transport began descending as we approached the Jentari foundries and my new starship. About halfway through the flight, Fay started speaking again. She'd mentioned moments in my duel, focusing on the feelings she'd sensed from me when my emotions had been at their peaks. When she'd first started I'd been concerned she was going to lecture me on the negative emotions she'd sensed, but instead, she praised me for not giving into those desires. For letting them drift into the Force and letting it guide my actions instead.
Now she was slowly removing the bacta patch from my eye, a frown coming to her face. "It appears the scar hasn't healed." She paused and stared into my eyes. "Might this be because you wish to keep it as you did those suffered during your verd'goten?"
I nodded. "Aye. Even though I won the fight, I want a reminder that even when it felt like I'd already won, the fight hadn't finished, and I almost lost the eye because of that mistake."
Fay shook her head, though there was no sadness behind the gesture. "While I feel there are other ways to learn that lesson, I am glad you have." She dropped the used bacta patch with the ones from my stomach and leg – those scars I had healed – in a bin. "Though I do wonder if the scar isn't also to show off for Ms Kryze?" she smirked as she asked that, and I chuckled back as I shrugged.
"Well, that would be a nice bonus." Again, Fay shook her head, though this time it was accompanied by her gentle laughter.
"True enough." The transport shuddered as it landed, reminding me once again that it was a small miracle that it still flew. "Though I do hope you don't allow this bonus to consume too much of your time. I, for one, look forward to returning to the temple with this marvellous new vessel to show the Council. And perhaps, speak with others of the trials you've endured upon this world." My brow creased at her odd phrasing, but before I could think on it more, the door hissed open and Fay waved her hand toward it. "I believe there are some friends who would prefer to see you emerge first."
With a smirk, I stood and moved to the door, putting her words aside as I stepped into the sunlight. Though I only got a few steps before a large black mass slammed into me, and it was only by a small miracle that I didn't slam my head into the transport as Fenrir started licking my face.
"Fenrir! Get off!" I shouted as I tried to push the massive beast – he'd grown more in our time on the planet and now was about the size of a pony – however, Fenrir wasn't about to let me go. Even as his tongue covered my face in saliva, I heard laughter from all around.
Eventually, even as I failed to move the giant beast, I felt someone pull him back. "Alright, you've had your turn," I heard Bo say as the light returned to my vision. "Let the rest of us see him," Fenrir whined loudly but obeyed her – which, even after months on this planet always amused me as Bo was the only other person Fenrir even considered listening to – and slunk away. As I pushed myself to my elbows, I saw him walk over to Fay, who laughed as he gently pushed up against her.
"That thing's dead, then?" I looked up at Simvyl. His face was hard to read, though the Force let me know he was conflicted. Hope, anger, and relief radiated from him in equal measure.
"Aye, and the rest are leaving in the next day or so. Or so they claim." That seemed to settle the Cathar, though the fur on his head matted as he frowned.
"Good." His shoulders suddenly slumped. "While I still want them all dead for what they did, at least if the planet's saved then Kekda and Irone's deaths mean something." He took a step back, but I leapt up and gripped his shoulder, stopping him even as I saw Bo trying to not jump me.
"They, and those who also died, will be remembered by the Sekotans. And us. Their name won't fade into the blackness of the cosmos." He got a strange look on his face, which wasn't a surprise as my words were a little unexpected even to me before he nodded. He then gripped my forearm, and I returned the gesture. After a moment, he nodded again and then broke the grip, before walking away.
"I see you made it back in mostly one piece," Bo remarked, drawing my attention to her just as I saw Fenrir bound over to Simvyl with the Cathar now comfortable around the massive war hound.
"Aye, more or less," I replied before coughing as some of Fenrir's drool slipped into my mouth. As I heaved to get it out and wiped my face with the ruined remains of my robes, Bo laughed.
"And the other guy?" She asked once she'd gotten her laughter under control.
It took me about a minute to reply as I desperately wiped my face clean. Or at least clean enough that no more slobber was going to seep into my mouth or eyes. "Dead, though he did leave me a parting gift," I remarked, rapping my head near the scar.
Bo leaned closer, examining the mark. She nodded, seemingly pleased about it. "Oof!" I fell back, landing on my arse after she slammed her fist, encased in her crushgaunt, into my gut.
"Next time you're taking me, you ois'kovid!" she snarked before taking a step forward. As she dropped to a knee in front of me, I rubbed my stomach, glad the Force had healed that wound long before I'd returned. For a moment, I was worried she'd strike me again, and as her hand came toward my head, I rather embarrassingly tensed. She smirked at that, and then after gripping my hair, slammed her lips against mine. Before I could respond to the passion-filled kiss, she pulled back, the smirk still on her face. "And that's for winning." She leaned close. "Or at least a taste of what's to come." She whispered into my ear, sending excited tingles throughout my body.
She pulled back, and her face wrinkled. "But first, go and wash. You stink of Vong and the mutt!"
Somewhere behind her, Fenrir whined, which made me laugh. I watched Bo as she walked off, my eyes not even trying to not watch her arse as it swayed with each step. I knew Fay could see me, but I frankly didn't care. Issues regarding my closeness to Bo could wait for after we left the planet, for now, I had a hot, quick shower to take before I claimed my prize.
… …
… ..
Quest Completed!
Invaders From the Void [֍]
Objectives:
:a: Ensure the survival of all members of your group, including the Antarian Rangers, for the length of the quest. [5/7]
:b: Protect the planet from the Yuuzhan Vong by either driving the invaders from the planet, [YES]
Or eliminating the entire occupation force. [NO]
? :c: Defeat the Commanders of the invasion force. [1/3]
? :d: Discover your Sekotan starship and pilot it at least once. [NO]
Rewards/Penalties:
:a: 5000XP [+500XP]
:b: 8000XP [+800XP]
:c: 2000XP [+200XP]
...
LEVEL UP!
Level: 27 -> 28
FP: +650
PerkP: +1
PP: +2
STAM: + 44
SP: +4
SKP: +40
...
Invaders From the Void [֍]
Objectives:
:a: Ensure the survival of all members of your group, including the Antarian Rangers, for the length of the quest. [5/7]
:b: Protect the planet from the Yuuzhan Vong by either driving the invaders from the planet, [YES]
Or eliminating the entire occupation force. [NO]
? :c: Defeat the Commanders of the invasion force. [1/3]
? :d: Discover your Sekotan starship and pilot it at least once. [NO]
Rewards/Penalties:
:a: 5000XP [+500XP]
:b: 8000XP [+800XP]
:c: 2000XP [+200XP]
...
LEVEL UP!
Level: 27 -> 28
FP: +650
PerkP: +1
PP: +2
STAM: + 44
SP: +4
SKP: +40
...
The bigger increases than at level 27 in terms of SP – Stat Points – and SKP – Skill Points – were due to be spending my reserve of SP on increasing my Intelligence to 40. I'd done so at the start of this mission, fearing that I might fail and wanting to spend them how I could. My physical stats were out as those had reached the combined limit of 65, and while boosting Charisma and Wisdom to 30 was also done, the bulk went into Intelligence for when, I'd hoped, I completed the quest and levelled up.
Now, it was hard to judge how the increases in my Charisma and Wisdom had affected me, but I felt I was seeing possible avenues to use faster with the marked improvement in my Intelligence. Though it was a hard thing to quantify. Plus, with me now being level 28, I could select a new perk, thus I quickly called up the relevant menus to see the choices.
PERKS
These are earned by spending perk points [which you earn at a rate of 1PP per 4 levels].
Perks have requirements in PP, stat. and level values that must be met before they become available for selection.
Currently, you have the following perks:
Ambidextrous
Boosted Growth [1/3]
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Enhanced Regeneration [1/3]
Heart of the Force [1/2]
...
Available Perks:
Bookworm
Boosted Growth Mark 2
Brainiac Mark 1
Cat's Grace Mark 1
Cult of Personality Mark 1
Dominant Mark 1
Giant's Strength Mark 1
Iron Skin Mark 1
Luck of the Force Mark 1
Medic Mark 1
One with Beasts
One With Nature
Physical Regeneration Mark 1
Stat Limit Boost Mark 1
Style Mark 1
Wisdom of the Ancients Mark 1
...
These are earned by spending perk points [which you earn at a rate of 1PP per 4 levels].
Perks have requirements in PP, stat. and level values that must be met before they become available for selection.
Currently, you have the following perks:
Ambidextrous
Boosted Growth [1/3]
Eidetic Memory
Empathy
Enhanced Regeneration [1/3]
Heart of the Force [1/2]
...
Available Perks:
Bookworm
Boosted Growth Mark 2
Brainiac Mark 1
Cat's Grace Mark 1
Cult of Personality Mark 1
Dominant Mark 1
Giant's Strength Mark 1
Iron Skin Mark 1
Luck of the Force Mark 1
Medic Mark 1
One with Beasts
One With Nature
Physical Regeneration Mark 1
Stat Limit Boost Mark 1
Style Mark 1
Wisdom of the Ancients Mark 1
...
Boosted Growth would make it easier to reach level-ups, which was a growing concern as my rate of level growth had slowed considerably over the last few years. One with Beasts would, I felt, offer some help with Fenrir, though to be honest, things with him felt well established and our bond was already strong and clear. Physical Regeneration would be useful for those moments when the Force wasn't able to be accessed or struggled to work in healing me. While Stat Limit Boost would lift my physical stats by an overall total of 10.
It was a tough choice, and one I was still considering when my door chimed. A gesture had the door slide open, and Bo sauntered in, a wide smile on her face.
"What's this I hear about you not celebrating with us?" She asked, her face slightly rosy and as she came closer, I caught hints of fruity alcohol on her breath. "Think you're too good for us?"
"No. I was just meditating on the matter, wanting to be sure that the Vong were gone and would stay gone."
At my reply, she shook her head and then slid her legs over mine. "If they're gone, then good. If not, then we just get to kill more of them. Either way, I want to have some fun."
As her lips crashed against mine, and I fell back onto my bed, I pushed thoughts of which perk to take from my mind. That could wait, were as the hot and willing redhead who was crushing her breasts against my chest wouldn't.
… …
… …
The sound of something pounding nearby forced my eyes to reluctantly open. The beds the Sekotans had installed on my ship were incredibly soft and lying on them for more than a few minutes resulted in me falling asleep. At least when alone. I looked around, blinking to clear the cobwebs from my mind even as I felt something large, soft, and warm pushing up against my side, having trapped my left arm under it.
A smile came to my face I looked down at Bo as she snuggled into my chest. "Bo," I said as I gently prodded her with my free arm. She groaned in annoyance and pushed herself further into my side. The smile on my face grew at her antics, and if only because there wasn't one in easy range – and she'd kill me six ways to Coruscant – I didn't take a picture of her with a holopad. These were the only moments where Bo let down her tough, outward persona, reminding me that inside the beating heart of this warrior lived a beautiful woman that was quickly worming her way into my heart. Honestly, these little moments where she was entirely at peace around me and lowered her guard meant more than the vigorous fucking we engaged in, not that I didn't enjoy those, mind you.
I needed to see what Simvyl – and I knew it was him because of the Force – wanted so desperately, but there was no way I was letting him see her like this. She was mine and mine alone to enjoy. With that in mind, I flicked her on the forehead. "Eyes open warrior!" I snarled while pushing my words with Force Persuasion. She was trained to resist Jedi mind tricks, but in this condition, her defences were down and she was more malleable. Though any thought of using that to my advantage slipped from my mind as I felt the Force swirling around as if something had gone horribly wrong. I grimaced as bursts of pain ripped through the Force with the strength of tidal waves even as Bo's eyes fluttered open.
"Wh-what?" She mumbled out, her eyes struggling to find mine in the dimly lit room as I struggled to not laugh at how Force-damn adorable she looked.
"Simvyl's banging at the door."
"Shab'pir," she groaned out before her head returned to my chest.
"I would tell him that, but something's up." the banging on the door was coming at more than three beats a second, which helped emphasize my words. "I sense a disturbance in the Force," I added, my lips curling further upward at using that wording. Though they soon fell as I wondered if the Vong had returned.
As Bo bounced upright at my words, her breasts jiggling in a way that, if the situation didn't feel so dire, I'd have attacked them. My mind felt the ship, searching for answers from it. While the bond between us was stronger than it had been, this lovely lady was still distant and reserved, and while the rot had begun to heal, there was still a way to go.
My eyes followed Bo as she slid from the bed and walked naked toward where her armour was gathered. While she'd disposed of it rather haphazardly last night, I'd moved it to a corner with the Force once she'd become more docile. I'd found that having it semi-ordered for her in the morning made her less grumpy, and often meant we managed to squeeze in another quick round before starting the day. "Come on," she said as she reached the pile and picked up the combat underweave. "Once we've killed more of these shabyr, you can do more than just touch, but until then, eyes front warrior."
Using the Force, I slapped her arse, making her rear up. She glared at me as I shot back. "I'll touch them whenever I damn well please, woman!" That made her chuckle as she slipped her legs into the underweave. Almost every one of our moments together was semi-confrontational, and while she was the one who initiated most of our couplings, she always submitted relatively easily.
I followed her from the bed, my clothing coming to me as I lifted them with the Force. Once I'd slipped on enough to be decent, and Bo had the underweave on, I opened the door with the Force. Simvyl stumbled in, having been caught out by the door opening silently. Behind him, I saw Fenrir pacing, clearly agitated by Simvyl's behaviour.
"The Vong are attacking!" He spat out once he'd regained his footing, his eyes narrowing into slits as anger rolled off him with an intensity that made him burn like a star in the Force. "I knew we couldn't trust them!"
Even as I pulled my cloak to me – my robes having been placed aside for repairs after the duel with the Vong commander – my mind reached out for Fay's. [Master?]
[I'm in the cockpit, Cameron. The situation is graver than Simvyl realises.] With those ominous words, Fay closed the link. I stepped forward, moving around Simvyl even as I clipped my dragon skin cloak into place. While I'd lost a few during the insurgency, I still had three more stored onboard. They'd been kept safe in my Inventory until Fay had awoken, at which point I'd placed them in a drawer in my room.
As I walked toward the cockpit, my fingers brushed against the organic sections of the walls. I could feel the combined mind of the ship, formed from the seed-partners of myself and Fay, reacting to my touch. The ship might not understand what something was happening, but she knew she'd soon fly. I could feel her excitement at finally doing what she was born to do: dance among the stars. Vidge, who last I knew had left the ship to join the party with his fellow shapers, had said that touching the ship would accelerate her healing, and restore the weakened bond between her, myself, and Fay. From what I'd felt since we'd arrived, she'd been on point as whereas before the ship had been timid, now she was coming alive at the thought of flying for the first time.
"Master," I said as I emerged into the cockpit. Fay, as usual, was in the co-pilot's seat. While she could sit in the main chair, she'd made clear I'd be piloting the ship, and with the majority of the seed-partners coming from me, she understood I'd have a stronger connection to the ship. Though, like me, she marvelled at feeling the ship all around us, even returning to the giddy schoolgirl moment I'd seen when we'd first bonded with our seed-partners.
"The Vong fleet have re-entered orbit several hours ago, however, this time they are choosing a more blunt-force approach to subjugating the planet," the ship shook, and I heard various vines groan, as if to punctuate her words, and wondered just what the fuck the Vong were up to. "In keeping with the terms of your duel, the Vong aren't landing, and instead are bombarding the planet from orbit; targeting the various population centres of the planet."
I slid into the pilot's chair, it adapting to my body so seamlessly that it felt like a part of me. My fingers quickly found the controls I needed to learn the ship's status. As they did, it felt as if the console was reaching out for my hand, wanting to merge with me, and I felt the mind of the ship if it could be called that, grow even more impatient and excited. As the displays told me the ship's status, I felt its mind do so as well, though in more instinctive language.
One hand drifted to a lever and gently eased it forward to push power from the core into the sub-light engines and anti-gravity generators. The lever moved forward so easily that it almost felt as if it was anticipating my touch. As a faint hum passed through the ship for the first time as the engines powered up under my control, the ship's mind seemed to ready itself for flight. Almost granting me knowledge of how to move the controls to get her airborne faster.
Around the cockpit, the lights seemed to brighten and pulse energetically, and as the ship slowly rose from the massive vines cradling it, I shuddered as the ship's excitement grew stronger. A glance over at Fay showed her smiling enthusiastically, meaning she was experiencing the same sensations. My fingers danced over the controls, seemingly knowing where they needed to go before I thought about it, and the ship rose and turned with a grace I felt no sentient could match.
The ship rippled with pleasure in the Force, and I could feel her reacting to the lift, adjusting the power to the thrusters lifting us upward before I could. Faint images came to my mind about ways to improve her reaction time as the canopy above us, the one that had hidden her for months from the Vong, slid back; allowing her to bask in starlight for the first time.
Readings came in from the sensors, noting atmospheric conditions, yet as my fingers brushed against other controls, for the briefest of moments, a shiver went up my spine as I felt the air caressing the hull. In my mind's eye, I saw fleeting images of the trees outside, of the Jentari as they seemed to move to watch their latest, and in my mind greatest, creation rise into the sky.
Further than I seemed to glimpse within my mind, the Vong were moving. The shipboard sensors were tracking two dozen in orbit, volleys of fire emerging from them and raining down on Zonama Sekot. It wasn't turbolaser fire, but from the gouges being inflicted on the surface, it was just as effective. Provided we found some way to drive off the Vong fleet – and I was still racking my brains for anything that might work, bar a suicide run against their largest vessel – I'd be pouring over the sensor logs to determine just what those starships were firing.
My thoughts were drawn to the readout from the sensors as we lifted high enough that data from beyond the valley housing the shaping pits and the Jentari could be collected. "They're not aiming directly at Far Distance," I detailed for Fay, letting her know what I was seeing and faintly sensing. "Though it appears I was incorrect about their target. While some parts of the city appear to have been struck, most of the impacts are beyond the city limits. I'd surmise the same is true for Middle Distance and will be for the shapers here once the Vong realise we've taken flight."
"While I'd normally suggest moving to help those in danger, in this case, I'd advise against it." I looked at her from the corner of my eye as the ship felt as if she was begging me to take her higher; to let her dance among the stars. "It is only a matter of time until we are detected and approaching a built-up area would increase the rate of fire upon it."
"We have to fight!" The words came from Bo as she strode into the cockpit. I'd been expecting her to arrive as I could sense her both through the Force and by a general feeling from the ship that indicated where the other beings within her were. I heard Simvyl grunt in agreement which meant that, with Fenrir lying at the rear of my seat, everyone was inside the cockpit, making it a very crowded place.
"As much as I agree, I'm not sure how," I replied as the ship rose higher and higher. A ripple in the Force came from all around me as if the ship felt I doubted her. "She's a remarkable creation, but unless you plan to step outside and bolt yourself to her hull, we're unarmed." I didn't need to see or sense Bo to know her opinions on that matter echoed my own. The first moment I could, I was going over the hull and the power core and seeing where I could attach weaponry.
"Take us into orbit. While there is little we can do directly to stop the Vong, perhaps we might reach an accord with the new Vong commander."
I rolled my eyes at Fay's words, though as my fingers drifted over the relevant controls – the ships seemingly anticipating my commands before I inputted them – I sensed Fay was as doubtful that talking would solve things as I was. There was no feeling of acceleration as the ship surged upward, the clouds sliding past as we raced through them. As we neared the ozone layer, I could almost feel the shifting pressure, and the joy the ship felt as she felt the light of a star unobscured by the planet's atmosphere.
I felt the vessel shift as Fay spoke. "Several Vong ships have broken from the nearest flotilla and are heading our way." Even as I heard the words, it felt as if the ship was offering me advice on how to move her; which angles would work best to avoid the incoming ships and any fire they might send our way. Yet, as I felt that information, something far more powerful, yet still barely out of infancy, pulled my mind deeper into the mental link I shared with the ship.
…
'What?' The word felt as if it slipped from my mouth, yet I knew I was deep inside my mind. Or I thought I did, as the more I looked around and failed to see anything marking this mindscape, the less certain I was about things. 'Where am I?'
'We must talk.' I spun, acting as though standard gravity was still affecting me even though there was not present, and found myself staring at the Magister. However, I knew that couldn't be the case as the odds that he survived the devastation of his compound were, well closer to zero than one per cent. Plus, the more I focused on the man in front of me, the clearer it became that whatever I was talking to was simply borrowing his visage to communicate with me.
'About what? And who the hell are you?' While I didn't feel threatened in this mindscape, I disliked not knowing whom I was speaking with.
'About choices, I think.' The Magister paused and looked off into the distance. 'This method of… interacting is strange, new.' I blinked as the Magister's hand seemed to shift in and out of phase. 'Yet it is the only way I have found to talk with you. I simply wish we had more time to speak.' I frowned, my mind slowly putting together just who I was speaking to even if I found it impossible to process even if the presence the 'Magister' was radiating reminded me of only one thing: the planet. 'As for who I am, to some, I am called Sekot.'
I blinked at having my suspicions confirmed even as I took a step back in disbelief. 'How?' The question escaped my lips as the final pieces of the puzzle reading the planet fell into place. The constant, seemingly overwhelming, yet never dominating, ancient yet new-born sensation given off by the Magister in this mindscape made complete sense now. 'You're what we've been sensing ever since we arrived in orbit? The presence that permeates every native thing on the planet?'
Sekot smiled. 'Yes. For a long time, I've wished to speak with you and the other. Her mind was easier to sense yet hers was closed not long after a link was formed; before I could attempt to reach her. She was focused on healing. I offered what help I could, though I failed to understand what was happening to her, or how to help.' Sekot looked down, as if ashamed of this failure, reminding me of a child speaking to an adult.
'How old are you?' I knew the answer was going to be slightly confusing as Sekot felt both ancient and young, yet I wanted to hear it from the source to confirm.
'I awoke, as you would understand it, only a few cycles ago. Until today, the only ones to have ever heard my thoughts have been the Magisters, and even then, I could only speak in images.' Sekot's head tilted to one side before it took a step toward me. Part of me was concerned about being near a sentient planet and wanted nothing to do with what was happening. Yet, I could feel the Force so much clearer in this mindscape than I'd ever experienced; could feel it shifting around us, wanting this moment to happen, and I knew I had to stay for now. 'To speak with words, to meet one who also communes with the Force," Sekot smiled, though it looked off, likely because it was seemingly wearing an image of the Magister to communicate. "Yet, time has moved against us. The Force cannot hold our connection for long.'
'Why?' Even if I failed to fully understand what was happening here, I knew it was monumentally important.
'While I only awoke a few cycles ago, I have images in here,' it tapped its head, 'of a time before the pinwheel in the sky brought heat to my skin. There is more inside that I need to understand, but we lack the time for me to learn what it is.' Sekot's face fell, and it shook its head. 'The Magister taught me what he could about the Force. He felt I was what those who came before him had sought. What they all believed. '
I frowned, taking what felt like a few moments to piece together Sekot's words into something useable. ''Potentium,'' I muttered. "The Magister, and his ancestors, they thought you were the Potentium."
Sekot nodded, a sad look coming to its face. 'Yes. The Magister thought I could be everywhere, see everything. Yet, as I understand more of what I am, of what the Force is, I see he was wrong. I cannot see beyond the edges of myself without significant effort. He believed there was no evil in the universe, only good. Yet I have felt evil, sensed it upon my surface. I sensed your anger, your rage when the other Jedi fell. You drew on something dark. I was worried the Magister was wrong about you Jedi. Yet as you worked to help those I protect, I saw you weren't, you aren't, evil. You are not what he said a Jedi should be, nor are you the Potentium.' A hand came toward my face, and as it did, I saw through it in places; reminding me of something ghostly. 'I wish you and the other Jedi might stay. That we might commune more and guide me to know the Force. Sadly, that cannot happen.'
'We're going to fight the Vong.' While this wasn't why I'd wanted to come to this galaxy, I knew instinctively that Sekot was special in a way that I couldn't quite understand. 'We'll keep you safe. Keep the Sekotans safe.'
'The Vong… They are from far outside, from where no one has come before.' Sekot got a faraway look in its eyes, seemingly forgetting that I was close by, and seemed to get lost in a memory. 'They come from a place I feel I should know, yet don't.' Sekot blinked, though it was slower than it should've been. 'The ones who came before the Magister, they knew I… could create. They helped me learn how to shape children, to shape other things. The first spoke of how others would come, seeking what I could accomplish. What he, in his mistake, believed I was. While he was mistaken about that, he was right about others coming, and the potential of my children.' The air around us shifted, lights circling in rapid patterns that, after a week aboard, I knew represented my starship. 'My youngest child is the most different yet, yet they are weak. Those from far outside stopped them from bonding with you, yet now that you've helped them grow stronger, I can use them to speak with you. Thank you for what you've shown me over the last partial cycle.'
'I'm sorry, but don't I understand.' It annoyed me greatly to admit that, but it was the truth. Sekot's speech varied from succinct to obtuse in an instant, as if it was still learning Basic as it spoke.
Sekot's shoulders slumped, mirroring how a Human or near-Human would indicate sadness. 'You must leave.'
'The Vong…'
'I will be safe from those from far outside, those under my protection have readied for this day since I first heard the thoughts of the Magister. My children with me will be safe, I will protect them. Those far away, I cannot say. You must leave while you can. The Force needs this. This, above all things, I know.'
'The Vong,' I repeated, not liking the idea of running away even as I felt the gentle pressure of the Force trying to guide me toward doing so.
'Will trouble you no more. It is me they seek. When I am gone, so shall they be.' Sekot started taking very slow steps back, though not turning as if trying to burn my face into its memory. 'The one who came before, he made plans. Taught me to shape new things. Though untested, I know they are what I must use. If you do not leave now, do not use my child to escape, then you and those with you will be trapped with me. I do not wish that for you.'
…
I lurched forward as my mind was forced back into the real world.
"Cameron?" I waved one hand toward Fay, letting her know I was ok to keep piloting even as I quickly reviewed what had just happened.
"I, I'm alright. I think." With time to spare before the Vong fighters reached us, I glanced at Fay. The concern on her face mirrored what I could sense from her within the Force. Yet before I could explain further, I felt something lean against my mind. Recognizing it as the ship, though far stronger than before, I allowed a connection to form and then gasped at the flood of information that came through it. "Oh, wow!"
Until just now, while growing stronger, the connection I felt to the ship had been remote. As If talking over a radio from half a world away. Yet now, while there was still a disconnect, it was like talking to someone in the same city on a mobile phone. A gentle nudge from the ship, directing me to sensor data refocused my thoughts. "We've got to get out of here." I could feel confusion from the rest of the cockpit, along with anger and dismay from Bo and Simvyl. "The… planet, it spoke to me," I explained to Fay, knowing there was no way the others would understand. "It's alive, in a sense and used the ship to speak with me. It's going to do something, and if we don't leave now, we'll be stuck on it, or worse."
While Sekot hadn't been clear about the plans, the way it spoke, as ludicrous as it sounded, suggested it was going to leave. While every rational part of my mind struggled to even comprehend such a thing, the part of me that'd grown to understand the Force over the last seven years somehow knew this was possible.
"We have to fight!" "Cam!"
The dual shouts of dismay and anger from Bo and Simvyl echoed around in the cockpit as I kept my focus on Fay. I hoped she'd believe me, that she'd trust me, but even if she didn't, I could already feel power flowing into the hyperdrive as one hand brought up the navigation console to begin plotting a jump.
"You believe this was the planet?" I nodded. "And that it wants us to go?" I nodded again. For a moment, I felt I'd lost Fay's support before she smiled. "What did it say?"
A smile crept onto my face even as I felt Bo move closer to me. "Enough, but not. It wants, no needs us to leave."
A faint growl came from Fenrir as Bo stepped closer even as Fay stared at me as if trying to see into my soul. "Then I place my trust in you and the Force."
Any response of dismay from the others in the cockpit was cut off as the ship screamed out a warning in my head. My fingers danced over the controls, feeling the ship respond to my commands as if I was the vessel. Fire came in from the Vong fighters as my starship danced between the streaks of light, letting them illuminate the hull as they sailed harmlessly past.
I inhaled sharply as I felt the faintest of tendrils reach up from the organic parts of the console and brush against my hand even as we dove between the four Vong fighters. Three broke to avoid colliding, but the last didn't and I winced as part of the fighter scratched the hull. As we emerged on the other side of the fighters, I felt the pain from the ship even as the hull reacted to the wound.
"Three larger vessels are angling toward us while the fighters are circling for another pass." I didn't need Fay's report as I could already see the ships moving, their flight paths being plotted out in my mind's eye. While I was a competent pilot, I'd never truly enjoyed it. Now though, as the ship gently angled its path to slip between the three new ships and pushed more power into the impressive sub-light engines, I began to see why Anakin loved it so.
To be this free, this connected to the ship as it moved… Words failed to describe how incredible it was. Though I doubted that even with the connection I had with my new ship I'd ever be as instinctive a pilot as Anakin. He was born for flying, whereas I'd developed a taste of it, relatively speaking, later in life.
Bolts of superheated plasma came toward us from the larger ships even as the four fighters completed their arcs and slid back onto our tail. Seeing a way to shrink the chasing pack, I rolled the ship, letting one bolt sail over the hull close enough that the warmth of the bolt was felt by the ship. That bolt sailed past, forcing two fighters to dodge, though only one succeeded as the second was clipped by the bolt and spun away chaotically.
I sunk into the Force, letting it guide my actions as the ship felt as if it was reacting to my thoughts, and before the Vong gunships could react, we'd slipped through their ranks. Not wanting to continue onto the main fleet – which was comprised of a half dozen cruisers and nearly two dozen smaller ships – I banked us away.
A gentle shudder went through the hull as the hyperdrive engaged for the first time, and a moment later, the stars seemed to merge as we left the system. Faintly I felt relief coming from behind us even as the Force seemed to ripple in anticipation of whatever Sekot had planned.
… …
… …
A/N:
Next month I'm going on a short holiday with the family. As such, posting might be later in the month than normal, but it will still come.
...
As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own and you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
For this series: Heart of the Force
For general chaos/Gamer stories: Shiro's Gaming Omniverse
If you wish to support my writing, gain access to 1st drafts of chapters (where every level bar the lowest has access to at least the first draft of the next chapter and all got the redraft ~2 weeks early), consider supporting me on Patreon:
USSExplorer
Regardless if you join the discord or support my writing, I hope you enjoy the story and suggestions, valid criticisms, and ideas are always welcome.
And of course;
May the Force be with you. Always.
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poiu18894012
Beep boop, perverted robot.
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That did not feel like 24k words.
Anyways, amazing work as always!
It's nice to see that the bioship lives in this universe
Pity we don't get to see their reactions seeing a planet teleport/hyperspace via the force.
Anyways, amazing work as always!
It's nice to see that the bioship lives in this universe
Pity we don't get to see their reactions seeing a planet teleport/hyperspace via the force.
Wrandral
I don't have to take this! I'm going for a walk.
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Don't think killing all of the Vong force present on Sekot was ever a doable thing for Cam so i'd say he got the best result since he made the Vong leave the surface and promise to not set foot on it which allow Sekot to warp away.
Always funny to see people frustrated with the ABSOLUTE PACIFISM of Fay. Cam is feeling like Rin/Saber trying to keep Shirou from doing something stupid and failing at that xD
Always funny to see people frustrated with the ABSOLUTE PACIFISM of Fay. Cam is feeling like Rin/Saber trying to keep Shirou from doing something stupid and failing at that xD
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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Whoops. Fixed now, thanks for spotting that.
The dual Perk/Player Power (which is where HotF [2/2] is) that increased Cam's midi-chlorian count to levels into the Extreme range.
She does, and her name is The Jade Raven. Or Raven for short.
Morkail
Shado-Master
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Thanks for the chapter. Nice lengthy chapter too that said it's easy to see how much of a problem the Jedi are going to be, In the long run he can only push so far even with hiding his dark side use before they move to contain him. Also I've personally always prescribe to the theory that the force was pushing for a massive military build up in the galaxy in order to counter the Vong and in general the Jedi order does not have the backing of the force it's not actively pushing for the death of the Jedi but it's certainly not in there corner anymore. They have Simply become to tied to the republic as enforcers rather then agents of the force.
I feel it's odd fea would act like this the vong have zero presence in the force they are quite literally outsiders her looking in to the force should have given her a big fat blank.
wonder where this story is heading in the long certainly an enjoyable read.
I feel it's odd fea would act like this the vong have zero presence in the force they are quite literally outsiders her looking in to the force should have given her a big fat blank.
wonder where this story is heading in the long certainly an enjoyable read.
Ayashi
Connoisseur.
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Am i the only one getting more than tired about the Fay's hypocrisy?
I don't want to start quoting it (because i'd basically have to quote her every time she opens her mouth) but honestly, if this is "peak Jedi-ess", it's wonder there isn't more Fallen Jedi running around...
I don't want to start quoting it (because i'd basically have to quote her every time she opens her mouth) but honestly, if this is "peak Jedi-ess", it's wonder there isn't more Fallen Jedi running around...
The Jade Raven
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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These are the images used to visualise Cam's new Sekotan ship, though they're only guide images.
And yes, the base design is borrowed from another sci-fi series with "Star" in it's name
And yes, the base design is borrowed from another sci-fi series with "Star" in it's name
ClassHole
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Nice! I always thought that SG really nailed the organic ship look pretty well when designing the Wraith.
a much smaller Wraith cruiser isn't a bad looking whip at all. I just hope he can bolt some gats onto it lol
a much smaller Wraith cruiser isn't a bad looking whip at all. I just hope he can bolt some gats onto it lol
LetMeRead
Know what you're doing yet?
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I think HK & Raven will get along very well. Why would HK accept anything less than a ship that could possibly aim on its own
shinighoul6
Versed in the lewd.
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Is Sekot gonna pull a Gallifrey Stands?
Cause it feels like Sekot's gonna pull a Gallifrey Stands.
Cause it feels like Sekot's gonna pull a Gallifrey Stands.
Ragnarokasgard67
Perpetually annoyed Fry-Cook
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I am interested in seeing what the High Council will say to this.
Arimai
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Am I correct in guessing that the bioships keep growing with age?These are the images used to visualise Cam's new Sekotan ship, though they're only guide images.
And yes, the base design is borrowed from another sci-fi series with "Star" in it's name
The Living Planet 5
USSExplorer
Doing what's necessary, even if it causes chaos
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A/N:
As always, thanks to those helping me write and plan out this story and checking it for continuality and logic errors.
This chapter was released at least 2 weeks ago to my Patreons (with them seeing a draft version around 2 months ago) and on the story's Discord server (in GDoc form) about a week ago.
Links for both are at the end of the chapter.
Hopefully, all the little mistakes have been found and removed.
Additionally, all things being equal, then when the next chapter drops, I will have, after 19 years in China, returned home to Scotland!
Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo
"Why did we run?!" Simvyl snarled behind me, his fury easy to hear in his tone. "We should've stayed and killed them all!"
"Apart from that not being the Jedi way, you heard Cameron's words as well as mine." Fay's response made me glad I was focusing on the controls, otherwise my master would likely see me roll my eyes at her words. "The planet, which has some form of sentience that resonates within the Force, wanted us to leave. I trust Cameron on this matter, as should you, Ranger."
While I was glad for the faith Fay had in me, especially after the issues that had arisen before the Vong had withdrawn from Zonama Sekot, her way of phrasing things was going to do little to calm the enraged Cathar. Nor Bo who, while she'd not said anything since we'd jumped, was a burning ball of fury behind me. Either she understood that I needed to focus on the controls of our new craft, or she simply felt shouting wouldn't change the decision I'd made. That said, I knew she'd have words for me since I'd promised her early in the conflict that I'd not leave the planet until all the Vong were dead or they'd withdrawn. Technically, they'd done the latter, but it was a razor-thin line to draw and not one I liked either.
Ripples in the Force drew my full attention back to the controls, and the faint bond I seemed to share with this amazing ship. She felt as if she was singing within the Force as the stars raced past, distorted by the effects of hyperspace, and the hull reacted to the peculiar energies of a hyperspace vortex. While it would be easy to get lost in those sensations, my focus was mainly on the more mechanical nature of the flight.
"We need to turn around and fight!" Simvyl snapped back behind me.
The Ne'tra Sartr, before her destruction, had held a class 1.5 hyperdrive, which was faster than most starships which used class 2 or 3 hyperdrives. This Sekotan vessel though, if I was reading the displays correctly – which was likely but there might be some variance since the ship and half her technology were new to me – was moving with an apparent 0.8 class hyperdrive. That meant, if accurate, this little, beautiful ship was one of the fastest in the galaxy.
"The Force has chosen our path; we must stay on it."
As the argument continued to boil around me, I felt the ship shift. She was pushing herself to go faster, almost as if testing her limits. I reached out through the Force and centred a calming sensation on the walls around me. While I understood her desire and agreed with it, now wasn't the time to push too hard. Yet as I did so, I felt her despairing to get us further from her birthplace, as if she sensed some oncoming doom and was racing against the dying of the light to escape it. The display tracking our hyperspace velocity shifted, and we increased to a 0.7 rating.
While that would normally excite me, with my mind open to the ship, and the Force in general, I could sense a shift coming. Something big and dangerous, yet not threatening, was coming. I glanced at Fay, wondering if she felt it too, but her focus was on Simvyl. If the sensation kept growing, I'd have to draw her attention to it.
As I concentrated on the ship, from the deepest corner of the Force connection, I heard a voice.
[Goodbye and thank you.]
Before I could think about what that meant, the ship shuddered. My fingers flew over the controls as power was suddenly cut to the hyperdrive. Instead of the normal, controlled exit from hyperspace that one would expect, we were flung violently into real space.
Even as I heard someone crash into something behind me, and as my fingers danced over flickering controls, I felt a tremor in the Force. Pain exploded in my skull, and my head fell forward, my hands leaving the consoles. It felt as if someone was spearing my very soul within the Force. My fingers dug into my skull, frantically trying to push against a pain they could never hope to grasp even as terror blossomed from deep within me as I felt the ship slowly drift away from our bond.
Two hands touched me. The one on my shoulder was soft, offering a calming beacon to grasp onto in the chaos I was experiencing. The other pressed against my back forcefully. While it didn't offer the same metaphysical support, just knowing it was Bo granted me some strength.
"Cameron?" I heard Fay say my name, but it was faint. As if she was on the far side of a chamber. Yet even then, I could hear the pain and concern in her voice. Drawing strength from her and Bo, I slowly pushed back the growing panic and pulled back from the bond I shared with the ship.
With a series of blinks, I opened my eyes, taking in the various warning lights flashing around the cockpit as the power flickered intermittently around us. I swore I saw strange random patterns of lights under sections of the organic hull, yet my focus quickly settled on Fay. While she was trying to offer me support, I could see the tensing of her muscles, meaning she was also experiencing the same chaos in the Force that I was. Though likely to a lesser degree.
"She's dying," I whispered, barely able to put the realisation into words. As the fear built in me at the idea this marvellous, newly formed being was about to die, I considered engaging Player's Mind. The ability to think clearly and logically in the situation would be a help, yet I decided not to. The faint, flicking thread of power from the ship within the Force called me to in a way that, if I cut off my emotions, I felt I'd miss something important. As Bo's hand pushed against my back, offering what support she could, I looked around the cockpit, desperate for a thread of hope.
Simvyl was drifting away from one of the secondary seats, blood staining his fur near the elbow where he'd crashed into a display while Fenrir was clawing at the air, trying to return to the ground, his ears back. Thankfully his tail wasn't flicking fully, as only the tip was snapping back and forth. If the full thing moved as I felt he wanted, then he'd smack all of us and possibly add to the chaos. Fay was keeping herself down by using the hand not on my shoulder to grip her seat while Bo was likely using the magnetic clamps in her armour to stay rooted to the deck.
"How?" Bo asked from over my shoulder. I didn't need to look back to feel her concern. While most of it was directed at me, hearing the ship we were on, and had just dropped out of hyperspace randomly with, was dying wasn't something anyone wanted to hear. Though at least, according to the sensors, we'd come out on the very edge of a system with a red giant instead of in the emptiness between stars.
"Sekot," I replied quietly as I began to understand just who had whispered goodbye to me through the Force. "The planet… it's gone." I added as I realised the connection the ship had held to its birthplace was empty. Yet even suspecting that the planet wasn't destroyed as there was no void in the Force from it suddenly being removed, it was still gone. Which made zero sense. Though the more pertinent issue was that it seemed that without that faint connection to the planet, this amazing vessel was rapidly dying.
"Shab!" Bo's curse summed things up nicely, though her easy acceptance of what I'd just said granted me a small boost to my resolve. Bo disliked the more metaphysical side of the Force – she wasn't a big fan of any of it if I was honest, though that was because she generally disliked when I used it on her – so for her to trust me so easily in this was encouraging. It granted me fresh impetus to find a way to solve this. To save us, and the ship.
Glad a safety belt had activated to secure me into my seat when the connection to Sekot had been lost – though I did wonder why that hadn't happened for Fay – I pressed my palms against an organic section of the controls. Closing my eyes, I reached out into the Force, searching for the weak bond I held to the ship. Panic and terror rippled around me, making it easy to find the link. I felt my palms press harder against the flesh of the ship as I reached down the bond and was assaulted by the confusion of a child's consciousness.
I tried to soothe her thoughts, such as they were, but she either failed to understand what I was trying to do or was so lost in her dread that she failed to realise I was here to help.
"No." The words slipped from my lips as I pushed further into the bond I shared with the ship, forcing the young, terrified alien mind to register my presence. Images of her home, her birthplace flashed through my thoughts, until, as she felt me there, they turned to how she'd first felt my approach. The first time her sensors had detected me approaching. "You're not dying today." I could feel her reaching out for help, and I wanted to, yet I felt as if something was blocking me from making the connection that she, that we, wanted. "Yes, I accept," I muttered, hoping the issue was with the Interface.
I grunted as whatever was blocking my connection to the ship vanished. The ship reached out for me through the Force, latching onto my signature as if gripping my soul as a lifeline.
"Cam?"
"Cameron! No!"
I heard the voices of Bo and Fay, though they were distant. My focus was on the vessel, on the enlarged, empowered connection I now shared with the starship. In my head, could feel her; young, nervous, scared, yet relaxing and growing hopeful at our closeness. "I'm here. I'm not leaving you."
The presence that reached back was alien, yet within that, I felt glimmers of Sekot, of myself, and of Fay. The ships' consciousness, just as Sekotans had said, was a merging of all of us. The ship shook around us and I grimaced as the imprints of all the ship's aspects shifted. The parts that reminded me of Fay and Sekot slipped back as if the ship no longer found them important. Replacing them, in the ship's perception, was myself as I felt the part of me that was the ship grow more prominent, more powerful. That power flowed around me, both in the Force and in the ship, as the vessel grew more confident, more sure of herself. I couldn't help but smirk at the incredible thing I was witnessing through the Force.
[I am here.]
My eyes snapped open at the young, feminine voice I heard in my head. "Cameron?" I turned my head slowly, feeling the world wasn't quite in sync, to see Fay looking at me from the co-pilot's seat. One hand was still resting on my shoulder while the other was resting against part of the organic hull. "What have you done?"
There was no accusation in her tone, though she was curious and confused about what had just happened. As I was. "I, I don't know," I replied slowly, taking a few seconds to try and put my thoughts in order. I blinked and gently shook my head, trying to re-focus on the world around me. "Th-the ship?"
A small smile crept onto Fay's face. "She is well, though I sense my connection to her has diminished." The smile fell. "Though I suspect yours has grown stronger."
After glancing behind me, to see Bo standing over my chair, her hand still resting against my side. Fenrir was slowly settling down while Simvyl, resting in one of the other seats, looked beyond confused about what was going on.
Blinking from the console drew my attention there. Lights danced over them in a pattern that now felt understandable. I'd known before that the vessel was using them to communicate in a form, but now it was as if I had the key to understanding what the lights meant. Or at least determine the meaning they were conveying. She was scared her creator, her birthplace, was gone, yet she was happy that she'd not only survived what had happened but grown ever closer to me.
It was then I saw that the blue light I had thought was coming from her was actually a notice from the Interface. I opened it, expecting to see I'd formed some form of bond with the ship, but what I read was more than I'd expected.
"Oh, wow," I mumbled as I processed what the Interface was saying.
I'd been right when I'd tried to help the ship about the Interface blocking the connection, and while I didn't regret it – since the alternative would've been a slow death in space – the cost of this new bond was high. 1820FP was now all but lost, and that number would increase as I levelled up, though given my connection was helping to sustain a kriffing starship, I couldn't say the cost didn't make sense.
Now, while it was a large chuck of FP to lose access to, many of the Force Powers I used regularly were maxed. That meant their costs were a tenth of their initial value, and even taking into account using every power I liked to engage for combat, I'd still be just under my regen rate. Though if a battle dragged on and I was forced to use other powers, such as TK or Lightning, then things might get dicey.
"Do you understand what you've done?" I looked back at Fay. While her words could be interpreted as a challenge, there was nothing in her tone or face to suggest she was anything more than curious about what had happened. Or at least, that she was reserving judgement until I explained myself.
"I saved us," I replied, which was true. Though I knew that wasn't going to be enough for her. "The ship was dying, Master. Sekot… the planet's gone somehow. Not destroyed, that I'm sure of, but gone. Though I don't know how I know."
The part of me that had come from my former life wanted to cringe at the whole bunch of nothing I'd said, and I could see Simvyl blink in confusion. Yet, with nearly eight years of learning to understand the Force, what I'd said did make some sense.
"Without the ship, we'd have died here, Force-knows where. Oh!" I gasped as, through the strengthened bond I now had, the ship provided me with details. Sensor readings, aligned with star charts in her memory combined to let me know we were in an isolated system a handful of lightyears from where Zonama Sekot had been. "Ok, now I know where we are," I added with a smirk, finding the flood of information odd but helpful.
"Padawan?"
I blinked, and after limiting the flow of information coming from the ship, focused again on Fay. That was the first time in ages she'd used my rank, though there didn't seem to be any hint of why she'd done so. "The ship knows where we are, Master, and she just let me know that. It'll take time to plot a jump, but we're not lost. Just… displaced."
"What in the hell?" I couldn't help but chuckle at Simvyl's comment even as I saw the fur on his face seemingly stand up and bristle. It was clear he had no idea what was going on, though, unlike Bo, wasn't willing to remain quiet until I was ready to explain in layman's terms what had occurred.
"How exactly did you save the ship, Cameron?"
"With the Force, Master." I couldn't help but smirk as I replied, which grew into a smile as Fay rolled her eyes. "She was dying. I had to save her. Save us."
Fay sighed and shook her head, though no anger or disappointment was coming from her. Just a sense of almost resigned weariness, and perhaps, some joy as well. "So, like with Fenrir here, you acted without thinking and formed a Force bond with a semi-sentient starship?" I shrugged in reply.
"Ow!" I called out as something smacked the back of my head. I looked around at Bo as her hand started playing around with my hair.
"Gar mirsh solus," she said with a chuckle even as I tried to push her hand from my hair.
"While we are all grateful for your actions," Fay began, having seemingly taken the momentary distraction provided by Bo to collect her thoughts, "I'm… concerned by your growing tendency to act before thinking. While a Jedi should trust the Force to guide them, and I feel that is the case here, there are worrying signs about how you approach these moments. You seem willing to risk everything, to forget much of your teachings, in your desire to do what feels like the right path; especially when it involves helping others." She shook her head and glanced out the viewport. "it is a trend that I fear, if not tempered soon, may endanger you far more than it currently has."
I wanted to say something in response but held my tongue as I felt the ship in the Force. Fay closed her eyes as I noticed her hand was still resting against an organic section of the cockpit.
A small smile came to her face when she opened her eyes. "Though, in this case, it seems the ship is extremely pleased with your choice." A light laugh, a sound I'd not heard since we'd bonded with the seed-partners at the beginning of the year, echoed around the cockpit. "What is done is done. While we will speak more on this matter, and on your tendency to risk everything on guidance from the Force, now is not the time for it. Since you know where we are, it behoves us to plot a jump to the nearest habitable planet. The ship will need to rest and refuel before we return to the Temple."
"Yes, Master."
As I turned back to the controls, I felt the ship's desire to fly between the stars once more. We were too distant from this system's star for her to enjoy the radiation it emitted, and while she was curious about what it would feel like, her greater desire was to do what she was designed for and dance through the heavens.
"Once we're refuelled, if you wish, we can return to Zonama Sekot and determine the fate of the planet," Fay said, speaking to Simvyl and Bo. "That said, if the Vong remain, we won't engage, and will instead withdraw and summon support from the Jedi and the Republic."
"Fine." Bo didn't sound happy about this but seemed willing to accept the plan. That said I still expected her to raise a fuss once we were alone later. Simvyl grunted, clearly seeing he was outvoted, and since a Ranger followed the will of the Jedi, he shouldn't challenge the decision too heavily anyway. That said, I suspected he'd use the time to refuel to gather his thoughts and try to develop arguments for why we, in an unarmed ship, should engage the Vong fleet if they remained in-system.
I, however, knew that we would not find Sekot. Through both my connection to the ship, and my own perceptions through the Force, it was a doubly instinctive understanding. By the same token, I also understood that somehow it was still present in the Force, though far more distant than it had been. Almost as if it was lost somewhere beyond the stars.
… …
… …
Just over a week later, I was sitting in the cockpit of the ship – as I had been most of my waking hours since we'd launched from Zonama Sekot, checking over the controls. We'd just lifted off from Sernpidal after taking time to refuel and check the ship while Fay had contacted the High Council.
She'd reported briefly on the events of our mission, though held off on full details for an in-person report, which made perfect sense. While we had received the ship as planned, not much else had gone as intended. Not least that, after a quick refuel at a mining colony, we'd returned to the Sekot system and found, well… nothing.
I'd already expected to not find the planet there when we'd returned – the sense of it being close in the Force was gone, replaced by a distant echo – expecting it and seeing it with my eyes were two entirely different things. The area where it had been when we'd jumped away was awash with exotic energy signatures as one would expect from a ship entering hyperspace. However, these were on a magnitude that was hard to comprehend even when I knew it was the planet that had somehow jumped.
The Vong had still been present when we'd arrived in the system's Oort cloud which had limited us to passive scanning, but by the second day, they had left. I'd had the ship plot possible routes the Vong were taking, but they weren't heading toward any known habitable system. Instead, they'd jumped toward the Galactic Rim.
With time to think about it, along with the others, we'd come to two conclusions. Either they'd jumped that way to head back to their main fleet, or they were travelling that way to make it harder for others to follow them. Bo had wondered if they might be planning to leave the galaxy, but Fay had shot that down by saying no ship could travel the vast distances between this galaxy and any nearby one of comparable size. Now, the galaxy had seven dwarf galaxies as companions, but those – like Rishi which was near where Kamino was – were close enough that hyperspace travel was possible with effort. There was nothing of the sort on a galactic north from the Core.
Once the Vong had left, we'd moved in closer and carried out active scans. Those confirmed, even if I still had problems understanding how Sekot had jumped away. Where the planet had gone, or even if anyone on it had survived, was unknown. As was where it had gone. However, both Fay and I could faintly sense it at the very edge of the Force, though it was growing harder to do so as time passed.
Blinking lights on the consoles, along with an urge from the ship to get moving – she was a remarkably impatient being, just like a few younglings I knew – brought my focus back to the cockpit. My fingers danced over the controls, marvelling at how the ship seemed to know what I planned to do even before I brushed against the relevant buttons to panels. With the improved connection we had, the ship felt like an extension of me, and while there'd been a slight improvement in our hyperdrive rating to 0.6, I felt there was still more I could do to improve the bond. Though how I'd go about that wasn't something I understood.
One thing I was sure of, was that before we reached Coruscant, I'd have picked out a name for her. So far, a few choices had been put forward by the others, with Jade Raven and Starchaser the two that seemed to resonate with the ship the best.
A gentle grumble from behind reminded me that Fenrir was present as normal. The tuk'ata was far more restive on the ship than he'd been on the Ne'tra Sartr, which I suspected was due to its connection with me which Fenrir could sense. Since I was in the cockpit most of the time, Fenrir had all but assumed one area of the place for himself, forcing the chair there to groan in protest every time Fenrir pushed against it. The only time Fenrir left was for meals, or to 'play' with Bo who, while understanding of my need to be in the cockpit so much, was growing restless without someone to spar with. Well, to spar with during the day at least.
As for HK, while the droid was glad to be off Zonama Sekot, I'd not yet hooked him up to the ships' computers, which wasn't something he was unhappy about. That was primarily because the ship lacked weapons – something we both disliked – and that it was a mainly organic vessel. HK had a few choice comments on the idea of meatbag starships, but I'd shut them down by explaining just how fast and manoeuvrable the ship was because I had a Force connection to it. Or at least forced him to limit his complaints to the lack of weaponry, which was something I planned to work on once back at the Temple.
Internal sensors let me know Simvyl was approaching about a minute before the door opened even without the Force. I glanced back and gave him a nod, before returning to the controls. While he and Bo often came by the cockpit to relieve me, they never sat in the pilot's chair nor did much more than check the readings. Even before the shift in the connection the vessel held with her Fay hadn't shown much interest in piloting the ship, though that was something I'd expected since she'd never really shown interest in doing so for the Ne'tra Sartr and had stated on Zonama Sekot that I'd be the pilot. Still, the ship seemed to prefer her here to the others since it still held a weak bond with her.
Oddly, Simvyl didn't move straight to the co-pilot's seat. "Cameron." Hearing the slight uncertainty in his tone, I turned and looked at him. He was standing in a clean uniform – like myself he'd needed time to clean it enough that the smell of the planet and war was gone, though that'd taken him longer since his sense of smell was superior to mine – with his blaster and vibroblade at his sides. Both were clean, though the vibroblade is what drew my attention – a long blade with a gentle curve, it had belonged to Zarkos before he died. "I've had some time to think; about Zonama Sekot, the Vong, and everything. I, I owe you an apology for my behaviour after we left the planet."
"There's no need for th…" I was cut off as he raised a hand and, at the same time, I sensed a need within him to speak his piece.
"There is." Fenrir lifted his head, curious at what was disturbing his latest snooze. "Every Antarian Ranger swore an oath to assist and follow the lead of the Jedi. I did so faithfully on Zonama Sekot, yet in my anger over our apparent retreat, I lashed out and challenged your authority. I forgot my oaths." His yellow eyes stayed locked on mine well his ears twitched frantically, making me think there was more he wished to say which stayed on my tongue. "If not for your actions, and those of Fenrir," that earned a pleased grunt from the tuk'ata, "and… Bo-Katan, I would've died in almost every battle we fought. I owe all of you, but you especially, my life several times over."
"As I owe you mine," I replied, trying to please his sense of honour. However, all it did was draw a wry snort of amusement from him.
"No. Even without us there to help, I feel you, more than anyone, would've managed to engage the Vong alone and still done serious damage to their operations. Yes, there were moments where a blaster bolt from either me or Bo-Katan aided you, but I have little doubt that you would've emerged from each battle alive and stronger. Especially with this mighty beast by your side." Fenrir looked at me and based his teeth, almost as if challenging me to argue that he wasn't a mighty beast.
"Don't give him a bigger head than he already has," I commented. Simvyl snorted at that while Fenrir growled in annoyance, tail lashing behind him. He then shook his head before lowering it back onto his front paws.
"Still, after taking the last week to think about my actions, and review the war, I now see you were right to have us withdraw. I still want to hunt down the Vong and make them suffer for what they did, but I see that if we'd tried to engage their fleet we'd have all died. All those who fell on Zonama Sekot would've lost hope that we would avenge them, making their deaths meaningless. Now, we can return to the Republic and warn them of the threat the Vong pose to everyone."
"That's the plan," I replied even though I had major doubts about the Jedi doing anything but ordering some investigations to locate the Vong's homeworld. I'd expressed those doubts to Fay, and she admitted to sharing a similar concern. However, while she shared my concerns, feeling they may well consider it an issue for the very edge of the galaxy, and not something they could investigate without Senate approval, she felt we had to give them the chance to review our reports, and those from Bo and Simvyl – including the recording I'd prepared for them with Bo – before worrying about them dismissing the issue.
"Good. Though, while I expect the Jedi to begin preparations to protect the galaxy, I know that when the Vong return you will be the one leading from the front. And not just against the Vong, but on righting the flaws that exist within the Republic as well." Before I could comment on how fixing all the Republic's issues was the work of several lifetimes and multiple people, he dropped to a knee. At the same time, he pulled the vibroblade – which was about a foot long – from its sheath. As the Force shifted around us, and I felt the ship grow confused and curious about what was happening he pulled the blade over one palm claws tensing, soaking the edge in blood.
"I promise on this blood that I will always be faithful to you. Your enemies shall be mine, as shall your allies. I promise to provide true counsel on all matters and never to forsake you. My claws are yours to aim as you please, my honour yours to control. With this pledge, I give you my loyalty and bind myself to you for the rest of my days."
He held the blade in his palm, not caring about the dripping of blood on the deck, his eyes looking downward. The Force swirled around us, marking this as a moment of importance.
For a moment, I considered not taking the offer of fealty, but I quickly rejected that. Aside from insulting the Cathar, that might insult the rest of the Rangers. I knew the Antarian Rangers often swore themselves to certain Jedi, and had even, in a few whispered cases Fay had heard of, married them. Yet I doubted any Ranger had ever sworn themselves so completely to a mere Padawan.
Now, while Simvyl was still a raw Ranger, he had good instincts in battle – enough so that Bo felt he could be her equal with the right training – and was willing to follow my orders. He knew I was close to Bo and other Mandalorians, so doing this showed he was also able to place his grievances to one side for the greater good, which was another mark in his favour. And while I didn't need a guard, the more people around me that I could trust would be of major benefit once chaos descended upon the galaxy.
I picked up the vibroblade, turning it over in my hand. "I accept your offer of loyalty and fealty," I said slowly trying to work out how to reply correctly. Sensing a shift from the Force, I let it guide me as the blade came toward my free hand. I felt the edge slice my palm, mixing my blood with his. "I accept your blade and claws, and I swear they will never be commanded to strike without thought, nor against those unworthy of their sting. And I offer you my promise to not force you to carry out actions that go against your beliefs and ideals."
I handed the blade back to Simvyl as he stood, a large smile on his face exposing his vicious-looking fangs. He took the blade and pulled a rag from a pocket. "You know you only had to say you accept," He said with a smile as he cleaned the blade.
I shrugged as I replied. "I didn't, but even if I did, your words deserved something more than a simple OK to confirm them." As I spoke, he slid the now-clean blade into the sheath. I extended an arm to him, which he grasped near my elbow. "And it goes without saying, thank you for the faith you're placing in me."
Simvyl nodded as his smile grew. "While young, I don't doubt you will be a great warrior for the Jedi, for the side of what is right and just. You will do great things, I can feel that in my heart, and want to help you correct the rot that infects the very core of the galaxy."
"I just hope I'm worthy of your faith and trust."
Simvyl broke the grip as I spoke before moving toward the co-pilot's station. "If I doubted you wouldn't be, I would never have offered you my oath," he said with a smile still on his face as he slid into the seat. "Now go. You need to rest," I nodded and stood, Fenrir shifting as he realised I was leaving. "Though I doubt your mate will allow you any."
I paused a few steps from the door and glared at the back of Simvyl's head. "She's not my…" The Cathar chose that moment to laugh, and I shook my head in annoyance. "Oh screw you," I muttered as I stalked out of the room, Fenrir at my side though he seemed amused by what had just happened even if he didn't understand Basic.
Yet, as much as I might deny it, Bo and I were fast approaching a point where we'd have to figure out just what we were to each other and where things were going. And it would have to be sorted before we reached the Temple, and not just because our closeness will be an issue for the High Council. The Mandalorian Civil War – at least this one – was officially over. That had been reported freely on the Holonet when we'd arrived on Sernpidal, and Bo had managed to get confirmation from her father that it was true and that Houses Kryze and Ordo now controlled Mandalore between them, and with the support of other clans, upwards of eighty per cent of the sector.
Bo was going to want to return to her people, and while she'd want me to go with her, the Force still seemed to want me to remain with the Jedi. As I walked toward my cabin, where Bo was already resting – much to Fay's subtle concern – I wondered how the redhead was going to take this. Bo claimed she wasn't interested in this being more than an enjoyable arrangement, but I could feel her growing affection for me, and mine for her.
Still, that was a concern for another night. For this one, before I tried to get some rest I planned to enjoy what awaited me in my bed. Preferably to the point where the red-haired warrior there passed out from exhaustion.
… …
… …
"If I might ask," began Oppo Rancisis as he stopped me from continuing my report to the High Council, "what exactly made you feel that challenging this alien leader to single combat was the correct choice to make?"
I looked at the snake-like Jedi Master as he and the rest of the High Council sat in their chairs listening as I gave my report on what had happened on and to Zonama Sekot. Fay was at my side, though since she'd generally stayed quiet until just before the duel that I was now getting to, she'd been indisposed.
Several times when I'd been giving my report, a member of the Council had stopped me to ask a question or clarify something. Mainly they'd asked for further reasoning on why I'd made a certain choice, or if I felt my actions had been in keeping with what the Force wished, but so far no judgement had been passed, meaning they were going to wait until I finished before offering one.
The Council had also before this meeting had begun, spent time reviewing the reports submitted by myself and Fay, along with ones from Bo and Simvyl, and the planned recording from Bo's armour when I'd not used Lightning but Electrokinesis instead. To go with that were recordings from the transport that had taken us to meet the Vong and then to my duel at the former location of the Magister's compound.
Honestly, the simple fact they weren't offering snap judgements or condemning me for killing Vong aggressively was a nice surprise. Not even those who I knew disliked me, such as Windu and Piell, had made any effort to speak down on my choices. Hell, both of those two had seemed happier than Yoda and Yaddle when I'd revealed I'd ambushed Vong and not attempted to take any prisoners after the first few battles.
Still, I was prepared for a massive argument with them at the end over my actions. While I doubted that they'd kick me from the Order – the fact many considered me the Chosen One granted me a fair bit of leeway – I knew there was a good chance they'd want me to be placed under supervision once more.
"Master Fay is, as you are all aware, highly skilled at finding peaceful solutions; however, the Vong gave no indication of desiring such an outcome – something that became clear as their leader spoke of their holy reasons for invading the planet. Those comments, combined with how the Vong had behaved in previous battles and an inclination from the Force, made me offer another solution. Yes, it was a risky one to take, one Master Fay wasn't pleased about, but I felt that risking, and possibly losing my life, to save hers and those of our companions was a risk worth taking."
"While, at the time, I disapproved of my Padawan's decision," Fay began. "With time to meditate on it, I see now that not only were the Vong a race with which normal methods of communication failed but that the Force was guiding Cameron to a solution that offered the highest chance of limiting unnecessary deaths." Fay paused and sensed a very slight shift in her mood, though not one that suggested she carried any resentment at my choice. "I still feel that, given time, a peaceful resolution might have been reached. However, that would've taken weeks, if not months, to achieve, and resulted in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent Sekotans."
Fay's words seemed simple enough, but after years around her, I knew she was still disappointed in how things had played out. Both in my choice to seek a quick and violent ending to the conflict and her failure to achieve a non-violent outcome. I disagreed heavily with her on that and had said so privately. The Council chamber though was not a place to voice those issues, nor our issues over me bonding with Raven or accepting Simvyl's fealty; yet for the latter, because she agreed that I'd let the Force guide me to accept, there was far less of an issue. Not unless I wanted to risk irritating the Council and increasing whatever punishment they dealt for my actions.
Fay was still a Jedi, but one that saw things differently from the High Council even if they and she all held the Code as something to live by and not, as I was quickly finding it, a guide for those who lacked the strength of character to control themselves.
"From the reports you and your companions have submitted, and what you've mentioned here today, it's clear these Vong have a warrior culture. One not unlike the Mandalorians of old." I stayed my hand, not wanting to rise to the bait Windu was dropping as he offered an opinion. "Since you stand before us today, I assume it is safe to say you were successful in defeating their leader?"
"Yes, Master Windu." I paused and glanced at Fay. "At my master's request, when an opportunity presented itself, I offered the Vong the chance to surrender. However, that only served to enrage them." That wasn't technically true, but by saying it like this it should, I hope, show the Council that I had sought a peaceful resolution before ending the duel in a more typical manner. "From then on, the only option left to me was to kill the Vong."
There was a grunt from my right, and I looked over to see Evan Piell glaring at me with his one good eye. "You and your companions have stated that these Vong are a grave threat to the Jedi and the Republic. Yet you, a Padawan, though a highly skilled one I don't contest, managed to engage Vong forces on multiple occasions, and barring one instance, emerged from each confrontation victorious and unscathed." It took some effort to not glare back at the Council member as he seemingly dismissed my concerns about the Vong. "From all that I've read and heard from you, including the scans provided by your companion," he all but sneered at having to refer to Bo, "I see little that suggests a Vong armada would pose anything more than a regional-level threat to some Outer Rim sectors. Instead, I see little more than the worries of an overly excited, and battle-hungry Padawan."
I detested the disrespect he was showing to Bo, but I knew he was doing it simply to draw a reaction from me. With me having moved past the worst of puberty, I had greater control over the emotional reaction I took, allowing me to ignore his comments. Plus, Fay had warned me before the meeting that the Council would challenge much of what I said to confirm the veracity of our report. Though after nearly three hours, my patience with the short Jedi Master's continual need to speak down about me and those close to me was getting on my nerves.
"With respect, Master Piell. I was there. You were not. I, along with my companions, spent months fighting from a weaker position, against a technologically and numerically superior foe that, even from their lowest encountered fighters, were on par with Mandalorians I'd fought during the Battle of Keldabe." I was, perhaps, laying things on thick, but I wanted to make clear how dangerous even the weakest Vong fighter was. Especially against a Force user unprepared for their inability to be affected by most directed Force abilities. "During the first encounter, as I made clear several times already, we were fortunate to survive, particularly once Master Fay was gravely wounded in their initial assault." I paused, taking a moment to calm myself as the familiar rage I'd called upon on Zonama Sekot stirred as the memory of that first battle came to mind. Knowing where I was and concerned that Dark Side Masking – which was at Master:54 – might not be enough to hide that rage if I tried to simply push it down, I used the techniques taught to me by, among others, Master Fay. I felt the anger drift away into the Force, and once that was done, continued talking. "I've gone over every encounter I, and those with me had with the Vong. I can't stress Master, just how difficult it was for me to defeat multiple Vong in simultaneous combat; and not, before you suggest it, due to any inherent flaw in my chosen Lightsaber form. However, those continual battles allowed me to refine a style that, while still full of flaws, granted me just enough of an understanding of the Vong's style of fighting that when the time came for the duel, I felt confident in my chances to defeat it. Yet I didn't emerge unscathed." I made no effort to draw attention to the scar I bore over my eye socket, as doing so would just be silly given Piell had lost an eye in combat.
The Lannik Jedi chuckled, likely because I'd drawn attention to the fact that like him I'd been scarred. "True enough. Though, I still have doubts that these Vong are as grave a threat as you suggest."
"Potential threats today, no judgement will be made," Yoda cut in, speaking for the first time since he'd asked questions about my emotional state when Fay had been wounded. "The actions of Padawan Shan, discussing we are."
"The Council will spend time reviewing your reports before making any judgement on the Vong, Padawan. As Master Yoda said, today we simply wish to hear a full recounting from you on the conflict and sense how these actions have affected you."
I nodded at Plo Koon. "Yes, Master." While I'd prefer they would consider the Vong threat today and declare them a danger to all, the fact they weren't dismissing it out of hand was, as Fay had said, the best I could hope for. I stopped there, expecting him or another Council member to comment, however, Plo simply rolled his hand in a gesture that meant for me to continue.
"With the Vong leader dead, I was concerned his second wouldn't accept the terms. Thankfully, he did, though not before suggesting other Vong would seek me out for retribution. Zonama Sekot seemed to hold significance to them, though we never learnt why. After collecting the body, the second promised they would leave the world as the terms stipulated." As I spoke, I once more cursed myself for being ambiguous in my wording. I should've made clear that they were to leave the system and never return, but as they say, hindsight is a bitch.
"The choices the Vong made after the duel aren't on your head, Padawan," the words, surprisingly, came from Windu. "You fought with honour and won the duel. That the Vong then chose to adapt the terms to suit their goals is a choice they made and must live with, not you. The deaths caused by their subsequent bombardment are not a weight you need to carry."
"I understand that, Master Windu, and thank you for the words. However, I feel I should've been clearer in my terms."
A coughing chuckle came from Yoda. "The greatest teacher, time is. Learn from this, you will. Grow, you will." I lowered my head, accepting the Grandmaster's words of counsel.
"After the Vong chose to reinterpret the terms of the duel, they began to assault the planet from orbit. Which is when you chose to attempt to engage them?"
"Yes, Master Yaddle. While the Jade Raven was built unarmed by the Sekotans – a philosophy that may well have changed because of the Vong – it was the only vessel available to use to reach orbit. Or at least reach orbit and not be instantly shot down," I added with a shrug. "I, we, knew the odds of us being able to stop a small flotilla of combat ships, most of which were larger than the Raven, were slim, but there was no other option we could come up with."
"As you moved toward the fleet, when the planet spoke to you, hmm?" I could hear the doubt in Yoda's voice and sense a faint ripple of it within the Chamber. Which was understandable, as if I hadn't experienced it myself, I'd likely doubt the story as well.
"Yes, Master. While we were accelerating toward the Vong, though before we'd entered weapon's range, I was… pulled, for lack of a better word, into the ship's consciousness. There, I met a figure who looked like the Magister, yet since his compound had been destroyed at the start of the conflict, I knew it wasn't him. The figure revealed itself to be Sekot. It said it was able to speak to me due to the bond I shared with the Raven and the seed-partners used in her growth." I paused and licked my lips. "Honestly, I'm still having trouble accepting that I spoke to the planet, but I don't doubt it believed it was sentient. Plus, it's warning about us leaving if we didn't wish to be trapped upon it or die in orbit was accurate."
"While I wasn't privy to this meeting, I can confirm the Force was… agitated for a moment around Cameron and the ship," Fay spoke before any of the Council could argue against my statement. A glance at her showed her lips twitching as she continued. "When he told me of this meeting, I searched the Force for any deception and found none. He believes it was the planet, this Sekot, that spoke to him. From how the colonists seemed to revere the planet and the incredible interconnectivity we felt within the Force before the Vong's arrival, I find no reason to doubt Cameron's statement. After that, and an impressive demonstration of flying in a new starship, we slipped by the Vong fleet and entered Hyperspace."
"While we have doubts about a planet achieving sentience," Yaddle began as she leaned forward in her seat, "it is the events that occurred when you were forced from hyperspace that I find myself most curious about. The moment when you chose to form a deep connection in the Force with your vessel."
"I believe we all share that sentiment," Plo Koon added, drawing nods from the majority of the Council. Most were leaning forward to varying degrees, curious to hear more. "While forming a bond with a tuk'ata isn't unheard of, I cannot recall mention of a Jedi forming a bond within the Force with a starship."
"Mentions in the oldest holocrons, I believe there are. Early in the Old Republic, if I recall."
Plo Koon lowered his head at Yoda's words even as he rubbed his chin, or more accurately, the breathing mask he wore. "Hmm, I'll have to remember to search the Holocron Vault for those records." He turned back to me. "However, that is for later. Please continue, Padawan. I wish to hear of how it felt to form a Force connection with the wonderful new starship you've brought to the temple."
"And perhaps, in the coming days, you might be willing to show some of us how well the Jade Raven handles," Master Tiin added with a wry smile. Since he was regarded as the Order's finest pilot – and would remain that way if Anakin never joined the Order officially – him being interested in how Raven flew was hardly a surprise. After all, he'd been part of the party that had met us when we'd returned to the Temple and he'd made little effort to hide his appreciation for Raven's design.
That said, he'd not be the only one I'd take for a flight in Raven. Apart from Serra and Tedra, I expected many friends – close and not – would wish for a short voyage in Raven. Though first I had to speak to Serra. I knew she was in the Temple, and while she'd been excited when we'd first felt each other within the Force, in the hours since a steady stream of nervousness had mixed with that excitement, along with a hint of fear.
Though since it'd been over three years since I'd last seen her in the flesh, I could understand the worries she had, and I had some of my own. Though those were more to do with how she'd react when it was revealed I was currently seeing Bo. However, that was a matter for after this meeting.
"As I said in my report, Raven dropped from hyperspace unexpectedly. I could feel her pain as we tumbled through space and systems began to flicker on and off. I admit I didn't know what I was doing, but it felt as if the Force was guiding me to her, to Raven, to help. I knew I couldn't let her die, as if she died those with me would also die, so I placed my faith in the Force and let it guide me toward what felt like the right thing to do. Somehow I was able to… sustain her through the Force, and while it feels as if I've given over part of my connection to the Force to save her, I consider it fair payment."
"I will admit at the time, I was concerned about Cameron's actions, particularly that he'd taken them for selfish reasons, with time to meditate, I see now that wasn't the case," Fay added. While it did sound supportive, I felt she was saying it more as a way to cut off an obvious issue the Council might have with my actions. One she'd brought up with me in private before we'd reached Coruscant. That said, she was also being truthful in that she understood that, just as with Simvyl, I'd allowed the Force to guide my actions instead of imposing my will upon it.
"Question your opinion on the Force's will, this Council does not. Concerns us, however, your Padawan's continual recklessness does." Yoda leaned closer, his eyes searching mine for something. I felt a gentle prod against my Telepathic Shield, one I knew was coming from the Grandmaster. If given the choice, I'd happily slap it aside or ignore it, however, I knew doing that now would only increase the likelihood of me being punished. Thus, I allowed him access.
Yoda closed his eyes as I felt his probe enter my mind, along with those from most of the Council. It was easy to tell which were examining my mental state and Force connection as many closed their eyes. While I disliked letting them even do this much, activating Player's Mind would be a blunt admission I had something to hide, and would lead to more questions and examinations. No, it was better to submit to this check now, without seemingly protesting, than risk them wanting to carry out deeper scans and risk them finding the pool of rage I'd buried deep inside.
"Hmm," Yoda muttered after perhaps a minute just before he and the others opened their eyes, the various Council members looked at each other, though no words were spoken. Since I'd already experienced this before, I knew they were having a mental conversation, but it was still discomforting to stand in the chamber as the Council sat around me in silence. To outsiders, it likely came across as rude when they did it in a group, but I could see the benefits of discussing issues privately before presenting a unified front to those they were meeting.
"It is clear that this mission has taken a great toll on you, Padawan," Sifo-Dyas began, drawing my attention to him. He was one of the Council members I trusted the most, something aided by the soft, mentoring smile he gave me. "It has also, we sense, resulted in you being tempted by the Dark Side once more. Having that happen so soon after your experiences with the Bando Gora is concerning." I hadn't expected them to directly mention that incident, but considering it I wondered if they'd done so to see what sort of reaction I'd have to the mention. While I still had the odd flashback or distracting moment, the need to focus my energies on the war – and having a ready outlet for my anger – had helped me come to terms with things. At least to the point where I felt able to move on safely.
Sifo-Dyas' smile grew as I considered that, and he offered me a nod. "And it appears you've let go of your anger around the issue, most impressive."
"It is, but he has admitted to striking down at least one Vong in rage," Ki-Adi Mundi countered, his large head always drawing my attention and reminding me of a potato. "That cannot be overlooked, nor dismissed easily, regardless of how understandable an action it was for any Padawan to take in this context."
"It won't be ignored," Windu replied, earning a nod – which I felt was staged – from Mundi. Windu fixed me with a look that likely terrified most Padawans. Along with many adults, Jedi or not. "While this Council is accepting of your choices on Zonama Sekot, and feels you have shown a remarkable ability to not dwell on what has happened to you over the last few years, we feel further sessions with Healer Allie would be advisable."
"Yes, Master," I replied calmly. Windu's brow twitched slightly at how easily I accepted the Council's ruling, but I'd expected that to be the minimum outcome of this meeting. Even before Fay had stated this, I'd already been expecting further counselling at least. Ignoring that they'd want to spend time examining Raven and myself, I'd just gone through a series of events that would break many people. That required monitoring, so it was nice to see the Council was being more proactive in ensuring I got the help I might need.
"While you will remain in the Temple for a time, you are free to continue your studies at your master's discretion. That said, I feel Battlemaster Drallig and Master Bondara would be willing to have you assist them in instructing Initiates and younger Padawans once again." Windu's offer further softened the punishment, though I felt it was also a way to further bring me under the control of the Council while having me do something I enjoyed.
"This will also allow us time to consider your last mission in greater depth," added Oppo Rancisis, who I avoided looking over at. While I knew it was silly, something about talking to a giant, sentient snake-like creature just didn't sit well with me. "Members of the Council, and others, will likely call upon you for details regarding the Vong and the threat you believe they pose, Zonama Sekot, and the unusual ship you've returned with."
"I don't believe the Vong pose a threat, Master. I know it." The fact he was so openly dismissing my concerns about the Vong wasn't encouraging, even if I understood that they, as leaders of the Order, had to examine the issue from every angle they could.
Yoda's chuckle drew my focus to him to see he was shaking his head. "The certainty of youth, we see." That earned a few amused smirks from the room, including one for Fay. "Refreshing to see, it is. Though mindful of your actions, you must be, young Padawan." The fact Yoda was also now seemingly expressing doubt about my claims angered me a little. I understood that a Padawan managing to drive the Vong back certainly made them look like a lighter threat than I'd implied, but I'd only encountered a strong recon force, not the main body of their military.
"I am, Master Yoda. However, I also know what I fought wasn't something to be taken lightly." Even without knowing there was more to the threat because of Invaders from the Void, I'd have still labelled the Vong a threat simply due to their inherent resistance to directed Force use.
"And this Council will not do so. However, unlike a young, though skilled, Padawan, we don't rush to judgement based on personal events from a single, though protracted, encounter. Other factors must be weighed before a course of action for the Order as a whole is decided upon."
"Yes, Master Windu." While I understood the rationale, I didn't like it. Plus, I felt their issue might be with me trying to dictate terms to the Council. Hopefully, that was the case, and not them underestimating the Vong. Otherwise, I feared the Council would once more not remove the stick from their collective arses and do something about the Vong. Hell, even if initially they just sent small teams into the Unknown Regions or the far edges of the Outer Rim near where Zonama Sekot had been, it would be better than them burying their heads in the sand and pretending the threat didn't exist.
"I, for one, wish to speak to you more about the Jade Raven. From the initial reports our more technically inclined members have submitted, it seems that not only is she semi-organic, but has some rare and powerful components installed in unusual ways."
"Certainly, Master," I offered to Plo Koon even as I saw Saesse Tiin nodding in agreement.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Windu surveying the room. When no one said anything else, he spoke. "Until we've come to our final recommendations regarding the Vong, and plans for the Jade Raven, we would prefer if you remained inside the Temple, though it isn't a requirement. We would, though, insist you remain on Coruscant during this time." I nodded in acceptance and his gaze shifted to Fay. "We will ask Healer Allie to contact you when she can to arrange further sessions for your Padawan." Fay offered a bow to Windu. "Unless there is anything either of you wishes to add, you are free to go."
I followed Fay from the chamber. As normal, there were several Jedi gathered in the atrium outside waiting to speak to the Council, though all were giving Fenrir a wide berth. Since he was snoozing when we exited, the apprehension of the other Jedi made me chuckle. Fenrir must've heard that, or sensed my approach, as he lifted his head lazily. After yawning loud enough that a Padawan around my age all but hid behind their master, the tuk'ata stood and followed us into the elevator before the doors closed.
"Do you think they'll dismiss the Vong, Master?" I asked as we descended.
Fay looked out the carriage carrying us down, taking in the sight of Coruscant, and the constant flow of ships in the skies around us, before answering. "They won't, Cameron. The simple fact that the Vong are immune to directed Force abilities, particularly ones all Jedi rely upon, means they can't ignore the issue. However, I do feel they may disagree with your blunt assessment about the dangers the Vong pose to the Order and the Republic on a military front. Particularly from how, even though you did limit yourself, you tried to pressure them to regard them as such." Fay's hand came to rest on my shoulder as my irritation at the Council's likely inaction grew. "The Council, for all its faults, must decide the direction of all Jedi. You are certain the Vong are a future threat to the Order and the Republic, but you are just one member of the Order; and not even a Knight. Sadly, that is the way this works."
"But, Master…"
"We must allow them time to deliberate on the matter, Cameron. They may well agree with your judgement, however, they won't rush to pass judgement. Doing that has led to mistakes being made by the Order in the past and many on the Council are averse to change from what had worked for nearly a thousand years." She smiled as her hand gently squeezed my shoulder. "Place your faith in the Force to guide them to the correct path, but don't dwell upon it. Perhaps, instead, turn your thoughts to happier events. Like reunions with old friends. One in particular I know isn't far from your thoughts." I turned away, not wanting to risk Fay seeing the heat as it built in my cheeks. "I suspect you and her have much to discuss."
I nodded though my gaze stayed away from her. While there were others in the Temple I wished to speak with – Tedra and Darihd being the obvious two – Serra was the one I was excited and apprehensive to meet. I reached out through the Force, opening my mind to find where she was.
[Where we first talked about the Code.] I blinked as her words entered my mind, caught off-guard that she'd learnt to communicate telepathically. Though given it'd been three years since I'd last seen her, it shouldn't have surprised me.
[I'll be there soon,] I sent, letting her know I was on my way. As we reached our stop within the centre of the Temple I wondered how she'd changed, grown, in the years. And how she'd feel about the changes I'd gone through, both physical and mental.
… …
… …
(Serra's POV)
She sat quietly on the bench, enjoying the view of the ecumenopolis as the sun blazed down on the planet. Shadows travelled around her, left there by starships, speeders, and other flying vehicles that buzzed around constantly in the skies of Coruscant. Yet, as much as the view often brought her peace of mind, today it failed. Her mind was, understandably, elsewhere, focusing on someone that was back in the Temple at the same time as her for the first time in more than three years.
Of course, Cam might be why she'd made a beeline for this particular bench over any of the others. Apart from being close to the High Council spire, it was the same one she'd led him to back when they'd been Initiates. And she'd been here for several hours now.
When she'd first sensed Cam returning, she'd been sparring with Sia-Lan, and sensing his presence in the Force had distracted her. Enough that her friend had managed to win the spar. Serra had been annoyed about that, as it was the first one she'd lost to Sia-Lan in about a year, and then more so when Sia-Lan had piped up that she'd felt someone return to the Temple. Her friend had teased her about seeing Cam for the first time in years, commenting on how he'd grown since then and taking amusement in knowing that she'd seen him last year while Serra hadn't.
A few years ago that sort of teasing would've angered Serra, and she was embarrassed whenever she remembered how she'd reacted when Cam had been hurt during his verd'goten. She'd been better when Cam had gone strangely silent within the Force just over a year ago, but she hadn't been able to concentrate when she'd learnt he'd been captured by the Bando Gora. Now, even with him being distant for a year, even if there were faint whispers of something going on, she was at peace with things. Or as much as she could be.
While she'd not seen him, she knew he'd grown, and matured over the years. Yes, he seemed to find trouble with alarming ease, but she trusted the Force to protect him, and guide him. Plus, just like him, she'd grown up. She still held feelings for him, but unlike back during her verd'goten, she no longer allowed them to dominate her thoughts.
Still, after the spar had ended, and Master Drallig had reprimanded her for becoming distracted so easily, she'd left with the intent of finding Cam. A probe into the Force revealed he was with the Council, so she'd changed tact and arrived here instead. Though before reaching this bench, she'd run into someone more outwardly excited by Cam's return than her.
Initiate Tedra Zill was, in Serra's mind, an odd one. She was skilled in the Force, having rapidly caught up to her clanmates with her skill using a lightsaber. However, the Zabrak girl was, from what Serra had heard, uninterested in the more spiritual aspects of being a Jedi, which didn't surprise Serra after she'd gotten to know the girl at Cam's request. As a former slave, Tedra was more interested in actively helping others than pondering the mysteries of the Force; a sentiment Serra found herself agreeing with as she matured. Though she also understood that Tedra's rush to want to help was too reckless, and would place her, and others, in danger.
After promising the Zabrak that she'd tell Cam to speak with her, Serra had managed to reach the bench with no other delays. At first, she'd been apprehensive as she waited for any shift in the Force to let her know Cam was on his way. That had given way to a bout of restlessness as she sat for close to an hour, though she'd chided herself for that behaviour, and the reminder it provided to her earlier behaviour around Cam.
Back then she'd been possessive of Cam, treating anyone who was near him – especially, those in their age group – as some sort of threat to her and what she had with him. Now that she was older, and she hoped, wiser, she understood that wasn't healthy. Oh, she still considered Cam to be someone important to her, but she wasn't going to lose her temper whenever anyone said anything about him. No matter how pretty they looked, or what they hinted they wanted to do with him.
At the same time, she couldn't deny that a part of herself that she'd thought gone was growing agitated at seeing Cam again. Just knowing he'd soon be here, that she'd soon be talking with him lit a fire in her, one that while not the same pathetic flame from her younger years, burned in ways she'd rather not think about. Cam was the first to make her feel that way, though not the last. Though she'd never admit to anyone that Bo-Katan had also started having that effect on her, she did wonder if the Mandalorian girl was still travelling with Cam as Serra would like to catch up with her.
When she'd thought about Bo-Katan, Serra's mind had wandered back to her time on Mandalore, and as it often did, settled on her verd'goten. Yes, she'd been injured during her hunt – almost fatally if not for Cam's quick intervention – but completing it had granted her a sense of fulfilment she'd never realised she needed. As if it was a test to herself to prove she wasn't a simple Initiate anymore, but a trained warrior of the Jedi. Plus, as much as she enjoyed sparring with her friends and master, she felt something was missing in the Temple, almost as if the spars weren't as fulfilling as they should be. At least to her.
Her thoughts were brought back from their wanderings when she sensed a general ripple in the Force, one she knew was from Cam. Latching onto it, she sent a message to him. [Where we first talked about the Code.] She laughed gently as she sensed his shock, her evolving ability to communicate telepathically with him catching him off-guard. While she mainly used the ability with Master Drallig, she had been practising the skill with Aayla, Sia-Lan, and others over the years. Enough that she could now speak to Cam even though they'd not felt each other's Force signatures for several years.
[I'll be there soon.]
Hearing his voice again, even if just in her mind, sent a pleasant tingle through her, longing to see him again. As he pulled back, she scolded herself and hoped he hadn't sensed it. She didn't need him thinking she was still the same, young desperate girl he'd known. No, she wanted him to see she's changed, hear him comment on how she'd grown stronger, more powerful. Not because she needed his approval, but to confirm it. While Master Drallig often complimented her on her improvement, Cam would be able to see the changes easier than her Master or friends.
Yet as she pondered change, she realised Cam's Force signature had done just that. There was still power there, still as oddly distant as it'd always been, but it had altered and grown. A sense of refinement was there, along with… something she couldn't quite define, but whatever it was held an allure to her. She did want to delve into the Force, to learn what this change in Cam was, but she understood that to do that would be considered rude. Better to wait until he was closer. Until she could focus on it without making it obvious to try and see what had happened.
It was likely that the events of the Bando Gora – which her friends had told her about when she'd returned to the Temple after Cam had left – had left a mark on Cam. She had felt the ripples when he'd lashed out back then, realising later that it'd been him lashing out in a desire for revenge for what he endured. Serra had shared that desire and felt a need to help him punish any remaining Bando Gora. No matter how much Master Drallig said such thoughts were unbecoming of a Jedi, Serra knew they dwelled within her.
Yet as she felt him descend from the Council's tower, and his presence granted her a sense of familiarity, she saw that there was more to it than simply what he'd endured with the Bando Gora. He appeared calm and in control, yet as she closed her eyes and let the Force wash over her, she swore she felt something dangerous, something dark, lurking behind that calm. It was hard to get a read on, as if something was blurring it out, making it difficult to spot, yet she could, and she could tell while it wanted to control him, he wasn't letting it do so.
She stood as his presence grew closer, entering the gardens. Faint trembles rattled around her stomach; her knees grew weak. She pushed those aside, not wanting him to see how nervous she was, and not thinking she was still that weak little girl. As he neared, questions surfaced in her head, lining up to ask once he was here. Yet the moment he came into view, they vanished into the void of her mind.
She knew Cam would've changed, it'd been years after all, but knowing it and seeing it were two very different things. Just the way he walked conveyed how confident and assured of himself he was now; not that he wasn't before, but back then she'd felt it was a type of bravado. Now, as he marched her way, she saw that self-assurance was stronger, yet there were little hints in the way he moved, the way his eyes took in everything around him, that made it clear he wasn't pretending. Of course, the massive lumbering beast - which had several Jedi scampering to avoid - at his side certainly helped the image and made Serra pause any desire to rush to greet him.
She was embarrassed that, in her desire to see Cam again, she'd put aside all thoughts about his new companion. Though this wasn't the same beast Aayla had mentioned. Gone was the hound-sized friendly young pup, and in its place, much like its master, was a proud, powerful, and confident beast.
The tuk'ata's eyes locked on her, and it shook its shoulders, drawing her attention to the spinal crests; particularly the gap where one was missing. Serra had her confirmation that the beast, and Cam as well, had seen combat. A gasp from a group of Younglings walking by had the tuk'ata shift its gaze. The spinal crest started to flatten only for a gentle touch against its head from Cam to relax the great beast.
Questions about the tuk'ata and what had cost it the crest formed on her lips, though they slid away as she looked at Cam close up, her gaze as always, drawn to his eyes. "What happened?!"
"Huh?" Cam stopped, confusion rippling over his face. Serra blinked and then felt blood rush to her cheeks. She'd spent so long preparing for this, wanting to show him she'd matured and the first thing she'd done was call out like that. She opened her mouth to apologise only to stop when Cam chuckled. "Oh, this," he placed fingers just under his eye, touching the very edge of a scar that ran from his eyebrow to upper cheek and appeared to have missed the eye by the slimmest of margins. "Just scars of battle," beside him the tuk'ata made a sound that Serra quickly realised was something akin to laughter. "So, how have you been?"
Serra's mouth hung open, her mind going in a dozen different directions with how lazily Cam ignored the scar, how the tuk'ata seemed able to react to his emotions, and how none of this was how she wanted their reunion to start. "F-fine," she managed to get out as she took a step toward him. Her hand came up, wanting to examine the scar herself, only to stop when a deep, powerful growl slipped from the maw of the beast at Cam's side.
"Fenrir." There was no warning in the tone, yet Cam just saying what had to be its name was enough to calm the monster. Serra blinked in confusion as Cam flicked it on the nose, and then ignored the lazy snapping of the beast's maw directed toward his hand. "Serra's a friend. Like Bo."
Serra felt the Force shift, both as Cam spoke to the tuk'ata and when he mentioned Bo. Her mind brought forth images from some of her more confusing dreams, but she pushed those away. She didn't want to blush now, nor let anything slip into the Force for Cam to sense. Still, it was clear that Cam was close to the Mandalorian, perhaps more so than Serra would expect for two people that had travelled together for several years. She also ignored the way her heart seemed to tense at that idea, focusing instead on how easily Cam was able to control the beast.
"Serra, this is Fenrir, who's been almost ever-present since I rescued him from slavers nearly two years ago."
"I," Serra paused, the words failing to come as both man and beast looked at her. The combined stare of both made her momentarily unsure of herself. "I felt your pain. With the Bando Gora. And, I think, with whatever happened at the beginning of the year." She said slowly, unsure whether bringing up those events – whatever the second was – was a wise idea. As she spoke, she could feel the Force shift around her and Cam, helping her see him more clearly within. The blurred edges she'd felt earlier had cleared slightly, revealing something powerful, something dangerous, that she found oddly excited her.
As Cam's expression turned sour, she feared bringing up those events. In his eyes, she saw the memories replaying, and felt the subtle shift in his Force signature as residual feelings linked to them pulsed around him. The Dark Side was there, she understood that this was what was hiding within him, trying to control him. Yet even as she fretted that she'd allowed that danger to take control, she felt him push it away, place it back behind whatever barrier it was he'd built within himself to control it.
"Yeah, it's been… an interesting few years." He spoke slowly, his Force signature showing faint signs of discomfort. Thankfully, before her concern grew to the point she'd be obliged to mention this to Master Drallig, the last vestiges of the anger, the Dark Side, slipped away behind the wall Cam had created within himself. She'd been told that wasn't the way to deal with the temptations of the Dark Side, and her moments of weakness had released the anger into the Force, yet she was willing to overlook it. She trusted Cam, and Master Fay, to know about the issue and be working to control it. "It's had its ups and downs," the beast, Fenrir, leaned into his hand, seemingly offering support. Cam smiled as he stroked the great black beast behind its ears, drawing a faint murmur of delight from the tuk'ata. "Though I'd say what I've gained more than outweighs the… difficulties I've endured." As Fenrir leaned into Cam's hand further, Serra couldn't help but smile at seeing a beast she'd been told was a danger to Jedi acting like a puppy, though she did ignore and push away the small voice inside that said it should be her Cam was touching and not Fenrir.
Serra looked away, not wanting Cam to see any hint of desire and dislike on her face at how close he was to the tuk'ata. The view, as it had failed to do today, didn't help centre her thoughts. It had worked so well for that when she'd been an Initiate and in her early time as a Padawan, but since her verd'goten, she'd started feeling at times that there was something off about the view. Almost as if it was a distraction from something else, though she'd so far failed to put her finger on what that might be.
"So," she turned back as he spoke, feeling some warmth at the smile that had crept back onto his lips. "What have you been up to?" He was trying to engage her, yet she could sense some doubt within him, though it was focused more on himself than her. "I heard you and Master Drallig had an adventure last year."
She returned his smile as she nodded. "Yes, we were assigned by the High Council to help mediate a trade dispute in the Outer Rim." There was a faint, momentary burst of what felt like annoyance when she mentioned the Council, but it was gone before she finished the sentence. "It took longer than Master Drallig had expected due to one of the factions deciding the talks would be more productive if they acted aggressively. Thankfully, their approach was easy for Master Drallig and me to handle."
Cam's smile grew. "Sounds like you had fun then."
"Yes, though I didn't end up with someone like Fenrir here at the end of it." She leaned forward, feeling safe around the beast due to Cam's presence. The connection between the two of them was strong, reminding her of the bond she shared with her master. Slowly she extended a hand toward Fenrir, stopping when it was about halfway there.
In a move that amused her, the beast, which was only a head shorter than Cam, looked up at him for assurance. After receiving it, Fenrir took a few steps toward her. The beast sniffed her hand carefully as if judging if she was safe, or a member of its pack. Since she considered Cam one of her closest friends, she felt she was, and thus wanted the beast to feel comfortable around her.
As its maw moved closer to her hand, Serra would be lying if she said she didn't feel some trepidation. The mouth looked wide enough to swallow her arm from the elbow down in a single bite, and the brief glimpses she'd gotten of its teeth meant rendering flesh from bone wasn't an issue for it. Yes, the Force gave no hint that she was in danger, but the instinctual reaction of being so close to a creature bred to kill Jedi was hard to overcome.
A snort escaped its nose before it covered the last of the distance. Serra's smile grew massively as it pushed its muzzle into the hand. She then laughed softly as a deep rumbling of contentment slid from the maw. She could feel the Force shift around them, marking her as someone the tuk'ata trusted, as part of her pack, and that delighted her.
"He's so warm," she said as she looked up at Cam even as Fenrir moved forward, guiding her hand to the spot behind his eyes where Cam had been petting him previously. The missing spinal crest was easy to spot now, not least because the flesh around the area was lighter, being a dark shade of grey compared to the black fur that covered the rest of the great beast.
"Aye, he's a great heater on cold nights." While the words sounded normal, there was a subtle shift in the Force that returned Serra's gaze to Cam. Even without him saying anything, she knew something bad had happened on the last mission. More so than just the faint hints of rage she'd felt at the beginning of the year. Whatever it was had been serious enough that he and Master Fay had been locked in conversation with the High Council for hours, and it was clear, as much as he tried to hide it, that Cam wasn't happy with the result of that meeting.
"What happened?" she asked slowly, wanting to know but not willing to push the matter. "If you want to talk about it…"
In her younger years, she would've pushed, and kept pushing to know what was going on. Back then, she'd have felt it was the right thing to do, to get someone to open up to help them. Now, she was older, wiser, and after her last mission, understood that pushing someone often just drove them further into their thoughts.
As Cam took in the view, Serra's thoughts turned to that mission. In particular, a Rodian aide named Vhuss Xenpa. Vhuss had been working for one of the groups at the negotiating table, and Serra had sensed something was off about her. She'd approached the Rodian and prodded her about it in a way that she thought was subtle at the time, but Serra now understood that she'd been anything but. Vhuss had retreated into herself and made sure to avoid Serra for the rest of the negotiations. Then, when things turned violent, Serra discovered that Vhuss was the one who'd betrayed the company she worked for to let the mercenaries in.
Afterwards, when Serra had confronted Vhuss, she'd been confused at why Vhuss had done what she'd done. The Rodian revealed, under gentle persuasion from Master Drallig, that her family were 'indentured workers' for the other company, and they'd placed her as a spy in her current one at a young age. Serra had pressured Vhuss about why she hadn't said anything when Serra had asked, but the Rodian had explained that her handler had seen them talking and warned her to stay away from the Jedi otherwise her family would be killed.
Serra and Master Drallig had managed to locate and free Vhuss' family, though it had been a close thing. When they'd returned to the Temple, Serra had pleaded with Master Drallig that this indentured worker system was slavery in all but name. Master Drallig had agreed but made clear that the Jedi could do nothing about it when the Senate knew and allowed the practice to persist. He made clear that he, and others, disagreed with the practice, but until the Senate did something about it, it was hard for the Order to actively combat the issue.
Serra had stewed for a long time after that, trying to accept the issue. While it no longer came to mind easily, the difficulties she had with this state of affairs still caused her problems nearly a year later. She'd already promised herself that once knighted, she'd do what she could to help those in situations like Vhuss and her family. She knew she was but one Jedi in a galaxy of quintillions, but she felt she had to help. And, she hoped, her friends like Sia-Lan and Aayla might be willing to join her on this mission.
"A lot happened." Cam's quiet words drew her from her thoughts, and almost from continuing to pet Fenrir, though the beast leaned into her hand as she tried to move it away, so she kept petting him. The scar over his eye seemed to pulse as he slowly turned back to her. Pain rippled in his eyes, and she sensed discomfort and irritation flowing from him within the Force. Something Fenrir picked up as the beast grunted to draw Cam's attention. That brought a faint, short smile to her friend's face and a prang of pain to her that it wasn't her making him smile. "Come on."
She was startled at his sudden movement, and at Fenrir sliding from her petting to fall into step at Cam's side. Quickly she moved to catch up with him. "Where are we going?"
"Trust me," he muttered as he led her and Fenrir into the garden proper. She stayed quiet as they walked, showing how much she did trust him, though inside she was confused about what was going on. The youngling class from earlier reacted as Fenrir passed by, but this time the startled responses of the children drew no response from the tuk'ata.
As they walked through the Temple in silence, Serra couldn't help but smile at how even some Jedi Knights shifted their paths to avoid Fenrir. Yes, he was a tuk'ata, but not only had the High Council said he was allowed within the wall, but Cam had complete control over the beast. Something anyone could sense with just a simple probe into the Force.
They passed by one of the sparring rooms and Serra sensed Aayla and Darihd inside. From what she was sensing, the pair were sparring directly, and while Aayla was enjoying herself, the Togruta wasn't. Probably because Aayla was far more skilled with a blade than he was. He, like his Master, was more inclined to think about the Force and apply it in subtle ways than drawing upon it to engage in combat as Aayla and Serra did.
She glanced at Cam, wondering if he'd stop to see them, but he kept walking. The only hint he knew who was in the room was a slight turn of his head to try and steal a glance inside as they passed.
"My mission was to somewhere, something unique," Cam began as they entered an elevator under one of the Temple's spires. His voice was soft, yet there was an odd hardness to it that demanded her attention. "The entire world… it was alive within the Force."
"Every world is," Serra countered instinctively, though she found herself wondering if that was true a moment later. She'd grown up on Coruscant, and been so used to the faint ripples it generated in the Force that she'd always assumed every planet was like that. However, she knew Mandalore wasn't, nor was any other planet she'd visited. Each had its own pulse, its own rhythm in the Force, and if she was being honest, she found she disliked the one generated by Coruscant.
The planet may be the capital of the Republic, but something had felt off about it ever since she'd returned from Mandalore, and it had grown worse after her last mission. Coruscant never felt calm now, and there were hints of something off, something rotten within the Force about it. She'd spoken to Master Drallig about this several times, and he'd explained each time that this was caused by the sheer volume of beings who called the world home. While she'd accepted that at first, since her last mission, and the doubt it had formed inside regarding the Republic, she'd found herself thinking there was more to it. While she couldn't put her finger on what, she did find herself wanting to travel the galaxy more, to experience new sensations and see new things.
"Yes, but Zonama Sekot… it was something more than anything else." Cam's lips twitched upward as he spoke. "There, everything is connected so… completely, that words fail to describe how incredible it was." He laughed, a sound she'd missed over the years, and shook his head. "At several points, Master Fay was acting like a Padawan constructing her first lightsaber."
Serra blinked in confusion, glad they were in the elevator as she was sure that statement would've caused her to forget how to walk for a moment. "Master Fay? Acting like a Padawan?" She spoke slowly, not believing the words she was repeating.
Cam continued to laugh. "Aye. It's something I'll never forget." The joy on his face made Serra smile as he'd seemed on edge ever since they'd met. Yet, that joy fell away as he continued. "Things went sideways after that though," he muttered as his shoulders slumped. Feeling a need to comfort him, she placed a hand on his arm, doing her best to ignore how firm it felt under his robes.
He looked at her, the smile returning slightly. He then patted her hand with his, sending ripples through the Force that Serra did her best to not react to. Yes, the closeness she felt with him excited her, but she understood this wasn't the time nor place to focus on them.
"The High Council has asked that I don't discuss the matter with others for now, and while I doubt they'll do what I feel is necessary, I'm prepared to wait and see. All I can say is that things were… tough for most of the year."
She offered him a smile as her hand gently squeezed his arm, and not because she enjoyed the feeling of power radiating from him. "It can't have been that bad. I mean, you're here." Again, there was a voice that wanted her to say more, that he was here with her, but she understood now that wasn't something to dwell on. Her friendship with Cam meant more than any unrequited feeling she may hold for him.
"More or less." She couldn't stop her gaze from shifting just enough that the scar over his eye was her focus. He turned back to face the door, waiting for it to open, Serra wondered if the scar came from the same battle that had wounded Fenrir. Now, there was a chance they'd both not been injured in battle, but the odds on that were slim enough that she discounted it quickly.
It was at that point that she realised the elevator wasn't descending into the bowels of the Temple but rising into the spire. Which was odd as apart from the Council of Reconciliation there was little in this spire but administration offices. Well, there was one of the larger hangers in the Temple. While that seemed the most likely place for them to be heading, she couldn't figure out why Cam wanted to take her. Unless he wanted to show her the Mandalorian ship he had. She'd heard about the vessel from Aayla and had been slightly jealous that the Twi'lek had gotten to travel with Cam and Bo for so long on it, but other than that, it held little interest to her. She simply wasn't as mechanically inclined as Cam was, which was saying something as Cam was far from the most technically inclined Padawan she knew.
She tensed slightly as she wondered if Bo-Katan would be present. She hadn't spoken to the Mandalorian girl in years, though that hadn't stopped Serra from thinking about her. No matter how much she was confused by those thoughts. To shift those thoughts, she returned her focus to Cam. He appeared calm, one hand resting on Fenrir's head while the other stayed on hers against his arm. Doing her best to ignore how comfortable he was with leaving his hand on hers, and the butterflies it was causing in her stomach, she tried to get a reading on him in the Force without making it obvious.
Those hints of anger and danger that had been blurred were stronger now she had a physical connection to him. Yet, unlike what she'd been told to expect from any tempted by the Dark Side, they didn't appear to be affecting him. What it did do was give him an edge, a sense of danger that Serra couldn't help but be intrigued by even as she wondered just what had happened to have him not only feel rage but keep it bottled down inside instead of releasing it into the Force as a Jedi was supposed to do.
"You know it's rude to read someone without asking." She almost jumped at his quiet words, and she did pull her hand from his arm as her heart rate spiked.
"S-sorry," she mumbled, suddenly missing the contact. "It's just… you've grown. And not just physically." His gaze shifted to her, those green eyes of his wandering over her frame made the butterflies inside frantic. "N-not that that's a bad thing, it's just…" He silenced her by placing a finger near her lips.
"I know, and while you've also grown," his eyes narrowed as they drifted lower for a moment sending a spike of longing through her, "I get what you mean." He lowered his finger and returned his gaze to the door even as he continued. "I'm more than willing to tell you how this has happened, within reason. However, as I just said, some things are restricted by the Council. As for others," he shrugged and smiled at some private joke, "well, let's just say it's better to show than tell."
Serra considered asking how he planned to show her, a faint hope inside sparking that he still felt something for her. Yet, that question was cut off by the doors opening. She followed him out, expecting to see a Mandalorian ship dominating the hanger, only to pause after a few steps at what was instead dominating the bay.
The ship was predominantly a dark shade of green, though there were patches of brown and black over the hull. None of those marks looked unintentional, and they seemed to give the ship an impression of speed even as it rested quietly in the middle of the bay as a dozen Jedi, and twice that in support staff, hovered around it. Yet, just as she moved to follow Cam toward this strange ship, she stopped and gasped as she felt something incredible from the Force. "How?!" She blurted out as she felt the ship reach out through the Force for Cam.
Cam turned back to her, a smile spreading rapidly over his face even as Fenrir continued to move toward the vessel. Before he could say anything, she was sending out a probe, wanting to understand how the kriff the vessel was able to not only generate a presence within the Force but use it in some form. The ship responded to her, sending back gentle vibrations in the Force, and at the same time, she felt it again reach out for Cam. Almost as if it wanted reassurance that she was to be trusted.
It honestly reminded Serra of how a pup behaved around its mother, which somehow made even less sense than the ship having a Force signature.
"As I said, on Zonama Sekot, everything was connected. From the plants and animals that called it home, to the ground and even the starships they built there for clients." Cam held out his hand, and she took it quickly, letting him guide her toward this marvel. "Master Fay was tasked with investigating two rumours from the Outer Rim. One dealt with a living planet, the other with a planet building unique starships for the rich and powerful. Unexpectedly, the rumours were both for the same planet."
Serra could feel Cam's joy, not only in the Force as he responded to the ship's probe, but in his voice. "She's beautiful," she said as a smile spread on her face as well.
"Aye, her name's the Jade Raven, or Raven for short," Cam added almost as an afterthought. To Serra, the name was perfect for her, and she could feel now that the vessel was indeed a she. As they neared, she saw the back of a familiar Jedi Master and reluctantly let her hand slide from Cam's.
"Ah, Padawan Shan, I hadn't expected you to return here so soon," Master Plo Koon began as he turned to face them. "Though seeing who's with you, I cannot say I'm surprised." He chuckled as Fenrir walked past him, seemingly unconcerned about the presence of the Jedi Master. "The first of many visitors to the Raven, hmm?" He asked with a chuckle.
"Master Koon." Serra bowed to the Council member even as Cam replied.
"I'd assume so. Serra was just the first I found." Serra felt her chest swell at Cam's words as she knew she wasn't the first he'd found. No, he'd sought her out, and when the chance to invite others was there, he'd chosen to keep this moment just for her.
"That isn't exactly a surprise, still, it is good you're here. The researchers are having difficulty with your travelling companions." Cam chuckled at Master Koon's words and turned to her even as he started moving toward Raven. She fell into step beside him, her eyes marvelling at the incredibly smooth surface of the vessel. So smooth, in fact, that bar where the engines extended from the rear, it was hard to see any indication of how and where the covering must've been applied.
"The hull, if you haven't already guessed, is organic, as is most of her internal design. Her more critical components are mechanical."
"Indeed, and it is those that our non-Jedi technicians are eager to examine," Master Koon added as he walked at Cam's other side. "She is truly a remarkable vessel, and not just for the fact we can feel her within the Force." The Kel Dor chuckled and stroked his chin just under his breathing mask. "I do believe even Master Yoda was shocked when Padawan Shan guided her into land. Now though, since you are here, perhaps you might convince your passengers to allow us entry to the vessel. They are quite insistent that they'll only do so with a word from you or Master Fay."
"Simvyl isn't exactly a passenger, Master," Cam said, his lips twitching as he spoke. "Though I doubt it's him that's causing the biggest headache."
"I wouldn't go that far, but yes, your other companion has been far more… descriptive as to what she'll do if we attempt to enter the vessel without your permission." The pair shared a laugh even as Serra reached out through the Force, wondering – and hoping a little – who the other companion was. She joined the others in smiling as she felt someone she'd not sensed in years but had hoped to see once again.
"Then if you'll excuse us, Master Koon, I'll get to work convincing them to allow the researchers and engineers access." The Kel Dor Jedi Master nodded and moved off toward a group of four Jedi who were gathered near the front of the vessel while Cam led Serra to the landing ramp that extended down under the middle of Raven.
There she saw a black-furred Cathar making some rather animated gestures toward a trio of non-Jedi engineers. None of them looked happy about dealing with the Cathar and Serra didn't have to do anything to sense irritation and anger from all four.
"And as I told you, this ship belongs to C…" the Cathar's rant stopped mid-word as he caught sight of Cam. "Cameron." Serra's brow rose as the Cathar bowed to Cam. Seeing a Cathar travelling with Cam was odd, given the race's long-standing issues with the Mandalorians. Yet, seeing one show such respect to Cam… Now Serra really wanted to know what had happened on Zonama Sekot. "These… individuals insist they have the permission of the Jedi High Council to enter. However, neither you nor Master Fay left instructions saying anyone could board."
Cam chuckled even as he shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think it was your idea to enforce this so aggressively." He glanced into the ship, to where Serra knew Bo-Katan was standing, though she couldn't see the redhead from her current location. Cam turned to the engineers. "If you could give me some time, I'll help them disembark and then you can carry out your examination." The lead of the trio, a green-skinned Twi'lek, nodded and moved to say something only for Cam to take a step toward them. "However, if I sense the ship in distress because you are… overly zealous in your actions… Well, then I might just allow my companions to speak with you privately."
"Um, yes, but, uh, the High Council wishes us to begin our examination as soon as possible," the Twi'lek struggled to get out as Cam glared at them. While Serra knew he could be imposing, she felt it was the way Fenrir was now standing next to the Cathar, his spinal crests bent back slightly, which was the main reason for the fear radiating from the engineers.
"And you can. Once my companions have disembarked and removed their personal belongings," Cam shot back. Serra was barely able to muffle her laughter when the Twi'lek nodded almost frantically, and then the trio scampered away after Fenrir snorted.
"Greetings," Serra turned to see the Cathar had approached, one hand extended toward her. "I'm Simvyl, a member of the Antarian Rangers and sworn warrior to Cameron Shan."
"Um, Padawan Serra Keto," she replied awkwardly as she shook the furred hand of the Cathar. Her gaze shifted to Cam, wondering why someone, particularly a Cathar, had sworn themselves to him. The more she heard about this last mission of his, the more questions formed without any answers being provided. She'd heard of the Antarian Rangers, though she'd never met any before today, and that they often worked with specific Jedi repeatedly, but it was rare for one to swear themselves to a Jedi. Never mind a Padawan who not only travelled with a Mandalorian but who was one as well.
"I can't go into details," Cam began, understanding her confusion, "but after the mission, Simvyl swore himself to my side." Yeah, that didn't really explain anything, something Serra made clear with a creased brow.
"While my fellow Rangers fell, they were avenged in the war. But I still want the Vong to pay for their actions." Serra felt her brow crease at the fire in Simvyl's words and the new batch of questions that formed in her mind. Who or what were the Vong and what war did they fight in? If a Jedi fought in a war, why hadn't other Jedi come to help, why hadn't the High Council sent Cam and Master Fay support, and why was Simvyl sworn to Cam when it would've been Master Fay leading?
"Simvyl, the High Council has asked us to remain silent about what happened on Zonama Sekot," Serra could sense the Cathar's fury rising, "at least until they've reached a decision on how to handle future problems with the Vong."
Simvyl's rage bled away, though like what she'd sensed from Cam, Serra realised he didn't let go of it. It was also at this point she realised Simvyl was young, perhaps only a handful of years older than her and Cam. His fur and face lacked the same shifts she'd seen in Cathar Knights that were missing in the handful of Cathar Initiates and Padawans within the Order.
"Understood," Simvyl replied with a nod. "Do you think they'll agree to your recommendation?"
"We'll see." It was easy for Serra to hear the doubt in Cam's voice, which made her wonder what the recommendation was. For most Jedi that she knew, Serra would wonder why they doubted the Council would listen to them, but she knew Cam wasn't like most Jedi. He had his own opinions and often doubted decisions the Council in general, and Order as a whole took. After Mandalore and her most recent mission, she was beginning to understand why that was.
"Very well." Simvyl seemed almost resigned to that, though she sensed a flicker of renewed determination from within the Cathar. All of this just made Serra even more curious about what had happened on Zonama Sekot with these Vong; which she assumed was an alien race or cult that she'd never heard of before.
"Finally finished talking with those di'kute in the high tower, eh?" Serra's head turned to look up the ramp into the Raven to see Bo-Katan had moved into sight. Fenrir had moved up the ramp, leaning into Bo-Katan's touch with as much apparent comfort as he had when Cam had petted him earlier. She felt a flicker of jealousy at how easily the tuk'ata accepted Bo-Katan, even as the redhead's eyes seemed to spark as she saw Serra. "At least you brought something nice back with you."
"Play nice," Cam commented as Bo-Katan moved down the ramp. Serra fought to keep a rush of heat from her cheeks as she took in the other girl's face for the first time in years. She'd grown, as expected, though Serra noted her ponytails were longer now, and the green eyes, darker than Cam's, had a hardness to them, making it clear she'd seen combat with Cam. Bo-Katan's black bodysuit did nothing to stop Serra's mind from wandering as the other woman walked toward her, nor Serra's eyes from drifting over the way it held Bo-Katan's hips.
As Bo-Katan neared, a confident, assured smirk danced on her lips, and Serra suddenly felt nervous. It was as if she was reliving her nightmare standing in front of the Council without her robe. Before that fear manifested, Serra pushed it aside and moved forward to greet Bo-Katan.
Bo-Katan gave her a nod as they grasped forearms, relieving Serra as she'd feared if they hugged Bo-Katan would hear how her heart was racing. "Where were you the last time he came back?" Bo-Katan asked as her fingers tightly gripped Serra's forearms.
"On a mission with my Master. We arrived back just after you and Cam left," Serra replied. She had to ignore and let go of her returning annoyance at how she'd missed Cam – and Bo-Katan – a year ago by a mere week on either side of Cam's return to the Temple. "It's good to see you," she added with a smile.
"Aye, you too." Bo-Katan's gaze wandered downward, taking in Serra's frame. When her eyes hesitated on her chest, Serra shifted her stance pushing it forward a little. "And I see you've grown." Back on Mandalore, Serra hadn't known how to react to Bo-Katan's advances or those of others. Now though, with time to grow and mature, she felt more confident in her frame; especially as she'd outgrown the Mandalorian warrior in a few areas.
Serra proved her confidence, even as she felt her face heat up, by running her eyes over Bo-Katan's frame again. "As have you." The redhead's face shifted, the smirk growing more assertive, more aggressive, and Serra suddenly felt like she'd been presented to a rancor at mealtime.
"Bo."
Bo-Katan looked over Serra's shoulder, her smile losing some of its predatory tint. "What? You can't tell me she hasn't grown in some appealing ways." Serra wanted to look back, to see how Cam reacted, but she didn't. She wasn't the same love-struck young girl she'd been, even if those feelings that she'd thought she'd buried were crawling back. However, merely not seeing Cam didn't mean she couldn't tell his reaction. The sharp, focused spike of desire radiating from him made her weak in the knees.
"She has, but behave."
"Sure," Bo-Katan responded. She met Serra's gaze and then rolled her eyes, making Serra chuckle. "Keep pretending you're not thinking the same thing I am." A fire burned in Serra's cheeks, as images from her dreams surged into her consciousness, which brought a feral grin to Bo-Katan's face. "Or that she is," Bo-Katan muttered, shifting forward slightly, leaving Serra unsure of how she should react, or how she wanted to.
"How about, before you attempt to seduce a Padawan inside the Jedi Temple, you give her a guided tour first?" Serra looked over her shoulder to see Cam smiling at Bo-Katan's actions. She wondered if he understood that letting Bo-Katan guide her into the Raven would remove them from the sight of the other Jedi. "While you do that, I'll take Simvyl with me and arrange rooms for you two in the Temple." He held up a hand. "No, you can't stay on Raven. The High Council will be examining every centimetre of her day and night and I'd rather not get a call in the middle of the night, every night, saying you've injured, or done worse to, a random Jedi."
"I'd only annoy them," Bo-Katan shot back, though even without the odd inflexion in her tone Serra wouldn't have believed her. Though that inflexion made Serra wonder just how close Bo-Katan had gotten to Cam. She could feel the desire radiating from both of them, though Cam was working to hide it. Part of her was jealous, but worryingly for her – at least in reference to her dreams – another part of her was intrigued. "Still, Serra's far more pleasurable than most Jedi to spend time with." Serra didn't need to look at Bo-Katan to know the redhead was licking her lips.
"Then I leave her in your capable hands. Just don't break her." Serra's eyes threatened to explode with how wide they got as Cam turned and walked away. As she slowly turned back to Bo-Katan, her mind unhelpfully pulled back those dreams she was trying to ignore.
As Fenrir walked down the ramp, sliding past the pair without a care in the world, Bo-Katan smiled and her hand slipped down Serra's arm to her hand. "Come on. While this ship is odd, it's amazing."
Serra let Bo-Katan pull her up the ramp, feeling the Force shift around her as the Raven sensed her presence. Tentatively she reached out with her free hand and then gasped when her fingers grazed against one section of panelling. With physical contact, the ship's signature within the Force was easier to experience. It was alien in a way Serra could barely comprehend, and yet it reminded her heavily of Cam, making Serra feel instantly safe with her hull. The ship was happy to feel her, meet her, though that might possibly be because with how strong Cam's presence was within the Raven's signature she simply recognized Serra because of him.
"She wants to fly," she muttered, earning a chuckle from Bo-Katan.
"Oh, she can. Believe me on that. Once these Jetii have finished doing whatever they want to do, talk to Cam. I don't think it would take much to convince him to take you," Bo-Katan paused there, making Serra's mind wander to places she'd rather not when with company. Bo-Katan chuckled, "for a flight, I mean."
Bo-Katan turned and pulled Serra further into the ship, forcing her to break the physical connection with the Raven. Yet, as they moved, Serra could feel the ship reaching out, curious about who she was and how the ship felt it knew her. That allowed Serra to ignore the fire that was growing inside, the one that wanted her to risk her friendships with Cam and Bo-Katan to see, no, to confirm, if they felt the same about her as she did about them.
… …
… …
Just over a week after returning to Coruscant, and still waiting for a decision from the High Council – though Fay didn't expect one to be made for at least a month – I was walking through a starport near the Temple. At my side was Bo and behind her was a small hovercart. While she, like me, had left most of her spare equipment on Zonama Sekot when we'd left, she'd insisted I help her restock. And since she knew about my Inventory, she'd tried to get me to 'acquire' certain equipment. While I hadn't agreed – simply because with the sheer number of security cameras in those locations even I'd have had trouble pulling a heist off – she had been very inventive in her methods of persuasion.
The sound of a ship's engines flaring as it descended drew my attention. The vessel coming in to land at the private landing pad should've been Bo's ride, and any doubt was pushed from my mind as I took in the vessel. Unlike the Ne'tra Sartr – and any other Kom'rk class ships that had been produced – this one didn't have any extravagant moving parts. Instead, it looked solid and utilitarian, build for combat and working than the more elegant look the Ne'tra Sartr, which was commissioned by a group of New Mandalorians, did. Compounding that was the two-dozen weapon mounts I could see with my Force-boosted vision which likely had caused issues with Coruscanti security.
"I assume that's your ride?"
Bo chuckled. "Probably. Not many mando'ade on this osik'palon." I smirked at her response, as since we'd left the Temple, it was the longest sentence she'd used. As we passed through the last security checkpoint, she returned to her silent ways, leaving me to once more deal with the staff. They weren't happy about how heavily armed Bo was, nor the hovercart of supplies behind us, but the fact a Jedi was escorting her seemed to placate most of their issues.
Once we were through that checkpoint and had begun walking toward the landing platform, my mind turned back to why Bo was being so silent. Since she was heading home to Mandalore – the civil war was officially over – I'd chosen to escort her here, though before we'd left the Temple entirely, Bo had said her goodbyes to Serra, Simvyl, and Fenrir outside the walls of the Temple.
She'd petted Fenrir and asked him to take good care of me, though not by making me avoid battle. Fenrir, seemingly understanding what was happening, had leaned into her touch more than he'd usually do, and then whined as she'd pulled back. Her interaction with Simvyl had been short and polite, at least in Bo's terms, but they parted as comrades, most of the tension over their cultures having drifted away because of what we'd all endured together. However it was her goodbye to Serra, and the spectacle that had caused that I felt was why Bo was staying silent, and what my mind found hard to not think about while we walked.
On the steps of the Jedi Temple, with various other Jedi standing around for differing reasons – including Master Drallig who didn't seem to trust Bo – everything had seemingly been going fine. Serra had hugged Bo, much to Bo's irritation. A smirk was followed by a whispered word and after Serra glanced my way, her cheeks reddening, Bo had caught her lips and kissed her rather passionately. Initially, Serra had frozen, fear and confusion radiating from her, but then, much to my surprise, she'd started to return the kiss.
As Serra's hands had begun to wander, Master Drallig had coughed loudly, making Serra all but jump back from the embrace. She then retreated a few steps, almost tripping as she did so. Bo had laughed at Serra's behaviour, and when she turned to face me, she'd winked, though it was clear from her face that she'd enjoyed the kiss as much as Serra had.
Of course, Bo hadn't given me the chance to comment on things before she'd marched over and pulled my head down to her. Unlike Serra, I wasn't caught out by the kiss, and more than happily returned it. Yes, doing so on the steps of the Jedi Temple wasn't going to look good to many, but given I was letting Bo leave the planet, and making no effort to hold onto her, they had little ground to stand on. Attachments were forbidden by the Order, but I'd discovered that there was little directly against physical relationships so long as they didn't evolve into much more than friends-with-benefits. While some might still raise an issue with one-night-stands, most would, I expected, let such things go.
When we pulled back, a wicked smile crept onto Bo's face before she walked off without saying or doing anything. After glancing at Serra – and letting her know that we'd talk once I was back – and then making sure Fenrir stayed with Simvyl, I had headed off after the Mandalorian female. Though before we'd arrived at the starport, and its various checkpoints, Bo had dragged me to restock her munitions.
As we rounded a corner, we saw a group of five Mandalorians approaching. All bore the sigil of Clan Kryze over the right shoulder. Four of them bore a smaller sigil just below that, and I recognized two of them as marks of clans within House Kryze. The fifth wore a sigil I didn't recognize on his right pauldron, though given the flash of excitement – mixed with some concern – coming from her, Bo did.
"Cam," Bo began as she stopped and turned to me. She slid her helmet off, letting me have one final moment of seeing her face. I knew I'd see her again, not least via the Holonet, but I didn't know when or where I'd next get to see her in person. She opened her mouth to say something, only to stop and push back a bang of hair that had fallen over her brow. "Look, I suck at this, but… take care of yourself."
I smirked. "Are you going soft on me, Miss Kryze?" She threw a punch with the arm not holding her helmet, but I trapped that against my side. Before she could react, I decided to turn the tables on her, and pulled her in close, my lips capturing hers.
As normal, she semi-fought against my grip, though this time there was more to it than just a need to prove she wasn't some weak-willed girl. Perhaps that was because of who the fifth approaching Mandalorian was, but since she'd caused a scene at the Temple, I felt I owed it to her to return the favour this one last time. It was a shame she was wearing her armour as it prevented me from physically squeezing her arse, but the way she squeaked when I did so with the Force more than made up for that.
"I was under the impression that our father sent you with Alor Cameron to explore the galaxy, not seek out a riduur." I ended the kiss abruptly as the speaker started, recognizing the voice almost instantly. Bo pulled back just as fast, a glare falling away as soon as she turned to the speaker.
"Dorgo!" She called, moving forward quickly; though not too quickly so she didn't, at least to me, look needy to greet her brother. Dorgo pulled her into a hug as the four warriors with him moved into defensive positions around us. I knew it was standard procedure, but given I had Detection running, I knew there were over three thousand sentients within a kilometre of us, though none within two hundred metres. At least on this level or above us. Seeing I had a moment, I used Observe on each in turn and then on Dorgo. While none of the escorts stood out, I now had names to go with the sigils, and knowledge was power. As for Dorgo, it seemed he'd grown a fair bit over the last few years fighting in the civil war.
Yeah, gaining five levels in three years was impressive, though, given the hell for leather he'd have been going through while seeking revenge, it made sense. I was also glad he'd gotten revenge for the deaths of his family, though what stood out was that, unlike when I'd met him years ago, he no longer held any loyalty to the New Mandalorians or the Death Watch. That was a big change, though him simply being alive was likely a larger one to canon, and should ensure Bo didn't join the Death Watch, which was the base objective for her linked quest; Flight of the Owl.
"Ven'alor Dorgo, it's been some time," I said once he'd let her go, using his title of clan heir. Dorgo, according to Bo, wouldn't have any major challengers for leadership of Clan Kryze whenever Adonai passed on, however, there would be clans that tried to wrest control of the house from him.
Bo glared at me, almost daring me to say something about the public display of care for her brother. I didn't, but that was more because I didn't want to ruin a family moment than poke fun at my friend/lover. I did wonder if Bo would react to me if it was three years before we saw each other again, but I doubted it. She'd either challenge me to a spar or drag me to a private room; probably both and in that order.
Dorgo nodded though his helmet stayed on, a marked change from how he'd behaved before the death of his wife and son. "Alor Cameron, it is good to see you again," he said as he clasped my forearm. His calling me chief was odd, as while it was technically accurate, it was a clan of one. "Though I wonder if perhaps I should call you vod now?"
"Dorgo!" I chuckled even as Bo slammed an armoured hand against her brother's armour. The crushgaunts were secured and hidden on the hovercart as, according to Republic law, they were considered illegal weapons. I'd had to convince Bo to hide them simply for expediency rather than keep them on and be forced to fight our way through security. I'd actually been surprised at how easily she'd agreed but given I'd only brought this up after the hovercart was overflowing with weaponry, she was probably in a good mood. "Unlike you, I don't hold to the tradition that the first we bed is to be our mate. Else I'd have been wed long before we met Cam."
Dorgo looked between his sister and me. "Cam now is it?" Even with the helmet on, I could see the eyebrow rising. "Still, I do hope you've been keeping my little sister out of trouble." I wasn't sure which one of us was first, but it only took a few seconds before Bo and I were laughing in his face. "What happened this time?" He asked with a sigh. That only made us laugh harder.
"Well, let's see," Bo began after the moment of levity had passed. "On a Jetii-sanctioned mission, we ended up on a world you'll have to see the recording of to believe. A few weeks after being there, and after the Jetii brought in more wealth than I've ever seen, the Ne'tra Sartr was destroyed and the planet was invaded. Cam here slaughtered the first group of aliens, the Vong, and then started an insurgency war that lasted most of the year. The war finally ended after he bested the Vong leader in single combat."
About halfway through Bo's short speech, Dorgo had locked his helmet on me and I sensed curiosity and disbelief from his guard. I shrugged as Bo finished. "That's the short version of things, but yeah, that happened."
"Impressive," Dorgo commented after a few moments had passed for him to process what he'd just heard. "I'd love to hear more of this adventure, perhaps over some ne'tra gal?"
"While I'd like that, the Council has requested that I not discuss the mission with others until they've had time to discuss certain elements of it," I replied before glancing at Bo. "However, they didn't explicitly state that Bo and others with me couldn't discuss the matter, nor share any recordings her armour might have made." Bo's eyes lit up at hearing that, and worried she'd show recordings of me losing control, I added a caveat. "Though only show the recordings to people you trust."
I could've asked her to not show any to anyone, but that would be imposing on her. Yes, I wasn't keen on others seeing that I'd drawn on the Dark Side so readily, but so long as Bo only showed them to her family, Naz, and perhaps one or two others, things should be fine. Otherwise, if she showed them to a large number of people, not only would word get back to the High Council, but I'd probably have dozens of Mandalorians showing up for duels.
Bo smirked mischievously and I already knew she planned to show her family and others recordings we'd not shared with Master Fay or the High Council. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."
"And here I thought it was the regular combat, buying you replacement munitions, and the all-night sex that kept you around?"
"Well," she began, dragging out the word, "there is that." She moved closer and pulled my head down to her ear. "Take care, and when Serra finally works up the courage to take what she wants, make sure she enjoys it." Her lips caught my cheek for a moment before she continued. "And once you've finally broken her of those silly Jetii ideals, I want a piece. Oh, I'm sure Naz wants some as well." She pulled back, a wicked grin plastered on her face as my mind fought to not get lost in the images her words had generated. "Ret'urcye mhi."
I nodded before replying. "K'oyacyi." She took a further step back as I offered a small prayer to the Force to keep us both safe until we could meet again. I doubted I'd have a quiet year or so until Naboo was invaded, provided that still happened, but I'd take any help I could to ensure I made it safely there, along with Bo. While I'd not admit it openly, I was going to miss her deeply, and not just for the sex.
Bo slid on her helmet and moved off with her brother. The hovercart was given a scan before two of the escorts took control of it. I watched them go, wondering when I'd next see them even as my mind tried hard to not wander back to the imagery Bo had created with her whispered words.
… …
… …
I tried to remain calm as I waited in the private Holonet suite in the Temple. While I doubted Dooku was going to be upset with my actions against the Vong, I was nervous that he, like Fay, would be critical of many of the choices I'd made. I doubted he would be, but the fact was I was more concerned about his opinion than Fay's; a change of perspective I hadn't expected when I'd first been assigned as their Padawan and been drawn to Fay.
Soon enough the console blinked and beeped before Dooku appeared as a blue hologram. "Master," I said, lowering my head slightly.
"Padawan, I'm led to believe that you wish to discuss your most recent mission, and the unusual circumstances around it," he replied, diving straight into the topic without any need for common pleasantries.
"That's certainly one way to phrase things, Master." My reply was accompanied by a chuckle. A shift in his brow made it clear he wanted me to begin. While I was reluctant to go into great detail over the Holonet – not least I felt the Sith already had the channels monitored, or at least those linked to Dooku, Fay, myself, the High Council, and others of note – I wanted him up to date on events, and to see how he felt about the mission. Fay had already contacted him and offered up a brief synopsis of events, but Dooku would want a complete picture before offering an opinion.
Thus, with him waiting patiently, I began to recount my tale.
…
"The Council are still deliberating on the matter, Master, though I'm concerned they'll downplay or outright dismiss my concerns over the threat the Vong pose."
That was how, over two hours later, I finished my recounting of events to Dooku. Like the Council, he stopped me at times to ask questions, both in what I was saying and in correlation to Fay's words and files she'd sent him. However, his questions hadn't delayed me too long as, unlike the Council, it was only his opinions that came up. Oddly, when it came up that I'd drawn on my anger against the Vong, he never stopped me to ask a question. Something both the Council and Fay had done.
"As Master Fay has no doubt told you, the Council will take their time deliberating on any matter they consider significant, so take some heart that they are at least doing that. That said, I suspect they won't deem these Vong as serious a threat as you believe them to be, and while some of the Council may agree with you, they will present a unified front when they offer their judgement." Even through the Holonet, I could sense Dooku's disdain with the Council, though there was little hint of it in his voice. "Either before they reach their decision, or perhaps in the weeks after, certain members of the Council may seek you out for further information on the Vong."
"Masters Koon and Giiett have both spoken to me about the Vong, Master," I replied. Giiett had asked about how similar the Vong were to other races and what I knew of their standing on the Force, though there was little I could offer to him there that might be helpful.
Plo Koon had been interested in their technology, though he'd moved to the topic subtly by first asking questions about Raven after I'd taken him and a few others on a short flight on her. To say she adored flying or breaking through the ozone layer and letting the light of a star kiss against her flesh without an atmosphere in the way was like saying a fish could swim. A feeling several Jedi had commented on upon returning to the Temple. Master Tiin had taken nearly a dozen trips in Raven in the roughly three weeks since I'd returned to the Temple; more so than anyone else. In a rare moment of bonding, he spoke of feeling some envy about my bond to Raven and an interest, which would go unfulfilled since Jedi scouts had confirmed Zonama Sekot was no longer in the system, in gaining such a vessel for himself.
"Now, regarding your choices during this conflict," he paused, and I steeled myself, wondering where he'd find critiques or my actions. "While there are several places where I feel you could have, perhaps, chosen a different course or action, I would feel more comfortable discussing them in person. Your choices, based on what you would have known at the time, are logical and practical; though several likely raised issues with the High Council." He didn't have to say it, but the plan to capture and interrogate, and when that failed, dissecting a Vong was one of those moments. "As for your performance in combat, while there likely were moments in combat where I suspect your form was improper, without direct first-hand experience of them, I will not offer judgement, only relief that you emerged alive and well. While I reserve judgement on your combat proficiency with this Mandalorian blade until we have sparred with you using it, the fact it seemingly was able to pierce Vong armour with greater ease than a lightsaber negates most of my complaints about your use of the blade."
"Choosing to enrage the Vong leader to provoke ritual combat was something most Jedi would never have considered, though it was a pragmatic choice; doubly so since you emerged from it victorious and without risking the lives of those with you. While Master Fay is as skilled a diplomat as any Jedi, she can, like many members of the Order, be blind to moments where words cannot achieve the desired result. Such instances are nowhere near as rare as many in the Order and on the High Council might believe; however, your continual preference to using a lightsaber to solve issues is, perhaps, a troubling trend you need dissuading from. Subtlety, coercion, and an ability to adapt to any situation are far more likely to keep you alive than relying on the same method repeatedly to handle any difficulties that may arise in life."
I nodded along as he spoke. While I was glad he wasn't as critical of my choices as Fay or the High Council were – though in her defence, with time to reflect, Fay accepted that my actions had been effective – his commentary and the ability to turn this into a lesson had more of an effect on me. I didn't deny that I'd developed a tendency to solve issues with a lightsaber, nor that there were other ways to handle situations. Perhaps it was time I gave some thought to less Force-based approaches to conflict resolution.
"With that said, I will review the data you and Master Fay have sent me more concisely and if I feel there is anything more to discuss, I will contact you directly." He seemed to lean back though it was hard to tell since the hologram was only showing his upper body. "Now, is there anything else you wish to discuss?"
I took a moment to think about other events that had occurred since I'd last spoken to him. Dooku wouldn't care about my relationship with Bo; at least, so long as it didn't become a weakness or interfere with my choices. Something proven wasn't the case given I'd let her go without any issue. Nor would he care particularly about the loss of the Ne'tra Sartr or the gaining of a loyal friend in Simvyl, though Dooku would likely consider him a follower. And nothing was going on at the Temple that would interest him; certainly not Serra's attempts to appear not unbalanced by Bo's behaviour on the Temple steps. That left a single subject of conversation, and while I'd prefer not to ever deal with it, avoiding the matter was worse. "How goes your project with your former Padawan?"
As Dooku watched me silently for a few seconds, I pushed down a spike of rage at what Vosa had subjected me to. She wasn't here now, and if I couldn't control my desire for vengeance when simply discussing her with Dooku, then I'd never be able to face her again. Though that might not be the worst outcome. "I'm impressed you would bring up Komari willingly, particularly after your last mission. Though you doing so does seem logical since both that mission and the one against the Bando Gora involved… difficult situations." He paused and looked away for a moment. "Regarding her, progress has been slow, even more than I had anticipated. As I've said, I don't believe Komari can ever rejoin the Order, however, there exists a possibility that she may have other uses as an unaligned Force user."
"That is… good to hear," I managed to get out without grinding my teeth. There was still an urge to simply find and execute her, one I felt Bo and others would support. That said, I could see what Dooku was trying to do, or at least felt I could. Vosa was skilled with her lightsabers and held connections to the galactic underworld. If Dooku was able to rehabilitate her enough that she could regain some trust – a very high bar to clear in my opinion – then those connections could be invaluable with the chaos to come. Though I knew the next time I met her, it would be a struggle to contain my desire to rip her limb from limb, however, that urge had been tempered by spending some time with Player's Mind active to analyse Dooku's decision free of any emotional baggage.
"There is no need to appear amenable, Cameron. Your opinion of Komari Vosa is understandable and entirely expected after what you endured. The fact you would bring her up openly shows you've begun to heal from the trauma she inflicted upon you and see possibilities of using her as an asset."
"Yes, Master." While I could discuss the matter further, I had no interest in doing so, only mentioning her to gain an update on when Dooku might return. Plus, the longer I spent thinking about that bitch, the longer I risked my rage growing to a point Dark Side Masking wouldn't be able to protect me from some rather uncomfortable questions.
Dooku gave a single nod and then the connection was cut, leaving me alone in the communication suite. Putting aside the abrupt ending to the call, which was in keeping with Dooku's nature to be precise, I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. While I didn't feel at risk of losing control, I wanted the fury inside buried before my next call connected. I let some residual anger toward Vosa slide into the Force, knowing Fay would've sensed it. Plus, hanging onto it was pointless since I could instantly recall every moment of my time under Vosa's care with ease thanks to Eidetic Memory.
I sat with my eyes closed, settling my thoughts with techniques taught to me by Fay and Healer Allie until there was a bleep from the console in front of me. Opening my eyes, I saw it was internal communication. "Yes?"
"Padawan Shan, the second call you wished to make has been connected," whoever was responsible for the Holonet connections with the Temple replied, "However, due to the distance involved, there may be some delay or signal degradation." The person manning the communication centre was probably, like many in the Temple, not a Jedi but a civilian who worked for the Order, though there was the possibility that they were a failed Padawan or Youngling that had an aptitude for technology.
"Understood." The channel clicked closed and the Holonet unit flared into life, quickly showing a young Human boy. "Hello, Anakin."
"Cam!" Anakin shouted loud enough that I winced. He seemed to be sitting in a seat – probably somewhere in the Lokella station – though if he kept moving around he'd soon fall from it. The Lokella now had Holonet access thanks to a plan put in motion by Fay before we'd journeyed to Zonama Sekot with some funds from my book sales. The connection wasn't great, as the tech had explained, with there being brief flickers in the image of Anakin, but it was better than them being cut off entirely from the wider galaxy. Plus, it'd allow me to remain in contact with Anakin easier in the following years before I decided exactly what to do with him.
A smile came to my face as, even though I was thousands of lightyears from him, I could sense his joy and delight; the innocence of youth that was no longer restrained by slavery. That sense of wonder, of freedom, had grown stronger since I'd last seen him and was a refreshing change from the chaos, pain, and war I'd dealt with for the last year. "How have you been?"
"Great!" His smile somehow grew, threatening to split his face in half. For a moment, I wondered if he'd done something incredible or stupid; or, given who I was talking to, both simultaneously. "Baalta's been letting me learn about the ships we have! I've even gotten to pilot the Freerunner and others around the system!"
I laughed as I imagined Anakin sitting in the pilot's chair of a CR-90, and the faces of the rest of the bridge crew when their captain allowed and encouraged it. The only worry I had was that he might get to use the weaponry, but I suspected Shmi would murder someone if they allowed that. "Sounds like fun."
"Yeah, it was wizard!"
Anakin started detailing his adventures, and as I leaned back in my chair, I felt some of the weight on my shoulders ease. Even if it returned once the call was over, the momentary break from worrying about the Council's decision regarding the Vong was a relief, and once the call was over, I'd have to find a way to thank Fay. That did remind me that one day I'd have to have Anakin meet Serra, but that, similar to wondering how long it would take Serra to make her move, was a contemplation for another day. For now, I would enjoy this moment of freedom and revel in the faint sense of wonder I felt from Anakin.
… …
… …
"Therefore, after careful consideration of the evidence submitted, it is the judgement of this Council that while the Vong are a concern due to their apparent resistance to directed applications of the Force, they are not to be designated a threat to the stability of the Order. Nor of the Galactic Republic. However, we reserve the right to return to this decision if further incursions into Republic space occur."
As Windu gave the Council's verdict, I clenched my fist so tightly that I knew my knuckles were white. While they at least weren't dismissing the threat out of hand, the fact they were designating the Vong as nothing more than a potential concern was short-sighted at best. Couldn't they see how short-sighted they were being in only reacting retroactively? Were they too bogged down in the minor issues of kowtowing to the Senate that they lacked the will to face a true threat without the say-so of that group of self-serving morons? Haran, would they even get off their collective arses for anything other than the return of the Sith or a galactic war?
I took a step forward, my rage bubbling away inside as insults and counterarguments gathered on my tongue. Given how some of the Council were watching me, with Evan Piell's eye narrowing the more I stewed, there was little doubt they could sense my fury at their decision, yet the gentlest of touches on my arm along with a calm wave from Master Fay, who was standing to my side, was enough to stay my actions.
That calming touch and wave were enough to settle enough of my fury that I could see that raging at the Council openly would do nothing but harden their stance. Along with renewing the issues many had with me. The Council had made their decision. It was a stupid-arsed one, one that I'd likely ignore, but it was theirs to make. Though now I'd have to spend time meditating and thinking on how to approach the future threat the Vong would pose. Yes, it might be years or decades after the Clone Wars that they invaded, but they were coming so I had to take steps to prepare for that.
"You disagree with our decision, Padawan?" Windu asked as he leaned forward, staring intently at me.
"Yes, Master Windu," I began before taking a second to breathe deeply before engaging Player's Mind. "This is a mistake. The Vong force we encountered was a probing force. The very tip of the spear of their military. We were beyond lucky to drive them from the world, and only an act no one considered possible prevented them from recapturing and holding Zonama Sekot. We did NOT, in point of fact, defeat them, or drive them away from a military perspective." Player's Mind helped me push the rage inside away from my words as I knew if the Council sensed my anger behind them, they'd dismiss my objections instantly. They still might, but this offered me a higher chance that at least some of them might listen. "If they were to invade the Republic, the unusual nature of their weaponry, and their fanatical devotion to whatever cause it is they're following will result in the deaths of billions, if not trillions before the Republic and the Order can counter them." Though that was if, in the current climate, they even could. The Ruusan Reformation was the most ill-advised pile of bullshit I'd ever seen and the Vong just proved that in spades.
"The Council understands your concerns. However, given that you, along with a single Mandalorian and Antarian Ranger – who, like you, haven't fought in major conflicts before – managed to harry and then drive the initial invasion force from the planet suggest you're overplaying their threat." If not for Player's Mind I'd have likely been staring at Saesse Tiin as he dismissed my warnings as that ranting of children as if he'd suddenly grown four more horns, and a tail and started carrying a pitchfork. As it was, there was a moment when I wondered if the horns somehow interfered with how Iktotchi brains worked.
"While we don't agree with the Council's choice on the matter, we will accept it." That came from Fay as she cut in before I was able to respond to Tiin's dismissal, though I'd already decided he was no longer allowed on Raven. I looked at Fay, wondering why she was cutting off the debate only to sense her unease with the Council's decision. "If that is all?"
"It is." Fay bowed at Windu's blunt dismissal, and I copied her move a moment later, though not before silently wondering which Council members wouldn't need removing to have the body reverse their decision.
"Padawan Shan," I stopped and looked back at Plo Koon. "Perhaps we might speak later, I wish to continue our discussions regarding the Raven's unusual construction."
"Of course, Master." After a nod of thanks from the Kel Dor, I followed Fay from the chamber. As I disengaged Player's Mind the anger at the Council's decision came flowing back, though, with just a little bit of time to temper it, it wasn't risking overflowing. I was further calmed as Fenrir, who'd stayed in the atrium outside the High Council chamber, stood with a loud yawn. That disturbed the other Jedi waiting for their turn to speak with the Council, which made me smirk. That evolved into a smile as Fenrir walked over and pushed his head against my shoulder as if he knew I was angered by the Council and was offering support. Though whether that meant in general, or a desire to kill those angering me I couldn't be sure. He was bred for battle after all.
"I know you are unhappy with the Council's decision, Cameron," Fay began as the elevator doors closed and we descended back to the Temple proper. "However, there is little we can do to change their minds at present. However, if we can turn up further evidence of the Vong within the galaxy, most likely from private investigations, then we can present that to them. Nor did they say nothing was preventing us from considering strategies to prepare for when the Vong return."
I offered her a smile in thanks. While I doubted she'd approve of many of the ideas I had for countering the Vong in war, the fact she trusted my judgement regarding the Vong was encouraging. "That is true, Master. And thank you."
Fay smiled in return before looking out of the elevator, taking in the planet. "While there will always be times when we disagree on matters, and where I disapprove of your choices, the Force is accepting of our methods. That, along with having watched you grow into a fine young man, one worthy of one day being a leader of our Order, helps guide me to trust your opinion on this matter. Though in future, I would advise caution with how you respond to a Council decision. Questioning their decisions will only entrench them further with those more opposed to your opinions. Nor will using your odd Force technique of calming and blocking your mind help ease their concerns regarding your actions."
"Yes, Master." Fay wasn't wrong as the Council would've sensed me activating Player's Mind but it was better than raging at them and having them grow concerned about my mental state. I'd rather not have them snooping too deeply into my mind as I suspected even with Dark Side Masking in the mid-Savant range, Yoda at the very least would be able to sense something amiss.
Since that had been avoided, I let my gaze follow Fay's to the planet as ships buzzed around so much it looked like lines drawn in the sky leading from one point to another above the metal-covered Republic capital. A shell that hid the decay and deception from those who wanted to pretend it didn't exist.
Still, the issues of Coruscant were secondary in my mind at that moment. What dominated my thoughts were the plans I'd been slowly formulating over the last month and a half for if, as had happened, the Council rejected my recommendations. I had decades to prepare for the Vong, so they were, in the grand scheme, a minor issue for now, but not laying even the groundwork for combating them would be tactically naïve at best. But without at least some support from the Order, I lacked the reach and resources to even begin searching for rumours regarding the Vong in the Outer Rim, never mind developing strategies to counter their forces.
… …
… …
I walked slowly up the stairs from the Great Atrium, avoiding the various groups that were moving around. Some gave me a nod or glance showing they understood I was a Jedi, though most simply ignored me, which was fine. I was taking my time walking, running over one final time how I wanted this meeting to go.
It had been a few days since the Council had made their decision on the Vong, and I'd spent time thinking about what to do next. While investigating rumours might generate useful leads, the sheer amount of time it would take was insane. A general search of the Archives for reports of strange aliens attacking in sectors near where Zonama Sekot had generated over ten thousand reports. Most were ancient, dating back to before the Ruusan Reformation, but that still left over a thousand reports I'd had to read through, and none of them had been in any way helpful as the reports were made by Jedi who either dismissed the rumours or failed to provide much detail; and often both.
Masters Koon and Giiett had both, as expected, continued to talk with me about the Vong, though I'd been surprised when Windu had done so as well. He'd started the conversation after inviting me to spar, something I'd lost without even coming close to landing a blow while he took it easy on me. That I'd lost wasn't a surprise, though his comments about me having talent were appreciated. It was the talk afterwards in a private meditation chamber that had surprised and amused me. Having him side with me against Yoda regarding the Vong was proof that Dooku and Fay had been right about the Council offering a unified stance publicly while having others privately.
Still, with all three of them hinting that I had their support to continue investigating rumours of possible Vong activity, I doubted they'd give me much more than that. Nor that the Order would be of any help beyond reports in the Archives. Thus, after several deep meditation sessions, an idea had come to me, one that I'd dismissed at first for how outlandish it was. Yet, the more I considered it, even doing so with Player's Mind to remove any emotional issues I had with it, the more it held potential. It was incredibly risky, but one worth pursuing, which was why I was in the Galactic Senate making my way toward the offices of one Senator in particular.
Fay had been caught off guard when I'd brought this idea to her, pointing out how I'd been averse to bringing the Senator into the Coalition, but she'd agreed that without support from the Order, we needed some from another powerful body like the Senate. I felt Dooku would also agree, but I'd not contacted him to avoid the chance my plan would leak to my target. While I didn't doubt that he knew about my adventures, I wanted the reason why I was here to be a surprise as it might grant me a small insight into how he worked.
"Ah, Padawan Shan, hello again." That came from Kinman Doriana as he moved over and shook my hand. Around us, in the waiting area outside Senator Palpatine's offices, several people looked up to see who the Senator's aide was greeting. A few seemed surprised to see a Jedi there. "If you'll wait just a moment, I'll let the Senator know you're here."
"Of course." As Kinman moved off, I looked at everyone waiting to meet Palpatine, using Observe as I did. None of the names or their emotional states stood out, but they were added to the list of anyone I'd seen around Palpatine that might need removal from the board once the war began.
About a minute later, Kinman returned and ushered me past the reception desk – manned by a very attractive orange-skinned Twi'lek whose eyes wandered over my face as we passed – into the Senator's offices. He guided me to the same room I'd been in the last time I'd visited when I'd met the Tarkin family, which had been an odd thing. Wilhuff had come across as cold, but oddly pleasant, possibly because I didn't speak or act as most Jedi would. His younger brother, Gideon, had shifted more, going from actively disliking me for simply being a Jedi to asking me questions about the Order and my adventures. Still, as the doors to the private room opened to reveal Palpatine, thoughts of the Tarkin and their role in what was to come slid from my mind.
"Cameron, my boy, how wonderful to see you again." Palpatine moved over, gripping my hand with both of his. "I must admit when you reached out for a meeting, I was caught off-guard. I do hope everything is well with the Jedi."
"It is Senator," his smile slipped slightly, though it returned as I continued. "Sorry, uncle. However, an incident on my last mission has me concerned. The High Council have chosen to ignore those concerns, but I feel the Republic needs to be made aware of it and prepare for what might happen."
Palpatine frowned. "Oh my." He guided me to the sofa. "That sounds most worrying. How might I help?"
As we sat down, I pulled a datapad from my robes. With the Council having reached their decision, their restriction on me discussing the Vong with others had been lifted. Or at least, since they'd not made clear that it was still in effect, I was acting like it was. After this meeting, I planned to talk with Serra, Darihd, and others about what had happened. While there was little they could do to help, having them aware of what was going on meant that, Force-forbid, if they ever encountered a Vong, they'd at least know what they were facing.
Still, I'd made sure not to mention why I wanted to speak to Palpatine when I'd arranged the meeting as I wanted to judge his reaction. As the datapad connected with a small holographic display on the table, I shifted my focus to the Senator. While he watched the same recording I'd provided to the Council, I wanted to watch him. While I doubted there'd be even the slightest shift in him when he saw me use Electrokinesis, his reaction to that and my approach to combat might offer some insight into his thinking. Or so I hoped.
"Oh my, what exactly are those?" he asked as the recording came to life, though it waited for a command to begin.
"Those are the Vong. A race I and my master encountered on the mission. A race that, apart from being seemingly immune to direct Force applications, fight on a level that makes them a threat to any Force user, never mind the Republic as a whole if their entire race attacked." His brow rose in shock at hearing the Vong were immune in some way to the Force, and that I considered them a threat.
"How dreadful," he muttered, his attention returning to the display as it began.
Yes, bringing this to him was a huge risk, but thinking about it while ignoring what I knew about his true nature meant it was the logical move to make. Plus, on the off-chance that I might fail and the Empire still rose, then I'd rather they ruled the galaxy than the Vong. From everything I'd seen from them on Zonama Sekot, they were the devil I didn't know.
… …
… …
A/N: Yep, Cam willingly went to Darth Sidious to prepare for help. What in the galaxy has gone wrong?
...
As always, this story is crossposted on Fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own and you can find me (and the backroom team who help with this) on Discord at:
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May the Force be with you. Always.
As always, thanks to those helping me write and plan out this story and checking it for continuality and logic errors.
This chapter was released at least 2 weeks ago to my Patreons (with them seeing a draft version around 2 months ago) and on the story's Discord server (in GDoc form) about a week ago.
Links for both are at the end of the chapter.
Hopefully, all the little mistakes have been found and removed.
Additionally, all things being equal, then when the next chapter drops, I will have, after 19 years in China, returned home to Scotland!
Current Date: 2 years until the Invasion of Naboo
The Living Planet 5
… …
As the stars broke into the undulating shades of hyperspace, my eyes scanned the controls and displays of the ship. While nothing was indicating an issue, this was her first time jumping to hyperspace, and apart from the low fuel levels, I was concerned about how the ship would handle the strain of doing so. Yet, she was showing no signs of difficulty. Hell, I could sense some faint enjoyment from her as we eclipsed the speed of light.… …
"Why did we run?!" Simvyl snarled behind me, his fury easy to hear in his tone. "We should've stayed and killed them all!"
"Apart from that not being the Jedi way, you heard Cameron's words as well as mine." Fay's response made me glad I was focusing on the controls, otherwise my master would likely see me roll my eyes at her words. "The planet, which has some form of sentience that resonates within the Force, wanted us to leave. I trust Cameron on this matter, as should you, Ranger."
While I was glad for the faith Fay had in me, especially after the issues that had arisen before the Vong had withdrawn from Zonama Sekot, her way of phrasing things was going to do little to calm the enraged Cathar. Nor Bo who, while she'd not said anything since we'd jumped, was a burning ball of fury behind me. Either she understood that I needed to focus on the controls of our new craft, or she simply felt shouting wouldn't change the decision I'd made. That said, I knew she'd have words for me since I'd promised her early in the conflict that I'd not leave the planet until all the Vong were dead or they'd withdrawn. Technically, they'd done the latter, but it was a razor-thin line to draw and not one I liked either.
Ripples in the Force drew my full attention back to the controls, and the faint bond I seemed to share with this amazing ship. She felt as if she was singing within the Force as the stars raced past, distorted by the effects of hyperspace, and the hull reacted to the peculiar energies of a hyperspace vortex. While it would be easy to get lost in those sensations, my focus was mainly on the more mechanical nature of the flight.
"We need to turn around and fight!" Simvyl snapped back behind me.
The Ne'tra Sartr, before her destruction, had held a class 1.5 hyperdrive, which was faster than most starships which used class 2 or 3 hyperdrives. This Sekotan vessel though, if I was reading the displays correctly – which was likely but there might be some variance since the ship and half her technology were new to me – was moving with an apparent 0.8 class hyperdrive. That meant, if accurate, this little, beautiful ship was one of the fastest in the galaxy.
"The Force has chosen our path; we must stay on it."
As the argument continued to boil around me, I felt the ship shift. She was pushing herself to go faster, almost as if testing her limits. I reached out through the Force and centred a calming sensation on the walls around me. While I understood her desire and agreed with it, now wasn't the time to push too hard. Yet as I did so, I felt her despairing to get us further from her birthplace, as if she sensed some oncoming doom and was racing against the dying of the light to escape it. The display tracking our hyperspace velocity shifted, and we increased to a 0.7 rating.
While that would normally excite me, with my mind open to the ship, and the Force in general, I could sense a shift coming. Something big and dangerous, yet not threatening, was coming. I glanced at Fay, wondering if she felt it too, but her focus was on Simvyl. If the sensation kept growing, I'd have to draw her attention to it.
As I concentrated on the ship, from the deepest corner of the Force connection, I heard a voice.
[Goodbye and thank you.]
Before I could think about what that meant, the ship shuddered. My fingers flew over the controls as power was suddenly cut to the hyperdrive. Instead of the normal, controlled exit from hyperspace that one would expect, we were flung violently into real space.
Even as I heard someone crash into something behind me, and as my fingers danced over flickering controls, I felt a tremor in the Force. Pain exploded in my skull, and my head fell forward, my hands leaving the consoles. It felt as if someone was spearing my very soul within the Force. My fingers dug into my skull, frantically trying to push against a pain they could never hope to grasp even as terror blossomed from deep within me as I felt the ship slowly drift away from our bond.
Two hands touched me. The one on my shoulder was soft, offering a calming beacon to grasp onto in the chaos I was experiencing. The other pressed against my back forcefully. While it didn't offer the same metaphysical support, just knowing it was Bo granted me some strength.
"Cameron?" I heard Fay say my name, but it was faint. As if she was on the far side of a chamber. Yet even then, I could hear the pain and concern in her voice. Drawing strength from her and Bo, I slowly pushed back the growing panic and pulled back from the bond I shared with the ship.
With a series of blinks, I opened my eyes, taking in the various warning lights flashing around the cockpit as the power flickered intermittently around us. I swore I saw strange random patterns of lights under sections of the organic hull, yet my focus quickly settled on Fay. While she was trying to offer me support, I could see the tensing of her muscles, meaning she was also experiencing the same chaos in the Force that I was. Though likely to a lesser degree.
"She's dying," I whispered, barely able to put the realisation into words. As the fear built in me at the idea this marvellous, newly formed being was about to die, I considered engaging Player's Mind. The ability to think clearly and logically in the situation would be a help, yet I decided not to. The faint, flicking thread of power from the ship within the Force called me to in a way that, if I cut off my emotions, I felt I'd miss something important. As Bo's hand pushed against my back, offering what support she could, I looked around the cockpit, desperate for a thread of hope.
Simvyl was drifting away from one of the secondary seats, blood staining his fur near the elbow where he'd crashed into a display while Fenrir was clawing at the air, trying to return to the ground, his ears back. Thankfully his tail wasn't flicking fully, as only the tip was snapping back and forth. If the full thing moved as I felt he wanted, then he'd smack all of us and possibly add to the chaos. Fay was keeping herself down by using the hand not on my shoulder to grip her seat while Bo was likely using the magnetic clamps in her armour to stay rooted to the deck.
"How?" Bo asked from over my shoulder. I didn't need to look back to feel her concern. While most of it was directed at me, hearing the ship we were on, and had just dropped out of hyperspace randomly with, was dying wasn't something anyone wanted to hear. Though at least, according to the sensors, we'd come out on the very edge of a system with a red giant instead of in the emptiness between stars.
"Sekot," I replied quietly as I began to understand just who had whispered goodbye to me through the Force. "The planet… it's gone." I added as I realised the connection the ship had held to its birthplace was empty. Yet even suspecting that the planet wasn't destroyed as there was no void in the Force from it suddenly being removed, it was still gone. Which made zero sense. Though the more pertinent issue was that it seemed that without that faint connection to the planet, this amazing vessel was rapidly dying.
"Shab!" Bo's curse summed things up nicely, though her easy acceptance of what I'd just said granted me a small boost to my resolve. Bo disliked the more metaphysical side of the Force – she wasn't a big fan of any of it if I was honest, though that was because she generally disliked when I used it on her – so for her to trust me so easily in this was encouraging. It granted me fresh impetus to find a way to solve this. To save us, and the ship.
Glad a safety belt had activated to secure me into my seat when the connection to Sekot had been lost – though I did wonder why that hadn't happened for Fay – I pressed my palms against an organic section of the controls. Closing my eyes, I reached out into the Force, searching for the weak bond I held to the ship. Panic and terror rippled around me, making it easy to find the link. I felt my palms press harder against the flesh of the ship as I reached down the bond and was assaulted by the confusion of a child's consciousness.
I tried to soothe her thoughts, such as they were, but she either failed to understand what I was trying to do or was so lost in her dread that she failed to realise I was here to help.
"No." The words slipped from my lips as I pushed further into the bond I shared with the ship, forcing the young, terrified alien mind to register my presence. Images of her home, her birthplace flashed through my thoughts, until, as she felt me there, they turned to how she'd first felt my approach. The first time her sensors had detected me approaching. "You're not dying today." I could feel her reaching out for help, and I wanted to, yet I felt as if something was blocking me from making the connection that she, that we, wanted. "Yes, I accept," I muttered, hoping the issue was with the Interface.
I grunted as whatever was blocking my connection to the ship vanished. The ship reached out for me through the Force, latching onto my signature as if gripping my soul as a lifeline.
"Cam?"
"Cameron! No!"
I heard the voices of Bo and Fay, though they were distant. My focus was on the vessel, on the enlarged, empowered connection I now shared with the starship. In my head, could feel her; young, nervous, scared, yet relaxing and growing hopeful at our closeness. "I'm here. I'm not leaving you."
The presence that reached back was alien, yet within that, I felt glimmers of Sekot, of myself, and of Fay. The ships' consciousness, just as Sekotans had said, was a merging of all of us. The ship shook around us and I grimaced as the imprints of all the ship's aspects shifted. The parts that reminded me of Fay and Sekot slipped back as if the ship no longer found them important. Replacing them, in the ship's perception, was myself as I felt the part of me that was the ship grow more prominent, more powerful. That power flowed around me, both in the Force and in the ship, as the vessel grew more confident, more sure of herself. I couldn't help but smirk at the incredible thing I was witnessing through the Force.
[I am here.]
My eyes snapped open at the young, feminine voice I heard in my head. "Cameron?" I turned my head slowly, feeling the world wasn't quite in sync, to see Fay looking at me from the co-pilot's seat. One hand was still resting on my shoulder while the other was resting against part of the organic hull. "What have you done?"
There was no accusation in her tone, though she was curious and confused about what had just happened. As I was. "I, I don't know," I replied slowly, taking a few seconds to try and put my thoughts in order. I blinked and gently shook my head, trying to re-focus on the world around me. "Th-the ship?"
A small smile crept onto Fay's face. "She is well, though I sense my connection to her has diminished." The smile fell. "Though I suspect yours has grown stronger."
After glancing behind me, to see Bo standing over my chair, her hand still resting against my side. Fenrir was slowly settling down while Simvyl, resting in one of the other seats, looked beyond confused about what was going on.
Blinking from the console drew my attention there. Lights danced over them in a pattern that now felt understandable. I'd known before that the vessel was using them to communicate in a form, but now it was as if I had the key to understanding what the lights meant. Or at least determine the meaning they were conveying. She was scared her creator, her birthplace, was gone, yet she was happy that she'd not only survived what had happened but grown ever closer to me.
It was then I saw that the blue light I had thought was coming from her was actually a notice from the Interface. I opened it, expecting to see I'd formed some form of bond with the ship, but what I read was more than I'd expected.
Elemental Force Bond Formed
You have formed a very strong bond in the Force with a semi-sentient starship.
This bond is something only a handful of beings will ever truly experience, and can, with time, effort, and patience, grow stronger and more complex.
However, generating a bond of this form places a permanent drain on your overall Force Power.
...
Bond Cost: 10% of overall Force Power.
...
You have formed a very strong bond in the Force with a semi-sentient starship.
This bond is something only a handful of beings will ever truly experience, and can, with time, effort, and patience, grow stronger and more complex.
However, generating a bond of this form places a permanent drain on your overall Force Power.
...
Bond Cost: 10% of overall Force Power.
...
"Oh, wow," I mumbled as I processed what the Interface was saying.
I'd been right when I'd tried to help the ship about the Interface blocking the connection, and while I didn't regret it – since the alternative would've been a slow death in space – the cost of this new bond was high. 1820FP was now all but lost, and that number would increase as I levelled up, though given my connection was helping to sustain a kriffing starship, I couldn't say the cost didn't make sense.
Now, while it was a large chuck of FP to lose access to, many of the Force Powers I used regularly were maxed. That meant their costs were a tenth of their initial value, and even taking into account using every power I liked to engage for combat, I'd still be just under my regen rate. Though if a battle dragged on and I was forced to use other powers, such as TK or Lightning, then things might get dicey.
"Do you understand what you've done?" I looked back at Fay. While her words could be interpreted as a challenge, there was nothing in her tone or face to suggest she was anything more than curious about what had happened. Or at least, that she was reserving judgement until I explained myself.
"I saved us," I replied, which was true. Though I knew that wasn't going to be enough for her. "The ship was dying, Master. Sekot… the planet's gone somehow. Not destroyed, that I'm sure of, but gone. Though I don't know how I know."
The part of me that had come from my former life wanted to cringe at the whole bunch of nothing I'd said, and I could see Simvyl blink in confusion. Yet, with nearly eight years of learning to understand the Force, what I'd said did make some sense.
"Without the ship, we'd have died here, Force-knows where. Oh!" I gasped as, through the strengthened bond I now had, the ship provided me with details. Sensor readings, aligned with star charts in her memory combined to let me know we were in an isolated system a handful of lightyears from where Zonama Sekot had been. "Ok, now I know where we are," I added with a smirk, finding the flood of information odd but helpful.
"Padawan?"
I blinked, and after limiting the flow of information coming from the ship, focused again on Fay. That was the first time in ages she'd used my rank, though there didn't seem to be any hint of why she'd done so. "The ship knows where we are, Master, and she just let me know that. It'll take time to plot a jump, but we're not lost. Just… displaced."
"What in the hell?" I couldn't help but chuckle at Simvyl's comment even as I saw the fur on his face seemingly stand up and bristle. It was clear he had no idea what was going on, though, unlike Bo, wasn't willing to remain quiet until I was ready to explain in layman's terms what had occurred.
"How exactly did you save the ship, Cameron?"
"With the Force, Master." I couldn't help but smirk as I replied, which grew into a smile as Fay rolled her eyes. "She was dying. I had to save her. Save us."
Fay sighed and shook her head, though no anger or disappointment was coming from her. Just a sense of almost resigned weariness, and perhaps, some joy as well. "So, like with Fenrir here, you acted without thinking and formed a Force bond with a semi-sentient starship?" I shrugged in reply.
"Ow!" I called out as something smacked the back of my head. I looked around at Bo as her hand started playing around with my hair.
"Gar mirsh solus," she said with a chuckle even as I tried to push her hand from my hair.
"While we are all grateful for your actions," Fay began, having seemingly taken the momentary distraction provided by Bo to collect her thoughts, "I'm… concerned by your growing tendency to act before thinking. While a Jedi should trust the Force to guide them, and I feel that is the case here, there are worrying signs about how you approach these moments. You seem willing to risk everything, to forget much of your teachings, in your desire to do what feels like the right path; especially when it involves helping others." She shook her head and glanced out the viewport. "it is a trend that I fear, if not tempered soon, may endanger you far more than it currently has."
I wanted to say something in response but held my tongue as I felt the ship in the Force. Fay closed her eyes as I noticed her hand was still resting against an organic section of the cockpit.
A small smile came to her face when she opened her eyes. "Though, in this case, it seems the ship is extremely pleased with your choice." A light laugh, a sound I'd not heard since we'd bonded with the seed-partners at the beginning of the year, echoed around the cockpit. "What is done is done. While we will speak more on this matter, and on your tendency to risk everything on guidance from the Force, now is not the time for it. Since you know where we are, it behoves us to plot a jump to the nearest habitable planet. The ship will need to rest and refuel before we return to the Temple."
"Yes, Master."
As I turned back to the controls, I felt the ship's desire to fly between the stars once more. We were too distant from this system's star for her to enjoy the radiation it emitted, and while she was curious about what it would feel like, her greater desire was to do what she was designed for and dance through the heavens.
"Once we're refuelled, if you wish, we can return to Zonama Sekot and determine the fate of the planet," Fay said, speaking to Simvyl and Bo. "That said, if the Vong remain, we won't engage, and will instead withdraw and summon support from the Jedi and the Republic."
"Fine." Bo didn't sound happy about this but seemed willing to accept the plan. That said I still expected her to raise a fuss once we were alone later. Simvyl grunted, clearly seeing he was outvoted, and since a Ranger followed the will of the Jedi, he shouldn't challenge the decision too heavily anyway. That said, I suspected he'd use the time to refuel to gather his thoughts and try to develop arguments for why we, in an unarmed ship, should engage the Vong fleet if they remained in-system.
I, however, knew that we would not find Sekot. Through both my connection to the ship, and my own perceptions through the Force, it was a doubly instinctive understanding. By the same token, I also understood that somehow it was still present in the Force, though far more distant than it had been. Almost as if it was lost somewhere beyond the stars.
… …
… …
Just over a week later, I was sitting in the cockpit of the ship – as I had been most of my waking hours since we'd launched from Zonama Sekot, checking over the controls. We'd just lifted off from Sernpidal after taking time to refuel and check the ship while Fay had contacted the High Council.
She'd reported briefly on the events of our mission, though held off on full details for an in-person report, which made perfect sense. While we had received the ship as planned, not much else had gone as intended. Not least that, after a quick refuel at a mining colony, we'd returned to the Sekot system and found, well… nothing.
I'd already expected to not find the planet there when we'd returned – the sense of it being close in the Force was gone, replaced by a distant echo – expecting it and seeing it with my eyes were two entirely different things. The area where it had been when we'd jumped away was awash with exotic energy signatures as one would expect from a ship entering hyperspace. However, these were on a magnitude that was hard to comprehend even when I knew it was the planet that had somehow jumped.
The Vong had still been present when we'd arrived in the system's Oort cloud which had limited us to passive scanning, but by the second day, they had left. I'd had the ship plot possible routes the Vong were taking, but they weren't heading toward any known habitable system. Instead, they'd jumped toward the Galactic Rim.
With time to think about it, along with the others, we'd come to two conclusions. Either they'd jumped that way to head back to their main fleet, or they were travelling that way to make it harder for others to follow them. Bo had wondered if they might be planning to leave the galaxy, but Fay had shot that down by saying no ship could travel the vast distances between this galaxy and any nearby one of comparable size. Now, the galaxy had seven dwarf galaxies as companions, but those – like Rishi which was near where Kamino was – were close enough that hyperspace travel was possible with effort. There was nothing of the sort on a galactic north from the Core.
Once the Vong had left, we'd moved in closer and carried out active scans. Those confirmed, even if I still had problems understanding how Sekot had jumped away. Where the planet had gone, or even if anyone on it had survived, was unknown. As was where it had gone. However, both Fay and I could faintly sense it at the very edge of the Force, though it was growing harder to do so as time passed.
Blinking lights on the consoles, along with an urge from the ship to get moving – she was a remarkably impatient being, just like a few younglings I knew – brought my focus back to the cockpit. My fingers danced over the controls, marvelling at how the ship seemed to know what I planned to do even before I brushed against the relevant buttons to panels. With the improved connection we had, the ship felt like an extension of me, and while there'd been a slight improvement in our hyperdrive rating to 0.6, I felt there was still more I could do to improve the bond. Though how I'd go about that wasn't something I understood.
One thing I was sure of, was that before we reached Coruscant, I'd have picked out a name for her. So far, a few choices had been put forward by the others, with Jade Raven and Starchaser the two that seemed to resonate with the ship the best.
A gentle grumble from behind reminded me that Fenrir was present as normal. The tuk'ata was far more restive on the ship than he'd been on the Ne'tra Sartr, which I suspected was due to its connection with me which Fenrir could sense. Since I was in the cockpit most of the time, Fenrir had all but assumed one area of the place for himself, forcing the chair there to groan in protest every time Fenrir pushed against it. The only time Fenrir left was for meals, or to 'play' with Bo who, while understanding of my need to be in the cockpit so much, was growing restless without someone to spar with. Well, to spar with during the day at least.
As for HK, while the droid was glad to be off Zonama Sekot, I'd not yet hooked him up to the ships' computers, which wasn't something he was unhappy about. That was primarily because the ship lacked weapons – something we both disliked – and that it was a mainly organic vessel. HK had a few choice comments on the idea of meatbag starships, but I'd shut them down by explaining just how fast and manoeuvrable the ship was because I had a Force connection to it. Or at least forced him to limit his complaints to the lack of weaponry, which was something I planned to work on once back at the Temple.
Internal sensors let me know Simvyl was approaching about a minute before the door opened even without the Force. I glanced back and gave him a nod, before returning to the controls. While he and Bo often came by the cockpit to relieve me, they never sat in the pilot's chair nor did much more than check the readings. Even before the shift in the connection the vessel held with her Fay hadn't shown much interest in piloting the ship, though that was something I'd expected since she'd never really shown interest in doing so for the Ne'tra Sartr and had stated on Zonama Sekot that I'd be the pilot. Still, the ship seemed to prefer her here to the others since it still held a weak bond with her.
Oddly, Simvyl didn't move straight to the co-pilot's seat. "Cameron." Hearing the slight uncertainty in his tone, I turned and looked at him. He was standing in a clean uniform – like myself he'd needed time to clean it enough that the smell of the planet and war was gone, though that'd taken him longer since his sense of smell was superior to mine – with his blaster and vibroblade at his sides. Both were clean, though the vibroblade is what drew my attention – a long blade with a gentle curve, it had belonged to Zarkos before he died. "I've had some time to think; about Zonama Sekot, the Vong, and everything. I, I owe you an apology for my behaviour after we left the planet."
"There's no need for th…" I was cut off as he raised a hand and, at the same time, I sensed a need within him to speak his piece.
"There is." Fenrir lifted his head, curious at what was disturbing his latest snooze. "Every Antarian Ranger swore an oath to assist and follow the lead of the Jedi. I did so faithfully on Zonama Sekot, yet in my anger over our apparent retreat, I lashed out and challenged your authority. I forgot my oaths." His yellow eyes stayed locked on mine well his ears twitched frantically, making me think there was more he wished to say which stayed on my tongue. "If not for your actions, and those of Fenrir," that earned a pleased grunt from the tuk'ata, "and… Bo-Katan, I would've died in almost every battle we fought. I owe all of you, but you especially, my life several times over."
"As I owe you mine," I replied, trying to please his sense of honour. However, all it did was draw a wry snort of amusement from him.
"No. Even without us there to help, I feel you, more than anyone, would've managed to engage the Vong alone and still done serious damage to their operations. Yes, there were moments where a blaster bolt from either me or Bo-Katan aided you, but I have little doubt that you would've emerged from each battle alive and stronger. Especially with this mighty beast by your side." Fenrir looked at me and based his teeth, almost as if challenging me to argue that he wasn't a mighty beast.
"Don't give him a bigger head than he already has," I commented. Simvyl snorted at that while Fenrir growled in annoyance, tail lashing behind him. He then shook his head before lowering it back onto his front paws.
"Still, after taking the last week to think about my actions, and review the war, I now see you were right to have us withdraw. I still want to hunt down the Vong and make them suffer for what they did, but I see that if we'd tried to engage their fleet we'd have all died. All those who fell on Zonama Sekot would've lost hope that we would avenge them, making their deaths meaningless. Now, we can return to the Republic and warn them of the threat the Vong pose to everyone."
"That's the plan," I replied even though I had major doubts about the Jedi doing anything but ordering some investigations to locate the Vong's homeworld. I'd expressed those doubts to Fay, and she admitted to sharing a similar concern. However, while she shared my concerns, feeling they may well consider it an issue for the very edge of the galaxy, and not something they could investigate without Senate approval, she felt we had to give them the chance to review our reports, and those from Bo and Simvyl – including the recording I'd prepared for them with Bo – before worrying about them dismissing the issue.
"Good. Though, while I expect the Jedi to begin preparations to protect the galaxy, I know that when the Vong return you will be the one leading from the front. And not just against the Vong, but on righting the flaws that exist within the Republic as well." Before I could comment on how fixing all the Republic's issues was the work of several lifetimes and multiple people, he dropped to a knee. At the same time, he pulled the vibroblade – which was about a foot long – from its sheath. As the Force shifted around us, and I felt the ship grow confused and curious about what was happening he pulled the blade over one palm claws tensing, soaking the edge in blood.
"I promise on this blood that I will always be faithful to you. Your enemies shall be mine, as shall your allies. I promise to provide true counsel on all matters and never to forsake you. My claws are yours to aim as you please, my honour yours to control. With this pledge, I give you my loyalty and bind myself to you for the rest of my days."
He held the blade in his palm, not caring about the dripping of blood on the deck, his eyes looking downward. The Force swirled around us, marking this as a moment of importance.
For a moment, I considered not taking the offer of fealty, but I quickly rejected that. Aside from insulting the Cathar, that might insult the rest of the Rangers. I knew the Antarian Rangers often swore themselves to certain Jedi, and had even, in a few whispered cases Fay had heard of, married them. Yet I doubted any Ranger had ever sworn themselves so completely to a mere Padawan.
Now, while Simvyl was still a raw Ranger, he had good instincts in battle – enough so that Bo felt he could be her equal with the right training – and was willing to follow my orders. He knew I was close to Bo and other Mandalorians, so doing this showed he was also able to place his grievances to one side for the greater good, which was another mark in his favour. And while I didn't need a guard, the more people around me that I could trust would be of major benefit once chaos descended upon the galaxy.
I picked up the vibroblade, turning it over in my hand. "I accept your offer of loyalty and fealty," I said slowly trying to work out how to reply correctly. Sensing a shift from the Force, I let it guide me as the blade came toward my free hand. I felt the edge slice my palm, mixing my blood with his. "I accept your blade and claws, and I swear they will never be commanded to strike without thought, nor against those unworthy of their sting. And I offer you my promise to not force you to carry out actions that go against your beliefs and ideals."
I handed the blade back to Simvyl as he stood, a large smile on his face exposing his vicious-looking fangs. He took the blade and pulled a rag from a pocket. "You know you only had to say you accept," He said with a smile as he cleaned the blade.
I shrugged as I replied. "I didn't, but even if I did, your words deserved something more than a simple OK to confirm them." As I spoke, he slid the now-clean blade into the sheath. I extended an arm to him, which he grasped near my elbow. "And it goes without saying, thank you for the faith you're placing in me."
Simvyl nodded as his smile grew. "While young, I don't doubt you will be a great warrior for the Jedi, for the side of what is right and just. You will do great things, I can feel that in my heart, and want to help you correct the rot that infects the very core of the galaxy."
"I just hope I'm worthy of your faith and trust."
Simvyl broke the grip as I spoke before moving toward the co-pilot's station. "If I doubted you wouldn't be, I would never have offered you my oath," he said with a smile still on his face as he slid into the seat. "Now go. You need to rest," I nodded and stood, Fenrir shifting as he realised I was leaving. "Though I doubt your mate will allow you any."
I paused a few steps from the door and glared at the back of Simvyl's head. "She's not my…" The Cathar chose that moment to laugh, and I shook my head in annoyance. "Oh screw you," I muttered as I stalked out of the room, Fenrir at my side though he seemed amused by what had just happened even if he didn't understand Basic.
Yet, as much as I might deny it, Bo and I were fast approaching a point where we'd have to figure out just what we were to each other and where things were going. And it would have to be sorted before we reached the Temple, and not just because our closeness will be an issue for the High Council. The Mandalorian Civil War – at least this one – was officially over. That had been reported freely on the Holonet when we'd arrived on Sernpidal, and Bo had managed to get confirmation from her father that it was true and that Houses Kryze and Ordo now controlled Mandalore between them, and with the support of other clans, upwards of eighty per cent of the sector.
Bo was going to want to return to her people, and while she'd want me to go with her, the Force still seemed to want me to remain with the Jedi. As I walked toward my cabin, where Bo was already resting – much to Fay's subtle concern – I wondered how the redhead was going to take this. Bo claimed she wasn't interested in this being more than an enjoyable arrangement, but I could feel her growing affection for me, and mine for her.
Still, that was a concern for another night. For this one, before I tried to get some rest I planned to enjoy what awaited me in my bed. Preferably to the point where the red-haired warrior there passed out from exhaustion.
… …
… …
"If I might ask," began Oppo Rancisis as he stopped me from continuing my report to the High Council, "what exactly made you feel that challenging this alien leader to single combat was the correct choice to make?"
I looked at the snake-like Jedi Master as he and the rest of the High Council sat in their chairs listening as I gave my report on what had happened on and to Zonama Sekot. Fay was at my side, though since she'd generally stayed quiet until just before the duel that I was now getting to, she'd been indisposed.
Several times when I'd been giving my report, a member of the Council had stopped me to ask a question or clarify something. Mainly they'd asked for further reasoning on why I'd made a certain choice, or if I felt my actions had been in keeping with what the Force wished, but so far no judgement had been passed, meaning they were going to wait until I finished before offering one.
The Council had also before this meeting had begun, spent time reviewing the reports submitted by myself and Fay, along with ones from Bo and Simvyl, and the planned recording from Bo's armour when I'd not used Lightning but Electrokinesis instead. To go with that were recordings from the transport that had taken us to meet the Vong and then to my duel at the former location of the Magister's compound.
Honestly, the simple fact they weren't offering snap judgements or condemning me for killing Vong aggressively was a nice surprise. Not even those who I knew disliked me, such as Windu and Piell, had made any effort to speak down on my choices. Hell, both of those two had seemed happier than Yoda and Yaddle when I'd revealed I'd ambushed Vong and not attempted to take any prisoners after the first few battles.
Still, I was prepared for a massive argument with them at the end over my actions. While I doubted that they'd kick me from the Order – the fact many considered me the Chosen One granted me a fair bit of leeway – I knew there was a good chance they'd want me to be placed under supervision once more.
"Master Fay is, as you are all aware, highly skilled at finding peaceful solutions; however, the Vong gave no indication of desiring such an outcome – something that became clear as their leader spoke of their holy reasons for invading the planet. Those comments, combined with how the Vong had behaved in previous battles and an inclination from the Force, made me offer another solution. Yes, it was a risky one to take, one Master Fay wasn't pleased about, but I felt that risking, and possibly losing my life, to save hers and those of our companions was a risk worth taking."
"While, at the time, I disapproved of my Padawan's decision," Fay began. "With time to meditate on it, I see now that not only were the Vong a race with which normal methods of communication failed but that the Force was guiding Cameron to a solution that offered the highest chance of limiting unnecessary deaths." Fay paused and sensed a very slight shift in her mood, though not one that suggested she carried any resentment at my choice. "I still feel that, given time, a peaceful resolution might have been reached. However, that would've taken weeks, if not months, to achieve, and resulted in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent Sekotans."
Fay's words seemed simple enough, but after years around her, I knew she was still disappointed in how things had played out. Both in my choice to seek a quick and violent ending to the conflict and her failure to achieve a non-violent outcome. I disagreed heavily with her on that and had said so privately. The Council chamber though was not a place to voice those issues, nor our issues over me bonding with Raven or accepting Simvyl's fealty; yet for the latter, because she agreed that I'd let the Force guide me to accept, there was far less of an issue. Not unless I wanted to risk irritating the Council and increasing whatever punishment they dealt for my actions.
Fay was still a Jedi, but one that saw things differently from the High Council even if they and she all held the Code as something to live by and not, as I was quickly finding it, a guide for those who lacked the strength of character to control themselves.
"From the reports you and your companions have submitted, and what you've mentioned here today, it's clear these Vong have a warrior culture. One not unlike the Mandalorians of old." I stayed my hand, not wanting to rise to the bait Windu was dropping as he offered an opinion. "Since you stand before us today, I assume it is safe to say you were successful in defeating their leader?"
"Yes, Master Windu." I paused and glanced at Fay. "At my master's request, when an opportunity presented itself, I offered the Vong the chance to surrender. However, that only served to enrage them." That wasn't technically true, but by saying it like this it should, I hope, show the Council that I had sought a peaceful resolution before ending the duel in a more typical manner. "From then on, the only option left to me was to kill the Vong."
There was a grunt from my right, and I looked over to see Evan Piell glaring at me with his one good eye. "You and your companions have stated that these Vong are a grave threat to the Jedi and the Republic. Yet you, a Padawan, though a highly skilled one I don't contest, managed to engage Vong forces on multiple occasions, and barring one instance, emerged from each confrontation victorious and unscathed." It took some effort to not glare back at the Council member as he seemingly dismissed my concerns about the Vong. "From all that I've read and heard from you, including the scans provided by your companion," he all but sneered at having to refer to Bo, "I see little that suggests a Vong armada would pose anything more than a regional-level threat to some Outer Rim sectors. Instead, I see little more than the worries of an overly excited, and battle-hungry Padawan."
I detested the disrespect he was showing to Bo, but I knew he was doing it simply to draw a reaction from me. With me having moved past the worst of puberty, I had greater control over the emotional reaction I took, allowing me to ignore his comments. Plus, Fay had warned me before the meeting that the Council would challenge much of what I said to confirm the veracity of our report. Though after nearly three hours, my patience with the short Jedi Master's continual need to speak down about me and those close to me was getting on my nerves.
"With respect, Master Piell. I was there. You were not. I, along with my companions, spent months fighting from a weaker position, against a technologically and numerically superior foe that, even from their lowest encountered fighters, were on par with Mandalorians I'd fought during the Battle of Keldabe." I was, perhaps, laying things on thick, but I wanted to make clear how dangerous even the weakest Vong fighter was. Especially against a Force user unprepared for their inability to be affected by most directed Force abilities. "During the first encounter, as I made clear several times already, we were fortunate to survive, particularly once Master Fay was gravely wounded in their initial assault." I paused, taking a moment to calm myself as the familiar rage I'd called upon on Zonama Sekot stirred as the memory of that first battle came to mind. Knowing where I was and concerned that Dark Side Masking – which was at Master:54 – might not be enough to hide that rage if I tried to simply push it down, I used the techniques taught to me by, among others, Master Fay. I felt the anger drift away into the Force, and once that was done, continued talking. "I've gone over every encounter I, and those with me had with the Vong. I can't stress Master, just how difficult it was for me to defeat multiple Vong in simultaneous combat; and not, before you suggest it, due to any inherent flaw in my chosen Lightsaber form. However, those continual battles allowed me to refine a style that, while still full of flaws, granted me just enough of an understanding of the Vong's style of fighting that when the time came for the duel, I felt confident in my chances to defeat it. Yet I didn't emerge unscathed." I made no effort to draw attention to the scar I bore over my eye socket, as doing so would just be silly given Piell had lost an eye in combat.
The Lannik Jedi chuckled, likely because I'd drawn attention to the fact that like him I'd been scarred. "True enough. Though, I still have doubts that these Vong are as grave a threat as you suggest."
"Potential threats today, no judgement will be made," Yoda cut in, speaking for the first time since he'd asked questions about my emotional state when Fay had been wounded. "The actions of Padawan Shan, discussing we are."
"The Council will spend time reviewing your reports before making any judgement on the Vong, Padawan. As Master Yoda said, today we simply wish to hear a full recounting from you on the conflict and sense how these actions have affected you."
I nodded at Plo Koon. "Yes, Master." While I'd prefer they would consider the Vong threat today and declare them a danger to all, the fact they weren't dismissing it out of hand was, as Fay had said, the best I could hope for. I stopped there, expecting him or another Council member to comment, however, Plo simply rolled his hand in a gesture that meant for me to continue.
"With the Vong leader dead, I was concerned his second wouldn't accept the terms. Thankfully, he did, though not before suggesting other Vong would seek me out for retribution. Zonama Sekot seemed to hold significance to them, though we never learnt why. After collecting the body, the second promised they would leave the world as the terms stipulated." As I spoke, I once more cursed myself for being ambiguous in my wording. I should've made clear that they were to leave the system and never return, but as they say, hindsight is a bitch.
"The choices the Vong made after the duel aren't on your head, Padawan," the words, surprisingly, came from Windu. "You fought with honour and won the duel. That the Vong then chose to adapt the terms to suit their goals is a choice they made and must live with, not you. The deaths caused by their subsequent bombardment are not a weight you need to carry."
"I understand that, Master Windu, and thank you for the words. However, I feel I should've been clearer in my terms."
A coughing chuckle came from Yoda. "The greatest teacher, time is. Learn from this, you will. Grow, you will." I lowered my head, accepting the Grandmaster's words of counsel.
"After the Vong chose to reinterpret the terms of the duel, they began to assault the planet from orbit. Which is when you chose to attempt to engage them?"
"Yes, Master Yaddle. While the Jade Raven was built unarmed by the Sekotans – a philosophy that may well have changed because of the Vong – it was the only vessel available to use to reach orbit. Or at least reach orbit and not be instantly shot down," I added with a shrug. "I, we, knew the odds of us being able to stop a small flotilla of combat ships, most of which were larger than the Raven, were slim, but there was no other option we could come up with."
"As you moved toward the fleet, when the planet spoke to you, hmm?" I could hear the doubt in Yoda's voice and sense a faint ripple of it within the Chamber. Which was understandable, as if I hadn't experienced it myself, I'd likely doubt the story as well.
"Yes, Master. While we were accelerating toward the Vong, though before we'd entered weapon's range, I was… pulled, for lack of a better word, into the ship's consciousness. There, I met a figure who looked like the Magister, yet since his compound had been destroyed at the start of the conflict, I knew it wasn't him. The figure revealed itself to be Sekot. It said it was able to speak to me due to the bond I shared with the Raven and the seed-partners used in her growth." I paused and licked my lips. "Honestly, I'm still having trouble accepting that I spoke to the planet, but I don't doubt it believed it was sentient. Plus, it's warning about us leaving if we didn't wish to be trapped upon it or die in orbit was accurate."
"While I wasn't privy to this meeting, I can confirm the Force was… agitated for a moment around Cameron and the ship," Fay spoke before any of the Council could argue against my statement. A glance at her showed her lips twitching as she continued. "When he told me of this meeting, I searched the Force for any deception and found none. He believes it was the planet, this Sekot, that spoke to him. From how the colonists seemed to revere the planet and the incredible interconnectivity we felt within the Force before the Vong's arrival, I find no reason to doubt Cameron's statement. After that, and an impressive demonstration of flying in a new starship, we slipped by the Vong fleet and entered Hyperspace."
"While we have doubts about a planet achieving sentience," Yaddle began as she leaned forward in her seat, "it is the events that occurred when you were forced from hyperspace that I find myself most curious about. The moment when you chose to form a deep connection in the Force with your vessel."
"I believe we all share that sentiment," Plo Koon added, drawing nods from the majority of the Council. Most were leaning forward to varying degrees, curious to hear more. "While forming a bond with a tuk'ata isn't unheard of, I cannot recall mention of a Jedi forming a bond within the Force with a starship."
"Mentions in the oldest holocrons, I believe there are. Early in the Old Republic, if I recall."
Plo Koon lowered his head at Yoda's words even as he rubbed his chin, or more accurately, the breathing mask he wore. "Hmm, I'll have to remember to search the Holocron Vault for those records." He turned back to me. "However, that is for later. Please continue, Padawan. I wish to hear of how it felt to form a Force connection with the wonderful new starship you've brought to the temple."
"And perhaps, in the coming days, you might be willing to show some of us how well the Jade Raven handles," Master Tiin added with a wry smile. Since he was regarded as the Order's finest pilot – and would remain that way if Anakin never joined the Order officially – him being interested in how Raven flew was hardly a surprise. After all, he'd been part of the party that had met us when we'd returned to the Temple and he'd made little effort to hide his appreciation for Raven's design.
That said, he'd not be the only one I'd take for a flight in Raven. Apart from Serra and Tedra, I expected many friends – close and not – would wish for a short voyage in Raven. Though first I had to speak to Serra. I knew she was in the Temple, and while she'd been excited when we'd first felt each other within the Force, in the hours since a steady stream of nervousness had mixed with that excitement, along with a hint of fear.
Though since it'd been over three years since I'd last seen her in the flesh, I could understand the worries she had, and I had some of my own. Though those were more to do with how she'd react when it was revealed I was currently seeing Bo. However, that was a matter for after this meeting.
"As I said in my report, Raven dropped from hyperspace unexpectedly. I could feel her pain as we tumbled through space and systems began to flicker on and off. I admit I didn't know what I was doing, but it felt as if the Force was guiding me to her, to Raven, to help. I knew I couldn't let her die, as if she died those with me would also die, so I placed my faith in the Force and let it guide me toward what felt like the right thing to do. Somehow I was able to… sustain her through the Force, and while it feels as if I've given over part of my connection to the Force to save her, I consider it fair payment."
"I will admit at the time, I was concerned about Cameron's actions, particularly that he'd taken them for selfish reasons, with time to meditate, I see now that wasn't the case," Fay added. While it did sound supportive, I felt she was saying it more as a way to cut off an obvious issue the Council might have with my actions. One she'd brought up with me in private before we'd reached Coruscant. That said, she was also being truthful in that she understood that, just as with Simvyl, I'd allowed the Force to guide my actions instead of imposing my will upon it.
"Question your opinion on the Force's will, this Council does not. Concerns us, however, your Padawan's continual recklessness does." Yoda leaned closer, his eyes searching mine for something. I felt a gentle prod against my Telepathic Shield, one I knew was coming from the Grandmaster. If given the choice, I'd happily slap it aside or ignore it, however, I knew doing that now would only increase the likelihood of me being punished. Thus, I allowed him access.
Yoda closed his eyes as I felt his probe enter my mind, along with those from most of the Council. It was easy to tell which were examining my mental state and Force connection as many closed their eyes. While I disliked letting them even do this much, activating Player's Mind would be a blunt admission I had something to hide, and would lead to more questions and examinations. No, it was better to submit to this check now, without seemingly protesting, than risk them wanting to carry out deeper scans and risk them finding the pool of rage I'd buried deep inside.
"Hmm," Yoda muttered after perhaps a minute just before he and the others opened their eyes, the various Council members looked at each other, though no words were spoken. Since I'd already experienced this before, I knew they were having a mental conversation, but it was still discomforting to stand in the chamber as the Council sat around me in silence. To outsiders, it likely came across as rude when they did it in a group, but I could see the benefits of discussing issues privately before presenting a unified front to those they were meeting.
"It is clear that this mission has taken a great toll on you, Padawan," Sifo-Dyas began, drawing my attention to him. He was one of the Council members I trusted the most, something aided by the soft, mentoring smile he gave me. "It has also, we sense, resulted in you being tempted by the Dark Side once more. Having that happen so soon after your experiences with the Bando Gora is concerning." I hadn't expected them to directly mention that incident, but considering it I wondered if they'd done so to see what sort of reaction I'd have to the mention. While I still had the odd flashback or distracting moment, the need to focus my energies on the war – and having a ready outlet for my anger – had helped me come to terms with things. At least to the point where I felt able to move on safely.
Sifo-Dyas' smile grew as I considered that, and he offered me a nod. "And it appears you've let go of your anger around the issue, most impressive."
"It is, but he has admitted to striking down at least one Vong in rage," Ki-Adi Mundi countered, his large head always drawing my attention and reminding me of a potato. "That cannot be overlooked, nor dismissed easily, regardless of how understandable an action it was for any Padawan to take in this context."
"It won't be ignored," Windu replied, earning a nod – which I felt was staged – from Mundi. Windu fixed me with a look that likely terrified most Padawans. Along with many adults, Jedi or not. "While this Council is accepting of your choices on Zonama Sekot, and feels you have shown a remarkable ability to not dwell on what has happened to you over the last few years, we feel further sessions with Healer Allie would be advisable."
"Yes, Master," I replied calmly. Windu's brow twitched slightly at how easily I accepted the Council's ruling, but I'd expected that to be the minimum outcome of this meeting. Even before Fay had stated this, I'd already been expecting further counselling at least. Ignoring that they'd want to spend time examining Raven and myself, I'd just gone through a series of events that would break many people. That required monitoring, so it was nice to see the Council was being more proactive in ensuring I got the help I might need.
"While you will remain in the Temple for a time, you are free to continue your studies at your master's discretion. That said, I feel Battlemaster Drallig and Master Bondara would be willing to have you assist them in instructing Initiates and younger Padawans once again." Windu's offer further softened the punishment, though I felt it was also a way to further bring me under the control of the Council while having me do something I enjoyed.
"This will also allow us time to consider your last mission in greater depth," added Oppo Rancisis, who I avoided looking over at. While I knew it was silly, something about talking to a giant, sentient snake-like creature just didn't sit well with me. "Members of the Council, and others, will likely call upon you for details regarding the Vong and the threat you believe they pose, Zonama Sekot, and the unusual ship you've returned with."
"I don't believe the Vong pose a threat, Master. I know it." The fact he was so openly dismissing my concerns about the Vong wasn't encouraging, even if I understood that they, as leaders of the Order, had to examine the issue from every angle they could.
Yoda's chuckle drew my focus to him to see he was shaking his head. "The certainty of youth, we see." That earned a few amused smirks from the room, including one for Fay. "Refreshing to see, it is. Though mindful of your actions, you must be, young Padawan." The fact Yoda was also now seemingly expressing doubt about my claims angered me a little. I understood that a Padawan managing to drive the Vong back certainly made them look like a lighter threat than I'd implied, but I'd only encountered a strong recon force, not the main body of their military.
"I am, Master Yoda. However, I also know what I fought wasn't something to be taken lightly." Even without knowing there was more to the threat because of Invaders from the Void, I'd have still labelled the Vong a threat simply due to their inherent resistance to directed Force use.
"And this Council will not do so. However, unlike a young, though skilled, Padawan, we don't rush to judgement based on personal events from a single, though protracted, encounter. Other factors must be weighed before a course of action for the Order as a whole is decided upon."
"Yes, Master Windu." While I understood the rationale, I didn't like it. Plus, I felt their issue might be with me trying to dictate terms to the Council. Hopefully, that was the case, and not them underestimating the Vong. Otherwise, I feared the Council would once more not remove the stick from their collective arses and do something about the Vong. Hell, even if initially they just sent small teams into the Unknown Regions or the far edges of the Outer Rim near where Zonama Sekot had been, it would be better than them burying their heads in the sand and pretending the threat didn't exist.
"I, for one, wish to speak to you more about the Jade Raven. From the initial reports our more technically inclined members have submitted, it seems that not only is she semi-organic, but has some rare and powerful components installed in unusual ways."
"Certainly, Master," I offered to Plo Koon even as I saw Saesse Tiin nodding in agreement.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Windu surveying the room. When no one said anything else, he spoke. "Until we've come to our final recommendations regarding the Vong, and plans for the Jade Raven, we would prefer if you remained inside the Temple, though it isn't a requirement. We would, though, insist you remain on Coruscant during this time." I nodded in acceptance and his gaze shifted to Fay. "We will ask Healer Allie to contact you when she can to arrange further sessions for your Padawan." Fay offered a bow to Windu. "Unless there is anything either of you wishes to add, you are free to go."
I followed Fay from the chamber. As normal, there were several Jedi gathered in the atrium outside waiting to speak to the Council, though all were giving Fenrir a wide berth. Since he was snoozing when we exited, the apprehension of the other Jedi made me chuckle. Fenrir must've heard that, or sensed my approach, as he lifted his head lazily. After yawning loud enough that a Padawan around my age all but hid behind their master, the tuk'ata stood and followed us into the elevator before the doors closed.
"Do you think they'll dismiss the Vong, Master?" I asked as we descended.
Fay looked out the carriage carrying us down, taking in the sight of Coruscant, and the constant flow of ships in the skies around us, before answering. "They won't, Cameron. The simple fact that the Vong are immune to directed Force abilities, particularly ones all Jedi rely upon, means they can't ignore the issue. However, I do feel they may disagree with your blunt assessment about the dangers the Vong pose to the Order and the Republic on a military front. Particularly from how, even though you did limit yourself, you tried to pressure them to regard them as such." Fay's hand came to rest on my shoulder as my irritation at the Council's likely inaction grew. "The Council, for all its faults, must decide the direction of all Jedi. You are certain the Vong are a future threat to the Order and the Republic, but you are just one member of the Order; and not even a Knight. Sadly, that is the way this works."
"But, Master…"
"We must allow them time to deliberate on the matter, Cameron. They may well agree with your judgement, however, they won't rush to pass judgement. Doing that has led to mistakes being made by the Order in the past and many on the Council are averse to change from what had worked for nearly a thousand years." She smiled as her hand gently squeezed my shoulder. "Place your faith in the Force to guide them to the correct path, but don't dwell upon it. Perhaps, instead, turn your thoughts to happier events. Like reunions with old friends. One in particular I know isn't far from your thoughts." I turned away, not wanting to risk Fay seeing the heat as it built in my cheeks. "I suspect you and her have much to discuss."
I nodded though my gaze stayed away from her. While there were others in the Temple I wished to speak with – Tedra and Darihd being the obvious two – Serra was the one I was excited and apprehensive to meet. I reached out through the Force, opening my mind to find where she was.
[Where we first talked about the Code.] I blinked as her words entered my mind, caught off-guard that she'd learnt to communicate telepathically. Though given it'd been three years since I'd last seen her, it shouldn't have surprised me.
[I'll be there soon,] I sent, letting her know I was on my way. As we reached our stop within the centre of the Temple I wondered how she'd changed, grown, in the years. And how she'd feel about the changes I'd gone through, both physical and mental.
… …
… …
(Serra's POV)
She sat quietly on the bench, enjoying the view of the ecumenopolis as the sun blazed down on the planet. Shadows travelled around her, left there by starships, speeders, and other flying vehicles that buzzed around constantly in the skies of Coruscant. Yet, as much as the view often brought her peace of mind, today it failed. Her mind was, understandably, elsewhere, focusing on someone that was back in the Temple at the same time as her for the first time in more than three years.
Of course, Cam might be why she'd made a beeline for this particular bench over any of the others. Apart from being close to the High Council spire, it was the same one she'd led him to back when they'd been Initiates. And she'd been here for several hours now.
When she'd first sensed Cam returning, she'd been sparring with Sia-Lan, and sensing his presence in the Force had distracted her. Enough that her friend had managed to win the spar. Serra had been annoyed about that, as it was the first one she'd lost to Sia-Lan in about a year, and then more so when Sia-Lan had piped up that she'd felt someone return to the Temple. Her friend had teased her about seeing Cam for the first time in years, commenting on how he'd grown since then and taking amusement in knowing that she'd seen him last year while Serra hadn't.
A few years ago that sort of teasing would've angered Serra, and she was embarrassed whenever she remembered how she'd reacted when Cam had been hurt during his verd'goten. She'd been better when Cam had gone strangely silent within the Force just over a year ago, but she hadn't been able to concentrate when she'd learnt he'd been captured by the Bando Gora. Now, even with him being distant for a year, even if there were faint whispers of something going on, she was at peace with things. Or as much as she could be.
While she'd not seen him, she knew he'd grown, and matured over the years. Yes, he seemed to find trouble with alarming ease, but she trusted the Force to protect him, and guide him. Plus, just like him, she'd grown up. She still held feelings for him, but unlike back during her verd'goten, she no longer allowed them to dominate her thoughts.
Still, after the spar had ended, and Master Drallig had reprimanded her for becoming distracted so easily, she'd left with the intent of finding Cam. A probe into the Force revealed he was with the Council, so she'd changed tact and arrived here instead. Though before reaching this bench, she'd run into someone more outwardly excited by Cam's return than her.
Initiate Tedra Zill was, in Serra's mind, an odd one. She was skilled in the Force, having rapidly caught up to her clanmates with her skill using a lightsaber. However, the Zabrak girl was, from what Serra had heard, uninterested in the more spiritual aspects of being a Jedi, which didn't surprise Serra after she'd gotten to know the girl at Cam's request. As a former slave, Tedra was more interested in actively helping others than pondering the mysteries of the Force; a sentiment Serra found herself agreeing with as she matured. Though she also understood that Tedra's rush to want to help was too reckless, and would place her, and others, in danger.
After promising the Zabrak that she'd tell Cam to speak with her, Serra had managed to reach the bench with no other delays. At first, she'd been apprehensive as she waited for any shift in the Force to let her know Cam was on his way. That had given way to a bout of restlessness as she sat for close to an hour, though she'd chided herself for that behaviour, and the reminder it provided to her earlier behaviour around Cam.
Back then she'd been possessive of Cam, treating anyone who was near him – especially, those in their age group – as some sort of threat to her and what she had with him. Now that she was older, and she hoped, wiser, she understood that wasn't healthy. Oh, she still considered Cam to be someone important to her, but she wasn't going to lose her temper whenever anyone said anything about him. No matter how pretty they looked, or what they hinted they wanted to do with him.
At the same time, she couldn't deny that a part of herself that she'd thought gone was growing agitated at seeing Cam again. Just knowing he'd soon be here, that she'd soon be talking with him lit a fire in her, one that while not the same pathetic flame from her younger years, burned in ways she'd rather not think about. Cam was the first to make her feel that way, though not the last. Though she'd never admit to anyone that Bo-Katan had also started having that effect on her, she did wonder if the Mandalorian girl was still travelling with Cam as Serra would like to catch up with her.
When she'd thought about Bo-Katan, Serra's mind had wandered back to her time on Mandalore, and as it often did, settled on her verd'goten. Yes, she'd been injured during her hunt – almost fatally if not for Cam's quick intervention – but completing it had granted her a sense of fulfilment she'd never realised she needed. As if it was a test to herself to prove she wasn't a simple Initiate anymore, but a trained warrior of the Jedi. Plus, as much as she enjoyed sparring with her friends and master, she felt something was missing in the Temple, almost as if the spars weren't as fulfilling as they should be. At least to her.
Her thoughts were brought back from their wanderings when she sensed a general ripple in the Force, one she knew was from Cam. Latching onto it, she sent a message to him. [Where we first talked about the Code.] She laughed gently as she sensed his shock, her evolving ability to communicate telepathically with him catching him off-guard. While she mainly used the ability with Master Drallig, she had been practising the skill with Aayla, Sia-Lan, and others over the years. Enough that she could now speak to Cam even though they'd not felt each other's Force signatures for several years.
[I'll be there soon.]
Hearing his voice again, even if just in her mind, sent a pleasant tingle through her, longing to see him again. As he pulled back, she scolded herself and hoped he hadn't sensed it. She didn't need him thinking she was still the same, young desperate girl he'd known. No, she wanted him to see she's changed, hear him comment on how she'd grown stronger, more powerful. Not because she needed his approval, but to confirm it. While Master Drallig often complimented her on her improvement, Cam would be able to see the changes easier than her Master or friends.
Yet as she pondered change, she realised Cam's Force signature had done just that. There was still power there, still as oddly distant as it'd always been, but it had altered and grown. A sense of refinement was there, along with… something she couldn't quite define, but whatever it was held an allure to her. She did want to delve into the Force, to learn what this change in Cam was, but she understood that to do that would be considered rude. Better to wait until he was closer. Until she could focus on it without making it obvious to try and see what had happened.
It was likely that the events of the Bando Gora – which her friends had told her about when she'd returned to the Temple after Cam had left – had left a mark on Cam. She had felt the ripples when he'd lashed out back then, realising later that it'd been him lashing out in a desire for revenge for what he endured. Serra had shared that desire and felt a need to help him punish any remaining Bando Gora. No matter how much Master Drallig said such thoughts were unbecoming of a Jedi, Serra knew they dwelled within her.
Yet as she felt him descend from the Council's tower, and his presence granted her a sense of familiarity, she saw that there was more to it than simply what he'd endured with the Bando Gora. He appeared calm and in control, yet as she closed her eyes and let the Force wash over her, she swore she felt something dangerous, something dark, lurking behind that calm. It was hard to get a read on, as if something was blurring it out, making it difficult to spot, yet she could, and she could tell while it wanted to control him, he wasn't letting it do so.
She stood as his presence grew closer, entering the gardens. Faint trembles rattled around her stomach; her knees grew weak. She pushed those aside, not wanting him to see how nervous she was, and not thinking she was still that weak little girl. As he neared, questions surfaced in her head, lining up to ask once he was here. Yet the moment he came into view, they vanished into the void of her mind.
She knew Cam would've changed, it'd been years after all, but knowing it and seeing it were two very different things. Just the way he walked conveyed how confident and assured of himself he was now; not that he wasn't before, but back then she'd felt it was a type of bravado. Now, as he marched her way, she saw that self-assurance was stronger, yet there were little hints in the way he moved, the way his eyes took in everything around him, that made it clear he wasn't pretending. Of course, the massive lumbering beast - which had several Jedi scampering to avoid - at his side certainly helped the image and made Serra pause any desire to rush to greet him.
She was embarrassed that, in her desire to see Cam again, she'd put aside all thoughts about his new companion. Though this wasn't the same beast Aayla had mentioned. Gone was the hound-sized friendly young pup, and in its place, much like its master, was a proud, powerful, and confident beast.
The tuk'ata's eyes locked on her, and it shook its shoulders, drawing her attention to the spinal crests; particularly the gap where one was missing. Serra had her confirmation that the beast, and Cam as well, had seen combat. A gasp from a group of Younglings walking by had the tuk'ata shift its gaze. The spinal crest started to flatten only for a gentle touch against its head from Cam to relax the great beast.
Questions about the tuk'ata and what had cost it the crest formed on her lips, though they slid away as she looked at Cam close up, her gaze as always, drawn to his eyes. "What happened?!"
"Huh?" Cam stopped, confusion rippling over his face. Serra blinked and then felt blood rush to her cheeks. She'd spent so long preparing for this, wanting to show him she'd matured and the first thing she'd done was call out like that. She opened her mouth to apologise only to stop when Cam chuckled. "Oh, this," he placed fingers just under his eye, touching the very edge of a scar that ran from his eyebrow to upper cheek and appeared to have missed the eye by the slimmest of margins. "Just scars of battle," beside him the tuk'ata made a sound that Serra quickly realised was something akin to laughter. "So, how have you been?"
Serra's mouth hung open, her mind going in a dozen different directions with how lazily Cam ignored the scar, how the tuk'ata seemed able to react to his emotions, and how none of this was how she wanted their reunion to start. "F-fine," she managed to get out as she took a step toward him. Her hand came up, wanting to examine the scar herself, only to stop when a deep, powerful growl slipped from the maw of the beast at Cam's side.
"Fenrir." There was no warning in the tone, yet Cam just saying what had to be its name was enough to calm the monster. Serra blinked in confusion as Cam flicked it on the nose, and then ignored the lazy snapping of the beast's maw directed toward his hand. "Serra's a friend. Like Bo."
Serra felt the Force shift, both as Cam spoke to the tuk'ata and when he mentioned Bo. Her mind brought forth images from some of her more confusing dreams, but she pushed those away. She didn't want to blush now, nor let anything slip into the Force for Cam to sense. Still, it was clear that Cam was close to the Mandalorian, perhaps more so than Serra would expect for two people that had travelled together for several years. She also ignored the way her heart seemed to tense at that idea, focusing instead on how easily Cam was able to control the beast.
"Serra, this is Fenrir, who's been almost ever-present since I rescued him from slavers nearly two years ago."
"I," Serra paused, the words failing to come as both man and beast looked at her. The combined stare of both made her momentarily unsure of herself. "I felt your pain. With the Bando Gora. And, I think, with whatever happened at the beginning of the year." She said slowly, unsure whether bringing up those events – whatever the second was – was a wise idea. As she spoke, she could feel the Force shift around her and Cam, helping her see him more clearly within. The blurred edges she'd felt earlier had cleared slightly, revealing something powerful, something dangerous, that she found oddly excited her.
As Cam's expression turned sour, she feared bringing up those events. In his eyes, she saw the memories replaying, and felt the subtle shift in his Force signature as residual feelings linked to them pulsed around him. The Dark Side was there, she understood that this was what was hiding within him, trying to control him. Yet even as she fretted that she'd allowed that danger to take control, she felt him push it away, place it back behind whatever barrier it was he'd built within himself to control it.
"Yeah, it's been… an interesting few years." He spoke slowly, his Force signature showing faint signs of discomfort. Thankfully, before her concern grew to the point she'd be obliged to mention this to Master Drallig, the last vestiges of the anger, the Dark Side, slipped away behind the wall Cam had created within himself. She'd been told that wasn't the way to deal with the temptations of the Dark Side, and her moments of weakness had released the anger into the Force, yet she was willing to overlook it. She trusted Cam, and Master Fay, to know about the issue and be working to control it. "It's had its ups and downs," the beast, Fenrir, leaned into his hand, seemingly offering support. Cam smiled as he stroked the great black beast behind its ears, drawing a faint murmur of delight from the tuk'ata. "Though I'd say what I've gained more than outweighs the… difficulties I've endured." As Fenrir leaned into Cam's hand further, Serra couldn't help but smile at seeing a beast she'd been told was a danger to Jedi acting like a puppy, though she did ignore and push away the small voice inside that said it should be her Cam was touching and not Fenrir.
Serra looked away, not wanting Cam to see any hint of desire and dislike on her face at how close he was to the tuk'ata. The view, as it had failed to do today, didn't help centre her thoughts. It had worked so well for that when she'd been an Initiate and in her early time as a Padawan, but since her verd'goten, she'd started feeling at times that there was something off about the view. Almost as if it was a distraction from something else, though she'd so far failed to put her finger on what that might be.
"So," she turned back as he spoke, feeling some warmth at the smile that had crept back onto his lips. "What have you been up to?" He was trying to engage her, yet she could sense some doubt within him, though it was focused more on himself than her. "I heard you and Master Drallig had an adventure last year."
She returned his smile as she nodded. "Yes, we were assigned by the High Council to help mediate a trade dispute in the Outer Rim." There was a faint, momentary burst of what felt like annoyance when she mentioned the Council, but it was gone before she finished the sentence. "It took longer than Master Drallig had expected due to one of the factions deciding the talks would be more productive if they acted aggressively. Thankfully, their approach was easy for Master Drallig and me to handle."
Cam's smile grew. "Sounds like you had fun then."
"Yes, though I didn't end up with someone like Fenrir here at the end of it." She leaned forward, feeling safe around the beast due to Cam's presence. The connection between the two of them was strong, reminding her of the bond she shared with her master. Slowly she extended a hand toward Fenrir, stopping when it was about halfway there.
In a move that amused her, the beast, which was only a head shorter than Cam, looked up at him for assurance. After receiving it, Fenrir took a few steps toward her. The beast sniffed her hand carefully as if judging if she was safe, or a member of its pack. Since she considered Cam one of her closest friends, she felt she was, and thus wanted the beast to feel comfortable around her.
As its maw moved closer to her hand, Serra would be lying if she said she didn't feel some trepidation. The mouth looked wide enough to swallow her arm from the elbow down in a single bite, and the brief glimpses she'd gotten of its teeth meant rendering flesh from bone wasn't an issue for it. Yes, the Force gave no hint that she was in danger, but the instinctual reaction of being so close to a creature bred to kill Jedi was hard to overcome.
A snort escaped its nose before it covered the last of the distance. Serra's smile grew massively as it pushed its muzzle into the hand. She then laughed softly as a deep rumbling of contentment slid from the maw. She could feel the Force shift around them, marking her as someone the tuk'ata trusted, as part of her pack, and that delighted her.
"He's so warm," she said as she looked up at Cam even as Fenrir moved forward, guiding her hand to the spot behind his eyes where Cam had been petting him previously. The missing spinal crest was easy to spot now, not least because the flesh around the area was lighter, being a dark shade of grey compared to the black fur that covered the rest of the great beast.
"Aye, he's a great heater on cold nights." While the words sounded normal, there was a subtle shift in the Force that returned Serra's gaze to Cam. Even without him saying anything, she knew something bad had happened on the last mission. More so than just the faint hints of rage she'd felt at the beginning of the year. Whatever it was had been serious enough that he and Master Fay had been locked in conversation with the High Council for hours, and it was clear, as much as he tried to hide it, that Cam wasn't happy with the result of that meeting.
"What happened?" she asked slowly, wanting to know but not willing to push the matter. "If you want to talk about it…"
In her younger years, she would've pushed, and kept pushing to know what was going on. Back then, she'd have felt it was the right thing to do, to get someone to open up to help them. Now, she was older, wiser, and after her last mission, understood that pushing someone often just drove them further into their thoughts.
As Cam took in the view, Serra's thoughts turned to that mission. In particular, a Rodian aide named Vhuss Xenpa. Vhuss had been working for one of the groups at the negotiating table, and Serra had sensed something was off about her. She'd approached the Rodian and prodded her about it in a way that she thought was subtle at the time, but Serra now understood that she'd been anything but. Vhuss had retreated into herself and made sure to avoid Serra for the rest of the negotiations. Then, when things turned violent, Serra discovered that Vhuss was the one who'd betrayed the company she worked for to let the mercenaries in.
Afterwards, when Serra had confronted Vhuss, she'd been confused at why Vhuss had done what she'd done. The Rodian revealed, under gentle persuasion from Master Drallig, that her family were 'indentured workers' for the other company, and they'd placed her as a spy in her current one at a young age. Serra had pressured Vhuss about why she hadn't said anything when Serra had asked, but the Rodian had explained that her handler had seen them talking and warned her to stay away from the Jedi otherwise her family would be killed.
Serra and Master Drallig had managed to locate and free Vhuss' family, though it had been a close thing. When they'd returned to the Temple, Serra had pleaded with Master Drallig that this indentured worker system was slavery in all but name. Master Drallig had agreed but made clear that the Jedi could do nothing about it when the Senate knew and allowed the practice to persist. He made clear that he, and others, disagreed with the practice, but until the Senate did something about it, it was hard for the Order to actively combat the issue.
Serra had stewed for a long time after that, trying to accept the issue. While it no longer came to mind easily, the difficulties she had with this state of affairs still caused her problems nearly a year later. She'd already promised herself that once knighted, she'd do what she could to help those in situations like Vhuss and her family. She knew she was but one Jedi in a galaxy of quintillions, but she felt she had to help. And, she hoped, her friends like Sia-Lan and Aayla might be willing to join her on this mission.
"A lot happened." Cam's quiet words drew her from her thoughts, and almost from continuing to pet Fenrir, though the beast leaned into her hand as she tried to move it away, so she kept petting him. The scar over his eye seemed to pulse as he slowly turned back to her. Pain rippled in his eyes, and she sensed discomfort and irritation flowing from him within the Force. Something Fenrir picked up as the beast grunted to draw Cam's attention. That brought a faint, short smile to her friend's face and a prang of pain to her that it wasn't her making him smile. "Come on."
She was startled at his sudden movement, and at Fenrir sliding from her petting to fall into step at Cam's side. Quickly she moved to catch up with him. "Where are we going?"
"Trust me," he muttered as he led her and Fenrir into the garden proper. She stayed quiet as they walked, showing how much she did trust him, though inside she was confused about what was going on. The youngling class from earlier reacted as Fenrir passed by, but this time the startled responses of the children drew no response from the tuk'ata.
As they walked through the Temple in silence, Serra couldn't help but smile at how even some Jedi Knights shifted their paths to avoid Fenrir. Yes, he was a tuk'ata, but not only had the High Council said he was allowed within the wall, but Cam had complete control over the beast. Something anyone could sense with just a simple probe into the Force.
They passed by one of the sparring rooms and Serra sensed Aayla and Darihd inside. From what she was sensing, the pair were sparring directly, and while Aayla was enjoying herself, the Togruta wasn't. Probably because Aayla was far more skilled with a blade than he was. He, like his Master, was more inclined to think about the Force and apply it in subtle ways than drawing upon it to engage in combat as Aayla and Serra did.
She glanced at Cam, wondering if he'd stop to see them, but he kept walking. The only hint he knew who was in the room was a slight turn of his head to try and steal a glance inside as they passed.
"My mission was to somewhere, something unique," Cam began as they entered an elevator under one of the Temple's spires. His voice was soft, yet there was an odd hardness to it that demanded her attention. "The entire world… it was alive within the Force."
"Every world is," Serra countered instinctively, though she found herself wondering if that was true a moment later. She'd grown up on Coruscant, and been so used to the faint ripples it generated in the Force that she'd always assumed every planet was like that. However, she knew Mandalore wasn't, nor was any other planet she'd visited. Each had its own pulse, its own rhythm in the Force, and if she was being honest, she found she disliked the one generated by Coruscant.
The planet may be the capital of the Republic, but something had felt off about it ever since she'd returned from Mandalore, and it had grown worse after her last mission. Coruscant never felt calm now, and there were hints of something off, something rotten within the Force about it. She'd spoken to Master Drallig about this several times, and he'd explained each time that this was caused by the sheer volume of beings who called the world home. While she'd accepted that at first, since her last mission, and the doubt it had formed inside regarding the Republic, she'd found herself thinking there was more to it. While she couldn't put her finger on what, she did find herself wanting to travel the galaxy more, to experience new sensations and see new things.
"Yes, but Zonama Sekot… it was something more than anything else." Cam's lips twitched upward as he spoke. "There, everything is connected so… completely, that words fail to describe how incredible it was." He laughed, a sound she'd missed over the years, and shook his head. "At several points, Master Fay was acting like a Padawan constructing her first lightsaber."
Serra blinked in confusion, glad they were in the elevator as she was sure that statement would've caused her to forget how to walk for a moment. "Master Fay? Acting like a Padawan?" She spoke slowly, not believing the words she was repeating.
Cam continued to laugh. "Aye. It's something I'll never forget." The joy on his face made Serra smile as he'd seemed on edge ever since they'd met. Yet, that joy fell away as he continued. "Things went sideways after that though," he muttered as his shoulders slumped. Feeling a need to comfort him, she placed a hand on his arm, doing her best to ignore how firm it felt under his robes.
He looked at her, the smile returning slightly. He then patted her hand with his, sending ripples through the Force that Serra did her best to not react to. Yes, the closeness she felt with him excited her, but she understood this wasn't the time nor place to focus on them.
"The High Council has asked that I don't discuss the matter with others for now, and while I doubt they'll do what I feel is necessary, I'm prepared to wait and see. All I can say is that things were… tough for most of the year."
She offered him a smile as her hand gently squeezed his arm, and not because she enjoyed the feeling of power radiating from him. "It can't have been that bad. I mean, you're here." Again, there was a voice that wanted her to say more, that he was here with her, but she understood now that wasn't something to dwell on. Her friendship with Cam meant more than any unrequited feeling she may hold for him.
"More or less." She couldn't stop her gaze from shifting just enough that the scar over his eye was her focus. He turned back to face the door, waiting for it to open, Serra wondered if the scar came from the same battle that had wounded Fenrir. Now, there was a chance they'd both not been injured in battle, but the odds on that were slim enough that she discounted it quickly.
It was at that point that she realised the elevator wasn't descending into the bowels of the Temple but rising into the spire. Which was odd as apart from the Council of Reconciliation there was little in this spire but administration offices. Well, there was one of the larger hangers in the Temple. While that seemed the most likely place for them to be heading, she couldn't figure out why Cam wanted to take her. Unless he wanted to show her the Mandalorian ship he had. She'd heard about the vessel from Aayla and had been slightly jealous that the Twi'lek had gotten to travel with Cam and Bo for so long on it, but other than that, it held little interest to her. She simply wasn't as mechanically inclined as Cam was, which was saying something as Cam was far from the most technically inclined Padawan she knew.
She tensed slightly as she wondered if Bo-Katan would be present. She hadn't spoken to the Mandalorian girl in years, though that hadn't stopped Serra from thinking about her. No matter how much she was confused by those thoughts. To shift those thoughts, she returned her focus to Cam. He appeared calm, one hand resting on Fenrir's head while the other stayed on hers against his arm. Doing her best to ignore how comfortable he was with leaving his hand on hers, and the butterflies it was causing in her stomach, she tried to get a reading on him in the Force without making it obvious.
Those hints of anger and danger that had been blurred were stronger now she had a physical connection to him. Yet, unlike what she'd been told to expect from any tempted by the Dark Side, they didn't appear to be affecting him. What it did do was give him an edge, a sense of danger that Serra couldn't help but be intrigued by even as she wondered just what had happened to have him not only feel rage but keep it bottled down inside instead of releasing it into the Force as a Jedi was supposed to do.
"You know it's rude to read someone without asking." She almost jumped at his quiet words, and she did pull her hand from his arm as her heart rate spiked.
"S-sorry," she mumbled, suddenly missing the contact. "It's just… you've grown. And not just physically." His gaze shifted to her, those green eyes of his wandering over her frame made the butterflies inside frantic. "N-not that that's a bad thing, it's just…" He silenced her by placing a finger near her lips.
"I know, and while you've also grown," his eyes narrowed as they drifted lower for a moment sending a spike of longing through her, "I get what you mean." He lowered his finger and returned his gaze to the door even as he continued. "I'm more than willing to tell you how this has happened, within reason. However, as I just said, some things are restricted by the Council. As for others," he shrugged and smiled at some private joke, "well, let's just say it's better to show than tell."
Serra considered asking how he planned to show her, a faint hope inside sparking that he still felt something for her. Yet, that question was cut off by the doors opening. She followed him out, expecting to see a Mandalorian ship dominating the hanger, only to pause after a few steps at what was instead dominating the bay.
The ship was predominantly a dark shade of green, though there were patches of brown and black over the hull. None of those marks looked unintentional, and they seemed to give the ship an impression of speed even as it rested quietly in the middle of the bay as a dozen Jedi, and twice that in support staff, hovered around it. Yet, just as she moved to follow Cam toward this strange ship, she stopped and gasped as she felt something incredible from the Force. "How?!" She blurted out as she felt the ship reach out through the Force for Cam.
Cam turned back to her, a smile spreading rapidly over his face even as Fenrir continued to move toward the vessel. Before he could say anything, she was sending out a probe, wanting to understand how the kriff the vessel was able to not only generate a presence within the Force but use it in some form. The ship responded to her, sending back gentle vibrations in the Force, and at the same time, she felt it again reach out for Cam. Almost as if it wanted reassurance that she was to be trusted.
It honestly reminded Serra of how a pup behaved around its mother, which somehow made even less sense than the ship having a Force signature.
"As I said, on Zonama Sekot, everything was connected. From the plants and animals that called it home, to the ground and even the starships they built there for clients." Cam held out his hand, and she took it quickly, letting him guide her toward this marvel. "Master Fay was tasked with investigating two rumours from the Outer Rim. One dealt with a living planet, the other with a planet building unique starships for the rich and powerful. Unexpectedly, the rumours were both for the same planet."
Serra could feel Cam's joy, not only in the Force as he responded to the ship's probe, but in his voice. "She's beautiful," she said as a smile spread on her face as well.
"Aye, her name's the Jade Raven, or Raven for short," Cam added almost as an afterthought. To Serra, the name was perfect for her, and she could feel now that the vessel was indeed a she. As they neared, she saw the back of a familiar Jedi Master and reluctantly let her hand slide from Cam's.
"Ah, Padawan Shan, I hadn't expected you to return here so soon," Master Plo Koon began as he turned to face them. "Though seeing who's with you, I cannot say I'm surprised." He chuckled as Fenrir walked past him, seemingly unconcerned about the presence of the Jedi Master. "The first of many visitors to the Raven, hmm?" He asked with a chuckle.
"Master Koon." Serra bowed to the Council member even as Cam replied.
"I'd assume so. Serra was just the first I found." Serra felt her chest swell at Cam's words as she knew she wasn't the first he'd found. No, he'd sought her out, and when the chance to invite others was there, he'd chosen to keep this moment just for her.
"That isn't exactly a surprise, still, it is good you're here. The researchers are having difficulty with your travelling companions." Cam chuckled at Master Koon's words and turned to her even as he started moving toward Raven. She fell into step beside him, her eyes marvelling at the incredibly smooth surface of the vessel. So smooth, in fact, that bar where the engines extended from the rear, it was hard to see any indication of how and where the covering must've been applied.
"The hull, if you haven't already guessed, is organic, as is most of her internal design. Her more critical components are mechanical."
"Indeed, and it is those that our non-Jedi technicians are eager to examine," Master Koon added as he walked at Cam's other side. "She is truly a remarkable vessel, and not just for the fact we can feel her within the Force." The Kel Dor chuckled and stroked his chin just under his breathing mask. "I do believe even Master Yoda was shocked when Padawan Shan guided her into land. Now though, since you are here, perhaps you might convince your passengers to allow us entry to the vessel. They are quite insistent that they'll only do so with a word from you or Master Fay."
"Simvyl isn't exactly a passenger, Master," Cam said, his lips twitching as he spoke. "Though I doubt it's him that's causing the biggest headache."
"I wouldn't go that far, but yes, your other companion has been far more… descriptive as to what she'll do if we attempt to enter the vessel without your permission." The pair shared a laugh even as Serra reached out through the Force, wondering – and hoping a little – who the other companion was. She joined the others in smiling as she felt someone she'd not sensed in years but had hoped to see once again.
"Then if you'll excuse us, Master Koon, I'll get to work convincing them to allow the researchers and engineers access." The Kel Dor Jedi Master nodded and moved off toward a group of four Jedi who were gathered near the front of the vessel while Cam led Serra to the landing ramp that extended down under the middle of Raven.
There she saw a black-furred Cathar making some rather animated gestures toward a trio of non-Jedi engineers. None of them looked happy about dealing with the Cathar and Serra didn't have to do anything to sense irritation and anger from all four.
"And as I told you, this ship belongs to C…" the Cathar's rant stopped mid-word as he caught sight of Cam. "Cameron." Serra's brow rose as the Cathar bowed to Cam. Seeing a Cathar travelling with Cam was odd, given the race's long-standing issues with the Mandalorians. Yet, seeing one show such respect to Cam… Now Serra really wanted to know what had happened on Zonama Sekot. "These… individuals insist they have the permission of the Jedi High Council to enter. However, neither you nor Master Fay left instructions saying anyone could board."
Cam chuckled even as he shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think it was your idea to enforce this so aggressively." He glanced into the ship, to where Serra knew Bo-Katan was standing, though she couldn't see the redhead from her current location. Cam turned to the engineers. "If you could give me some time, I'll help them disembark and then you can carry out your examination." The lead of the trio, a green-skinned Twi'lek, nodded and moved to say something only for Cam to take a step toward them. "However, if I sense the ship in distress because you are… overly zealous in your actions… Well, then I might just allow my companions to speak with you privately."
"Um, yes, but, uh, the High Council wishes us to begin our examination as soon as possible," the Twi'lek struggled to get out as Cam glared at them. While Serra knew he could be imposing, she felt it was the way Fenrir was now standing next to the Cathar, his spinal crests bent back slightly, which was the main reason for the fear radiating from the engineers.
"And you can. Once my companions have disembarked and removed their personal belongings," Cam shot back. Serra was barely able to muffle her laughter when the Twi'lek nodded almost frantically, and then the trio scampered away after Fenrir snorted.
"Greetings," Serra turned to see the Cathar had approached, one hand extended toward her. "I'm Simvyl, a member of the Antarian Rangers and sworn warrior to Cameron Shan."
"Um, Padawan Serra Keto," she replied awkwardly as she shook the furred hand of the Cathar. Her gaze shifted to Cam, wondering why someone, particularly a Cathar, had sworn themselves to him. The more she heard about this last mission of his, the more questions formed without any answers being provided. She'd heard of the Antarian Rangers, though she'd never met any before today, and that they often worked with specific Jedi repeatedly, but it was rare for one to swear themselves to a Jedi. Never mind a Padawan who not only travelled with a Mandalorian but who was one as well.
"I can't go into details," Cam began, understanding her confusion, "but after the mission, Simvyl swore himself to my side." Yeah, that didn't really explain anything, something Serra made clear with a creased brow.
"While my fellow Rangers fell, they were avenged in the war. But I still want the Vong to pay for their actions." Serra felt her brow crease at the fire in Simvyl's words and the new batch of questions that formed in her mind. Who or what were the Vong and what war did they fight in? If a Jedi fought in a war, why hadn't other Jedi come to help, why hadn't the High Council sent Cam and Master Fay support, and why was Simvyl sworn to Cam when it would've been Master Fay leading?
"Simvyl, the High Council has asked us to remain silent about what happened on Zonama Sekot," Serra could sense the Cathar's fury rising, "at least until they've reached a decision on how to handle future problems with the Vong."
Simvyl's rage bled away, though like what she'd sensed from Cam, Serra realised he didn't let go of it. It was also at this point she realised Simvyl was young, perhaps only a handful of years older than her and Cam. His fur and face lacked the same shifts she'd seen in Cathar Knights that were missing in the handful of Cathar Initiates and Padawans within the Order.
"Understood," Simvyl replied with a nod. "Do you think they'll agree to your recommendation?"
"We'll see." It was easy for Serra to hear the doubt in Cam's voice, which made her wonder what the recommendation was. For most Jedi that she knew, Serra would wonder why they doubted the Council would listen to them, but she knew Cam wasn't like most Jedi. He had his own opinions and often doubted decisions the Council in general, and Order as a whole took. After Mandalore and her most recent mission, she was beginning to understand why that was.
"Very well." Simvyl seemed almost resigned to that, though she sensed a flicker of renewed determination from within the Cathar. All of this just made Serra even more curious about what had happened on Zonama Sekot with these Vong; which she assumed was an alien race or cult that she'd never heard of before.
"Finally finished talking with those di'kute in the high tower, eh?" Serra's head turned to look up the ramp into the Raven to see Bo-Katan had moved into sight. Fenrir had moved up the ramp, leaning into Bo-Katan's touch with as much apparent comfort as he had when Cam had petted him earlier. She felt a flicker of jealousy at how easily the tuk'ata accepted Bo-Katan, even as the redhead's eyes seemed to spark as she saw Serra. "At least you brought something nice back with you."
"Play nice," Cam commented as Bo-Katan moved down the ramp. Serra fought to keep a rush of heat from her cheeks as she took in the other girl's face for the first time in years. She'd grown, as expected, though Serra noted her ponytails were longer now, and the green eyes, darker than Cam's, had a hardness to them, making it clear she'd seen combat with Cam. Bo-Katan's black bodysuit did nothing to stop Serra's mind from wandering as the other woman walked toward her, nor Serra's eyes from drifting over the way it held Bo-Katan's hips.
As Bo-Katan neared, a confident, assured smirk danced on her lips, and Serra suddenly felt nervous. It was as if she was reliving her nightmare standing in front of the Council without her robe. Before that fear manifested, Serra pushed it aside and moved forward to greet Bo-Katan.
Bo-Katan gave her a nod as they grasped forearms, relieving Serra as she'd feared if they hugged Bo-Katan would hear how her heart was racing. "Where were you the last time he came back?" Bo-Katan asked as her fingers tightly gripped Serra's forearms.
"On a mission with my Master. We arrived back just after you and Cam left," Serra replied. She had to ignore and let go of her returning annoyance at how she'd missed Cam – and Bo-Katan – a year ago by a mere week on either side of Cam's return to the Temple. "It's good to see you," she added with a smile.
"Aye, you too." Bo-Katan's gaze wandered downward, taking in Serra's frame. When her eyes hesitated on her chest, Serra shifted her stance pushing it forward a little. "And I see you've grown." Back on Mandalore, Serra hadn't known how to react to Bo-Katan's advances or those of others. Now though, with time to grow and mature, she felt more confident in her frame; especially as she'd outgrown the Mandalorian warrior in a few areas.
Serra proved her confidence, even as she felt her face heat up, by running her eyes over Bo-Katan's frame again. "As have you." The redhead's face shifted, the smirk growing more assertive, more aggressive, and Serra suddenly felt like she'd been presented to a rancor at mealtime.
"Bo."
Bo-Katan looked over Serra's shoulder, her smile losing some of its predatory tint. "What? You can't tell me she hasn't grown in some appealing ways." Serra wanted to look back, to see how Cam reacted, but she didn't. She wasn't the same love-struck young girl she'd been, even if those feelings that she'd thought she'd buried were crawling back. However, merely not seeing Cam didn't mean she couldn't tell his reaction. The sharp, focused spike of desire radiating from him made her weak in the knees.
"She has, but behave."
"Sure," Bo-Katan responded. She met Serra's gaze and then rolled her eyes, making Serra chuckle. "Keep pretending you're not thinking the same thing I am." A fire burned in Serra's cheeks, as images from her dreams surged into her consciousness, which brought a feral grin to Bo-Katan's face. "Or that she is," Bo-Katan muttered, shifting forward slightly, leaving Serra unsure of how she should react, or how she wanted to.
"How about, before you attempt to seduce a Padawan inside the Jedi Temple, you give her a guided tour first?" Serra looked over her shoulder to see Cam smiling at Bo-Katan's actions. She wondered if he understood that letting Bo-Katan guide her into the Raven would remove them from the sight of the other Jedi. "While you do that, I'll take Simvyl with me and arrange rooms for you two in the Temple." He held up a hand. "No, you can't stay on Raven. The High Council will be examining every centimetre of her day and night and I'd rather not get a call in the middle of the night, every night, saying you've injured, or done worse to, a random Jedi."
"I'd only annoy them," Bo-Katan shot back, though even without the odd inflexion in her tone Serra wouldn't have believed her. Though that inflexion made Serra wonder just how close Bo-Katan had gotten to Cam. She could feel the desire radiating from both of them, though Cam was working to hide it. Part of her was jealous, but worryingly for her – at least in reference to her dreams – another part of her was intrigued. "Still, Serra's far more pleasurable than most Jedi to spend time with." Serra didn't need to look at Bo-Katan to know the redhead was licking her lips.
"Then I leave her in your capable hands. Just don't break her." Serra's eyes threatened to explode with how wide they got as Cam turned and walked away. As she slowly turned back to Bo-Katan, her mind unhelpfully pulled back those dreams she was trying to ignore.
As Fenrir walked down the ramp, sliding past the pair without a care in the world, Bo-Katan smiled and her hand slipped down Serra's arm to her hand. "Come on. While this ship is odd, it's amazing."
Serra let Bo-Katan pull her up the ramp, feeling the Force shift around her as the Raven sensed her presence. Tentatively she reached out with her free hand and then gasped when her fingers grazed against one section of panelling. With physical contact, the ship's signature within the Force was easier to experience. It was alien in a way Serra could barely comprehend, and yet it reminded her heavily of Cam, making Serra feel instantly safe with her hull. The ship was happy to feel her, meet her, though that might possibly be because with how strong Cam's presence was within the Raven's signature she simply recognized Serra because of him.
"She wants to fly," she muttered, earning a chuckle from Bo-Katan.
"Oh, she can. Believe me on that. Once these Jetii have finished doing whatever they want to do, talk to Cam. I don't think it would take much to convince him to take you," Bo-Katan paused there, making Serra's mind wander to places she'd rather not when with company. Bo-Katan chuckled, "for a flight, I mean."
Bo-Katan turned and pulled Serra further into the ship, forcing her to break the physical connection with the Raven. Yet, as they moved, Serra could feel the ship reaching out, curious about who she was and how the ship felt it knew her. That allowed Serra to ignore the fire that was growing inside, the one that wanted her to risk her friendships with Cam and Bo-Katan to see, no, to confirm, if they felt the same about her as she did about them.
… …
… …
Just over a week after returning to Coruscant, and still waiting for a decision from the High Council – though Fay didn't expect one to be made for at least a month – I was walking through a starport near the Temple. At my side was Bo and behind her was a small hovercart. While she, like me, had left most of her spare equipment on Zonama Sekot when we'd left, she'd insisted I help her restock. And since she knew about my Inventory, she'd tried to get me to 'acquire' certain equipment. While I hadn't agreed – simply because with the sheer number of security cameras in those locations even I'd have had trouble pulling a heist off – she had been very inventive in her methods of persuasion.
The sound of a ship's engines flaring as it descended drew my attention. The vessel coming in to land at the private landing pad should've been Bo's ride, and any doubt was pushed from my mind as I took in the vessel. Unlike the Ne'tra Sartr – and any other Kom'rk class ships that had been produced – this one didn't have any extravagant moving parts. Instead, it looked solid and utilitarian, build for combat and working than the more elegant look the Ne'tra Sartr, which was commissioned by a group of New Mandalorians, did. Compounding that was the two-dozen weapon mounts I could see with my Force-boosted vision which likely had caused issues with Coruscanti security.
"I assume that's your ride?"
Bo chuckled. "Probably. Not many mando'ade on this osik'palon." I smirked at her response, as since we'd left the Temple, it was the longest sentence she'd used. As we passed through the last security checkpoint, she returned to her silent ways, leaving me to once more deal with the staff. They weren't happy about how heavily armed Bo was, nor the hovercart of supplies behind us, but the fact a Jedi was escorting her seemed to placate most of their issues.
Once we were through that checkpoint and had begun walking toward the landing platform, my mind turned back to why Bo was being so silent. Since she was heading home to Mandalore – the civil war was officially over – I'd chosen to escort her here, though before we'd left the Temple entirely, Bo had said her goodbyes to Serra, Simvyl, and Fenrir outside the walls of the Temple.
She'd petted Fenrir and asked him to take good care of me, though not by making me avoid battle. Fenrir, seemingly understanding what was happening, had leaned into her touch more than he'd usually do, and then whined as she'd pulled back. Her interaction with Simvyl had been short and polite, at least in Bo's terms, but they parted as comrades, most of the tension over their cultures having drifted away because of what we'd all endured together. However it was her goodbye to Serra, and the spectacle that had caused that I felt was why Bo was staying silent, and what my mind found hard to not think about while we walked.
On the steps of the Jedi Temple, with various other Jedi standing around for differing reasons – including Master Drallig who didn't seem to trust Bo – everything had seemingly been going fine. Serra had hugged Bo, much to Bo's irritation. A smirk was followed by a whispered word and after Serra glanced my way, her cheeks reddening, Bo had caught her lips and kissed her rather passionately. Initially, Serra had frozen, fear and confusion radiating from her, but then, much to my surprise, she'd started to return the kiss.
As Serra's hands had begun to wander, Master Drallig had coughed loudly, making Serra all but jump back from the embrace. She then retreated a few steps, almost tripping as she did so. Bo had laughed at Serra's behaviour, and when she turned to face me, she'd winked, though it was clear from her face that she'd enjoyed the kiss as much as Serra had.
Of course, Bo hadn't given me the chance to comment on things before she'd marched over and pulled my head down to her. Unlike Serra, I wasn't caught out by the kiss, and more than happily returned it. Yes, doing so on the steps of the Jedi Temple wasn't going to look good to many, but given I was letting Bo leave the planet, and making no effort to hold onto her, they had little ground to stand on. Attachments were forbidden by the Order, but I'd discovered that there was little directly against physical relationships so long as they didn't evolve into much more than friends-with-benefits. While some might still raise an issue with one-night-stands, most would, I expected, let such things go.
When we pulled back, a wicked smile crept onto Bo's face before she walked off without saying or doing anything. After glancing at Serra – and letting her know that we'd talk once I was back – and then making sure Fenrir stayed with Simvyl, I had headed off after the Mandalorian female. Though before we'd arrived at the starport, and its various checkpoints, Bo had dragged me to restock her munitions.
As we rounded a corner, we saw a group of five Mandalorians approaching. All bore the sigil of Clan Kryze over the right shoulder. Four of them bore a smaller sigil just below that, and I recognized two of them as marks of clans within House Kryze. The fifth wore a sigil I didn't recognize on his right pauldron, though given the flash of excitement – mixed with some concern – coming from her, Bo did.
"Cam," Bo began as she stopped and turned to me. She slid her helmet off, letting me have one final moment of seeing her face. I knew I'd see her again, not least via the Holonet, but I didn't know when or where I'd next get to see her in person. She opened her mouth to say something, only to stop and push back a bang of hair that had fallen over her brow. "Look, I suck at this, but… take care of yourself."
I smirked. "Are you going soft on me, Miss Kryze?" She threw a punch with the arm not holding her helmet, but I trapped that against my side. Before she could react, I decided to turn the tables on her, and pulled her in close, my lips capturing hers.
As normal, she semi-fought against my grip, though this time there was more to it than just a need to prove she wasn't some weak-willed girl. Perhaps that was because of who the fifth approaching Mandalorian was, but since she'd caused a scene at the Temple, I felt I owed it to her to return the favour this one last time. It was a shame she was wearing her armour as it prevented me from physically squeezing her arse, but the way she squeaked when I did so with the Force more than made up for that.
"I was under the impression that our father sent you with Alor Cameron to explore the galaxy, not seek out a riduur." I ended the kiss abruptly as the speaker started, recognizing the voice almost instantly. Bo pulled back just as fast, a glare falling away as soon as she turned to the speaker.
"Dorgo!" She called, moving forward quickly; though not too quickly so she didn't, at least to me, look needy to greet her brother. Dorgo pulled her into a hug as the four warriors with him moved into defensive positions around us. I knew it was standard procedure, but given I had Detection running, I knew there were over three thousand sentients within a kilometre of us, though none within two hundred metres. At least on this level or above us. Seeing I had a moment, I used Observe on each in turn and then on Dorgo. While none of the escorts stood out, I now had names to go with the sigils, and knowledge was power. As for Dorgo, it seemed he'd grown a fair bit over the last few years fighting in the civil war.
Dorgo Kryze
Race: Human
Level: 26
Health: 100%
Age: 25
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Liked
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (86%) Mandalorian Protectors (34%)
Emotional State: Happy/Curious/Jealous
Dorgo is happy to see his sister again after many years and intrigued by how close you have become with her.
He is, however, slightly jealous as he hasn't managed to move on fully from the death of his wife and son, even if he executed the one responsible for planning the attack on Sundari.
…
Race: Human
Level: 26
Health: 100%
Age: 25
Force Potential: Minimal
Threat Potential: Low
Reputation: Liked
Affiliation Loyalty: Clan Kryze (86%) Mandalorian Protectors (34%)
Emotional State: Happy/Curious/Jealous
Dorgo is happy to see his sister again after many years and intrigued by how close you have become with her.
He is, however, slightly jealous as he hasn't managed to move on fully from the death of his wife and son, even if he executed the one responsible for planning the attack on Sundari.
…
Yeah, gaining five levels in three years was impressive, though, given the hell for leather he'd have been going through while seeking revenge, it made sense. I was also glad he'd gotten revenge for the deaths of his family, though what stood out was that, unlike when I'd met him years ago, he no longer held any loyalty to the New Mandalorians or the Death Watch. That was a big change, though him simply being alive was likely a larger one to canon, and should ensure Bo didn't join the Death Watch, which was the base objective for her linked quest; Flight of the Owl.
"Ven'alor Dorgo, it's been some time," I said once he'd let her go, using his title of clan heir. Dorgo, according to Bo, wouldn't have any major challengers for leadership of Clan Kryze whenever Adonai passed on, however, there would be clans that tried to wrest control of the house from him.
Bo glared at me, almost daring me to say something about the public display of care for her brother. I didn't, but that was more because I didn't want to ruin a family moment than poke fun at my friend/lover. I did wonder if Bo would react to me if it was three years before we saw each other again, but I doubted it. She'd either challenge me to a spar or drag me to a private room; probably both and in that order.
Dorgo nodded though his helmet stayed on, a marked change from how he'd behaved before the death of his wife and son. "Alor Cameron, it is good to see you again," he said as he clasped my forearm. His calling me chief was odd, as while it was technically accurate, it was a clan of one. "Though I wonder if perhaps I should call you vod now?"
"Dorgo!" I chuckled even as Bo slammed an armoured hand against her brother's armour. The crushgaunts were secured and hidden on the hovercart as, according to Republic law, they were considered illegal weapons. I'd had to convince Bo to hide them simply for expediency rather than keep them on and be forced to fight our way through security. I'd actually been surprised at how easily she'd agreed but given I'd only brought this up after the hovercart was overflowing with weaponry, she was probably in a good mood. "Unlike you, I don't hold to the tradition that the first we bed is to be our mate. Else I'd have been wed long before we met Cam."
Dorgo looked between his sister and me. "Cam now is it?" Even with the helmet on, I could see the eyebrow rising. "Still, I do hope you've been keeping my little sister out of trouble." I wasn't sure which one of us was first, but it only took a few seconds before Bo and I were laughing in his face. "What happened this time?" He asked with a sigh. That only made us laugh harder.
"Well, let's see," Bo began after the moment of levity had passed. "On a Jetii-sanctioned mission, we ended up on a world you'll have to see the recording of to believe. A few weeks after being there, and after the Jetii brought in more wealth than I've ever seen, the Ne'tra Sartr was destroyed and the planet was invaded. Cam here slaughtered the first group of aliens, the Vong, and then started an insurgency war that lasted most of the year. The war finally ended after he bested the Vong leader in single combat."
About halfway through Bo's short speech, Dorgo had locked his helmet on me and I sensed curiosity and disbelief from his guard. I shrugged as Bo finished. "That's the short version of things, but yeah, that happened."
"Impressive," Dorgo commented after a few moments had passed for him to process what he'd just heard. "I'd love to hear more of this adventure, perhaps over some ne'tra gal?"
"While I'd like that, the Council has requested that I not discuss the mission with others until they've had time to discuss certain elements of it," I replied before glancing at Bo. "However, they didn't explicitly state that Bo and others with me couldn't discuss the matter, nor share any recordings her armour might have made." Bo's eyes lit up at hearing that, and worried she'd show recordings of me losing control, I added a caveat. "Though only show the recordings to people you trust."
I could've asked her to not show any to anyone, but that would be imposing on her. Yes, I wasn't keen on others seeing that I'd drawn on the Dark Side so readily, but so long as Bo only showed them to her family, Naz, and perhaps one or two others, things should be fine. Otherwise, if she showed them to a large number of people, not only would word get back to the High Council, but I'd probably have dozens of Mandalorians showing up for duels.
Bo smirked mischievously and I already knew she planned to show her family and others recordings we'd not shared with Master Fay or the High Council. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."
"And here I thought it was the regular combat, buying you replacement munitions, and the all-night sex that kept you around?"
"Well," she began, dragging out the word, "there is that." She moved closer and pulled my head down to her ear. "Take care, and when Serra finally works up the courage to take what she wants, make sure she enjoys it." Her lips caught my cheek for a moment before she continued. "And once you've finally broken her of those silly Jetii ideals, I want a piece. Oh, I'm sure Naz wants some as well." She pulled back, a wicked grin plastered on her face as my mind fought to not get lost in the images her words had generated. "Ret'urcye mhi."
I nodded before replying. "K'oyacyi." She took a further step back as I offered a small prayer to the Force to keep us both safe until we could meet again. I doubted I'd have a quiet year or so until Naboo was invaded, provided that still happened, but I'd take any help I could to ensure I made it safely there, along with Bo. While I'd not admit it openly, I was going to miss her deeply, and not just for the sex.
Bo slid on her helmet and moved off with her brother. The hovercart was given a scan before two of the escorts took control of it. I watched them go, wondering when I'd next see them even as my mind tried hard to not wander back to the imagery Bo had created with her whispered words.
… …
… …
I tried to remain calm as I waited in the private Holonet suite in the Temple. While I doubted Dooku was going to be upset with my actions against the Vong, I was nervous that he, like Fay, would be critical of many of the choices I'd made. I doubted he would be, but the fact was I was more concerned about his opinion than Fay's; a change of perspective I hadn't expected when I'd first been assigned as their Padawan and been drawn to Fay.
Soon enough the console blinked and beeped before Dooku appeared as a blue hologram. "Master," I said, lowering my head slightly.
"Padawan, I'm led to believe that you wish to discuss your most recent mission, and the unusual circumstances around it," he replied, diving straight into the topic without any need for common pleasantries.
"That's certainly one way to phrase things, Master." My reply was accompanied by a chuckle. A shift in his brow made it clear he wanted me to begin. While I was reluctant to go into great detail over the Holonet – not least I felt the Sith already had the channels monitored, or at least those linked to Dooku, Fay, myself, the High Council, and others of note – I wanted him up to date on events, and to see how he felt about the mission. Fay had already contacted him and offered up a brief synopsis of events, but Dooku would want a complete picture before offering an opinion.
Thus, with him waiting patiently, I began to recount my tale.
…
"The Council are still deliberating on the matter, Master, though I'm concerned they'll downplay or outright dismiss my concerns over the threat the Vong pose."
That was how, over two hours later, I finished my recounting of events to Dooku. Like the Council, he stopped me at times to ask questions, both in what I was saying and in correlation to Fay's words and files she'd sent him. However, his questions hadn't delayed me too long as, unlike the Council, it was only his opinions that came up. Oddly, when it came up that I'd drawn on my anger against the Vong, he never stopped me to ask a question. Something both the Council and Fay had done.
"As Master Fay has no doubt told you, the Council will take their time deliberating on any matter they consider significant, so take some heart that they are at least doing that. That said, I suspect they won't deem these Vong as serious a threat as you believe them to be, and while some of the Council may agree with you, they will present a unified front when they offer their judgement." Even through the Holonet, I could sense Dooku's disdain with the Council, though there was little hint of it in his voice. "Either before they reach their decision, or perhaps in the weeks after, certain members of the Council may seek you out for further information on the Vong."
"Masters Koon and Giiett have both spoken to me about the Vong, Master," I replied. Giiett had asked about how similar the Vong were to other races and what I knew of their standing on the Force, though there was little I could offer to him there that might be helpful.
Plo Koon had been interested in their technology, though he'd moved to the topic subtly by first asking questions about Raven after I'd taken him and a few others on a short flight on her. To say she adored flying or breaking through the ozone layer and letting the light of a star kiss against her flesh without an atmosphere in the way was like saying a fish could swim. A feeling several Jedi had commented on upon returning to the Temple. Master Tiin had taken nearly a dozen trips in Raven in the roughly three weeks since I'd returned to the Temple; more so than anyone else. In a rare moment of bonding, he spoke of feeling some envy about my bond to Raven and an interest, which would go unfulfilled since Jedi scouts had confirmed Zonama Sekot was no longer in the system, in gaining such a vessel for himself.
"Now, regarding your choices during this conflict," he paused, and I steeled myself, wondering where he'd find critiques or my actions. "While there are several places where I feel you could have, perhaps, chosen a different course or action, I would feel more comfortable discussing them in person. Your choices, based on what you would have known at the time, are logical and practical; though several likely raised issues with the High Council." He didn't have to say it, but the plan to capture and interrogate, and when that failed, dissecting a Vong was one of those moments. "As for your performance in combat, while there likely were moments in combat where I suspect your form was improper, without direct first-hand experience of them, I will not offer judgement, only relief that you emerged alive and well. While I reserve judgement on your combat proficiency with this Mandalorian blade until we have sparred with you using it, the fact it seemingly was able to pierce Vong armour with greater ease than a lightsaber negates most of my complaints about your use of the blade."
"Choosing to enrage the Vong leader to provoke ritual combat was something most Jedi would never have considered, though it was a pragmatic choice; doubly so since you emerged from it victorious and without risking the lives of those with you. While Master Fay is as skilled a diplomat as any Jedi, she can, like many members of the Order, be blind to moments where words cannot achieve the desired result. Such instances are nowhere near as rare as many in the Order and on the High Council might believe; however, your continual preference to using a lightsaber to solve issues is, perhaps, a troubling trend you need dissuading from. Subtlety, coercion, and an ability to adapt to any situation are far more likely to keep you alive than relying on the same method repeatedly to handle any difficulties that may arise in life."
I nodded along as he spoke. While I was glad he wasn't as critical of my choices as Fay or the High Council were – though in her defence, with time to reflect, Fay accepted that my actions had been effective – his commentary and the ability to turn this into a lesson had more of an effect on me. I didn't deny that I'd developed a tendency to solve issues with a lightsaber, nor that there were other ways to handle situations. Perhaps it was time I gave some thought to less Force-based approaches to conflict resolution.
"With that said, I will review the data you and Master Fay have sent me more concisely and if I feel there is anything more to discuss, I will contact you directly." He seemed to lean back though it was hard to tell since the hologram was only showing his upper body. "Now, is there anything else you wish to discuss?"
I took a moment to think about other events that had occurred since I'd last spoken to him. Dooku wouldn't care about my relationship with Bo; at least, so long as it didn't become a weakness or interfere with my choices. Something proven wasn't the case given I'd let her go without any issue. Nor would he care particularly about the loss of the Ne'tra Sartr or the gaining of a loyal friend in Simvyl, though Dooku would likely consider him a follower. And nothing was going on at the Temple that would interest him; certainly not Serra's attempts to appear not unbalanced by Bo's behaviour on the Temple steps. That left a single subject of conversation, and while I'd prefer not to ever deal with it, avoiding the matter was worse. "How goes your project with your former Padawan?"
As Dooku watched me silently for a few seconds, I pushed down a spike of rage at what Vosa had subjected me to. She wasn't here now, and if I couldn't control my desire for vengeance when simply discussing her with Dooku, then I'd never be able to face her again. Though that might not be the worst outcome. "I'm impressed you would bring up Komari willingly, particularly after your last mission. Though you doing so does seem logical since both that mission and the one against the Bando Gora involved… difficult situations." He paused and looked away for a moment. "Regarding her, progress has been slow, even more than I had anticipated. As I've said, I don't believe Komari can ever rejoin the Order, however, there exists a possibility that she may have other uses as an unaligned Force user."
"That is… good to hear," I managed to get out without grinding my teeth. There was still an urge to simply find and execute her, one I felt Bo and others would support. That said, I could see what Dooku was trying to do, or at least felt I could. Vosa was skilled with her lightsabers and held connections to the galactic underworld. If Dooku was able to rehabilitate her enough that she could regain some trust – a very high bar to clear in my opinion – then those connections could be invaluable with the chaos to come. Though I knew the next time I met her, it would be a struggle to contain my desire to rip her limb from limb, however, that urge had been tempered by spending some time with Player's Mind active to analyse Dooku's decision free of any emotional baggage.
"There is no need to appear amenable, Cameron. Your opinion of Komari Vosa is understandable and entirely expected after what you endured. The fact you would bring her up openly shows you've begun to heal from the trauma she inflicted upon you and see possibilities of using her as an asset."
"Yes, Master." While I could discuss the matter further, I had no interest in doing so, only mentioning her to gain an update on when Dooku might return. Plus, the longer I spent thinking about that bitch, the longer I risked my rage growing to a point Dark Side Masking wouldn't be able to protect me from some rather uncomfortable questions.
Dooku gave a single nod and then the connection was cut, leaving me alone in the communication suite. Putting aside the abrupt ending to the call, which was in keeping with Dooku's nature to be precise, I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. While I didn't feel at risk of losing control, I wanted the fury inside buried before my next call connected. I let some residual anger toward Vosa slide into the Force, knowing Fay would've sensed it. Plus, hanging onto it was pointless since I could instantly recall every moment of my time under Vosa's care with ease thanks to Eidetic Memory.
I sat with my eyes closed, settling my thoughts with techniques taught to me by Fay and Healer Allie until there was a bleep from the console in front of me. Opening my eyes, I saw it was internal communication. "Yes?"
"Padawan Shan, the second call you wished to make has been connected," whoever was responsible for the Holonet connections with the Temple replied, "However, due to the distance involved, there may be some delay or signal degradation." The person manning the communication centre was probably, like many in the Temple, not a Jedi but a civilian who worked for the Order, though there was the possibility that they were a failed Padawan or Youngling that had an aptitude for technology.
"Understood." The channel clicked closed and the Holonet unit flared into life, quickly showing a young Human boy. "Hello, Anakin."
"Cam!" Anakin shouted loud enough that I winced. He seemed to be sitting in a seat – probably somewhere in the Lokella station – though if he kept moving around he'd soon fall from it. The Lokella now had Holonet access thanks to a plan put in motion by Fay before we'd journeyed to Zonama Sekot with some funds from my book sales. The connection wasn't great, as the tech had explained, with there being brief flickers in the image of Anakin, but it was better than them being cut off entirely from the wider galaxy. Plus, it'd allow me to remain in contact with Anakin easier in the following years before I decided exactly what to do with him.
A smile came to my face as, even though I was thousands of lightyears from him, I could sense his joy and delight; the innocence of youth that was no longer restrained by slavery. That sense of wonder, of freedom, had grown stronger since I'd last seen him and was a refreshing change from the chaos, pain, and war I'd dealt with for the last year. "How have you been?"
"Great!" His smile somehow grew, threatening to split his face in half. For a moment, I wondered if he'd done something incredible or stupid; or, given who I was talking to, both simultaneously. "Baalta's been letting me learn about the ships we have! I've even gotten to pilot the Freerunner and others around the system!"
I laughed as I imagined Anakin sitting in the pilot's chair of a CR-90, and the faces of the rest of the bridge crew when their captain allowed and encouraged it. The only worry I had was that he might get to use the weaponry, but I suspected Shmi would murder someone if they allowed that. "Sounds like fun."
"Yeah, it was wizard!"
Anakin started detailing his adventures, and as I leaned back in my chair, I felt some of the weight on my shoulders ease. Even if it returned once the call was over, the momentary break from worrying about the Council's decision regarding the Vong was a relief, and once the call was over, I'd have to find a way to thank Fay. That did remind me that one day I'd have to have Anakin meet Serra, but that, similar to wondering how long it would take Serra to make her move, was a contemplation for another day. For now, I would enjoy this moment of freedom and revel in the faint sense of wonder I felt from Anakin.
… …
… …
"Therefore, after careful consideration of the evidence submitted, it is the judgement of this Council that while the Vong are a concern due to their apparent resistance to directed applications of the Force, they are not to be designated a threat to the stability of the Order. Nor of the Galactic Republic. However, we reserve the right to return to this decision if further incursions into Republic space occur."
As Windu gave the Council's verdict, I clenched my fist so tightly that I knew my knuckles were white. While they at least weren't dismissing the threat out of hand, the fact they were designating the Vong as nothing more than a potential concern was short-sighted at best. Couldn't they see how short-sighted they were being in only reacting retroactively? Were they too bogged down in the minor issues of kowtowing to the Senate that they lacked the will to face a true threat without the say-so of that group of self-serving morons? Haran, would they even get off their collective arses for anything other than the return of the Sith or a galactic war?
I took a step forward, my rage bubbling away inside as insults and counterarguments gathered on my tongue. Given how some of the Council were watching me, with Evan Piell's eye narrowing the more I stewed, there was little doubt they could sense my fury at their decision, yet the gentlest of touches on my arm along with a calm wave from Master Fay, who was standing to my side, was enough to stay my actions.
That calming touch and wave were enough to settle enough of my fury that I could see that raging at the Council openly would do nothing but harden their stance. Along with renewing the issues many had with me. The Council had made their decision. It was a stupid-arsed one, one that I'd likely ignore, but it was theirs to make. Though now I'd have to spend time meditating and thinking on how to approach the future threat the Vong would pose. Yes, it might be years or decades after the Clone Wars that they invaded, but they were coming so I had to take steps to prepare for that.
"You disagree with our decision, Padawan?" Windu asked as he leaned forward, staring intently at me.
"Yes, Master Windu," I began before taking a second to breathe deeply before engaging Player's Mind. "This is a mistake. The Vong force we encountered was a probing force. The very tip of the spear of their military. We were beyond lucky to drive them from the world, and only an act no one considered possible prevented them from recapturing and holding Zonama Sekot. We did NOT, in point of fact, defeat them, or drive them away from a military perspective." Player's Mind helped me push the rage inside away from my words as I knew if the Council sensed my anger behind them, they'd dismiss my objections instantly. They still might, but this offered me a higher chance that at least some of them might listen. "If they were to invade the Republic, the unusual nature of their weaponry, and their fanatical devotion to whatever cause it is they're following will result in the deaths of billions, if not trillions before the Republic and the Order can counter them." Though that was if, in the current climate, they even could. The Ruusan Reformation was the most ill-advised pile of bullshit I'd ever seen and the Vong just proved that in spades.
"The Council understands your concerns. However, given that you, along with a single Mandalorian and Antarian Ranger – who, like you, haven't fought in major conflicts before – managed to harry and then drive the initial invasion force from the planet suggest you're overplaying their threat." If not for Player's Mind I'd have likely been staring at Saesse Tiin as he dismissed my warnings as that ranting of children as if he'd suddenly grown four more horns, and a tail and started carrying a pitchfork. As it was, there was a moment when I wondered if the horns somehow interfered with how Iktotchi brains worked.
"While we don't agree with the Council's choice on the matter, we will accept it." That came from Fay as she cut in before I was able to respond to Tiin's dismissal, though I'd already decided he was no longer allowed on Raven. I looked at Fay, wondering why she was cutting off the debate only to sense her unease with the Council's decision. "If that is all?"
"It is." Fay bowed at Windu's blunt dismissal, and I copied her move a moment later, though not before silently wondering which Council members wouldn't need removing to have the body reverse their decision.
"Padawan Shan," I stopped and looked back at Plo Koon. "Perhaps we might speak later, I wish to continue our discussions regarding the Raven's unusual construction."
"Of course, Master." After a nod of thanks from the Kel Dor, I followed Fay from the chamber. As I disengaged Player's Mind the anger at the Council's decision came flowing back, though, with just a little bit of time to temper it, it wasn't risking overflowing. I was further calmed as Fenrir, who'd stayed in the atrium outside the High Council chamber, stood with a loud yawn. That disturbed the other Jedi waiting for their turn to speak with the Council, which made me smirk. That evolved into a smile as Fenrir walked over and pushed his head against my shoulder as if he knew I was angered by the Council and was offering support. Though whether that meant in general, or a desire to kill those angering me I couldn't be sure. He was bred for battle after all.
"I know you are unhappy with the Council's decision, Cameron," Fay began as the elevator doors closed and we descended back to the Temple proper. "However, there is little we can do to change their minds at present. However, if we can turn up further evidence of the Vong within the galaxy, most likely from private investigations, then we can present that to them. Nor did they say nothing was preventing us from considering strategies to prepare for when the Vong return."
I offered her a smile in thanks. While I doubted she'd approve of many of the ideas I had for countering the Vong in war, the fact she trusted my judgement regarding the Vong was encouraging. "That is true, Master. And thank you."
Fay smiled in return before looking out of the elevator, taking in the planet. "While there will always be times when we disagree on matters, and where I disapprove of your choices, the Force is accepting of our methods. That, along with having watched you grow into a fine young man, one worthy of one day being a leader of our Order, helps guide me to trust your opinion on this matter. Though in future, I would advise caution with how you respond to a Council decision. Questioning their decisions will only entrench them further with those more opposed to your opinions. Nor will using your odd Force technique of calming and blocking your mind help ease their concerns regarding your actions."
"Yes, Master." Fay wasn't wrong as the Council would've sensed me activating Player's Mind but it was better than raging at them and having them grow concerned about my mental state. I'd rather not have them snooping too deeply into my mind as I suspected even with Dark Side Masking in the mid-Savant range, Yoda at the very least would be able to sense something amiss.
Since that had been avoided, I let my gaze follow Fay's to the planet as ships buzzed around so much it looked like lines drawn in the sky leading from one point to another above the metal-covered Republic capital. A shell that hid the decay and deception from those who wanted to pretend it didn't exist.
Still, the issues of Coruscant were secondary in my mind at that moment. What dominated my thoughts were the plans I'd been slowly formulating over the last month and a half for if, as had happened, the Council rejected my recommendations. I had decades to prepare for the Vong, so they were, in the grand scheme, a minor issue for now, but not laying even the groundwork for combating them would be tactically naïve at best. But without at least some support from the Order, I lacked the reach and resources to even begin searching for rumours regarding the Vong in the Outer Rim, never mind developing strategies to counter their forces.
… …
… …
I walked slowly up the stairs from the Great Atrium, avoiding the various groups that were moving around. Some gave me a nod or glance showing they understood I was a Jedi, though most simply ignored me, which was fine. I was taking my time walking, running over one final time how I wanted this meeting to go.
It had been a few days since the Council had made their decision on the Vong, and I'd spent time thinking about what to do next. While investigating rumours might generate useful leads, the sheer amount of time it would take was insane. A general search of the Archives for reports of strange aliens attacking in sectors near where Zonama Sekot had generated over ten thousand reports. Most were ancient, dating back to before the Ruusan Reformation, but that still left over a thousand reports I'd had to read through, and none of them had been in any way helpful as the reports were made by Jedi who either dismissed the rumours or failed to provide much detail; and often both.
Masters Koon and Giiett had both, as expected, continued to talk with me about the Vong, though I'd been surprised when Windu had done so as well. He'd started the conversation after inviting me to spar, something I'd lost without even coming close to landing a blow while he took it easy on me. That I'd lost wasn't a surprise, though his comments about me having talent were appreciated. It was the talk afterwards in a private meditation chamber that had surprised and amused me. Having him side with me against Yoda regarding the Vong was proof that Dooku and Fay had been right about the Council offering a unified stance publicly while having others privately.
Still, with all three of them hinting that I had their support to continue investigating rumours of possible Vong activity, I doubted they'd give me much more than that. Nor that the Order would be of any help beyond reports in the Archives. Thus, after several deep meditation sessions, an idea had come to me, one that I'd dismissed at first for how outlandish it was. Yet, the more I considered it, even doing so with Player's Mind to remove any emotional issues I had with it, the more it held potential. It was incredibly risky, but one worth pursuing, which was why I was in the Galactic Senate making my way toward the offices of one Senator in particular.
Fay had been caught off guard when I'd brought this idea to her, pointing out how I'd been averse to bringing the Senator into the Coalition, but she'd agreed that without support from the Order, we needed some from another powerful body like the Senate. I felt Dooku would also agree, but I'd not contacted him to avoid the chance my plan would leak to my target. While I didn't doubt that he knew about my adventures, I wanted the reason why I was here to be a surprise as it might grant me a small insight into how he worked.
"Ah, Padawan Shan, hello again." That came from Kinman Doriana as he moved over and shook my hand. Around us, in the waiting area outside Senator Palpatine's offices, several people looked up to see who the Senator's aide was greeting. A few seemed surprised to see a Jedi there. "If you'll wait just a moment, I'll let the Senator know you're here."
"Of course." As Kinman moved off, I looked at everyone waiting to meet Palpatine, using Observe as I did. None of the names or their emotional states stood out, but they were added to the list of anyone I'd seen around Palpatine that might need removal from the board once the war began.
About a minute later, Kinman returned and ushered me past the reception desk – manned by a very attractive orange-skinned Twi'lek whose eyes wandered over my face as we passed – into the Senator's offices. He guided me to the same room I'd been in the last time I'd visited when I'd met the Tarkin family, which had been an odd thing. Wilhuff had come across as cold, but oddly pleasant, possibly because I didn't speak or act as most Jedi would. His younger brother, Gideon, had shifted more, going from actively disliking me for simply being a Jedi to asking me questions about the Order and my adventures. Still, as the doors to the private room opened to reveal Palpatine, thoughts of the Tarkin and their role in what was to come slid from my mind.
"Cameron, my boy, how wonderful to see you again." Palpatine moved over, gripping my hand with both of his. "I must admit when you reached out for a meeting, I was caught off-guard. I do hope everything is well with the Jedi."
"It is Senator," his smile slipped slightly, though it returned as I continued. "Sorry, uncle. However, an incident on my last mission has me concerned. The High Council have chosen to ignore those concerns, but I feel the Republic needs to be made aware of it and prepare for what might happen."
Palpatine frowned. "Oh my." He guided me to the sofa. "That sounds most worrying. How might I help?"
As we sat down, I pulled a datapad from my robes. With the Council having reached their decision, their restriction on me discussing the Vong with others had been lifted. Or at least, since they'd not made clear that it was still in effect, I was acting like it was. After this meeting, I planned to talk with Serra, Darihd, and others about what had happened. While there was little they could do to help, having them aware of what was going on meant that, Force-forbid, if they ever encountered a Vong, they'd at least know what they were facing.
Still, I'd made sure not to mention why I wanted to speak to Palpatine when I'd arranged the meeting as I wanted to judge his reaction. As the datapad connected with a small holographic display on the table, I shifted my focus to the Senator. While he watched the same recording I'd provided to the Council, I wanted to watch him. While I doubted there'd be even the slightest shift in him when he saw me use Electrokinesis, his reaction to that and my approach to combat might offer some insight into his thinking. Or so I hoped.
"Oh my, what exactly are those?" he asked as the recording came to life, though it waited for a command to begin.
"Those are the Vong. A race I and my master encountered on the mission. A race that, apart from being seemingly immune to direct Force applications, fight on a level that makes them a threat to any Force user, never mind the Republic as a whole if their entire race attacked." His brow rose in shock at hearing the Vong were immune in some way to the Force, and that I considered them a threat.
"How dreadful," he muttered, his attention returning to the display as it began.
Yes, bringing this to him was a huge risk, but thinking about it while ignoring what I knew about his true nature meant it was the logical move to make. Plus, on the off-chance that I might fail and the Empire still rose, then I'd rather they ruled the galaxy than the Vong. From everything I'd seen from them on Zonama Sekot, they were the devil I didn't know.
… …
… …
A/N: Yep, Cam willingly went to Darth Sidious to prepare for help. What in the galaxy has gone wrong?
...
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