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

Reader mode
Am I right to assume he is going to try to make a lightsaber rifle at some point?
 
This whole game with Adas feels very stupid to me,
Cameron has seen the movies and the expanded universe.

Just logically, looking back at previous attempts, he should know that everyone who tried this little game in universe ended up failing.

Jacen Solo with the Potentium... or even Revan with his memories restored in Swotor who was paranoid and genocidal.

In the end, Kyle Katarn, Quinlan Vos & Cade Skywalker only found their way out of the hole they dug themselves in through the Light.

The Light-Side is the way to go.
It doesn't has to be the Jedi way, they are but one perspective.

All those deemed "grey" force users by the Jedi, like Jolee Bindo, the Witches of Dathomir, the Aing-Tii or the Imperial Knights stayed far away from the Darkside.

I am sorry Cameron my boy, you need to retrain yourself, but it seems to me you are just not willing to put the work.
 
cosmicfox said:
This whole game with Adas feels very stupid to me,
Cameron has seen the movies and the expanded universe.

Just logically, looking back at previous attempts, he should know that everyone who tried this little game in universe ended up failing.

Jacen Solo with the Potentium... or even Revan with his memories restored in Swotor who was paranoid and genocidal.

In the end, Kyle Katarn, Quinlan Vos & Cade Skywalker only found their way out of the hole they dug themselves in through the Light.

The Light-Side is the way to go.
It doesn't has to be the Jedi way, they are but one perspective.

All those deemed "grey" force users by the Jedi, like Jolee Bindo, the Witches of Dathomir, the Aing-Tii or the Imperial Knights stayed far away from the Darkside.

I am sorry Cameron my boy, you need to retrain yourself, but it seems to me you are just not willing to put the work.
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1 Cam knows KOTOR; TCW(2008) and the movies

2 I have read and consumed the EU; pretty much all of it though I likely missed some of the holofeed shit and I'd go for the dark side so to think knowing the EU would stop you is ridiculous

3 there have been successful sith and Darksiders; Cam himself having a perfect example in Adas who riegned with prosperity for 100s of years

The darkside is also not some easy path just cause yoda said it

Glad you at least acknowledged all this grey force user shit is BS
 
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Huh. Normally when I work through character creation, my LAST choice is the name...
First choice is usually race, followed by race-specific aesthetics, traits and abilities... Etc.

I find it much easier to decide upon a name once my actual 'identity' has been established, as to me it becomes something of a title/alias.
 
LuciferBael said:
Ok let me expand; lightsaber rifle is Disney and ridiculous
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So what your saying is "didny bad!" As your argument? I don't like most of what Disney is pumping out either particularly live action, but some of the comics and the content that Dave filoni has made is the exception and the lightsaber rifles feel like they fit especially when you consider that the death star is just a really big version with the fact that it uses lightsaber crystals too.
 
skulker558 said:
Huh. Normally when I work through character creation, my LAST choice is the name...
First choice is usually race, followed by race-specific aesthetics, traits and abilities... Etc.

I find it much easier to decide upon a name once my actual 'identity' has been established, as to me it becomes something of a title/alias.
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Character building almost always seems to be more of a crapshoot about where I've started...some start with a name that's interesting, and other times it's finding a name that works for the type of character being built
 
Bulledar said:
So what your saying is "didny bad!" As your argument? I don't like most of what Disney is pumping out either particularly live action, but some of the comics and the content that Dave filoni has made is the exception and the lightsaber rifles feel like they fit especially when you consider that the death star is just a really big version with the fact that it uses lightsaber crystals too.
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No that's not my argument; though Filoni isn't really better imo, the lightsaber rifle makes no sense technically or from a Jedi standpoint, it makes no sense from any standpoint in the lore, especially the legends lore, as part of the team making this I can guarantee they won't be part of it especially because this is a legends story
 
skulker558 said:
Huh. Normally when I work through character creation, my LAST choice is the name...
First choice is usually race, followed by race-specific aesthetics, traits and abilities... Etc.

I find it much easier to decide upon a name once my actual 'identity' has been established, as to me it becomes something of a title/alias.
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When I started his story, over 6 years ago, I wasn't thinking too hard about logic/plot in the early chapters, and it shows in the character creation section and others.
I could go back and rewrite it, but then I'd end up redoing all of book 1 (everything up until the end of an overly-long Mandalorian arc), and thus derail myself from continuing the story proper.


Bulledar said:
but some of the comics and the content that Dave filoni has made is the exception
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I will give you the comics are good at times (Vader Down has an excellent scene with Vader surrounded by 'Dead men') but Filoni...

Before he came along, there was a multi-level project for The Clone Wars covering books, comics, games, etc that all interlinked.
Major battles were laid out, and led into each other (including the 2003 CW cartoon shorts which are far superior to anything Filoni created) that worked brilliantly.

Then Filoni came along and decided to change much of it, and ignore the rest.
Now, there are a few good characters/arc (Hondo being one, even if his luck at surviving so long against Force users was a bit 'plot armour' at times) but the overall show was bad when considered against the lore of the EU that is was supposedly drawing from. (Fucking "peace-loving Mandalorians... dumb af, and yet I chose to try and balance them into the story which was a bloody pain in the arse).
This is the short video of why it (TCW) doesn't work in the EU:
Why "The Clone Wars" Doesn't Fit In Legends
There's a longer Part 2 if you're interested.
 
Sinestro corpsman said:
Captain Fordo has another channel called Manda-Lore which is a good archive of a pre-Filoni EU outside of just using Internet archive.
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Yeah, I'm aware. It's a channel I turn to at times for SW lore among others. At least when Mand and the other who help me craft this adventure suggest further reading/viewing on a topic.
 
Was looking forward to a training arc.... guess not. I really hope one day our powerful and strong characters can actually be and act powerful and strong. Seems like they just did a training arc, got super powers, then got their asses kicked immediately by some chumps. Cool.

Even you can see, given your authors note, that by this point we're all pretty tired of Cam going nuts and being completely lost in his rage... I get that he's re-do everything, but man does he go from 0-100 pretty quickly. Pretty exhausted by this chapter honestly..... I just feel like its been about 40 chapters since Cam was in control, powerful, and kicking ass.

Honestly, I kind of just skimmed most of this chapter once it became clear he was going to act like a moron and then lose Anakin.... its odd that they are weak enough to get easily captured, yet he feels so confident just letting Anakin roam around a dangerous space port picking fights.... contradictions like that make it hard to square the logic of this character.
 
I've got to say I'm kinda tired of Cam losing himself to the Dark Side. I understand that characters struggling make a good story but man does it feel drawn out at this point.

I personally think that going for the grey jedi route is the most interesting Choice. I mean the Force is all about balance. The whole only using one side of the Force is so stupid to me. People are not black and white. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the movie's and Alot of legends but I just can't get my head around the Restriction. I feel like the best way to go is to accept your emotions but not to let them control you. I know that's not easy and it is a journey that people would have to keep working on there whole life but pick one side or the other has always felt like you would be denying a part of yourself. That just what I think I'm not a super Star Wars nerd or anything so there might be some lore that contradicts this and I suppose you could do this with the light side. I just think too deny part of the Force goes against the way of things and is like stopping a journey and leaving it unfinished.
 
Hi!

I recently started reading this fic and have been absolutely loving it. The MC's personality growth has been a joy to experience, and I love an OP protagonist.

Speaking of overpowered, I feel as if you have been deliberately weakening him gradually. I just finished the chapter where the MC fights the 3 Death Watch Mandos cornering "Hugo Danmask" in the mandalmotors building, I and I am extremely confused. He has consistently displayed an extreme amount of power while using tk but barely defeats one Mandalorian, regardless of his tricks? Why are his opponents even allowed to move? He can lock a cruiser from moving and destroy it in space, a baseline human wouldn't be able to even twitch underneath that level of force. Maybe this is just another example of the MC "forgetting" to use the vast majority of his toolkit (teleportation, fazing, tk, everything-kinesis, etc), but it's growing frustrating that he is seemingly taking no steps to incorporate his vast range of skills into combat.

I guess the reason I am posting this is to enquire whether or not this trend will wane. His explosive growth was consistent until the beginning of his time on Mandalore, but the MC has only gotten weaker or less competent since. I really want to enjoy this fic, but the CW level inconsistency is starting to get to me.
 
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SkinnyP said:
Hi!

I recently started reading this fic and have been absolutely loving it. The MC's personality growth has been a joy to experience, and I love an OP protagonist.

Speaking of overpowered, I feel as if you have been deliberately weakening him gradually. I just finished the chapter where the MC fights the 3 Death Watch Mandos cornering "Hugo Danmask" in the mandalmotors building, I and I am extremely confused. He has consistently displayed an extreme amount of power while using tk but barely defeats one Mandalorian, regardless of his tricks? Why are his opponents even allowed to move? He can lock a cruiser from moving and destroy it in space, a baseline human wouldn't be able to even twitch underneath that level of force. Maybe this is just another example of the MC "forgetting" to use the vast majority of his toolkit (teleportation, fazing, tk, everything-kinesis, etc), but it's growing frustrating that he is seemingly taking no steps to incorporate his vast range of skills into combat.

I guess the reason I am posting this is to enquire whether or not this trend will wane. His explosive growth was consistent until the beginning of his time on Mandalore, but the MC has only gotten weaker or less competent since. I really want to enjoy this fic, but the CW level inconsistency is starting to get to me.
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Speaking of TK; look back at all his uses of it; has it ever shown that extreme level in a fight or has he always had time to concentrate and gather himself
 
LuciferBael said:
Speaking of TK; look back at all his uses of it; has it ever shown that extreme level in a fight or has he always had time to concentrate and gather himself
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In the beginning, he would literally use tk for everything. He wouldn't even get into fights, he would just tk the entire crews of starships a kilometer away. I rationalized that he stopped using his overwhelming might while training on Mandalore to prove himself, but he also seemingly lobotomies himself in the academy as well the way he has been fighting since. He could have taken out every death watch Mando in the Mandamators building at once, but he didn't because "reasons"
 
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SkinnyP said:
In the beginning, he would literally use tk for everything. He wouldn't even get into fights, he would just tk the entire crews of starships a kilometer away. I rationalized that he stopped using his overwhelming might while training on Mandalore to prove himself, but he also seemingly lobotomies himself in the academy as well the way he has been fighting since
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Not really; how far away is he to these 3 master mandalorians? In an enclosed room with no time to concentrate; he also before this has fought total mooks
 
LuciferBael said:
Not really; how far away is he to these 3 master mandalorians? In an enclosed room with no time to concentrate; he also before this has fought total mooks
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He doesn't NEED to walk into an in closed space to fight them, he could have taken out the entire force standing outsidethe way he always used to. What it reads like to me is that the writing team decided they didn't like any of the "game" mechanics that made him so overwhelming strong, so y'all just stopped using extremely powerful abilities like the mini-map, gamers mind, the inventory, observe, etc, and then imagined up convoluted reasons why the MC "decided" not to use them
 
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SkinnyP said:
He doesn't NEED to walk into an in closed space to fight them, he could have taken out the entire force standing outsidethe way he always used to. What it reads like to me is that the writing team decided they didn't like any of the "game" mechanics that made him so overwhelming strong, so y'all just stopped using extremely powerful abilities like the mini-map, gamers mind, the inventory, observe, etc, and then imagined up convoluted reasons why the MC "decided" not to use them
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Ok yes he did; his entire goal here is protection of a primary asset; you don't do that from a mile away; he also enjoys fighting up close; he's not a droid picking the most effective route through pure logic
 
LuciferBael said:
Ok yes he did; his entire goal here is protection of a primary asset; you don't do that from a mile away; he also enjoys fighting up close; he's not a droid picking the most effective route through pure logic
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Why? That sounds like a backtrack. You first told he can't, and now you are telling me he doesn't want to. The argument that he has become a battle junky that holds back to enjoy the fight makes sense, but the mc has literally never described himself as enjoying a life and death struggle. He's enjoyed the triumph after a great feat, but never enjoyed the process.

I can see how there could be a potential disconnect between the writing team's intention and what the reader is seeing though. Anyway, my confusion isn't worth a long debate. No story is perfect, and I have no right to complain about a free work that you and the rest of the team have spent a great deal of time and effort into. A New Player in the Force is a top tier fan-fiction.
 
SkinnyP said:
Why? That sounds like a backtrack. You first told he can't, and now you are telling me he doesn't want to. The argument that he has become a battle junky that holds back to enjoy the fight makes sense, but the mc has literally never described himself as enjoying a life and death struggle. He's enjoyed the triumph after a great feat, but never enjoyed the process.

I can see how there could be a potential disconnect between the writing team's intention and what the reader is seeing though. Anyway, my confusion isn't worth a long debate. No story is perfect, and I have no right to complain about a free work that you and the rest of the team have spent a great deal of time and effort into. A New Player in the Force is a top tier fan-fiction.
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If you want to have a more in depth discussion feel free to join the discord
 
3.05 Father and Son
  • Threadmarks
    • A/N: Thanks to those helping me write and plan out this story and checking it for continuality and logical errors.

    This chapter was released to those on the story's Discord, and who those support my writing anywhere from 1 to 4 months ago.

    If doing either interests you, you'll find links at the bottom of the chapter.
    3.05 Father and Son
    ... ...    ​

    "Cautionary: I believe my master was quite clear about what you could and couldn't touch, meatbag."

    The meatbag in question, Hondo Onaka, took a few cautious steps back, his hands raised in a gesture of compliance. "Yes, yes. I recall his words perfectly, droid. I was merely... curious, yes, curious, about what this is." His tone and body language conveyed submission, but the fluidity with which Hondo moved hinted at something more than the image of a simple smuggler and pirate. On several occasions, he had displayed an unexpected grace or control that belied his outward persona. I had never pressed him about it, content to let him keep his secrets as I kept mine, but I suspected some form of combat training. Perhaps not the refined techniques of Teräs Käsi, the Jedi, or the Mando'ade, but certainly something of significance.

    It might well explain how he managed to hold his own against Force users in the media I remembered from before my rebirth. There were significant issues I had with the arc that introduced him—how he had so effortlessly captured Dooku, Obi-Wan, and Anakin. Even without his lightsaber, I knew Dooku could have overwhelmed Hondo and his gang with minimal effort. Yet, that was another timeline, and I had learned enough in this new life not to assume that everything I knew from before applied here—or to underestimate anyone I encountered.

    "Mockery: Ah yes, this is all just a simple misunderstanding, and I have failed to anticipate your actions and behaviour." I bit back a chuckle at HK's response as I continued to observe the interaction via a security camera in the central area of the ship.

    "Exactly!" Hondo replied, spreading his arms wide.

    I couldn't help but shake my head at the behaviour. It might be nearly a decade before he set up with his gang on Florrum and exploited the opportunities the Clone Wars brought, but the quick tongue and disarming manner were already part of his repertoire. Still, the odds that after the debacle with Miraj's contact, the one who was now helping me locate Anakin was Hondo fucking Onaka wasn't lost on me.

    Whether it was an act of the Force, TPTB, or simply random chance, that had made Hondo one of the few to slip away from that cantina before I lost control, I didn't know. Nor, honestly, did I care. All that mattered was these contacts he told me about who knew the location of several Trandoshan hunting parties in this and nearby sectors of the Outer Rim.

    "How much longer are we going to tolerate this pirate?"

    I turned from the display, taking in Simvyl's irritated expression. Ever since Hondo had set foot on Raven, the Cathar had disliked his presence. After five days, it had reached the point that unless Hondo was in his assigned cabin – with HK standing guard outside it – then Simvyl would either be in the cockpit, training area blowing off steam, or in his cabin. I wasn't sure what it was about Hondo – or Weequay in particular- that Simvyl didn't like, but it was clear he disliked the pirate, and it wasn't just a reaction to his injuries and foul mood at losing Anakin on his watch.

    Simvyl's wounds had healed, though he had deliberately removed the patches before the scars could fully mend. I hadn't questioned his reasons, but I suspected it was his way of reminding himself of his failure to protect Anakin. I had already assured him that I didn't hold him responsible for Anakin's abduction—once I had mastered my rage enough to refrain from lashing out at everything around me. I understood that he had done all he could in the face of overwhelming odds. Still, Simvyl had vowed that when we found the lizards, he would show them the exact measure of mercy they deserved—none at all.

    "At least until we meet his contact," I replied slowly, turning my gaze back to the monitor. Hondo was moving away from the area HK had just warned him about—a small door leading to where we stored most of our munitions. It had been five days—one galactic week—since Anakin's abduction, and two since the disastrous meeting with Miraj's contact. In the time I wasn't in the cockpit, I spent hours meditating on my actions, struggling to control the fury that churned within me. Unlike before, I had neither an outlet for my emotions—be it Bo or battle—nor could I simply suppress the rage and find my centre. Though I regretted killing the Devaronian before he could give me the information I needed, I felt no remorse for his death, nor for the deaths of nearly everyone else in that cantina. Slavers, killers, thugs—they deserved nothing less than execution for their crimes. It wouldn't provide lasting relief, but I hoped that the deaths of so many in the planet's underworld might offer the general populace a brief respite.

    I watched as Hondo left the central area, Raven shifting the display to show the Weequay moving down the corridor, seemingly toward his cabin. Hondo had been clearly warned that if his contact proved useless, or that if he tried to acquire anything on Raven that didn't belong to him, then his screams as he died would be heard from Coruscant to Nal Hutta. He'd gulped at my warning, taking it seriously, though it seemed that after a day and a half on Raven he might be needing a reminder.

    The issue I was facing was if I would kill him if his contact proved useless. While nothing important now, he had the potential to be of use to me as the galaxy teetered closer to all-out war. I had no interest in taking control of even a fraction of the galactic underworld – honestly, I was more inclined to wipe out what I could – but I understood that it existed since before the Republic had been formed twenty-five thousand years ago, and would continue to do so, no matter what the future brought. Having a few contacts in that sphere that I could call on directly would not be the worst thing.

    "I doubt he's going to be of much use," Simvyl responded as I continued to watch as Hondo moved through Raven, HK a few steps behind, his hands on his blaster while his optical receptors watched the Weequay carefully. The droid had orders to not kill the Weequay at the first attempt each day, merely offering a warning. As that had been done, the next warning would carry him readying his blaster and the third a wounding shot. Hondo knew this but still seemed intent on pushing his boundaries.

    "Probably not, but I sense the Force at work in having him meet us." Simvyl rolled his eyes at my comment, which was understandable. That sort of wishy-washy phrase wasn't one I used often, or placed my stock in and generally disliked. Still, I couldn't ignore the idea that someone or something had ensured I encountered Hondo, nor was I going to act like it might not have future uses.

    Of course, I had no intention of revealing to Hondo that I was a Jedi, nor would I ever remove my helmet in his presence. Though I wasn't widely known, my face had been all over the Holonet earlier this year due to the events on Naboo and my association with the planet and Chancellor Palpatine. And let's not forget my strong connection with Chancellor Damask as well.
    The thought of both Banite Sith Lords being Co-Chancellors terrified me. Yet, I had come to terms with the fact that, for the time being, there was little I could do to thwart their plans—certainly not more than I had already managed.

    Maul was off the board, Dooku wasn't going to become Tyrannus – the quest for him wasn't completed, but I felt it insanely unlikely he'd become the Sith's puppet – and the Mandalorians, one of the few warrior cultures in the galaxy that would be inclined to move against the Republic weren't led by the di'kut New Mandalorians.

    However, all of that mattered little if I lost Anakin. While I didn't trust a Force vision to be a perfect indication of what might happen – my beskar-coated forearm a clear example of that – I accepted that for the Banite Sith to be defeated, Anakin and I had to work together.

    But more than that, I'd made him a promise, to train him to defend and protect himself and those he holds dear, and even if I had to burn a world to save him, I wasn't going to break that promise.

    … …
    … …
    (Anakin's POV)
    He scurried forward, climbing over the remains of what appeared to be an X-31 speeder that lay against the current mound of junk he was making his way around. While it would be useful to climb to the top, given who was hunting him, he knew he couldn't do so. That would only leave him exposed to any Trandoshan with a blaster rifle.

    That fate had befallen one of the fourteen other children that the aliens had captured along with him before they'd arrived on this world. Anakin didn't know where this world was, only that, after nearly a day of scrambling around the various mountains of debris – something he was basing on the planet's sun slowly sinking over the horizon when it'd been rising when they'd landed – that it was one of countless such worlds, and often they were only known by an Aurenumerial code.

    He'd been on the Trandoshan's vessel for some time, though the exact time was hard to pin down as when he'd awoken the lizards had some of his armour. The vambraces, which contained a handful of non-lethal ordinance, and his helmet, which had access to the armour's HUD, were gone. The rest of the armour was left; the lead Trandoshan had said that it would make him a more worthy kill during the hunt. While he, and the other children that had been captured, had been given food, it was worse than even what he'd had while a slave on Tatooine, and if not for the fact the Trandoshans intended to hunt them instead of selling them, Anakin feared he'd have lashed out and tried to escape.

    After the lead Trandoshan had left, the air turning blue with the string of insults Anakin sent his way, he'd considered how to escape the cage he found himself in. Even without the advanced systems of his armour available to him, Anakin felt he could crack the lock. However, he ignored that idea, and the voices at the back of his mind that suggested he use the Force to escape. He'd also pushed down the bonfire of rage that demanded that he strike out against the lizards, that he didn't allow anyone to ever again cage and enslave him.

    Without knowing where he was, how big the ship he was on, and how many and where the other Trandoshans – there were always more than one of the ugly lizards around – were, he'd decided against it. The longer they didn't know he was a Jedi – or at least one in training – the longer he'd have some tricks to help him when it came time to escape. Kriff, once the lead Trandoshan had informed him and the other children that they'd be heading to the hunting grounds, he'd managed to squirrel away a few devices that the Trandoshans had left lying around the bay and slipped them inside his armour.

    He still had those tools, and with the amount of debris around them, he felt that, if he could find the time and the right pieces, he could use some of what was here to at least slow down the lizards. Cam was coming for him, and Anakin swore to himself and the Force that he'd survive until Cam arrived, and he'd do whatever he could to help the others survive as well.

    Thinking of Cam made Anakin glance skyward. While there were lightyears between them, Anakin knew Cam was searching for him. It would take time to reach here, but Anakin knew Cam would arrive at some point; all Anakin had to do was stay alive until then, and keep as many of his new friends alive as he could.

    With little to do while in his cage, he'd spoken with the other children captured by the Trandoshans. There'd been twelve when he'd first awoken, with two more added before they reached the world the hunt was taking place on. They came from various places and species, but all were around his age or at least his height. Some species grew faster than humans, and some matured faster, but no one in the cages was older than thirteen cycles.

    Once they'd reached the planet they'd been roughly hauled off the ship and tossed out of the ramp. While lying on the ground, cleaning the dirt from his clothes and remaining armour, the lead Trandoshan had spoken. The alien had given them an hour to run before the hunt would begin.

    While some kids had stood around, unsure of what to do, Anakin knew the Trandoshan was serious and tried to convince the others to run. Most had, but two – a Human boy and a Togruta girl – hadn't. The pair had collapsed to their knees and began begging the Trandoshans to take them home. Anakin had wanted to convince them that they were wasting their breath, but he knew the longer he stayed near the ship, the greater the odds were that he'd die before Cam could arrive.

    What seemed like an hour later, two blaster shots rang out over the world. Several in the group had started crying as they realised the two who'd stayed behind had been killed, something Anakin knew had happened as the faint spikes of fear and disbelief they'd echoed into the Force had blinked out with echoes of the blasters firing.

    The voices from within that suggested drawing on the Force and striking back against the aliens had grown stronger in that moment, but Anakin hadn't listened to them. Instead, after vowing to himself to keep as many of them alive as he could, he'd convinced everyone to keep moving. Of course, as he wasn't the oldest, a pair of Twi'lek boys had argued they should be in charge and weren't going to follow him. They and three others had headed off in a different direction, even after Anakin had tried to explain that they were better off staying together. There'd been sounds of blasters firing since that split, and Anakin had felt three more children die through the Force, but so far those who'd stayed with him were fine.

    One boy, the oldest among them, had broken off by himself, feeling he'd do better alone and wanted nothing to do with Mandalorians. Anakin wasn't happy about that, but he'd accepted the boy's choice. Anakin was reasonably sure Kesh was still alive, but he couldn't be certain as Kesh had been the last child captured, and he'd barely spoken with the dark-skinned boy before they'd arrived on this world.

    With the sun slowly setting, Anakin knew the world was going to get cold. Well, colder as even when the sun had been directly overhead it hadn't been that warm. He could use the Force, thanks to the training with Instructor Kefe, to warm himself, but the five who'd decided to follow him couldn't. Also, while they needed to keep ahead of the Trandoshans, they couldn't move at night. Not unless this world has a moon to provide light. Until they were sure it was safe to move at night, it was better to find somewhere to settle down for a few hours.

    Anakin was surprised that the lessons he'd learnt while a slave for Watto were coming back, but as they moved through the debris, he'd seen various little bits of tech that, if he'd had time, he'd have enjoyed examining. Perhaps, when they moved out later, he could see what he could salvage as if the junk here was like what Watto had kept in his yard, then some of it might be useful against the Trandoshans.

    They'd only searched one piece of junk, that of a downed cargo transport. It hadn't been a large vessel, but the logo on a nearby cargo container had suggested the vessel might have food onboard. They'd lucked out when Plirs, a Weequay, had found a left-over crate half-full of rations designed to last forever. The food hadn't tasted great, but it was the first meal they'd had since being released, and what they'd not eaten had been squirrelled away in their pockets. Anakin knew, again drawing on his memories of being enslaved, that it wouldn't last long – perhaps three days if they were careful – but it was at least something.

    As he reached the side of the hill he was clambering over, Anakin gazed at the nearby mounds, seeking a place to shelter. As much as he didn't want to admit it to anyone, he was enjoying this. Not the being hunted by kriffing aliens – though he was beginning to understand why Cam hated Trandoshans so fiercely – part, but the fact he was being forced to fend for himself. Well, for himself and others.

    The life-and-death stakes of the situation were thrilling him, fuelling his excitement as he pushed himself to the limit. The array of technology around him, which might have piqued his interest on another day, only added to his sense of exhilaration. His companions might think him crazy for finding any enjoyment in this predicament, but Anakin didn't care. Not everyone shared his and Cam's perspective. Some couldn't find pleasure in such a dire place while being hunted. Perhaps that was why Cam was both Jedi and Mandalorian and why Anakin aspired to be both as well.

    He forced his thoughts away from Cam, focusing instead on their surroundings as the Togruta female, Eshie, joined him. "There," he said, gesturing toward a downed light freighter, half-buried two mounds away. "We'll rest there."

    "Why there?" Eshie asked. Anakin turned to her, momentarily distracted by her purple skin, reminiscent of Baalta Iradel's. He quickly reminded himself not to dwell on the Lokella—or more specifically, his sister Lia. She was safe with Ferox, and once Cam rescued him, Anakin planned to check in with Ferox to see how they were doing.

    Ferox might have intended to marry his mother, but Anakin couldn't envision him as a father. According to Mandalorian tradition, Cam was his adoptive father, though Anakin hadn't fully embraced that role. Cam felt more like a big brother or cousin than a father. Anakin knew this wasn't the Jedi's ideal, but he didn't care. Family and friends were crucial to him, even those he'd only recently met, like Eshie and her companions.

    Cam had made it clear that, except for Master Dooku, Anakin was not to reveal their relationship to any Jedi. He found the Jedi's prohibition against having family and friends to be foolish, but he understood that he had no power to change it. Moreover, Cam had emphasised that if the Jedi Council discovered their connection, they would try to separate them. That was the primary reason Anakin had agreed to keep their adoption a secret from the Order.

    "It's big enough and there's a few ways in and out. Plus, as it's half-buried, we should be able to hide there if the Trandoshans get too close," He replied to Eshie. While he was being honest, Anakin was also holding back. If the Trandoshans were using beasts to track their scent – he'd heard a few howls from something on the voyage here to suspect that was the case – then they might be found in the ship. However, Anakin had felt something in the Force, which he felt, if he was understanding things correctly, meant it was suggesting the downed freighter would be a safe, if temporary, shelter.

    While he'd only had some teaching in how to use, draw upon, and understand the Force, Anakin had realised that it had always been there. The feeling of when or not, to do something, or go somewhere had been the Force guiding his actions. He wasn't sure he liked the idea that it was controlling him, but so far it hadn't guided him anywhere he'd not wanted to go, though he did often wonder if he'd not gone with Cam to the Lokella if his mother would still be alive.

    Thoughts like that, as Master Dooku had remained him several times after his mother died, were dangerous. The past couldn't, no matter how we might wish otherwise, be changed. Master Dooku was clear that one had to learn to accept what had happened and grow from it, though Anakin did wonder why, whenever he said that or something similar, he and Miss Vosa always seemed drawn to each other within the Force.

    Once he was off this world, and if he was feeling brave enough, he'd ask Master Dooku about it. Until then, he'd place it, and his thoughts on Lia, the Force and almost everything else to one side. He needed to remain focused on this world, and those relying on him, so that when Cam came – and he knew he would – they were alive and well.

    … …
    … …
    (Cam's POV)
    I sighed deeply, my breath steadying as I settled into the shadowed embrace of my room, lost in contemplation. The Force whispered through the darkness, a living current weaving its way through all that surrounded me. I sensed its rhythm in the very fabric of existence, a dance of energy that pulsed through the organic and the mechanical alike. Within Raven's form, I felt the ancient currents of power intertwining between her living tissues and her metallic veins. Her presence in the Force resonated with familiarity, a reflection of the bond forged between myself, Fay, and the seedpartners of Sekot.

    In the cockpit, Simvyl was watching the controls, his emotions slowly returning to normal as he accepted that what happened wasn't his fault. In the cabin assigned to him while outside I knew HK was standing guard. Fenrir was at my door, his presence naturally cloaked to allow him to sneak up upon a target, though due to our bond, I always knew where he was.

    Yet for all that, my focus today, as it had been in each session I'd had since Anakin was taken, and after speaking with Adas, was directed inward.

    I felt the Force raging within me, a tempest of light and shadow clashing against the calm teachings of the Jedi, which guided me to surrender to its will. The storm of rage, ever-present and unyielding, surged from the echoes of the Bando Gora and the Vong, mingling with the flames of past indignations. In a life unshaped by the Force, controlling such fury was simpler, with the voices of desire and the raw impulses of my nature untempered by the vast potential of the Force. Now, with the Interface withdrawn by my choice, I had to confront those inner demons alone.

    Drawing a deep breath, I turned my focus inward, embracing the war that raged within me. I would no longer cower from the darkness or suppress it with futile efforts. Guided by Adas' wisdom, I sought not to accept these primal urges but to transcend them, to command my actions and chart my destiny free from the fears and doubts festering in my soul.

    I had long known that the path of the Jedi was not my true course. The Order, entangled with a corrupt Republic, had descended into the mire of its own decay, where the highest echelons were driven by self-interest, favouring their own and their allies over the common good. While countless dedicated souls laboured for the Republic across the galaxy, those in power—whether rulers of worlds, sectors, or senators—were consumed by their own agendas. This corruption, a reflection of issues from my former life, now seemed vast and incomprehensible, magnified beyond anything I had imagined before my rebirth.

    A shift occurred within me; the Force rose like a serpent, intertwining with my darker inclinations, demanding I heed its twisted desires. This merging of the Force with my repressed urges was no longer to be cast aside as I had before.

    I directed my focus inward, setting aside all other thoughts to confront this threat. I was in control, not the distorted desires of the Force shaped by my base needs. I would not be a puppet to these urges; I would master them. My fate was mine to determine, my path mine to walk. I was…

    [BEEP]

    My eyes shot open, distracted as I attempted to sink into a deep meditation by the sound of the intercom going off. I sighed as I shifted on my bed, annoyed that I'd not been able to keep attempting to meditate on Adas' words and the ideals he'd suggested.

    The Jedi path was one I'd known for some time wasn't going to work for me. at least not how it was taught at the Temple currently. I simply couldn't do as the Council and others continued to insist I do; releasing my emotions into the Force wasn't possible because of Eidetic Memory. That power meant that my feelings for everything I'd ever experienced – good or bad – returned whenever I relived a memory. Those memories were both those I'd experienced in this life, and from what had come before, and many of them were impossible to ever accept and live with.

    Perhaps there was some older method, something more than just the more simplistic but complicated Code that I'd taught to Serra. However, I'd yet to find any hint of something that might apply properly to me. Or to Anakin, as I knew the base Code of the Jedi would never work for him. Both the current form and its older variant, while having some use, weren't something I could commit to, and not just because of the issues brought on by the Interface.

    The seemingly blind obedience that most Jedi held toward the Force made perfect sense for them. they were born with the connection, and almost to a sentient, raised in the Temple to accept that. Like Anakin, I wasn't raised by the Order, and with a lifetime of memories, experiences, and opinions predating my connection to the Force – filtered as it had been by the Interface – giving myself over to it completely simply wasn't something I found I could do for any significant length of time.

    The path followed by the Sith, or the Banite Sith since the order of Sidious and Plagueis was something entirely different from the Sith of Adas' time, in both species and belief, wasn't one I could see myself following either. While there were parts of their Code that held appeal, much like with the Jedi Code, it wouldn't work for me.

    I wasn't, like every Sith that had followed Darth Bane, willing to work from the shadows. I preferred, as much as it might place me at risk, to be in the thick of the action. A trait that I knew Anakin would develop with time even if I'd not taken him as my Padawan. That was why I was slowly trying to draw upon Adas' words to meditate and centre myself.

    According to Adas, the thing I feared the most was losing control; be that to the anger and rage within me or the Force. He explained that the challenge that I faced was one every Force user encountered. That of taking control of their destiny and not being a tool for the Force or our baser instincts and emotions. To recover my direction, and my sense of purpose, I had to look deep within myself and face what lay within.

    The fear that I would lose myself to my anger, along with the concerns of giving myself over to the Force entirely and the power that my connection with the Force granted me, were things I had to confront. That I had to accept were there and then overcome. I knew that if I failed in gaining control then all the potential I held with the Force, for using it to prevent the rise of the Empire and the rule of the Banite Sith, would be for nought.

    The main issue was that after a half dozen sessions of meditating – or more accurately, attempting to – I was struggling to find my centre and overcome my fears. I was making some progress as the voices saying I should rip the knowledge I needed from Hondo's mind, that I should flay every lizard I encountered until Anakin was back at my side, were quieter, but they were still there.

    Another concern was that I was treading a path Adas had envisioned for me, one that might inadvertently lead me to become his spiritual successor. Adas had been an immensely powerful figure, uniting the Sith species under his dominion and expelling the Rakata—a feat rarely accomplished during their reign over the galaxy. However, I feared that if I was not cautious, my journey to defeat the Banite Sith and prevent the rise of their Empire might inadvertently birth something even more catastrophic, something worse.

    Sliding from my bed, I took slow, deep breaths, pushing thoughts of what my future might hold, and centred myself on the present. "Yes?" I said, using the Force to activate the room's intercom as I stood and moved toward the table where most of my armour rested.

    "Got an incoming transmission from Mandalore," Simvyl replied from the cockpit. While Raven was capable of flying by herself while in hyperspace, the Cathar and I felt better if one of us was present. It also stopped our passenger from asking questions about who was monitoring the flight, or attempting to sneak into the cockpit, though with HK an ever-present shadow, Hondo was – for him – behaving himself.

    "Patch it to my armour," I said as I slipped the first vambrace on. While I had weaponry built into my arm, I was still wearing the vambrace over it. While that did limit which of the extras within the arm I could use, the vambrace held a wider selection of tools. With Maul captured, I'd altered the loadout to carry a more lethal ordinance, though the non-lethal selections were stored in several secured containers in my room. There would come a day when I'd have to interact with Jedi, and since they still felt I was one of them, using such ordinance in the vambraces would remove some of their concerns about my choice to wear armour. Plus, there may well be times when I wanted a target captured and not removed, though hopefully by the time that was the case, I'd have regained most, if not all, of my Force powers; along with learning a few new ones along the way.

    The vambrace beeped as the signal was routed to it, and a moment later a familiar face appeared. "Alor Adonai," I said upon seeing one of the two dukes who'd allied their Houses with my Clan appear. While I'd never voiced it, I was confused why neither he nor Torrhen Ordo had moved to become Mand'alor. They were the two most powerful figures among the Clans and could try for the title, though I was glad they didn't.

    As Mando'ade myself, anyone becoming Mand'alor would place me in the position of choosing between officially staying or not following the Mand'alor and being labelled dar'manda: a traitor to our people. If the choice had to be made, I knew which way I would go, and I suspected Anakin would be fine with it, but an issue would arise with Serra.

    Like me, she was Mando'ade, but as a Jedi Padawan, she had less freedom to make that choice. I still hadn't spoken to her directly, as even when I called her after leaving Instructor Kefe, I'd been told my call would be routed to Master Windu. Not wanting that to happen, I'd spoken with Darihd, and for a brief moment, with Sifo-Dyas.

    Windu was still controlling Serra's contacts within the Order, though Darihd, Sia-Lan and a handful of others had spoken with her. The Togruta had informed me that she was doing better and seemed to be starting to accept Master Drallig's death as the will of the Force, which was a relief. However, that Windu was preventing me from speaking to her directly was only feeding into my anger regarding Anakin's capture.

    Serra meant far more to me than Windu, and I felt I had the right to check up on her and know how she was doing, as while I didn't regret Drallig's death – not when it meant Serra survived – I felt I should try and let her know I was here if she wanted to talk. I suspected that Windu was keeping me distant from her as he felt – correctly – that the connection we shared had played a part in Drallig's death, and had no choice but to accept it. Going to the Temple, particularly with how unbalanced I currently was, would only result in me being either confined to a cell or sent to one of the prisons the Jedi maintained for those the High Council felt had fallen to the Dark Side.

    "Alor Cameron," Adonai said with a tired smile, "how fares the search for your ad?" Adonai was one of those I had reached out to when Anakin was taken. I had asked him to keep the matter from Bo, knowing that she would drop everything to join me. While her eagerness was understandable, it could easily be interpreted as an affront from her—and by extension, House Kryze—toward Clan Shan. Anakin's abduction was an internal Clan issue; unless I explicitly requested assistance from other Clan leaders, any outside interference could spark a diplomatic incident.

    I had considered asking Adonai and Torrhen for help, but doing so would feel like conceding defeat, both as an Alor and a father. Moreover, I sensed that while Anakin was under stress, he was not in immediate danger. Though neither Adonai nor Torrhen would judge me harshly, the broader discontent against a Jedi being Mando'ade could be weaponized to undermine my position—and potentially the dukes as well. I was convinced that building a formidable Mando'ade force was essential to confronting the power of the GAR and CIS, and I was unwilling to risk that ambition with unnecessary political fallout. However, if Hondo's contact proved ineffective, I might have no choice but to face the consequences and seek their assistance.

    "I'm following what I hope will be a productive lead."

    "That is good. Neither I nor Alor Torrhen have heard word from those loyal to us of Trandoshans working in your region of the Outer Rim. At least not a group that is actively targeting children for hunts." His distaste for the lizard's behaviour was clear to hear and see.

    "I had expected as much, but you have my thanks for reaching out." Adonai nodded, accepting the thanks.

    A glance at the chronometer on the vambrace told me there was still about an hour before we'd be exiting hyperspace. Since I knew I'd not have any further success with meditating on my internal issues, I figured I'd see if I could learn fresh intel regarding the Mandalorian sector. "How are things going closer to home?"

    "For the most part, things are going well," Adonai replied. He paused and glanced down and a few seconds later my vambrace reported an incoming file. "As I knew you might be interested in an update on the state of our people, I had Pre prepare a data package for you." As he spoke, a small smile came to his face, as if he'd expected me to show interest in the state of affairs in the sector and among the Mando'ade.

    "Please pass him my thanks." I knew Pre disliked, if not downright hated me, so him having to provide this would've rankled, as would me thanking him for it. "And thank you again for the attempt to locate those who've taken my ad and earned my wrath."

    Adonai nodded. "Oya!"

    … …
    … …
    The swirling energies of hyperspace peeled back, placing us in a minor system that was known only by a simple code. According to Hondo's contact, the only habitable world in the system, which had been turned into a scrap world several centuries ago, was used by a handful of Trandoshan groups for blooding their younglings.

    As the hum of the hyperdrive faded into silence and Raven's course shifted toward the system's radiant star, I closed my eyes and extended my senses into the ethereal currents of the Force. Even as I trod carefully, mindful of the awe-inspiring web that wove together every mote of stardust and celestial fire, I sought the truth of Anakin's presence.

    A moment later, I opened my eyes and spoke softly, "He's here." Though the precise location eluded me, for I was not yet ready to plunge fully into the Force's boundless depths before achieving my own balance, I felt with certainty that we were in the right system.

    Simvyl grunted, surprised that Hondo's contact had come through. Said Weequay was in his cabin with HK outside to ensure the pirate didn't try anything stupid. When we'd met the contact, Hondo had suggested that it would be wiser if he remained with the contact – a Quarren who was missing some of its facial tentacles – but hadn't complained too loudly when I'd made clear that wasn't happening as I didn't trust him.

    HK would deploy with us when we located the Trandoshan vessel, while R2 remained behind, guarding Hondo in his cabin. Thanks to an upgrade Anakin had installed before his abduction, the astromech was equipped with a device akin to a cattle prod, with orders to render the Weequay a quivering mess should he dare to step outside his room while we were away. I had considered leaving a more intimidating presence behind, but I wanted to bring the full force of my command to bear on this mission.

    Though originally designed as an assassin droid, HK's new frame had transformed him into a formidable war droid. Fenrir, perhaps sensing the disturbance in our pack caused by Anakin's capture and the absence of a vital member, had been restless since the event. I could sense his longing to tear into Trandoshan flesh, though I hoped he avoided any ill effects from whatever unsavoury locations those beasts might have frequented.

    Simvyl would also accompany us. Despite my initial thoughts of leaving him behind, his unyielding resolve since Anakin's capture, combined with his blunt insistence on joining us, left no room for doubt. He had a personal vendetta against the Trandoshans, and I was not about to deny him the chance for retribution. His belief that Anakin's capture was his failure—a sentiment confirmed by Observe even after I absolved him of guilt—fuelled his desire for atonement. Furthermore, his presence would ensure we fought as a cohesive unit, something we hadn't done since HK's reassembly.

    How the battle on the scrap world would go, I didn't yet know, but one order of battle had been made clear. I wanted as many lizards as possible taken alive. Researching their beliefs had revealed that if they were captured, then all the points they'd earned with the Scorekeeper were wiped clean. To be killed without any points, and thus face their god a failure as a hunter, was the single greatest fear the species had, and, depending on how and when the lizard lost their points, their entire clutch could be outcast from the culture.

    Before each of those filthy beasts met their end, I wanted them to grasp the full weight of their transgression. They would understand the depth of their error in taking my son, in daring to challenge my family. I wanted them to be consumed by fear, to tremble before the wrath of their so-called god—however hollow that deity might be—before they drew their last breath. The only uncertainty gnawing at me was whether I would deliver their final judgement myself or bestow that honour upon HK or Simvyl.

    I knew many, including the Jedi, would condemn my resolve to execute prisoners, but I cared little for their opinions. This was not merely an act of vengeance; it was a necessity. Keeping the lizards alive would burden governments with managing them, resources that could be better spent elsewhere. And if their punishment were lenient—which I had little doubt it would be—then we would be allowing a potential threat to re-emerge. I had no fear of these reptiles, not unless their entire race united against me, but letting a potential danger fester was a grave mistake, especially with far greater threats looming on the horizon.

    The Banite Sith already had, without the Jedi even realising it, taken control of the Republic. All that remained, at least in the minds of Sidious and Plagueis, was bringing about the destruction of the Jedi, the shattering of the Republic, and the rise of the Empire Darth Bane had begun the planning for nearly a millennium ago.

    Perhaps the Jedi could change enough to see the threat, perhaps, if I'd fully committed to their ways, they'd stand a chance. However, I'd known for a long time my path wasn't with the Order, and with Anakin as my Padawan, neither was his. All I could hope was that, when the time came for the truth of Sidious and Plagueis to be revealed, the Order as a whole would be able to at least help Anakin and me defeat the threat the Banite Sith posed.

    Raven was surging toward the only habitable planet in the system, hope rising from her as she understood Anakin was close. Beneath that, merging with my desires, was a need to find those who'd taken Anakin from us and make them pay. I couldn't help but smile at sensing that. Raven was changing in ways I'd never considered possible, and if I'd not taken Natural Selection, inadvertently strengthening our bond, she might not have done so.

    She wasn't sentient, not even as Fenrir was, nor was she growing bigger or stronger, but the spark of natural intelligence, of evolution, was there. My thinking had always influenced her, but since the change in my connection to the Force, that influence had grown, though not in a way that might destroy what made her unique.

    My thoughts drifted to the seething tempest that resided within me. As I grappled with my meditation, seeking to embrace the shadows of the power I harboured and the path it might carve, I could discern a glimmer of progress. The voices that once roared for the annihilation of every Trandoshan in the galaxy for Anakin's suffering were no longer as deafening. Nor did the whispers urging me to seize whatever I desired echo with the same intensity. They lingered still, a chorus of temptation, but I had learned to subdue them, to impose my will upon their discord. This, I hoped, signified that Adas' teachings were beginning to take root, offering the hope that Raven might remain untainted by the demons within.
    Yet, the true measure of my meditation's efficacy would reveal itself in a few hours, when the first walking lizard steak crossed my vision.

    … …
    … …
    (Anakin's POV)
    He smiled as an explosion reached his ears. Those with him panicked, caught unprepared for the sound, but when Anakin waved them to stay low they did so, and a moment later the shockwave of the explosion rushed past them. Where they were, about three mounds of debris away from where the make-shift bomb had ignited and below the crest of the mound, meant they barely felt the ripples in the air, but they still had to be cautious of the dust that was ripped upward by the shockwave.

    As the concussive wave passed, and the dust began to settle, he sensed the excitement of the others. "Shh!" He hissed while keeping his voice low before any of them could shout in celebration that his trap had worked. While it was unlikely that the sound would reach the Trandoshans, any beasts that remained with them, or whatever tech they were using to hunt Anakin and his friends, he wasn't willing to make things easier on them by allowing the other kids to give away their location, not after the first time a trap of his had worked.

    Before he could still the rising clamour, Plirs had called out in delight, and Anakin's sharp reprimand followed swiftly. However, their tension was abruptly cut short by the distant growl of approaching hounds. In a frantic scramble, they attempted to flee, but Eshie had slipped down a mound, becoming ensnared beneath shifting debris. Anakin rushed to her aid, his mind already reaching out with the Force to free her from the rubble. Yet just as he prepared to act, the first lizard came into sight.

    It was only through the rigorous training with Cam, Master Dooku, and Instructor Kefe that Anakin managed to evade the incoming bolts. His hasty retreat led him and the others to the far side of the mound. Amidst the chaos, Eshie's desperate cries pierced the air, calling for his help. But Anakin understood the harsh truth—rescuing her would endanger everyone else. The others, displeased with the decision to leave her behind, blamed him for failing to uphold his vow of protection. Despite their discontent, they followed him still, their trust wavering but unbroken.

    The pain of experiencing Eshie's death through the Force, and his fury at himself for failing her, and the lizards for hunting them had dominated his thoughts ever since, and he'd struggled to get a good rest whenever they stopped. Knowing that he'd see her panicked face, and relive her final screams if he closed his eyes, Anakin had thrown himself into creating more traps, with the one that had just detonated being the fifth trap since that first one, around three days ago. While not all of the traps had gone off, they had slowed the Trandoshans, and those that had gone off had wounded or killed several of the creatures hunting them.

    The first trap had been a lucky find as Snaxiu, a Rodian, had spotted a downed fighter. There had been a moment of hope that they could get it flying, but once Anakin examined the Cloakshape fighter, he knew it was unsalvageable. Still, whoever had sent it to this junk world hadn't stripped it for everything of value, as the reactor core still contained some fuel.

    Anakin had started the engines and disabled the overrides, knowing it would lead to the fighter exploding, and they'd scrambled away, leaving it for the Trandoshans to find. While Anakin didn't think it had killed any of them, the number of beasts had decreased ever since, and that had helped as not only were the lizards more cautious from then on, but they kept their beast on leashes. Anakin had discovered that when, as they moved through one particularly large mound of debris, he'd seen a pair of beasts all but dragging their lizard handlers forward.

    The second and third traps were less flashy, and more a case of him and the other kids moving debris around to create pits and unstable piles. The first of those simple traps hadn't seemingly done anything, but the second one had. Or at least the unstable powercell Lena, a human girl, had discovered and given to Anakin, had detonated.

    The fourth trap had been something slightly more complicated, using a tripwire and makeshift grenade. It had detonated but Anakin hadn't sensed anyone in pain or suffering from the explosion, so he assumed it had failed. The fifth, having just detonated, had been successful, and Anakin smiled as he sensed the life of at least one Trandoshan fade into the Force.

    Anakin had felt the pain of the Trandoshans whenever a trap had worked, even felt some passing away through the Force, and while he knew he shouldn't – as it was not the Jedi way – he had enjoyed causing those hunting him and his remaining friend's pain. To let them experience some of the suffering he and the other kids were enduring because of the lizards. Anakin knew Cam wouldn't scold him for taking pleasure in the Trandoshan's pain. Cam, while he tried to keep the feelings hidden from him, hated the race with a passion. Until recently Anakin hadn't understood why Cam had despised the race, but after nearly two weeks under their care – on their ship and now being hunted on this junkworld – he was beginning to agree that Trandoshans were nothing but trouble. Even more so than he'd believed before they'd captured him.

    The other side to it was that Anakin, through Cam, was a Mandalorian, and as he had said, no warrior should go down without a fight. While he knew that he couldn't win, that eventually he and those with him would run out of time, tricks, and space, Anakin intended to make sure that the lizards paid in blood. And then, when Cam arrived – as Anakin knew he would – those that remained would understand the mistake they had of capturing and hunting children. Just as Decca would one day die at Anakin's hands for killing his mother.

    Anakin closed his eyes for a moment, bringing forth the last happy memory he had of her, drawing hope from it. He missed her dearly, but even if he didn't like that she was gone, he'd accepted her death. It was the natural state of the galaxy. Something Cam, Bo, and Master Dooku had explained, though each used vastly different words to say that. His mother lived on through him and Lia, and Anakin had sworn on his first night on this world that he'd see his sister again.

    "Come on," he said sharply to the other kids with him, knowing they couldn't linger here, nor could he let himself be distracted by thinking too long on his mother, Lia, or Cam. That, as Cam and Bo had preached, only led to you missing something important in the here and now, leaving you exposed to danger, and Anakin had enough of that already.

    As the trio of kids still with him started moving as well, Anakin paused, sensing a shift in the Force. Looking upward, he smiled as a familiar presence reached out to him. Cam was near, perhaps even in the system. Anakin wished he knew how to communicate with Cam through the Force, but that wasn't something he'd yet displayed the ability to do. Instead, he closed his eyes and, as best he could, broadcast into the Force. Cam should be able to sense it and focus on his location.

    Once his eyes opened, Anakin felt himself fill with renewed hope. Soon, very soon, he'd be reunited with his father, and then the Trandoshans would pay for their mistakes. All Anakin had to do until then was ensure that he, and his new friends, remained alive and free.

    The latest trap had only been maybe an hour behind them, so they didn't have much distance between themselves and the lizards, but Anakin knew that he'd do everything he could to ensure those beasts couldn't capture them.

    … …
    … …
    (Cam's POV)
    I watched carefully, tracking the movements of the Trandoshans outside their vessel. The vessel was the same one that had taken Anakin from me, as the damaged sublight engine and scorch marks along the hull were easily visible to the HUD. Through the Battlenet I was receiving feed from HK and Simvyl who were approaching the vessel from the other side so that we'd catch those outside, and any exiting the ramp, in a crossfire. That said, I didn't plan on gunning them all down from a distance.

    As the HUD traced the movements of the Trandoshans outside, a deep well of fury began to churn within me. Though the ease I was able to do so was recent, I wrestled it down, channelling that primal rage into purpose rather than succumbing to the baser demands of the Force. I harboured no illusions; the Trandoshans were destined to suffer, to die, but their demise would come only after they grasped the depth of their transgression and surrendered every fragment of knowledge they possessed.

    Anakin's presence was a distant echo, lingering hundreds of kilometres to the southwest, but his armour was here, or at least most of it. The moment we breached the atmosphere, my Battlenet had linked to his, and I would not leave it to the whims of these wretched beings.

    "Steady," I commanded, placing a firm hand on Fenrir's head as he approached with a low growl. His yearning for combat, for the taste of enemy flesh, was palpable, and though I would not deny him his desire, I ensured he remained still until the moment was right.

    Time was scarce. I sensed a dozen souls near Anakin, most of whom were little more than targets eagerly awaited to be erased from existence. Yet, some were not. I could not afford to let this vessel or its occupants linger as a threat or offer any chance of escape before I reunited with my ad. Such risks were intolerable.


    The idea to simply attack them from Raven, letting her missiles obliterate the vessel and remaining crew had been considered but discarded. That wasn't guaranteed to take the ship out instantly, and it was probable that any who survived the first volley of missiles would alert the others, and that was if they didn't have some open channel to the vessel in place as I would do in their situation.

    Using the Force to Teleport closer, or even from orbit as I'd done on Mandalore at the start of the civil war was also discarded. I hadn't even started remastering that ability, though it was one I would regain before the time came to leave the Jedi. It might have limitations for combat use, but the ability to traverse vast distances – or at least what I could see or sense nearby – in an instant wasn't something to cast aside and forget. Something, I had to admit, I'd done far too often in the years leading up to taking Natural Selection and freeing my connection to the Force from the Interface.

    A growl, one worthy of the tuk'ata at my side, slipped from my lips, though none heard it because of my sealed armour. A new lizard had emerged from the ship, and moved to place a head – that of a young Togruta with purple skin – on a pike, placing it beside ten others. Those were their trophies, the victims of the lizard's deranged and unworthy beliefs. The children had died horribly and painfully – the expressions on each head made that clear – and while they deserved a proper burial, which they would get, those who had inflicted such terror on them before killing them deserved death.

    A signal in the Battlenet told me HK and Simvyl had their targets, the pair knowing that they weren't to go for outright kill shots. I wanted the Trandoshans alive and in chains before they died. I wanted them to understand their folly before I ripped what I needed from them and their ship.

    The moment the vessel was secure, Raven would arrive. While we raced to Anakin, R2 and Hondo would remain behind, the droid to access the vessel's core, and the Weequay because I wasn't leaving him alone on Raven.

    That came after though, now it was time to hunt those who deserved a painful death.

    "Oya!" The command echoed through the Battlenet, a primal cry that shattered the silence of impending conflict. I summoned the fury that roared within me, channelling it into a relentless force that surged forth like a storm unleashed. My will carved through the chaos, casting a shadow over the battlefield, imbuing the very universe with a stark, unyielding claim: this world was mine.

    … …
    … …
    (Anakin's POV)

    He halted abruptly, the Force twisting and churning around them. It wasn't just a disturbance near them but a shadow sweeping across the very planet.

    "What's wrong?" Plirs's voice was a sharp whisper, betraying his alarm as Anakin fixed his gaze eastward, toward where the Trandoshan ship lay hidden. Anakin's response was silence, his focus turned inward, reaching into the depths of the Force.

    The shift in the Force was unmistakable—it was Cam's presence, but it pulsed with a weight and gravity unlike anything Anakin had felt before. The familiar essence of his father was there, but now it radiated an oppressive power, a storm so fierce it threatened to overwhelm everything in its proximity. Beneath this tempest, there was an eerie silence, a void that swallowed all else.

    When Cam had tried to save him on the station, Anakin had felt the raw might of his father's power—unleashed like a sandstorm, ruthless and all-consuming, a force capable of eradicating everything it touched.

    Now, however, this power was different. It was immense, its presence nearly all-encompassing, yet it was concentrated, almost refined. At the eye of this relentless storm, there was an unsettling emptiness, as if Cam's connection to the Force had been devour-

    "Wh-what's happening?!"

    Anakin pulled his thoughts back to his surroundings and looked down at Lena. She'd been the one to speak and was now looking pale, as were Plirs and Snaxiu or at least as pale as they could for their species.

    "What's wrong?" He asked, wondering if they could sense whatever it was Cam was doing within the Force. He'd not felt any of them had a strong connection to the Force, but perhaps Cam's actions were affecting more than just those who could touch the Force.

    "I…" she paused, shivering as if they were on some frozen wasteland instead of in the middle of a temperature junk field. "I don't know. I feel cold."

    "Me too," Plirs added to which Snaxiu nodded.

    "It's C… my father," Anakin said, changing his answer mid-sentence into something the others might understand. "He can use the Force though he's far better at it than I am."

    "H-he's here?" Snaxiu asked, surprised that help was coming in his voice.

    "Yes. We just have to keep moving," Anakin replied, wishing they'd start moving again. Yes, He'd been the one who'd stopped first, but that had been a mistake. The Trandoshans were close behind, but at least they didn't have the last two beasts to help them track him and his friends.

    Turning, not wanting them to remain still any longer, he resumed moving, his mind turning back to how he'd taken out the beasts. It'd happened earlier today, and the lizards controlling the hounds had flanked them, cutting them off from a way they wanted to go by climbing over a large mound of debris. Knowing they couldn't escape the beasts before they rushed down at them, not with the lizards readying their blasters, Anakin had panicked, which was when the Force had responded.

    The voices deep inside him had made clear that he wasn't meant to die here; that he was destined for greater things alongside Cam. They told him to act, to keep himself safe. Not fully understanding how he knew what to do, or that it would work, He'd thrust out his arms, willing the Force to help him.

    It had done so as the mound the beasts and lizards had been standing on shuddered. The group had stumbled, unsure of their footing and then fell back, going over the crest of the mount; back to where they'd come from. Anakin hadn't stopped there though, and remembering the lessons on using the Force to push objects, and put every ounce of desire he could into ensuring the Trandoshans didn't get up quickly, or that the beasts they'd brought with them didn't rush after them in the chaos that was unfolding.

    The Force had responded, and the mound those hunting him and his friends had been one shifted. He'd not seen what had happened on the other side to cause it, but one moment the mound had been there, and the next it moved backwards, flattening out and burying those on the other side.

    He'd managed to get the others moving, not wanting them to remain where they were and be attacked by the main group of Trandoshans hunting them. Though as they'd scrambled away, the trio had asked what had happened. Wanting the matter handled, or at least them to stop talking so loudly while they were being tracked, he'd told them he could use the Force. That he was both Mandalorian and Jedi.

    They'd struggled to believe him, but as he'd kept moving quickly to stay ahead of the lizards, and they'd not wanted to fall behind it had quietened any questions they might have.

    "Is he a Jedi?" Lena asked as they moved around one mound, not going over the peak and thus exposing themselves to fire if any Trandoshan saw them break the skyline.

    "Yes," Anakin replied, feeling a smile come to his face. "He's a really powerful Jedi and a respected warrior."

    "You're just saying that because he's your dad."

    Anakin ignored Plirs. The Weequay was right that Anakin was going over the top, but Cam was powerful. And one day, he'd be just as powerful, if not more so. That day wouldn't come if he died before Cam could reach them, which meant focusing, as Master Dooku would put it, on the present and what was, and not on the future and what might be.

    After ensuring his friends were behind him, Anakin cast a final glance back to where he knew Cam was. The change in Cam was incredible, and Anakin would be lying if it didn't frighten him a little, but he understood that he, by being kidnapped by the Trandoshans, was the source of that change. Because of that, he found renewed courage to keep pushing forward. It would only be a few hours at most until Cam reached them, and then they'd finally be free of this Hutt-spawn of a world.

    … …
    … …
    (Cam's POV)
    I leaned back, moving before the vibroblade swinging toward me had even gained much momentum. A slight shift in stance and my hand thrust out, grasping the blade.

    The beast holding the weapon grunted, surprised that I'd stopped the attack so easily growing when I twisted my arm to the side, my beskar limb and the mechanics within granting me the strength to shatter his weapon.

    Using the movement of one arm, I stepped forward with my other foot. The lizard grunted as my beskad thrust into its gut. A twist of the hilt and as I withdrew the blade, the tip severed the creature's spine.

    It fell to the ground, the strings of its legs cut, along with an arm as I flicked my blade down, severing the muscles at the shoulder. The limb hung pathetically, offering no help as the beast fell to the ground upon the destroyed arm.

    As I turned, seeking my next victim, a scream filled the air. Looking toward the sound I saw Fenrir's maw rattle to one side, most of another lizard's leg removed by his bite.

    The beast threw a punch at the tuk'ata, driving Fenrir away for a moment. Before it could attack again, a bolt slammed into the shoulder, sending it tumbling to the ground. "Fenrir!" I called out as the tuk'ata spat out the chuck in his mouth, anger at the punch and a desire for vengeance flooding from him into the Force. "Alive!"

    Fenrir shook, his snarling maw closing, and the wounded and down lizard felt it was safe. A false hope, which was proven when Fenrir pounced. The claws on his front paws easily embedded themselves in the lizard's chest and drove it backwards awkwardly.

    Another scream from the lizard filled the air even as the HUD alerted me to a nearing Trandoshan from the ship. A blaster rang out, and the lizard – in the middle of its charge – fell forward.

    The lizard fell, a bolt from HK catching both legs as the knees of the lizard Fenrir had pounced on cracked under the combined mass.

    I smiled at the chaos, Simvyl pulling his vibroblade from the back of the final unwounded target. A minute had passed since we'd attacked, and the battle was over. Though calling it a battle would be an insult to our skill. This was a culling; one I was enjoying.

    "Wh…" the lizard at my feet struggled to speak over the pain that bled into the Force more freely than its blood onto the dirt of this scrapheap of a planet. "What do you want?"

    I looked down at the prey, savouring the fear I saw in the beast's eyes even as its remaining good hand clutched desperately to stem the blood flowing from its stomach. "That is a very long list," I replied, using the tip of my beskad to lift the creature's chin, forcing it to lift its head while I spoke to it. "All that concerns you is that you tell me where my son is before you die."

    The creature's face twisted, hatred flowing freely from it as it understood it was going to die. "Don't know," it got out with pained breaths. "Wouldn't tell you if I did."

    My free hand, the one coated in beskar, stretched out and I closed my fingers. The beast began gasping; the Force restricting its throat. "I was hoping you might say that." I smiled under my helmet, enjoying the look of panic that dominated the beast's eyes as it struggled to understand what I was doing.

    While it continued to thrash against the lack of air entering its lungs, I secured my beskad against my lower back and then reached into a pouch on my belt. Around me, HK emerged into the clearing, his blaster singing out still, targeting the limbs of any lizard that still worked. Simvyl had secured his first walking handbag while Fenrir continued to pin his prey to the ground.

    "Wh-wh-at ar…" The lizard stopped as my hand removed itself from the pouch and revealed restraining cuffs. The panic in the lizard's eyes turned to delicious fear as I pulled out restraining cuffs, and it began thrashing wildly. Or as wildly as it could with its legs and one arm immobile. "No! You c-an-t!" It bellowed; terror swarming its tone as I moved toward it.

    "I can and am," I said as I moved closer, the fingers on my replacement limb closing slowly, cutting off the air to the beast's lungs. It was harder to focus the Force through the replacement, but since all I was doing was ensuring this pathetic creature couldn't attempt any pitiful escape, there was no issue.

    Kneeling I slammed the cuff onto the flailing, useless arm. The other arm came up, in an abysmal attempt at an attack. My beskar hand moved, catching the fist. "That was unwise," I said slowly, increasing the pressure on the limb. Because of the mechanics inside, the limb was capable of deforming durasteel.

    "Arrgh!" the beast screamed. With bones far more brittle than durasteel, they shattered and cracked loudly as I crushed the hand.

    Once sure the offending limb was destroyed, I attached the other cuff to the wrist. "Consider yourself lucky that I don't have longer to entertain myself," I said with a vicious smile. As I stood, my flesh and blood hand moved around, exposing the palm to the beast's head. "And that what is to come won't last anywhere near as long as it should."

    The beast's lips parted, poised to utter a question or a curse, but all that emerged was a guttural, pained groan. For a fleeting moment, the Force seemed to wrestle against my will, but soon I bent it to my purpose, shattering my way into the beast's mind. Though the ship promised valuable intel, I knew that the most crucial secrets lay hidden within the crew's thoughts. This would inflict agony on the creature before me, and after the suffering they had wrought, pain was the least they deserved before they were dispatched to confront their god.

    … …
    … …
    (Anakin's POV)
    "Kriff!"

    The curse flowed easily from Anakin as he looked around in panic, seeing if there was any path they could take that would get them out of the dead-end they'd stumbled into. The Trandoshans were right on their tail, following along the faint path that led between two mounds of debris into the small enclosure Anakin and his friends had found themselves herded over.

    When they'd rounded the corner, he slid to a stop, understanding what the Trandoshans had been doing, and cursed himself for falling into their trap. He understood now, far too late, that the Force had tried to warn him, but in his haste to ensure he and his friends stayed clear of those hunting them, he'd ignored it and rushed down the small path instead of attempting to traverse either pile of trash that sat at the side of the path. Because of his mistake, they were now trapped.

    The path ended before a circle of debris, each mound far too high and unstable for them to climb over before the lizards emerged down the path. They might also be waiting for him to lead his friends over the peaks, and likely had rifles trained on the area, ready to either kill any who tried to escape or drive them back to the ground, leaving them easy pickings from the group just behind.

    "What do we do?" Lena's panicked voice matched the fear he could sense from Plirs and Snaxiu.

    Anakin didn't reply instead he had an idea. Closing his eyes, he dove inward, finding the Force within himself. At the same time, he sensed where the Trandoshans were, sensing that a group of six were coming down the path. Understanding that there were no beasts with them, nor did it seem as if any were moving to either side, Anakin lifted his hands.

    "Got y…"

    Whatever the lead Trandoshan was about to say was cut off as the Force did as Anakin wished. Opening his eyes, he saw that the ground between him and the aliens had exploded toward them; debris of various sizes and shapes hurtling toward the alien, taking it off its feet.

    "Hurry!" Anakin shouted, turning to his friends. The trio were looking on in shock at what had just happened, their minds unable to understand what he'd done. They might know he was a Jedi, but they'd never seen it displayed like that. Nor had Anakin ever used it like that, but with no choice, and the whispers saying if he didn't do something his friends would die, and he'd never see Cam, Lia, or anyone else ever again, Anakin had acted.

    A push on Plirs had the group moving, though before they could begin climbing the junk hill blocking their escape, blaster fire entered the area. Lena screamed, all but dropping to the ground, and after pushing Plirs toward Snaxiu, trusting the Force saying they'd be safe, Anakin moved to Lena.

    Grabbing her arms, and ignoring her groans, he pulled her toward what looked like an overturned speeder. As they darted behind the cover, bolts slammed into it, causing Lena to let out a panicked scream. "What do we do?" She asked again, her voice barely reaching his ears even though he was sure she'd shouted the words.

    Anakin looked around, trying to find something that he could use even as he desperately tried to ignore the flood of terror surging from Lena, as it and similar sensations from Plirs and Snaxiu started to overwhelm his connection to the Force. Seeing there was nothing nearby to use, he reached into his pocket, pulling out whatever pieces of junk he'd gathered and not yet used.

    As he placed them on the ground, he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. The training, first with Master Dooku, and then with Instructor Kefe, had taught him to focus only on what mattered and push aside everything else. Lena's voice, the sound of bolts slamming into their cover, and everything else around him faded away. All that remained was the sound of his slowed, calm breathing and the junk in front of him.

    His hands moved over the pile, guided without conscious thought as they moved pieces around, melding them together. Time became irrelevant as he worked, the junk slowly changing, forming something that he knew would be of use.

    Once the creation was finished the moment of clarity passed, and he picked up what he'd made. He knew it was a bomb, though one that would likely explode if shaken badly. Given their location, that wasn't a major worry, and he turned to Lena, offering a wide, and he hoped reassuring, smile. "Trust me!" He called out, not sure she'd hear him of the chaos of bolts slamming into everything around them.

    Without waiting for a reply, he seized the freshly crafted bomb and edged toward the lip of the overturned speeder they sheltered behind. "I can do this," he murmured to himself, his voice barely a breath. Closing his eyes, he summoned the Force, channelling its raw power to sharpen his senses, quicken his reflexes, and clear his mind. Master Dooku, Cam, and Instructor Kefe had each imparted their wisdom in their own way, but the essence remained the same.

    He felt the Force surge through him, bending to his will, fortifying his body for the task ahead. When he opened his eyes, Lena's screams pierced the air—twisted and distorted, deeper and more chilling than they should have been. A blaster bolt whizzed past their cover, its energy rippling in slow motion as it narrowly missed.

    A grim smile flickered across his face, a sign that he was in tune with what needed to be done. Trusting in himself and the Force, he emerged from cover. The arm clutching the bomb drew back, primed to launch his creation at the lizards. Amidst the chaos, he glimpsed Plirs and Snaxiu huddled behind the wreckage of what appeared to be a Z-80 fighter. He couldn't afford to fail them; he demanded the Force's aid with unyielding resolve.

    His gaze turned toward the source of the blaster fire, but before he saw them, he knew where they were. The Force was helping him as he wanted, marking out a threat before he knew where it was.

    His arm came around, the Force enhancing the muscles in the limb, and the bomb sailed away, arcing toward the centre of the Trandoshan position. He pulled back once his creation was airborne, not wanting to be exposed to the explosion. As he pressed his back against the speeder, and pulled Lena back, Anakin felt the Force shifting.

    His smile widened as a cold, almost oppressive aura rushed toward them. Cam was nearby. It wouldn't be long before…

    His eyes widened as the Force warned him of danger and without thinking, he pulled Lena down. A moment later, as his mouth tasted the dirt of the planet, his device exploded. The speeder they'd been using for cover was lifted off the ground; the damage taken by the bolts having weakened it enough that when the shockwave struck it, it shattered.

    Lena shrieked and Anakin knew she'd been hurt by some of the debris from the speeder. Anakin had felt some of it strike his back, but the armour there had done its job, and nothing felt broken or bleeding. Still, the cloud of dust driven over them by the explosions forced his face into the dirt again, and as it faded he started coughing, trying desperately to clear his mouth and lungs before the Trandoshans recovered.

    He pushed himself upward, the Force warning him of a new, more violent danger, yet before he could turn to see what was approaching or check on Lena, something grabbed his back, and he was hauled up. A second later he was soaring through the air and crashed to the ground. The air was driven from his lungs as his back bore the brunt of the landing, and he bounced away, ending up on his side.

    Before he could move or think, something slammed into his chest. The armour took the brunt of the blow, but whatever air was still in his lungs was driven out and he started coughing even as another blow struck him. A third and fourth blow came in, all striking his chest though the last blow was a touch lower, the armour only taking some of the strike.

    "Oof!" he gasped out, feeling something inside him crack, though he had no time to think on it as someone grabbed his armour and he was hauled upward.

    With his legs dangling, he found himself staring at the enraged expression of one of the lizards. "You little schutta!" It snarled; razors-sharp teeth clashing against each other it spoke. "You killed my brother!"

    Before Anakin could react, he was slammed to the ground. "Ugh!" he grunted as he hit the dirt, his leg twisting painfully but mercifully not breaking. The air around him grew cold and suffocating, each breath a struggle as he fought to regain his footing and brace for the next assault.

    "You're nothing more than prey! Stop pretending otherwise!" The beast roared, stepping toward him as it pulled a long, curved blade from its belt. Anakin scrambled back, trying to get away from the creature, but it was faster, and its foot came out; the toe of the boot striking him in his knee, causing him to slump to the ground again. "This hunt is about to end!"

    Anakin looked around the Trandoshan and panicked as he saw his friends being dragged together. All three were screaming in fear, though Plirs was at least trying to escape while the other two seemed broken.

    He pulled himself to his knees, his chest hurting with each breath even as the Force willed, demanded, he stand. The voices in his mind grew louder, telling him that if he didn't do something, they'd all die soon. He closed his eyes, commanding the Force to help him. He felt it move around him, readying itself for his command.

    "There is but one upside to the chaos you've caused," the Trandoshan that had attacked him snarled as it moved closer. "You will be worth more to the Scorekeeper."

    Anakin lifted an arm, wanting to strike at the lizard, but his action was too slow, too weak. The beast grasped him by the hair and lifted him painfully upward. Anakin's legs swung out, trying desperately to kick the creature even as he watched the other beasts circle his friends.

    "NO!" He shouted as a lizard moved close to Plirs, a blood-stained blade in-hand. "LEAVE THEM ALONE!" The creature holding him laughed, and he was tossed down, landing face-first because he'd been trying to kick the creature as it let him go.

    "The hunt is over. You will be presented to the Scorekeeper." Anakin looked over at the new speaker even as the one who'd been attacking and tormenting him stalked closer. That was the same one who'd spoken to him after his capture and was the elder of the group. What Anakin saw now though was the similarities between the leader and the one who was reaching down to grab him. "The Mandalorian is a worthy first kill, my child," the leader spoke as the one approaching him stopped. "Prove your worth by ending its mewing."

    The younger lizard turned to the elder and lowered its head. "Yes, father." It then turned back to him, letting Anakin see that the blade in its hand wasn't a vibroblade. It was simpler, meaning any cut from it, like those from Cam's beskad, wouldn't do as much damage, allowing a target to stay alive longer.

    As the Trandoshans advanced, blades raised to slaughter his comrades, Anakin's gaze met theirs. They looked to him for salvation, but uncertainty gnawed at him.

    The whispers crescendoed in his mind, a haunting symphony of dread.

    'Was he going to let his friends die like his mother?'
    ​
    'Was he going to let these beasts kill him, and fail Cam?'
    ​
    'Was he going to leave Lia alone in the galaxy, at the mercy of Decca and other Hutts?'
    ​
    He closed his eyes, but not to try and force away the voices. He heard them and knew what they offered; what they wanted. The Force was his to command, and he wouldn't let himself and his friends die here. The Trandoshans needed to die; they needed to suffer for what they'd done.

    Opening his eyes, he rose to his knees, defiant. The Trandoshan advancing on him faltered, its gaze caught by the steely resolve in Anakin's eyes. It bared its teeth, smirking at his resistance. "Good. You underst—"

    The creature's taunt was cut off as Anakin thrust his hands forward. Driven by fury and the terror of failure, he unleashed his wrath.

    The Trandoshan was yanked from the ground, hurtling into the air. The other lizards recoiled in shock; some were thrown back as Anakin's target flew further. The beast flailed desperately, its blade slipping from its grasp until it was driven into debris with a savage impact. Metal pierced its chest, pinning it against the wreckage.

    Anakin slumped, tired after what he'd done, but a smile came to his face as everyone processed what'd happened.

    "NOO!" The scream of the elder Trandoshan caught Anakin's attention, forcing him to forget the enjoyment he'd had in winning. The elder had sunk to its knees, its eyes wide as it looked at the impaled offspring.

    Anakin looked at his hands, shocked and proud of what he'd done. He'd saved himself and his friends. Now they just needed to…

    "YOU!" The snarled shout of the elder lizard snapped Anakin's train of thought. "YOU KILLED HIM!" It added as it leapt to its feet. Anakin started drawing on the Force again, knowing he had to kill this one as well, and then all the other beasts. But he was tired, downright exhausted. Whatever energy he'd had left was gone after using the Force to attack.

    The elder lizard stalked toward him, slowing only to grasp the young beast's blade. "I'll KILL YO…"

    The air around Anakin grew suffocatingly dense, the very atmosphere pressing down with a weight that threatened to tear the planet asunder. As the elder Trandoshan staggered, its hands clawing at its throat, Anakin's lips curled into a cold smile. He knew the source of this malevolent pressure—he knew who was at work here.

    "You."

    The word was a blade, slicing through the veil of fear and doubt. Anakin felt a profound clarity—he was shielded, and the struggle was over. His father had arrived, and the price for their crimes was about to be exacted.

    "Will."

    The second utterance sent the Trandoshan crumpling to its knees, blood oozing from frantic claw marks. The creature's own madness became its undoing. The other Trandoshans stood paralyzed, their fear of Cam's presence rendering them motionless. Anakin cared not for their terror; his thoughts were only of retribution for Lena, Plirs, and Snaxiu, whose frozen tears mirrored the encroaching storm.

    "Not."

    With this command, a towering figure emerged, a silhouette of menace. Cam's armour drank in the light, casting a dark halo around him, with only the blood-red visor piercing through the gloom. All eyes turned to this harbinger of doom, except for Anakin's, who felt only a fierce joy and relief. The nightmare would soon end, and they would leave this accursed world behind.

    "Touch."

    At this word, Cam's fingers closed into a fist. The Force twisted and obeyed, and the elder Trandoshan's convulsions grew more desperate. Cam's other hand revealed a blood-stained beskad, carving a trail of death in the dirt.

    "My."

    The final command roused the remaining Trandoshans from their stupor. Anakin opened his mouth to shout a warning, but before the lizards could react, bolts exploded through the air. Three of them fell; their legs shattered. The remaining pair was swallowed by a colossal shadow.

    "Son."

    As Cam spoke the final word, Fenrir descended. The beast's maw gaped wide, engulfing one Trandoshan's torso. A powerful hind leg swept the other lizard aside. As Fenrir's jaws closed around a Trandoshan's arm, two bolts struck the stumbling creature, severing a leg and a hand in a brutal symphony of violence.

    The Trandoshan Fenrir had bitten screamed, which turned into a call of terror as the tuk'ata pulled back its head, ripping the lizard's arm clean off. Blood squirted and gushed from the wound, though while Anakin could sense some revulsion and fear coming from his friends, his attention remained on Cam.

    He pushed himself to his feet as Cam moved closer, but didn't rush to greet him. Anakin understood that Cam wasn't finished. He couldn't see Cam's eyes, but Anakin knew the gaze was focused on the kneeling Trandoshan, who was still frantically clawing at its neck, trying anything it could to regain its ability to breathe.

    Normally, Anakin wouldn't want to watch this. He knew what Cam was doing would be seen as wrong by many, including his mother, but after a week of struggling to stay alive on this world because of that alien, Anakin didn't care. It deserved to suffer before it died. It needed to feel as Eshie and the others had before they were murdered.

    Yet, as Cam reached the kneeling alien, Anakin wondered why Cam hadn't already snapped the Trandoshan's neck and ended things.

    …
    (Cam's POV)
    I looked down at the disgusting creature before me, the urge to reduce it to atoms far weaker than I'd feared it might've been. Until landing on this world, I'd not been sure if Adas' meditation techniques were working, but as I looked down at the face of the one I knew was responsible for Anakin's kidnapping, along with those of the other three children – and those children these feral animals had killed – I understood it had. The voices were still there, but now only offered suggestions, not ideas that I felt I had to obey. That was a good thing for me, as I didn't want to lose control and miss out on ensuring the lizard understood the depths of its folly by targeting Anakin. For the Trandoshan, those here with it, and the ones I'd already killed today, it was far from a good outcome.

    This creature didn't deserve the quick and painful death the whispers were suggesting I grant it. No, it needed to suffer; its pain and terror needed to last until its mind and body became unable to endure my rage. The others here would also suffer, as those back at their ship had, except now there was no need to rush, no need to push too hard too quickly. I could enjoy what was to come.

    I lowered my arm, releasing the beast from the Force's grasp. The hand slipped to my belt, resting comfortably on the hilt of my shoto. While not my main blade, the crystal inside was attuned to me and I could almost sense it wishing to be ignited to help me educate the things before me.

    "Wa…" The beast failed pathetically to get a sound out. My fingers began tensing around the hilt of my lightsaber. "What. Are. You?"

    I smiled, enjoying each pained breath the thing took trying to put its fear into words.

    "Stupid, you are," I said mocking as I knelt in front of the beast. The head tilted to one side, exposing the neck. The urge to flick my blade out and remove the offending thing passed through my thoughts harmlessly. It would die, but not soon and not cleanly. It was unworthy of such a death.

    My beskad rose, its tip pointing at Anakin. "I am his father," I declared, the blade drifting beneath the beast's chin, forcing it to lift its head away from the lethal point. "You, and those who follow you, made a fatal error by laying a hand upon him."

    The Force warned me of a threat, and the beskad flicked downward. The beast grunted in pain; its resilience evident as I severed three of its fingers before it could reach for the blaster at its hip. "Unwise," I muttered, even as a grim satisfaction welled up inside me. The beast could endure pain, which meant it wouldn't easily succumb to what awaited it. I relished the thought of its forthcoming death. "You will die, as will every one of your minions. Your place in the galaxy is no better than that of a womp rat."

    The snarl that had twisted its face, which only heightened my anticipation, faltered. "Womp rat?"

    "Indeed," I replied, my voice tinged with amusement as I savoured its confusion. "Though perhaps that's an insult to womp rats." The snarl returned, now edged with a flicker of intelligence, though it remained blind to the gravity of its situation. As long as it clung to the hope of rescue, believing that the ones I had already sent to their gods might come to its aid, its despair would only deepen. The more it hoped, the greater my satisfaction would be when it finally realized that death was all that awaited it.

    My beskad flicked out again, slicing through the flesh of the beast's arm. It grunted, showing further, encouraging resilience. "The womp rat understands its place in the universe. You, and these other overgrown lizards, don't. Though I'm more than happy to educate you," I stood as I continued, wanting to be outside the beast's range before I finished. "Just as I did with those on your ship."

    The Trandoshan blinked, and I watched in amusement as it processed my words. A growl rose from its throat as it prepared to attack me, and I lifted my hand. The Force bent joyously to my demands as I closed my first. The unmistakable sound of bones shattering was followed by a groan of pain as the untouched arm abruptly buckled.

    I chuckled deeply, savouring the pain this thing was feeling, and sensing the first embers of fear forming inside it. Moving forward again, the beskad flicked out. "Soon you'll rejoin your friends," I spat out the word as my blade sliced clean through the animal's limb, cutting the flesh to the bone, and disabling the other arm, "When you greet your god as nothing but a broken, destroyed, and pointless waste."

    "Statement:" I turned to HK as he spoke, the HUD having reported he'd emerged into the clearing sooner than I'd expected. "All targets are secure and the astromech reports the last of their vessel's datafiles have been downloaded."

    I nodded at the report even as I watched Simvyl step toward a Trandoshan missing both legs. The beast panicked, threatening wildly when it saw the restraining cuffs in the Cathar's hand. Before it could be any threat, Simvyl casually shot it in both shoulders. The bolts weren't enough to remove the limbs, but it rendered them as useless as the beast's missing legs.

    "You can't do this!"

    I turned back to the elder Trandoshan, aware of the rising fear coming from Anakin's friends even as he looked on patiently. "Oh, but I can," I said to the pitiful defeated creature that lay before me. "And I will. The only remaining question is just how long it takes you to meet your god," I added, not even trying to hold back my fury and disdain for him and his species.

    With my piece said, I sheathed my beskad. I'd barely managed that before a euphoric explosion of delight and relief overwhelmed the darkness I was projecting into the Force. As Anakin leapt into my arms, I braced, and caught him easily even as I sunk to a knee, ensuring his feet returned to the ground.

    "I knew you'd come," He said as he pressed his head into the nook of my armour. The HUD reported on his condition, but I didn't need that to know he was tired, hungry, and in need of a good, long rest.

    "Always for you An'ika," I replied, feeling the rage I'd been focusing on the Trandoshans lift in an instant. Anakin, my son, was safe, and those who'd captured him were nothing but bodies waiting to be destroyed. I felt him sob and patted his back. "It's okay. I'm here."

    I held him there, letting him release all the pent-up emotions he'd been carrying for nearly two weeks pour out. "I knew you'd come," he said as I felt his fear of dying, or never seeing me, Lia, or others, or gaining revenge, fade away. A few weeks ago, I'd have been pleased with that, seeing it as a sign he was committing to the Jedi training of accepting what was and not dwelling on his emotions. However, I knew now that it wasn't the path for either of us. That would mean a change in his training, but that, along with a hundred other things, could wait until later.

    As I felt him calm, the worst of his emotional turmoil easing, I pulled him back slightly. One hand came from his back, planning to remove my helmet, but before the hand could slip around his body, his hands were already there, and I tilted my head to grant him easier access. A moment later, the hiss of the seal breaking could be heard, and I let him pull my helmet off.

    I blinked, adjusting to the unfiltered light of this shithole of a world's sun. Once I recovered, I looked at Anakin and ran a hand through his hair while smiling. "I'm not leaving, An'ika," I said, once more using his Mando'a nickname. "And I'm proud of you."

    His head tilted to one side, and I chuckled at his confusion; enjoying the first non-stressed moment I'd had in weeks. "You survived here, without weapons or much training for over a week," I said, giving his hair a ruffle. For what was possibly the first time ever, he didn't scowl at the action. "Plus, you kept others alive," I added, looking past him to the trio of kids cowering together, keeping their distance from me, Fenrir, and the others. "Though perhaps you could introduce us?" As I asked that, I offered the trio a smile and wave, the Weequay being the only one to return the gesture.

    I understood why they'd be scared of me. I'd not entered this area gently, and been aggressive toward the Trandoshans, but I didn't regret it. Those beasts needed to understand their place which sure as osik wasn't anywhere near the top of the food chain.

    "Oh, right." Anakin turned, looking at his friends though he kept a hand on my armour as if scared I might disappear. "Lena, Snaxiu, Plirs, this is my father, Cameron Shan. Dad, these are my friends."

    "Hello there," I said, offering them another wave and widening my smile. "I'm sorry if I scared you with my arrival."

    "I-it's ok," Plirs replied slowly. The other two looked at me with wide eyes, taking in my face and armour. From all three the terror was slowly receding, and I understood why they were reluctant to trust me. after so long constantly on the run from the lizards, they were slow to trust anyone not in their group. "Th-thank you."

    "There's no need to thank me," I said, keeping my smile wide and voice soft. "I only wish it hadn't taken me so long to find you."

    "Yeah, how did you?" Anakin asked as he turned back to me.

    I chuckled and shook my head. "A story for another time. First, I want to get all of you onto Raven, and then we'll see about contacting your families."

    The trio of kids all looked at me as if I'd grown another head, making clear that they'd all but given up hope of going home. That spiked my anger, though before it could rise and push past the gentle appearance I was projecting, I smashed it down. I'd draw on that fury soon enough once Anakin and his friends were out of sight. They didn't need to see what was coming.

    A roar filled the air, and the trio ducked down, huddling together. "That's my ship," I said, using the hand not still resting against Anakin to point upward just as Raven slid into view. "She's not the biggest, but there's sonic showers, fresh food, clean bunks, and provided you're okay with wearing some of Anakin's stuff, fresh clothing."

    The trio looked at each other and then at Anakin, making clear he'd assumed command of the group. That made me proud as while I'd not started any training on command, he'd shown initiative in trying to keep his friends safe. I didn't need to ask to know that some of the heads of the murdered children had been with this group when they died, and I'd have to talk with Anakin about losing someone under his command. It was a tricky thing to deal with for someone who formed bonds as easily as he and I did, but overall, I felt he'd done an excellent job in ensuring they survived this long.

    "It's fine," Anakin said reassuringly. "Raven's amazing! She's really fast and…" Anakin paused and looked around before turning back to me. "I didn't know R2 could fly her."

    I laughed as I realised Anakin didn't know about Raven's evolution. "She's flying by herself now, at least so long as the flight path is simple." Anakin's eyes widened in shock, which drew another bout of laughter from me. "When you were captured she knew I couldn't waste time getting back to her, so it came to me. We still weren't fast enough to stop those beasts from getting away, but it seems you're responsible for her latest growth."

    "Wizard!"

    While chuckling once again, I ruffled his hair. "Aye, it is." I stood, easily lifting Anakin with one arm. The armour added a decent amount of weight, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle without help. "Fenrir!" I called. The tuk'ata lifted its head, blood from the limb it was chewing on – the lizard it'd come from secured by Simvyl and along with the others under the watchful gaze of HK. "Drop that! You don't know where it's been!" Fenrir shook his head, not wanting to give up his toy. "Get over here." The tuk'ata snorted but did as I asked and after spitting the remains of the arm out and then, with blood flowing over his maw, sauntered over to us.

    "Hey boy," Anakin said, lowering the hand not wrapped around me to the tuk'ata. Fenrir leaned into the touch, happy to enjoy Anakin's scratches again.

    "Fenrir," he looked up at me, though didn't move away from Anakin's hand, "I need you to escort Anakin and his friends to Raven." I sensed a spark of fear and looked at my son's friends. The trio had pulled back, no doubt concerned by the fearsome impression Fenrir projected with blood matted into his jaw and front paws.

    "It's ok, Fenrir's a giant softy. Aren't you?" Fenrir snorted, not liking being called soft, but he made no move away from Anakin's attention, which helped to prove the boy's point.

    Without breaking that contact, I moved closer and gently lowered Anakin onto Fenrir's back. The tuk'ata enjoyed carrying around younger children at times, though I'd seen many adults in the Lokella and elsewhere look on in shock and fear at watching the giant beast – his head was at my shoulder if he held it up – walk around like a trained pony.

    The trio watched my actions, and how Fenrir accepted Anakin's presence on his back, before sharing a look. As a group, they slowly moved toward the beast, their eyes struggling to see past his blood-soaked mouth. Once they were closer, Lena attentively stretched out a hand. Fenrir stayed still, aware of their fear, and when the hand touched his neck he leaned as softly as he could into the touch.

    A short, barking laugh slipped from her lips, only to be stopped when her free hand raced up to cover her mouth. When neither Fenrir nor Anakin reacted to her behaviour, she relaxed and began moving her fingers. Fenrir growled quietly, letting her know he enjoyed the touch. A moment or two later, the two boys added their hands near Lena's and Fenrir beamed with pleasure at the attention.

    I couldn't help but laugh at what I was seeing. Fenrir was bred for war, yet all it took to turn him into the galaxy's biggest softy were children in need of protection who wanted to scratch him. "Go on," I said to my friend, giving him a gentle pat on his hip. He turned, giving me a side-eye suggesting he didn't want to move if it meant missing out on scratches. "I'm sure once they've washed and eaten, they'll be happy to keep petting you."

    "Yes!" Lena agreed happily, placing her head against Fenrir's neck. "I'll pet you whenever you want until I'm back with my parents," she added.

    Fenrir snorted at that and started moving, the kids heading with him. Lena didn't know what she'd just committed herself to, but after what she and the others had endured on this world, I didn't think she'd mind having to spend every waking hour pampering the tuk'ata.

    Simvyl offered them a smile as they passed, moving out of the area we were in and toward where Raven was landing. As the group slipped from view, I slid my helmet back on. The rage I'd been keeping constrained hungered for release, and with those I didn't want seeing what I had planned gone, I knew the rage and I would be satisfied before we left this waste of a planet.

    A glance inside the helmet sent a command through the HUD. Simvyl turned, heading off with the children as while I knew Fenrir would keep them safe, I wasn't going to risk losing Anakin again. The Cathar did as ordered, happy to make up for any perceived failing when Anakin had been kidnapped as I turned toward the group of lizards.

    All were kneeling, wounds bleeding along with wherever they'd lost a limb. Impressively, they all looked aggressive, as if challenging me even though I'd captured them. whatever points for their god that they'd gained throughout their disgusting lives were gone. Under their bravado, I could sense their fear. My words earlier about sending them to the Scorekeeper pointless having the desired effect.

    "Now," I said as I slowly moved toward them, bearing down on their leader, "Before your miserable excuse for lives are extinguished, I'd like to know everything you do. I'm told there are other groups like yours prowling this region of the Rim targeting children for your sick sport. I want to know where they are."

    "Kriff you Mandalorian!" The leader snapped back. "I'm not telling you anything!"

    "I had hoped you'd say that," I said as I moved closer, I lifted my organic hand, showing him my palm. "I find I enjoy this far more when you resist."

    The mind of this beast, and those I'd already shredded for intel along with the others here, wasn't a place I wished to enter. It was beneath me. However, it was effective and caused the lizard's incredible pain. Or it did before their mind shattered under my assault.

    Already I had enough intelligence that any halfway decent Republic security officer could use, let alone the Mando'ade I planned on hiring to wipe out this rabble. Not just for other hunting parties and the planets they used, but also the locations of a dozen pirate and black-market ports. While I could clean them out myself, I didn't have the time or interest in dealing with such minor matters.

    "Now," I said, my voice deepening as I focused every ounce of my rage toward the lizard, demanding the Force assist me in what was to come. "This might hurt a bit, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it."

    … …
    … …
    "A-are you sure it's safe?"

    I stood back slightly, letting Anakin deal with Lena as she looked from the two Zeltrons speaking to her to my son. Unlike Plirs and Snaxiu, when we'd gone to the world Lena had been abducted from, we'd not found any remaining family. Instead, we'd come across a dozen ruined buildings. Everyone there had been killed and the building looted and burnt. I wasn't sure if that had taken place during or before the massacre, but regardless of how it had happened, it meant Lena had nowhere to go.

    After cleaning up the mess, giving any remains that we found a burial, and then letting Lena see if there was anything for her to salvage and then grieve for her family and friends, we'd left. It had been a long few days since then with Anakin and Fenrir doing their best to help cheer her up. For a while I regretted having killed every lizard before we'd left, as while I knew it wouldn't bring back her family or ease the suffering she, Plirs, and Snaxiu had gone through and would need help recovering from, it would've given them some closure to execute at least one of those responsible for their pain.

    Regarding what to do with Lena, I'd quickly dismissed the idea of heading to a nearby Republic world and dropping her off with local child services. Those were always underfunded and lost track of kids so much it was such a disgrace that the Senate and the planet's government chose to ignore the matter. Nor was the idea of adopting her into Clan Shan viable. I had very specific plans for Anakin's training, and Lena lacked anything like the Force potential to make it worthwhile for her to endure the same training. I had considered asking Adonai or Torrhen to adopt her, but I wasn't sure she was ready now – or if she ever would be – to become a warrior. Thus, in the end, I'd reached out to the Lokella, and their council had dispatched a CR70 Corvette to meet me at the orbital station we were now on.

    "Yeah. I lived there for a few years before Cam adopted me and began my training," Anakin explained to Lena while wearing as comforting a smile as he could manage. Her hands were resting on Fenrir, the tuk'ata still serving as her comfort blanket as she came to terms with everything that had happened.

    "I know this is hard, sweetie, but you won't be the only youngling among our people." That response came from Surmi, as she stood with her twin sister Syshe. The Zeltron pair had chosen to head the group sent to collect Lena, though after last night I suspected the pair had ulterior motives for taking the assignment, not that I was complaining.

    "All of us have suffered pain," added Syshe to support her sister's words. "We were once slaves of a Hutt before the Lokella freed us. And now look," she gestured behind her to where their shuttle rested on the other side of the bay from Raven. "We've got command of a ship with which we use to free others from suffering."

    "You'll make lots of friends and no one will force you to talk about what's happened. Not if you don't want to." Surmi added the pair was comfortable finishing each other's thoughts when speaking. A skill that extended to other, more pleasurable endeavours. "Maybe one day, if you want to, you could command a starship as well."

    "O-okay," Lena said slowly, accepting the Lokella's offer to take her in. I was pleased to hear she'd be going, and my smile grew when she turned to Anakin. "You'll stay in touch?"

    "Yes." He coughed gently. "I mean, I'll do so when I can. Cam wants me to continue my training and I'm not sure how long that will take, or where we'll go. But I promise that when I can, I'll call. And not just you but my sister Lia as well."

    Lena smiled widely at Anakin, and I could tell the pair would remain friends. Perhaps, in five or six years, it might even become something more, but the future wasn't certain. Not least because of my choices. She turned to the twins and nodded. "Okay. I'll go with you."

    The twins shared a look and then approached Lena with matching smiles. "Good," Syshe said before they turned to gesture to a Togruta male who was standing outside their shuttle. "Head to Felxi and he'll get you settled aboard the shuttle. Before we go we'd like to speak with Cam first."

    "Anakin, why don't you help Lena with her stuff?" I suggested, sensing the spiking desire from the Zeltrons, and having a hint that he'd not want to be around when they flirted with me. Something they'd been doing heavily since they'd arrived yesterday morning.

    Anakin looked between me and the Zeltron twins, both of whom were giving me wide, encouraging smiles. "Yeah, um, I…" He paused and shook his head, clearing some of the redness in his cheeks. "Okay."

    I watched him walk off, taking Lena to Raven. Her stuff was already loaded on a hoversled, but getting the pair away gave me the time alone with the twins that I suspected they wanted.

    "He's cute when he's flustered."

    I turned to Syshe and grinned. "I can call him back if you'd like."

    "Oh no," Surmi replied as she and her sister moved toward me. "We much prefer the older model," she added as he reached my left side; Syshe taking the right. They each took one arm, pulling it against their body. "It's powerful, experienced, and has remarkable staying power."

    I chuckled as I turned my hands around so my fingers could brush against each girl's exposed midsection. "I do my best," I said as my fingers pinched their skin. "Though as much as I'd enjoy a repeat of last night…"

    "So would we."

    "… I need to return to my travels and training my son."

    The Zeltrons smiled. "It's okay," Syshe said as they moved closer.

    "We understand," Surmi added before they each kissed one of my cheeks. "Though we look forward to when we might next partake in the pleasures of the flesh."

    "Perhaps you might ask your Jedi and Mandalorian friends to join us."

    I chuckled, enjoying the rush of mental images that thought created. Bo would be more than happy to experience what the Zeltrons could do. Force, I was still in awe of several of the tricks they'd used against me last night. Serra, however, was another matter, and not just because of her recovering from the death of Drallig and being taken on by Windu.

    "We can but hope," I said before offering first Syshe and then Surmi a tender kiss. That was the reverse order of the last act we'd shared last night – well, technically this morning given how long we'd been enjoying ourselves – and I made sure to never favour one sister over the other. Something they seemed to appreciate.

    "Until next time M'tael," Surmi said as Syshe slipped a hand down and pinched my arse.

    I watched the pair as they moved toward their shuttle, escorting Lena and Anakin as they pushed the hoversled toward the craft. Once they reached it, Anakin shared a few final words with Lena, followed by a hug and then turned around and walked back to us.

    Taking that as my cue, I turned as well and moved toward Raven. Simvyl was leaning casually against one of her landing gears, though the way his eyes scanned the bay, and a hand rested near a blaster made clear he was anything but unalert to potential danger. While I had forgiven him for what had happened, he still hadn't and was now taking his duties very seriously. Too seriously perhaps, and I wondered if I'd need to drag him to a pleasure house – one where the females weren't slaves – so he could unwind a little.

    "How do you do it?" He asked once I was at the base of the ramp.

    "Hmm?" I replied as I looked back and then guided Anakin into the ship.

    Simvyl looked past me, toward the now departing shuttle and sighed. "A girl on every planet."

    "Technically we're not on a planet," I shot back with a smirk.

    "You know what I mean."

    "Aye, and my answer is… Jedi secret." He rolled his eyes and, understanding I wasn't going to explain, he turned and moved up the ramp after Anakin.

    Taking a moment, I turned back and watched the shuttle as it left the bay. Outside the Lokella's CR-70 waited which would take my latest companions back to their people. Truthfully, Syshe and Surmi weren't important to me, unlike Bo and Serra, and when they'd first offered their bed I'd rejected it. I'd only just moved to a more intimate stage with Serra and didn't want to risk that.

    Things between me and her were up in the air, and while I hoped that we'd recover what we once had, I wasn't going to sit around and pine after it. I cared deeply for her, but not enough that I'd try and force her to return to my side, or mope around waiting for her to do so. She had the right to choose her path irrespective of mine.

    Thinking on Serra and our situation my thoughts turned to the path I was taking my first steps along and Maul. Regarding Maul, I knew one day Serra would learn of my choice to keep the Zabrak alive. How she reacted to that would determine if our paths remained joined or if that was the end of what we shared. I hoped for the former but understood that the latter was possible. Probable even if Windu's teaching before she was knighted sunk in deep enough. However, if I had the chance to do things differently after the battle of Naboo, I wouldn't.

    Maul represented a potentially vast reservoir of intelligence—not only about Sidious' schemes but also about the inner workings of the Banite Sith and their broader objectives. He might even be – unlikely though it was – someone whom I could recruit to my cause. At the very least, he could help fill in the countless gaps in my understanding of the Sith's motives, goals, and strategies for eradicating the Jedi.

    I was aware that the Clones were pivotal to this plan—at least in the timeline I had witnessed. Yet, there had to be more to their scheme than merely employing them and issuing an Executive Order to annihilate the Order and neutralise them as a threat to the Banite agenda.

    Still, I knew it would be some time before I faced Maul again. At least until I felt my skill and power had returned to the point that it had been when I'd managed to capture the Sith Assassin. I had the time to get there. or at least felt I did as it would take Sidious and Plagueis time to consolidate their hold over the upper echelons of the Republic and cultivate a replacement for Dooku.

    That alone was perhaps a greater help to granting me the time I needed to train myself and Anakin, but I knew it wouldn't stop the plan indefinitely. That was why, at least before Anakin's kidnapping, I'd spent almost every evening going over the decrypted records from the Scimitar. Maul was smart enough to wipe the astrogation computer regularly, meaning I couldn't determine where he'd travelled before coming to Naboo – though I suspected he'd been on Coruscant as in the other timeline.

    The problem was that only about ten per cent of the Scimitar's data had been decrypted, with most of that being the basically empty flight log and data-recorder of when he'd refilled the fuel tanks. If I was only looking at a single planet, then it would be reasonably easy to use that data to determine likely locations that the vessel – and thus Maul – had travelled to. However, with almost an entire galaxy to work with, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack as big as Coruscant, Corellia, and a dozen other Core worlds combined. HK and R2 were working to crack the encryption on the rest of the Scimitar's files, but they didn't expect to have any success for at least half a year, and that was their most optimistic projection.

    Once up Raven's ramp, I moved through her corridors. The ramp was closing before I'd even stepped off it – Raven once more anticipating my needs – and moved toward the cockpit. Our destination wouldn't be Kro Var, as I'd been intending before Anakin's kidnapping, but Eshan.

    While we would still be heading at some point to the Shapers, as I wanted to learn what they did with the Force while controlling elemental powers, I felt a more combat-oriented focus would appeal to Anakin after recent events. Plus, it would put my mind at ease to know he knew more ways to defend himself and others.

    I could've chosen to go Mandalore and enrol Anakin in the Institute there that Serra and I had joined, however I wanted to broaden my horizons as well. Like Mandalorians, the Echani were regarded as one of the best warrior cultures in the galaxy. The difference was in composition – while a decent majority of Mando'ade were Human, not all were – and the fact the two groups disliked each other intently to the point the Echani had often allied against the Mando'ade in previous wars simply to test themselves against them.

    Because of those issues, Anakin and I would be removing most of our armour while there. Some would remain, and even if there were questions about me having armour made of beskar, the fact I could publicly show I was a Jedi – thanks for that belonged to Palpatine who'd ensured I was front and centre when the liberation of Naboo had been a major news cycle – would counter most of those issues. Plus, as the two people hadn't been at war for centuries, and the issues between them were more of attempts to prove which culture was better than any major ideological issue, we shouldn't face too many problems.

    It would take us at least a few days to reach Eshan, and during that time I'd speak with Anakin about his ordeal. While we'd had some conversations about it, those had often involved the other kids. Now it was just again, I wondered if he might open up a little about how he'd felt, and what he'd done that he'd not wanted to mention around the other kids. The obvious one was that, just before I arrived to save him and his friends, I'd sensed him drawing on his desire to protect others and make the Force do what he wished.

    He needed to know that I wasn't angry about it, nor would I hold it against him. We both just had to be careful of how he handled that experience. He was young and unable to handle his emotions to anywhere near the degree I could, so it would take training to ensure he didn't become unstable in the way I felt Obi-Wan had ignored and then Sidious had exploited in the other timeline.

    I wasn't worried about others sensing his mistake with the Dark Side. When I'd gone for him on Tatooine, I'd have struggled to sense him if I'd not been looking for him. While whatever protections he'd naturally developed were weaker because he'd begun his training with the Force, it was still incredibly impressive. To the point that I planned to ask him how he did it. While my defences were decent, any help in improving them wasn't something I was going to ignore.

    Plus, while I had little intention of doing it soon, I knew I'd have to return to the Temple and interact with Palpatine and Damask. If I could harness how Anakin kept his Force presence hidden, I could ensure that neither group learnt of the changes I'd undergone or would undergo, when we next met. Otherwise, the moment I set foot on Coruscant, I'd have both groups out to capture, imprison, or kill me.

    That would, to be blunt, put a major dent in my plans for the next few decades.

    … …
    … …
    A/N: All's well that ends well. Unless you're a Trandoshan/slaver in which case you got what you deserved.
    ...
    This story is cross-posted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of our Own, and Royal Road.
    ...
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    May the Force be with you. Always.​
     
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    • I assume Cam paid Hondo a huge amount for his services.
    As they part ways, Hondo says,"I look forward to the possibility of us doing business together again." While not entertaining the idea, Cam replies, "I hope you're less annoying by then."
     
    Moran said:
    I assume Cam paid Hondo a huge amount for his services.
    As they part ways, Hondo says,"I look forward to the possibility of us doing business together again." While not entertaining the idea, Cam replies, "I hope you're less annoying by then."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Pretty much, and now it means Hondo will act around Cam as he did around Obi-Wan in TCW.
    star-wars-hondo-ohnaka.gif

    star-wars-hondo-ohnaka.gif
     
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